Tag Archives: favorite

May 24, 2015

Top 10 Favorite Movies

By Rebecca M. Horner

I know, not a review, but it’s something. I’ve discovered I don’t have the second Shadow saga book, and refuse to buy it just for consistency. (Maybe with Christmas money next year.) I have a movie sitting around, waiting for me to watch and return it to its owner, and the Ginny-donation-box needs gone through so I know what I have. But for this week, I thought I would do a list of my favorite movies, spurned on by a conversation happening on the drive home from a medieval fair.

So with that, I give you my top favorite movies (err, sort of). There were a few exceptions made in the case of series where you like all the movies in it equally, it could count as one. I suspect because the guy who asked the question wanted to make sure people like me just didn’t start listing MCU movies…

10. How to Train Your Dragon

There’s a lot to love about this movie. On one hand, I have to knock it a bit because it is apparently way different from its source material, and as a writer, that irks me. But they took the concept and ran with it, which I thought was impressive. I love the fact that Hiccup is this plucky, skinny little kid that doesn’t have the brawl and doesn’t need it, instead just needing his smarts. I also love the fact that Astrid is a bit of a tomboy, yes, and is very much the fighter and athletic type, but she is still considered beautiful and feminine. And then the dialogue is perfect, and I love how cat-like the dragons are… It’s really just an amazing film.

9. Pitch Black/Chronicles of Riddick/Riddick

…Someone is going, “Wait, Rebecca, you can’t do horror, why are these on your favorite list…?” I know I can’t do horror, which is why it’s all the way down here at number 9. 😛 Yes, some elements of these movies gives me nightmares. But I love the way the anti-hero was shaped, even if I think we took a weird tangent in the second movie. I’ve done some slightly more in-depth thoughts on this franchise, and I stand by them. But I love them, and I look forward to seeing where it goes in oncoming films. (Plus, I really, really like Vin Diesel, okay?)

8. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

I am a sucker for this TV series, despite some of the weird/stupid episodes. I thought that this movie was a great way of showing Terry stepping into the mantle of the Batman, and it also helps answer the question of what happened to at least one of the Robins. It makes some nods towards the series that are great in context of it as a whole. I have to knock it a little, since if you don’t know some of what happened in at least the first season, some of the emotional bombs don’t hit as hard, and it’s not as obvious that Terry is not a genius like Bruce without that further evidence, so the ending is less of a comeuppance. But there are still moments that even a newbie to the concept can love if they watch it just as a stand-alone, and most of the history is general Batman history and thus easy enough to grab on to (or is explained).

7. Beauty and the Beast

My very first review on this blog was about this movie, though it was over the 3-D rendition and had some problems. I know there are some people who have severe issues with the plot of this movie, shouting Stockholm Syndrome and verbal abuse. I’m not saying they’re wrong, but I am saying that I think that is a pretty quick leap. Is the situation weird, yes. But this is a fantasy movie, weird situations are the norm. But I won’t get into an argument on this list. I love this idea of a brainy girl who doesn’t fit in with her surroundings and wants more out of life, falling in love with someone who similarly doesn’t belong, of finding love with each other. I love the idea of love helping you become a better person. The side characters also have their moments of glory, and I’ll admit it, I have deep issues with trusting the popular, pretty boy, and Gaston being the jerky villain is awesome.

6. Marvel Cinematic Universe

Okay, this is the first of the cheater choices. I just can’t pick a favorite, and they are so inter connected, it’s hard to separate them out. It doesn’t help matters that my favorite hero hasn’t had a solo movie and doesn’t look to be getting one either… (I’m such a Hawkeye fan girl.) There are questionable choices at times in the writing, and I don’t always like which of the Marvel universes they pull from, but everything is working well together, and they are pacing themselves well. You can tell, for example, that Iron Man is pulling back to be a more supportive role and his solo character arc is resolved and now it’s him in the group. My working theory is that Captain America is going to wrap up with this third, and Thor with is. They aren’t letting one character become more than the series as a whole, and that I think is what makes Avengers so amazing.

(…Don’t ask me about Agents of SHIELD. Just don’t. I have all sorts of mixed feels, because they are writing a really weird Bobbi…)

5. The Last Unicorn

Yeah, you should have timed this one appearing on this list. God, I loved this movie growing up. I don’t remember how many times I rented it, but it was an insane number of times. And what’s not to love? Schmedrick and Molly Grue are amazing characters, with deep character flaws but even bigger hearts. Amalthia starts out not necessarily flat but very much lacking in certain levels of human empathy. And when that starts to change, it breaks your heart. And the ending isn’t completely happy but honest and true to its world, which in fact keeps with the original source material…like this movie does amazingly well at, just cutting stuff for time reasons in ways that make sense. It’s an under appreciated classic that really deserves more attention.

4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

And here’s the second cheater. But honestly, these three again are so wound together, it’s really hard to separate them. And while I may get more frustrated with the first two, that’s only because TNT and other channels marathon the dickens out of them but rarely show the third. I own the super long, box-set versions, so I don’t watch them as much as I like because really, who has that kind of time? But I appreciate them because there are all those extra little moments. (Okay, and because the Faramir/Eowyn moments were a lot more blatant in those versions). As someone who read the books too young, if I’m honest to myself, and got bogged down in Two Towers, these movies were well-done and helped me feel the same excitement that I know the books inspire in other people

3. Three Musketeers

Specifically, I mean the version that Disney put out with Tim Curry as the cardinal. It sticks the closest to the original story as far as screenplay/stage adaptations go according to other people’s research, not mine. And honestly, the characters make this story and the way the actors portray them. The plot is ridiculously straight-forward, there aren’t any surprise twists coming. But the characters, man… I can’t even pick a favorite, that’s how awesome they all are. And there are lots of comedic moments, but some of serious drama that can just break your heart. And it flows very well between the comedy and the drama so it doesn’t jar you out of the story. And they are all so relatable and human, down to their silliest of flaws. (Like Pathos being a pathological liar, since there is no Queen of America.) I highly recommend this movie (except…maybe not for the kids. It gets a bit too serious and gory.)

2. Twelve Angry Men

What is this, a black and white film that is in no way fantasy or scifi? Shut your mouth! …Okay, in all seriousness, I love this movie. You’ve probably seen nods to it elsewhere, since I knew some shows that are episodic rather than overarching plot have done versions of it. (Hey Arnold! and the pulling of the fire alarm, for example.) It doesn’t have your traditional, physical conflict. Everything is done through words and differences in personality. The twelve characters are all different from each other, though some are pretty similar so it can get confusing trying to explain it rather than watch it. It doesn’t help that they are known by juror numbers only. You get to the point where you don’t care who is what number or who they are, you recognize the character and know their motivation, and that’s what matters. And it all builds on top of each into an absolutely amazing climax. Even if old black and white movies aren’t your thing, you should totally check this one out.

1. Cats Don’t Dance

Despite my education and supposed grown-up status, I will always be a girl obsessed with animated movies and musicals. This movie is the best of both and is always going to be the best in my heart. I love Sawyer’s sassiness and the fact that, let’s face it, she’s a better performer than our male lead, she just needs a push to try again. And because of the type of cat design they went with for her, she actually comes across as being plump and curvy rather than a stick, which is a big thumb’s up in my book. Darla is an absolutely amazing villain, especially when combined with Max, to create an almost Pinky and the Brain dynamic. And I think the idea of a animal actors trying to make it big like the humans is just awesome. The music is catchy and actually has a jazz feel to it rather than the Broadway musical feeling that most movies end up going with. The animation is good Warner Bro. animation, which is just as good if not better than Disney at times, and the way they use color is just a great touch. Overall, I think it’s just an under-appreciated animated classic, and definitely deserves recognition.

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January 23, 2014

Tabletop RP: Favorite Classes

By Rebecca M. Horner

Anyone who has played any kind of tabletop RP knows that there are a plethora of classes (or types, for those non-versed) of characters to play. You can sometimes mix and match, take on a more specialized class, or completely wreck anything that class is actually intended for, but some are more fun for others. For example, I am AWFUL at any kind of spellcaster that requires me to prepare my spells the night before. I just feel cranky having to pick spells, or needing a spell at a particular moment, but derp, didn’t pick it “last night,” so now we have to wait for me to rest 8 hours. I also haven’t ever played a straight fighter, so I don’t know how well I’ll like playing one. I’ve also been dabbling in the d20 Future stuff (no matter how derpy it is at times), and have an idea on my favorites there too.

To begin with, my baby. The girl who started it all. The one who had two wanted posters out for her at the same time, one labeling her human and female, the other half-elf and male. I’m sort of an archer-fanatic, so I guess it isn’t a surprise that my first character was a ranged Ranger (yeah, it’s a thing), who eventually became a modified-from-3.0-into-3.5 Deep Wood Sniper. I really liked my near invisibility status and the ability to almost take down a minotaur single-handedly with two arrows fired at the same time, thanks to their tips being poisoned and him failing most of the Fortitude checks. The animal companion aspect didn’t come into play much, but that’s another story. I also never really had a use for my spells, but then, we had a cleric in the party most of the time, and the rest of the time I couldn’t be hit so I didn’t care. The only real downside was when I was hit, I was nearly killed far too easily. And then don’t get me started on how low the will saves for rangers/deep wood snipers are. It’s sad, and led to much brain washing on my part.

Another sort of mixed feeling class is my Favored Soul. On one hand, I love playing Anna, and when I came into this campaign, I sort of accepted I was going to be like 60%-75% health battery. I discovered I much more liked the way I can just cast any spell I know, and her stats, at least in the early days, weren’t completely sucky. But for those of you who haven’t looked at Favored Souls, about level six (if I’m recalling right), things get ugly. You stop getting almost any bonuses for leveling up. Now, this is done on purpose. Those are really the levels where your DM gets to step in and start doing things to your character involving your deity that’s favoring the character, giving them the power boost that way. Only, my DM wasn’t. And he was doing a “I level you when it’s time for you to level for story reasons, rather than by experience,” way of things, so I was stuck in one of those sucky levels for what felt like forever. So there is my word of warning. I would take Favored Soul over Cleric, and I think it can be a fun class. But make sure you have a DM who knows where your levels of suck are and how to help your character not get vastly over powered by the others in the process.

My favorite class so far has got to be War Mage, but that might be because of how pseudo-overpowered it feels to me. You get all of the offensive spells, you auto-know them when you level, so no worries about picking out huge lists of spells, and then every few levels you get to pick out a new spell to add to your repitoire. You also get to do more damage based off of your Intelligence score, and then, as if that isn’t enough, you can add more with feats. Best part though? No squishy wizard affect! That’s right, war mages get to wear light and then later medium armor, and can go all the way up to heavy with another feat. Or you can do what I’m doing and get a heavy armor made out of mithril so it only counts as medium and just say, “Screw ALL ya’ll!” The saves aren’t great, but they aren’t awful either, and while you don’t get a lot of skills or skill points, what skills you do get are relevant to the character, and it’s still easy to really make your character your own. Yun has been a ball to play so far, and I don’t see that changing.

As I said at the beginning, I’ve been dabbling in the d20 Future. And while the first campaign crashed and burned, the second is setting itself up well enough that I think I’m going to like what I’m doing. The key I’m thinking is that while I have technically picked one particular type of Hero Class, I was able to toggle with both my ability scores and my starting occupation (and take some cross-class skills) to give my character traits from a different one without taking multi-class levels. And really, I think that might be the best way to play this version of tabletop RP. Yes, pick a class and take everything it offers to you, but also take bits and pieces that lets you round out so you aren’t so heavily specialized that all it takes is one situation and you are screwed. I’m so excited to play Birdie, and I know some of that is me getting to surprise my fellow RPers and the fact I get to be more than just my starting class.

Now for the bad side of the coin. One of my least favorites was actually a gestalt character, a combination of Ninja and Wu Jen that was oh-so-fondly dubbed, the Wu Jinja. While the character herself was both a pot of crazy and a lot of fun, I gotta say, I hated the classes. By themselves, the ninja was like playing a low-level wizard after he ran out of spells, and the wu jen WAS a low-level wizard, and we’ve already talked about my feelings on that kind of spell caster. They sort of saved each other enough that I no longer hated them, but I definitely wouldn’t pick them again unless I knew there was going to be a large party to help protect my character’s scrawny butt until she got more powerful spells/abilities.

So, let me throw this out there. What are some of you guys’ favorite classes, or least favorite? What do you like about them?

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