cspencebell Reviews

Uncle Tom II: An American Odyssey (2022)

This is the Real Deal, Ladies and Gentlemen

[10/10 · 19 November 2022]

I don't even know where to begin. A lot of the historical content is stuff I've been reading about for years, desperately wishing some creatives would tell this perspective of our history in a way that's accessible and engaging - Uncle Tom 2 is the answer to those prayers. It's moving, it's entertaining, and to say it's poignant and relevant is a massive understatement.

It's thoroughly authentic and well-meaning in it's delivery, though. There's no condescension or sneering here; this message is coming from a place of deep abiding love for America, and for black America in particular. But it's the kind of love America sorely lacks these days; a paternal kind of love. A smack-you-upside-the-head-with-reality kind of love. The love that expects better of you, and sees your purpose, potential, and your flourishing as much more important than your feelings and your comfort.

I also like that the perspective contained here is unapologetically conservative and Christian. That's such a rare thing to see, and usually the documentaries that are this way are hack and cheap. This, on the other hand, outclasses hundred million dollar Netflix productions in every way.

That, however, doesn't mean it's a film meant for conservative Christians. It's for everybody. Whether you are sympathetic to the principles defended in this film or not, you owe it to yourself to at least take this position seriously. While this worldview may seem shocking or offensive to modern (*cough* brainwashed *cough*) people; it's the perspective most black Americans coming out of slavery up until the turn of the century held. The black Americans who suffered and toiled to build this country we all enjoy lived and thought this way; so you owe it to THEM to try and understand where they were coming from.

People like to spout platitudes about giving a voice to the voiceless - this is the first documentary in a very long time to do just that in a big big way.

This is the true counterculture in 2022. The spirit present in this film is the spirit of the cultural and ideological underdog, and that underdog has been honed to a sharp point under the weight of immense suppression and injustice. That spirit is on a glorious mission to regain the culture and shake us out of this mindless stupor we've been in for decades. It's not going away - and any modern man or woman who fancies themself learned and sophisticated is going to have to grapple with it sooner or later. Uncle Tom 2 is as good a place as any to get started.

So if you're some kind of progressive who wants to dismiss and disparage this perspective - do so at your own peril. The arguments and passion present here makes the drivel coming out of pop culture seem like the incoherent babbling of self involved perpetual teenagers. Even if you want to defeat the conservatives, then you should know what we're about and this masterpiece of a film hits the nail on the head over and over and over.

I can't say enough good things about it. I've watched it several times already, and it's sent me down many rabbit holes. This movie is important, although it may never get the recognition it deserves.

Praise Christ our Lord, and God bless America!

Disco Elysium (2019 Video Game)

Unique and Totally Engrossing... Love it!

[10/10 · 21 January 2022]

I haven't been this excited about an RPG in a long time. It's one of those games that puts most of the rest of the genre to shame IMO. The dialogue, writing and storytelling throughout is top shelf. Every interaction with every NPC has depth, the NPCs feel complex and alive, the worldbuilding is absolutely phenomenal and the weird voices-in-your-head / talent tree system compliments the narrative and artistic style delightfully well.

I love gaming and RPGs as much as the next guy, but the writing in Disco made the writing in some of my all time favorite RPGs seem amateurish by comparison. The way the NPCs deliver dialogue and the content of all their backstories is a cut above what I'm used to in games. It really pulls you in.

It then blends this inspired storytelling with an equally inspired set of gameplay mechanics. Sure, at it's core it's like a d20 style tabletop scifi / neo noir RPG campaign being run by an enthusiastic and erudite DM, but its also got a few great twists on that formula as well.

For instance: your "stats" are represented in the form of personality traits (of sorts) that are accompanied by a corresponding "voice in your head" that will inject itself into conversations with NPCs, urge you to make one decision over another, and just generally be present in the narrative.

They also affect skill checks in the environment and in conversation. The higher that stat becomes (either through leveling them or with bonuses from your clothes that you collect throughout the game) - the more prominent that particular "voice in your head" becomes in the game and in your PC's internal dialogue. What's especially great is that these voices/stats (IE facets of your PC's personality and identity) often disagree with one another and have conflicting agendas. Sometimes they'll argue with each other about how to proceed or what to make of a particular NPC's testimony.

There's also a lot of compelling decisions for the player to make as you interact with the world and move the plot along.

Whether it's a clever illusion or an impressively built-out branching narratives system, the result is that you feel like your choices have a huge impact on how the story plays out. It gives the impression that subsequent playthroughs might be radically different and that there's always more to discover.

The worldbuilding of the game wrestles with politics and culture in a really imaginative way IMO. It's smart but not pretentious or heavy handed at all. It treats the player like a thinking adult capable of coming to their own conclusions about what the story is giving to them - if that makes sense. It's too much of a rare thing in entertainment these days.

I don't mean to give the impression that this game is selling itself as some sort of philosophical masterpiece or biting social commentary - it's not and the game doesn't take itself seriously enough to be so lofty. But it is refreshingly clever and at least in my case prompted some reflection on big ideas and principles. It's still pop entertainment, but at least to an uneducated plebian like myself the story was intellectually stimulating.

The other HUGE pro this game has going for it is what they added with the Final Cut update - namely the voice acting.

There is an astonishing amount of dialogue in this game (weighty, compelling and entertaining dialogue - not the sort of filler you see in lots of games) and somehow they added voice acting for every bit of it. The voice actors did a great job.

I played it on xbox and the controls were wonky, the maps were difficult to navigate and there were a couple of frustrating bugs. It was often hard to tell where the invisible borders were and I spent too much time aimlessly trying to figure out how to get to a given location. But I was so enamored with what this game had going for it that I effortlessly looked past all that jank.

If you're into immersing yourself into a fascinating and complex world of revolution, desperation, righteousness, power and intrigue, and you enjoy games that give the player meaningful narrative control - go ahead and give this one a go. It might not be your thing, but if it does capture your imagination then I think you'll really love this one.

A.P. Bio (2018–2021)

Season 2 is a Masterpiece

[10/10 · 5 January 2022]

Season 1 is pretty good. Season 2 is honestly one of my favorite comedies period. Truly I think it's some of the best entertainment out there.

For reasons I can't explain, the magic is completely gone in season 3. I surfed through a couple episodes and I couldn't even sit through an entire one. I had to go back and rewatch S2 in it's entirety for the third time just to make sure it was actually good. It is.

Something happened between those two seasons that made it such that everything I found so compelling, fresh, inspired and hilarious about S2 is just completely gone. Usually it takes shows three or four seasons to gradually become as debased as this show did between those two seasons. A real shame. It hurts to say it because I found S1 and S2 (but particularly S2) to be delightfully original and know the people behind this show can make magic happen.

So strong recommend on the first two seasons. Proceed with caution after that.

Psychonauts 2 (2021 Video Game)

What a Treat

[10/10 · 19 September 2021]

I never played much of the original (but obviously heard tell of how imaginative it was) - whenever I tried it just felt dated.

Well this isn't dated at all. It's one of few recent games that makes me feel like we're in the "next gen". Not because it's got hyper detailed graphics or mechanics, but because it seems to push the enveloppe for the medium of gaming, and is just packed to the brim with meticulous design.

It's one of those games that goes exceptionally well with some smoke (if you like to indulge), and pulls you into a wondrous and charming world that makes you recall what it was like to play a really immersive video game for the first time as a child.

You keep playing not because of a gimmicky gameplay loop, not because you're trying to get that dopamine hit from progression, or any of the other cheap tricks games use to keep a player invested. Rather, you keep playing to see what fresh wonders lie around the corner. There is an element of RPG progression in leveling up your powers and buying a few items that modify them, and then there's the collectibles (which I typically don't care for in games), but that's secondary to what really makes this game compelling - the spectacular level design and the way it's integrated into the world and the narrative.

Every moment is packed with character, artistry, dazzling visuals and mind-bending and challenging gameplay.

The writing is charming, wholesome and (amazingly, given how 'out there' the world building is) grounded and mature enough to have the broadest appeal possible. It's like a Pixar movie or something - I would eagerly encourage young gamers to try this out (it's liable to spark a love for gaming in kids IMO) but at the same time everything here is of a calibre to easily appeal to the old timer who's been playing games for a decade and has seen everything.

It's hard to find anything to complain about. I don't even like platformers - in fact I usually dislike them. There's nothing I hate more than wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out "what is the game telling me to do??" or painstakingly trial/error your way through some small corner of the level that wasn't even meant to be difficult - and platformers seem to have that problem a lot (for me anyways). Well Psychonauts 2 doesn't have that problem at all. The gameplay strikes a perfect balance of intuitive and challenging, everything reads on screen very well, and from beginning to end at no points did I find my immersion in the world was compromised by poor game design.

The game takes you along for a wild, colorful, endearing and unforgettable ride that is just overflowing with creativity, finesse, imagination and charm. It's well worth anybody's time. There's a few releases these last two years that have rekindled my love and hope for games as the cutting edge in escapism, both artistically and technically. Psychonauts 2 is definitely one of them.

I know it's a lame thing to say ("durr you gotta get HiGh tO pLaY ThIS gAmE mAn.."), but I really can't understate how well this game goes with a bit of cannabis. People think you smoke to make a poor game seem good, but it isn't like that at all. If anything I find I get more critical of games while stoned, and demand more variety and detail than I would sober. Well this game delivers big time to the sativa-blazed gamer like very few do - constantly throwing you in new and distinct levels with completely unique styles. It's a wonderful world to get lost in.

Mr. Student Body President (2016– )

I'm so damned impressed with this show

[10/10 · 6 November 2019]

I should mention that I've only watched the first one and half seasons.

But my god I can't get over how fantastic this show is. It's whip smart, hilarious, super creative and original, sentimental at times (but not too much) and just all around rock solid entertainment. People talk about things being underrated or a hidden gem, and I have to say this is the purest example of that I've ever seen. It really feels like it should be more popular. It's like American Vandal meets Community meets Veep. In the best possible way. I'd also say it's just as good as all three of those shows.

Get Out (I) (2017)

Best goddamn horror/psychological thriller I've ever seen

[10/10 · 28 December 2017]

It took me a while to get to this one, and it's because I knew the general plotline and I thought maybe it would be a little too hamfisted for me to enjoy, and I also knew that any movie with that kind of premise would be adored by the critics, whether it was actually good or not.

Turns out this movie managed to be nuanced, deeply unsettling, heart-pumping thrilling and downright hilarious all at once. It really hits every mark you could ever want from a movie like this. Daniel Kaluuya did a spectacular job, and although there are a lot of excellent survivor-trope characters played by excellent actors in a lot of great horror/slasher/thrillers, I honestly think Kaluuya takes the cake for being the absolute best. Which is not something I say lightly, since I am a huge fan of thriller/slasher/horrors with the survivor turning the tables during the climax, particularly when they have a unique twist (a la "You're Next", "The House of the Devil", "Babysitter"). Basically what I'm trying to say is that while this movie is in a lot of ways a very particular trope that is popular right now (and that I happen to love), it also manages to be incredibly fresh and unpredictable.

I found myself wanting to re-watch the movie immediately after finishing it. And if you're like me, and you find the "white people are all veiled racists" messaging in a movie incredibly off-putting (which is the reason I stupidly avoided this classic for so long), just forget all that and watch the movie anyways. When it comes to the racial element, I think there's a number of different ways you could read into it, and IMO that was entirely intentional.

The important and enjoyable part of this movie (I think) is just how well it puts the viewer in Chris' shoes, such that you can't help but feel the confusion, suspicion, terror and then dread at all the exact same moments he does. Even if you know precisely what's coming. That may not sound like a lot, but particularly for a seasoned horror movie fan, it's exceedingly rare that a movie hits the notes at just the right times in just the right ways to put the audience right into the protagonists shoes every single time. It's terrifying, unsettling, funny and satisfying in a way most horror movies try desperately to be, but very rarely succeed in actually being. Get Out succeeds over and over and over and over. Just watch it.