SecondWindGroup

[COLUMN] In Masters of the Air, War Becomes a Dehumanizing and Mechanical Horror | by Darren Mooney

In the fourth episode of Masters of the Air, Colonel Chic Harding (James Murray) considers the argument that his servicemen in the 100th Bomb Group might be traumatized by their experiences.

“War is war,” he muses. “The longer you go at it, the more it screws a man up. It’s been that way since the first caveman son of a bitch picked up a club and went after the other.” Major...

[COLUMN] The Compelling Ambiguities of Dune: Part Two | by Darren Mooney

For all the scale and spectacle of Dune: Part Two, director Denis Villeneuve loves a reaction shot. The film has impressive scale and majesty, but it’s interesting how frequently Villeneuve will cut to an intense close-up of one character reacting to another. Most of the time, characters like the Fremen leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem) or the loyal soldier Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) are w...

The Secret to Making Any Game Satisfying | Design Delve

This week's episode of Design Delve is now available!

[COLUMN] Oppenheimer's Awards Sweep is a Reminder That Film is a Collaborative Medium | by Darren Mooney

When Al Pacino made his way to the front of the stage to announce the winner of the Best Picture at the Academy Awards, he avoided the traditional framing of “and the Oscar goes to…” Instead, opening the envelope, he simply declared, “My eyes see Oppenheimer.”

To be fair, the Oscars shared the love around this year. Most of the Best Picture nominees took home at least one ma...

[AD-FREE] What Do Developers Actually “Owe” Us? | Windbreaker Podcast

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Marty, Frost, and JM8 discuss the relationship between developers and players.

[COLUMN] In The Tragedy of Macbeth and Drive-Away Dolls, the Coens are a House Divided | by Darren Mooney

These are divisive and highly polarized times. As The Book of Matthew argued (and as Abraham Lincoln later famously quoted) “a house divided against itself will not sta...

I Can Stop Playing Balatro Whenever I Want | Cold Take

A new episode of Cold Take is now available!

[COLUMN] Ten Years Ago, The Grand Budapest Hotel Felt Like Nostalgia; Now It Seems Like Prophecy | by Darren Mooney

Released ten years ago last week, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is defined by the absences at its center. During one pivotal scen

Released ten years ago last week, Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel is defined by the absences at its center.

During one pivotal scene, lawyer Vilmos Kovacs (Jeff Goldblum) sifts through the last will and testament of the recent...

Adventure is Nigh - The Card Game in Collaboration with Red Dragon Inn!

Hey folks!

We're very excited to announce that we've partnered with SlugFest Games to make an official Adventure is Nigh - The Card Game that's compatible with Red Dragon Inn!

The Kickstarter went live last night during a livestream that we hosted while in Washington D.C. to showcase the prototype of the game. 

Watch the stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/NM_7DQ1zLpY?si=...

[COLUMN] Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney Should Do Anything But Anyone But You Two | by Darren Mooney

Sony’s Anyone But You has been a surprise hit of the season. The film opened relatively modestly, to just $8m over a four-day weekend. However, over the past few months, it accrued2024-03-08 15:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post

The Moral Dilemmas that Weren't | Semi-Ramblomatic

This week's episode of Semi-Ramblomatic is now available!

Skull and Bones | Fully Ramblomatic

This week's episode of Fully Ramblomatic is now available! 

[AD-FREE] Gaming's Unforgivable Sins | Windbreaker Podcast

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Marty, Frost, and JM8 discuss the unforgivable sins of video games.

Dune’s Scale is More Than Simply Spectacle | The Backdrop

This week's episode of The Backdrop is now available!

Skull and Bones Was 10 Years of Development... For This? | Cold Take

This week's episode of Cold Take is now available!

[COLUMN] Shōgun, Dune, and the Modern Fractured Feudal Pop Culture | by Darren Mooney

Last week saw the premiere of the FX miniseries Shōgun and the release of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. It feels like something is in the air.

Of course, Shōgun and Dune: Part Two are fundamentally different works. Shōgun is a television series set in a fictionalized version of 17th century Japan. Dune: Part Two is an epic blockbu...

[COLUMN] Denis Villeneuve's Dune Owes As Much to The Godfather as to Star Wars | by Darren Mooney

NOTE: This piece contains spoilers for Dune, Dune: Part Two, The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II.

Star Wars is a default point of comparison for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. This makes sense. Star Wars is shorthand for science-fantasy space opera in the popular consciousness, and Frank Herbert’s Dune was2024-03-03 15:00:09 +0000 UTC View Post

[PREMIERE at 11 AM CT on 3/2] Adventure is Nigh Season 3 Finale!

It's finally here folks, the finale of Adventure is Nigh, Season 3!

Set a reminder to watch it with us as it airs tomorrow morning at 11 AM CT.

A Busy March Ahead!

Hey folks!

With February now behind us we have a VERY busy March ahead in terms of production of new projects.

From March 3rd - 14th, the majority of the team will be out in Washington D.C. filming Adventure is Nigh Season 4! We're super excited and thankful that we get to continue this awesome show, and with the finale of Season 3 airing just one day before we leave (tomorrow), we can't wait to get started on the next part of the adventure.

From March 17th - 21st, myself...

Are Health Bars Making Games Worse? | Design Delve

This week's episode of Design Delve is now available!

[COLUMN ] Dune: Part Two is a Study of the Powerlessness of Powerful Men | by Darren Mooney

Note: This piece contains spoilers for Dune: Part Two.

Just as Dune: Part One opened with narration from Chani (Zendaya) laying out the back story of the planet Arrakis, Dune: Part Two opens with a voice over from Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) outlining the events and consequences of the previous movie. House Atreides was betrayed on Arrakis, in a bloody coup orche...

[AD-FREE] We Played 100 Hours of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and... | Firelink Podcast

This week on Firelink, Nick, KC and Marty talk all things Final Fantasy. 

The Unexpected Success of Helldivers 2 | Unpacked

A new episode of Unpacked is now available!

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden | Fully Ramblomatic

This week's episode of Fully Ramblomatic is now available!

PS: Sorry for delay, was in a meeting!

[AD-FREE] Has The World Become Too Cynical For Superheroes? | Windbreaker Podcast

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty and Frost discuss video games and their use of superheroes.

In Home Safety Hotline’s Horror, Less is More | Bytesized

A new episode of Bytesized is now available from Rachel Watts! This time exploring the minimalist horror of Home Safety Hotline! 

Surviving the Steam Next Fest | Cold Take

This week's episode of Cold Take is now available!

[COLUMN] The Iron Claw Makes an Argument for Wrestling as Quintessentially American Sport | by Darren Mooney

The Iron Claw is an impressive movie for any number of reasons. However, it’s particularly interesting because it exists in a relatively small canon of hefty dramatic works about professional wrestling. While boxing has been the subject of any number of prestige biopics, from Raging Bull to Ali to The Fighter to Southpaw, wrestling has more often been th...

[COLUMN] Office Space is a Perfect Slice of 1999's Existential Ennui | by Darren Mooney

Hey there! Consider this a companion to the columns we wrote about The Blair Witch Project and Blast from the Past a few weeks back. 1999 was arguably one of the greatest ye...