June « 2022 « Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff

Archive for June, 2022

Ken and Robin Consume Media: Obi-Wan, Doctor Strange, Rothaniel, and the First Shin Honkaku Novel

June 28th, 2022 | 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

Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (Stand-Up, US, HBO, Bo Burnham, 2022) At the Blue Note in New York, Carmichael reveals a tangle of family secrets and his gay identity. Astoundingly gutsy set cedes partial control to an increasingly participatory audience, landing in the intersection of comedy and high-wire confessional performance art.—RDL

Den of Thieves (Film, US, Christian Gudegast, 2018) Sleazy major crimes cop (Gerard Butler) zeroes in on an ex-military robbery crew leader (Pablo Schreiber) as he cases L.A.’s branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. Crackling crime drama throws in clever heist twists as it genuflects before the altar of Heat,—RDL

Fire Island (Film, US, Andrew Ahn, 2022) Commitment-shy New Yorker (Joel Kim Booster) ducks his own intimacy issues during his gang’s annual group vacation in a gay resort time with an unsolicited promise to wingman his less confident bestie (Bowen Yang.) Borrows Judd Apatow’s mix of relaxed pacing, arrested maturity sincerity and raunch as a framework for the gay rom-com.—RDL

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders (Fiction, Japan, Soji Shimada, 1981) Forty years after the fact, astrologer Kitoshi Mitarai and his faithful (and self-described) Watson investigate a storied 1936 serial murder apparently planned by a mad alchemical artist – who was killed in a locked room before the murders began. Shimada’s first novel kicked off the shin honkaku subgenre with its verve, ironic joy, and critical success. The bizarre setup keeps the immense up-front exposition dump interesting, and the ensuing detection delightfully combines the eccentric and the humane. –KH

Good

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (Film, US, Sam Raimi, 2022) Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) protects a young woman who can jump between alternate realities (Xochitl Gomez) from the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), now corrupted by an evil tome. Raimi livens up the thankless assignment of paying off story debts incurred in previous MCU entries by deploying as many of his signature flourishes as they’ll let him sneak in.—RDL

The Helm of Hades (Fiction, Paul Halter, 2019) French mystery author Halter has been called the “true heir of John Dickson Carr,” which on the evidence of this collection remains a bit of a stretch. This short story collection comprises nine “impossible” crimes and one Christie-esque timetable mystery, of uneven quality, the best being “The Ladder of Jacob” (a man is found dead from a fall with no heights around). One of the better ones, “The Yellow Book,” incorporates The King in Yellow for extra points. –KH

Okay

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Television, US, Disney+, Deborah Chow, 2022) Middle-aged Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) comes out of hiding when 10-year old Leia is kidnapped by Sith lackeys trying to lure him into the clutches of Darth Vader (Hayden Christiansen/James Earl Jones.) A competently executed continuation of the prequel project shows how misconceived it has always been, as the Jedi mythology and events briefly alluded to in the original films does not withstand the scrutiny that occurs when a former backstory becomes main narrative.—RDL

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Episode 502: Aramaic Mutterer Whisperer

June 24th, 2022 | Robin

Surprisingly often, mysteries in other genres show clues landing in the detective’s lap. The Gaming Hut asks how to do this at the roleplaying table without leaving players feeling that they’re being led through the scenario.

In our first combo segment of the episode, we find the Crime Blotter in the Architecture Hut, as beloved Patreon backer Joshua Randall asks how the torso murders connect to the developers of his Cleveland neighborhood, Shaker Heights.

Ripped From the Headlines mines the scenario potential of the latest anti-vaxxer craze, creeping through cemeteries looking for Bluetooth signals.

Finally at the behest of tart and tannic backers Fridrik Bjarnason and Tim Vert, the Consulting Occultist joins us in the Food Hut to survey the esoteric side of wine.

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

Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.

Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.

Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.

Human problems are out of hand, so thank goodness, and Atlas Games, for Magical Kitties Save the Day, a fresh, fun roleplaying game for players of all ages, and for GMs from age 6 and up!

Score a blood-drenched special bonus from Pelgrane Press when you order the print edition Night’s Black Agents Dracula Dossier Director’s Handbook or any of its associated bundles. A new 50-page Cuttings PDF of deleted scenes and horrors that didn’t fit is now available for a limited time with the voucher code VAMP2021.

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!

Delta Green Iconoclasts, a campaign of horrors modern and ancient, brings a team of Agents to a scene of horrors all too real: Mosul in 2016, held by the self-styled Islamic State in a reign of depraved brutality. From a small base at the Kirkuk airfield, the Agents must research the horrors to come and prepare for a harrowing infiltration. Terrors and new supplementary material await, now in PDF, hardback now in preorder.

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Tags: Architecture Hut, Consulting Occultist, Crime Blotter, Food Hut, Gaming hut

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Ken and Robin Consume Media: Get Back, RRR, a Korean Political Thriller, and a Japanese Neo-Orthodox Detective Novel

June 21st, 2022 | Robin

The Beatles: Get Back (Television, UK/New Zealand/US, Peter Jackson, 2021) Exhaustive fly-on-the-wall documentary assembles footage shot for 1970’s Let It Be into a step-by-step study of the making of the Beatles’ next-to-final album. Essential not only for fans of the music but for anyone who wants to see what does and doesn’t work in the process of creative negotiation.—RDL

The Decagon House Murders (Fiction, Yukito Ayatsuji, 1987) Seven members of a university Mystery Club travel to a remote island (the site of a mysterious multiple murder) despite having read Agatha Christie. Ayatsuji’s inspired riff on And Then There Were None exemplifies the “neo-orthodox” (shin honkaku) school of Japanese detective fiction. Somewhat stilted prose may or may not be a translation artifact, but it doesn’t obscure the lightning joy of reading this loving tribute. –KH

The Man Standing Next (Film, South Korea, Woo Min-ho, 2020) Current KCIA Director Kim-Gyu-peong (Lee Byung-hun) is torn between his mentor and his master as former KCIA Director Park Yong-gak (Kwak Do-won) threatens to reveal dictatorial President Park Chung-hee’s (Lee Sung-min) corruption. Superbly ratcheting up the tension, not least in Lee Byung-hun’s incredible performance, this political thriller steers a slightly too-byzantine course toward the historical assassination of President Park in 1979. –KH

RRR (Film, India, S.S. Rajamouli , 2022) Village champion (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) sent to retrieve a young girl stolen by the evil British and the ultra-determined army officer (Ram Charan) assigned to hunt him down unwittingly become fast friends. Ultra-heightened action musical agitprop melodrama blockbuster is exuberantly on the nose at all times. Ends on an out-of-character musical celebration of militant ultra-nationalism, in case you somehow missed the message of the previous three hours.—RDL

Okay

Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus (Film, Croatia, Dalibor Baric, 2020) Weird meetings and ominous rendezvous promise (and withhold) the emergence of a futuristic spy narrative. Experimental animated feature adds computer image filtering to a range of techniques including cut-outs and detourned footage.—RDL

Kruty 1918 (Film, Ukraine, Oleksii Shapariev, 2019) In 1918 Kyiv menaced by the Bolshevik invaders, brothers Oleksa (Andrey Fedinchik) and Andrii (Evgeniy Lamakh) Savytskyi turn unwillingly to espionage and war, respectively. While Vitaly Saliy wonderfully chews every available surface as (historically) cartoonishly evil Russian general Muravyov, the mediocre fight and war choreography sadly undermine the propagandistic virtues of an already badly cluttered film. –KH

Tags: Ken and Robin Consume Media

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Episode 501: Go Toward the Omen

June 17th, 2022 | Robin

The Gaming Hut mines a new source of mysterious, danger-laden plot hooks: Reddit’s WhatIsThis forum.

The Horror Hut takes the unusual step of profiling a real person, as beloved backer Louis Sylvester asks for the lowdown on the explorer, linguist and polemicist Arminius Vambery, described by Bram Stoker in Dracula as a knowledgeable vampire hunter.

In the Narrative Hut we find another way to define fictional characters, by the various outcomes we want for them.

Finally at the behest of estimable backer Tennant Reed, we follow up Episode 482’s look at the Soviet Space program by sending Ken’s Time Machine to see what would have to happen for the Russians to beat America to the moon.

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

Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.

Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.

Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.

Human problems are out of hand, so thank goodness, and Atlas Games, for Magical Kitties Save the Day, a fresh, fun roleplaying game for players of all ages, and for GMs from age 6 and up!

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Tags: Gaming hut, Horror Hut, Ken's Time Machine, Narrative Hut

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Episode 500: LIGHTNING ROUND!!!

June 10th, 2022 | Robin

We don’t believe it, you don’t believe it, but it’s true all the same. Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff has reached that milestone of milestones, Episode 500.

Which means, thanks to the perspicacious queries of our beloved Patreon backers, it is once again time for… LIGHTNING ROUND!!!

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

Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.

Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.

Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.

Human problems are out of hand, so thank goodness, and Atlas Games, for Magical Kitties Save the Day, a fresh, fun roleplaying game for players of all ages, and for GMs from age 6 and up!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tags: lightning round

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Ken and Robin Consume Media: Top Gun, Ghostbusters, We Own This City

June 7th, 2022 | Robin

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Film, US, Jason Reitman, 2021) When their mom moves them to the middle of nowhere, teen scientist (Mckenna Grace) and her normie brother (Finn Wolfhard) discover a world-shaking mystery in the secret basement of their late, estranged grandfather. Latest attempt to revive the franchise that has never really been a franchise is surprisingly effective, thanks to Reitman’s patient focus on character, not to mention love for Harold Ramis and his own dad.—RDL

Labyrinth of Cinema (Film, Japan, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 2019) On an old movie house’s last night, three audience members are pulled through the screen and into a history of Japan’s military history as told through movies. Initially kooky and frenetic, increasingly somber, epic-length look at the love of film and how it obscures and illuminates the lure of war.—RDL

The Long Divorce (Fiction, Edmund Crispin, 1950) Incompletely incognito, Gervase Fen investigates a plague of poison-pen letters in the town of Cotten Abbas as hatred turns to murder. Effortless braiding of plot, character, puzzle, wit, horror, and irony mark this as classic Crispin. The only real flaw might be that one of the puzzles is a bit too easy, but Crispin has a lot of balls to keep in the air. –KH

Top Gun: Maverick (Film, US, Joseph Kosinski, 2022) Egotistical, hypertalented movie star Tom Cruise (Maverick), battling age and obsolescence in a new world of streaming, IP, and CGI, is called back by his loyal patron Jerry Bruckheimer (Iceman) to make one last practical-effects, live-action blockbuster by detourning the film that retroactively doomed his species (Star Wars). Glorious real-life US Navy jets combine with Claudio Miranda’s luminous cinematography to produce an ecstatic emotional bricolage that approximates a fine fighter-pilot movie. –KH

We Own This City (Television, US, HBO, David Simon & George Pelecanos, 2022) Federal investigators unravel the massive corruption of a Baltimore anti-gun task force led by motormouth cop Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal.) Adaptation of Justin Fenton’s also highly recommended nonfiction book extends Simon’s examinations of Baltimore policing to its current nadir, treating Jenkins’ malfeasance as the egregious but inevitable result of continued devotion to the war on drugs.—RDL

Okay

Born Reckless (Film, US, John Ford, 1930) After a heroic stint in WWI, the head of a heist crew (Edmund Lowe) goes straighter as a nightclub owner, but can’t quite quit his old underworld buddies. Worth a look for students of the gangster picture, as an example of the genre right before Little Caesar and The Public Enemy cemented its baseline structure. Ford’s touch is most apparent in the brief wartime sequence.—RDL

Tags: Ken and Robin Consume Media

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Episode 499: The Easily Discouraged Ones

June 3rd, 2022 | Robin

In the Gaming Hut, beloved Patreon backer Bill Durfy asks us to provide advice for budding professional GMs.

The Tradecraft Hut looks at John Stonehouse, a British MP who spied for the Czechs and wound up ineptly faking his own death.

In Ask Ken and Robin stylish backer Joe Webb asks Robin if his head exploded when the Met Gala paid homage to the era of the King in Yellow.

Finally in the Eliptony Hut mysterious markings in the Sahara have discerning backer Michael Gemar wondering what lies behind the flimsy rational explanation They used to veil out this story.

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

Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.

Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.

Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.

Human problems are out of hand, so thank goodness, and Atlas Games, for Magical Kitties Save the Day, a fresh, fun roleplaying game for players of all ages, and for GMs from age 6 and up!