BOOK: The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)

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The Marvelous Land of OzYear: 1904Author: L. Frank BaumLength: 192 pages It's difficult to follow up a successful and iconic work like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There are always questions about how much from the first book to keep in a sequel and how much new material should be explored. Make it too much like the original and it might not ignite that same spark. Veer too far away from what made the first book successful and it might be too hard to ride that success into the second one. Ultimately, The Marvelous Land of Oz had a tough spot to fill, but it did an OK job of it. With a world as rich and varied as Oz, there are a lot of interesting places to go and concepts to explore. The Marvelous Land of Oz decided to continue world-building without Dorothy, which is probably what made it feel less relatable than its predecessor. There wasn’t that human element that...
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MOVIE: Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)

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Madagascar 3: Europe's Most WantedYear: 2012Rating: PGLength: 93 minutes / 1.55 hours After the first two movies in the Madagascar franchise explored what it was like for zoo animals to survive in the wild, the natural conclusion to this arc was to bring them into an adjacent space for performing animals: the circus. While this didn't allow for nearly as much individual character development as was in Madagascar: Return 2 Africa (2008), Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) was still a fun ride that looked the best the franchise as ever looked. If anything, Europe's Most Wanted shares more with the first Madagascar (2005) than the second one. The focus on animals performing (including that somewhat annoying "Entrance of the Gladiators" bit that Marty (Chris Rock) does) and the return to Central Park is a good bookend to bring closure to the saga started in the first movie. At least this journey was more purposeful than a mere accident that put the...
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MUSIC: Justice – North American Tour 2025

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Justice: North American Tour 2025 Date: May 25, 2025 Location: Red Rocks Ampitheater If I were to rack and stack the current listing of my favorite bands, Justice would definitely be in my top 3. Since their debut album, I have enjoyed their style of electronic music and look forward to every new album they release. I had their most recent work, Hyperdrama, on repeat for several weeks once it came out last year. I stumbled onto the fact that they were touring this year and would be at Red Rocks Ampitheater. Not only were they one of my favorite bands, but they were playing at my favorite venue! Despite the drizzling rain throughout the concert, I truly enjoyed the show that Justice put on. Fcukers, the opening act, had an interesting set. I was actually more impressed at how recently they had formed and they were already touring with Justice. Either way, their vibe was similar enough to the main act that I...
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VIDEO GAME: Downwell (2019)

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DownwellYear: 2019Rating: E10+Time Played: 10+ hours Outside of the games Nintendo makes for their own consoles, there aren't a lot of games from outside developers that take advantage of the system's unique properties. I first learned about Downwell from Game Maker's Tool Kit and thought it looked like an interesting way to use the Switch. Because you can remove the joycons, the screen can be used vertically, giving a much more natural orientation to play this extremely vertical game. Fortunately, Downwell goes on sale fairly frequently and you'll likely only be out a few bucks for a game with a significant challenge. As with other Devolver Digital games like Gato Roboto, Downwell leans into its retro pixel monochrome aesthetic. Things move pretty fast when in a constant free-fall, so it's important to have high contrast visuals to make important things stand out. If anything, the limited graphics aren't an issue because the gameplay loop is so addicting. I even bought a Flip...
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MOVIE: Madagascar – Escape 2 Africa (2008)

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Madagascar: Escape 2 AfricaYear: 2008Rating: PGLength: 89 minutes / 1.48 hours It's interesting how sometimes the first sequel in a franchise can deliver the plot the first movie promised. While Madagascar (2005) was more a "fish out of water" adventure with jerky animation and humor way over the kids' heads, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) really showed the contrast between these zoo animals with their contemporaries in Africa. This comparison felt like a much better plot device than the cringe-worthy way the first movie handled the idea of zoo animals living in the wild. The jokes in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa felt less unhinged from its predecessor. That they played into each of the sub-plots better helped more than just being a string of pop culture references that didn't quite fit the setting. The best gag of course was none of the group being able to pick out Marty from the herd of zebra (in the, "you all look the same" vibe)...
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BOOK: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)

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The Wonderful Wizard of OzYear: 1900Author: L. Frank BaumLength: 154 pages There’s a reason The Wonderful Wizard of Oz continues to have cultural influence over 100 years after L. Frank Baum wrote it. Aside from its popular adaptation as a movie in 1939, which earned the story most of its visual representation, the original itself is a solid piece of children’s entertainment. Something about the isekai into a fantasy world coupled with these unique characters has kept a spot in pop culture that’s hard to deny. The world-building itself is likely why others continue to adapt Baum’s work today. As an adventure, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has great character motivations which accentuate their individual flaws. From Dorothy wanting to return home to the Scarecrow wanting brains, the Tin Man wanting a heart, and the Lion wanting courage, each character has a part to play so that the entire team can achieve their goals. That anyone can find at least one character...
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MOVIE: Madagascar (2005)

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Madagascar Year: 2005 Rating: PG Length: 86 minutes / 1.43 hours DreamWorks movies have always had a harsh comparison to their competition at Pixar. The visuals were never as stunning, the jokes as high-brow, or the plots as thought-provoking. And while Shrek (2001) was an early outlier, enough time has passed that they've developed some great movies like How To Train Your Dragon (2010) and The Bad Guys (2022). Still, movies like Madagascar (2005) highlighted everything that made DreamWorks movies distinctly of that studio—and also ultimately "less than" the comparable fare being put out by Pixar at the same time. Ironically, Pixar explored the whole "predators can't deny their instincts" plot to a much greater effect in Zootopia (2016). In Madagascar, these four Central Park Zoo animals find themselves separated from the support system that made their life comfortable. Their reactions to being in the titular country are played for laughs through the "fish out of water" trope. And while the frenetic, jerky motions of...
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VIDEO GAME: Spiritfarer (2020)

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Spiritfarer Year: 2020 Rating: T Time Played: 2,036 minutes / 33.94 hours I remembered when I saw Spiritfarer on a Nintendo Direct (or other such showcase) and thought that it looked like a cute game with its hand-drawn art style. So I put it on my wishlist, picked it up on sale, and then never played it until recently. Once I finally found the time to play it, I was hooked. It provided that cozy vibe that I adored in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and had an exploration style similar to The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker that I also liked. That's not to say it didn't have its issues, but it was definitely worth my time and money. There's this nice niche of games between the hyper realistic AAA behemoths and the retro pixel art indie darlings that really appeal to me. The games that feel hand-drawn like Indivisible (or even Hollow Knight, to an extent) have this warmth to them that's difficult to...
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MOVIE: Trolls (2016)

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TrollsYear: 2016Rating: PGLength: 92 minutes / 1.53 hours When it came out, Trolls (2016) was one of those movies that didn't align with my particular Millennial nostalgia—troll dolls always felt a little weird to me. As such, I didn't watch this for the first time until I had kids of my own. Amusingly enough, this is a movie meant for Millennials who have kids. The bright, colorful aesthetic is meant to keep kids entertained. However, the soundtrack for this movie is exclusively filled with music most Millennials will recognize and will probably have some nostalgia for. It's encouraging that there's something more to the plot of Trolls than just a bunch of naked, long-hair dolls. Creating this identity of creatures that have songs, hugs, and happiness as the core of their identity is a bit silly, but it works to offset their gigantic enemies who have none of those qualities. And since songs play so heavily into the troll culture here, it...
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