Sorry this post is a bit late, I got caught up doing other things and lost track of time! I thought I would have more time during my week off but it just didn’t happen. I’ll definitely get a gaming related post up next week but this week I wanted to reflect a bit on some TV. Very minor spoilers follow for Roadhouse (2024), Damsel (2024), FUBAR (2023), and Running Scared (1986).

My wife and I watched the new Roadhouse and while I appreciate that they didn’t just do a straight remake, honestly they could have called it something else if they weren’t interested in cashing in on the original film’s popularity, it wasn’t perfect. I am a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan so can overlook a lot but there were two big problems for me. First is the way they swung the camera round during the fights. I’m just not a fan, I want to see the action not fancy camera work. Second, and honestly the big issue for me, is Conor McGregor. I’m was already not a fan and nothing in this movie made me change my mind, he felt like he belonged in a different film. For what it is worth my wife enjoyed the over the top silliness of McGregor’s character but I try not to hold that against her. I think the story was serviceable and with some adjustment to the villains and cut back to 90 minutes this could have been a pretty great film. 

Next up is Damsel with Millie Bobby Brown. Having recently rewatched Dragonslayer it was interesting to see a modern take on the trope of sacrificing virgins to the dragon to save the kingdom. I think Brown does a decent job but the CGI wasn’t great. I enjoyed it for the most part, I didn’t even mind the way it ended and understand why they made the choices they did, but overall I don’t think I’ll revisit it. It does have a novelization though so I might pick that up. In the end Vermithrax Pejorative is still my favorite movie dragon 

FUBAR is an eight episode series with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a spy and it does a great job of feeding that True Lies nostalgia although Jamie Curtis is missed. Milan Carter does a great job in the Tom Arnold role and I really enjoy Monica Barbaro as Arnold’s daughter. My wife and I have only seen the first two episodes so far but I give it a recommend with the only negative being that Arnold’s age is really showing, he is not nearly as believable as an elderly action star as some of his peers.

The last movie I’ll mention is 1986’s Running Scared, a buddy cop film with Gregory Hines and Billy Crystal. I rewatched it and it still holds up as a fun film. The plot and action scenes are just icing on the cake but we are really here to enjoy the bromance between these two. It is really shame that Hines and Crystal didn’t make more films together. I also enjoyed seeing performances from Joe Pantoliano and Jimmy Smits. If you haven’t seen it and can just shut your mind off to enjoy banter between two friends check it out and if you have seen it give it a rewatch, I don’t think you will be disappointed as it ages pretty well if you don’t mind hanging out with a pair of likable cops while they stomp all over the criminal’s civil rights. 

That’s all for this week, next week back to gaming! Remember the words of the great ones, be excellent to each other!