PHIL ON FILM: "A Boy Called Christmas"

 For my full review, click here.

T-Mobile, Hasbro Release "Lite-Bite T-Mobile Edition"

 

T-Mobile and Hasbro have teamed up to release an odd and retro-savvy gift idea -- A Lite-Brite consisting of magenta pieces.

The toy, available at this site, is $19.99, with free shipping through Cyber Monday.

Four of the boxes will include a Willy Wonka-style Magenta Ticket, which will give the winner two smartphones, a  year of T-Mobile Magenta Max phone service -- which includes a Netfix subscription -- a flatscreen TV and a year of T-Mobile Home Internet service. 

As Lite Brites go, the magenta pegs certainly pop. So if your child is into crafting pictures promoting T-Mobile's network, this is just the right gift.

But let's face it: The only reason to buy this thing is to stash it away in hopes that it becomes a collector's item, or to angle for one of those Magenta Tickets.

T-Mobile provided the product for review.

Broadway in Tucson Review: "Hamilton"

 

If there is a better musical than "Hamilton," I haven't seen it. The sheer energy that pulses through a venue as the incredibly energetic spectacle delivers one crushingly brilliant song after another is unmatchable. To attend is to feel as though you are part of something resonant and unique.

I first saw the show in Tempe in 2018, and it changed the way I thought about musicals. Heartbreaking, inspirational, incredibly catchy and noble for the strides it makes in musical theater diversity, the experience sticks with you with the impact of a first kiss.

One of the multitude of heartaches brought on by the pandemic was the cancellation of the planned 2020 tour stop in Tucson. The release of the Disney+ version with the original cast only partially sated the disappointment.

Now that vaccines and the subtle waning of the pandemic have allowed live performances to return, the production is back on tour again. As I watched with my wife, the show washed over me with cleansing properties that signified life is getting closer to what we once knew. 

"Hamilton" is far more than a standard show. It's a sign of where we have been and where we are going. And it seemed that just about everyone in the audience realized that.

It helps that the And Peggy company is absolutely crammed with talent. 

Julius Thomas III and Donald Webber, Jr. thrive in the lead roles of Hamilton and Burr, studied enough to pay tribute to the legacies of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom Jr. while confident enough to branch out the characters with their own distinct choices. Thomas underlines his complex figure's tenacity, while Webber leans hard into Burr's cool confidence ever-fractured by his insecurities.

Other standouts include Paris Nix in a dynamic double performance as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson. His Jefferson, in particular, channels the sass of Dave Chappelle. Brandon Louis Armstrong is a chronic scene-stealer as Hercules Mulligan and James Madison. 

Victoria Ann Scovens, with her impromptu beat-boxing, and Marja Harmon are ethereal as Eliza and Angelia Schuyler, and together with Milika Cheree form a tangible chemistry as the trio of sisters who would shape history.

"Hamilton" is an absolute treat, and while still spectacular on TV, encounters new dimensions of resonance and triumph in person. If you care at all about musical theater, find a way to get to the show. You never know when you'll get your next shot.

"Hamilton" plays through Dec. 5 at Centennial Hall. Buy tickets here.

"Jurassic World Evolution 2" Review

"Jurassic World Evolution 2" feels like the stage performance of the dress rehearsal that was the first game.

Building upon the solid foundation of the 2018 original, the park-building strategy game tasks you to craft enclosures that keep your creatures and patrons safe, healthy and happy. 

If you don't have a taste for order and harmony, you can choose to lean into the chaotic aspect of the park, letting dinos run amok, letting natural enemies migrate into the same habitat and recreating wild scenarios from the movies.

At the heart of the operation, the game is all about resource management. A structured virtual sandbox with some of the same satisfaction aspects of a train set, the game hurls administrative challenges at you, putting you on the spot to decide the lesser oftwo evils.

Much of the game is dry and pragmatic, but there are moments of action that shake things up. Chasing down a stray dinosaur with a chopper and taking it down with tranquilizers is a rush.

The sequel makes more of an effort to round up characters from the films, even if the presentation is on the chintzy side, steering toward still images rather than animation.

More fluid menus and a livelier interface might have spiced things up. A wider creature selection wouldn't have hurt either. But the game has come a significant way from its first iteration, and has evolved into a fuller, more intuitive experience for fans of virtual dino displays to sink their teeth and claws into.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Tick, Tick... Boom!" Review

 For my full story, click here.

"Angry Alligator" Review

"Angry Alligator" imagines a swampland in which gators aren't content to skulk in the background, waiting for prey to emerge. 

Instead, your gator is an agile and incredibly hungry predator, dashing along and chomping everything it can. All the while, your life force is connected to a draining timer that requires you to keep eating or face starvation.

A game with more than a touch of shovelware features -- including slapdash visuals and a borderline cruel autosave system that has you backtracking after deaths far more often than is reasonable -- the game is often more fun than it has a right to be. 

Think "Maneater" or "Hungry Shark World."

There is a simple satisfaction in rampaging through and munching largely defenseless creatures. While you do occasionally run into enemies that can ably defend themselves, you are usually the apex predator, and your deaths are often tied to meandering rather than annihilation.

The dev squad at GS2 Games clearly had deadlines to stick to, and prioritized moment-to-moment gameplay over the larger objectives, which are generally scavenger hunts or fetch quests.

"Angry Alligator" won't be anyone's Game of the Year, but it may just be the game they play while they're waiting for their GOTY cut scenes to pass. Like its antihero, the game ably takes a chomp out of your free time.

 Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in December 2021

 

For my full story, click here.

Book Report: "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Malcolm X lived a complicated life, full of contradictions, animosity, pain and triumph. The essential civil rights figure has been analyzed and deconstructed to no end, but it's likely that the most crucial Malcolm X critic was himself.

Cowriter Alex Haley elegantly steps into the background to let Malcolm X tell his story. What results is a cohesive, often smoldering, intensely detailed narration of a life lived hard and vigorously.

Laurence Fishburne's narration in the Audible version is not so much a performance as it is a seance. Fishburne brings Malcolm X's fiery delivery to life as though he is speaking from the depths of his soul.

Malcolm X emerges to life as a vital, at times joyous figure blessed with incisive eloquence, gentle and often stinging humor, and exquisite clarity of thought.

He pulls no punches -- especially when criticizing himself -- as he traces his evolution from A-student to street hustler, to Black separatist and ultimately to a figure of compromise, reason and brotherhood. Especially near the end, he is ever aware of the coming assassination he feels blowing in the wind. His choice to live fearlessly inspite of the fatalism is commendable.

He is such a divisive figure that surely many people will refuse to hear what he has to say. Those who fail to listen will be those who lose out. He lived a hard and challenging life and his story bears listening.

Publisher provided review code.   

View all my reviews

PHIL ON FILM: "Red Notice"

 For my full review, click here.

PHIL ON FILM: "Eternals"

 For my full story, click here.

"Tales of Arise" Review

A sweeping saga that merges a large-scale RPG with series-length anime cutscenes, "Tales of Arise" is a meaty endeavor that sates the thirst of series fans with dozens of hours of robust thrills, emotional hooks and bewildering twists.

No longer content to tread water with mild disappointments, Bandai Namco Games focused its collective energy on highlighting the franchise's strengths and minimizing its weaknesses. 

With every bit the care that, say, Square Enix takes with mainline 'Final Fantasy" games," the devs channeled heart and intelligence into every aspect of the production. Every moment you spend with the game feels as though you are in the hands of master storytellers with something to say, as well as abundant talent to spirit you through the story.

"Tales of Arise" has the feel of a magnum opus. Although maybe the game is a bit too in love with its storytelling -- cut scenes can be a touch long-winded and laborious -- it feels like an affront to the talent on display if you choose to skip them. 

Required grinding is kept at a minimum, and the combat -- which has not necessarily been a strong point of past entries -- is involving enough not to bore you. Rewarding masters of skilled orchestration akin to real-time strategy, the system discourages button-mashing while elevating the need for resource management and the strength of active and support party members in tactical roles.

A towering challenge, "Tales of Arise" can be intimidating who aren't able to mentally and spiritually commit to the entirety of the journey. But even for a casual sampler, there are rewards to be had in the experience. Miss "Tales of Arise" and you will lose out on one of the shining gems of the 2021 gaming year.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in November 2021

 For my full story, click here.

Book Report: "The Sandman"

The Sandman by Dirk Maggs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A top-notch radio play-style adaptation of some of Neil Gaiman's greatest writing, the Audible adaptation loses little in translation to audio.

Because of the dreamlike, theater-of-the-mind-style nature of "The Sandman" anthology, this may be the strongest possible medium for the storytelling. The bluntness of a film or TV series adaptation might take away from the depth and grandiosity of the material.

Gaiman's narration leads the charge from an excellent voice cast, which includes James McAvoy, Kat Dennings, Bebe Neuwirth and Taron Egerton. The application of music and effects is pitch-perfect, rather than shoehorned into the production in the clumsy manner typical of audiobooks and podcasts.

Bouncing across myriad time periods, settings and species, Gaiman's finely-woven tapestry explores the intricacies of dream and desire in a haunting manner. His series has echoes of "The Twilight Zone" and "Black Mirror."

Fan service also abounds, with connections to the larger DC superhero universe present, without taking center stage. This is thought-provoking and challenging fiction meant for comic book readers ready to graduate to a higher plane of thoughtful analysis.

There's a reason Gaiman's creation has stood the test of time and is continually regarded as a great work of transmedia art. This production only solidifies its grandiosity.

View all my reviews

PHIL ON FILM: "13 Minutes"

 For my full story, click here.

"Far Cry 6" Review

"Far Cry 6" does its best to shake the exploration-craft-conquer series out of its rut with plenty of Latin flair. 

The gaming equivalent of an exploitation film, the work from Unisoft Toronto leans into stereotypes -- very much in an absurd manner reminiscent of the "Just Cause" series. It's on you to take down the malevolent dictator of a banana republic. 

Along the way, you befriend a bloodthirsty croc -- along with a few other animal helpers in the vein of "Far Cry Primal" -- and face off with the looming grip of Anton Castillo, who is played with ferocious intensity by Giancarlo Esposito.

Esposito's performance -- though used sparingly -- bestows a grander cachet than previous "Far Cry" games had, granting the game more of a serialized TV series flair than the cartoonish nonsense it might have been.

The game gives you a bewildering amount of options, allowing you to take on missions in a number of creative ways. There are plenty of side missions, as well as a ton of hidden areas to seek out and explore.

If you're plowing through the "Far Cry 6" story, you're just doing things wrong. Far more satisfaction awaits those who dig into the sandbox and mess around. The physics, visuals and story twists invite you to stick around rather than rush.

A sleek, gorgeous game that is as rich in character as it is in visuals -- a counterpoint to the dry, stodgy "Far Cry 5" -- "Far Cry 6" is something of a rebirth for the beloved but stale franchise. It's a big event, watercooler style game that's just the thing to sink you into your couch as the thermometer starts to dip. There's nothing like cuddling up with Guapo for a fine meal of a video game.

Publisher provided review code.

"G-Darius HD" Review

A flashback to the 32-bit shooter era, "G-Darius HD" powers up the stalwart bullet hell franchise for Switch deployment.

Since the original game's arcade launch in 1987, the series has thrived on flashy visuals pulsing with fantasy-themed elements. Many fans believe the series peaked a decade later with the release of G-Darius, which introduced paradigm-shifting graphical boosts and level design.

"G-Darius HD" ups the ante further. Taito Corporation took deep care to pay respect to the beloved original, while adding considerable polish and ease-of-life enhancements.

Due to the side-scrolling nature of the game, it seems tailor-made for the Switch, particularly the gorgeous screen of the new OLED model.

The difficulty level remains monumental, which means you're in for a ton of frustration, as well as the thrilling sense of triumph once you take down particularly tough levels and bosses.

The game's replayability is immense due to its difficulty level, but it would have been nice to see a fuller-featured revamp that added extras, other "Darius" titles and more online interaction.

Still, for fans of one of the great shmups, it's tough to top "G-Darius HD," which reinvents the classic for a new era.

Publisher provided review code.

"Space Invaders Invincible Collection" Review

A satisfyingly robust collection of "Space Invaders" titles, "Space Invaders Invincible Collection" stacks 11 permutations of the interstellar shooter into one tight Switch package.

The anthology is a time machine that takes you back to quarter-popping arcade games, with increasingly tumultuous levels.

The games span decades, and include reinventions such as "Space Invaders Extreme" and the "Super Space Invaders '91." The fan-favorite "Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders" also makes an appearance.

Original black-and-white and color versions of the arcade OGs also pop up as well. 

They are by far the weakest components of this slate, but their hardcore retro appeal can't be overlooked. It's a thrill for old-school gamers to start with the originals and work your way forward.

Online leaderboards and instruction slates round out the package nicely. It's tough to imagine a future "Space Invaders" compilation topping this one in any meaningful way.

If you want more "Space Invaders" than this, you're just being greedy.

 Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Found"

For my full story, click here.

Book Report: "The Tipping Point"

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would dub this book "the ultimate term paper." Incisive research and clever applications make this a think piece with teeth.

With tremendous ambition, Malcolm Gladwell sets out to change the way people think and react to word-of-mouth advertising. Using an inconsistent but generally convincing array of case studies, he probes inside the inner workings of social phenomena, tracing them to their humble beginnings.

A few of Gladwell's examples ring hollow -- particularly a worshipful deconstruction of "Blue's Clues" and a questionable study of how 1980s TV news talking heads influenced voters -- but in general the book is sharp and illuminating.

Gladwell's pompous tone is a little distracting at times, but you have to set any prejudice aside and let the egghead on a mission keep his flow. At least he never bores, which is more than you can say for most term papers.

"The Tipping Point" should be a textbook in an essential marketing class at every business school.

View all my reviews

PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in November 2021

 For my full story, click here.