Summer Edition
Things to Keep You Occupied Over the Summer
This summer is already looking to be a hot one … so why not spend it indoors? Here’s a few things to keep you occupied.The House in Fata Morgana
Not to be dramatic, but this game changed my life. Set in a supposedly cursed castle and spanning hundreds of years, The House in Fata Morgana begins as an anthology of sorts. Upon the unnamed protagonist’s arrival in the run-down castle, they are greeted by a woman who introduces herself only as “The Maid,” who regales them with tales of the castle’s past in an attempt to jog their memory. These tales are grim, gory, and always revolve around the same white-haired girl, who endures tragedy lifetime after lifetime with no memory of her previous lives.To say too much about the plot of this game would spoil some of the magic of playing through it for the first time, but between the gorgeous character sprites, the eclectic soundtrack, and the gripping writing, there is a reason The House in Fata Morgana‘s 2021 rerelease for the Nintendo Switch received a 96 on Metacritic. Available on Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Steam.
Fata Morgana deals with heavy themes, so content warning for blood, graphic descriptions of violence, suicide, marginalized characters facing violence and discrimination, and a general trend of characters committing and/or enduring unspeakable acts. While these themes are handled earnestly and respectfully, the story’s focus lies in making the reader empathize with characters in terrible situations, so if you’re concerned about any of its content, a more detailed list can be found from its English publisher here. Infinity Train
Okay, so this one’s a bit shorter. Spanning four seasons of ten episodes that sit at ten minutes each, Infinity Train is a pretty quick watch … which is all the more reason you should give it a try. When teenage Tulip runs away from her Oshkosh home hoping to make it to game-design camp, she happens to board, well, the wrong train. This train is massive, ever-changing, and filled with all manner of pocket dimensions containing terrors ranging from shadowy Lovecraftian beasts to maliciously programmed machinery. Along the way Tulip will meet Atticus, the king of a corgi nation; One-One, a friendly-yet-depressed robot; the Cat, a mysterious feline who conducts all manner of shady business across the train; and more of the train’s strange, sometimes-charming, sometimes-terrifying denizens. Each season of Infinity Train revolves around a different cast of characters (some of them minor characters from previous seasons), so even when one adventure ends, another begins. This series sports some of the most solid character writing in television, animated or not, so even if you’re not. Available to rent on YouTube and other streaming sites.
—Kana Coonce, Horror Editor
Time traveling lesbians?! Sign me up! One Last Stop follows 23-year-old August as she tries to make life work in New York City, determined to be forever alone. Who needs friends or a love life? However, just as her funky new roommates are worming their way into her heart, she’s on her commute to her waitressing gig and sees Jane. Jane is charming, attractive, and punk rock, and she quickly captures August’s attention. Realizing she has the biggest crush on Jane, August tries to get closer but realizes that Jane isn’t just any old commuter. She’s somehow stuck on this train and has been since the ’70s. Will August figure out this mystery and save Jane from an eternity of the New York railway system?
After enduring a painful divorce and resultant financial woes, Dahlia Woodson signs up for Chef’s Special, a reality-TV cooking show along the lines of Top Chef. Unfortunately, her dreams of reality-TV stardom and delivering a faceful of FOMO to her ex goes out the window when her natural clumsiness kicks in on camera: she trips and falls spectacularly on her face, launching her fish tacos and her dignity into the wind. 
If you have ever wanted to travel but either couldn’t afford it or wanted to learn more information about traveling, then this is the podcast for you! The Thoughtful Travel Podcast is a show hosted by Amanda Kendle, who is a blogger and social media consultant. In this podcast, Amanda interviews different travel lovers who discuss all the different aspects that come with traveling, from learning a new language to navigating politics in different countries. Each episode is fascinating as you hear people’s traveling stories as a lot of them are different from the average tourist story. Although the episodes are short, averaging 30 minutes each, they are extremely informative. So far, my favorite episode is “Languages and Accents,” episode 261. In this one, Amanda interviews people about learning new languages and developing different accents. One woman had traveled to quite a few places since she was born, and I was absolutely baffled by the many places she had been to since a young age. My only complaint is that sometimes the sound quality from the interviewees is poor, making it difficult to understand them, but that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of the podcast as I am still engaged and learning about the travel experience.
Teen Beach Movie was released in 2013 as a Disney Chanel Original and is currently not rated, though I feel a PG rating would have been fine. This film follows a young surfer, McKenzie, a.k.a. Mack, who gets lost at sea while out surfing during a huge storm and washes up in a strange new place. This place is filled with groovy people, rad retro ’60’s style, and one more thing … lots and lots of singing. In fact, there’s even a whole song dedicated to Mack being sick of singing titled “I Can’t Stop Singing.” After being transported to a whole new world while she’s out in a storm surfing, Mack has to try to figure out a way home once she realizes she’s stranded inside an actual movie, Wet Side Story (not a typo), all while being faced with a new love interest, Brady. This movie is based on and follows the plot of a classic film, West Side Story, with rival gangs (Surfers vs. Bikers), star-crossed lovers, and of course an extreme amount of singing. Teen Beach Movie is a fun, reinvented twist for the generation it was designed for. I would say it did it’s job of being an entertaining yet somehow almost brand-new story in its own way. The movie was an all-around success and became a hit amongst the kids. I give this film 7/10 stars simply because the singing gets to be a bit much.
Teen Beach Movie 2, directed by Jeffery Hornaday and distributed by Disney, is the sequel to the film Teen Beach Movie. In Teen Beach Movie 2, the story continues with our main characters Mac and Brady, who are enjoying the rest of their summer, but something has been bothering them and that is: what will their relationship look like once school has started? Since the two of them started dating each other that summer, they don’t know how school will affect them. They promise to stay a team and navigate school together. Yet things don’t go as planned as they start drifting apart the minute they return back to their old routine. Yet there’s no time to focus on that anymore because low and behold, Lela and Tanner are at their school! Lela and Tanner are the main characters from Brady’s favorite movie Wet Side Story, into which Mac and Brady had been magically transported in the first Teen Beach Movie. The two had followed Mac and Brady back to the real world. It is now up to Brady and Mac to help Tanner and Lela return back to their movie before it disappears because without our leads, there is no movie! Will they make it in time, and will Mac and Brady’s relationship ever be the same? Personally, I think this movie is cute and very enjoyable. Although it is not as good as the first movie, it is still one of those films that you can kick back, relax, and enjoy. Even though the film takes place during the school year, you still get that sun-loving feeling from it, making it all the more enjoyable.
I’ve always been a fan of making playlists. When I press “create playlist” on Spotify, it creates “New Playlist #226”. Now, most of them are garbage, but some of them actually turned out. I started making this one in particular on my break while working one morning over the weekend. The weather was just getting nice out, and the songs “Stay With Me” and “El Muchacho De Los Ojos Tristes” (the two most popular tracks) rattled around my brain. I spent the entire 30-minute break scouring for even remotely close songs, and 
BONUS OFFER: Act soon and get the sister playlist, 
The Chromatics were an electronic, synth-pop band from Portland, Oregon that influenced many of the indie, alternative, and dream-pop genres from the early 2000s to their disbandment in 2021. 
The best part of the classic “Sorry!” series is the game mechanics of ruthlessly offing your friends. Why not just lean into the theme more and make it more dramatic by having giant plastic pieces? “Giant Sorry!” offers all that and more—just imagine it: “Sorry Mom, looks like I’m sending you back home.” *Punts the pawn across the lawn*
Lawn Darts, a.k.a. Jarts (Not jean darts, silly. The “J” stands for “javelin darts” since you throw ’em like one.) is a fun yet very dangerous (and I think even illegal in some places) game meant to be played by two players. The premise of the game is to throw huge 12-inch metal-tipped darts at the ground in a plastic ring in an attempt to win the most points. This game reportedly caused many injuries and accidents, but is still known as a fun outdoor game. There are safety bans on the original game in Canada and parts of the US, so if you get the chance to play with these bad boys someday, tell grandma to stand back, and make sure not to impale your little brother in front of everyone at the family cookout. The official report is here so you can’t say we didn’t give you a 
All systems are online, Captain. Homeworld 3 is the continuation of the renowned Homeworld series that sees you leading an expedition across the galaxy in your mothership. In the first game, you discover an ancient vessel buried underneath the sands of your dying, desert world. You travel across the galaxy, collecting resources, developing new vessels, and fighting astounding fleet battles that risk the very survival of your species. The second game followed with the same success, and here is hoping for the third to continue the game-defining space simulator. It is set to release in the first half of 2023, so keep a close eye on it! Now, all power to engines, Captain. We have a galaxy to explore. Coming to Steam.
The Demons are back; has anyone seen my claymore? After nearly a decade since the last major release (we will not mention the mobile one), the Diablo series is making its return this summer. Diablo has always been about stomping demons, exploring war-torn dungeons, and collecting that glittering loot. There is already a lot of promise with the open beta that was released a few weeks ago. For those unfamiliar, Diablo is an RPG-style, hack-and-slash game where you march around the world as demon hunters slaying demons. From a raging barbarian to a terrifying warlock, to even a creepy witchdoctor, the player characters in Diablo allow for a variety of playstyles to account for how people game. Look forward to this release if you’ve been itching to kick some Demon butt. Coming to PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series X/S, and PC/Steam.
For fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia writer/actor Charlie Day, Fool’s Paradise brings us his directorial debut. The core premise is “a down-on-his-luck publicist gets his lucky break when he discovers a mute man recently released from a mental-health facility looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer.” It seems like just dumb, fun comedy, which is something that has felt like it’s been missing from Hollywood lately. I don’t remember the last time I sat down in theaters to watch just a comedy like this. As a Sunny fan myself, I am a little biased towards Day, but still, Fool’s Paradise seems like it has some promise to it, and I can’t wait.
The much-anticipated sequel to 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse finally arrives in theaters on June 2nd, this time with an even bigger cast of characters including Spider-Woman (voiced by Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya), and Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and featuring the return of Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Peter B. Parker from the first film. Clocking in at 2 hours and 16 minutes, Across the Spider-Verse will be the longest-ever animated film from a major Hollywood studio. If you’re a fan of superheroes or just enjoy good animation, Across the Spider-Verse is one to keep an eye out for.
When Sissel wakes up with no memory next to a body that is presumably his, he has only the advice of a possessed lamp to guide him toward recovering himself and protecting those he may eventually come to love. Oh, and he only has one night to do it before his spirit ascends to the afterlife forever. Written by the creator of the popular Ace Attorney series, Ghost Trick flopped upon its Western release in 2012. Hopefully with this remake for the Switch, Ghost Trick can finally make it into more hands and receive the attention it deserves. The animations are butter-smooth, the soundtrack bops, the plot twists never fail to amaze, and the whole game drips with heart. I’m telling you, if you don’t pick up Ghost Trick, you’re missing out on an all-time great.
I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan, though that’s based solely on the first and third movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, respectively. The second movie has an offensive colonialist plot and a shrieking love-interest who set my teeth on edge (though a then-adolescent Ke Huy Quan of Everything Everywhere All at Once fame rises above a stereotypical role with a charming performance as Short-Round). And the fourth was apparently one in a series of (screenwriter, in this case) George Lucas’s later-in-life attempts to torpedo his film legacy with wooden writing, a head-scratchingly labyrinthine plot, and a storyline that did the first film’s feminist icon Marion Ravenwood very, very wrong. But one and three are swashbuckling perfection, as our titular archaeologist hero goes off on a globe-trotting adventures seeking mystical treasures, punching Nazis, and delighting audiences through every repeat watch. Director Steven Spielberg has kept the plot details of Dial of Destiny largely under wraps, so I feel a little like Charlie Brown running at Lucy’s football, due to the spectacular letdown that was Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (film four). But like I’ve long said, I’d watch a 105-year-old Harrison Ford if he made Indiana Jones and the Bedpan of Destruction, so here I go.
This thrilling monster flick centers around the crew of the Demeter, a Russian shipping vessel, as they journey from Carpathia to London with twenty-four unmarked crates. Little did they know, something evil lurks in those crates, and has been brought onto the ship with them. Stuck out at sea with a horrible creature, most likely some type of vampire, the crew must plan by day and fight by night. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is set to release in theaters August 11. It’s a perfect way to wrap up summer and jump into the fall spookies!
This paranormal documentary from production company Planet Weird features the chilling tale of a strange statuette with nails in its eyes and a noose around its neck. The piece was found in the Catskill mountains of southeast New York by two hikers, who then had intense paranormal experiences with it. At a loss with what to do, the hikers sent it to paranormal investigators and occult specialists, Greg and Dana Newkirk. The Newkirks then did various psychic and paranormal experiments with the statuette, having many weird experiences of their own. After progressively more intense paranormal phenomena occur, the Newkirks decide they need to figure out what to do with the cursed figure; thus, their journey begins. The Newkirks are some of my favorite paranormal investigators out there, and I’m amped for this new content from them! The Unbinding is due to release sometime this summer, though the exact date is still under wraps. Follow the Newkirks on social media to get a heads up about the release! 
In this spoof of a slasher movie, two awkward but well-intentioned hillbillies, Tucker (played by Alan Tudyk) and Dale (played by Tyler Labine), finally buy the vacation home of their dreams—a run-down cabin in the woods. All seems to be going well— until a group of college students on a camping trip mistake the two for bloodthirsty killers. To make things worse, in their attempts to save their “kidnapped” friend, Allison, who is staying with the two after they saved her from drowning, the students begin falling prey to bizarre, deadly accidents (think Final Destination, but sillier). Will Tucker and Dale ever be able to clear the air between them? Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is best enjoyed with friends, especially if you’re the type of person who loves giving commentary on what you’re watching.
This hilarious mockumentary TV series follows the wacky experiences of four vampires that have lived together for hundreds of years on Staten Island. The cast features Nandor the Relentless, a warrior and conqueror from the Ottoman Empire; British vampire Laszlo; the seductive Nadja; and Colin the day-walker. We also can’t forget one of the funniest parts of the series, Nandor’s familiar, Guillermo. He’s the only human in the mix and has so many ridiculous and comical moments. I love the mockumentary style of this TV show, and it is totally bingable. I ended up watching all four seasons in just a couple weeks. It will keep you laughing the entire time, and the use of awkward tension and striking punchlines makes for a great watch! I would recommend checking out What We Do In The Shadows as it is available on Hulu, YouTube TV, and YouTube!
Children of The Mirror is a horror-comedy mini-series made for IFC by Wham! City Comedy. All six episodes are easily accessible on 
In Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind, Kvothe, the main character, retells the story of his life to a weary traveler. He begins with his childhood, weaving the tale of his life in a troupe of traveling players into his time spent as an orphan trying to survive in a crime-ridden city. He then moves the story to narrate his time spent at a legendary magic school, where he gets into all sorts of crazy trouble. It gives full Hogwarts vibes, but so much darker and cooler. Kvothe’s life is full of crazy, wonderful, and at times heart-wrenching stories; which one will be your favorite?
Sorcha is the youngest of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters’ seven children. The lady of the house died giving birth to her, but the mother-shaped hole in her heart is almost filled by the closeness Sorcha shares with her six older brothers. Until Lord Colum remarries, that is, as emotionally remote single fathers in fantasy fairy tales are wont to do. Lady Oonagh, the new stepmother, wants Lord Colum’s love—and money—for herself. And naturally, being a powerful sorceress, she casts a devastating curse on the lord’s sons, turning them into swans, though she fails to catch his daughter in her magical snare. As Sorcha hides in the forest and watches the last of her family lift off into the sky, she knows she must seek the help of the queen of the Fair Folk.