For the latest entertainment news, go online to masslive.com/entertainment
Weekend
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| THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
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LIVEWIRE: Live concerts 2.0: Rethinking how to stage shows, E2 CHESTER ON TRACK: Railroad-inspired celebration plans to go virtual, E3 WINE PRESS: 11 of the greatest wine movies, documentaries, E8
PLUS
STCC theater goes online, E5
Birds
on view
New twist for Mass Audubon Bird-a-thon, Page E4
E2 | THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
WEEKEND
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
MUSIC
Live concerts 2.0: Rethinking how to stage shows
W
hen the live concert industry gets back on its feet, what will that look like? No one knows for sure, but as the TempleLive Theater in Fort Smith, Arkansas, gets set to open for a live show tomorrow, various concepts are being floated by some of the biggest names in the industry.
• Lady Antebellum is making due during the COVID-19 crisis by rescheduling large swaths of its postponed summer tour. The country group has new dates for scuttled shows throughout New England. The band will play Xfinity Center in Mansfield on Sept. 19, the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Guilford on Sept. 20, and the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford on Sept. 27. Tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored. Lady Antebellum is touring to support its latest release “Ocean.”
• David Crosby has postponed his entire summer tour, including two Massachusetts shows scheduled for next month. Crosby and his Sky Trails band were scheduled to play the Academy of Music in Northampton on June 10 and The Cabot Theater in Beverly on June 14.. The new dates are listed as to be determined. “The safety and well-being of the fans is our paramount concern and with this in mind, we had to make this decision,” Crosby said in a statement. “We are already in the process
Andrea Bocelli is betting on an end to quarantine with planned concerts at the TD Garden in Boston on Dec. 11 and 12. (GIOVANNI DE SANDRE PHOTO)
through car radios. Let us assume they have a system for the range of automobile sizes (compacts up front, trucks Donnie Moorhouse with lift-kits in the rear). LiveWire Live Nation is also considering “fanless” concerts that are For Arkansas, it is “fan pods,” livestreamed. The company small groups of fans liberally has made several statements separated to adhere to social regarding “full-scale” concert distancing guidelines. When events not happening until Travis McCready, front man 2021. for rising Southern rock group Adding to the uncertainty, there may be a large gap Bishop Gunn looks out across (much greater than 6 feet) the floorlights, he will see 229 between when live events are fans sequestered in groups deemed safe and when fans across the 1,100 seat theater. Tickets were sold in advance are ready to test the protocol. in groups of two, four, six and Think about the shows eight, and no single tickets you’ve witnessed from the were available. lawn at Xfinity Theatre, or in In Denmark, Live Nation is the Ballroom at Pearl Street. experimenting with drive-in When are we comfortable concerts. with that level of forced inti“Drive-in Live” will visit macy again (if we ever really four cities in May and June. were...). The event venues are set up Good luck to Travis McCready and the Arkansas 229, to hold 600 cars with a limit the canaries in the cornoviof five per car. Stages will be rus-concert coalmine. For elevated for better viewing those about to rock, we salute and audio will be delivered
you. And we hope it works. Liner notes • Amidst the myriad of concert cancellations, the announcement of a show being added to the concert calendar in 2020 is big news. Andrea Bocelli is betting on an easing of quarantine constrictions and has announced a world tour that will stop in Boston. The singer is slated for two shows, Dec. 11 and 12, at the TD Garden. Tickets are on sale now through all Ticketmaster outlets and locations including ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000. Working as a pop/classical crossover artist, Bocelli is the top selling Italian artist of all time. His album “Sacred Arias” is the biggest-selling classical crossover album by a solo artist of all time with over 20 million copies sold worldwide.
Lady Antebellum has rescheduled its New England concerts for late fall. (MATT SMITH / NJ ADVANCE MEDIA)
• Concert dates continue to fall off the calendar as Almost Queen becomes the latest casualty of the COVID-19 quarantine. The Queen tribute was slated to play the Pines Theater at Look Park on June 5. The show has been canceled. Ticket refund information is available through the inline ticket seller Ticketfly. Almost Queen is billed as “The most authentic QUEEN live show,” with look-alike performers, authentic instruments and replica stage costumes. Other summer shows at Look Park, including the June 6 performance by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, are still on the schedule.
of rescheduling all these shows and we should have news for this very soon.” Crosby was touring to support the release of his latest album “Sky Trails.” His Sky Trails Band features his son James Raymond and local guitarist Jeff Pevar, who once formed Crosby’s side project CPR. • The Dave Matthews Band has scrapped its entire 2020 summer tour and moved the dates to 2021. The move, motivated by continuing concerns over COVID-19, impacts several dates in the region. The June 16 and June 17 dates at Mohegan Sun Arena
SEE LIVEWIRE, PAGE E3
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
DVD RELEASES
Weird fun with Margot Robbie in ‘Birds of Prey’
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 | E3
CHESTER
Chester on Track plans to go virtual By Cori Urban
Special to The Republican
Chester on Track is on track for this year’s railroad-inspired celebration, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic it will be streaming live.
Margot Robbie appears in a scene from “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.” (DC ENTERTAINMENT / TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE) By Tribune News Service
unhinged. “Birds of Prey” is also the cinematic introduction to the other birds in the flock, the beloved comic characters Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), styled as a butt-kicking blaxploitation queen, and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a mysterious yet neurotic assassin out for vengeance. Along with renegade cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and precocious pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), this is Harley’s new girl gang, who band together against the sinister Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). “Birds of Prey” is a circus for the senses, but the performances give the film its heart and humor, Walsh says. Also new on DVD “The Photograph”: Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield take a good long look at love. “Lost Transmissions”: Mental illness drama set in the Los Angeles music world. Stars Simon Pegg and Juno Temple. “Lucifer: The Complete Fourth Season”: Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), the
Devil, moves from Hell to Los Angeles where he owns a nightclub. Based on the DC Comics character. “Narcos: Mexico”: This companion series to Netflix’s “Narcos” focuses on the drug trade in Mexico. This is season one; season two premiered on Netflix earlier this year. “Redcon-1”: Special forces soldiers fight zombies in Britain. “Stray Dolls”: Crime thriller stars Olivia DeJonge and Cynthia Nixon “The Traitor”: The life of mob boss Tommaso Buscetta, who was one of the first to become a police informant. “Vivarium”: A terrifying portrait of a young couple slowly unraveling under the crushing weight of social isolation. Out on Digital HD “The Invisible Man”: This thriller starring Elizabeth Moss explores the psychological horror of domestic abuse. “Top Gun”: Maverick, Goose and Ice Man are back. The 1986 Tom Cruise hit is out on Ultra HD Digital.
Event: Chester on Track Where to watch: Online, youtu.be/aFMTHJOFylA or the Chester Railway Station Facebook page.
scenic vistas. Friends of the Keystone Arches is producing a docThe hosts will be live at umentary, “Railroad to the Chester Station on Saturday, Moon,” which will supply and most of what viewers some clips. The musical acts see will be edited videos provided footage, and in one submitted from a number case did a special performance. of sources. There will be a The event will include vidsimulcast from the Western eos from The Piston Poppers Mass. Hillltown Hikers who will have five representatives Car Club, No Rules Corvette Club, Pioneer Valley Live on different popular Chester trails like the Keystone Steamers, Huntington Dance Arches and Sanderson Brook Center, Westfield River Falls, and the stream will cut Wild and Scenic Committee. SEE CHESTER, PAGE E5 to them as they pass the most
LiveWire
Pavilion concerts are moved to July 13-14 of next year, and the Xfinity Center in MansCONTINUED FROM PAGE E3 field will host the band on July in Uncasville, Connecticut, 16, 2021. will now take place June 8 and The announcement was 9, 2021. made on May 4 through the Tickets will be honored band’s website. for the new dates or fans can “We are disappointed to request a refund. Ticket hold- announce, that in light of the ers will be emailed directly global COVID-19 pandemic, we will be moving all of with details and can visit our 2020 summer dates to ticketmaster.com for more the summer of 2021,” the information. statement read. “We make The Saratoga Performing Arts Center shows in Saratoga this decision with the health, safety, and well-being of our Springs, New York, are now scheduled for July 9-10, 2021, fans, touring crew, and venue staff as our priority.” the Bank of New Hampshire
Irish House Restaurant Trinity Pub & Patio at the Irish Cultural Center Gift certificates are available online! We are currently closed until further notice. Stay safe and healthy, and we will see you soon. PURCHASE ONLINE AT: IrishCenterwne.org
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Lovable psychopaths lead the way in new DVD releases for the week. “Birds of Prey”: Tribune News Service film critic Katie Walsh says the best thing to come out of 2016’s much-derided DC antihero team-up “Suicide Squad” was Margot Robbie’s inspired take on Harley Quinn, the self-proclaimed “Joker’s girl” and quirky chaos clown. Robbie’s Quinn, with her colorful pigtails and baseball bat, instantly became an icon, a perennial Halloween costume, eclipsing even her lesser half, Jared Leto’s heavily tattooed Joker. Now, writes Walsh, she’s better than ever with her own girl gang in the brilliant, breakneck “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.” Director Cathy Yan soars with her stylish sophomore feature, which is colorful, campy and cheerfully brutal, a perfect reflection of Harley herself. Robbie, as usual, tears into the role with a wide-eyed gusto that is equally childlike and
MORE INFORMATION
E4 | THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
WEEKEND
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
A new twist on annual
Bird-a-thon
Mass Audubon fundraiser seeks to ID bird species over 24-hour period
looks forward to the event each. “This year will be different and better because all of our birding will be carbon-neutral. No one will be contributing to climate change. A changing climate isn’t good thing for By Keith O’Connor birds or people. I know I could Special to the Republican be seeing mallards in my wet, ass Aud- wet yard during Bird-at-homea-thon and hopefully bank ubon swallows in my neighbor’s sand pit. If I’m lucky, I may also see officials an Orchard Oriole… that is my are not wish,” she said. letting Competitors throughout the state join teams representing the current coronavirus different Mass Audubon wildget in the way of their life sanctuaries and programs. Their pledges can be directed biggest fundraiser of to specific wildlife sanctuaries the year. and programs or to the overall The annual Bird-a-thon — to organization, the state’s largest be held tomorrow and Saturnature conservation nonprofit. day — typically sends teams of Participants can also earn birders rambling throughout points for their team by comthe commonwealth in a friendly pleting other fun, nature-based competition to identify the activities or as “Bird-a-thon most species in 24-hour period. Boosters,” who raise money Instead, birders will be staying while birding for fun, or even at home and maintaining a not birding at all. safe distance not only from the The popular bird identificabirds, but among themselves. tion marathon is scheduled to Despite the changes, Mass take place during the height Audubon officials expect the of spring migration, when event to attract hundreds of millions of birds are returning competitors of all abilities to to Massachusetts to breed and participate in the carbon-free, raise young, or stopping to rest safety-focused, and famiand feed in the Bay State before ly-oriented peeping event. continuing north. During this Participants will select bird opportune period, birders can observation spots — a window, observe species they typically backyard, or a green space do not see during the rest of the within short walking or biking year. distance from their homes. “We expect to see Cape May Locally the Arcadia/ConWarblers, Blackpoll Warblers necticut River Valley Wildlife and Bay-breasted Warblers Sanctuaries Team is welcoming that migrate through our area birders of all experience levels, during the spring but do not including beginners, to join stay and breed here. They its official birding team. From continue on to the north and 6 p.m. tomorrow through 6 their breeding grounds. It p.m. Saturday, they will spend is inspiring to see and hear time observing and identifythese birds because they have ing species from their birding already traveled thousands of positions, solo or with other miles from South America on household members. their journey. Think of all that Arcadia Bird-at-home-a-thon they have endured just to get team member Janice Jorgensen to where they are now … and noted she is inspired by and they do this every year and will
M
Mass Audubon’s Bird-at-home-a-thon fundraiser will be held tomorrow and Saturday. Here, goldfinches are seen at a feeder. (KRISTIN FORESTO / MASS AUDUBON)
Above is the Eastern bluebird. (KRISTIN FORESTO / MASS AUDUBON)
return south in the fall. It’s really quite magical,” said Derek Allard, Arcadia/Mass Audubon volunteer. Last year’s event raised $240,000 and recorded 273 species, with Connecticut River Valley sanctuaries garnering $8,492 for its work through the event. Jonah Keane, sanctuary director for Arcadia and the Connecticut River Valley Sanctuaries, noted that birdat-home-a-thon donations will make possible Arcadia’s work in the Valley to protect land, educate about the environment, and act to address climate
change. “They support the work we have done for over 75 years of managing habitat, such as grasslands that provide habitat for Bobolinks, American Kestrels, and Eastern Meadowlark, as well as climate change mitigation. And the work we have started this year to respond to the pandemic, such as transitioning in-person programs to remote lessons for elementary through high school students,” she said. To participate, donate, and to learn more about Bird-a-thon, visit web.massaudubon.org/ goto/arcadia
“This year will be different and better because all of our birding will be carbon-neutral. No one will be contributing to climate change. A changing climate isn’t good thing for birds or people.” JANICE JORGENSEN
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 | E5
SPRINGFIELD
STCC theater goes online for spring plays Audiences for the Springfield Technical Community College Theater Workshop’s plays normally keep their eyes on the stage, but this spring they will keep their eyes on the screen. During a time of social distancing, the STCC Theater Workshop will perform three plays, with students acting out their parts from their homes in front of their computers. “We had to change things up this spring due to the stayat-home advisories related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Phil O’Donoghue, theater professor. “What was originally seven short plays
was cut to three plays that can be performed for the screen. I’m very impressed with rehearsals and how this is turning out. I think audiences will enjoy what our students have come up with.” The Theater Workshop sent lighting equipment and costumes to the homes of student actors to boost the production quality. One play chronicles a therapy session. The other two dramatize phone conversations. The three plays have been performed at major 10-minute play festivals. The plays are “Your Mother’s Butt,” by Alan Ball; “Customer Service,” by Philip Hall;
Springfield Technical Community College has moved its Theater Workshop plays online in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
and “Miss You,” by David Auburn.
The performances will be available for viewing start-
ing tomorrow on STCC’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. O’Donoghue said the production would not have been possible without help from the STCC community, including STCC Digital Media Professor John Wakelin, STCC Dean of Liberal and Professional Studies Richard Greco, and STCC Marketing and Communications Director Keith Paul. Cast members are Hannah Bruso-Penkala, of Ludlow; Cedric Patterson, of Springfield; Gracie Pighetti, of Wilbraham; Raquel Polite, of Springfield; and Giovanni Tolliver, of Springfield.
“What was originally seven short plays was cut to three plays that can be performed for the screen. I’m very impressed with rehearsals and how this is turning out. I think audiences will enjoy what our students have come up with.” PHIL O’DONOGHUE, THEATER PROFESSOR, STCC
Chester
than usual and introduce them to the many attractions of Chester for when they CONTINUED FROM PAGE E3 begin to travel again,” he Content also will include a continued, noting things like narration of photos about camping in the caboose at the Ringling Brothers Circus Chester Station, the Chester Theatre Co., trails, eateries Train, a brief history of the and museums. Massachusetts State Police, Pierce will be among the a tour of the Chester Mineral two or three hosts who will Collection and musical acts from The Pitoniak Brothers, be live at Chester Station and The Oakes Family, The Elec- will introduce the succession tric Trains, Mark Franklin of musical acts and prepared and Tommy Filliault. videos. “There were calls to cancel Chester on track also will and postpone” Chester on be streaming to the Chester Track because of the panRailway Station Facebook demic, said David L. Pierce, page, beginning at about president of the Chester 9 a.m.; Pierce expects the Foundation Inc., operators streaming event to last at least of Chester Railway Station. four hours. “Virtual lets you have it when The online event is free, but it’s needed, while everyone there will be an opportunity is shut in. I can imagine a to purchase memorabilia and nightmare of dueling events T-shirts online. when things truly open Chester on Track began in again.” 1991 as a recognition of the In this pandemic-time for- 150th anniversary of the Westmat, the event “can reach a ern Railroad. Normally the different and wider audience event includes a parade and
“Virtual lets you have it when it’s needed, while everyone is shut in. I can imagine a nightmare of dueling events when things truly open again.” DAVID L. PIERCE, PRESIDENT OF THE CHESTER FOUNDATION INC., OPERATORS OF CHESTER RAILWAY STATION
Civil War, railroad and hobo reenactors. Other attractions have included sand art, chain saw art, bounce house, classic cars, tractors, one-lung and steam engines, train show, craft fair, exhibits, vendors and food. “It is a great boost for the town at the beginning of a new season,” Pierce said. Interest in railroads has been sustained “even as the
roads themselves have been withdrawn from the central place in American commerce that they once enjoyed,” he said. “Thousands of songs have been written about the rails, perhaps because they were the first to truly open horizons for the average citizen.” The virtual Chester On Track will be streaming live
by 24-hour webcam at youtu. be/aFMTHJOFylA and on the Chester Railway Station Facebook page.
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E6 | THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
VIDEO GAMES
Every Mario game ranked 35 years of iconic game character By Gene Park
The Washington Post
The Super Mario series is 35 years old, and reported rumors strongly suggest that Nintendo will be remastering the franchise’s greatest 3D outings for the Nintendo Switch. In case you’ve just come out of a warp pipe after 35 years, Mario is THE video game character. The first Super Mario Bros. in 1985 essentially rescued the video game industry. Having appeared in more than 200 titles, Mario fronts the best-selling video game franchise of all time with 600 million sold since his first appearance in 1981’s Donkey Kong. Mario games either invent or elevate entire genres, like Super Mario Kart starting the battle kart trend, or Super Smash Bros. inventing the party fighter. With 19 different titles across the “main” series of Super Mario games, each title hits different for different people. An objective ranking of core Mario titles is impossible; Still, we’ll try our best. Many of these games are likely interchangeable depending on a variety of personal factors, including mood, nostalgia and preference. In fact, every game on this list is at least very good, with the best ranking among greatest games ever made. Even the worst Mario game is usually just fine. Similar to our The Legend of Zelda rankings last year, here are the three criteria we’ll use to determine placement. How has the game aged? Great games, like “Tetris,” stand the test of time despite technological advances. Considering how well some of the older titles still hold up, I’d say
this is a fair question. What was the game’s impact? Influence holds weight too. Sometimes innovation is that game’s legacy. Even if those innovations are outdated, Mario’s DNA lives on throughout the industry. Overall design and structure: Level design and what you can do as Mario are the two foundations of every Mario game. Do its levels play well, or were they failed experiments? How good are the controls, and what do Mario’s abilities contribute to the overall game? We’re also not including any
more of a rhythm game than a platformer. For what it is, it’s an extremely polished and beautifully rendered 2D Mario runner. It’s just barely a Mario game.
18.
Super Mario Land (1989) “Super Mario Run” is an iPhone game that came out in 2016. Now we move on to Mario’s (NINTENDO) first-ever portable outing. bothered to bump up the 3D Super Mario Land paired with effect. The platform looming Tetris to build an argument in the back would be pulled for Nintendo’s new Game Boy forward, introducing depth portable concept. Land was the perception in a Mario game. essence of the original Super The rest of the title is surprisMario game, shrunken down ingly bare-bones, which makes it easy for lapsed Mario fans to pick up and understand. It’s also home to the best Bowser fight in the series.
“New Super Mario Bros. 2” was released in 2012. (NINTENDO)
spinoffs — otherwise this list would run for pages. We’re relying on Nintendo’s Mario homepage that lists all the Nintendo-approved “core” titles for the alleged plumber, and using the U.S. release year as well.
Having appeared in more than 200 titles, Mario fronts the best-selling video game 15. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) franchise of If the first Mario Land aped the first Super Mario, all time with his second portable journey mirrors his celebrated third 600 million title. More importantly, the universe expanded with sold since his Mario his bizarro greedy new rival, It’s also the first Game first appear- Wario. Boy title to return to the MushKingdom. The graphics ance in 1981’s room were bigger and bolder, which for some restrictive Donkey Kong. meant but truly oddball level design,
to a very short experience. It also gave Mario a submarine and fighter plane. It’s memorable, but mostly for its place in history as gaming’s first mobile scrolling platformer. a billion coins in New Super Mario Bros. 2, and all I got was a lousy new title screen. New Super Mario Bros. This game only ranks this high 2 (2012) because at the very least, it’s Super Mario Run Contrary to his first scant still a very good 2D platformer (2016) outing, Mario’s last 3DS title in the style of the New Super If Mario games can be was about excess and abunMario line. Just don’t bother dance. Most notably, it’s the defined as “the player conwith the cash. trols Mario,” the iPhone game only game that puts collecting coins, a longtime Mario plays fast and loose with that Super Mario 3D Land definition. Super Mario Run is tradition, front and center as (2011) a mechanic. As Mario games actually similar to the “endless runner” genre, in that the evolved, Nintendo has strugWhat if 3D Mario played like gled to keep coin collecting game propels Mario forward a 2D one? It’s been a question posed since Super Mario relevant, especially since the for you, and you have to time Sunshine’s secret levels, and extra lives you get after colhis jumps. This is a concession to touch-screen controls, lecting 99 coins are becoming 3D Land was Nintendo’s first a huge ongoing hurdle for more obsolete. Besides rescu- answer. The isometric perspecmobile gaming. The levels also ing the princess (again), Mario tive allowed Nintendo to fully use the 3D capabilities of the end, but because of the limited and Luigi must also gather as many coins as possible, all for Nintendo 3DS, enhancing the player interaction, the stages platforming for anyone who are very linear. If anything, it’s naught. I collected literally
19.
17.
16.
including a giant LEGO-style Mario. This is when Nintendo started to think outside of the box when it came to level settings.
14. New Super Mario
Bros. (2006) Mario’s first Nintendo DS outing was also his grand return to his roots. It’s a barebones reimagining of 2D Mario platforming with fancy new 3D graphics. This simplicity is the game’s strength and greatest weakness. Despite a new mushroom that turned Mario into the size of the screen, NSMB struggles to stand out in this crowd, even against its otherwise inferior sequel. But it’s a gentle, breezy play, and SEE MARIO, PAGE E11
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
WEEKEND
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 | E7
DINE & WINE
Fast-food restaurants adjusting to business during pandemic
90 William Street, Springfield • 732-5428 159 Shaker Rd, East Longmeadow • 525-9400
W
ITH DEEP pockets and plenty of operational expertise, the dining-away-from-home industry’s multinational brands will have a major influence on how restaurants do business in the months and years ahead. In a recent interview with Hugh Robert “Nation’s Restaurant News,” Off The Menu Mark King, the CEO of Taco Bell, went into depth about how Taco Bell and its corpo- ences in overseas markets to rate parent, Yum Brands, are guide its ongoing response to reacting to the pandemic. the pandemic. One advantage Taco Bell In the Dutch city of Arnhas going forward is the hem, the burger giant has brand’s experiences with its renovated a McDonald’s customers in China, where outlet into a facility that can restaurants have reopened operate in a manner that under social maintains stanModifications at dards of social distance protothis prototype cols. distancing. According Modifications include handto King, Yum at this prototype washing stations include handBrands has at the entrance, washing stations learned that at the entrance, consumers are designated designated waitpredominantwaiting zones for ing zones for ly concerned about safecustomers, and customers, and ty, and that delivery carts delivery carts restaurants, that bring dining that bring dining room guests through both word and deed, room guests their their orders. have to conSuch new orders. vince patrons restaurant that it’s “safe” layouts are to return. Doing so requires expected, according to a extensive and carefully spokesperson from McDonald’s Netherlands, to have executed sanitation protocols as well as concentrated an operational capacity that messaging that emphasizes would be equivalent to about the chain’s commitment to two-thirds of that of a typical no-risk customer experience. pre-pandemic McDonald’s Taco Bell is also not, location. according to King, in any rush to reopen dining rooms Side dishes • As first days and then here in the U.S. It has the weeks of pandemic-mandatluxury of taking its time in ed shutdown have turned that area, since the brand’s into months, some restaurant business model has always relied heavily on takeout and operators who originally closed down altogether have drive-thru. Chicago-based McDonald’s now turned the lights back SEE MENU, PAGE E9 Corp. is also using its experi-
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E8 | THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
THE REPUBLICAN | MASSLIVE.COM
DINE & WINE
11 greatest wine movies, documentaries
L George Lenker Beer Nut
5 great Maibocks
M
AY IS ONE OF MY favorite months, and not just because it’s the month I was born. The weather is usually fair by May – even if April has once again proved to be the cruelest (and coolest) of months; flowers are blooming, and everything outdoors is pretty much green by now. It’s also the month where a great style of beer gets its name — Maibock. As educated beer fans know, bock beers come in a range of substyles, but there’s something special about the Maibock. It’s definitely still a bock beer, but it’s usually lighter in color and often not quite as malty as its darker and higher-alcohol cousins. So today I thought I’d look at five great Maibocks. Some of these may not be available where you happen to live — and one is no longer with us — but they are ones that deserve mention here. • Rogue Brewing Dead Guy Ale: We are starting with a pretty malty one here, as Dead Guy Ale kicks off with a biscuit-like aroma before smacking your palate with a tasty caramel carousel, followed by some nice hop notes that rein in the sweetness. It still finishes on the sweet side, but overall, this is a great American example of the style. SEE BEER, PAGE E10
IGHTS! CAMERA! Drink! OK, I realize that’s a pretty tacky opening
line. But then again, there are a lot of cheesy movies and documentaries out there about wine.
Ken Ross Wine Press
Watch a few of them and you start to recognize a pattern. Slow motion camera shot of a glistening grape at sunrise. Vivaldi or some other clichéd classical music plays in the background. And then some pompous Brit or someone with a French accent tells you how much the wine made from the grapes featured in the wine porn movie cost. Fortunately, not all wine movies or documentaries are this bad. There are many great ones out there. And this week’s wine column focuses on the greatest wine documentaries or movies ever made. Some you may already know. (“Sideways” stands up to the test of time.) But many may be new to you and hopefully as entertaining as I found them. And since many of you may be spending more time at home than normal, I figured now was as good a time as ever to recommend a few great flicks that focus on the endlessly fascinating subject of wine and the winemakers who make them. I also noted when possible where you can
Sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while you enjoy one of these great documentaries about wine. (KEN ROSS PHOTO)
find these movies streaming online. So without further ado, here are my favorite movies and documentaries about wine listed in alphabetical order. Because honestly, it’s so hard to rank which one is the best one. Although let’s be honest. Nothing can hold a candle to “Sideways,” the greatest wine movie ever made. Here’s my list.
1.
“A Good Year” (2006) – Directed by Ridley Scott and based on a novel by Peter Mayle (author of “A Year In Provence”), this lighthearted movie starring Russell Crowe presents us with a problem most of us deal with all the time — should I sell the winery I just inherited in France’s gorgeous Provence region? Yes, it’s preposterous. But if you love wine and the gorgeous French countryside, this movie goes down as easy as a glass of cool Provence rose. (Streaming on Hulu)
2. “A Year In Burgundy”
(2013) – This interesting documentary takes you behind the scenes with seven French winemakers throughout 2011 in Burgundy, one of the greatest wine making regions in the world. The same filmmaker, David Kennard, also made “A Year In Champagne” and “A Year In Port,” but I personally have a soft spot for this film due to my affection for this charming part of the world. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
3.
“Back To Burgundy” (2018) – This fascinating film about a fictional winemaking family in Burgundy focuses on three strong-willed siblings overseeing the family’s winery through four seasons and two harvests. The movie gets all the wine dialogue and winemaking right as well, thanks to Jean-Marc Roulot, one of the actors in the movie who also happens to be an outstanding winemaker in
real life in Meursault, the Burgundy village famous for its outstanding Chardonnay wines. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
4. “Bottle Shock” (2008)
– Based on a true story, this movie starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman and Chris Pine focuses on the famous 1976 blind wine tasting in Paris which pitted California wines up against some of the best wines in France. If you already know the story, you’ll enjoy this playful recreation. If you don’t, open up a nice bottle, sit back and enjoy. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
5.
“Mondovino” (2004) – An eye-opening, refreshingly honest 10-part documentary about many different aspects of winemaking. While this sometimes unpolished documentary might not have the gloss of other wine movies, it
SEE WINE, PAGE E10
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on and partially reopened, offering food for off-premises enjoyment. Chicago Sam’s Sports Bar and Grille in Enfield is one such independently-owned eatery. Owner-operator Philip Frogameni recently launched a take-out/curbside pickup program. The menu focuses on “handhelds” like a classic burger, a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich, and a variety of wraps. Wings are featured, as are mac ‘n’ cheese variations . “Family Style” dinner packs, which serve four and include a house salad, vegetable and mashed potato, are assembled around main dish options like grilled chicken, steak tips, and turkey tips. Takeout hours are Wednesday through Friday, 4 to 8 p.m.; on weekends Chicago Sam’s operates from noon until 8 p.m. Online ordering is available at chicagosams enfield.com, and the restaurant has also partnered with third party delivery service DoorDash. Chicago Sam’s Sports Bar and Grille answers at 860741-2936.
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chicken. Three other custom-curated bowls are also a part of Chipotle’s lifestyle bowl series. • Denny’s, the casual dining coffee shop chain, has expanded its selection of meal kits to include four additional take-home possibilities. A Slow-Cooked Pot Roast Meal Kit includes prepared and ready-to-heat pot roast, potato, broccoli, rolls, and garlic spread; the kit serves from six to eight. There’s a new dessert option in the form of an Apple Crisp Dessert Kit that incorporates an oven-ready tray of apple crisp, vanilla ice cream, and salted caramel sauce. The brand is also operating Denny’s Markets at selected restaurant locations. This “market option” offers selected grocery items for pickup and delivery.
Many restaurants are offering pickup, delivery and “curbside pickup” options for customers. Starting tomorrow, the Steaming Tender Restaurant in Palmer will join the growing list of restaurants offering curbside pickups.
has been spending the past several weeks giving its 19th century railroad station home some maintenance and restoration. Projects completed include repairs to worn sections of the waiting room’s wood • Though Dunkin’ floors, a new mosaic tile locations had originally treatment for the bar, and trimmed their menus when refurbishment of the antique the chain was refocused on Ferris wheel seats in the drive-thru back in March, dining room. two new savory items have The 1915 Porter steam locomotive that’s on display in joined the menu — a Three Cheese Croissant Stuffer and the restaurant’s parking area a Chicken, Bacon, & Cheese has also been given a fresh coat of black paint. Croissant Stuffer. Both Tomorrow, Steaming sandwiches carry a suggested Tender will begin offering $3.49 price tag. • Despite the sometimes curbside pickup, a service Dunkin’ is also featuring devastating impact that stay- a limited-time-only coffee that will be available Fridays at-home orders have had for blend flavored with butter between 4 and 8 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., restaurant chains, some con- pecan and sweet cream estinue to develop and promote sences. The flavor is available and Sundays from 11 a.m. to new menu options. in a variety of sizes and drink 8 p.m. Chipotle Mexican Grill combinations. Menu information will locations have begun assembe available at the restaubling new “lifestyle bowls” rant’s social media outpost, • Teresa’s Restaurant that it has developed with facebook.com/Steaming in Ware celebrated its 40th input from five social media anniversary this month. TenderRestaurant. “wellness influencers.” Steaming Tender also anOpened in early May 1980 swers at 413-283-2744. The new bowl combinaby Alfonso and Teresa tions include a Chris Brickley Ferrentino, the restaurant is Bowl, a high profile fitness • Chef-owner Andrew now operated by their four coach to a number of NBA Brow, who operates Highsons, Frank, Mario, Joe, and stars. The Brickley bowl fea- Claudio, who celebrated the Brow Wood-fired Kitchen tures a bed of brown rice and occasion with social media + Bar in Northampton, has is garnished with chicken been doing all the right postings that thanked their meat, tomato, salad greens, loyal employees and custom- things and more to keep his ers cheese, and more. business viable during the There’s also a Dr. Mark Teresa’s Restaurant is current stay-at-home situation. Hyman Salad that takes its currently open for take-out In addition to promoting name from the best-selling and delivery; they answer at takeout service from his author of “The Blood Sugar 413-967-7601 Crafts Avenue location, Brow Solution.” The salad includes has been partnering with romaine lettuce, baby kale, • The Steaming Tenlocal businesses in providing brown rice, black beans, and der Restaurant in Palmer
fired “hearth pies,” but also offers options such as grilled salmon, peppercorn-encrusted NY strip steak, and mac ‘n’ cheese. The restaurant is currently open for takeout nightly from 4:30 to 8 p.m. and answers at 413-586-1468. Online ordering is available at highbrowrestaurant. com. Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 45 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com
meals to “front line” workers. Recent efforts have included a large-scale delivery effort to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, a donation funded by Springfield-based New Valley Bank and Trust. Other charitable business builders have included the delivery of taco lunches to public safety workers in Northampton and Easthampton, with LashCo Tree Service of South Hadley as the sponsoring donor. Brow also capitalized on the Mother’s Day holiday by teaming up with a local florist, HelloLucyBlooms, to offer floral bouquets for pickup along with food orders. For Cinco de Mayo he promoted the restaurant’s own bottled margarita mix as a take-out add-on. HighBrow’s to-go menu focuses on gourmet, wood-
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ALBUM REVIEW
Press play for the sounds of NYC By Melena Ryzik
New York Times
Only a New Yorker could love the screech. That metal-on-metal clamor of a 42-ton machine stopping its stride inches from your face, with a whoosh of air and a rattling of tracks. Now the sound of a subway pulling into a station seems nothing short of comforting. At least that’s how it feels when it’s heard on the first track of “Missing Sounds of New York,” a new album released by the New York Public Library that charts the sonic pulse of the city, encompassing a ballgame, a taxi ride and a visit to the library itself. The everyday soundtrack — the horns and jackhammers, late-night parties and crowded spaces that once enervated New Yorkers at every turn — has become a source of deep nostalgia and solace already. “When I first heard it, it almost brought me to tears,” said Carrie Welch, chief external relations officer at the library. “It’s so emotional and so poignant, and what you forget, after seven weeks, is the cacophony of noise that is so pleasurable, and all the different types of sounds that make New York, New York.”
Wine
Made in collaboration with the digital agency Mother New York, the album is resonating, with around 200,000 streams since it dropped on Spotify and SoundCloud via the library’s website. “It was one of the things we could do to support New Yorkers, this shared narrative, if you will, that would bring us together while we’re all apart,” Welch said. The idea was born last month in a Zoom meeting between the library and Mother — also responsible for the library’s 2018 Insta Novels project, which translated classic literature into Instagram stories. During the meeting, they found themselves talking about what they missed about city life: the clop of carriage horses and the wail of a soloing jazz saxophonist; the streetside gossip overlaid with the blaring car stereo; the raucous, expectant buzz of a bar. Even “It’s Showtime!” That line comes courtesy of the dancer Kid the Wiz, who sent in a recording of one of his subway performances. “He was literally, like, ‘anything to support New York,’” said Kim Chavez, the producer of the album at Mother. Chavez, a native New Yorker, called it a dream project. “I spent
probably half my life in the New York Public Library, growing up in the Bronx, going through the New York public school system,” she said. But how to capture the beat of a now-quieter city? Chavez used some archival audio and some from a sound library that Mother maintains. Then she got creative, conjuring up snippets from memory and summoning others to do the same, and send in clips. About 100 people worked on the album, she said, producing it in just three weeks. The re-created sounds are authentic in their own way. The airport cabbie who mutters, “People crazy today, huh?” after the brouhaha of traffic is actually Chavez’s husband. “We recorded it in the closet that I turned into a sound booth/office,” she said. “The guys screaming at him were friends of mine from the Bronx.” “There are zero fake New York accents on this album,” she added. “I don’t think I could sleep at night.” What there is instead, is a polyglot soundscape — Spanish, Mandarin, Polish, Armenian, Konglish (Korean English) — sometimes with music to match.
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• Ayinger Maibock: I knew if I didn’t mention this one up high, I’d be pilloried (and rightly so) by a good number of fans of the style. This is the classic version in my experience. The aroma is all bread and honey, but not overstated. The flavor follows suit, mixing in some apple notes as the beer warms on the palate. It’s as clean as a spring rain and while there is not much going on as far as hops, the bitterness that is there makes it a well-rounded beer.
while not prominent, are a little more forward than many other versions. All I know is I like it. • Jack’s Abbey Hurts Like Helles Maibock: This one is on the fruitier side and that’s a good thing here. The usual bready suspects are in the nose, but the taste brings forth some dried fruit facets along with a hint of orange. The hops are like a good umpire in baseball: They do their job without being noticed. Delicious beer.
• Smuttynose Maibock: Yeah, this is the one we can’t get anymore. But I wasn’t • Narragansett Bock: about to leave it out. This one also had some nice There might be some citrus notes that paired regional bias here, but when Narragansett sent well with the biscuit and caramel tandem that led me a few cans of this the flavor profile, but a few years ago, I was it was the toasty malt pleasantly surprised to aspect that made this one learn how good it was. go down easily. This one isn’t as sweet and the malt backbone What are your favorite has a roasted element that distinguishes it from Maibocks? Hit me up at geolenker@yahoo.com many other Maibocks. with suggestions. There is also an earthy element and the hops,
Son” (2011) – After “Sideways,” I would say this is the second greatest movie CONTINUED FROM PAGE E8 ever made about wine and more than makes up for such “Sour Grapes” (2016) the people who love it. This shortcomings with a clear– This compelling documenFrench film focuses on a tary chronicles a vast crimeyed, unsentimental view fictional family in France’s of the powerful forces often “Somm” (2012) and inal enterprise that created Bordeaux region who make at work behind the scenes “Somm: Into The Bottle” thousands of counterfeit botwine and the drama behind tles of rare, expensive wine, who will take over as the head when it comes to making (2016) – Two of the best winemaker after the charmany of which were then sold wine. (Streaming on Amazon documentaries ever made “Uncorked” (2020) – ismatic yet flawed Paul De for thousands of dollars at Prime) about wine and the people Marseul played by Niels Arauction. The elaborate fraud What’s the recipe for a great who love them and make wine movie? Start with slow- estrup. Like “Sideways,” you them. Both directed by Jason and deception might have “Sideways” (2004) – don’t have to know a thing continued if not for the work cooked Memphis barbecue, Wise, “Somm” focuses on It’s hard not to root for Miles four sommeliers studying for of federal investigators, sev- add in a pitmaster’s son’s about wine to appreciate this eral dedicated wine collectors obsession with wine, the Raymond, the anti-hero wine and taking the challenging compelling film that builds snob played to perfection by Master Sommelier exam and towards a surprising yet Master Sommelier exam. The and one determined French Paul Giamatti in Alexander a few other unexpected twists believable ending. (Streaming sequel, “Somm: Into The Bot- winemaker. (Streaming on tle,” focuses on winemakers on Kanopy) Netflix) Payne’s outstanding movie. and it turns and you have a throughout the world, with Cheers! You don’t even have to love thoroughly entertaining movie sure to delight the wine nut wine or know anything about some of the sommeliers from “The Wine Guys” in your family. (Streaming on “Somm” and others providWine Press by Ken Ross it to appreciate this somewhat sad but wonderful film, ing commentary. There’s a (2019) – This lighthearted, Netflix) appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Repubespecially the scene where third “Somm” film simply six-part documentary follows lican’s weekend section every Miles explains in such loving called “Somm 3” but the first three wine importers and “You Will Be My Thursday. detail why he loves Pinot two documentaries have aged friends on a quest to find Noir so much. The film’s only flaw? Miles’ misguided opinion about Merlot. Otherwise, savor and enjoy. (Streaming on Hulu)
better and remain fascinating. (Streaming on Hulu)
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great wines and buy them to sell back in North America. All three men know and love wine but the star of this show is sommelier Charlie Arturaola, whose insatiable love and passion for wine is infectious. (Streaming on Amazon Prime)
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really the first portable Mario game to feel like a full-sized release. And its aesthetic would define 2D Mario indefinitely, one still used in the latest Super Mario Maker.
13. Super Mario 3D World (2013) If it isn’t obvious from the name, this is the 3D Land concept evolved. It also threw in the four-player multiplayer popularized by the New Super Mario line. What we got was chaos on the Wii U. 3D World was an explosion of new level concepts, once again expanding upon the Sunshine secret levels that worked so well. The multiplayer aspect never worked when it came to being cooperative, but it’s hard to believe that was the intent. Cooperative players still competed against each other to score the most points, and every game felt like a battle royale to the finish. Also, it gave us the cat suit. Sometimes a single power-up is all it takes to make a Mario game unforgettable.
12. Super Mario Bros. 2
(1988) The first weird Mario game. The game’s origins are famous: It was actually a completely different game called Doki Doki Panic in Japan, redesigned as a Mario sequel for the West. Along with the second Zelda, this game established Nintendo as a developer and publisher that wouldn’t rest on its laurels, no matter how young a popular series might be. This wasn’t a game about jumping on bad guys, it was about picking them up. It was also the first Mario game to give you distinctive, meaningful choices in who you want to be. Luigi isn’t just a green Mario, he’s taller, could jump higher and isn’t as strong. Princess Peach could fly, and Toad was a heavyweight lifter. It’s ironic that the game that takes place entirely in a dream helped make Mario’s cast of characters feel more real than ever.
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invention and flash for the sake to a console Mario game never once felt like it was running out of creating a straightforward of new level ideas. Mario game. Of all the games on this list, this is the least inventive. And because of that, Super Mario Odyssey it’s also the tightest. (2017) This game is the promise of Super Mario Maker Super Mario 64 finally fulfilled: Open worlds with secrets and (2015) It’s not true that you’ll never stars to find, Mario with the same robust acrobatics he had need another 2D Mario game in 1996, and a camera that after Super Mario Maker. you can finally fully control. You can’t really recreate the thoughtful pacing other games Moreover, almost every enemy is itself a power-up, giving on this list provide. But it’s Mario more abilities than almost true, which is enough ever before. However, grand, to make Super Mario Maker 1 (or 2 for the Switch), a vast levels like the Metro and “Super Mario Sunshine” was released in 2002. (NINTENDO) must-own for any Mario fan. Sand Kingdoms might give Mario’s nerdiest fans would the impression that this covers fused. They never quite figured often create their own levels more ground than the previNew Super Mario out the appropriate amount of using graphing paper. To have ous titles, but it really doesn’t. Bros. Wii (2009) challenge to fit with Mario’s a game that gives us the paper If anything, it’s overstuffed Yeah, it’s just a better version newfound freedom to fly and and all the tools we could ever with items to hunt that aren’t of the DS series on console, all that fun to hunt for. With hover. But that shouldn’t take want is a dream come true. but Mario’s first console almost 900 Moons to find, away from the fact that this And it’s the first Mario game 2D game in years felt like it many of its secrets were a bit is probably still the most fun to have a thriving creative picked up right where Super bland. It’s empty calories, but version of Mario to control. community. Mario World left off. Played it doesn’t take away from what Making Mario fun and useful by itself, it felt very much like many would call the definitive and challenging was a big Super Mario Galaxy 2 a high-definition sequel to 3D Mario adventure. lesson Nintendo carried over the Super Nintendo launch to its later Switch release. And (2010) Level for level, this is title. But this game’s greatest Sunshine’s secret levels, which Super Mario Bros. (1985) probably better than the first strength and weakness both lie removed the water jetpack, This is probably history’s in the chaos from playing with were a direct inspiration on the Galaxy. Nintendo thought of most important video game. making this an update to the three other players. The levels winning Galaxy series. Like never really felt designed for water, Mario Sunshine’s ideas first Galaxy, but it had enough It rescued the entire industry from the infamous 1983 marcooperative play, and indeed, only needed a proper container level concepts to fill an entire game. And we’re glad they did. ket crash. It gave rise to two many of the concepts are just to take shape. decades of Japanese domiMario levels are designed to lifted from the DS game. But it almost feels like an intentional experiment to throw four New Super Mario Bros. players into a traditional Mario U (2012) game. Mario games are among As you’ll see later in this list, the most balanced ever made. Nintendo often celebrates its In this game, balance went out latest console by throwing a the window at the expense of housewarming party in the fun. shape of a new Mario game. Sadly, this title’s new pad wasn’t that great. The Wii U Super Mario Sunshine console’s “Big Idea” was using (2002) a separate tablet as a controller, so Mario U allowed a fifth The first GameCube Mario player to create platforms to was also Mario’s grand return to 3D adventuring, after Super either hinder or help the other “Super Mario Galaxy 2” came out in 2010. (NINTENDO) Mario 64 blew the doors open four players. It’s more chaos for the genre. As a result, Super for chaos sake, and it was fun, nance in video games. Beyond despite the tablet’s eventuMario Sunshine is packed introduce a new obstacle or al failure as a living room that, it also introduced new with ideas. Instead of Mario’s challenge, present a variation device. Much of the game was of that same challenge later, possibilities of narrative (story traditional powerups like copy-pasted from the previcliffhangers after every castle) flowers and stars, which gave and end with a finale course ous adventures, including the and game design (unlike him additional new powers, that puts everything you music. And although the world learned to the test. Every new other games at the time, Mario Sunshine’s water jetpack did map tried to mimic Super had a slow, natural difficulty something revolutionary. It level felt like an introduction curve that made it playable for enhanced Mario’s core abilities Mario World’s, it wasn’t well to an amazing new game. It’s of jumping. It dared to redefine integrated (the desert map be- not, it’s really just a retelling of anyone). Nintendo’s resident comes the snow map with zero Super Mario Galaxy. Despite genius and creator Shigeru what regular Mario felt like. Miyamoto’s meticulous level This led to an ambitious open- transition). The New Mario se- that, it’s incredible that the world design that was a bit con- ries has been about removing only true consecutive sequel SEE MARIO, PAGE E12
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design philosophy ensured that it’s simple enough to play and understand. But underneath the simple gameplay are layers and layers of complex design decisions that gave root to so many video game genres today, including the important consideration of gravity and weight, how Mario feels as he jumps and runs and slides. Miyamoto knew players would resonate with the feeling of weight, gravity and the fear of falling, as they’re all innate human sensations. Beyond the mathematical precision of level design, Miyamoto saw a deeper connection between our humanity and our desire to play. It’s why the first Super Mario Bros. remains a timeless classic.
4. Super Mario Bros. 3
games can be split between an age before and after Super Mario 64. In the 90s, video games were growing to three dimensions, and characters and cameras thrashed and flailed around as developers struggled to depict how to move in this new space. Once again, Mario showed everyone how it’s done in a single try. As the first Mario game defined platformers, the launch Nintendo 64 title wasn’t just a showcase for the console, it was a showcase for gaming’s future. Nintendo demonstrated to the industry and players how to move in 3D, and video games haven’t been the same since. Mario’s acrobatics weren’t just passable, they were exceptional. He felt like a true superhero. The castle that acted as a hub world was a playground for the world to acclimate itself to gaming’s future. It’s aged better than Zelda’s Ocarina of Time. Played in 2020, the levels are still large and plentiful, still offering more than many games today. Really, the only huge flaw is the game’s camera, which was controlled by the C buttons on the Nintendo 64. That was a blueprint for the right-analog movement that’s become standard today, and if the remasters of Mario 64 are true, we may really be one camera tweak away from finally having a perfect version of Mario 64. Miyamoto and co. made many design concessions in the jump to 3D, reimagining what life and death even means for Mario. They made platforms bigger so players could land easier in this new space. Powerups were redone from top to bottom to accommodate the new perspective. Yet, despite all these changes, it still undeniably felt like a Mario game. These new accomplishments, while staying true to its core principles, resulted in a peerless and miraculous piece of architecture and art.
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Super Mario Galaxy (2007) It’s the most thematically cohesive title in a list full of incredible games. If Mario games always feel confident, the first Galaxy for the Wii knew it wanted to be the grandest conception of Mario’s previous ideas, a maximalist masterpiece a la Sgt. Pepper’s or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It’s the product of the best lessons of Super Mario 64, Sunshine’s secret levels and Super Mario World’s sense of exploration and wonder. It was a game so good, Nintendo took the very rare, remarkable
step of repeating it with Super Mario Galaxy 2. Galaxy 2 may have more creative levels, but we’d be kidding ourselves if presentation isn’t part of this consideration, and the first game sings in ways its sequel doesn’t. The music, the artwork, the space theme (which they left behind in the sequel) and even a charming, melancholy story all combine with the levels to become something greater than the sum of its parts. And Galaxy was certainly no slouch in unique level design, redefining the concept of gravity as fast as every few seconds. But the game also gave you a living space to breathe, rewarding your progress with a lovely waltz in the observatory hub world by a small chamber accompaniment that would eventually be joined by a full-throated orchestra. It featured the first live recordings for a game by legendary
composer Koji Kondo. Pair the music with Mario rocketing from planet to planet, and you have a luscious, indescribable experience. Mario games typically contain multitudes of happiness. Super Mario Galaxy’s backdrop is the infinite emptiness and uncertainty of the universe, daring to be just a little bit sad, a little mysterious and kind of scary. Against the backdrop of this chaotic void, Super Mario Galaxy reminds us that it’s up to us to fill this emptiness with the limitless resources of our imagination, and that the unknown can still lead to adventure and wonder. The game’s enthusiasm for you, the player, echoes through Mario’s whoops and hollers, cheering you on to run, jump and soar through it all. The best Mario games feel like dancing on air. Super Mario Galaxy will sweep you off your feet.
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(1990) This is the “Link to the Past” of Mario games, the one that defined the series for years to come. It is the creative apex of the 8-bit Nintendo era. Yes, other games on this list also have dozens of levels brimming with new gameplay ideas. But the third Mario showed such early confidence in its ideas, it kept some of its best ones (like the Tanuki and frog suits) to only a few levels. It broke the “run, jump or die” mechanics of platformers and games by giving us secrets to explore, and wonderful reasons to revisit and reconsider the levels we just beat. Mario games weren’t just about surviving anymore. This time, we have a map (which has become a series mainstay), and it’s about exploring and reliving past experiences in new ways. Gaming was on the precipice of the 16-bit era, further mainstream success and huge technological leaps in storytelling and play. If Mario was Super Mario World the games industry’s savior, (1991) Super Mario 3 is the one that This is truly the only 2D Mamade him take flight (literally) rio game anyone really needs. as an indelible cultural icon. It’s an evolution of Super Mario 3 for sure, but as the launch Super Mario 64 (1996) title for the Super Nintendo, The current history of video it still needed to be more. It
needed to be more colorful. It needed even more secrets to be replayed. It needed a stronger story, more characters. And it needed to be accessible enough for any new gamer to play. While the other Mario games were pretty difficult (especially the third one), World made concessions in design and powers to make it easy and fun for anyone to revisit. It locked away its hardest challenges for the most dedicated players. World also gave us Mario’s first real meaningful expansion to his core move sets besides running and jumping. This time he could spin jump, throw items upward, he could pocket items for later use, and he meets Yoshi for the first time. The levels may lack the manic creativity of Super Mario Bros. 3 and some of the other titles on this list, but what it makes up for is the refreshing continuity of its world. Its map wasn’t just split into “snow levels” and “desert levels,” there was more intention to make Mario feel like he’s exploring new areas. And the ability to save was game-changing: 1-ups no longer mattered as much, and the designers were finally free to make the levels as intricate as possible, with puzzles leading to even more worlds. Picking between Super Mario Bros. 3 and World as the best 2D Mario game is a harrowing exercise, and there’s likely no right answer. For this list, World gets the win because it was the first game to make us feel like we were visiting uncharted territory.
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