The cold chill of October creeps in...
Better nate than lever.
What I watched
One Battle After Another
If I had a nickel for every time this month I watched an uncharacteristically kinetic and thrilling movie based on a book, directed by an auteur filmmaker that came to prominence in the late-90s, early-00s, I would only have I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
In all seriousness though, this one was an absolute blast. Also a little bit terrifying how reflective it is of our current era despite being (loosely) based on a novel from 35 years ago. DiCaprio gives an all-timer performance, equally comedic and heartfelt while Penn’s Col. Lockjaw is up there as one of the most interesting, pathetic, and entertaining villains of recent memory.
The Ritual
This one was a rewatch for me, first time viewing since its release in 2017. It had been orbiting my thoughts for a while recently while I contemplate reading the Adam Nevill book it’s based on. This time around I felt the second half drags a lot less than I had remembered. The creature design is still top-notch and the effects have held up overall. All-in-all it’s a decent watch. Nothing super memorable outside of the creature.
Caught Stealing
The second in my aforementioned auteur-helmed novel-based thriller duology, this time directed by Darren Aronofsky. I found this one very entertaining if not a little slight and inconsequential compared to One Battle. Austin Butler further cements himself as a very charismatic leading man and the rotating cast of side-characters was continually surprising. This one is a high-recommend for something you can watch but not have to devote your full attention to (but doing so may be more rewarding).
What I read
The Handyman Method by Nick Cutter and Andrew F Sullivan
In this novel a family man’s life spirals into insanity and chaos as something in his new house compels him to… make home renovations? I fully understood that this was supposed to be a takedown of toxic masculinity and gender roles, but it was entirely too on the nose and obscene to be enjoyable. A lot of the text was downright cringe-worthy, and I really struggled to stick it out to slightly redeeming conclusion, but I don’t think I could recommend this to anyone.
Fever House by Keith Rosson
The lives of a former rock star, her son, and a mob enforcer intersect when the latter comes across a severed hand that seems to drive anyone in its vicinity into a murderous rage. In stark contrast to the previous novel, I absolutely loved Fever House and could not put it down. Without spoiling much, the novel starts in one place but ends up somewhere completely unexpected before the (strangely abrupt) ending. The writing is witty and darkly comedic and the central mystery is compelling and hints at some peripheral lore that I’m hoping gets expounded on in the follow-up The Devil By Name, which I plan on checking out soon.
What I played
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
It seems every time there is a new Pokemon release I’m there on release day with cash in hand despite me not having finished one of these games since maybe Diamond version back in high school. This time is no different as I decided to pick up this second game in the “Legends” line, the last of which I actually got within hours of the game before losing interest in.
The hallmark of the “Legends” games is that they eschew the normal gym progression system in favor of a more story-based approach. They also put an emphasis on exploration and in-world battles. Legends: Z-A takes it a step further this time and opts for (mostly) real-time combat instead of the turn-based combat that this franchise was founded on. And for the most part I think it feels really good, apart from a few strategies feeling left in the dust.
I’ve only put in about 10 hours so far but I’m enjoying this new combat system and the environment of Lumiose City despite it feeling a bit small. There’s still a ton of things to do and a plethora of side-quests to do outside of the main story. I am eager to see how far I can take it before I eventually lose interest for something else again.
BALL x PIT
This is my current obsession. BALL x PIT is a top-down vertically-scrolling shooter rogue-like/survivor-like with a bit of base-building mechanics. I checked this one’s demo out briefly during Summer Games Fest, and I enjoyed it for the most part, but it didn’t really get its hooks into me. This month it finally saw its full release and the second I saw it was only $15 and getting a free Switch 2 update, I pounced on it.
The objective of any given run is to make it through waves of enemies by shooting and bouncing balls, much like the classic game Breakout, and drafting said balls to have synergizing powers like poison, burn, or even chain-reaction lightning. After each run (win or lose) you return to your post-apocalyptic town to build structures that provide passive bonuses, resources, and even new characters for further runs. The gameplay loop is extremely satisfying. If you need further convincing, I’ll add that I got my wife into playing this and she too is addicted.
Absolum
Absolum is another run-based “rogue-like” game in the vein of BALL x PIT, Hades, or Dead Cells that puts user in a never-ending game loop that rewards the player with incremental improvements in order to do better each time. What sets this game apart from the others is that it is a take on the side-scrolling beat-em-up genre popular in arcades in the 90s like Streets of Rage or Golden Axe.
I admittedly haven’t put as much time into this one as I would’ve liked because BALL x PIT has filled this particular niche for me right now, but the little bit I’ve played was very slick and showed promise of quite a bit of depth. The art style is gorgeous and the story, or what I’ve seen of it thus far, is intriguing. I hope to get more into this after I wrap up playing in the ball pit.
October’s Playlist
This month I’m trying out something different with the What I’m Listening To section that I established last month. Please enjoy below a brief playlist of music that has caught my attention in the past few weeks.