Tuesday, November 30, 2021

A New Blog to Watch - Overpriced Popcorn: Film Reviews for the Rest of Us


 

Jason Vey, the writer and line developer for Amazing Adventures, regular contributor to Castles & Crusades, and 5e developer for TLG, has a blog going that you should be watching if you're into fandom, but tired of the toxic dismissal of just about every movie that comes out. Jason's blog is called Overpriced Popcorn: Film Reviews for the Rest of Us, and looks at current and sometimes older films with a different eye than you generally get from critics and fandom. It's true that Jason's reviews are generally celebratory, but he tries to take a balanced views to the films he reviews, looking at each film in terms of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (the latter being the visuals and technical execution, both positive and negative). At the end he delivers a summary along with a rating of 1 to 5 "tubs of popcorn." 

After years in film school resulting in a minor in film studies from the University of Pittsburgh, Jason grew tired of the constant jaded dismissal of movies by professional critics, and has little patience for the toxicity of fandom in general (which has only gotten worse since negativists have bizarrely decided that those who enjoy things are actually the toxic ones). He decided to put his money where his mouth is, use his education and skills as a writer, and look at films with a different eye: a balanced view that he calls "Film reviews for the rest of us." 

He doesn't always hit the mark, but by and large his reviews offer a variant perspective and are interesting to read. They are very much recommended. 

A few of his recent film reviews include:

Every so often he'll also whip in an insight into popular culture in general there, recommend podcasts, and the like. As we all know, these are the things that inspire us for our RPG campaigns, so if you're looking for some ideas for your next Castles & Crusades or Amazing Adventures game, check it out and read a few reviews!

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