31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
The Knights of
Badassdom (2013)
The adventure genre is one near and dear to my heart,
especially as a child of the 80's and early 90's. Before the days of slick,
big-budget adaptations of "Lord of the Rings" and "Game of
Thrones", fantasy was defined largely by the old DnD (Dungeons and Dragons)
tropes. The warrior, cleric, wizard, thief, and other classic roles each had
their own style, and into each we could project our fantasy
selves, a heroic version of what was otherwise a mundane life.
Laugh away, but we all do this is some form or another. For some, it simply becomes a passion less
"nerdy", like fantasy football. For others, the swords n' sorcery
never let go. The dream persists that, one day, the call to heroics will sound
and you'll have to step up from your boring 9-to-5 and embrace the adventure.
Tonight's feature gives all us dreamers that reward, only in
the form of a blood-thirsty succubus. When all your bravery's been earned via
experience points, what happens when you find yourself needing it against some
real-world monsters?
The Plot:
Eric and Hung are best buddies with an
obsession for all things LARPing (Live Action Role Playing). They spend their
weekends in the woods, acting out live "battles" against all manner
of goblins, elves, and warlocks (other players). Experience points are gained,
stories told, and many an eye rolled by the surrounding townsfolk. With Eric
coming from a rich family, their group of literal weekend-warriors bedecks
themselves in actual (replica) armor and weapons. Foam padding included. Eric
has even claimed to have ordered an actual spell book off EBay.
When fellow friend Joe is dumped
by his longtime girlfriend, angry at his lack of ambition and obsession with
heavy metal, Eric and Hung step in to fill the void. They basically kidnap
their heartbroken friend and drag him to the biggest LARPing event of the year.
Forget the vile wench! There's adventures to be had!
Everything's going great until
Eric busts out his new spell book. Having no idea what the runes within suggest,
he inadvertently casts an actual summoning spell. What arrives is a succubus
from hell, who after a brief glimpse into Joe's mind, takes the form of his
ex-girlfriend. Sultry and hungry, the succubus blends right into the
medieval-themed crowd. Weekend-warriors begin dropping like flies.
Now the
geeks must step up and become real heroes before their fellow LARPers get torn
to pieces by a real-life demon.
The Flavor:
"The Knights of Badassdom" is far from perfect.
While the premise is sheer gold, much of the story is rushed and the comedy
hit-or-miss. The film received mixed reviews upon release, and while I
understand the criticism, I personally fall into the positive camp. I
believe "Knights of Badassdom" is destined for cult-classic status in
a few years. There's enough charm to elevate the film past its less effective
moments.
First off, while parodying the LARPing world is as easy as
shooting fish in a barrel, I applaud "Knights of Badassdom" for taking
the high road. Yes, it makes fun of LARPing, and we laugh along with the jokes.
Then it actually introduces us into its world, and I'll be damned, it's portrayed as really cool. The film may poke fun at live action role playing,
but it also gives us a peek into what makes the sport so appealing. There's a
whole community of men and women acting out adventures, armor and all, and
while it's all fake, when the stigma's removed and everyone's in on the fun, the
experience seems thrilling. Yea, I may be biased, being a geek and all,
but "Knights of Badassdom" really does celebrate the geeks.
The film also has a nice blend between slasher horror and
genuine adventure flick. When the succubus is on her rampage, the blood flows
freely. "Knights of Badassdom" doesn't skimp in the gore department,
dispatching victims with the sort of gusto you'd see in a "Friday the
13th" movie. It's not so much scary as it is a brutal display of what this
creature is really capable of. It both works make our villain imposing and to throw some serious viscera at the screen.
On the adventure side, once our cast heroes-up and decides
to become the warriors they've always pretended to be, "Knights of
Badassdom" plays up some fun adventure tropes. From improvised weapons, botched spellcasting, and a ragtag party, the film plays out like the cast were using a actual Dungeons and Dragons strategy guide to fight the real monster. This is where
the humor really shines.
Finally, the film gets extra points for a hysterical
performance by Peter Dinklage, who's stoner-turned-avenger Hung steals every scene he's in.
Best Paired With:
This appears like a horror comedy that makes fun of nerds, but
those most enamored with fantasy will actually have the most fun with. The film
has plenty of in-jokes and nods, more loving parody than mean-spirited jab.
There's also plenty of action and campy gore to satisfy.
The casual viewer may not get all the jokes, but will still
have a good time.
Brew:
Let's see, here we have a horror-adventure-comedy, so we should keep things light. But with an interesting, distinct twist on the norm..
Name:
Fall Hornin'
Brewery:
Anderson Valley
Where
Brewed: Boonville, CA
ABV:
6.0%
Style:
Pumpkin Ale
Color: Unlike its
pumpkin-ale brothers, Fall Hornin' has a color that's deep, dark red. So much
so that the brew looks like a brown ale when poured into a glass. You'll find
none of the standard orange tones here.
Aroma: The Fall Trio (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) are all well
represented on the nose, and with them that signature vegetable twinge of
pumpkin. The malt presence is also toastier than most other pumpkin beer
scents. Seeing how dark this beer is, I'm expected that toasted malt quality to
carry over into the taste.
Taste: The malts are a bit toasty, but only just so. More of
their flavor is the bready sort of goodness you'd find in a more golden-bodied
ale. The spices hit hard in the flavor department, with cinnamon in particular
playing alpha to the nutmeg and clove. As the flavors settle, more of the
roasted quality of the malt becomes noticeable, especially once the
slightly-bitter kick of hop appears in the background.
The hops are dry on the tongue, and change up the flavor
profiles from the early taste. At first, Fall Hornin' comes off like a typical
pumpkin ale. Nice array of spices, just a tad of pumpkin flavor, and a dose of
malts. Once the hops appear, the sweetness of the malt recedes, leaving only
the roasted notes behind. This combines with the warming quality of the
cinnamon to make for a very different closing flavor. It's almost as if each
sip provides two unique tasting experiences, like drinking two beers at once.
Aftertaste: The mild hops stick to the tongue slightly, but
not so much as the spice factor. Cinnamon can be detected on the taste buds
minutes after taking a sip. But nicely, that cinnamon isn't the sweet sort.
Rather, it's the warming variety boosted by the bitter hop and toasty malt.
Body: I'm very surprised, as Fall Hornin' is far lighter in
heft than I would've thought. It's dark tone led me to believe the experience
would come in at medium. But Fall Hornin' goes down like air.
At 6.0%, watch your volume intake. I can easily see this brew creeping up on
you if you're not careful.
Pair: As a pumpkin ale with a little extra roast, I can see
Fall Hornin' pairing equally well with pub fare or a heartier dishes like stew.
If you've still got the grill out on the patio, this brew would go great with
burgers and sausages. But if the chill of the season has taken hold, Fall
Hornin' should pair up just as well with home-style cookin'.
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