2024 – Page 6 – PopCult Reviews

TV Review – Shogun Season One

Shogun Season One (2024)
Written by Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, Shannon Goss, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida, Matt Lambert, Maegan Houang, and Caillin Puente
Directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, Charlotte Brändström, Frederick E.O. Toye, Hiromi Kamata, Takeshi Fukunaga, and Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour

I must confess that of all the Japanese media, the stories surrounding this historical period typically leave me cold. I can acknowledge that there is tremendous quality here, but the philosophy of life is so dramatically alien to me that I have difficulty connecting to it. Unlike the protagonist here, I do not feel the intense etiquette systems. It comes across to me as oppressive and suffocating. But then, I wouldn’t be surprised if a Japanese person who finds this perspective normal looked at how I lived my life and felt that I was in a sort of prison, too. All societies are, to an extent, prisons; they have rules relatively rigid to outsiders. And that’s kind of what this show is exploring.

PopCult Podcast – Janet Planet/The Beast

This week we’ve got a close-up examination of a complicated mother/daughter relationship and a woman going on a surreal odyssey through her past lives.

Solo Tabletop RPG Review & Actual Play – Against the Wind Part One

You can purchase Against the Wind here

I recently used Cezar Capacle’s excellent zine of tables Random Realities as part of my solo world-building for another series. I love the versatility and depth of those tools, so I thought I would try out this game system he’s put out, Against the Wind. This solo/co-op fantasy game is set in a wintery world ravaged by strong winds and brutal cold. The artwork leans heavily into classic fairy tale design, and the game complements that vibe. What I found in playing Against the Wind is a robust procedural system for solo play that feels like what an official version of solo Dungeon World might be like.

PopCult Podcast – Longlegs/Maxxxine

It’s a new release horror double feature. First, we follow a troubled FBI agent as she uncovers the truth behind a series of murders that connect to her childhood. Then Ti West delivers the finale for his X trilogy that takes us to sleazy LA in the 1980s.

August 2024 Posting Schedule

Film Series

[The Crime: The Atomic Bombing of Japan – Aug 1 thru 19]
Godzilla (1954), The Atomic Cafe, Barefoot Gen, Grave of the Fireflies, Miracle Mile, Black Rain, Oppenheimer, Godzilla Minus One

[More Sight & Sound Samplings – Aug 21 thru 31]
The Earrings of Madame De…, Daisies, L’Atalante, Wanda, and Pierrot Le Fou

Patron Pick – Federer: Twelve Final Days

This special reward is available to Patreon patrons who pledge at the $10 or $20 monthly levels. Each month, those patrons will pick a film for me to review. If they choose, they also get to include some of their thoughts about the movie. This Pick comes from Matt Harris.

Federer: Twelve Final Days (2024)
Directed by Asif Kapadia and Joe Sabia

Once upon a time, I played tennis nearly every day. In the late 1990s, my family started frequenting the public tennis courts. Being homeschooled, solo sports were the easiest to play rather than team-based ones. I also watched a bit of tennis and knew the players at the time: Sampras, Agassi, Seles, Hingis, Kournikova, etc. Then I went to college, and other than taking tennis as a physical education prerequisite for my bachelor’s degree, I haven’t touched on the sport since. I had heard of Roger Federer; he was emerging as a top player when I stopped paying attention, but I couldn’t say I knew much about him. After watching this documentary about his retirement from the sport, I still can’t tell much about him.

TV Review – The Bear Season Three

The Bear Season Three (2024)
Written by Christopher Storer, Matty Matheson, Courtney Storer, Will Guidara, Catherine Schetina, Joanna Calo, and Alex Russell
Directed by Christopher Storer, Duccio Fabbri, Ayo Edebiri, and Joanna Calo

Fairweather fans always seem to balk at season three. I remember when Mad Men Season Three premiered, and slowly but surely, people who had loved it for the first two years decided that elements of the show they had enjoyed were suddenly not good any longer. I found it to be one the best seasons in the run, finally allowing its characters to face the unwelcome truths in their lives. Lost Season Three is still maligned by so many when it has probably the best season finale of the entire show’s run. The best television moves at its own pace. You are either in rhythm with it, or you are not. In an era where plot and IP-driven television seem to dominate the landscape, it is refreshing to have something that chooses character over plot.

PopCult Podcast – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes/Happer’s Comet

Two very different films in runtime, budget, scale, and content are featured in this episode. From a post-human Earth to a ghostly night in Long Island.

Solo Tabletop Actual Play – Kids on Bikes Solo Part Three

You can purchase Kids on Bikes here.

You can purchase the Plot Unfolding Machine here.

Read our previous session here

Scene 4 – Rising Action 1 of 8 – Waldo’s House

Modified proposal: Add some trouble or bad news
Oracle question: Is this trouble a person? No, not yet.
Danger: Expose one weakness

Waldo and Bopper pull into the driveway. Waldo immediately notices his front door is open.

Solo Tabletop RPG – Worldbuilding: The Location Crafter Part Two

You can purchase The Location Crafter here.

Read my brainstorming session in our first part here.

The Location Crafter is another solo play tool created by Tana Pigeon, designer of the Mythic GM Emulator. This module is intended to solve a problem of solo play – how to keep the fun of being surprised during exploration in a way that mimics traditional tabletop roleplay rather than Choose Your Own Adventure. In this way, you can have a framework but not feel like the story is on rails.