Movie Monday: Bernie

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a movie that might just be a must see. It’s Bernie!

Plot Synopsis: In small-town Carthage, Texas in 1996, local assistant mortician Bernie Tiede, a beloved member of the community, becomes the only friend of the wealthy, recently widowed Marjorie Nugent, who is widely considered cold and unpleasant by the other townsfolk…

Plot: let me get this out of the way, this is an actual true story and really happened. That being said the movie is pretty awesome, and incredibly accurate. It’s not exactly a documentary, but if you were to want a comedic documentary, this might be the closest thing you’d get to one of those. I won’t go into the story, but I will say it’s well done.

Casting: The entire cast is freaking awesome, with Jack Black as Bernie in probably one of his best film roles ever. Honestly the entire cast is amazing. Matthew McConaughey is the district attorney Davidson and also does an awesome role in this film. Shirley MacLain also does an admirable job as Marjorie. There are some actual people portraying themselves, which is a nice touch as well.

Cinematography: This film does an awesome job of portraying this story, with plenty of comments from town folk that make up for the nature of the story.

Music: I will admit I don’t remember much of the musical score, but it was fitting I will say that.

Overall: This is probably a must watch film, if only because it should be the base line for every documentary film made from now on.

For those who like: Dark Humor, True Stories, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Documentaries.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but do give this a try.

Bookish Wednesday: Critical Failures I by Robert Bevan

This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m going to cover the first book in a series that I found slightly amusing. It’s Critical Failures I by Robert Bevan!

Plot Synopsis: What if you and your friends got to live the game for real? What if you and your friends were assholes? After relentlessly mocking their strange new Game Master, Tim and his friends find themselves trapped in the bodies of their fantasy game characters, in a world where the swords, the magic, and the gastrointestinal issues are all too real. They learn hard lessons about tolerance and teamwork, and a new meaning for the term “dump stat”. Ha ha. Just kidding. They don’t learn anything…

Plot: Yeah that pretty much sums up the plot of the book, which was very amusing and took the transported to another world genre in a completely different way than typical.

Characters: The entire cast is amusing, although I have to say that Kat and Julian are my favorite characters due to the fact that they are complete noobs when it comes to the tabletop RPG scene.

Overall: This is a funny book if you’ve ever played a game of D&D, but really if you are a gamer you’ll be amused by this. If you can get over the potty humor at least.

For those who like: Fantasy, Dark Humor, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Magic, Interesting Plot, Hilarious Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Retro Game Friday: Portal

This week for Retro Game Friday I’m covering a game I love. It’s Portal!

Plot Synopsis: In Portal, the player controls the protagonist, Chell, from a first-person perspective as she is challenged to navigate through a series of rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, or portal gun, under the watchful supervision of the artificial intelligence GLaDOS. The portal gun can create two distinct portal ends, orange and blue.

Plot: The plot is full of dark humor and is still widely referenced in today’s pop culture. It’s wonderful and well done, but rather short along with the gameplay.

Gameplay: The game is quite short, averaging a first time player’s run through at 3 hours, though some maniacs have managed to do it in just over 15 minutes. The actual gameplay is wonderfully done and has an amazing set of physics that let’s the player use the full scope of the portal gun to their own advantage.

Characters: GLaDOS is awesome, and that’s all that really needs to be said. Although the Companion Cube is pretty great too.

Art: Pretty good, although slightly dated now.

Music: One of the best parts of the entire game, the musical score is wonderful and the ending song is perfect.

Overall: If you haven’t played this game you really need to.

For those who like: Puzzles, FPS games, Thinking, Action, Dark Humor, Little Violence, Excellent Cast of Three Characters, Fantastic Plot, Great Gameplay.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Manga Monday: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei by Kumeta Kouji

 

This week on Manga Monday I’m covering a very dark humor series. It’s Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei by Kumeta Kouji!

Plot Synopsis: This is a dark comedy about a ‘depressed’ teacher whose attempts to commit suicide are constantly foiled by his weird (and lovesick) female students.

Plot: The plot of this series is incredibly dark, and while it has plenty of comedy, it’s still not very lighthearted. If you have (or had) Depression, I won’t say it’s a must read because it may make your Depression worse, but for me I enjoyed it despite my Depression. That being said this is an award winning series and it’s pretty freaking great.

Characters: Nozomu, the teacher, is constantly depressing, while his students are often more light hearted in their humorous antics. The cast is great, and I can’t really pick a favorite because they all resonate with me in one way or another.

Art: The art is very unique for Manga, as it evokes older styles of Japanese art, and it’s quite good. It often serves as a contrast to the dark humor of the plot.

Overall: A great series, but proceed with caution if you have Depression. Otherwise it’s a must read.

For those who like: Dark Humor, Slice of Life, Interesting Plot, Great Cast of Characters, Amazing Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, particularly the Dark Humor part.