PopCult Reviews

My Favorite Coen Brothers’ Supporting Performances

Paul Adelstein as Wrigley
Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

It may not be the most beloved Coen Brothers’ film, and it was their first work-for-hire gig, but it still has some fantastic comic moments. Paul Adelstein plays the admiring legal partner & friend to George Clooney’s Miles Massey. The film is meant to be in the style of a snappy Howard Hawks or Preston Sturges comedy, and it nails the tone quite well. Adelstein is pitch-perfect as the type of supporting player in those directors’ films back in the 1930s & 40s. His reactions are broad but not cloying & hammy. It’s a great example of how, even on a studio-made picture, the Coens could inject a captivating personality into every player’s role.

Comic Book Review – The Saga of the Swamp Thing Volume Two

The Saga of the Swamp Thing Volume Two (2009)
Reprints The Saga of the Swamp Thing #28-34, Annual #2
Written by Alan Moore and Len Wein
Art by Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Shawn McManus, Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala, Ron Randall, and Berni Wrightson

Now that Alan Moore has reset the table for Swamp Thing, he wanted to tell stories you weren’t finding in most of the books published by DC and Marvel. Having established that Swamp Thing was not a resurrected Alec Holland but a mass of plant matter imbued with life from the chemicals Holland was doused in allowed different narratives to be spun. To close out that chapter of Swamp Thing’s life, he gave us “The Burial,” the opening story of this collection. The creature is seemingly visited by the ghost of Alec Holland and relives the events that led up to the scientist’s murder. It concludes with Swamp Thing finding Holland’s remains at the bottom of the bog and giving them a proper burial. That part of his life is officially over; now it’s time for something new.

Movie Review – The Big Sleep

The Big Sleep (1946)
Written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett, and Jules Furthman
Directed by Howard Hawks

Much about The Big Sleep makes it an American film of immense historical importance. It was one of many fantastic films directed by the great Howard Hawks. It has that snappy, punchy energy all his films embody while still staying to the ideas of the noir. It was co-written by American writing legend William Faulkner. Additionally, the criminally underrated writer Leigh Brackett co-wrote it with Faulkner. She would work on an early draft of The Empire Strikes Back and penned my favorite Robert Altman film, The Long Goodbye. In front of the camera, we have Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall. Despite being made in 1944, the film was delayed with plans to release once World War II was officially concluded, and in the interim, these two acting legends got married. With all of these potent elements, how’s the movie?

Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Starforged: Nexus of Destiny Act III

Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three

Act Three

The Vigilant docks with the Inferno. Kei, Saren, and Harrow don the zero suits and enter the airlock. The shifting of space-time begins right away.

Zone: Operations – Command Offices

The trio finds themselves in the administrative wing of the ship. A comms channel is hissing over the loudspeakers.

(Explore a Waypoint. 3 vs. 7, 5. Miss)

(Pay the Price: The environment or terrain introduces a new hazard.)

Kei notices a comms channel is on and listens in. He suddenly hears screams and cries from the crew at a point in the past. The panel explodes in a flurry of sparks.

Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Starforged: Nexus of Destiny Act II

Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three

Act Two

The Vigilant cruises back into the Underside spaceport beneath Aurora. Kei messages Jorruns to meet up onboard the Vigilant.

(Oracle question: Does Fegli have men follow Jorruns. Odds: Likely. Answer: No.)

Kei catches Jorruns up about what was found on the derelict. Then he gets down to decrypting the Captain’s datapad found on the Inferno.

(Secure an Advantage with Wits. 5 vs, 5, 1. Use Fugitive Move. Hunters Clock at 2 out of 4. Strong Hit)

(Oracle Inspiration: Scheme Resource)

Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Starforged: Nexus of Destiny Act I

Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three

Act One

The Vigilant drops out of light-jump into the hazy Solana Clu

ster, a nebulous cloud of particles with a relatively young solar system already formed as its sun condenses all of this matter. Through the viewscreen, Kei Becker sees the gas giant Tenzin come into view and sets the autopilot for their intended course. Clearing the cloud cover of Tenzin’s upper atmosphere brings Aurora, the orbital casino resort, into view; its tall fungal stem towers reach up, some capped off like toadstools, whereas others bear the wrinkles of a morel.

Solo Tabletop RPG Actual Play – Starforged: Nexus of Destiny Prologue

Introduction/Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three

Introduction

So what is this? Instead of spreading a playthrough over weeks, I decided to do one that was one whole arc. I also wanted to continue with the story I’d established in my previous Starforged playthrough. I did have some elements in mind: I wanted a casino and mushroom-based aliens to be a part of it. Other than that, I had no idea where this story would go. I hope that it proves a little entertaining for you. I like exploring this universe and already have another installment planned for near the end of the year.

Movie Review – Detour

Detour (1945)
Written by Martin Goldsmith
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Noir is not exclusively the realm of detective stories. Detective pictures are under its broad umbrella, but some of my favorite noir films focus on people who get into trouble and can’t escape it. There might be a crime they can commit that would fix their financial situation, or they may be convinced to join in a conspiracy to murder with promises of sex & money. These are the genre at its best, exploring the deep flaws in humanity and how we so often sabotage ourselves. Detour is one of these, possibly one of the bleakest noir films from this period. It was released by the Producers Releasing Corporation, which at the time was the smallest and least prestigious studio in Hollywood. Gower Street in Hollywood made up “Poverty Row,” a low-rent stretch where the lowest-budget studios operated. They made money, but it was often by chasing trends or simply making movies quick & cheap. Detour never feels like that; it’s a masterpiece from a filmmaking system that rarely produced such work.

Movie Review – Laura

Laura (1944)
Written by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt, and Ring Lardner Jr.
Directed by Otto Preminger

I’m currently reading Hollywood: An Oral History by Sam Wasson & Jeanine Basinger. It uses transcripts from people who worked in every aspect of the film industry going back to the early silent era. These transcripts are cut apart and grouped chronologically and by subject. For instance, the chapter I’m in now goes through the departments formed when the studio system was dominant. So we get these figures’ takes on everything from costuming to cinematography to studio personnel. There are chapters on the major studio heads, what each filmmaking house was known for in their heyday, and how the whole profession went from a disposable trend to dominating the planet.

TV Review – Mrs. Davis

Mrs. Davis (Peacock)
Written by Tara Hernandez, Damon Lindelof, Jason Lew, Alberto Roldán, Noelle Viñas, Jonny Sun, Jason Ning, and Chikira Bennett
Directed by Owen Harris, Alethea Jones, Nadra Widatalla, Frederick E.O. Toye

I can’t say that Mrs. Davis was my favorite TV series watch of 2023, but it was the most consistently surprising. From the opening sequence to the final episode, this has to be one of the most original pieces of streaming content ever made. You have Damon Lindelof bringing his mystery-centered storytelling, and Tara Hernandez adds comedy, resulting in something so hard to describe. If you have seen the trailers or even just production stills, you’re probably confused about what this show is. I will attempt to explain it without spoiling it, but it will be spoiled a bit. Going in blind is probably the best way to watch Mrs. Davis.