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Discussing ‘The Last of Us: Part I’ For ‘The Last of Us Day’ [Safe Room Podcast]

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It isn’t exactly surprising that the announcement of The Last of Us Part I was somewhat contentious.

Releasing less than a decade after the original release of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic stealth action darling The Last of Us, fans rightfully asked, “Why now?” Then there’s a $70 price tag for a remake that, while including the base game and story DLC Left Behind, still lacks the multiplayer portion featured in the original. 

So, yes, I understand where some people’s hesitancy came from.

That being said, after chatting this week with Gamespot’s Jake Dekker, these reservations regarding Part I being “Just a prettier rendition of a classic” largely ignores a handful of subtle improvements that strengthen an already near-perfect experience. 

The Last of Us remains notable for its phenomenal storytelling and performances that made Joel and Ellie’s trek across an infected America so emotionally gut-wrenching. This tale broadly resonates in a way that so many pieces of zombie media have attempted but often lack the emotional weight found here (largely due to the heart-felt and sorrow-filled performances of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson). 

These performances and elements, obviously, remain in The Last of Us Part I, but the visual fidelity of the PS5 tech exemplifies these already top-tier performances. As Jake details in our episode, remaking characters from the ground up allows for their tragic pasts to be written across their face in a near photorealistic fashion, further emphasizing surviving the infection is hell. 

And while many still may not be on board with the $70 price tag, which is understandable, to outright disregard a remake on pricing (which WILL change) alone would deprive oneself of potentially re-experiencing Joel and Ellie’s journey in a way they hadn’t previously.

Safe Room is a weekly horror video game discussion podcast with new episodes every Monday on iTunes/Apple, Sticher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Linktree for additional streaming services. 

Feel free to follow the show and hosts on Twitter:

Safe Room | Neil | Jay

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‘Death Becomes Her’ and the Horror of Aging [The Lady Killers Podcast]

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“This is life’s ultimate cruelty. It offers us a taste of youth and vitality, and then it makes us witness our own decay.”

Is there anything more terrifying than the relentless passage of time? It’s a bitter truth that just when we’ve become accustomed to our bodies, the sands of time turn and we’re forced to watch them slowly break down in a cruel march towards inevitable death. But what if there were a way to stop the aging process – a potion that would return us to our peak physical condition and hold us there until the end of time? Would we take it? And would we eventually find that the blessing of perpetual life is actually a curse? No film explores this dilemma quite like Death Becomes Her. Robert Zemeckis’ 1992 horror comedy pits two showstopping divas against each other for a single spotlight while asking what they would do for eternal youth – and what will be the hidden cost?

Madeline (Meryl Streep) and Helen (Goldie Hawn) are old frenemies with a history of vicious competition. Madeline seems to have won the most recent battle and married Helen’s fiance Ernest (Bruce Willis), but decades later, their marriage is on the rocks and Madeline’s once thriving career is now a thing of the past. When Helen returns with a stunning new look, Madeline turns to unorthodox methods to maintain her feminine dominance. She drinks a potion designed to give her eternal youth, but returns home to find her life turned upside down by her downtrodden husband and jealous “friend.” Having both taken the potion, “Mad” and “Hel” engage in a bitter fight to the death over years of petty snipes and the right to claim the title of Most Desirable Woman.

In their latest episode, The Lady Killers dissect these two glamorous killers and the hidden social commentary in Zemeckis’ iconic film. Co-hosts Jenn AdamsMae Shults, Rocco T. Thompson, and Sammie Kuykendall dish over their own fears of aging, choose their favorite diva, and decide whether they would take the potion should they ever find themselves in Lisle’s (Isabella Rossellini) lavish home. How does the film hit differently when watching as an adult? Could Madeline, Helen, and Ernest ever make a polycule work? Is Lisle a hero or a villain and how does she keep that gorgeous necklace in place? They’ll wrestle with these questions and more in a podcasting shovel battle to the death on this unique horror comedy and one of the most glamorous casts of all time.

Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.

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