Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

It is 1938. When his father goes missing looking for the holy grail, Indiana Jones sets out to find him. His adventures will take him through Europe and beyond, and surprises are around every corner. Nobody can be trusted, and success will require an act of faith. Does Indy have it in him?

This 1989 movie is the sequel to the first installment and returns to familiar goals (pursuit of a Christian  relic) and foes (the Nazis). It is much better than The Temple of Doom, and may be the best of the trilogy for its humor, and more developed plot (though there are still some rushed areas). Of course, the theology surrounding the grail is terrible, but there are a few redeeming moments. The effects are dated, and it isn't a perfect film, but it is fun.

Rating: B

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones is in Shanghai, China, in 1935, seeking an artifact exchange with a local crime boss. When that goes south, he escapes (accompanied by "Short Round," an orphan sidekick, and Willie Scott, singer) . . . but things don't go as planned. Ending up in India, they come upon a village decimated and struggling. There, Indy learns that an evil cult is growing in a regional palace, and that cult has stolen the village's children and sacred stone. Indy sets off determined to save both. Can he do so? 

Two years ago, I started getting my kids up to speed on Indiana Jones' films by watching the first, but we didn't continue. We watched this one (the second in the series but the first chronologically) last night to re-start the effort. It was . . . okay. This 1984 film definitely has its share of action/adventure, spectacle, and memorable moments. But my comments on Raiders of the Lost Ark hold true here: the plot was extremely rushed, some dialogue was cheesy, the effects often underwhelming (though sometimes cool). This film is darker (and gross in places), as it involves a cult practicing pagan worship, slavery, and human sacrifice. (Aside: apparently the PG-13 rating was invented shortly after this film to account for flicks like this that were too much for PG but didn't warrant an R rating.) Overall, I like this one less than the first film, and it hasn't aged well.

Rating: C

Here to Slay

Today's review is of the 2020 release, Here to Slay. For 2-6 players, it takes 30-60 minutes.

Overview

Assemble your heroes, conquer monsters, and best your friends in this fantasy card game! 

game in progress; image from here

To setup the game, shuffle the two decks (monster deck and draw deck). Each player chooses an oversized party leader card (with a class and ability). Three monster cards are placed in the center, visible to all players, and the remaining monster deck is placed face-down nearby. Each player is dealt five cards, and the draw deck is placed face-down nearby. The game begins!

In Here to Slay, the game play is simple: each turn, you have 3 action points. You use these points to draw cards, play heroes/items, and fight monsters. If you can be the first to assemble 6 heroes (or defeat 3 monsters), you win!

But there are no guarantees: most actions (like fighting monsters and using hero abilities) involve dice rolling, with penalties for failure. There are modifier cards to help your roll (or hurt your opponent's), and challenge cards that can stop another player in their tracks. 

Review

This fast-playing and simple game is solid. A deliberately light game that can accommodate up to six players. I really like action point allowance games, and this one is a good one.

Rating: B+

Home (Marilynne Robinson)

Jack Boughton, the ne'er-do-well son of his Reverend father, has come home to Gilead, Iowa. After twenty years away, he returns bearing a past buried in alcoholism and secrets. The Reverend, now old and nearing the end, withers away as we awaits his death and yearns for Jack's salvation. Glory, a daughter with her own broken past, cares for the old man and now Jack, even as she has her own burdens.  

Glory knows Jack won't remain at home. He'll never feel comfortable there. But as he gets ready to depart forever, he and Glory have a parting exchange:

"I hope I haven't been too much trouble. There's a lot I regret." 

"All I regret is that you're leaving . . . now you know where to come when you need help."

"Yes. Ye who are weary, come home."

"Very sound advice."  

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Set concurrently with Gilead, but in a different household (one oft-referenced in the aforementioned work), this is another remarkable book. Much of what I said about Gilead applies here—it is a poignant portrait of the painful realities of this age. Yet it is beautiful in its way as it points to the futility of sin, the hope of grace, and the unwavering forgiveness and love of a father who simply wants to welcome his son back home.

This is billed as a re-telling of the parable of the prodigal son (read the Biblical story here or my summary of Tim Keller's excellent analysis of the same here). There, as here, there is more than one lost child in the story. Both have pain; both need healing; both have their father's love.

Rating: A

The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game

Today's review is of the 2024 release, The Fellowship of the Ring Trick-Taking Game. For 1-4 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview

You hold a ring of great power; one that must be destroyed. It all starts with leaving home. Can you travel through the Shire successfully, or will the challenge prove too great?

This cooperative game is played over a series of chapters. In each, you will be dealt a hand of cards, choose an available character (the pool differs from chapter to chapter), carry out that character's setup instructions (if any), and play begins. To win a chapter, each player must meet their respective character's goals for the round (generally, winning a certain number of tricks or ring cards) unless the victory condition for that chapter says otherwise. If you meet the condition, move on to the next chapter. Play proceeds until you've won it all . . . or Sauron has.

Example cards; image from here

Like all trick-taking games, each card has a suit (forest, hill, mountain, shadow, ring) and number (1-8 for most, 1-5 for the ring cards); in a given trick, the high card in the lead suit wins . . . unless the one ring is played (for that rules them all—which in this case means he who played it chooses who wins that trick). You cannot share your hand with the other players, so pay attention and play strategically to make sure you each meet your respective goals. 

Review

My boys and I played the first two chapters of this . . . I really like it. It is easy to learn, hard to master. The characters with their differing abilities and win conditions make things interesting. The chapters add another level of variation and fun. And I assume (based on the name) that we might see two other games to round out the trilogy. You can learn how to play here . . . highly recommended.

Rating: A

Maps of Middle-Earth (Brian Sibley)

J.R.R. Tolkien, famed author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, loved languages, myth, and maps. Some argue his tales started with a map. In this book, Brian Sibley presents four maps related to Middle-Earth. For each, he provides a brief history/overview and dictionary of place or terrain names explaining their relevance to a given story. The four maps:

- Beleriand (from the First Age, since lost underwater save for its easternmost reaches, which are now the westernmost Midde-Earth shores in the Third Age)

- Middle-Earth (from the Third Age—the map most familiar to readers, showing lands described in The Lord of the Rings)

- Wilderland (from the Third Age—a 'zoomed-in' map showing lands relevant to The Hobbit)

- Numenor (from the Second Age—an island also lost to the oceans)

Included in this book is four full-color fold-out maps (each measuring roughly 16"x16") drawn by John Howe based on the original Tolkien drawings; one example is below.

This book exceeded my (modest) expectations. I expected it to be a vehicle to make money (and basically sell you four maps). I think it is that, partially. But it is also done well. The overviews for each map include some backstory on when Tolkien (or his son) made them, and how some names have changed over time, which was helpful. Sibley also mentions key events and characters from the major works (including The Silmarillion), which, along with the maps and place names, helps visualize and contextualize where things happened in some of the less well-known tales. 

This is a quick read, and perhaps not for everyone, but for big Tolkien fans, check it out.

Rating: B

The Warden and the Wolf King (Andrew Peterson)

Shortly after book three . . .

Gnag the Nameless knows the Wingfeathers are in the Green Hollows . . . and he will stop at nothing to get them. Makng a stand against his armies, the Hollish muster for a desperate defense. 

Across the sea, Artham and others look to reclaim Dugtown from the Fangs. But treachery abounds, and trust is short.

In the ensuing battles, lives will be lost, hope will hang by a thread, and events nobody could have foreseen will shake to the core. Has the Maker abandoned the Wingfeathers? Who will prevail? 

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The Wingfeather Saga concludes in a most satisfying fashion. The longest book by far (almost 500 pages), there is a lot to tie up, but Peterson does it well (though some parts felt rushed). It was powerful and moving. Suspenseful and satisfying.

Looking at the series as a whole, the author does a good job presenting key principles/lessons of Christianity in a way that is all at once real, raw, hard, beautiful, and painful. And he does so without being preachy, moralistic, or judgmental. Overall, most impressive.

Rating: A