Collective Arts Brewing has been a welcome addition to the craft brewing scene since it opened. Almost as concerned with promoting local and independent artists as they are with brewing tasty beer, Collective Arts Brewing provides not only artisan brewers but also musical and visual artists an opportunity to display their work for an interested public. Check out my review of their Ransack the Universe IPA for more information on their brewery. Today I’m reviewing Collective Arts’ Prophets & Nomads Gose. I’ve never reviewed a gose, so I’m excited to give it a shot.
Collective Arts Brewing: Prophets & Nomads – First Sip
Prophets & Nomads pours a cloudy yellow colour with a thick layer of foam that dissipates over time to a thin film. I smell a faint lemony aroma as I take my first sip. Prophets & Nomads’ flavour matches its aroma: this brew is quite tart at first, giving way to a comparatively sweet finish. The salt and coriander are just noticeable, providing a subtle kick. And, with its tart flavour, Prophets & Nomads doesn’t need a lot of fizz to give it a smooth and crisp mouthfeel.
Collective Arts Brewing: Prophets & Nomads – Last Sip
At times tasting more to me like a Sprite or 7-Up than a beer, this brew probably isn’t a good pick for the lager-only scene. Prophets & Nomads is a great beer for somebody looking to expand their beer repertoire: I know I sometimes get sick of my usual APAs and pilsners. At 4.5% ABV in 473 mL cans, this is a great brew to have a couple of. And, with its surprisingly tart flavour, you might be looking to switch to something a bit sweeter after the one or two you have. I recommend enjoying Prophets & Nomads with some dark chocolate, savoury meats, or some old cheeses. Its sour taste goes best with other strong flavours.
Praise Wednesday! Praise Technical Boy! The television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantastical opus American Gods finally made it to the small screen. The Bone Orchard, the first of the eight-episode first season, is nothing short of faithful and dazzling.
From its opening moments, The Bone Orchard is crafted with care and precision, thanks to the masterful storytelling capabilities of showrunners Michael Green (Heroes, Kings) and Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Hannibal).
Every scene in the first episode of American Gods is like something out of a painting. We open with a “coming to America” sequence, written and narrated by Thoth – the Egyptian God of wisdom – composing his story in a well-decorated study. He writes of a group of Vikings, the first to arrive in America, hundreds of years before Leif Erikson and Christopher Columbus.
The Vikings are welcomed to this new land by an onslaught of arrows, insects, hunger, and utter uncertainty. Eager to return home, they find themselves stranded, as their ship won’t sail due lack of wind. The Vikings make a number of sacrifices to their God, the All-Father Odin. This includes burning out one of their eyes with a red-hot blade, burning one of their own alive, and a bloody and grotesque battle royale. Finally, the Gods answered, and the wind has returned. The Vikings leave the new world, never to return again. However they have left their mark, leaving a wooden sculpture of Odin on the beach.
The old Gods have arrived in the new world.
From there, the world-building begins quickly and boldly, handled with a style that is next to impossible to describe. You just need to go and watch it for yourself.
We are introduced to Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), who is days away from getting out of prison and reuniting with his wife Laura (Emily Browning). Whittle gives Shadow an emotional weight right off the bat, as everything good in his life is taken away in an instant. Laura dies in a horrific car accident alongside his best friend, who had a job waiting for him.
Shadow has to go home for his wife’s funeral and gets on his first plane ride and meets the enigmatic, smooth-talking Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). He makes Shadow an offer he cannot refuse — yet he somehow does.
And then – “somewhere in America” – we meet Bilquis (Yetide Badaki). A Goddess who leads a scene that is eye-popping. Jaw-dropping. It’s a sex scene that was a tad difficult to visualize if you read the book. Now that it is brought to life on the small screen, it’s still hard to comprehend.
Back to the main story, Mr. Wednesday finds Shadow at a bar, struggling to pay for a meal. He once again tries to woo Shadow into his employ. After a botched coin toss (never bet against a God), Shadow caves and is hired as Mr. Wednesday’s driver, bodyguard, and aide-de-camp.
Mad Sweeney (Pablo Schreiber), a drunken, seven-foot-tall Leprechaun shows Shadow a coin trick of his own. Sweeney says he will reveal the secret to the trick, if Shadow fights him. Moon refuses, but is provoked by the deranged Irishman. The two brawl in the bar, ending with Shadow waking up in the back of Mr. Wednesday’s car, on the way to Laura’s funeral, with no memory of how the fight ended, and one of Sweeney’s gold coins in his pocket.
Shadow finally makes it to his wife’s funeral only to find out that she died in the car with his best friend, Robbie, with whom she was having an affair. After the funeral, Audrey (Robbie’s wife and Laura’s best friend) offers revenge sex to Shadow on her husband’s freshly dug grave. He refuses and, after a few solemn words with his deceased wife, throws Sweeney’s coin on Laura’s grave.
On his way to rendezvous with Mr. Wednesday, Shadow is kidnapped by Technical Boy, a pipe-smoking, pompous wunderkind of a New God, who knows he’s working for Mr. Wednesday. Wanting to know what Mr. Wednesday is up to, Technical Boy threatens Shadow by having him deleted. Shadow, employed by Mr. Wednesday for only a few hours, doesn’t know a thing. This still pisses off Technical Boy, who commands his faceless thugs to beat the piss out of Shadow and lynch him.
The episode ends with Shadow saved by an unknown entity.
The episode isn’t perfect, but pretty darn close. There’s a lot to unpack in this one episode. There are pacing issues, and you might find yourself a bit lost if you have not read the book. Still, the unique visuals and clear setup of things to come should make you clamoring for the next episode.
American Gods does not hold back any punches. The Bone Orchard has made that abundantly clear. Director David Slade helps Gaiman’s tale come to life, taking you through a trippy trip of striking visuals, compelling performances, and the start of a most epic story. It’s horror, fantasy, and mythology, with wildly imaginative storytelling and unconventional narrative. And it’s one of the biggest strides in the evolution of cinematic television in years.
What did you think of The Bone Orchard? Let us know your thoughts about the series premiere of American Gods.
Does the new footage get you any more excited for the movie? Sound off in the comments below.
’Wonder Woman’ hits movie theaters around the world next summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.
Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the title character, Chris Pine, Robin Wright as Antiope, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, and Lucy Davis.
In theaters now, Their Finest is a broad look at how the United Kingdom attempted to raise the morale of it’s people.
Summary
This picture takes place during the most destructive span of the Blitz in World War II. The United Kingdom’s film department is given the task of creating pictures that are uplifting and raise the morale of a besieged nation. Catrin (Gemma Arterton) is a Welsh woman who is in desperate need of steady work and applies for what appears to be secretarial position in the office. Her boss (Richard Grant) sees that she had experience as a newspaper copywriter and hires her as a writer of “slop” – an old school term referring to dialogue between woman. Catlin isn’t too thrilled at the offer but her husband (Jack Huston) is an unsuccessful artist and they are in desperate need of money. The Ministry of War challenges the film department to create pictures that are both authentic but are filled with optimism. Basically, create a film about World War II but don’t highlight how bad off they are. They eventually agree to do a film about the rescue at Dunkirk and Catrin is paired with a screenwriter by the name of Buckley (Sam Clafin). Buckley appears to be bitter for many different reasons – the war, not finding the right woman, and pretentious actors. Buckley and Catlin eventually find common ground as casting begins for a film they haven’t written. Ambrose Hillard (Bill Nighy) begrudgingly accepts the role as the drunk uncle who dies during the rescue at Dunkirk. Hillard has enjoyed a great deal of fame over the years but now is in the twilight of his career and this film about Dunkirk is his last chance to reclaim old glory.
Acting
Atherton, Clafin, and Nighy form an unlikely ensemble but they certainly navigate the narrative with ease. Atherton’s character reminded me of those Rosie the Riveter posters as she set out to show the men that she could keep up with them. Sam Clafin’s Buckley is more of a realist and initially sets out to remind Catlin that this type of job is only temporary for women. Predictably these two go from being at odds to being extremely close. By far the best performance of the film has to go to Bill Nighy’s portrayal of Ambrose Hillard. Nighy’s Hillard is an egocentric pompous ass who cares more about the customer service at his local Italian restaurant than the bombed out buildings right next to it.
Writing/Directing
Screenwriter Gaby Chiappe manages to balance some of the more farcical elements of Lissa Evans’s novel with the reality of nightly bombings and smoldering piles of rubble on the street. At times the narrative came off as a little too easy going. While it was funny to see Catlin squabbling with politicians over what hair color the twins should have in their movie ‘Dunkirk’, it shifted the focus away from what was transpiring around them. It was like looking at World War II through rose colored glasses.
Director Lone Scherfig’s ability to strike the right tone stood out to me most of all. Scherfig doesn’t rush through the countless scenes of destruction and devastation which allows the proper reverence to be paid. She also knows to pick up the pace during its most lighthearted moments. At its core, Their Finest is a broad retelling of what took place and never seeks to be some historically centric film.
Overall
Their Finest is a fine film that could have easily been a great film had their been better writers behind the project. It’s easy to see a scenario where a film like this one will get lost in the madness that will be Guardian of the Galaxy: Vol 2. However, don’t let the throngs of Marvel fans deter you. While Their Finest is far from perfect, it’s one of the most enjoyable times I’ve had at the theater in 2017.
It took a lot of hard work, dedication, love, passion, and luck to create Savior and bring its protagonist “Little God” to life. In 1959, Fidel Castro and his band of not-so-merry rebels took over the island nation of Cuba. For the next 60 years, the island’s communist leader was in a standoff with the United States. Without getting much deeper into the convoluted history and politics, long story short, Cuba existed all this time in a sort of partial isolation. But that didn’t stop Josuhe Pagliery from creating a video game.
Savior’s side-scrolling gameplay is smooth, with rich, layered graphics that feel old-school but new.
Our interview with Josuhe took place in two parts. First, we at the Miami Maker Faire and got a chance to play Savior, and later we chatted via email. Our conversation started with what Savior is about: “‘Little God’ is living inside a collapsing video game. To save the world, Little God is trying to connect with the Great God who departed for an unknown place.”
Though not a conscious attempt at being for LGBT rights, Little God is a “kind of androgynous” protagonist. It suits the game’s old-school feel which harkens to a simpler time before everything became politicized. Savior’s side-scrolling gameplay is smooth, with rich, layered graphics that feel old-school but new.
The influence of games like Super Castlevania or Symphony of the Night is apparent. But Josuhe explains that the overall gameplay is closer to stuff like “Earthworm Jim or Legend of the Mystical Ninja.” As for other influences, “MDK, Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Vagrant History, Shadow of the Colossus, 8 Eyes, Wizards & Warriors, and many, many more!”
As for other influences outside of video games, Josuhe says “I am a huge fan of the movies of Lars von Trier and David Lynch, also old Disney animated movies … bands like Nirvana, Blood Brothers, The Locust and I used to like LOST and Berserk the anime.”
Over the years, Josuhe started “evolving the idea” of Savior.
As an isolated nation, one of the first challenges for Josuhe was getting his hands on games. “Back in the 80s or 90s, video games in Cuba were very uncommon …” But there’s nothing like family, “My older cousins had an old Atari with games like Burger Time and Demon Attack. For me, it was love at first sight.” The story of all gamers, right? “that feeling only got deeper as I was growing up.”
Savio’s savior, Little God vs. a Boss
Josuhe’s love with video games was a drama with antagonists: “Having games at that time was super-hard in Cuba … the few kids who had consoles weren’t exactly the nicest people in the world.” But, the community came together to overcome [Video games] were “a very social thing …” that involved “giving your cassette to other kids for a certain amount of time in exchange for a game you want.”
Naturally, some games were a hot commodity: “Games like Top Gear or Street Fighter 2Turbo was at the top of the ranking.” Joshua’s tastes were a little more offbeat. As a fan of RPGs, “that kind of video game wasn’t so popular among the vast majority of kids. So, lucky me!”
Over the years, Josuhe started “evolving the idea” of Savior. “But at the time in Cuba, the technology needed [to create a game] was simply impossible to have.” A creator at heart, Josuhe turned to what he had available to him. “As an artist, I made lots of videos utilizing a video game aesthetic and later I was interested for a little time in … experimental video games. But I discovered that I don’t want to that, so I started developing the concept of Savior, and here we are today.”
Josuhe hopes this is the start for the Cuban video game industry, but he’s realistic about what needs to happen.
Josuhe’s love-affair with video games keeps him playing. Some of his favorite modern games: “Demon Souls, the Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, The Last Guardian, Inside.” With a wide smile, Josuhe says “There are a lot of good vide games out there.”
Back to Savior, Josuhe tells us when the Little God will land on Earth for the rest of us. “We launch the playable demo in the next two months, maybe easier, and then start applying … to game festivals and see what happens.” In true indie fashion, the only plan right now is to promote the hell out of Savior. “We don’t have any other game in the making. Only if I split myself in two pieces could I manage to try and develop two games at the same time!”
Josuhe hopes this is the start for the Cuban video game industry, but he’s realistic about what needs to happen. “I think we first need a Cuban video game with some international success and then all things will start to come after that first milestone. Let’s hope this first … will be Savior!”
Baby Groot steals the show in Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2, but he’s just getting warmed up!
In fact, the character could even get much bigger, according to Vin Diesel.
Speaking to USA Today the actor says the Groot of the first movie isn’t his full size, and we have yet to see that happen.
“The first Groot we saw was a freshman in college,” he says. “This Groot is in nursery school. Wait ’til we see the full-fledged working-man Groot. Wait ’til we see Groot!”
As for which Groot he prefers, Diesel does not see much difference between them. To him, they are “one and the same.”
“It’s like saying, ‘Who do I like better, grade-school Vin or high-school Vin?,” he jokes. “Duh, they are the same, but high-school Vin could drive some fast cars.”
Diesel is set to return in Avengers: Infinity War and Guardians 3. The actor remains keen on reprising Groot in the future, and he wants a spin-off to happen.
“James Gunn has always wanted a Rocket and Groot movie,” he says. “And I know that Disney is very much into being successful. And the most successful poster in Disney’s future is the poster that has ‘Groot vs. Hulk.’ … (The world) cannot wait to see it.”
A24 released a new trailer for ‘It Comes At Night’ starring Joel Edgerton, Monday morning. If you are claustrophobic, watch this trailer in a large well-lit room.
About the film: Imagine the end of the world— Now imagine something worse.
Award-winning filmmaker Trey Edward Shults follows his incredible debut feature Krisha with ‘It Comes At Night,’ a horror film following a man (Joel Edgerton) as he is learns that the evil stalking his family home may be only a prelude to horrors that come from within.
Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, the tenuous domestic order he has established with his wife and son is put to the ultimate test with the arrival of a desperate young family seeking refuge.
Despite the best intentions of both families, paranoia and mistrust boil over as the horrors outside creep ever-closer, awakening something hidden and monstrous within him as he learns that the protection of his family comes at the cost of his soul.
‘It Comes At Night’ is written and directed by Trey Edward Shults, and stars Joel Edgerton, Riley Keough, Christopher Abbott, and Carmen Ejogo.
The film hits theaters on June 9.
What do you think of the new trailer? Comment below.
Spider-Man: Homecoming features Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Donald Glover, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, Tyne Daly, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, and Hannibal Buress.
“A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.”
This series will be a brief, semi-comedic review of the CW superhero shows. You can check out last week’s review post here, or see the tally of winners below. The only shows discussed will be ‘Arrow’, ‘Flash’, and ‘Supergirl’. There WILL be some spoilers discussed, so only look at the reviews you’re up to date on!
Supergirl, “Ace Reporter” (April 24)
Supergirl, wishing us a happy belated Easter
Supergirl has learned a lot of lessons in her two-season run. But the CW heroine finally learns a big lesson – Snapper Carr isn’t a bad guy just because he cares about journalism. She also gets some pretty cool fights with Rahul Kohli’s robot bugs. The rules of how the bugs work are kinda unclear, but just think about the bees in Black Mirror and it makes more sense. Lena is a bit boring at first, playing the classic lovestruck ex. And she sounds like she almost has an accent? But the way she gets comeuppance in the end is sweet. The Winn storyline is kind of trite, but Mon-El works well in small doses. And Kohli’s Jack makes a GREAT robot bug queen.
SCORE: 7.5/10 Danishes
The Flash, “The Once And Future Flash” (April 25)
Gotta get back, back to the past, it’s Emo Flash!
The Flash takes a trip down the Darkest Timeline. The show spares no expense in showcasing how Savitar ruins Barry’s life. However, there’s no clue as to who ruins Barry’s hair. The four bars HR/Cisco sang of “Sweet Chariot” was better than the entirety of the CW musical event. How does Cisco not realize Barry wants to go back in time to fix the things Cisco wants fixed? Sure, the gang let Caitlin get frosty, but that’s sure to wear off soon. It’s more surprising that Tom Felton would stick around on the CW until 2024.
SCORE: 7/10 H.R. Sexts
Arrow, “Dangerous Liaisons” (April 26)
Is this what CSI: Cyber was like?
Even for a CW show, Arrow feels a LOT like a soap opera this week. The fighting is mostly reduced to Oliver and Felicity debating morality. John and Lyla’s fight feels rather shoehorned in. The one-off widower scene is awfully cheap. The Rene father plot line feels overly cheesy – not to mention ludicrous. His daughter burned herself on soup he left on the stove because he passed out drunk? I’m sorry, that’s dumb. It is great that Arrow is writing off the Hipster Hackers of HELIX, if nothing else.
SCORE: 6/10 Hosses
WEEKLY WIN TALLY:
Supergirl: 8 Weeks
Arrow: 7 Weeks
The Flash: 4 Week
What show did you think won the week? Does Legends of Tomorrow take your vote? Do you think A.o.S. or Gotham outshines all the CW shows? Let us know in the comments below!
The show that jumpstarted Netflix to what it has become is back, the streamiing service released the first trailer for ‘House of Cards’ Season 5.
Are you excited for the series to return on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, or is it too real now?
Together We Are Strong.
MORE ABOUT HOUSE OF CARDS: The fifth season of the critically acclaimed Emmy®nominated drama House of Cards premieres Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The series’s Golden Globe® winning stars Kevin Spacey (as Francis Underwood) and Robin Wright (as Claire Underwood), whose characters have always been each other’s strongest allies, show cracks in their relationship. House of Cards also stars Michael Kelly, Jayne Atkinson, Neve Campbell, Derek Cecil, Paul Sparks and Joel Kinnaman.
Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese are showrunners for season five, and they serve as executive producers along with David Fincher, John Mankiewicz, Daniel Minahan, Kevin Spacey, Joshua Donen, Dana Brunetti, Eric Roth, Robin Wright, Michael Dobbs and Andrew Davies. Created for television by Beau Willimon. House of Cards is produced by Donen/Fincher/Roth and Trigger Street Productions, Inc. in association with Media Rights Capital for Netflix
