Family Style Network

 This might sound like a fanboy opinion because I made it pretty clear in the first review of this show that I was a big fan of the video games but we really are in the midst of something special. This episode really cemented that idea for me. It is the biggest deviation from the games but it also confirmed some things for the fans of the games and gave newcomers 2 characters to fall in love with and that's what the games and show have always been about, Love.  We never got to meet Frank while he was alive in the games. You come across him and a suicide note while searching for supplies and that's it. You meet Bill and he helps you get into a vehicle so that the journey west can begin. There was a scene in the game where Bill mentions his partner, Frank and I always got the impression that he was more to Bill than just a business partner and now I have that feeling confirmed. Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett took the lead this week and gave us an instant classic of the series...

 The Last Of Us delivered another thrilling episode. Introducing us to the clickers for the first time. Seeing clickers on the screen was even more horrifying than in the game. The practical effects on the actors were incredible; they even brought back the actors who created the noises for the clickers. The Last Of Us also added some more lore about how the pandemic started with a cold opening set in Indonesia. I loved how they added this and the talk show opening in the first episode to really explain and deep dive into how this all started. It was never really explained well in the games so I hope they continue this as we go deeper into the season. Another major change the show has made is that the infected have tendrils inside their mouths instead of spores you can breathe in. They also added how the tendrils act as tree roots for the infected to figure out where people may be hiding which would have been really cool to have in the game so hopefully, if they make another ga...

Everyone struggles with the fact that they sometimes feel like they are not enough. They can't be everywhere, they can't do everything, they don't know everything etc. It's bad enough when we get this way about ourselves but if you throw a dependent or loved one into the mix then those feelings of failure can become magnified a thousandfold as not only are you letting yourself down, but now you're letting someone else who depends on you down as well. Or so we tell ourselves. The mind games we put ourselves through are amazing in themselves, not so much from a sense of wonder and awe but more from a sense of morbid fascination. I spoke recently about ourselves being our own harshest critics and I'd like to continue that theme today as really there is just so much that can be discussed about that topic alone. The pressure that a lot of us put ourselves under on a daily basis is phenomenal and it can range from getting the most menial of tasks perfect, like doing ...

 Just as a fair warning to everyone each review will contain spoilers so if you haven't watched the episode maybe come back to this once you have. I'll try not to bias with these reviews but that was a great start to the season. As a huge fan of the games I was worried about scenes like Sarah's death not hitting the same as they did when I played the game but it turns out that it won't be a problem going forward.  I think my favorite part so far is how Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin were able to add more context and expand on scenes from the games. For example, the scene where Sarah goes to get Joel's watch fixed for his birthday is maybe nothing but it wasn't shown in the game so it was just a nice little expansion that I enjoyed. Fans of the game shouldn't worry though, I had plenty of moments throughout the episode where I was like that Leonardo Dicaprio meme where he is pointing at the tv. The episode was very faithful to the opening of the game. They ob...

 Return of the kings! Obituary is back with their first album since 2017's self-titled album. Obituary I felt never quite get their full due for everything they have done for death metal. Their consistency with the albums they have made in their career should be celebrated. Dying Of Everything had my head banging throughout the whole runtime. To me, it shows that death metal can have riffs full of grooves and still be hard as fuck. "Barely Alive" kicks the album off and Obituary doesn't let go of you until the album is over, what more could you ask from an album really? One of my favorite parts of this album is I can hear and visualize each one in the live setting going over really well. Each song has a "don't be around me in the pit" vibe as Jamey Jasta would say and I cannot wait to catch the band out on the road sometime and hear these songs live. Stand Out Tracks - Barely Alive, Without A Conscience, War, By The Dawn 9/10 https://open.spotify.com/alb...

Ville Valo is better known for being the singer and main songwriter for the band HIM but with that band being disbanded for several years now, he is going out on his own with his first solo release Neon Noir. Neon Noir doesn't stray far from the HIM formula. I was a big fan of that band but they were the AC/DC of gothic hard rock or "love metal" as they would self-proclaim. The songs all kind of blend together with a similar sound with the hook of the chorus somewhat changing. Those albums would always start strong for me but then lose steam a bit by the time the album was over. That doesn't change here with Neon Noir. 3 of the songs on the album were released back in 2020 on Gothica Fennica Vol 1 and I would say those are the stand-out tracks for this release which is a little disappointing but overall the album is an enjoyable listen and any HIM fan should be able to relive some memories while listening. Stand Out Tracks -  Run Away From The Sun, Salute The Sanguine...

Ahoy-hoy! Uncle Tim here. Last weekend I had the pleasure of joining our friends Ryan, Ashley and Heather for episode 2 (Electric Boogaloo!) of the Family Style Podcast. I had a great time! Sometimes nothing beats just sitting around with your mates and shooting the shit and having a laugh and boy did we talk some shit (especially me. I always talk a lot of shit!) I left the catch-up session feeling very light and happy, also pretty hungry as it was about 3pm for me by that point and I hadn't had lunch yet. Mainly, I began anticipating the release of the episode and was looking forward to checking it out and really looking forward to the FS family,  as well as other friends and family of mine, watching/listening to it.  Monday the 9th of January soon comes swanning around and apart from being your dear ol'Uncle Tim's birthday (wink wink nudge nudge), the audio and the video went out for the episode. Hooray! Now I was a tad preoccupied that day relaxing and being pampered ...

I don't even know where to start..... I watch a lot of movies and I've always gravitated toward the sadder ones, it's the same with music. This movie is one of the most harrowing 2 hours in the theatre I've ever experienced in my life. Ultimately this is a movie about people running away from either themselves or the pain they have endured over their lifetimes. an essay about the novel Moby Dick repeatedly comes up during the runtime and it's always the part of the essay where the novelist tries to spare the reader parts of his sad life by writing chapter after chapter about whales.  Brendan Fraser plays Charlie, a man at the end of his life. After a traumatic experience, he shuts himself away from the world and is slowly destroying himself with food. He can,t get around his apartment without a walker and needs to have everything delivered to his place to survive. He lives with so much shame that he doesn't even turn on his webcam while trying to teach an online...

Family The concept of 'family' has been running through my mind quite a bit recently. I think it's partially to do with the time of year it is and also it's to do with some of the issues (historical, current, resolved and unresolved etc) I have with my immediate family. The end-of-year holiday season is not easy for people, there's a lot of stress that goes hand-in-hand with those religious, cultural and commercial holidays but I think the thing that causes people the most anguish at this time revolves around their relationships, or the lack thereof, with their families and that can become exacerbated when they are separated from them or, worse still, forced to spend time with people they don't like, let alone love. You talk to anyone and they will all have some sort of story about a family member they can't stand or someone that they just can't seem to find any common ground with, be it racist old Nanna Mavis, weird Uncle Joe or stingy cousin Bob, what...