December « 2019 « Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

Archive for December, 2019

Ken and Robin Consume Media: Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian, Uncut Gems, and Marriage Story

December 31st, 2019 | Robin

Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.

The Pinnacle

Marriage Story (Film, US, Noah Baumbach, 2019) Hopes for an amicable, lawyer-free divorce for a stifled actress (Scarlett Johansson) and a wunderkind theatrical director (Adam Driver) blow up when she wants to move their son with her to L.A. Driven by poignant performances, this subtle drama delivers one standout scene after another without ever cheating its emotional realism.—RDL

Uncut Gems (Film, US, Josh & Benny Safdie, 2019) Heavily indebted to his increasingly impatient bookie, NYC jeweler and all-around risk junkie Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) keeps finding new ways to dig his hole deeper. In a marvel of presence and performance, Sandler keeps you riveted with concern for a messed-up antihero who is not only doomed but has it coming. Daniel Lopatin’s bubbling score plays the role of Ratner’s jacked-up neurochemistry.—RDL

Uncut Gems (Film, US, Josh & Benny Safdie, 2019) Jeweller and compulsive gambler Howie (Adam Sandler) launches a dizzying series of schemes around an uncut black opal and Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett (playing his 2012 self) to stay out of the clutches of angry bookie Arno (Eric Bogosian). A literally manic scammer thrill ride, a sheer heart attack of a movie that never lets up on the viewer, a virtuoso plot that seems to spring naturally from the Manhattan gem world setting and dysfunctional humanity alike. Sandler is unsurprisingly (to those of us who remember Punch Drunk Love) terrific in a straight part as a broken man, but this one draws more from his comedian’s stores of ego, timing, and loathing. –KH

1917 (Film, UK, Sam Mendes, 2019) In April 1917, Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George Mackay) must get an urgent message to another unit to prevent a slaughter. Mendes’ man-on-a-mission script is nothing special, but it’s not his usual junk, either, presenting World War I as a haunted house built around intermittent metaphors. His “one continuous take” affect throughout cheats, and is merely clever. The Recommendation comes from Roger Deakins’ supernatural cinematographic art; the starshell sequence finds pure rapture in nightmare, but it’s only the best of many. –KH

Carmine Street Guitars (Film, Canada, Ron Mann, 2019) Musicians ranging from Lenny Kaye to Bill Frisell to the Sadies drop into the Greenwich Village shop of Rick Kelly, who makes guitars from reclaimed wood taken from demolished 19th century New York buildings. A comforting, contemplative study of the quiet craftsmanship that goes into the tools for rocking out.—RDL

Dinosaurs Rediscovered (Nonfiction, Michael J. Benton, 2019) Roundup of developments in the last two decades of paleontology depict a revolution in understanding driven by computer modeling. Clear and engaging practitioner’s account sparingly deploys the now-obligatory pop science personal anecdotes.—RDL

Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird (Film, US, Steven-Charles Jaffe, 2013) Arts profile documentary looks at the work and mordant vision of cartoonist Gahan Wilson. Aside from learning that Wilson is not as I had pictured him but as I should have been picturing him, the key bit here is watching the extremely humble method he used to produce his intricate, inimitable pieces.—RDL

Knives Out (Film, US, Rian Johnson, 2019) When mystery writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) seemingly commits suicide on the night of his 85th birthday, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) suspects foul play in a houseful of suspects. Wonderfully structured riff on the classic star-stuffed mystery movie provides comic and suspense turns in abundance. –KH

The Mandalorian Season 1 (Television, US, Disney+, Jon Favreau, 2019) In the opening years of the new Republic, a Mandalorian bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) finds a target he cannot ethically take, and rebels against the Guild to protect it. Combining Lone Wolf & Cub with (mostly spaghetti) Westerns, Favreau builds strong episodic television while infusing the series with the true Star Wars spice. Special shout-outs to the production design and guest casting. –KH

Shooting Script (Fiction, Gavin Lyall, 1966) Charter pilot Keith Carr gets tangled up with the Caribbean Republica Libre (sort-of Dominican Republic) and with movie star Walt Whitmore (sort-of John Wayne) in another taut aviation thriller. The brutal hero, kerosene realism, and riveting aerial detail (including a dogfight between Carr’s unarmed cargo plane and a jet fighter) elevate it above all but Lyall’s best. –KH

Veronica Mars Season 4 (Television, US, Hulu, Rob Thomas, 2019) With her dad (Enrico Colantoni) losing a step and Logan surprising her with an unwanted proposal, Veronica (Kristen Bell) investigates a series of spring break bombings. Seamless revival proves that a show can ditch both its original premise and structure if the attitude and relationships remain intact. In the writers room this time out: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!—RDL

Good

6 Underground (Film, US, Michael Bay, 2019) Led by tech billionaire “One” (Ryan Reynolds), a team of experts fakes their own deaths to take down a dictator. I think Michael Bay may actually have read and internalized Charlie Jane Anders’ famous 2009 review in which she (jokingly?) called Bay the world’s most successful auteur of art film — of film that discards (or transcends) narrative for image and emotion. In his newest opus, more than ever, Bay’s frenetic but surgical cuts and increasingly jaw-dropping stylized shots convey pure feeling and adrenaline, jerking (and lifting) us away from mere plot. –KH

Okay

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Film, US, J.J. Abrams, 2019) The dead speak! Mostly about how mad they are at Rian Johnson! Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) was secretly alive all this time, and he wants Rey (Daisy Ridley) dead or alive or something, while Finn (John Boyega) yells. Adam Driver (great but alone) and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) do essentially the only acting in the movie, which resolves into a cloud of empty, stakes-free, mawkish, half-baked action set pieces that go nowhere. But Richard E. Grant chews on a star destroyer and there’s a pretty good lightsaber fight on a stormy ocean moon. –KH

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Film, US, J.J. Abrams, 2019) The return of Emperor Palpatine prompts a search for the hidden planet of the Sith—and the true secret of Rey’s parentage. Half an hour of moving tribute to the original trilogy packaged inside an hour-forty worth of time-killing plot gyrations.—RDL

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Episode 375: Live from Dragonmeet

December 20th, 2019 | Robin

In our final episode of the year, we unwrap the annual Christmas present that is our episode recorded live at Dragonmeet in London. Join us for the nerdtroping of the Norman Conquest and Hindu mythology, this podcast’s alternate timeline, writing to drink by, annoying tannoy interruptions, and the real intervention in the 2016 election.

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Hopping vampires tried to stop it! Transformed animals conspired to block it! Evil eunuchs issued proclamations against it! But thanks to the gun-toting, fist-flying efforts of your favorite scrappy underdogs at Atlas Games, Feng Shui 2, Robin’s acclaimed and recently improved game of action thrills has been reprinted and can again be found in stores. Import the excitement of the Hong Kong action cinema masters to your roleplaying table.

By the Great Gold Wyrm, is that an escalation die I hear? Pelgrane Press’ love letter to fantasy roleplaying just got lovelier with an epic PDF deal in the Bundle of Holding. Grab the brand new 13th Age Adventures bundle, or dip your toes in the Diabolist’s waters with a revived deal on the original 13th Age Bundle, including the core book and the campaign to end all campaigns, Eyes of the Stone Thief.

The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!

Arc Dream Publishing presents a gorgeous new edition of Robert W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow, a deluxe hardback in delightful faux snakeskin, with a foreword by John Scott Tynes, annotations by our own Kenneth Hite, and stunning full-pate color illustrations by Samuel Araya. Grab it while it lasts in the Arc Dream store.

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Tags: Live

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Ken and Robin Consume Media: Ford v. Ferrari, Ash vs. Evil Dead, and Young Twits vs Old Bats

December 17th, 2019 | Robin

Ash vs. Evil Dead Season 3 (Television, US/New Zealand, Starz, Rob Tapert, 2018) Evil comes after the daughter Ash (Bruce Campbell) never knew he had, presaging an apocalyptic showdown between rebel demon Ruby (Lucy Lawless) and the Dark Ones. In its final season, the show goes out big, escalating a unified narrative until it feels like the franchise’s fourth movie.—RDL

Ford v. Ferrari (Film, US, James Mangold, 2019) Brilliant auto designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and maverick driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale) partner to win the 1966 Le Mans for Ford against reigning sports car champions Ferrari. The over-eager script doesn’t always fire on all cylinders: It’s a love story between Miles and Shelby, it’s actually Ford v Shelby American v Ferrari as suits (Josh Lucas) interfere with genius, it’s a period piece with motor oil instead of perfume. But mostly it’s a big loud car-racing movie, and a pretty good, very pretty one. –KH

High Life, Low Morals: The duel that shook Stuart society (Nonfiction, Victor Stater, 1999) In the fiercely partisan reign of Queen Anne, a legal dispute over a lucrative estate prompts swordplay between a status-hungry Scottish Tory and a dissolute but diligent Whig. Narrative history at its finest, providing telling social and economic context while never losing touch with its human throughline.—RDL

Highland Fling (Fiction, Nancy Mitford, 1931) Quartet of adorable upper class twits accepts an emergency request to host a hunting party of fusty old counterparts at a Scottish castle. Mitford’s first novel is jokier and less concerned about structure than her best-known works, making it ideal laugh-out-loud holiday reading.—RDL

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (Film, UK, Albert Lewin, 1951) American singer Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner), who breaks men’s hearts just by existing, falls prey to her own romantic obsession, in the person of a mysterious yachtsman (James Mason) connected to a legendary curse. Occasionally stodgy but ultimately haunting weird romance explores the cruelty of star charisma. No one has ever embodied otherworldly beauty more than Gardner as shot here by color cinematography master Jack Cardiff.—RDL

Not Recommended

When You’re In Love (Film, US, Robert Riskin, 1935) Visa-seeking opera star (Grace Moore) enters into marriage of convenience with creditor-dodging painter (Cary Grant.) Creaky time capsule from a moment in cinema history when the affected, now forgotten singer Moore was a bigger draw than Grant.—RDL

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Episode 374: All Books are Tax Deductible

December 13th, 2019 | Robin

Freshly home and invigorated, or perhaps exhaugorated, by our annual trip to Dragonmeet in London, we issue a Travel Advisory for the William Blake exhibition at Tate Britain.

Rocketed by the power of recording technology back to the day before Gen Con, Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else finds us in conversation with Colby Elliott, silky-voiced creator and narrator of RPG audiobooks, including a little number you might know as Robin’s Laws of Good Gamemastering.

Experienced listeners are already bracing themselves for what comes next: another bumper edition of Ken’s Bookshelf, featuring the haul from his 2019 London book raid. Plus special guest books straight from Robin’s carry-on bag!

Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon!

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Atlas Games’ delightful game of mud, blood and regicide, Gloom of Thrones , charges down the moat of your favorite game retailer on December 2nd. Take control of a noble family and exquisitely kill them off. May the most miserable player win!

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Tags: Culture Hut, Ken and/or Robin Talk to Someone Else, Ken's Bookshelf, Travel Advisory

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Ken and Robin Consume Media: Dumb Nose, Fake Beard

December 10th, 2019 | Robin

She Died a Lady (Fiction, John Dickson Carr, 1943) An apparent suicide pact in a small Devonshire village reveals itself as murder — or does it? Sir Henry Merrivale investigates, but the narrator, the elderly town doctor, has his own ideas. Carr’s slow burn and oblique narration prefigures P.D. James’ humane mysteries, while still providing plenty of clues and actually amusing Merrivale hijinks this time out. –KH

The White Priory Murders (Fiction, John Dickson Carr, 1934) A classic Carr impossible crime — how could movie starlet Marcia Tate have been killed in the pavilion house in the middle of a frozen pond covered with unmarked snow? Henry Merrivale in pre-slapstick mode, a classic Old Dark House cast, and a sheerly terrific solution make this a neglected near-top-tier Carr. –KH

Good

Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks (Film, Australia, Serge Ou, 2019) Clips and talking head interviews survey martial arts cinema as an irresistible force for cultural diffusion. This thesis results in a highly selective history, for example spending a segment on Bruce Lee imitators while failing to mention King Hu by name, so treat as a starting point rather than a comprehensive treatment.—RDL

Stars in My Crown (Film, US, Jacques Tourneur, 1950) Affable but tough-minded Civil War vet turned preacher (Joel McCrea) clashes with a rigid young doctor (James Mitchell) and stands up to the Klan. Slice of small town Americana, based on a novel, represents an unusual example of explicitly Christian liberalism in Hollywood, and a stylistic departure from a director better known for noir and his horror collaborations with Val Lewton.—RDL

Unstoppable (Film, South Korea, Kim Min-ho, 2018) Former gangster (Dong-seok Ma) calls on his indomitable punching skills when a maniacal sex trafficker (Seong-oh Kim) kidnaps his wife (Ji-Hyo Song.) Tackles the time-honored tropes of the messed-with-the-wrong-guy sub-genre with energetic brio.—RDL

Okay

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (Film, US, Simon Kinberg, 2019) When a strange energy enters mutant Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) on a mission in space, it unleashes her full potential and reveals Charles Xavier’s (James McAvoy) shenanigans. Splosions ensue. Cue a bunch of adequate mutant fights, hampered by everyone involved being kind of tired and one of those “explain your emotions again” scripts. I’m still angry at Bryan Singer for not making this movie in 2006 when he could have; this classic comics arc deserves much better. –KH

Not Recommended

All is True (Film, UK, Kenneth Branagh, 2018) After the Globe Theatre burns down, Shakespeare (Kenneth Branagh in a dumb nose and fake beard) returns home to Stratford and his neglected wife (Judi Dench cashing a check) and daughters. This is the kind of movie where Branagh holds lovingly on a shot of a swan swimming up the Avon. On the (ridiculous, false) nose, in other words. Ben Elton’s “today is trauma discussion day” script insults the very idea of Shakespeare with double, no, triple daddy issues. A scene where the now too old to be sonneted Earl of Southampton (Ian McKellen) recites the sonnet Shakespeare wrote for him as a kissoff is the only good thing in the movie. –KH

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Episode 373: Nutty Crab Soup [Corrected]

December 6th, 2019 | Robin

In the Gaming Hut we figure out what people are really talking about when they take sides in the system matters debate.

The Tradecraft Hut peers into a classic tabloid spy scandal, 1961’s Profumo Affair, to see what one might make of it in The Fall of Delta Green.

Beloved Patreon backer Timothy Coram steps up to make a demand on behalf of all, that Robin enter the Food Hut to confront Ken with the contents of the Sno-Voyageur’s Cookbook, a time capsule of Ontario cooking from the 80s.

Finally the Consulting Occultist answers a request from beloved Patreon backers Tim Maness and Jean Bauer for the lowdown on the 1911 Ark of the Covenant expedition.

Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon!

Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.