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I’m Still Here

I'm Still Here
I'm Still Here
I’m Still Here

Hello film fans, Slick Dungeon here. I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I’ll be reviewing the Brazilian film I’m Still Here. Don’t confuse this one with the Joaquin Phoenix film of the same name. That one is definitely not up for an Oscar. The Oscar nominated film is based on true events surrounding the Brazilian military coup where they had a habit of making people disappear. You might already guess this but if you go see this one, bring along some tissues because it tears at the heartstrings pretty hard. Let’s get into it!

What’s I’m Still Here about?

The movie is based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir of the same name. This is a political biography and it deals with the disappearance of Paiva’s father, Rubens Paiva.

At the start of the film we see a family who is happy, has lots of friends, and is well off but seems like an average family otherwise. But even at the beginning there are signs of trouble. There are military soldiers everywhere. Teenagers are routinely stopped and questioned. And the military has kidnapped a Swiss ambassador.

It’s not until we are pretty far into the movie that we learn Rubens was at one time a congressman. He was exiled and now the military suspects him of helping what they deem are terrorists. Things come to a head one day when men with no identification come to the house and take Rubens away. Eunice Paiva who is Rubens wife, and one of her daughters is also taken and they end up in a military barracks where they are questioned and several people are tortured.

Eventually Paiva is released but no one will tell her where her husband is. This kicks off a twenty five year journey for Paiva to discover the truth. Along the way she commits small but meaningful acts of defiance. She yells at men who are watching her house, she refuses to look sad and upset when the propaganda media shows up. And she fights with everything she has to keep her kids safe.

The awards

This one is up for three awards. Best International Feature, Best Actress, and Best Picture. I think this is easily the best international feature of the year. It’s moving, heartbreaking and powerful. I think Fernanda Torres has a shot at winning. But Demi Moore has gotten a lot of buzz around The Substance so I actually think she’s going to win. I’d be pretty surprised if this actually won Best Picture. It’s not often that international films win that award, although this movie is certainly deserving of consideration.

I’m Still Here in conclusion

As far as films this year that are based on a true story, this one is the strongest. There are great performances all around and it’s the kind of film that hits you in the heart. And when you think of all it took for Paiva to get where she ends up in the end of the film, you have to recognize courage in the face of adversity. I highly recommend watching this one but just be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.

Awardingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

P.S. Want to see what I thought of the Best Picture winner last year? Check out my review of Oppenheimer!

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Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in!

black and white dartboard

Hello internet people! Welcome to Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! In this post I’ll be going through the progress I made on my movie, book, and ttrpg challenges for the year so far. If you’re doing any of the challenges as well, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for movies!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! Movie challenge
Slick Dungeon’s Movie Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

I watched a few movies this month but only one met a challenge requirement. I was recommended I Saw the TV Glow by a friend. And it was a great recommendation. If you didn’t see my review already, check it out here. But I will say, the best film I watched in January was Hereditary. Great movie if you like horror. I also watched Nosferatu which I thought was fine but not groundbreaking. And I watched We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. To me, that one is not worth your time. It does have a decent performance by Anna Cobb though.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for Books!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! Book challenge
Slick Dungeon’s Book Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

This one is going to be a little bit of a cheat. I read a book of short stories which is not yet released. It is called Four Dark and Stormys and a Hangover by Dan Kaminski. It’s a book of horror novellas but I’m counting it as a book of short stories. My review will come soon so watch for that this month. I think for next month I’ll be reading a fantasy book called Uprooted by Naomi Novik.

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check in for TTRPGs!

Slick Dungeon’s February Challenge Check-in! TTRPG challenge
Slick Dungeon’s TTRPG Challenge. Download your copy by clicking the image!

In January I read the rule books for a TTRPG called Along the Leyline. I’ll be doing a review of it on this blog later this month. And once I’ve gotten a chance to play it, I’ll do a more comprehensive rules breakdown of the game. There are a lot of similarities between this one and Dungeons & Dragons but I will say the rules for Along the Leyline are more streamlined and easier to follow. There are lots of strengths here and a few spots for improvement but I’ll go into detail more on that in a post later this month.

How is your progress going?

Now that I’ve shared my updates with all of you, I would love to know if any of you have taken these challenges. Watched any movies, read any books, or done any of the TTRPG challenges? Please let me know in the comments!

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

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Usagi Yojimbo – Comic Book Recommendation

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai

Usagi Yojimbo is one of the most complex and sweeping samurai epics of all time. This book has been published since 1984 and it is still going. If you are looking for a great comic book read that is not a superhero comic, Usagi Yojimbo stands tall as one of the best ever made. While it has its legion of fans, the comic is often overlooked by new readers because it looks a bit cartoonish and cutesy. Much like Bone which is cute on the surface but is truly a massive fantasy epic, with Usagi you get far more than it looks like on the cover.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

What is Usagi Yojimbo about?

The word Usagi means rabbit. Yojimbo means bodyguard. That’s a pretty good description of what this is about. But there is so much more to it. This is set at the beginning of the Edo period in Japan when the country was just coming under the rule of the shogunate and people were still feeling battle scars from recent history.

Each story follows Usagi on an adventure where he often protects the innocent or rights some wrong. Reading the books gives the same feeling you get when watching some of the greatest Akira Kurosawa samurai films.

There is an expansive cast of characters, several who come and go, and some who you meet only once and never again. A larger story line exists in the series. But it is possible to pick up any volume of the series and get an entire story.

My only word of caution here is to be careful about giving it to very young kids. There is nothing explicit here but there is some blood. And considering this is a samurai story, characters die. Generally, it’s fine for almost all audiences though.

How do I get started?

There is a long and complicated publishing history to this comic. It’s gone through several publishers. The character has always belonged to the creator, writer and artist Stan Sakai, but he’s moved Usagi to a few different spots for different reasons. Lucky for us, however, the numbering of the series is pretty straightforward. There are over 40 numbered volumes plus some omnibus editions and other volumes and crossovers that pop up here and there.

While I think you can really jump in anywhere, as long as you are reading a collected story, I think the best volume to begin with is Usagi Yojimbo, Book 1: The Ronin. This collects the earliest comics and starts out the proper story. If you start here and read through, you also get to see the progression of Sakai’s art style. It takes him just a bit to land on the tone he wants but once this gets going, it is a jaw dropping body of work.

You can get the first volume on Amazon by clicking the image above or the link here. It’ll cost you $19. If you buy through one of my links it really helps out this blog without any extra cost to you.

If you have a lot of cash to burn and you know you want to get in to Usagi, there is also the Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition: 2 Volume Hardcover Box Set. That will set you back at least $116 though. You can get the paperback version for $99. The nice thing about this set is you get the first seven Usagi stories plus some extra artwork and cover gallery. It’s a big price tag though. But if you want it you can grab it right here.

Usagi Yojimbo conclusion

Ready to settle in for a great long read that will transport you back to Edo Japan, full of depth, action, and an unforgettable cast of characters? Usagi Yojimbo is perfect for that. Stan Sakai’s epic is one of the most brilliant comics ever made. Look past the cuteness of the character if that is not your thing. And if it is, then embrace it because there is lots of cuteness too! But either way this is an incredible comic which I simply cannot recommend enough.

Give it a read and let me know what you think!

P.S. want to see some of my superhero comic reviews? Take a look at my series on the Marvel 616 comics here!

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Comic Book Recommendation – Peanuts

The Complete Peanuts: Volume 1
Comic Book Recommendation - Peanuts
The Complete Peanuts Volume 1

Because today feels like the kind of day we could all use something wholesome and funny and beloved, I thought I would recommend a comic book. My comic book recommendation – Peanuts needs no advertisement from me. But any time I need to turn to something that is guaranteed to put a smile on my face? I turn to Charles M. Schulz. I’m sure you’ve seen Peanuts cartoons or read some comics in a newspaper or had a volume or two starring Snoopy. But I’m going to talk about my favorite way to read these comics. In complete volumes.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

What is Peanuts about?

Put simply, Peanuts comics are about a group of kids who hang out together. The focus is usually on Charlie Brown who tends to run into a lot of bad luck. The most popular character in the series is his adorable dog, a beagle named Snoopy. We see his escapades as he tries (and often fails) to do normal kid things like fly a kite, win a baseball game, and kick a football.

It sounds simple but because Peanuts comics were around for fifty years in newspapers, there is a ton of material to enjoy. There is actually no need to read them in any particular order at all. And any one strip of Peanuts is almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face. But you probably know all of that already.

What you might be a little less familiar with are some of the older strips. These show the characters a little younger than we’re used to. And they introduce us to future mainstays like Woodstock and Schroeder. Virtually all of the comics are meant to give you a laugh but there are some very sweet and touching moments along the way.

In the earliest volumes the kids are just a bit meaner to each other than they tend to be in later years. But it’s still an amazing read and really fun.

How do I get started?

I’ve read most of the Peanuts comics. I can’t say I’ve definitely read every one because there is just such a big volume to them. But the complete volumes are about as close as you can get to make sure you’ve read the bulk of the work. The physical copy comes in a bit of an oddly shaped version. It’s 8.66 x 1.34 x 6.77 inches. This is like half the height of a normal book and it extends out a good bit. They fit three of the daily strips per page. So it sits a bit awkward on a bookshelf. But it’s a great book to lay on a coffee table or something like that. And I promise, if you leave it out, someone will pick it up and read it.

If you want to get started, I’d recommend starting literally anywhere with these books. Buy any volume from 1-26 and you’ve got a great comic in your hand.

But to make it easy I’ll just link to the first volume here. It’ll cost you around $27 bucks for the hardcover. Cheaper if you get it on Kindle.

If ya wanna be a pal, consider using one of the links in this blog when you get it!

And just to give you a taste, here’s a little sample.

In conclusion

Sometimes you just need a good laugh. Peanuts always provides that. It’s genuinely wholesome and always a fun read. You can read just a single strip or a whole collection any time and you’ll probably feel just a little better inside. It’s the small things sometimes.

Anyway, I hope you check out Peanuts if you haven’t or if it’s been a while. You’ll enjoy it.

P.S. Want another comic book recommendation? Check out The Goon!

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Mistborn

This year the Cosmere role playing game is going to release at the end of the year. I thought now would be a great time for me to dive back in to the Cosmere books and I decided to start by re-reading Mistborn.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

If you want to get your own copy to read this year, it would help my blog out a lot if you purchased through the image above or clicked here.

Synopsis:

Once, a hero arose to save the world. He failed.

Ever since, the world has been a wasteland of ash and mist controlled by the immortal emperor known as the Lord Ruler.

But hope survives. A new uprising is forming, one built around the ultimate caper, the cunning of a brilliant criminal mastermind, and the determination of an unlikely heroine: a street urchin who must learn to master the power of a Mistborn.

Review

Rating: 4 out of 5.

The first book in the Mistborn series introduces us to the main players and sets up the world they operate in. And it establishes the rules of magic for the world. This is a dystopian world where ash falls from the sky and the despotic Lord Ruler has governed for a thousand years. He stays in power by oppressing the Skaa people and making sure the nobility is beholden to his whims.

But in this world there are people with special gifts. They can do a kind of magic called Allomancy. The way this works is they ingest a small amount of metal. Then they use that metal to allow them to do things like enhance their senses an strengthen their bodies. And even, in one case, they can see briefly into possible futures.

Out of this world a few characters come up with a bold plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Kelsier, a famous thief recruits Vin, a teenage urchin, to put his plan into action. The story is from Vin’s point of view as she learns about the nobility, the Skaa, the Lord Ruler, and Allomancy.

But there is a reason this Lord Ruler has reigned for so long. He has every resource at his disposal. The bold plan of Kelsier’s may be doomed.

While I don’t think this is the best book of the series, it does a great job of establishing the heroes, villains, and mysteries of the world. As with a lot of Brandon Sanderson books, the magic system is complicated. But it works well and makes for some really memorable scenes. The opening scene of the book alone is one of the most epic in fantasy novels.

If you like fantasy books and you haven’t read Mistborn I highly recommend checking this one out. To take away any confusion, this book is known as Mistborn but you’ll also see it titled Mistborn: The Final Empire. You might even find it as just The Final Empire.

If you like heroic fantasy set against impossible odds, this book is for you.

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The Goon – Comic Book Recommendation

Comic Book Recommendation - The Goon by Eric Powell is a humorous mix of mobsters, zombies, giant squids, weird stories and supernatural phenomena that highly entertains.
The Goon by Eric Powell

I review a lot of super hero comics on this blog. I love those. But there are so many more comics out there and many of them are worth reading. So, I decided I will be giving some recommendations here on comics worth reading that are not super hero comics. The first is my comic book recommendation – The Goon. It’s created by Eric Powell and has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Yet, I hardly see it talked about.

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through this post I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you)

What is The Goon about?

The titular Goon is a big tough mob enforcer type who’s just a regular guy. He hangs out with his buddy Franky and knows everyone in town. But there’s a rival gang of zombies who all hate the Goon and want to see him dead.

The stories are full of humor, violence, gore and oddball things like giant squids and fishmen who are also gangsters. There are plenty of gross out moments in the books so if you don’t find that funny or you are too squeamish for some splattery yet cartoonish gore, this won’t be for you.

There are also moments where the series gets some surprisingly touching moments as well. It gets pretty weird too. There are talking chainsaws, people rising from the dead, jokes about inflatable chickens, and just about everything you could imagine in here.

And while the concept is fun and odd and my type of read, what I think really makes it stand out is the utterly incredible artwork. Eric Powell more or less takes his time with this one and for that reason it tends to look amazing. I’ll give you a couple images below so you can see what I am talking about.

Image of a spooky house in The Goon comic

See how evocative and moody the above image is? It fully immerses us in the time period of the 1930s and brings up feelings of dread and impending doom. Now contrast that with the wild image below. It’s full of bright colors, over the top action, and quippy humor. Powell is able to straddle styles and fit moods in appropriate places while maintaining high quality artwork. It’s truly amazing to behold.

Hopefully that sells you on reading this but there’s a 25 year backlog of this comic so you might be thinking…

How do I get started?

The nice thing about this series is it’s not too overwhelming. At present there are around 54 issues of the first series of The Goon. The second series has at least 12 issues. But there are some spinoffs and one shots and things like that as well. And there are multiple ways to get started with it. The stories are generally self contained so you can pick up any trade paperback and be at a pretty good starting point. But there is a larger story so it can be fun to start from the beginning.

Here’s a whole guide put together by  Trevor Van As with some insightful comments on content warning as well. There are some single issues missing from this as Eric Powell is still making new comics for the series.

While I think the so called, Fancy Pants editions are pretty neat, they have to be purchased on eBay so the price tends to run a bit high.

You could also start with the first trade paperback called The Goon Volume 1: Nothin’ But Misery which collects issues 1-4 plus a short story. This will run you $22 for a physical copy.

But that’s not the best deal because the first omnibus called The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap an Omnibus Volume 1 is just a few bucks more at $35. And it collects four of the trade paperbacks The Goon: Rough Stuff, The Goon: Nothing But Misery, The Goon: My Murderous Childhood, and The Goon: Heaps of Ruination. It’s even cheaper if you get it on Kindle for $10.99.

If ya wanna be a pal, consider using one of the links in this blog when you get it!

In Conclusion

I’ll be recommending more comics here, both superhero and non-superhero so if this one doesn’t float your boat, I’ll probably find one you will like later. But if you like funny comics, horror comics, great art, a bit of crude humor and some mob style enforcers in your stories, plus a healthy dose of weirdness, well, The Goon more than has you covered. And did I mention it has won five Eisner awards? In other words, this is a well regarded comic even among other comic creators.

Give it a read and let me know what you think!

P.S. want to see some of my superhero comic reviews? Take a look at my series on the Marvel 616 comics here!

Posted on by slickdungeon

2025 TTRPG Challenge!

polyhedral dice on wooden surface. Check out the 2025 TTRPG Challenge!
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2025 TTRPG Challenge!

The 2025 TTRPG challenge is a little tricky. Even if you love tabletop role playing games, it’s not always possible to play a game with your friends. Scheduling is a nightmare. Not all of the activities here are playing TTRPGs. But everything is related to them. Just do your best and try to get as many checked off as you can. Get your free copy here or at the image below. And get started on your challenge!

Slick Dungeon’s 2025 TTRPG Challenge!

Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!

  1. I’m going to play a new system I have been reading called Along the Leyline. It’s a rules lighter form of D&D. I’m excited to give it a shot. I’ll also be reviewing it here.
  2. Check this blog later this year for something I write for a TTRPG. Can’t say what it is yet but I’m excited for it!
  3. I’m going to read the rules for The Walking Dead role playing game.
  4. I’m going to play the Alien role playing game.
  5. I’ll watch a cosmic horror film for this one.
  6. I’m going to read the Pathfinder player manual
  7. I’ll either do Savage Worlds or Pulp Cthulhu or maybe even Achtung Cthulhu for this one.
  8. I can always re-watch E.T. the Extra Terrestrial for this one.
  9. Kobold press has a great monster manual called the Kobold Guide to Monsters. I’ll be reading that.
  10. Call of Cthulhu for this one!
  11. Not sure what kind of handout I will make but once I do, I’ll share it here.
  12. I hear good things about Dungeon Crawl Classics so I’ll go with that one.

I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you play along and how it goes if you do.

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

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2025 Book Challenge!

person standing on stacks of books
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2025 Book Challenge!

The 2025 book challenge is simple. Pick an item on the list. Find a book that matches. If you are reading a book and realize it fits an item, check it off! Download the list right here or from the image below to get started!

Slick Dungeon's 2025 Book Challenge!
Slick Dungeon’s 2025 Book Challenge!

Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!

  1. My favorite book is Lord of the Rings.
  2. For a book assigned in High Schools I will re-read 1984.
  3. For a book with a blue cover – I haven’t decided what book to do here. But one of the ones I read in 2025 is bound to have a blue cover.
  4. I’m in the middle of the Mistborn series. Finding a fantasy book should be easy.
  5. For a non-fiction book I’ll either read a biography (probably about a musician) or something about the comic book industry. I love learning more about both of those.
  6. A book you saw someone reading in a movie – This will be a surprise. I’ll just pick the next book someone reads in a movie I am watching.
  7. For a book of short stories I’m reading You Like it Darker by Stephen King.
  8. For a book with an amazing first line – Technically two lines but The Restaurant at the End of the Universe starts like this – “The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” How great is that?
  9. Most people know the end of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It ends with the perfect line – ‘He was soon borne away by the waves and lost in darkness and distance.’
  10. For a book that is not on a best seller list, I’ll decide the month I read it. To make sure it’s not on a best seller list. There are plenty to choose!
  11. For a book with only a few characters I will read This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.
  12. I reserve the right to change this one. But I’m planning to read Carrie Fisher’s memoir The Princess Diarist.

Let me know how it goes!

I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you read along. And how it goes if you do.

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon

Posted on by slickdungeon · 2 Comments

2025 Movie Challenge!

woman watching a movie holding a box of popcorn. Enjoy the 2025 movie challenge!
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

2025 Movie Challenge!

The 2025 movie challenge is a basic challenge. Watch any move that fits into the requirements on the checklist and then check it off! Download the challenge right here or in the image below.

Here’s how I plan to meet the challenge!

  1. For a movie made more than 10 years ago I’m going to watch a black and white horror film
  2. I need someone to recommend me a movie for the second one. Got any recommendations?
  3. A silent movie – I will probably go with Charlie Chaplin here.
  4. A movie with an alien on the poster – might do Alien for this one!
  5. A guilty pleasure movie – I love horror comedy so probably one of those
  6. The oldest movie on my to be watched list is Scarface (I went by oldest meaning it has been on my list the longest. Feel free to interpret it however you want.)
  7. A movie with no special effects – I’ve been wanting to re-watch Before Sunrise so that’s my pick.
  8. A movie with incredible special effects – it was amazing for the time and I’ll take any excuse to re-watch it so Star Wars is my pick.
  9. A movie from a country you have visited (or always wanted to) – I’ve been lucky enough to visit Japan a couple of times so I will pick a Japanese film but I don’t know which one yet.
  10. A movie with the word yellow in the title – Yellow Submarine
  11. A movie with no romance in it – Not sure what I will pick here but it will likely be in the horror genre.
  12. A movie with all romance – I’ve never seen The Notebook so I’ll give that one a try.

I hope you enjoy the challenge! Don’t forget to let me know if you play along and how it goes if you do.

Challengingly yours,

Slick Dungeon