Thursday 30 December 2021

Fire When Ready - Episode 66 - Hoth Ice Planet Adventure Game - Christmas Special

For the very last recording session of 2021, Ian pulled something very special out of the cupboard: a re-print of the classic Empire Strikes Back tie-in board game, "Hoth Ice Planet". In this episode the boys, joined by special guest Rob Wade, have to try and fly their multi-coloured Millenium Falcons around Hoth, spin past Darth Vader, avoid Boba Fett, engage an AT-AT in a fish-slapping dance and watch Dave continually crash into the same snow drift.

Happy Life Day!

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Wednesday 29 December 2021

Rob's Movie Night Roundup - Z (Zombieland: Double Tap)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg

Synopsis via IMDB: Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

The first Zombieland was one of those movies that I went into not really knowing what to expect, only to find a really entertaining movie underneath it all. When I spotted the sequel on Netflix's catalogue, at around the W mark in my alphabetical odyssey, I decided to park it for later revisiting (though I didn't translate that into putting it on my list, which in hindsight seems daft).

In short, I'm pleased I did. Zombieland: Double Tap offers more of the same winning formula, so if you like the first movie then you'll likely find plenty to enjoy here. The main cast returns, and there are some new faces with a mix of personalities. There are some famous faces in among the new cast as well, and some entertaining callbacks for fans of the first. There's a post-credit scene that's well worth your time if you like the first movie as well.

The movie is stylish, looks great and is good for a fair few laughs. The cast does a great job, and the soundtrack is excellent. I don't know what else to say about it. Well worth giving a go.


If you're reading this, then I did it! 2021's Movie Night Roundup is complete, and I managed to get through the entire alphabet. I'll put together a little retrospective in the New Year, but while I've enjoyed the experience of watching more films overall, I will not use this format so heavily again. Still, 42 new movies on my list this year met the criteria and I watched a ton of new to me movies as a result so it's not all bad. Also, I joined Letterboxd so that was nice.

Did you enjoy the roundup, and indeed the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Wednesday 22 December 2021

Rob's Movie Night Roundup - Y (You Only Live Twice)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X

Y Z

MOVIE
Director: Lewis Gilbert
Stars: Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama

Synopsis via IMDB: James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.

I've been sitting here, not knowing what to do for Y for a while, when it turns out I have the 50th anniversary James Bond Blu-Ray set on my shelf with You Only Live Twice having previously sat unwatched. I sort of feel sometimes like my mental energy has become surface-level at best in terms of being able to look and stuff and understand what it might unlock. If that makes sense. Which I'm fairly confident it doesn't. But I leave the psychoanalysis to the qualified experts, and the movie writeup in this case to the enthusiastic amateur.

I've always liked Sean Connery in the Bond role, although my favourite sits somewhere in the more recent portrayals (I can't quite decide between Dalton, Brosnan and Craig as my favourite). Connery is, of course, iconic as the super-spy and in no way do I seek to minimise that. You Only Live Twice sees him working to discover who is trying to pit the USSR against the USA in a plot that I actually found myself likening to Tomorrow Never Dies, although there is plenty to distinguish them if you dig deeply enough. Besides, I bloody love Tomorrow Never Dies so it's by no means a knock.

I found myself predominantly, while watching the film, flicking mentally between a hearty chuckle at some of the sillier set pieces (and there are a few) and marvelling at just how groundbreaking the Bond movies must have been in the 1960s. This movie introduces some of the quintessential Bond standouts, like a helicopter full of one-shot gadgets (I found myself quoting the Eddie Izzard gag "Q, I had a bunch of stuff I didn't fucking use"), a villain base that's clearly the inspiration for the aesthetic of Austin Powers as well as the classic Blofeld villainy. Whatever your feelings on Bond, this film has plenty of the classic tropes in the franchise and if you're a fan of the movies generally this is a fun one.


This alphabet challenge is getting done. I'm actually really pleased, as well, that I had the brainwave on Y as the movie was a fun one. Sure, it's 50+ years old and thus some of the special effects look pretty ropey, but I've seen far worse.

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Tuesday 21 December 2021

Bring on the Bad Guys - Episode 39 - DC Universe Miniatures Game - Suicide Squad vs Sinestro Corps

The Suicide Squad butt heads with the Sinestro Corps, deep in the Nevada desert. Who will be the first team to lay their hands on the bizarre alien tech scattered around the remains of an old fairground?

Featuring special guest, Jim Doyle!

Follow the show on Instagram @bringonthebadguys and Facebook @BringBadGuys


Friday 17 December 2021

The Nerd Room Episode #300 | SPIDER-MAN RETROSPECTIVE

The following presentation is Emotionally14 Endorsed. We didn't make it ourselves, but the people that did are fantastic and we think that you'll like it!


Join the TNR crew for a Spider-Man retrospective in anticipation of Spider-Man: No Way Home! They also discuss some of their favourite moments of podcasting from the past 6 years of shows!


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The Nerd Room

A Star Wars, Marvel, & DC Podcast
A weekly podcast bringing you the latest Star Wars, Marvel, and DC news and reviews!

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Wednesday 15 December 2021

Rob's Movie Night Roundup - X (The X-Files: I Want To Believe)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W

X Y Z

THE X FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
Director: Chris Carter
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly

Synopsis via IMDB: Mulder and Scully are called back to duty by the FBI when a former priest claims to be receiving psychic visions pertaining to a kidnapped agent.

Upfront, I'm going to be entirely honest and say that I have next to no knowledge of The X Files. It seems like the kind of thing I'd probably dig, and my dad is a fan and used to watch it when we were younger, but I just never got into it. I don't really know why. However, I was reliably informed by a few people that The X Files: I Want To Believe did not require an in-depth knowledge of the story beyond "David Duchovny is Mulder, and Gillian Anderson is Scully". Given how often they address each other by surname, I don't even know that I'd have needed that going in.

I tried to put myself in the shoes of someone who *was* a big fan of The X Files based on the little bits of information I have gleaned. I imagined them sitting down to this movie, all excited after a few years without a franchise entry, and coming out of it going "Wow, with one exception that was a bit by the numbers as crime dramas go, except Mulder and Scully were also there." I say this because I came out of it going "Wow, with one exception that was a bit by the numbers as crime dramas go." I assume the rest is self-explanatory.

Here's the thing. I didn't think it was by any means a bad movie. It's well paced, tells an engaging story and the performances are all fine. I get the feeling there's a *bit* of character development for fans of the infamous duo, but I can't imagine it stretches their characters beyond the realms of all that is holy about the previous canon, so it can't be judged excessively offensive on that level. I spotted one moment where I found myself going "Presumably that was for the longtime fans", but otherwise I was able to follow the plot with zero problem. I think that speaks to its credit, rather than as a detriment, because personally I feel like franchise entries that would be completely impenetrable to the casual viewer could potentially be using that canonical bombardment as a cover for not being well executed.

Having said that, I can only think of examples of good canonical movies and shows that *don't* rely exclusively on fan service, which sort of feels like vindicaton of my point but in reverse. If that makes sense.

Anyway, if you're a fan of crime dramas, don't let the fact that this is a branded endeavour put you off. It's worth a watch.


I can get this done. I've managed to have a brainwave regarding Y, and Z has been locked in for a couple of weeks (provided the Netflix movie removal dates are kind). X proved to be a worthwhile endeavour as I quite enjoyed the movie once you factor in the above critiques. What more can I ask for, really?

I can complete the letters this side of New Year. Not only do I want to believe, I believe.

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Thursday 9 December 2021

Rob's Movie Night Roundup - W (The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V

W X Y Z

THE WITCHER: NIGHTMARE OF THE WOLF
Director: Kwang Il Han
Stars: Theo James(voice), Mary McDonnell(voice), Lara Pulver(voice)

Synopsis via IMDB: Escaping from poverty to become a witcher, Vesemir slays monsters for coin and glory, but when a new menace rises, he must face the demons of his past.

I have some familiarity with The Witcher as a franchise; I've played a couple of the games and found them to be pretty entertaining but never persevered enough for me to get really engaged. My wife and I tried to get into the Henry Cavill series and just...haven't managed to do so. Anyway, with that said I understand enough of the franchise universe to take a reasonable guess that I'd be able to follow the story of this one just fine.

This turned out to be pretty bang on the money, in hindsight. Granted, there will no doubt be references and such that completely passed me by, but I picked up on a couple of the main nods and even wondered aloud about some aspect of the story that turned out to be absolutely spot on.

The question, of course, is whether with all that said the movie is any good. I think so. It's short and sweet at just under 90 minutes, and tells a well-paced story with enough exposition to tell the story without any deep dive of the surrounding lore required. The voice performances are pretty broadly strong, and visually it's beautiful; the animation is really crisp and the anime format brings out some frankly incredible colour palettes and looks gorgeous in motion. It's not at the level of genre-reinventing, but it's a really nicely executed movie.


W won't win any prizes for the best letter, as the movie covered was serviceable but nothing genre-defining, but worth a watch. I'm so close to getting this done! Looking at the remaining letters, I have a strong idea of what I'm likely to go for in Z and an idea I *can* use in Y (though I'm still open to other options), but X is still proving elusive. I'm not averse to watching XXX, but I might go off the wall on this one and gamble on something a little out of left field (not a sporting movie clue). While the final writeup might drop in January as Christmas/New Year might make sitting down to write trickier, I am determined to complete the alphabet during 2021. I have an idea for a couple of final posts to round this off, as well.

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.


Monday 6 December 2021

Bring on the Bad Guys - Episode 38 - Dormammu, Hulkbuster, Ms Marvel and More

There's been a delivery of new releases on-board the latest SHIELD Helicarrier, and so Brad and Ian take a look at what's fresh out for Marvel: Crisis Protocol!

Follow the show on Instagram @bringonthebadguys and Facebook @BringBadGuys


Friday 3 December 2021

Fire When Ready - Episode 65 - Star Wars: Legion - Clone Wars Skirmish

Count Dooku and his entourage are scouting out some ancient ruins, when they encounter a scouting force under the command of Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and Senator Padmé Amidala. Will the CIS secure this location for the Dark Side, or will Black Belt close-combat master Padmé defeat them in the name of the Galactic Republic?

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @firewhenreadyuk

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Thursday 2 December 2021

Rob's Movie Night Roundup - V (Vantage Point, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets)

At the beginning of the year, my wife and I decided that we'd like to watch more movies. There are 52 weeks in a year, 2 of us, and 26 letters in the alphabet. What better way to choose some movies than to go alphabetically? The only rule: Where possible, it should be a movie that one or more of us had never seen before. Oh, and ideally it should be part of one of the copious online streaming services we're already subscribed to, because why bother paying for a rental when we're not short of options?

Incidentally, if anyone from the big online streaming service providers is reading this (your Notfluxes or your Prims, for example), please make it easier to search for/sort movies alphabetically. Thanks.

Also, fair warning: There may well be movies that appear on this list that you'll find hard to believe I haven't seen before. It happens.

Previous letters are here: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U

V W X Y Z

VANTAGE POINT
Director: Pete Travis
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox

Synopsis via IMDB: The attempted assassination of the American President is told and re-told from several different perspectives.

A bit of Rob Wade history, before we start. Over the years, I spent a decent chunk of my early working life working for a chain of cinemas in the UK. I worked across a few different sites, and one of the perks was being able to see the movies for free. I remember Vantage Point coming out at the cinema during one of my stints there, and being properly intrigued by the premise. The idea of, essentially, a multi-cam whodunnit was an intriguing prospect and the cast was (and still is) an excellent list of names.

How did the movie stand up to 13 years of time passing, my tastes potentially changing and the possibility that I've built this film up to be something incredibly special over time?

As it turns out, not bad at all. The movie is short and sweet at just under 90 minutes, and the cast does their job really well. Forest Whitaker turns up again, having popped up in Movie Night Roundup during Panic Room, which is always a treat. It's well-executed technically, and manages to do a great job of uncovering the story over the runtime of the movie. There was one bit (which I won't spoil just in case) which I thought was pretty probable that did turn out as expected, but I sometimes have a knack for that despite being genuinely perplexed by some episodes of Scooby Doo; it's not just a gift I can switch on at will, it seems.

This movie is well worth your time if you have a short window free one evening, or you enjoy thrillers.


VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
Director: Luc Besson
Stars: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen

Synopsis via IMDB: A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

I didn't work at a cinema when this movie came out, but I remember wanting to see it at the cinema. Luc Besson has an excellent track record when it comes to movies in my all-time favourites including Leon/The Professional, The Fifth Element and even writing Taken. What a CV, to say nothing of the stuff of his I haven't seen; I bet there are some bangers in there. Anyway, I've had a few people tell me that this movie wasn't all that great and that I should go in with expectations managed. As it happens, I did just that.

That worked out pretty well, as it goes, because I ended up quite enjoying this movie. First of all, it's visually exceptional. The spacefaring elements of it are absolutely gorgeous, the creature design is top-notch and the overall tone is just so gloriously colourful and crisp. While the pacing goes a bit Star Wars in places, that's not necessarily a bad thing as Star Wars has become iconic for a reason.

It's not all cake, praise and Subbuteo though. Some of the acting is a little stiff, particularly the romantic interplay between Laureline and Valerian (which I believe is played pretty true to the source material series, but might be wrong). The movie does feel a little long at 2 hours and 16 minutes, but then I couldn't tell you what could be cut to make room, so maybe I'm just being difficult. There is a quite obvious plot thread that isn't particularly well disguised, although that could be entirely deliberate and again it's just me.

Overall, it's not bad. I wouldn't say it'd be a film I'd be likely to watch again anytime soon, but I'm glad I saw it.


One of those rare occasions lately where I ended up being able to get 2 movies in ahead of finishing the writeup. It's worth saying that I did that as a result of a lash-up on my part forgetting what was next in the order. I'm hoping that doesn't come back to bite me at the end of the year! Still, overall I liked the two movies on this letter which is always a plus.

Did you enjoy the roundup? Let me know! If you have thoughts on the movies chosen and their respective writeups above, you know where to find me. Maybe you don't, but there are buttons everywhere to make that happen. Comments, Twitter, you name it. Moreover, if you want to make use of this movie night format, bearing in mind you're a few weeks in and might have to double up to get up to speed, feel free to do the same - I'd love to know what you chose too!

Rob Wade


Rob Wade blogs about stuff he likes. Whether it's video games or geek media for Emotionally14 or writing about speculative theories for future films on Talk Star Wars, the focus has always been on the stuff that brings the most pleasure to his life within media.

Rob is the editor of Emotionally14, and showrunner of the E14 podcasts "The Crazy Train", "The E14 Gamecast" and "Talk Star Wars", as well as the host and guest of a number of pieces on E14's Youtube channel over the years.