Since I wrapped up some of the steaming shows that I have been watching recently (which if you have not seen The Bear or Ms. Marvel, I wrote reviews for both of those shows) I have had some time freed up to play some games, read some books, and watch some movies. I finished one of each in the last few days, so of course I have to write some thoughts about them!
Stray
Stray is a indie game published by Annapurna Interactive and it follows the story of a cat that gets separated from his group and falls down into a dystopian slums. The whole game is spent trying to make your way back to your home. One of the things I always talk about it how important a good setting is for stories, and this game shows how true that is. The 3 different cities you visit (The Slums, Antitown, and Midtown) all feel unique, but connected and really carry the burden of making this game something you want to interact with. There is a really good apocalyptic vibe that this game has going for it, with the world being filled with nothing but robots and no humans. The robot NPC’s are probably the most interesting part, since they have evolved to have human-like tendencies.
You are probably wondering about the cat, well I am happy to report that the cat is incredibly cute and photogenic. As someone who has lived and owned cats before, the development team has really nailed the feeling of what a cat acts like, moves like, and how they behave.
The game comes in between 5-8 hours, which is perfect for me right now when trying to fit it in between other things. It does not overstay its welcome, though I do wish there was more world building that utilized their wonderful created setting more, while I enjoyed the ending (and it is kinda of a sad one) I do wish that each area had more lore or something of that nature to flesh it out a little more. Also while I took lots of photos thanks to the PS5 share button it is crazy to me that this game does not have a built in photo mode already, that seems to be a major oversight. Besides those slight gripes, this is definitely a game that is worth checking out, especially if you have a PS5 and are wanting something to play before the bigger holiday releases start coming out.
Daisy Jones & The Six
One of my goals since May has been to try and get back into reading. I am happy to report that has been going really well and the latest book that I have finished is by author Taylor Jenkins Reid: Daisy Jones & The Six.
Daisy Jones & The Six follows the story of singer/songwriter Daisy Jones and a band called The Six, who are led by singer Billy Dunne. The book uses a sit-down interview style to convey the story on how these separate musically entities got their start in the industry, how they ended up being part of the same group, and just like many real rock bands in the 70’s what split them apart. Reid does such great job with the format of this book, it really felt like I was reading a VH1 Behind the Music special about this band. I think the highest compliment I can give this book is that the band felt real, like I had somehow missed this popular band and had never heard of them before. How Taylor Jenkins Reid has each band member tell their story, bouncing between the different members who all tell a different version or perspective is brilliant. Also one of my favorite things is when the author uses the front or back of a book to to help build the world out that you have been reading. Reid does that here with the actually lyrics for the songs the bad creates in the back of the book, those fun little touches go a long way.
The two best characters are the titular Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, and that makes perfect sense because the crux of the story is based around their relationship both musically and possibly romantically. While I think the buzz of the book kinda fizzles out in the last 80 or so pages as it becomes extremely obvious were the ending is going and what is going to happen to them, the journey is still worth going on. It also ends on a happier not then what most real rock bands ended on, which might be the most unrealistic thing in this book but it works for the most part.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is quickly becoming one of my favorite contemporary modern fiction writers for her style and how different the settings for her books are. If you are wanting to get back into reading, her books (like this one) are a good place to start and pick up something that will not take you long to finish.
Bullet Train
I have been seeing the trailer for this movie about every time I have gone and seen a movie at the AMC in the last six months, so I was kinda worried that much of the movie would be ruined for me. I am happy to report that that my worries were unfounded, Bullet Train was two hours of great comedy-action.
Directed by David Leitch who has perviously worked on John Wick, Deadpool 2, and Atomic Blonde. All of this previous works can be felt within Bullet Train. This movie has one of the best cast of characters and it all starts with Ladybug (Brad Pitt) who is a “operator” (assassin) who has just started seeing a therapist and does not want to commit acts of violence anymore, which Pitt plays absolutely perfect. Other great characters include Tangerine (Aaron Taylor Johnson) and Lemon (David Tyree Henry) who play twin “operators” tasked with bringing the briefcase everyone is chasing after to the mysterious “White Death” Those two are the funniest part of this movie and actually do a great job of portraying a real brotherly relationship. Also my favorite constant joke in the movie is that Lemon is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and that is how he is able to read people and their emotions.
There are so many more great characters and some fantastic uncredited appearances that I will not spoil and between the great cast and the action, it does all of the heavy lifting for the movie because the story is serviceable but paper thin. If you are looking for a deep and grounded story then this is not where you will find it. The actual setting of the Bullet Train is okay, but nothing jumps out to make it amazing, which is kinda of disappointing since Berlin was such an important part to why Atomic Blonde was so great.
If you liked any of Leitch’s other credits or are just looking for a fun summer movie, then you should definitely go and watch this. If you are looking for something a little deeper, or maybe a bit more serious then this might not be for you. I would definitely give it a shot if you have AMC A-List or when it comes to streaming soon.
Alright that is everything across the mixed-media sun that I have been playing/watching/reading, so if you were looking for new stuff to play/watch/read then try some of that out and let me know what you think!