PopCult Reviews

Solo Tabletop RPG Review & Actual Play – Dungeon World Part One

Of all the games under the banner of “Powered by the Apocalypse,” Dungeon World is probably the most well-known and played. It’s a variation of the classic dungeon-crawling tabletop rpg games that dominate the hobby. While games like Dungeons & Dragons rely on skill checks and rigid combat systems, Dungeon World takes a fiction-first approach, with all rolls being player-facing. Everything in the game happens as an extension of the player’s actions. There are no modules with structured adventures; instead, Dungeon World encourages improvisation and, at most, a simple dungeon starter outline. As with all the PBtA games, the focus is on playing to discover what happens without having all the steps written down beforehand.

TV Review – Paul T. Goldman

Paul T. Goldman (Peacock)
Written by Paul T. Goldman
Directed by Jason Woliner

The “reality television” genre has never been anywhere close to reality. The place you find reality on screen will always be in the documentary form, and even then, a director or editor can shape things to fit the narrative they want. We do the same in our lives every single day. We mentally emphasize & ignore various things because of how they make us, curating a perspective on the world that suits us. There is always a tension, though, between the perception & the real, cracks forming in our psyche as unpleasant things burrow their way in, eventually becoming undeniable. How you handle those unpleasant things defines you, whether you sink into despair or try to connect with others to process them. Paul T. Goldman, in the guise of a true crime series, is actually the exploration of these themes. How do we handle a lifetime of hurt and keep living? Do we hurt others? Do we invent stories that make us the hero?

Comic Book Review – Stargirl and The Lost Children

Stargirl and The Lost Children (2023)
Reprints Stargirl Spring Break Special & Stargirl and The Lost Children #1-6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Todd Nauck

Geoff Johns is in his third act, and it’s not going great. Act one was his rise to prominence as one of DC Comics’ best writers in the 2000s. This was followed by a transition into DC’s films division, where he oversaw what I consider some of the worst superhero films of all time. He would still dabble in comics occasionally, but once he stepped down from his role in the movies, his output increased. The word that comes to mind when discussing this second shot at comics writing for Mr. Johns is “delays.” Not just a month, but multiple months on books that are already limited series. Why DC doesn’t require X number of issues in the bank before beginning publishing remains a mystery to me. It is an excellent strategy to ensure distribution goes smoothly and your readership stays happy.

Movie Review – Le Bonheur

Le Bonheur (1965)
Written and directed by Agnes Varda

Translated into “happiness,” Le Bonheur is a pointed satire about marriage. Like good satire should, it is nuanced & subtle. I think American audiences have come to define satire as “parody” or just broad comedy when it is, in fact, building a case through narrative to support a particular point of view. There’s mockery here, but it’s not the kind that bellows loudly and makes a nuisance of itself. Agnes Varda was a filmmaker with such a strong filmmaking sensibility that she could unfold her story with finesse. It’s a feminist reading of male privilege with the husband as the central character. The female characters are supporting figures, but that makes it all the more damning and brutally hilarious.

Movie Review – Cleo from 5 to 7

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)
Written and directed by Agnes Varda

I can’t say I have ever dived deep into the iconic French New Wave movement. In college, I watched some Truffaut and Godard, but I don’t think it clicked with me. I would be interested in revisiting it now, as with some maturity, I can appreciate the work better. This idea has come to me after finding out how much I’ve enjoyed the work of Jacques Demy and now his wife, Agnes Varda. From the opening moments of Cleo From 5 to 7, I knew this would instantly become one of my favorite films.

November 2023 Posting Schedule

October saw my highest total views by far with over 12,500 views for the month. My new posts of Insidious: The Red Door, Exorcist II: The Heretic, and The Venture Brothers Season Four dominated the month for views, each clocking over 150 each. This meant year to year growth from October 2022 to October 2023 was 105%. Another way of looking at it is in 2022, I averaged 105 views a day for that month while in 2023 my average views per day was 406. It’s always nice to know people are at least seeing your work.

Fall 2023 Digest

Features
[Patron Pick] – Gran Turismo (Matt)
[Patron Pick] – Fences (Bekah)
[Patron Pick] – The Pledge (Matt)
[Patron Pick] – Like Crazy (Bekah)
Book Update – September/October
My Favorite Coen Brothers Supporting Performances

Book Update – September/October 2023

Books of Blood Volume 2 by Clive Barker

Because it was October and I enjoyed Books of Blood Volume One so much (I have read it twice), I decided to pick up the following collection by Clive Barker. This one does not have stories as strong as volume one. There are good ones here, but the weaker entries make volume one much more substantial.

“Dread” – This is one of the best and most fully developed stories in the collection. A college student comes under the thrall of a svengali who is fascinated with making people confront what they dread. This has a fantastic conclusion that is vividly rendered by Barker.

PopCult Podcast – The PopCult 2023 Halloween Spooktacular

It’s night of classic tricks & treats as our intrepid hosts dress up and go door to door. It seems like some of what they find is well worth the effort, but other things are getting some houses tp’ed.

Solo Tabletop RPG Review & Actual Play – Host: Until the Light Takes Us

Host: Until the Light Takes Us (Running from Skeletons)
Written by James Boychuk & Dylan Richardson
You can purchase this game here

Halloween means horror and there is no shortage of scary tabletop RPGs. This one is a very simple story generator centered around the end of the world & visions that predict its coming. I found this very similar to games like Alone Among the Stars where the mechanics simply provide a jumping off point for the player’s own imagination. This is not a game that takes you by the hand and guides your experience. Instead, it demands the player really dig deep and find an interesting story to tell from the inspiration given.

There’s not much more to say about it, so here’s my play through: