KendallCast Movie Round Table - 48 - Rear Window

Kendall, Nick, and Ian tackle the podcast's first Hitchcock film

Here's the episode!

Bad at Video Games - UFO 50 with Brandon Thompson

 

Brandon and I talk about this amazing collection of games

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - 59 - Moltres

 A meditation on the least popular Legendary Bird.

Stars and Wars - 5 - The Naked Lieutenant

 

The season finale of the first actual play podcast on the KendallCast Network!

Our heroes are summoned to the bridge of the Motti's Legacy and some crazy stuff happens!

Intro and outro music are The Prisoner by Stumfol as performed by Kendall Halman

Here's the episode!

KendallCast Movie Round Table - 47 - Tombstone

 Archive still isn't accepting new uploads, so here's the YouTube version of our review of Tombstone.

Stars and Wars - 4 - Seven Foot Spare Clothes

 

The this week's episode, our heroes gear up for the finale!

Archive is still in read only, so this week is only available on YouTube for the time being!

Stars and Wars 3 - Prince Xizor, like the Salad

Sorry for the delay on this episode.  Archive.org, where I host all of my podcasts, was the victim of a Denial of Service attack a little over a week ago.  They've been slowly but surely restoring systems, but in the meantime I uploaded this episode to YouTube.  Sorry for the inconvenience if you prefer to listen on a podcast app, but we're all really hoping things go back to normal soon.

Stars and Wars - 2 - The Rise of the Skywalkers

 

Levi and BM unite with Lt. Fopp and learn to work together as a team to deal with "The Skywalkers."

Main theme is "The Prisoner" by Stomfel performed by Kendall

Here's the episode!

Stars And Wars - 1 - The Cafeteria Catastrophe!

In the KendallCast Network's first foray into the world of Actual Play Podcasting, we meet BM(Anthony "Batmouse" Howard), Levi(Jordan Sam), and Lt. Fop(Matt "BrenDerlin" Thorton), two inmates and an officer on a prison space station thingy when something goes wrong during dinner

Theme is a cover of The Prisoner by Stomfel, performed by Kendall

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - 58 - Weedle

 

I meditate on the evil version of Caterpie from Gen I.

KendallCast Movie Round Table - 46 - Godzilla Minus One

 

At long last, we review the World War II period drama about Japanese survivor's guilt that was the second best movie of 2023.

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - 57 - Kangaskhan

 

I meditate on one of the hardest Pokémon to catch in Gen I.

Find the video version here:  https://youtu.be/FmxklKo1L9Y

Beyond Bulbasaur - 56 - Gastly

I decided I'd try to become the Bob Ross of Pokemon.  For this episode of Beyond Bulbasaur, I made a video version.  You can still download the audio version here or on the podcatcher of your choice.  Please let me know what you think of the video version.  Feedback may determine whether I keep this format.

Corran on the Horn - 34 - With Cliff and Norm 2

 

Kendall and the Intern aka Corran and Bren Derlin aka Cliff and Norm discuss Star Wars and Star Wars Cards!

Here's the episode!

Set 23 Review with BoardMatt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdFvi2dUGFU

Pull List Featuring Deadpool and Wolverine

 

For the first time in over a year, Kendall and Jared discuss comics and comic related media, including a discussion on Deadpool and Wolverine

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - 55 - Ratticate

In which I meditate about the first Pokémon to be outclassed in Gen I.

Here's the episode!

I decided to post my Deadpool & Wolverine Review

 

*Disclaimer:  I wrote the following review the Monday after seeing Deadpool & Wolverine opening night and gave it one or two revisions afterward.  I realize that it's rather nitpicky and overly negative, but I'm the kind of broken person who can't not post my opinions about these sorts of things on the internet.  Read at your own risk.

I was never going to love Deadpool and Wolverine as much as a lot of people. I find Deadpool, especially the movie version, to be tiring. A long time ago, I commented on a Thunderbolts run that featured deadpool being perfect, because I can take about 20% of a comic book featuring Deadpool per month. A full 2 hour movie every few years seems about right, as long as you don't factor in the hype cycle that comes before and armchair analysis that follows. Of course for the latter, I'm part of the problem, but what are you going to do?

I also don't hold Hugh Jackman in as high of a regard as many people do. He's a fine Wolverine, but especially in his last few films, he's not the kind of guy who is going to get underestimated. He's this 8 foot tall guy with impossible muscles. Wolverine should be about 5 foot nothing and built like a decently in shape guy, but he shouldn't be able to scare you off with a look the way Jackman's portrayal does. I still enjoy his take on the character, but these little hangups mean I'd really like to see someone else get the chance. For me, he isn't linked to the character the way that Chris Evans or Robert Downey Junior are linked to Captain America and Iron Man.

To make matters worse, I actually really liked Logan. I had criticisms. It was too violent, and I was afraid that its success would teach studios the wrong lesson that people just want hyper violent R rated super hero films, which happened to a degree but not as bad as I thought it would. Still, Logan was an interesting take on the character, and adapted an idea from one of my all time favorite Wolverine stories. Plus it introduced X-23, a favorite character of mine. And it did something comic books rarely do. It gave us an ending for a major character.

But I felt obligated to see the movie. This was the first movie that was going to intermingle the MCU and the Fox Universe, and early reviews had warned me to watch out for spoilers, so I saw it opening night. I got off work at six and raced through a drive thru before arriving at the theater just in time for the 6:30 showing. The crowd was great. Not since I saw an advanced screening of Venom years ago have I been in a theater full of fans this excited. It definitely made me enjoy the film more than I would otherwise.

The opening fight scene with Deadpool fighting while doing the Bye Bye Bye dance was pretty great. That sequence alone made the film worth watching. Unfortunately, what followed for a while was a collection of jokes that didn't land or weren't funny six months ago when I saw the trailer. And of course there was no heart to any of it. I guess the Avengers scene with Happy Hogan was pretty good, but felt like I could have been watching an SNL sketch, a Funny or Die video on youtube, or at best a DVD special feature. Not something worth going to the movies for.

But pretty quickly we get into the bit with the TVA, where the guy from Succession is going to destroy Deadpool's world, which we now establish is definitely the world from the X-Men movies and the world from Logan, something that was unclear previously. Personally I had it in my head-cannon that Logan was its own continuity what with taking place in the future and all that. Then again, maybe it did, because the events of Logan definitely took place in present day in this timeline.

This leads to the macguffin of Deadpool finding a new Wolverine. We get a great sequence of Deadpool jumping from world to world and seeing different versions of Wolverine. Starting with a very bad CGI of a short Wolverine, played off as a joke. But then going through a number of great versions of the character, including Age of Apocalypse, Old Man Logan, first appearance fighting The Hulk, and Wolverine sitting at a bar with the blue and yellow suit under his clothes.

Just an aside about Wolverine's costume in this movie. It's not comic accurate. It's somewhere between the leather suit he wore in the X-Men movies and the hockey pad looking suits that the MCU and Arrowverse gravitate toward. There wouldn't be anything wrong with this except that the film is so self-congratulatory about finally putting Wolverine in a costume.

Something about Disney, probably the most dominant company in the film industry, criticizing the works of a company that they spent years trying to acquire until they were eventually successful rubs me the wrong way. This was the same company who stopped creatives from making new mutants in the comics and canceled the Fantastic Four book out of spite. We talk a lot about punching up versus punching down when discussing comedy, and this really felt like punching down.

If they just gave him a costume without commenting on it, it would have been all upside. And yeah, I know that Deadpool is all about meta commentary and stuff, but that's something where I personally think less is more. The She-Hulk show for example I thought did a good job with it. But on top of everything, there was something different about Deadpool speaking as a representative of Fox in the earlier movies, being self-aware and maybe poking fun at the more successful company. At this point, he's gone from the underdog where everyone involved had to fight to get the movie made to the guy at the top of the food chain laughing at those less fortunate.

So anyway, back to the film. Wolverine and Deadpool are sent to that place from the first season of Loki and we get a string of cameos. First, we see Chris Evans, who makes us think he's Steve Rogers, but turns out to be Johnny Storm from the old Fantastic Four movies. It was a legitimately great moment and totally caught me off guard. Immediately I was like “Okay so it's going to be this type of movie.” There are a bunch of random X-Men actors, including Sabertooth, who Wolverine beheads. It's an intentionally underwhelming fight, but that doesn't make it clever.

Also, there was a long fight between Wolverine and Deadpool earlier and Deadpool convinced Wolverine to help him because the TVA might be able to fix this big ominous mistake or something. The movie doesn't really care about the plot. Why should we?

We meet Cassandra Nova, the villain of the piece, who is Professor Xavier's evil twin. She's an interesting idea, but in a film full of cameos, it feels like they couldn't find a villain for this role. And we don't really get enough time with her to make her feel especially important.

Logan and Wade escape her and run into Nicepool and Dogpool, a couple of Deadpool varients... Nicepool loans them a Honda Odyssey and they go off on their way until they have another forgettable and overly long fight sequence. It does end with a closeup on the Coexist bumper sticker on the Honda Odyssey, which I like.

And we get to the resistance base to find that the resistance consists of Electra and Blade, played by Jennifer Garner and Wesley Snipes, Gambit played by Channing Tatum, and X-23 aka Laura. This scene is pretty exemplary of the movie. It is all fan service. The actors try, but are given very little to work with. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the film is a moment between Laura and Logan where Logan tells her about how he got his team killed. This would have been a great framing device for a flashback to show us something about this version of Logan's world, maybe justifying his name being in the title of the film, but we needed 3 extended scenes of Wolverine and Deadpool fighting each other so we didn't have time for emotional growth. Laura's line telling him “You were always the wrong guy” should have been the most powerful line in the movie, but it made me feel nothing.

And in spite of everything, Logan ends up showing up to the fight with Cassandra Nova where the cameos bravely sacrifice themselves to get Juggernaut's helmet and stop Cassandra. Except not really, because they somehow survive. There's even a little bit where Cassandra gets into Deadpool's head. Another missed opportunity for character growth.

Jumping back to Logan's sad backstory, he's supposed to be the worst Wolverine in the entire multiverse just because he got drunk and came home to his friends all being dead? Wolverine is the last surviving X-Man in basically every timeline that depicts a “terrible future” in every version of the X-Men, including the one in Logan. Make him responsible for a genocide or something. Or don't make the guy from succession say he's the worst Wolverine. If this is about self-growth and getting past your mistakes, then make Wolverine say it about himself.

The final act involves more fan service. Logan puts on his mask for the first time, which is really cool, but looks weird because of his facial hair sticking out. They fight the Deadpool Corps, which is a group of 100 or so varients of Deadpool, including a lady, a power ranger, a samurai, a floating head, and about 90 dudes that have no distinguishing characteristics.

And the finale involves one or both of them sacrificing themselves and then when they work together they survive. This should have been totally my jam. Self-sacrifice, inspiring heroism, good over evil, etc. But I felt nothing.

There were definitely parts of the film that I loved, and a lot of the comedy worked for me. Unfortunately, none of the emotional beats hit, the plot was just non-existent. I didn't even bring up the idea of an Anchor Being or the clip of deadpool dying in Thor's arms that they kept referencing. At the end of the day, I can only be shocked by seeing Jennifer Garner once, and after Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Flash, and the Arrowverse all showed that you can bring back actors to play characters they played before, it doesn't hit as hard as it has in the past, especially if you don't do it as well.

Into the Spiderverse told a story using the multiverse, but it wasn't about the easter eggs and cameos. It was about the story. The sequel increased the scope and definitely had some cameos and Easter Eggs, but was still a Spider-Man story at heart. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness had Sam Raimi's voice behind it, and while it had fan service of introducing the x-men and Fantastic Four, it also killed them off and had almost a slasher film vibe. Crisis on Infinite Earths in the Arrowverse shows was closer to a gimmick, but the cameos were on a scale that hadn't really been done before. Both The Flash and No Way Home limited their crossover characters and really let you spend time with them.

Deadpool & Wolverine succeeds at being funny and is full of fun easter eggs. James Mangold, the director of Logan, recently had a quote taken out of context and misinterpreted about multiverses being the death of storytelling. If you put the quote in a little more context, he was talking about why he didn't cast Joaquin Phoenix in his upcoming Bob Dylan movie, establishing a shared Walk the Line Universe. And he brought up the fact that if you fill your films with a mix of previous continuity and easter eggs, it makes the experience of watching a film a mental exercise at the expense of the emotional impact of the story. I don't totally agree with this sentiment, but if ever there was a film that proved it, it is Deadpool & Wolverine.

Corran on the Horn - 33 - With Cliff and Norm

 

Corran and Bren Derlin take on the roles of Cliff and Norm from Cheers and talk about Star Wars Cards and stuff.

Here's the episode!

KendallCast Movie Round Table - 45 - Dune 2

 

We discuss the second installment of Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation

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Hold The Mustard - 6 - Summer 2024

 

A podcast in 3 segments:

1.  Kendall Reviews 3 hot dog places in Huntington West Virginia.

2.  Kendall interviews Rae Walseth about vegan cooking

Vegan Pancakes:

Ingredients 

1 cup Flour

1 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1 pinch Salt

3 tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Plant Milk (Soy, Almond, Oat, etc.)

Optional: vanilla extract, blueberries, chocolate chips, apparently raisins, etc.

Directions 

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add vegetable oil and plant milk and mix until just combined (batter may be lumpy). Pour batter onto non-stick or greased skillet and cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes (until there are lots of bubbles and the edges firm up). Flip and cook for another minute or two until cooked through. Serve hot with your favorite toppings, or freeze to enjoy later. 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients 

2 1/4 cups Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter (I like Country Crock Plant Butter)

1/2 cup Crisco

3/4 cup Sugar

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract 

2 Vegan Eggs (I like Bob’s Red Mill Vegan Egg)

1-2 cups Vegan Chocolate Chips (I like Enjoy Life semi sweet mini morsels)

Optional: walnuts, pecans, coconut flakes, rolled oats, etc. 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Combine dry flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl (or a stand mixer), add vegan butter, crisco, sugar, and brown sugar and beat until creamy. Add in vanilla and vegan eggs and beat until well combined. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes. Allow to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. 

Vegan Kringla:

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Sugar 

1/2 cup Vegan Butter (I like Country Crock Plant Butter)

1 Vegan Egg (I like to use 3 tbsp aquafaba)

1 cup Vegan Sour Cream (I like Tofutti)

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 1/4 cups Flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Cream together sugar and vegan butter. Add vegan egg and sour cream and combine. Sift in dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Refrigerate dough for several hours or overnight. Using a walnut sized ball of dough (about 1 oz), roll onto a floured surface (I like to use a Bethany board with a floured Bethany cloth) to the size of a wooden pencil about 7” long. Form into a figure 8, lightly pressing the ends together. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Be careful, do not over bake! They will only be lightly golden brown on the bottom. Transfer to cool completely on a wire rack. 

3.  Kendall and Molly review Crumbl cookies

Here's the episode! 

Top 8 with Corran and Batmouse - 14 - Dark Jedi

 

Chris Kelly, Karl Koenig, and Kendall create a single list of the top 8 Dark Jedi while Batmouse does trivia.

Here's the episode! 

You can support the show for just $2 per month at Patreon.com/kendallcast

Beyond Bulbasaur - 54 - Pidgey

 

I discuss one of the first Pokémon all of us caught.

Here's the episode!

Kids' Table - 1 - Darmok

 

In this spin-off mini-episode, Kendall and Ian discuss the Star Trek TNG episode Darmok.

Here's the episode!

Corran on the Horn - 32 - Planet Pittsburgh

 

A fun little episode about a Pittsburgh local.

Here's the episode!

KendallCast Movie Round Table - 44 - Arrival

 

We talk about a movie about talking to aliens. 

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - 53 - Omanyte

Meditations on a prehistoric Pokémon.

Here's the episode!

Corran on the Horn - 31 - Indianapolis and The Expanded Universe

 

A little bit about the Indianapolis Eclipse Major and a lot about the Expanded Universe.

Here's the episode!

Hold the Mustard - 5 - Pizza

 

I have a conversation with Greg Shaw about Pizza

Here's that 1 hour pizza recipe

Here's the episode!

Top 8 with Corran and Batmouse - 13 - Spies

Ideatrack joins the regulars to pick the top 8 spies in Star Wars CCG

Here's the episode!

Beyond Bulbasaur - Gen I March Madness

 

I'm joined by Jordan and Mike to decide the best Gen I trainer via a March Madness style bracket.

Here's the episode!

Corran on the Horn - 30 - Steve Sanders

 

My interview with advocate award winner and retro league director Steve Sanders.

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KendallCast Movie Round Table - 43 - Cool Hand Luke

 

This month, we discuss a movie about eggs and a failure to communicate.

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Top 8 with Corran and Batmouse - 12 - Ability 1 Characters

 

Scott Lingrell guests to help create our list of the top ability 1 characters.

Here's the episode!

That Matchup? It's just "mains versus mains!"

I've been thinking about match-ups lately, and often times I'll look at something like Hitco(He is the Chosen One) versus Hunt Down(Hunt Down and Destroy the Jedi) and just use the shorthand of “mains versus mains.” This immediately gives me a feel for the sorts of things I should be thinking about, regardless of the specific mains deck my opponent and I are playing. “Mains versus mains” boils Star Wars CCG down to its fundamentals, but what are those fundamentals? Today I'm going to talk about some of the things that go through my head during these games.

Who's the beatdown?

Based off an old Magic the Gathering article, this is the concept where you decide whether you need to be the offensive or defensive player. Mains decks, with certain exceptions, generally want to be on the offensive. This means against something like QMC(Quiet Mining Colony), Hunt Down is going to go to Cloud City and attempt to use Vader and other powerful characters to make short work of QMC's aliens, while QMC is going to use combat tricks to run away and find another path to victory.

But what about if both decks are mains decks that just want to fight? Often this is an in game decision. When I play my TIGIH(There is Good in Him) versus BHBM(Bring Him Before Me), BHBM dominates at the Endor docking bay. I used to just keep trying to fight, thinking that “mains versus mains” was always about stacking and taking over one site. Then one day I realized that I could force BHBM to use a bunch of their resources taking the docking bay, abandon it, and rebuild at the Naboo Battle Plains. Most mains decks have a site like the Battle Plains that you can deploy in the mid-late game and set up a drain of 2 while you rebuild your forces and/or make them come to you. In the TIGIH versus BHBM matchup, this means they've got their a-team stranded at a drain of 1 location and they have to send their b-team after you.

And then, of course when the time comes, sometimes you flip a switch and use something like Nabrun Leids to bring the fight to them.

Combat tricks!

You should always be thinking about what cards your opponent has in hand, but this is particularly true and particularly doable in the mains versus mains match-up. There are only so many cards you realistically need to worry about, and if you know your deck there's a good chance you're playing the mirror of said cards. Also, before going into specific cards to look out for, the “make them have it” strategy is rarely the correct one in a game where players tend to have 14 card hands.

Weapon hate: A few weapon hate cards to watch out for are Force Field/Blaster Deflection, I Think I Can Handle Myself, and Wesa Gotta Grand Army. In “mains versus mains,” the first battle often involves two lightsaber wielding characters having their targeting canceled by Force Field/Blaster Deflection. This is a good opportunity to grab it. If you haven't grabbed Force Field/Blaster Deflection by the mid-game, sometimes it's best to target a character with ability less than five so it can't be played. In the same way, if you haven't seen the light side player play I Think I Can Handle Myself, maybe target a male character. Beyond individual cards, just know that there are enough weapons hate cards out there that you shouldn't usually fully rely on weapons to win you the battle.

Battle Destinies: Mains decks love to draw lots of battle destinies, and they'll often play cards that add destinies or at least have a very high average destiny in the deck. If you're hoping to blow your opponent out with 3-4 destinies, watch out to see if they have a general on the ground or an admiral in space. Rebel Leadership v/Imperial Command can ruin your day, limiting you to one destiny. On the other hand, if it's your turn and you aren't worried about a counter beat, if they've got a lone guy who is not a general, you probably will get to draw your battle destinies as long as there's nothing else limiting you on board.

Mains decks will certainly play the sand effects(I Don't Like Sand/Course and Rough and Irritating) as well, so be aware of those limiting your destinies and try to bait them into removing cards if you're playing a deck like BHBM that likes to draw multiple destinies in every battle.

Ghhhk/Houjix: Sometimes, your opponent deploys Obi-Wan with Lightsaber all alone at a site and you've got a grip of characters in hand all set to ambush him. Then you deploy them, hit the lone Obi for 40 overflow and your opponent flips over a Houjix. This can be tricky. Mains decks win by battling, so you need to take the chance for a big overflow when you can, but you also don't want to deploy 5 characters to a force drain 1 site. Pay attention if your opponent plays Masterful Move or Escape Pod v to get their Ghhhk/Houjix. Also, pay attention to how deep it's burried in their lost pile or if they retrieve it with Wokling v or another card. In general, if you aren't sure if they have the Ghhhk/Houjix, play enough characters where you feel like you can get about 5 overflow. This will be enough to put you way ahead without forcing you to spend all of your resources, and even if they don't take the overflow, there is value in clearing the site and making them play their Ghhhk/Houjix.

On the other side, if you're counting on being able to play Ghhhk/Houjix, make sure you save a force just in case they play Draw Their Fire/First Strike.

Character removal: Cards like Clash of Sabers/You Are Beaten, Sniper Combo/Sorry About the Mess Combo, and Dr. Evazan can really mess with combat math. If you don't have weapon protection, try to avoid setting yourself up for a situation where you go from two decent characters to one character who doesn't even draw on their own.

Other general tips:

Activation: Be mindful of how much your opponent is activating. “Mains versus mains” can often come down to who finds their 2/0 sites, and both players are probably activating less than they would in other match-ups. If they've spent all their force and they're only activating nine next turn, you know they can't drop more than about 2 characters, so maybe it's okay to deploy that lone Vader to flip Hunt Down.

Space: Mains decks go from playing no space to playing a fair amount. Use verifies and other things to figure out what role space is going to play in this game. If neither player has a system in their deck, you can pitch your token space to force drains. If you find your Han Chewie and the Falcon v and dark has provided you with a system, often you can get away with playing it there on its own and get a few drains in until dark finds its space. Even better, if you're playing against a deck that plays no space and you've got space in yours, you can deploy one ship in space and drain for free all game.

Well, that's all I've got today. There's always more to talk about when it comes to what to think about in Star Wars CCG matchups, but I hope this helps someone.

Pull List 2023 in Review

 

Jared and Kendall talk about stuff from 2023

Here's the episode!