Queen And Slim
Director: Melina Matsoukas
Writer: Lena Waithe
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Chloë Sevigny, Flea, Bokeem Woodbine, Indya Moore
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Rated: R | Minutes: 132
Release Date: November 27, 2019

If art is a reflection of society, then Queen And Slim is a serious call to action to address the societal damages that police brutality and systemic racism cause when it is allowed to continue to fester across America. Melina Matsoukas, who makes her directorial debut using a script written by Lena Waithe, reimagines the outlaws on the run from the law story by adding timely real-world social themes that we see making news headlines too often. Though a film will not completely change the hearts and minds of those who may not see these dangers, it can be a powerful reminder that it still continues to exist and if it isn’t taken care of, these senseless deaths will continue to happen. My review below.

Knives Out
Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer
Distributor: Lionsgate
Rated PG-13 | Minutes: 130
Release Date: November 27, 2019

Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out is a deliciously twisted whodunit murder mystery in the same vein of an Agatha Christie novel, but with a modern touch. Though it does rely on many of those Christie tropes of a detective warning the audience about foul play, marking everyone as a suspect, and deliberately setting up all of the clues in plain sight. And true to form, though the film holds the audience’s attention by giving them a well-crafted intrigue that is set up by Johnson, the political subtext allows it to be much more than just a simple murder mystery. And it is able to stay constantly entertaining as it is full of unlikeable and very suspect characters, who are wonderfully played by an all-star cast, that not only keeps things funny, but will also have us guessing until the very end. My full review below.

Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron: Rising from The Last War
Hardcover
D&D Accessory
Wizards Of The Coast
Release Date: November 19, 2019

Well met, adventurers! I hope this day finds you well. Our discussion today revolves around a world that has been around for well over a decade but has been revamped for the current incarnation of Dungeons & Dragons. I speak, of course, of Eberron: Rising From The Last War. A unique fan favorite, this release has a load of previously unavailable material for this current edition of the world’s greatest role playing game.

I am aware that there was an online supplement that introduced Eberron to the world of 5th Edition, but this tome is so much more. Whereas the other release was a constantly evolving set of documents, this new adventure book is all of that and more. If you will allow me a few minutes of your time, I will tell you all about it! This is most definitely not your standard fantasy setting, folks. Not by a long shot.

Alien Archives: Eighteen Stories of Extraterrestrial Encounters
Paperback | Kindle
Written by Robert Silverberg
Publisher: Three Rooms Press
Release date: October 29, 2019

Alien Archives: Eighteen Stories of Extraterrestrial Encounters is a career-spanning collection highlighting some of the best science fiction short stories and novellas from celebrated author Robert Silverberg. With all-new forwards from the author himself, readers are given greater insight into the motivations and process behind each story.

There is quite the variety of tales being told here, too. Some of these stories are humorous slices of life while others trend to darker tales of survival. Some are told from an alien point of view while others focus on the human beings affected by their encounters. But, despite these differences in style and theme, all the stories are believably written with sympathetic protagonists with whom you can easily relate, regardless of species.

Chokehold
The Final War #3
Paperback | Kindle
Written by David Moody
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Release Date: November 19, 2019

Maybe it’s simply due to having already read One Of Us Will Be Dead By Morning and All Roads End Here, the previous two novels in David Moody‘s The Final War trilogy; or maybe it’s because I’ve gotten used to the raw carnage of his post-apocalyptic horror world; or maybe it has to do with Moody’s unique – yet still quite natural – format of storytelling in which each novel has a completely different feel; whatever the reason may be, whatever special circumstances set the third and final novel apart from its predecessors, there is no doubt that I absolutely loved Chokehold.