Encanto

Years ago, the Madrigal family suffered tragedy- the husband sacrificed himself to save his wife, their triplets, and the community. But out of it call came a miracle- an enchanted candle & house that has bestowed a special gift to everyone in the family. Everyone except Mirabel Madrigal. The gifts enable them to serve their community, earning them respect and honor. But when the house starts to crack, candle flicker, and gifts wane, the matriarch panics. Is Mirabel the solution- or the problem?

This movie was pretty good. The themes are excellent- the idea of gifts (and purpose of them) and the difficulty of not knowing yours takes center stage. But it goes deeper, looking at how one can

• idolize the gifts themselves and start to worship them (vs. focusing on loving others), 
• idolize the status of being a gifted one and doing anything to keep up appearances,
• find your worth in the gifts you have (vs. having inherent worth based on being human).

It gets high marks for exploring these themes. I ding it for the music (okay, not great) and overall difficulty I had following some of the dialogue- it was so fast. 

Rating: A-

Batman Arkham: Scarecrow

Scarecrow collects 12 comic book issues about this Batman villain told over the decades ('40s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s). Here, we learn of Scarecrow's origin as a gangly, awkward, bookish child who would be incessantly teased into adulthood. Constantly fearful, he becomes obsessed with the study of it, eventually becoming Professor of Psychology at Gotham University. But his unorthodox and dangerous teaching style eventually gets him fired . . . and he becomes the Scarecrow, using the power of fear (through his fear toxin) to subject others to what he has endured for so long.

As with the Mr. Freeze and Clayface collections, I really like the concept of this series- seeing how both villains (and art, and storytelling) have evolved over the decades is fun and interesting. But with the others, as the art and storytelling evolves, most scarecrow stories have the same content: he seeks revenge on those who have wronged him by making them fear, and Batman arrives to stop him and return him to Arkham. I enjoyed this, but ultimately, my favorite Scarecrow depiction is in Batman Begins.

Rating: B+

The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1

The bounty hunter Boba Fett fell into the Sarlacc pit and was left for dead in Return of the Jedi. But we learned that he survived (and eventually took over Jabba's Palace) in the second season of The Mandalorian. The Book of Boba Fett delves into his tale- both how Boba survived and what happens immediately after he takes Jabba's place. Determined to establish control and restore order, Boba takes on a deadly crime syndicate on Tatooine. But the cost may be too high as he encounters familiar faces- friend and foe. Can he hope to prevail on such a corrupt planet?

Episodes 1-4 were okay- some good story elements, but poorly delivered. And Fett's character was unconvincing- he takes over a crime lord's palace and operation, then refuses to be a crime lord? And would he really abandon his former life so readily? Episodes 5-6 were really good, and Episode 7 decent . . . but those were more like The Mandalorian Season 3 than the Boba Fett show. Overall, it held promise, but left me wanting more.

Rating: B-

Root

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Root. For 2-4 players, it takes 60-90 minutes.

Overview

In Root, four factions vie for control of the woodland. Will you play as the:

• Cats, who have siezed control and seek to keep it,
• Eyrie, who seek to reclaim their holdings,
• Woodland Alliance, commonfolk who need to band together and generate sympathy, or
• Vagabond, who wants to complete quests by aiding- or hurting- the others?

An asymmetric game, each faction has starkly different abilities and turn actions. But different paths lead to the same goal: the first to 30 victory points wins, or you can choose to play a dominance card, creating a different win condition for you only.

game in progress; image from here

Review

I like this game. The asymmetry means there is a lot to learn, but it's not so bad once you play a turn or two. I did feel like one play-through wasn't enough- it would require multiple sessions trying different factions to fully explore each one, as the asymmetry makes each faction feel like learning a different game, in a sense. But that's part of the fun. The game is well-designed and the components are of top quality. Overall, recommended. 

Rating: A

Ballcaps

I have done many posts concerning materialism over the years, and my struggles with the desire to own more than is healthy. It helps me to post about such things to 'enjoy them from afar.' My most recent struggle is baseball caps, or 'ballcaps.'

I've always enjoyed ballcaps, but they've become increasingly important as I go bald. Pale-complected balding men should wear hats outside. For sustained sun exposure, I defer to a wide-brimmed hat, but for typical days, the ballcap works just fine.

I don't normally pay much attention to fashion, but I am oddly drawn to make sure the ballcap I'm wearing matches my outfit. As such, I own a handful today in different colors. Generally, I defer to caps that depict logos from my favorite teams (Eagles, Penn State, Orioles, Flames, Spurs). But sometimes I choose a cap based on logo or color- I own a Flyers hat, for example, because it is bright orange and good for visibility in my treks through the local forests. 

At this point, I own enough hats. I have one for each favorite team except the Spurs (I'd like one, but I'm waiting for one with a design I like). But there are a number of other hats that I have my eye on, and I post about them here to enjoy them without owning them. Here are a few, organized by league:

Minor League Baseball

I like Teddy Roosevelt and S'mores, and believe it or not, there are minor league teams with these as mascots. The Frisco Roughriders and Rocky Mountain Vibes:

There are other amusing Minor League logos, to include a strip of bacon. My favorite hat brand, 47, has a number for sale on their website. 

Major League Baseball

Since (to my knowledge) the MLB is where the ballcap style originated, I enjoy many MLB caps. (I blogged about some favorite logos here.) In addition to what I posted there, there are others I enjoy. Like the San Diego Padres (I like their brown & yellow color scheme), the Milwaukee Brewers (logo is classic; I have a version with a yellow front panel that I love), the Detroit Tigers (classic cap- too bad they're in Detroit), and an old version of the Seattle Mariners (I've never once seen them wear this, but the trident looks cool).

47 Brand has a ton of variant MLB caps, like their Cooperstown collection.

National Basketball Association

I'm still searching for that 'perfect' Spurs cap, but I like other NBA teams, too. I enjoy logos that combine concepts- the Philadelphia 76ers cap, for example, is a great nod to both the team and our country. The Phoenix Suns hat looks like an advertisement for basketball in general, and it's purple to boot. The Milwaukee Bucks cap appears suited for hunters. The Spurs cap below is okay but still not what I'm looking for. Finally, The Utah Jazz is fun as it combines music with sport.

National Football League

I own three Eagles hats. I don't need more. But there are some fun NFL logos and colors, especially when you explore the legacy logos on 47's website. The old logos for the Buccaneers, Oilers [now the Titans], and Dolphins certainly were interesting. Finally, I once saw a "FD NY PD" hat, with the NY in the style of the New York Giants, shortly after 9/11. I couldn't find a picture of a ballcap with that on it, but saw a beanie with the same concept. That was a nice nod to the police and firefighters.

Military

I'll conclude with a cap based on the US military WWII roundel:

Nice! 

There are many cool hats out there, but I have only one head, so I don't need them all. It's fun to enjoy them from afar.

Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy (Tui Sutherland)

Six years ago, five dragon eggs were taken from the various kingdoms of Pyrrhia. Raised in a cave, they are believed to be the fulfillment of prophecy- the ones who will end the long-standing war between three sisters for control of the SandWing throne. But one day, the young dragons escape the cave. Their newfound freedom is thrilling but short-lived; they soon find themselves caught in a tangled web of war and deception. Are they truly special? Or were the prophecies wrong?

Meh. This was okay. It was geared towards the same age range as Percy Jackson, but this one felt more juvenile (less enjoyable for adults). The number of dragons and tribes was hard for me to track (perhaps because the dragon's names were nouns), and the first book wasn't self-contained- it felt more like the first chapter of a much larger story. That said, the epilogue made things interesting . . . and I'm glad my son really likes these.

Rating: B-

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)

Percy Jackson has a rough life. A new school every year, struggling with ADHD and dyslexia, a bum stepfather, and now monsters from Greek mythology are after him. Because Percy, you see, is a demigod- a son of Poseidon- and war is brewing. Someone stole Zeus's lightning bolt, and he thinks Poseidon did it. Percy and his friends have until the summer solstice- about a week- to find it or the gods will start World War III on earth. But powerful forces are determined to see Percy fail . . . how can a boy possibly prevail?

This is a fun book. It weaves the world of Greek mythology into modern times in amusing ways (in the vein of Dave Barry-style humor). For young adults and the first of a pentalogy, I wouldn't mind reading the rest. It is very similar in style to Riordan's Magnus Chase series, which looks at Norse mythology. I read volume one of that years ago.

Rating: A