Literature
A Storm of Swords
Written by: George RR Martin
9/10
If "A Game of Thrones" was the set up and "Clash of Kings" the orchestrated climax, "A Storm of Swords" is the examination of the wreckage and the domino effect of the chaos that results in key powerful figures being taken out, switching allegiances, and secretly powerful figures rising up in the shadows. This book was fascinating and shocking pretty much through and through even if I had an idea of most of the plot. The exception to this being the Arya chapters (though I do have high hopes for her development in the coming books, knowing that HBO famously butchered her arc and all of the Bravos stuff). Swords also takes a really interesting focus on re-evaluating character relationships to each other, the political structures around them, and the roles they had until this point been fulfilling. Every character is thrown in to their own unique yet interdependent chaos in the wake of the battle of the kings. This book covers seasons 3 and 4 of the HBO show and thus has some of the very best iconic scenes I looked forward to. One thing I didn't expect to be infinitely more awesome was the Red Wedding, which has a lot more foreshadowing, weight, atmosphere, and convoluted politics behind it depicted in the novel. Tyrions trial, on the other hand, appears to have been depicted perfectly in the HBO version and I actually prefer the lack of focus here on Jaime's guilt in the show, but at the same time I found the radically different direction of Jaime's arc in this book and what will inevitably be different in the coming instalments to be absolutely incredible. A lot of this book either takes place or reminisces on the past during the Targaryean reign and the Battle for the Trident which was super engrossing and lent a richness to the current political mess at hand. While I was reading this, I remember thinking that "Clash of Kings" may still be my favourite just for the tension and atmosphere it evoked, but then it became abundantly clear that Based Stannis is legitimately my favourite character, and his chapters in this book are fucking awesome. Also, the HBO show perhaps wisely cut out the swamp monster, but I still thought it was dope and was thrilled to see her. Overall, a gripping and exciting read unlike anything else I've ever read, any chess game I've ever played, and stands out as the best of the series so far.
Film & TV
Mad Men (7 seasons)
Written & Directed by: Matthew Weiner
9/10
Brilliant. On a purely technical level, this show is undeniably perfect and from a writing and thematic standpoint it's incredible to consider how much thought and passion must have gone in to the arc of the entire production. Mad Men is just as classy as it looks, at times unbelievably hilarious and emotional, and a fascinating take on American attitudes, identity politics, and the president of the howdy doody club.
The more I watched this show, read about this show, and researched this show, the more interesting it became to me. It was interesting to learn the obsessive attention to detail put in to making Mad Men down to fucking weather patterns of New York down to the month and year depicted in the show. More significant for me though was the intentional story arcs given to a handful of key characters which represent politics, philosophies, and conflicts of the time as reflected with a modern perspective. That sounds more complicated than I mean it to be. As always with this show, its done so much more elegantly than you could ever believe. Pass the Heinz. Mark your man. I fucking loved this show and it changed my love for whiskey forever.
Back to the Future
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
9/10
Everything is going to be ok Marty.
It was weird seeing this for the first time after having watched Rick and Morty. Obviously they aren't comparable but it was still weird to approach it from that angle. I think this movie touches on a lot of universally interesting and endearing ideas. Who doesn't have a romantic idealization of their parents when they were young? Who hasn't wondered what they were like? Who wouldnt be touched to see their father make their mother swoon? Right from the moment he found his parents, I was swept up in fascination and nostalgia. I knew where it must be going, and felt a swell of emotion for it nonetheless. The fun sci-fi adventure aspects of it are well paced and super fun as well. Honestly, watching this film put a grin on my face for the entire run time. It is just so effortlessly cool, genuinely delightful, and unbelievably earnest. it hasn't aged a day and I so regret having put it off this long. Bless it. Bless it in these times of all times.
Babies (season 1)
6/10
This was a really interesting documentary series at times because I love developmental neuroscience and anything regarding how language is learned/ distinguished/ applied. A couple episodes are definitely longer than they needed to be and I do think I lacked an essential maternal instinct to be interested in some things like the chemical makeup of breast milk and some bits which were clearly meant to be emotionally driven didn't do much for me, but I was very engrossed with the episodes that had a heavier neuroscience/ social sciences focus. I love learning about hormones and their effect on us. I also LOVE the science behind toddlers as suicide machines. Incredible.
Constantine
Directed by: Frances Lawrence
5.5/10
This movie was not made for me and I found myself quickly losing interest and simply going along for the absurdly serious ride this is. You see that weapon right?! You see it. That weapon is really symbolic of the film as a whole- an action packed and edgy as fuck assault on Christianity attached to the very coolest Keanu Reeves. The effects in this film vary between cringy and very obviously dated, to legitimately pretty cool. Keanu Reeves smokes about 700 cigarettes and Satan legitimately has a neck tattoo. See? It sounds cool! It is cool. Its just also not really very fun to watch and takes itself UBER seriously. Its objectively probably a 7/10 but it just wasn't my cup of tea I think.
October Sky
Directed by: Joe Johnson
7.5/10
I hadn't seen this film in over a decade, so I considered it a "new" viewing in that respect. It is just as schmaltzy and corny as I remember, but at the same time a lot more emotionally engaging than I remember. Rags to riches and "boy has a dream" stories are kind of a dime a dozen, but there are so many other aspects at play here that I think put it above the rest. Though on paper everything seems really cliche, it's done in such a way that the focus is always put on things that don't have the obvious answer/ending. The road to realising a dream is not just perseverance. Often your economical and social environment will bring you to a halt. Daddy issues are not as simple as "dad is mean and unsupportive". I love that this film makes an effort to examine where that rigid personality comes from and how it is involved with the desperate American/capitalist reality of depending on a dying industry. It just feels good, man. Every minute of it feels good.
Back to the Future 2
Directed by: Robert Zemekis
8.5/10
It's still going to be ok, Marty.
What I love about this sequel is that while it may not necessarily expand on or hit the same breadth of emotional notes, I think it really does both expand on and hit greater adventure/sci-fi notes and is just really cool as a concept. The future depicted in this film is eerily accurate, consistently facinating both from an aesthetic and cultural perspective as well as a story perspective, and the jokes really really land as well! I fucking love the joke about jaws where the super aged totally awful CG Jaws appears and Marty says "meh, still looks fake". I don't think they could've predicted how funny that joke would be because it leans in to the CGI being so aged and makes it seem intentional. It was at this point in the trilogy I realised the true power of Chad Biff, as well. Super great fun time. Finally, I want to note how endearing it is that the Doc's ongoing philosophy of no sad goodbyes, outrageously joyful hellos, and having faith in everything being ok continues to drive the series. This, and the fact that Marty continues to be both effortlessly cool and hilariously inept makes this a spectacular sequel.
Back to the Future 3
Directed by: Robert Zemekis
7.5/10
It all turned out ok. Everything was changed and different and Doc wont be around forever, but it all turned out ok.
This was also a good sequel, but it didn't manage to be as impressive emotionally or conceptually as the first two films. The wild west setting was still really engaging and entertaining to watch Marty navigate and I am consistently amused with the very strange incest genetics and whatnot going on in this town where generations upon generations of family trees have lived in the same place as far back as the Wild West and as far forward as 2015. This is why you gotta move out of your small town. Good lord. Though it is my least favourite of the three, pink cowboy Marty and flying steam-engine Doc were helluva good notes to end on.
Bless this series.
Land of the Lost
Directed by: Brad Siberling
3.5/10
Stupid with stupid sauce on top, sauted in stupid overnight, then braised with stupid for 1.5 hours. This was a fun shit-watch at a time when a shit-watch was most needed. The dinosaur is un-ironically pretty entertaining, and the monkey boy (???) was constantly upsetting to look at. Good shit.
Ghostbusters 2
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
7/10
This one gets way too much flack. It was enjoyable and poignant and I found the romance sub-plot to be very endearing. Who knew I actually had a but of a crush on Bill Murray?! I will say that it definitely dragged on a bit near the end. The climax seemed a little drawn out and as a whole the plot isn't as tight as the first one was. The villain, however, is spectacular. I probably laughed out loud for at least 65% of his screen time. I don't know where they found this man, but he is a god damned gem. All things considered, there isn't any way this movie wouldn't be a bit of a let-down. It had to follow the first one, which is no easy task. However, I do think Ghostbusters 2 did a lot of great work with all of the goo and slime, and the cast is every bit as charming and funny as they've ever been. I can't believe I watched Ghostbusters 2 when I spent 25 years deliberately never seeing the original Ghostbusters just for a long running joke. It really must be the end of the world now.
Tiger King (documentary series)
10/10
I don't know why this keeps fucking happening to my 10/10 reviews. I write this whole big thing and then my Chromebook loses internet for half a second and then it disappears. I'm just so baffled by this because I'll write paragraphs and paragraphs of other things on blogger, and this never happens. Only my 10/10's.
Anyways, god damn. I'll keep it brief I guess. The directing is incredible and this series represents what all good documentary film-making can and should be. Guns. Camo. Joker-themed prosthetic legs. Hundreds of huge cats. Harems of women. Murder for hire. Millions of dollars in lawsuits. Most importantly, nearly everything covered in this documentary isnt what it seems. Nearly everything is ethically, morally, or legally ambiguous.
All this, an incredible cast of fleshed out and fascinating characters, and a powerful message at the end with some of the greatest ending shots and interviews I've ever seen in documentary film-making.
Just absolute genius and it features some of the most unbelievably Florida men I've ever seen.
Manchester by the Sea
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
8/10
This movie is something that I really needed at the time that I watched it. I think for anyone who is going through grief or depression, this film would be validating and meaningful. Something that I really appreciated about the screenplay and direction of this film is that the big "moments" of grief were shown from afar, conversations muted, no big swells of music or emotional breakdowns. What we get to see is how grief co-exists with the rest of life. We see the quiet indignities and isolation of living with this emotion and we see many different coping methods. There is no sense of "preformative" emotion in this film at all. Everything comes off as genuine and natural. Life is still monotonous even in times of overwhelming emotion. The scenes which do have emotional breakdowns arise in instances which, in my experience, are often the real triggers in depression and grief- such as stupid little inconveniences like a freezer door not closing. Grief isn't always only triggered by the funeral, the burial, or any big momentous occasion like this. Sometimes we are numb in these events, but raw and incoherent in sudden and unexpected conversations. I hesitate to use this phrase, as I feel there are many sides and experiences to grief and depression, but this more than any other film I've seen felt like it was touching on the actual day-to-day reality of these emotional states. Casey Affleck is incredible and truly appears to be struggling through every moment. He isn't crying in every moment, he isn't suicidal in every moment, and he isn't angry and getting in to bar fights in every moment. But in every single moment, his suffering and struggle to keep afloat are evident in his performance. Finally, I love the focus on an unconventionally affectionate relationship between an uncle and nephew that is traced in this story. I was really blown away with how beautifully their friendship is portrayed without being at all sentimental. This movie did catch me in tears once, and I don't know that I'll ever forget the moment. In that moment, shortly afterwards, I told my husband "I think Casey Affleck is a better actor than Ben". I stand by those words.
The Host
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
7/10
I fucking adore the monster in this movie. I love that it is kind of slimy, kind of fishy, kind of muscly gorilla, kind of monkey tail. It has all of these elements and still manages to pull the completed monster off super well. The movement is unique and interesting, the threat is real and the effects are pretty decent consider the age of the film. I am pleased to see that even in his early work, Bong Joon-Ho is dedicated to reminding his audience of the humanity in poverty, though this film doesn't touch on the lives of the rich as much as his others. Also, holy damn, I was not prepared for the whole virus outbreak political plot going on here right in the wake of COVID19. I honestly thought a monster movie would be a safe choice. That being said, the way this film ties government control, chaos, and conspiracy, alongside the threat of this monster and the revolt that takes place around all of this is really interesting. Really the only big flaw with this movie is that it isn't particularly well paced and at times is pretty scatterbrained. All in all an interesting and entertaining monster flick, and certainly a great Joon-Ho movie as well. Seeing as seeing movies in theatres isn't going to be a thing for a while, I figure its as good a time as ever to check out more of this dude's work.
Video Games
Child of Light
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
7/10
The combat and skill trees of this game are really interesting and offer great replay-ability because you only ever unlock about 1/3rd of each skill tree per play-through and there are about 8 playable characters you recruit along the way. There are also weapon, armour, and timeline upgrades which you craft from gems you acquire throughout the game. All of this is really cool and I enjoyed every minute of it. The game also has a unique style and is wonderful to look at. However, the plot is pretty uninteresting and the majority of the dialogue is really punchy and ALL in rhyme. It is so obnoxious that about halfway through the game I just started skipping through the dialogue and exposition altogether, and this is something I'd normally consider sin. Who actually thought fairy-tale rhymes could remain charming for dozens of hours of game play?
Steamworld Hiest
Created by: Image & Form Games
9/10
This game is like XCOM but not frequently bullshit. It is not as great as XCOM, but fifteen times greater than XCOM 2. The aestshetic is incredible and because it has more contained areas to explore, I feel like it could do a lot more with it's aesthetic than its predecessors. Its also a completely different game, of course, as a tactical turn-based shooter instead of an exploration-based indie game. I fucking LOVE the soundtrack in this game too. Everything is perfectly put together and is balanced super well. Most levels were super challenging (if you play on "hard") and required a good deal of thought and optimising builds and gun choices. Levelling up is super cool and exciting, and the hats are fucking awesome. Everything was just super satisfying and awesome, and I don't give a shit that the plot and story is paper thin. They always are. Id don't give a fuck. All I want is more missions with my salty sea-captain boi and my Russian weightlifter. I just wanna shoot more bad guys in the back with my robot on wheels with a crazy cat hat. I just want more. Endless, forever Steamworld games. This is all I want.
Written by: George RR Martin
9/10
If "A Game of Thrones" was the set up and "Clash of Kings" the orchestrated climax, "A Storm of Swords" is the examination of the wreckage and the domino effect of the chaos that results in key powerful figures being taken out, switching allegiances, and secretly powerful figures rising up in the shadows. This book was fascinating and shocking pretty much through and through even if I had an idea of most of the plot. The exception to this being the Arya chapters (though I do have high hopes for her development in the coming books, knowing that HBO famously butchered her arc and all of the Bravos stuff). Swords also takes a really interesting focus on re-evaluating character relationships to each other, the political structures around them, and the roles they had until this point been fulfilling. Every character is thrown in to their own unique yet interdependent chaos in the wake of the battle of the kings. This book covers seasons 3 and 4 of the HBO show and thus has some of the very best iconic scenes I looked forward to. One thing I didn't expect to be infinitely more awesome was the Red Wedding, which has a lot more foreshadowing, weight, atmosphere, and convoluted politics behind it depicted in the novel. Tyrions trial, on the other hand, appears to have been depicted perfectly in the HBO version and I actually prefer the lack of focus here on Jaime's guilt in the show, but at the same time I found the radically different direction of Jaime's arc in this book and what will inevitably be different in the coming instalments to be absolutely incredible. A lot of this book either takes place or reminisces on the past during the Targaryean reign and the Battle for the Trident which was super engrossing and lent a richness to the current political mess at hand. While I was reading this, I remember thinking that "Clash of Kings" may still be my favourite just for the tension and atmosphere it evoked, but then it became abundantly clear that Based Stannis is legitimately my favourite character, and his chapters in this book are fucking awesome. Also, the HBO show perhaps wisely cut out the swamp monster, but I still thought it was dope and was thrilled to see her. Overall, a gripping and exciting read unlike anything else I've ever read, any chess game I've ever played, and stands out as the best of the series so far.
Film & TV
Written & Directed by: Matthew Weiner
9/10
Brilliant. On a purely technical level, this show is undeniably perfect and from a writing and thematic standpoint it's incredible to consider how much thought and passion must have gone in to the arc of the entire production. Mad Men is just as classy as it looks, at times unbelievably hilarious and emotional, and a fascinating take on American attitudes, identity politics, and the president of the howdy doody club.
The more I watched this show, read about this show, and researched this show, the more interesting it became to me. It was interesting to learn the obsessive attention to detail put in to making Mad Men down to fucking weather patterns of New York down to the month and year depicted in the show. More significant for me though was the intentional story arcs given to a handful of key characters which represent politics, philosophies, and conflicts of the time as reflected with a modern perspective. That sounds more complicated than I mean it to be. As always with this show, its done so much more elegantly than you could ever believe. Pass the Heinz. Mark your man. I fucking loved this show and it changed my love for whiskey forever.
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
9/10
Everything is going to be ok Marty.
It was weird seeing this for the first time after having watched Rick and Morty. Obviously they aren't comparable but it was still weird to approach it from that angle. I think this movie touches on a lot of universally interesting and endearing ideas. Who doesn't have a romantic idealization of their parents when they were young? Who hasn't wondered what they were like? Who wouldnt be touched to see their father make their mother swoon? Right from the moment he found his parents, I was swept up in fascination and nostalgia. I knew where it must be going, and felt a swell of emotion for it nonetheless. The fun sci-fi adventure aspects of it are well paced and super fun as well. Honestly, watching this film put a grin on my face for the entire run time. It is just so effortlessly cool, genuinely delightful, and unbelievably earnest. it hasn't aged a day and I so regret having put it off this long. Bless it. Bless it in these times of all times.
6/10
This was a really interesting documentary series at times because I love developmental neuroscience and anything regarding how language is learned/ distinguished/ applied. A couple episodes are definitely longer than they needed to be and I do think I lacked an essential maternal instinct to be interested in some things like the chemical makeup of breast milk and some bits which were clearly meant to be emotionally driven didn't do much for me, but I was very engrossed with the episodes that had a heavier neuroscience/ social sciences focus. I love learning about hormones and their effect on us. I also LOVE the science behind toddlers as suicide machines. Incredible.
Directed by: Frances Lawrence
5.5/10
This movie was not made for me and I found myself quickly losing interest and simply going along for the absurdly serious ride this is. You see that weapon right?! You see it. That weapon is really symbolic of the film as a whole- an action packed and edgy as fuck assault on Christianity attached to the very coolest Keanu Reeves. The effects in this film vary between cringy and very obviously dated, to legitimately pretty cool. Keanu Reeves smokes about 700 cigarettes and Satan legitimately has a neck tattoo. See? It sounds cool! It is cool. Its just also not really very fun to watch and takes itself UBER seriously. Its objectively probably a 7/10 but it just wasn't my cup of tea I think.
Directed by: Joe Johnson
7.5/10
I hadn't seen this film in over a decade, so I considered it a "new" viewing in that respect. It is just as schmaltzy and corny as I remember, but at the same time a lot more emotionally engaging than I remember. Rags to riches and "boy has a dream" stories are kind of a dime a dozen, but there are so many other aspects at play here that I think put it above the rest. Though on paper everything seems really cliche, it's done in such a way that the focus is always put on things that don't have the obvious answer/ending. The road to realising a dream is not just perseverance. Often your economical and social environment will bring you to a halt. Daddy issues are not as simple as "dad is mean and unsupportive". I love that this film makes an effort to examine where that rigid personality comes from and how it is involved with the desperate American/capitalist reality of depending on a dying industry. It just feels good, man. Every minute of it feels good.
Directed by: Robert Zemekis
8.5/10
It's still going to be ok, Marty.
What I love about this sequel is that while it may not necessarily expand on or hit the same breadth of emotional notes, I think it really does both expand on and hit greater adventure/sci-fi notes and is just really cool as a concept. The future depicted in this film is eerily accurate, consistently facinating both from an aesthetic and cultural perspective as well as a story perspective, and the jokes really really land as well! I fucking love the joke about jaws where the super aged totally awful CG Jaws appears and Marty says "meh, still looks fake". I don't think they could've predicted how funny that joke would be because it leans in to the CGI being so aged and makes it seem intentional. It was at this point in the trilogy I realised the true power of Chad Biff, as well. Super great fun time. Finally, I want to note how endearing it is that the Doc's ongoing philosophy of no sad goodbyes, outrageously joyful hellos, and having faith in everything being ok continues to drive the series. This, and the fact that Marty continues to be both effortlessly cool and hilariously inept makes this a spectacular sequel.
Directed by: Robert Zemekis
7.5/10
It all turned out ok. Everything was changed and different and Doc wont be around forever, but it all turned out ok.
This was also a good sequel, but it didn't manage to be as impressive emotionally or conceptually as the first two films. The wild west setting was still really engaging and entertaining to watch Marty navigate and I am consistently amused with the very strange incest genetics and whatnot going on in this town where generations upon generations of family trees have lived in the same place as far back as the Wild West and as far forward as 2015. This is why you gotta move out of your small town. Good lord. Though it is my least favourite of the three, pink cowboy Marty and flying steam-engine Doc were helluva good notes to end on.
Bless this series.
Directed by: Brad Siberling
3.5/10
Stupid with stupid sauce on top, sauted in stupid overnight, then braised with stupid for 1.5 hours. This was a fun shit-watch at a time when a shit-watch was most needed. The dinosaur is un-ironically pretty entertaining, and the monkey boy (???) was constantly upsetting to look at. Good shit.
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
7/10
This one gets way too much flack. It was enjoyable and poignant and I found the romance sub-plot to be very endearing. Who knew I actually had a but of a crush on Bill Murray?! I will say that it definitely dragged on a bit near the end. The climax seemed a little drawn out and as a whole the plot isn't as tight as the first one was. The villain, however, is spectacular. I probably laughed out loud for at least 65% of his screen time. I don't know where they found this man, but he is a god damned gem. All things considered, there isn't any way this movie wouldn't be a bit of a let-down. It had to follow the first one, which is no easy task. However, I do think Ghostbusters 2 did a lot of great work with all of the goo and slime, and the cast is every bit as charming and funny as they've ever been. I can't believe I watched Ghostbusters 2 when I spent 25 years deliberately never seeing the original Ghostbusters just for a long running joke. It really must be the end of the world now.
10/10
I don't know why this keeps fucking happening to my 10/10 reviews. I write this whole big thing and then my Chromebook loses internet for half a second and then it disappears. I'm just so baffled by this because I'll write paragraphs and paragraphs of other things on blogger, and this never happens. Only my 10/10's.
Anyways, god damn. I'll keep it brief I guess. The directing is incredible and this series represents what all good documentary film-making can and should be. Guns. Camo. Joker-themed prosthetic legs. Hundreds of huge cats. Harems of women. Murder for hire. Millions of dollars in lawsuits. Most importantly, nearly everything covered in this documentary isnt what it seems. Nearly everything is ethically, morally, or legally ambiguous.
All this, an incredible cast of fleshed out and fascinating characters, and a powerful message at the end with some of the greatest ending shots and interviews I've ever seen in documentary film-making.
Just absolute genius and it features some of the most unbelievably Florida men I've ever seen.
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
8/10
This movie is something that I really needed at the time that I watched it. I think for anyone who is going through grief or depression, this film would be validating and meaningful. Something that I really appreciated about the screenplay and direction of this film is that the big "moments" of grief were shown from afar, conversations muted, no big swells of music or emotional breakdowns. What we get to see is how grief co-exists with the rest of life. We see the quiet indignities and isolation of living with this emotion and we see many different coping methods. There is no sense of "preformative" emotion in this film at all. Everything comes off as genuine and natural. Life is still monotonous even in times of overwhelming emotion. The scenes which do have emotional breakdowns arise in instances which, in my experience, are often the real triggers in depression and grief- such as stupid little inconveniences like a freezer door not closing. Grief isn't always only triggered by the funeral, the burial, or any big momentous occasion like this. Sometimes we are numb in these events, but raw and incoherent in sudden and unexpected conversations. I hesitate to use this phrase, as I feel there are many sides and experiences to grief and depression, but this more than any other film I've seen felt like it was touching on the actual day-to-day reality of these emotional states. Casey Affleck is incredible and truly appears to be struggling through every moment. He isn't crying in every moment, he isn't suicidal in every moment, and he isn't angry and getting in to bar fights in every moment. But in every single moment, his suffering and struggle to keep afloat are evident in his performance. Finally, I love the focus on an unconventionally affectionate relationship between an uncle and nephew that is traced in this story. I was really blown away with how beautifully their friendship is portrayed without being at all sentimental. This movie did catch me in tears once, and I don't know that I'll ever forget the moment. In that moment, shortly afterwards, I told my husband "I think Casey Affleck is a better actor than Ben". I stand by those words.
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
7/10
I fucking adore the monster in this movie. I love that it is kind of slimy, kind of fishy, kind of muscly gorilla, kind of monkey tail. It has all of these elements and still manages to pull the completed monster off super well. The movement is unique and interesting, the threat is real and the effects are pretty decent consider the age of the film. I am pleased to see that even in his early work, Bong Joon-Ho is dedicated to reminding his audience of the humanity in poverty, though this film doesn't touch on the lives of the rich as much as his others. Also, holy damn, I was not prepared for the whole virus outbreak political plot going on here right in the wake of COVID19. I honestly thought a monster movie would be a safe choice. That being said, the way this film ties government control, chaos, and conspiracy, alongside the threat of this monster and the revolt that takes place around all of this is really interesting. Really the only big flaw with this movie is that it isn't particularly well paced and at times is pretty scatterbrained. All in all an interesting and entertaining monster flick, and certainly a great Joon-Ho movie as well. Seeing as seeing movies in theatres isn't going to be a thing for a while, I figure its as good a time as ever to check out more of this dude's work.
Video Games
Developed by: Ubisoft Montreal
7/10
The combat and skill trees of this game are really interesting and offer great replay-ability because you only ever unlock about 1/3rd of each skill tree per play-through and there are about 8 playable characters you recruit along the way. There are also weapon, armour, and timeline upgrades which you craft from gems you acquire throughout the game. All of this is really cool and I enjoyed every minute of it. The game also has a unique style and is wonderful to look at. However, the plot is pretty uninteresting and the majority of the dialogue is really punchy and ALL in rhyme. It is so obnoxious that about halfway through the game I just started skipping through the dialogue and exposition altogether, and this is something I'd normally consider sin. Who actually thought fairy-tale rhymes could remain charming for dozens of hours of game play?
Created by: Image & Form Games
9/10
This game is like XCOM but not frequently bullshit. It is not as great as XCOM, but fifteen times greater than XCOM 2. The aestshetic is incredible and because it has more contained areas to explore, I feel like it could do a lot more with it's aesthetic than its predecessors. Its also a completely different game, of course, as a tactical turn-based shooter instead of an exploration-based indie game. I fucking LOVE the soundtrack in this game too. Everything is perfectly put together and is balanced super well. Most levels were super challenging (if you play on "hard") and required a good deal of thought and optimising builds and gun choices. Levelling up is super cool and exciting, and the hats are fucking awesome. Everything was just super satisfying and awesome, and I don't give a shit that the plot and story is paper thin. They always are. Id don't give a fuck. All I want is more missions with my salty sea-captain boi and my Russian weightlifter. I just wanna shoot more bad guys in the back with my robot on wheels with a crazy cat hat. I just want more. Endless, forever Steamworld games. This is all I want.
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