Chuck E. Cheese Has Modernized and is Quite Fun!

When I was a child I loved going to Chuck E. Cheese. Back during the height of the pandemic I actually got some Chuck E. Cheese pizza to go but hadn't been in one to actually play since my own youth. Well, we were invited to a birthday party by some friends for their son and went today. It was lots of fun!

The Chuck E. Cheese we went to actually was not the one closest to our house, but up in Saint Charles. It had recently been renovated and looked pretty spiffy. There was a trampoline area that Clarkson loved jumping on and all the tickets were digitized. Instead of the animatronic band, there were huge screens (the size of a wall) that broadcast Chuck and his other animal friends singing songs and dancing around. One weird thing was when each character said the date of their birthday for a skit and Helen Henny randomly said she was born May 27th--the same day as me! There weren't ball pits anymore but tons of arcade games. The variety was impressive.

There was the pizza and we got some fries and boneless chicken wings too. At one point the screens celebrated our friend's birthday and Chuck E. Cheese himself came out to give everyone high-fives and do the dance party with folks. Clarkson wanted to be on the dance floor too but just wanted to kind of lay on it as opposed to dancing! Observe:

Chuck E. Cheese was fun when I was little and continues to be enjoyable now in a more modern incarnation. Clarkson had a lot of fun jumping in the trampoline area and hitting the buttons on the games. We will most likely go to the Chuck E. Cheese near us sometime soon too so he can have some more fun!

Promoting Fossil Fuels in, "Fortnite," Did Not Go Well

Shell is a big ol' fossil fuel company. It makes money off oil and gas--something younger folks worry about as the World's climate turns more and more into an apocalyptic Hellscape. Shell wants to appeal to younger folks who might otherwise buy electric cars or look into alternative fuels so Shell could've spent money diversifying into such tech. They didn't do that, though. They spent a ton of money paying influencers and video-game website IGN to make glowing web videos discussing how fun the Shell-inspired land in Fortnite (which they also put a bunch of money into) is. What's more fun than driving gas guzzlers in a video-game and fueling up at a virtual gas station? I mean, having an inhabitable planet might be more enjoyable, but shut up and take this check to talk about how much you love Shell! Obviously, criticism followed all this.

We Millenials are pretty skeptical and cynical about the World so I'm not surprised GenZ (as they are being called for now) are even more likely to question dumb B.S. like what Shell pulled. Did they expect putting millions of dollars into damage control in a video-game would salvage how bad fossil fuels are looking lately? I'd say this was one of the laziest-yet-most-expensive things an oil company could do, but I remember when British Petroleum (BP) made a big deal about changing their name to, "Beyond Petroleum," as if that made a difference. Masters of PR these companies clearly are not.

The moral of the story here is big oil paying influencers to say nice things about them is not going to solve how bad they look on the international scale. They're the bad guys and unless they put a concentrated effort towards doing things that don't destroy our planet, companies such as Shell and BP will be thought of as at best a necessary evil (I mean, lots of our cars do need gas) or treated with outright disdain.

Thoughts As Banned Books Week Comes to a Close

This week was dedicated to banned books. It is ironic that as information becomes more readily available efforts have increased to ban books or access to that information. Whether people want to keep children (or adults) from reading manga, fail to see the irony in banning a book about fascism such as, "Maus," or want to pretend LGBTQ people don't exist, efforts persist to ban books. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Throughout history those who tried to ban books/burn books/etc. were never the good guys. If you really are scared of your children learning about race or fail to see the irony in banning a title about censorship, ("Fahrenheit 451") then you're the problem. When they go to ban a book, that is a book you probably really should be reading.

Film Friday: "Barbie," is a Stellar Movie!

I finally had a chance to watch the, "Barbie," movie at home thanks to it being possible to rent on the good ol' interwebs. It really was as good as people said and quite different from what one would expect of a toy tie-in flick. Everyone is absolutely amazing in their roles and the cast is stacked. Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, and more help this movie fire on all cylinders. It's hilarious, insightful, and makes you even choke up a bit at the end. Director Greta Gerwig took on a movie about a toy doll and made a masterpiece.

The general plot is that Margot Robbie's Barbie has to leave her World and go to the real World to address how she's been having strangely sad thoughts and developing odd body features like her feet going flat instead of their usual arch. Ryan Gosling's Ken tags along and develops a taste for the patriarchy in the real World and this leads to all kinds of trouble. That's a general summary, but there is a lot more to it. I also was amazed at how willing Mattel was to be poked at for fun and tip my hat to the company for giving everyone as much creative freedom as they did for this film.

"Barbie," made a ton (and I do mean a ton) of money at the box office and received glowing reviews. Besides some alt-right men whining about it online, it seems like basically everyone loved this movie. I know I was a fan. My only concern is movie studios will take the wrong message from this and try to churn out a bunch of toy tie-in movies while missing the point of what made this production great. Time will tell, but, "Barbie," will stand the test of time as a stellar movie!

5 out of 5 stars.

The New *NSync Song For the Latest, "Trolls," Movie is Legit Great

It has been over 20 years since *NSync released a song as a group. Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick have reunited for--of all things--the latest, "Trolls," movie, and they've got a new song titled, "Better Place." It is really, really good. For years a reunion seemed unlikely, but nowadays perhaps the breakout star of the group--Timberlake--needs *NSync as a safety net and they're happy to work with him too. The group never truly broke up and they all seemed to still like each other, so why not reunite and do, "Trolls Band Together," for fun (and one would assume a hefty check)? It helps that, "Better Place," hits, and it hits hard. Give it a listen:

Don't get me wrong, "Better Place," is a somewhat vapid pop ditty without any big message or point beyond sounding good and being fun. That's okay, however, because sometimes you just want a tune to be a joyful time! The, "Trolls," movies have always had good covers and some surprisingly great original tunes too so I'm optimistic the 3rd in what has become a trilogy will be enjoyable! Even if for some reason, "Trolls Band Together," isn't a hit at least we got, "Better Place," out of it.

Advance Review: "Dirty Panties," is a Fascinating Examination of Sex, Commerce, and Relationships

Editions Tanibis is a French publisher who releases a number of their books in English. This November they will be publishing an English-language version of, "Dirty Panties," or in the original French, "Roxane Vend Ses Culottes." The graphic novel follows a young Parisian named Roxane. Her life is dull besides the occasional hook-up or enjoying hanging out with her roommate and she's low on cash. When she notices an ad for selling panties online she jumps at the opportunity and starts to meet all kinds of interesting men and women. Things only get stranger the longer she keeps at her new business.

Written and illustrated by Maybelline Skvortzoff, "Dirty Panties," is a superb read. There is the personal element of seeing Roxane dealing with everyday life (an angry ex, a mother who clearly has some issues) and balancing, "Real life," with the persona she has created for customers who buy her panties or make other requests when she meets up with them (from relatively benign appeals to mop a house in her underwear to much more esoteric endeavors). The idea of how having economic means makes it easier to--in essence--dominate others is a theme. A rich client of Roxane's makes it pretty hard to say, "No," to demands that get increasingly more bizarre and morph into veiled threats as he hands over envelopes stuffed with cash. There is much to consider here about social status, finances, and control over others.

Skvortzoff's art fits everything perfectly. The people Roxane meets all look so different from those who might fit the stereotype we'd conjure of the kind of person who buys used panties. It is fitting how the seemingly unassuming and formal folks we see are actually the kinkiest--don't judge a metaphorical book by its cover, in other words. Another nice touch with the artwork is when Roxane is trying various substances (she likes everything from alcohol to weed and harder stuff) the imagery gets all distorted and weird, portraying to us readers just how disjointed and off she might be feeling.

"Dirty Panties," is a stupendous graphic novel and I'd highly recommend checking it out once the English translation is available in stores this coming November. It manages to be both a thoughtful personal tale and a meditation on the economics of sexuality. A fantastic book!

5 out of 5 stars.

Television Tuesday: The, "Golden Bachelor," is Finally Here!

It was announced it was going to happen three or so years ago, but the television debut of, "The Golden Bachelor," finally occurred last Thursday. When Gerry Turner was revealed as the elder Bachelor he seemed like a genuinely sweet guy. With the premiere having occurred I would say (for once) the show hit it out of the park picking a superb lead. I'd fallen off the franchise around when Zach's season started but I'm back because the, "Golden Bachelor," had my attention. After the debut, I'll continue tuning in!

After meeting Gerry and hearing his story of how he lost his first wife (a moment that had everyone on Twitter declaring they were sobbing) we got to the opening night and ladies arriving! I previously wondered if it being older women in the cast would result in less immature/competitive behavior from the contestants too. Well, the gals all seemed to be pleasant toward one another (for now) so that was nice. There were some interesting characters among the bunch and Jimmy Kimmel's Aunt made a surprise appearance as a joke to crack some one-liners before heading out at the episode's conclusion. Oh, Matt James (a previous Bachelor) had his mom randomly there too, but she went home the first night so that stunt-casting was basically for naught.

Besides the fact everyone is decades older than the OG show it was still, "The Bachelor," to a T. We had funny entrances, Gerry chatting with the ladies and smooching some, little jokes here and there, it was good! I will give the franchise props for not shying away from some sex talk too. People don't always like to consider how old folks are getting raunchy these days, but they are, and that's cool too! Just because someone is in their 60s that doesn't mean they have to avoid making a double entendre--this franchise loves jokes about, "Birthday suits," or such! There will still be drama, it just looks like (from the previews of the season) everything will be a lot less toxic and malicious.

I had fun meeting the Bachelor and all the women, and it is a little funny to think adding a bunch of elderly adults could very well be the reinvigorating shot in the arm this franchise needs. I had fun watching, "The Bachelor," and besides, 'Bachelor in Paradise," it has been a while since things have been genuinely lighthearted and enjoyable within this franchise so now that they are, I'll be tuning in.

5 out of 5 stars (for the first episode).

I Loved the, "Unexplained Prague," Book and Now Am Excited for, "Unexplained Los Angeles," on Kickstarter!

Back in February, I discussed how the Kickstarter campaign for, "Unexplained Prague," looked really fun. The, "Unexplained," series of travelogues features comic artwork and interesting stories about the spotlit cities--along with tips on spooky and eeerie places to stay or dine. These books are by Skull & City I.S.R.L. with writing and artwork by Mackenzie Peltz. The latest one focusing on Prague indeed turned out to be a real treat of strange stories about places to be sure and visit. Peltz's artwork is lovely too, reminding me a bit of Mike Mignola in style while standing on its own as superb. With the Prague book out, work has now turned to the next title, focused on Los Angeles!

"Unexplained Los Angeles," currently has a Kickstarter campaign you can find here. While L.A. may be thought of as a city of glitz and glamour, it has all kinds of eerie folklore and allegedly haunted landmarks for readers to delve into. Based on the quality of the other, "Unexplained," books I know, "Unexplained Los Angeles," will be a fantastic travelogue/graphic novel! I encourage everyone to check the Kickstarter campaign out (here's that link again) and to back the book if it sounds like something they'd enjoy reading--or planning a visit to L.A. with!

"Night Cruising," is an Eerie and Great Read

Floating World Comics puts out some of my favorite indie stuff lately so when I saw the solicitation for, "Night Cruising," it caught my eye. Focusing on a trouble-making youth named Ricky, the comic features him cruising around Los Angeles getting up to worse and worse trouble. Creator, Harry Nerdlinger (of," Vacuum Decay," fame) has said online that the comic was, "...inspired by just the mood of driving around LA at night, listening to the Cure, the Doors, and late-era Bowie. I think Lost Highway probably had a big influence on the general imagery." I haven't seen, "Lost Highway," but know it is quite trippy and I'd say, "Night Cruising," is without a doubt a surreal little dip into madness. 

The comic opens as Ricky drops off a lady after a date that seems to have been very proper and polite but then things quickly get dark. Ricky zips around the city getting up to all kinds of nefarious activities and it is hinted that since a head injury, he has been not quite right, although he maybe was already pretty, "Off," to begin with.

Something is seriously wrong with Ricky.

Nerdlinger's use of black-and-white results in lots of darkness mixed with blinding brightness when a car's headlights shine or Ricky goes into an ominous diner. The contrast helps contribute to the disorienting nature of the comic as Ricky seems to careen all around the city, only stopping to get into trouble. "Night Cruising," definitely puts readers ill at ease as they read it and Nerdlinger has created a freaky and eerie one-shot. If you like ominous tales that aren't quite horror but clearly are twisted and discomforting, then, "Night Cruising," is worth checking out.

5 out of 5 stars.

"The Department of Truth," to Have an, "Official," Bootleg Edition--How Trippy!

"The Department of Truth," is a fun and surreal comic by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (with occasional guest artists). It focuses all on conspiracy theories and is quite trippy.  Tynion recently announced for the upcoming New York Comic-Con this October that they'll have, "Department of Truth: The Bootleg Edition." As Tynion described it in his email newsletter, "It’s printed in black and white, on newsprint, right here in NYC. We’re not making these available for sale online...we did a print run of 500 of these suckers, and they’ll be hand-numbered on the back." It is designed to be like a little pamphlet done by a crazy person as, "The ink literally comes off on your fingers." An official comic by the creative team designed to look like a bootleg? A faux bootleg or a fake of a fake? How strange and fitting for this series!

I had a post in August discussing how bootleg/unofficial/fan-made products can be extremely popular. It is humorous to witness an official item that is designed to look like a bootleg now hitting the scene. If anyone happens to be at NYCC and swings by the Artists' Alley they should be sure to visit table C-27 and grab one of these comics! Heck, if they let you buy two maybe get one for me!