Welcome back to Thrak Attack, what's your adventure? This month had a ton of new adventures that took us all over the place! We were taken to 1990's UK and NYC, a magical Encanto in Colombia, a return to Skyrim and the Sinnoh region, the studio of Silk Sonic, the home of Adele, and many more! It's been a great month so let's get going with the Top 10 Adventures of November 2021!
10. Spencer is a period drama piece all about Princess Diana. The movie stars Kristen Stewart as Diana Spencer and her struggles with fitting into the royal family. Stewart does a fantastic job at playing this historical figure, the music is suspenseful and jazzy, and the themes throughout the film are very specific and deep. The problem with the film, as my wife who is a huge history buff especially when it comes to European royalty, is that some of the facts in the film are very different than what actually happened. This coupled with a slow pace makes this movie less than stellar but still deserving of the list.
9. Hawkeye is the newest Disney+ marvel series starring everyone's least favorite Avenger, unless you're Kate Bishop. Taking inspiration from the classic "My Life as a Weapon" story arc by Matt Fraction, this story takes Clint Barton's character arc and shines a light on it. It shows Clint's inability to let his past be his past, his branding and likability issues, and the fact that no matter what he wants people to think his family does not come first. Even though we're only 2 episodes in (out of 6) this show points out some obvious flaws of the character and promises new things to come!
8. Lego Star Wars: Castaways is an Apple Arcade game that features character customization through exploring random story bits of the Star Wars Saga. It's a great concept and is very visually stunning (although it does not run well on my iPad) and does keep my interests in continuing the story. I have two major issues with it... the touch screen controls are awful and the fact that it isn't Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. The latter is not entirely it's fault but feels like the effort could have gone into that game and that this one is just a fraction of what it could have been because of it. Also, I am aware I can use a controller for Apple Arcade, but I use this platform for touch screen games. If it doesn't control well through that it wasn't meant for that platform.
7. Pokemon: Briliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are remakes of the original Diamond and Pearl games released in 2006. The graphics are updated with a chibi art style with small changes to the visual style and the game is a faithful remake of the originals. This is the game's downfall. A game made in 2006 are very different than games made in 2021 and is designed totally different. Fans of the series have fond memories of this map but it doesn't make any sense constantly backtracking through one central location. The Pokemon selection is also terrible (which should have been changed to be the Platinum selection) and focuses on Gen 1 Pokemon than need to be traded to evolve. The reason why these Pokemon (geodude, machop, abra, and ghastly) are so heavily featured is because the original games were the first ones to feature successful online trading. All in all, it's a classic Pokemon game that needed updating that did not get the updates where it needed them.
5. Big Mouth (S5) is such a fun show that mixes animation, great voice acting, and hilarious witty dialogue. Although this show is not for kids or the conservative folks, it is a hilarious representation of what it's like to be a kid in middle school. The characterizations of hormones, shame, and in this season love and hate, add a spice and level of hilarity to the personal relationships to all the characters. Some of the best jokes come from blatant references to other things such as Jesus Christ in the Christmas episode and Bernie Sanders in the ski episode! All in all, this was a great addition to the series and could be an end to it? But it was ambiguous enough to be either.
4. "30" by Adele is the 4th studio album by Adele and the first one in 6 years. Even though this is a well done album with bold themes and styles, I'm not sure if I'm enjoying it because it's good or because it's new Adele music. Some of the songs are about her relationship with her ex husband and some about her son. But both of those subjects seem very bitter. The other thing is that the tracks are either traditional ballads from Adele or very experimental. I love when Adele's music picks up (i.e. "I'll Be Waiting" and "River Lea") but this album lacks on those songs causing the album to drag and be picked up by experimental sounds. Some of the stand out tracks are "Strangers by Nature", "My Little Love", and "Cry Your Heart Out".
3. Encanto is the 60th Disney Animated Feature and is a great one to represent that milestone! It is a fantastic story with great characters that represents a culture that has long been lacking from the Disney repertoire. The last Disney Animated feature (not counting Coco because that's Pixar) to explore South America was the Emperor's New Groove and that was voice by a predominately white cast. I don't want to give away the plot of the film because you should diffidently see it but the defining feature of this film is the colorful animation and characters. Everyone's characterization in the film matches their powers and the visuals are just fantastic. The music was also done by Lin-Manuel Miranda and is really good but there are no standouts yet. This film does a lot for that culture and brings awareness to some issues plaguing that part of the world today, I hope it makes people take notice and appreciate the art and music from the part of the world.
2. "An Evening with Silk Sonic" by Silk Sonic is a concept album by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak along with the Doo Whops and Hooligans. The concept isn't really the story of the album but more so the concept of the group itself. Since it's neither artist they decided to make a new group called "Silk Sonic" that's from the 70's and the height of R&B and Disco music. The style and music are fantastic and the aesthetic this album creates makes a great atmosphere and groove. Stand out tracks are "Fly As Me", "777", and "Skate". Both of the lead artists are fantastic and bring their own flare to the album and style creating one of the best albums of the year. Also, Bootsy Collins is on this!
1. "Things Take Time, Take Time" by Courtney Barnett is the newest collection of music from one of the greatest lyricist of our age. This album is no exception to that rule. Her music has mellowed out from some of her older stuff and she has the added instrument of a drum machine on most of these songs but it only enhances the vibe of the music and this album. Some of the break out tracks on this album are "Rae Street", "Sunfair Sundown", "Before You Gotta Go", and "Turning Green". I am also excited to see her live next weekend!
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