Chris Sawin, Author at GeeksHaveGame

January 6, 2021
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THE GEEEEK AWARDS [Best ‘Geek’ Film of 2020]: Stuck In The Middle With You, Bae.

Welcome to another installment of GHG’s Top “Geek” Movies of the Year! All the following lists take a look at our favorite superhero, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and geek-related (kinda, sorta, maybe.. we tried!) flicks of 2020– which few movies that did release, anyway!

1. Possessor (Amazon Prime) – Takes a simple hitman concept and adds a sci-fi body horror twist to it. The film (check out the full review here) is an unraveling of the mind that vigorously rips its on-screen characters from reality layer by layer. Brandon Cronenberg has created a vividly surreal horror film that titillates as often as it terrifies.” – 5/5

Did you hear that GHG is goin’ GHGhost? … No.. Way.

2. Soul (Disney+) – “Soul has meaning and purpose in its message. It leaves the viewer contemplating their own life, what their beliefs are, and what in their life is equivalent to jazz for Joe. The movie (to which you can read my full review right here) is an inspirational, laugh out loud funny, and purely joyous piece of entertainment for all ages that spans beyond our existential plane. It’s the rare type of meaningful and heartfelt film, animated or otherwise, that sparks creativity and emotion in its audience that leaves audiences feeling more alive than before they watched the film.” – 4.5/5

3. The Wolf of Snow Hollow (Amazon Prime) – The combination of comedy and horror is nothing new, but it doesn’t always work. Jim Cummings makes those two aspects gel so well that you kind of forget about people being mauled to death in the snow by a werewolf. This film has my favorite scene from any film in 2020 and it lasts all of three seconds: After the werewolf rips off a female snowboarder’s arm, she attempts to crawl away while screaming in agony. The beast nearly stands up from a crouching position. It’s a wide angle shot, there’s the contrast of dark red blood with the bright white of the snow on the ground, and snow falls from the night sky as if it’s slowly crumbling away because this gruesome beast is so imposing. The Wolf of Snow Hollow is bloody, hilarious, mysterious, and it features the last performance of Robert Forster before his passing. – 4/5

Honorable Mentions: A Sun, World of Tomorrow Episode Three: The Absent Destinations of David Prime, Promising Young Woman, Minari, Freaky, Wolfwalkers, The Painter and the Thief.

-Chris Sawin

1. Phineas & Ferb – The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (Disney +) – Now hear me out for a minute: This film was way better than it needed to be. PAFTMCATU is a true love letter to this plucky Disney cartoon series that ran for over 100 episodes about two brothers just having one hell of a Summer Vacation. When their sister Candace is abducted by aliens, P & F do everything in their power to get her back. Is it an original idea? Nope. But they nail it. The movie is filled within quirky jokes, sight gags, Easter eggs, catchy songs and, surprisingly, it’s filled with a lot of heart. If this is truly the last we’ll see of this gang, it’s a hell of a send off. – 5/5

2. Palm Springs (HULU) – Stuck at a wedding in Palm Springs, Andy Samberg meets the maid of honor — and black sheep of the family — played by the always lovely Cristin Milioti. He saves her from a terrible wedding toast and she’s drawn to his offbeat charm. They go to the desert and that’s when things get really strange. It’s 50 First Dates meets Groundhog’s Day wrapped in nihilistic love story, a very solid 90-minute date nite film
for those “who’ve seen everything.” – 4/5

3. The Rental (Amazon Prime) – Two couples try to have a celebratory weekend at a rental house. But things turn sinister rather quickly as they believe their host is spying on them. First time director Dave Franco writes and leads a strong cast — including his wife Alison Brie — into a very modern horror suspense film. As brutal as if it smart and mean. This updated take on the old “summer camp slasher” genre delivers on its promise and its premise. – 3.75/5

-Sean Farrell

1. Soul (Disney+) – Living up to its title, Disney/Pixar’s latest has a lot going for it, and is one of the studio’s more cerebral outings, and it was surprising to see how well New York City was rendered, right down to the 7 train. Beautifully rendered, smart as hell, and with a gorgeous score by Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross that is a natural extension of the surprise spring release of Nine Inch Nails” Ghosts IV: Locusts/Ghosts V: Together, Soul stars Jamie Foxx as a jazz teacher who learns too late that having a dream and living a dream sometimes aren’t the same thing, and sometimes that’s okay. – 4.75/5

So you all hated.. the title. THE TITLE!!

2. Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey (Warner Bros.) – This was the last movie I watched in theaters before theatres were shut down due to COVID, and it could not have been a better, more fitting ending. Anarchic, ultra-violent, and with a feminist edge that was neither trite, nor overbearing, this was one of the most purely fun times I’ve had at a DCEU movie. Director Cathy Yan knocked it out of the park, and you also get to see your boy Moody in a few scenes as well! – 4.5/5

3. Bill And Ted Face The Music (MGM Studios) – Look. If this had not been released at the same time as New York’s COVID lockdown, this would not have hit as hard as it did. As it stands, this tale of San Dimas’ duo slackers could not have come at a better time when optimism was sorely needed and with a message I can certainly get behind: sometimes the best we can do to save the world is step back and play back-up. A movie that hit so hard, I reviewed it here. – 3.5/5

Honorable mentions: Wonder Woman 1984, Becky, Tenet, Vivarium, Scare Me, Host, Come To Daddy, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, The Hunt, Run, The Rental, #Alive.

-J.L. Caraballo

1. Da 5 Bloods (Netflix) – Director Spike Lee with Netflix puts out a powerful film about Vietnam Veterans that return to the site of war for a treasure that they had left behind years ago with the body of their fallen leader. The film stars Chadwick Boseman with a deep performance that is almost reflective in how as viewers we can only enjoy his films, as flashbacks. Also stars some favorites from The Wire with Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Clark Peters. This film is about veterans, and it is cast with actors that are seasoned. There is nothing about this film that doesn’t immerse the viewer into the compelling story. It is an intense film and incredibly deep. Da 5 Bloods is rich in scope and is the easy for number one, with a bullet. – 4.5/5

2. Palm Springs (Hulu) – Screenplay by Andy Siara and directed by Max Barbakow was a welcome refreshment to cool off from the casualty of 2020. I personally have not been a fan of the rom-com genre since the late 90’s. This film turned that around last year with the cast of: Andy Samdberg, Cristin Milioti, Camila Mendes, Tyler Hoechlin, Peter Gallagher and J.K. Simmons. Pretty much a cornucopia of geekdom wrapped in one film. Thing is, rom-coms tend to follow a very basic formula. Palm Springs stands out because it is genuinely a romantic comedy and it is funny. There are elements to science fiction with more than just a few chuckles, but laughter. There is time travel, and the search for connection. Even a cynic like myself can enjoy this “rom-com.” – 4/5

3. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Prime) – Directed by Jason Woliner, this film picks up with Sacha Baron Cohen reprising his role as Borat after being released from jail in 2020 hoping to become the prestige he once enjoyed in Kazakhstan. With Cohen, Maria Baklova is Borat’s daughter, alongside Tom Hanks, and you should be up to date on what this guy did; Rudy Guiliani (amongst others). Borat’s climb to redemption in this Amazon Prime Original is a transparent look inwards on how America’s politics are running. It also does not matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it is just damn funny satire and it has the audacity to play with the viewers. – 4/5

Honorable Mentions: Extraction, Wonder Woman 1984, Bill & Ted Face The Music.

-Frank Simonian

1. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (Blu Ray) – All good things must come an end and the end of the DCAU came to a brutal conclusion in JLD: Apokolips War — to which I reviewed here. While saddened to see that universe put to rest, we did get an even more brutal ending than either Infinity War or Endgame. I will miss the voice actors, but let’s see what the next iteration brings us. – 4.5/5

2. Soul (Disney+) – Yes, Pixar’s latest just came out but that doesn’t matter. Pixar just has a way of touching your soul and leaving you walk out (of the living room) with a smile. Foxx and Tina Fey lead a phenomenal voice acting group and really bounce each other well. – 4.5/5

3. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) – Is this a geek film? Not in the slightest, and I possibly could have slipped The Old Guard into this spot (seriously, watch that film) but I’m a huge Aaron Sorkin fan and this movie was him at his finest. His writing and directing is sharp and doesn’t fall into his old trope of making a fantasy out of nothing. Each of his projects is, however, a love letter to whatever he is writing about and this one is about protestors and when the cause of just, protesting is as American as apple pie. – 4.5/5

Honorable Mentions: The Old Guard, Birds of Prey, American Pickle, Palm Springs, Enola Holmes, WW84.

-Robert Bexar

1. Tenet (Warner Bros.) – With the year-long shutdown in Los Angeles due to the never-ending coronavirus, I still have yet to watch Christopher Nolan‘s latest. But! I did get to work on the film as a soldier, was set up in a nice Marriot Suite for our Palm Desert shoot (complete with a pool, a gym, free continental breakfast and a short ride to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree), and subsequently wound up with all grins when those checks rolled in, hitting the ever elusive “golden hour” (aka 16+ hours/day) over six times in the 3 weeks worked on the project. So, it doesn’t matter if this is Nolan’s worst movie ever, or that I’m still waiting for it to hit HBO Max, because now this tenant lives in a nice new posh apartment in the valley. Thanks, Chris. – 50/5

We made him run backwards and he still loved us.

No.. for real this time..

1. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (WB) – Another movie I got to work on (you get to briefly see your boy as a nerve-wracked Gotham detective not named Bruce), but one I actually saw in the theater — the only non-4DX movie I remember seeing lastr year in that all but extinct homebase for modern cinema — and thoroughly enjoyed. While this “Fabulous Emancipation” didn’t break do a lick at the B.O., it certainly didn’t hurt my viewing experience going on Valentine’s Day with a hot Russian gal who resembled Margot. – 4.25/5

2. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (Funimation/4DX) – With the impressive slice of life focus on the U.A. class’ surplus of students, many hilarious exchanges, fantastic visuals, enjoyable score and a ultra convenient but fun story fit for a one-shot at the movie theater, Heroes Rising was the perfect way to say goodbye to the 4DX cinematic format. For now. *insert hands praying emoji* – 4/5

3. Wonder Woman 1984 (HBO Max) – Your worst movie of the year wound up one of my favorites. Sure, this spot or higher likely would’ve been served to Black Widow and WW84‘s jarring tonal shift may not have been globally welcome. Oh, you’ll likely not stream this sequel as many times as Patty Jenkins‘ first WW flick, but even so, it was the esteem/spirit-uplifting/dream-desiring movie needed to cap off the Worst Year Ever. Gal Gadot is simply wonderful in her role as Diana Prince (for most of the movie), Chris Pine rules, and we def needed more of Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig is great, but the execution of her motivations wasn’t perfect). The villain’s — and the movie’s — endgame def also felt rushed; but since this movie made me cry like a baby on Christmas, all the feels pulsing through my Sony LED overcome any criticism I used up on everything fucking else in the past year. #sorrynotsorry – 3.75/5

Honorable Mentions: Da 5 Bloods, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, Extraction, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, The Old Guard, Soul.

-Travis Moody

1. Soul

2. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey

3. Palm Springs

Honorable Mentions: Wonder Woman 1984, Da 5 Bloods, JLD: Apokolips War, Bill & Ted Face The Music, Extraction, The Old Guard.

November 23, 2020
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ADVENTURE TIME – DISTANT LANDS [Obsidian Review]: Be My Monster.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands is this wonderful epilogue to what Adventure Time means to its fans after ten gloriously algebraic seasons. HBO Max revived Adventure Time for the Distant Lands miniseries that is only four episodes total with each episode running 45 minutes each.

Obsidian expands on the relationship between Marceline and Princess Bubblegum. They’re living together now, they’re a couple again, and seem happy. Years ago, Marceline vanquished Larvo the Dragon in The Glass Kingdom with a specific song. Now Larvo has awoken from a magma-induced slumber. Both Larvo and Marceline have grown in different ways over the years and Obsidian dives into that…

BMO is an intriguing introduction to Distant Lands. BMO is out in space on this adventure with all these characters you have never been introduced to. The surprise at the end of the episode that revealed how BMO connected to the original Adventure Time series is its biggest charm.

Obsidian has even more throwbacks since we’re dealing with remembering an emotional connection that has spanned an entire animated franchise. Without spoiling too many secrets of Obsidian, the episode is able to revisit Marceline’s mom. It felt like we didn’t get a lot of time with her during the original series, so seeing how she was with Marceline, albeit briefly, feels special.

One of The Glass Kingdom residents named Glassboy is voiced by Michaela Dietz who voiced Amethyst in Steven Universe. Glassboy has a crack in his head and is self-conscious about his appearance. He awakens Larvo and is essentially a Marceline fanboy. The character is annoying, but it’s interesting to hear Dietz voice a male character that sings as often as he does.

The music in Obsidian is on par with the best Marceline songs from the original series. Woke Up has Sex Bob-Omb from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World vibes with bouncy bass lines and revenge ridden lyrics. It’s such a catchy break up song. Monster is this stripped down, ukulele fueled, ode to self-doubt. While based on love, Monster is about realizing the person you’re with is the reason you’re as good as you are today.

Obsidian feels too short to be as satisfying as it is. The Marceline/Bubblegum pairing is something fans have been clamoring forever for and Obsidian does not disappoint. The music is begging for a soundtrack release of some kind. The story manages to cater to fanfare and showcase the fact that our flaws are what make us unique. We all have emotional baggage or a troubled past, but it all still makes us who we are in the present.

The tender and heartfelt aspect of Obsidian is almost overwhelming. At it’s core, it’s still a silly show that caters to both kids and adults. But its emotion feels genuine enough to make the unbearable year of 2020 seem obsolete for almost an hour. Obsidian reminds us why we all still love Adventure Time and that seeing these characters mature makes our chests tingle in all the right ways. 5/5 Glassassin Kickin’ Bibles.

Adventure Time: Distant Lands episodes BMO and Obsidian are now available to stream on HBO Max. The remaining two episodes, Wizard City (a Peppermint Butler episode) and Together Again (a Finn and Jake reunion episode) are expected to air sometime in 2021.

November 1, 2020November 1, 2020
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BOOKS OF BLOOD [Review]: Carve Me A Bedtime…

Hulu’s horror anthology, Books of Blood, is based on Clive Barker’s books of the same name published between 1984 and 1985 and spanned six volumes. There have been eight previous adaptations of Barker’s version of The Books of Blood including Candyman, The Midnight Meat Train, and another adaptation of “The Book of Blood” from 2007.

*This does contain spoilers*

Each story in the film is named after one of its characters, but these names are carved in flesh and ooze blood whenever the title screen switches from one story to the next. Everything is also much more connected than the film first lets on…

Jenna (Britt Robertson) has a psychological breakdown and drops out of college. She is hyper sensitive to sound, especially crunching and chewing. She carries around a pair of noise canceling headphones to drown out the world around her.

She runs away when she learns that her mom wants to re-institutionalize her. She gets off a bus out of town when she thinks she’s being followed. Jenna ends up at a bed and breakfast owned by a kind middle aged couple. Sam (Nicholas Campbell) is a carpenter while Ellie (Freda Foh Shen) is a gardener.

Turns out Sam and Ellie are harvesting their children, grandchildren, and every guest they’ve ever had in the walls and floors of their house as an improvised garden. They scoop out their eyes and rip out their tongues so their guests no longer have to cry or scream ever again. The Jenna segment has a terrifying night terror/sleep paralysis segment that makes your skin crawl, but it’s nearly ruined by a bunch of computer generated roaches.

Miles (Etienne Kellici) is a seven year old that dies of Leukemia. His mother, Mary (Anna Friel), believes that there’s nothing after death. Simon (Rafi Gavron) tracks Mary down to let her know that he is a medium and that Miles sent him to find her. Simon’s naked convocations are spectacles that leave Simon twitching and the walls of a white room covered in bloody messages from the dead. Mary begins to believe that Simon is this unconventional doorway between her and Miles, but something much more sinister is at hand.

The result of Simon’s convocations in Books of Blood.

Simon eventually becomes the physical representation of The Book of Blood. The dead have stories to tell and flesh is their page. The naked human body being covered from head to toe in carved, bloody words has this Hellraiser quality to it. Clive Barker has certainly left his mark on the horror genre.

Bennett (Yul Vazquez) is a hitman searching for The Book of Blood to use for newfound wealth. He kills a librarian that puts the thought of obtaining the book in his head. Bennett searches for the book throughout the film, but doesn’t realize what gruesome horrors it represents.

Books of Blood has an abysmal online reputation. However, the film is a solid horror anthology. The screenplay is surprisingly strong, the stories are intriguing, and there’s genuine, thought-provoking dialogue. Its bloodiest moment is seeing the after effects of a chainsaw meeting human flesh, so it’s a bit light on gore.

The film’s Tales From the Crypt ambience is its biggest strength. The horror formula tends to fall into this inevitable wheel of predictability and redundancy; it all feels the same. All of the stories from Books of Blood, apart from the title story, feel fresh and new. When most modern horror seems to feel like a rehash of a previous concept, Books of Blood deserves recognition for at least trying to be original.

Jenna sketches her nightmares in Books of Blood.

This new version of Books of Blood has impeccable writing and Britt Robertson delivers an exhaustively mesmerizing and impassioned performance. Books of Blood has encapsulated Clive Barker’s writing style of incorporating unimaginable horror with the fractured reality of being a flawed human being. It’s a must watch for horror fans. 3.5/5 Skin Ripping Bibles.

Books of Blood is now streaming on Hulu.

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020
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HBO MAX & CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS [Comic-Con@Home]: Infinity Train.

Chris “Holy Spirit” Sawin
@evilbutters

The HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Infinity Train panel is an interesting one. They chose to give you a peek into the writer’s room rather than having members of the voice cast involved. The panel consisted of writer/moderator Lindsay Katai, series creator Owen Dennis (also the voice of Sad-One), supervising producer Madeline Queripel, and writers Alex Horab and Justin Michael.

There was a lengthy discussion about how the writers were chosen for their jobs and how they all came together. During Katai’s first interview, Dennis and MaQeripel asked her what type of programming she watches. Katai replied, “I like sci-fi.” When pressed for specifics, she mentioned Star Trek. When pressed further for which Star Trek she was a fan of, she said Voyager. This resulted in Dennis and Queripel throwing their hands up and spinning around in their chairs in celebration.

Justin Michael came back with a list of things he wanted to happen on the show in one of his first interviews. Horab’s writing samples were said to be so drastically different from one another. Dennis said that Horab had one that was from the perspective of a toaster. Dennis said that he knew Infinity Train was going to be an eclectic kind of show, so he thought someone would be valuable who had lots of weird ideas about lots of different things.

Katai asked Dennis when he knew he wanted to make the show an anthology show. It was a choice made halfway through the first season. They were really happy with the story they told in the first ten episodes. Dennis said they worked really hard to tell a tight story in those ten, but Cartoon Network wanted 20 episodes. Dennis stated that there was a desire to not have any filler, so the choice was made to explore different characters and themes more thoroughly in later books/seasons.

Most of the writers seem to hate coming up with new ideas for train car ideas. Michael has pages, but Katai isn’t a fan of the puzzles involved for moving from one car to another. Horab made a good point that it isn’t always about solving a puzzle, but it’s often about emotional growth.

Owen Dennis made a special video devoted to multi-plane effects used for the animation of Infinity Train. Multi-plane photography is typically an animation cel being placed on a background. A simple animation of Atticus walking is a loop of eight cels. The multi-plane effect/camera originated in the 1930s, but it’s done digitally now. In real life, the objects in the foreground move faster than objects in the background. The multi-plane effect is a series of layered backgrounds shifted slightly to seem more realistic. Dennis is quick to point out that it’s been utilized throughout the show even though we probably haven’t noticed. He then showed a montage of some multi-plane sequences from the show.

Book 3 was announced a few weeks ago. The writers discussed that fan speculation has been frustrating since some of it has been spot-on. Entire seasons have been guessed and laid out by fans in the past. The new season will revolve around returning characters Grace and Simon from the Apex car along with two new characters; a little girl named Hazel and a big, blue, imposing creature named Tuba. It was noted that Hazel is the youngest character to be on the train thus far.

When naming new characters, the process is basically the writers yelling possible names until one sticks or feels right. Michael said that Hazel is likely to be more mature and intelligent than we may be expecting a girl her age to be. Fans knew Grace and Simon would return for Book 3, who were teased in Book 1 and introduced in episode seven of Book 2. Thus far, the point of the show has been to get the number each character on the train is assigned down in order to get off the train. However, Grace and Simon only want to see their numbers rise. Alex Horab then talked about everyone making mistakes on the show. What these characters initially think isn’t always the case.

The panel ended with the world premiere trailer for Book 3 along with a streaming date of August 13 on HBO Max. The first two books/seasons are already available. Lindsay Katai mentioned that the titles for the first two books are The Perennial Child (Book 1) and Cracked Reflection (Book 2). Owen Dennis then revealed that Book 3 is called Cult of the Conductor. When asked about the future of the series, Dennis stated that they have at least eight different ideas and themes of where future books/seasons could go. They even have plans to dive into other mediums like comics, but the show won’t go any further unless everyone watches the show on HBO Max.

I’m behind on Infinity Train and need to catch up. I’ve only seen the first book, but I doubt I’ll be able to revisit it and the second book before the third premieres next month. This was exactly what I’d want from a Comic-Con panel. It provided behind the scenes information, had video of the animation process, teased what lies ahead for the series, and gave fans something new to tide them over until the new season premieres. This was a 45-minute panel, but it was fun and detailed without feeling long or boring. It basically renewed my interest in the show, which is always a good thing. 4.5/5 Never-ending Bibles.

-Chris Sawin

July 25, 2020July 25, 2020
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HBO MAX & CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS [Comic-Con@Home]: Adventure Time – Distant Lands.

The HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Adventure Time: Distant Lands Comic-Con@Home panel featured Michaela Dietz (voice of Amethyst on Steven Universe) as the moderator, executive producer Adam Muto, Niki Yang (voice of BMO), Glory Corda (voice of Y5 on the BMO special), and Olivia Olsen (voice of Marceline).

The panel spent just under 16-minutes discussing the BMO episode of Distant Lands, which is now streaming on HBO Max. Muto mentioned that with these four Distant Lands specials they wanted to focus on different characters from the main show to offer a different perspective other than that of Finn and Jake. Yang gave her thoughts on some of her favorite BMO catch phrases including, “BMO always bounces back,” and “Easy like potato pie.”

There was also heavy discussion on the ending of the BMO special and how it relates to the series, which is a bit of a spoiler if you haven’t seen it. It seems like a last minute addition to connect the BMO special to the original series, but Muto explained that it was something they planned from the start. Corda broke down Y5, which is a new character for the franchise. She seemed really excited just to be a part of the Adventure Time franchise. Quick note: it’s kind of funny that all of the voice actors pretty much sound exactly like the characters they voice in real life.

The panel then discussed the next special for Adventure Time: Distant Lands, a Princess Bubblegum and Marceline special entitled Obsidian. It’s interesting that they chose Dietz to be the moderator for this panel since Obsidian was also a fusion on Steven Universe. When asked where the title came from, Adam Muto said that Obsidian is a metaphor for a lot of different things; it refers to the setting of the special, which is The Glass Kingdom. Obsidian is also a natural kind of glass that absorbs negativity, can be weaponized, and it is known to draw out stress while exposing things. These are elements the special dives into.

Obsidian explores the relationship between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline after the events of the Adventure Time season finale. The finale confirmed fan speculation that there was a romantic relationship between the two. Obsidian picks up a few years after that and explores what their bond has been like since then. It was mentioned rather quickly by Dietz, but a BMO Mixtape featuring music from the show and the BMO special is set to be released soon. They didn’t divulge what formats it will be available on though (CD, Vinyl, Digital, etc).

Music was a big part of Adventure Time, so naturally it was confirmed that there will at least be a few new Marceline songs. Obsidian will dive into Marceline’s evolution as a character while addressing issues she’s never confronted before. Olsen said that she made everyone in the studio cry during some of her recording sessions, so it’s sure to be an emotional journey. Two new characters will be featured in Obsidian, which Muto said had similarities to Finn and Jake. While one remained a bit of a mystery, the other is named Glassboy. His pushy presence is what makes Bubblegum and Marceline talk about their relationship in Obsidian. It was also revealed that Dietz will be doing the voice of Glassboy while doing a different voice compared to Amethyst.

Unfortunately, no release date for Obsidian was confirmed. Four specials make up the entirety of Adventure Time: Distant Lands. We’ve already received BMO and Obsidian is forthcoming, while the last two are Wizard City — likely to be about the magical city of the same name introduced in season four — and Together Again. This also means it’ll probably feature The Ice King in some capacity. Together Again is rumored to be about Finn and Jake reuniting after being a part for a lengthy amount of time.

I liked this panel a lot more in comparison to the Close Enough panel (which you can read all about right here), but Distant Lands does have more material set to release on the horizon; and not only the stuff already on HBO Max, but what is also soon to come. While a bummer that we didn’t get a proper release date or even a clip from Obsidian, the artwork and new song were nice little appetizers to tide us Adventure Time fans over. 4/5 Bouncing BMO Bibles.

-Chris Sawin

July 23, 2020
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HBO MAX & CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS [Comic-Con@Home]: Close Enough.

The HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Close Enough Comic-Con@Home panel was hosted by William Salyers, the voice of Rigby on Regular Show. The panel was about 30-minutes with roughly ten minutes devoted to Salyers talking to Close Enough creator and voice of Josh, J.G. Quintel.

The rest of the panel had the majority of the rest of the cast including Gabrielle Walsh (Emily), Jessica DiCicco (Candice), Jason Mantzoukas (Alex), Kimiko Glenn (Bridgette), and supervising producer Calvin Wong filling in for John Early (Mr. Campbell). The panel ended with a reading by the cast from the first episode.

The most intriguing material came from Salyers and Quintel’s one-on-one discussion. Quintel talked about transitioning from Regular Show to Close Enough and how both series seemed to represent different points in his life. Regular Show was more about Quintel’s college years and slacking off and Close Enough is what it’s like to now be married and have kids. The HBO Max series has a lot of the same cast involved that Regular Show did and they utilize a lot of the same animation concepts like watercolor backgrounds and a similar style. The biggest difference is that Quintel went from anthropomorphic animals to humans and connections with what feels like real people.

We also finally found out why Quintel settled on Close Enough being the name for his new series or at least we sort of did. His original title for the series was Splitting Rent, but he said it was, “A little too on the nose.” He chose the title Close Enough because it could mean a variety of different things. The show is about a married couple with a five year old sharing a house with a divorced couple. Close Enough could mean not having a lot of space in general. It could also mean having a general idea of success or where your life might take you, but settling on something that is close enough. “This isn’t what I imagined, but it’s close enough.”

Quintel’s favorite idea behind the title of the show, which originated on the internet, is that his new series is Close Enough to Regular Show which seems too perfect to not be a planned thing. The chit chat between cast members was slightly humorous at times, mostly thanks toMantzoukas, but was otherwise just fluff. It was cool to find out that Quintel pushes for everyone to record in the booth at the same time so there’s more chemistry amongst the cast and they can play off of each more compared to recording individually.

I did like that the panel highlighted not only the best episode of the first season (Episode 2, “Logan’s Run’d”) but also the best sequence, which is Josh and Emily doing errands to “Turn Down For What.” I guess I was wanting a little more from the panel though. Something regarding landing some of the more recognizable guest voices or that a season two was already in development or had at least been green-lit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBN6i6LbDg

The panel is a fun little video about the show featuring the voice cast, but it didn’t really give us a ton of behind the scenes information about the episodes we’ve already received or what a possible future might contain. With all of this COVID-19 nonsense, there’s no telling when entertainment can get back to a regular shooting or development schedule. We’re lucky to get anything right now, honestly. I’m happy with what Close Enough fans got from this panel, but just like the end of the first season I was left wanting so much more. 3.25/5 Adult-Oriented Bibles.

-Chris Sawin

Close Enough is currently streaming on HBO Max. You should totally check it out if you haven’t done so already. It’s only eight episodes, two 11-minute shorts per episode, and is especially excellent if you had been waiting to make the natural, semi-mature, overly hilarious transition from Regular Show to Close Enough. I wrote a lengthy article about Close Enough here. Please check it out if you’re interested.