Memory keeper. Mostly music and movies, plus some series and video games. Obscure darkness meets pop culture glow.
Post-rock goth vibes with that classic deep male voice. My only complaint is the drums, which falls in that uncanny valley of not being played live, but mimic that just too closely while not getting there. Something that sounds more like classic programmed drums would work better, or just playing the whole thing with a live band would as well, of course.
I didn’t like to watch this, per se, but it was a visceral experience, I have to give it that. Also interesting how straightforward the message felt to me, and then it turned out that my wife and I understood it differently. Anyways, if it has to be A24 and a war theme, I’m team Civil War all the way.
After Weapons, this was a must-see, as soon as possible. And this was just OMG all over again. This is even weirder than Weapons: so strange, so much it’s own thing, hard to convey, but as someone who likes horror that’s more weird than gore or scary, I’m here for this. There’s a kinship with Heretic, but this is better.
This was a fantastic movie. Such atmosphere, acting, characters, also music (there’s a track on the OST called The Flight—during the movie it was goosebumps, afterwards it’s a relive). And the biggest of all: such a balancing act of horror, thriller, and some weird dark comedy, that it could so easily fall apart—and it doesn’t. It’s a masterclass in directing. Also, the villain is just… chef’s kiss.
This made me instantly look up more about Zach Cregger and jump on to watch Barbarian literally the next day.
As for the cast, two notes. First, I haven’t really seen anything with Julia Garner, but I hope to see more, she has a captivating presence. Second, I have a newfound love for Benedict Wong: despite the shit that the 3 Body Problem was, his character and acting was easily the most interesting in that one, and he just kills it in this movie as well; I’m actively seeking out movies with him now. Okay, third, Amy Madigan’s Gladys is just pure genius, it’s a phenomenal character design, I was in awe.
So this is supposed to be the OG Spawn comic-to-screen adaptation, since it’s created by McFarlane himself. It’s unlike any animated series I’ve seen before. Not because it’s 18+ in every sense, other have done that; I’m not sure how much before, but surely since, especially lately with ones like Invincible, where gore is done for sport. But Spawn is unique as being the most direct adaptation of a comic book: visual style, characters, narrative, topics and themes that I just didn’t think would be adapted to screen.
That said, it’s also a weird thing to watch, because it’s so much a comic book that it practically didn’t work so much as a film. For example, when a scene is so abruptly resolved like going from one comic panel to another. In a comic book that’s what I expect, but on film there’s something missing.
Anyways, as a Spawn fan, this was a must-see for me, and an important miss to make up for. But I won’t be coming back to it for a rewatch—I rather reread the comic books.
I was so confused first. I expected a typical Hollywood zombie movie and this was, well, I’m not sure what this was. Zombie arthouse cinema? It’s a weird one. I needed some time to settle and process it, but after a week I still went back thinking about it and it grew and matured as a memory. Now I think it’s a unique zombie film, and it’s a lot better that it’s that than a run-of-the-mill popcorn flick.
That chanting of the poem while the old war scenes are playing—it still just pops into my mind every now and then, months after watching it.
This one got left behind. I compiled the lists at the beginning of 2025, but never ended up posting it, so here it goes. Like always, not everything was released in 2024 (or most were not, rather); this is a list of things that I consumed and liked most during the year.
This was such a huge surprise. The trailer got to me, I felt something special about it already, but I was unsure what it will be about, really. Turns out, the story was straightforward enough without any major twists, but it was still a good story with enough to be engaged with. The whole series was just dripping with the styles of the ’70s: fine cars, great music, amazing fashion. I loved many of the characters, like Rachel Hilson being cool and badass, Josh Holloway being charming and easy, or Asivak Koostachin being smart and an underdog. Special shout-out for the title sequence: I didn’t skip it for one episode, just kept smiling all the way through and tried to find a new piece of detail every time. Too bad this gem got an early slashing; so I can keep it as a memory of a fantastic limited series.
I was going in as “let’s give it a shot” and come out “omg yes”. The style, music, cinematography, vibes, and Jordan’s acting were all on top. The story was not that strong though, but how it was done won me over still.
My fandom for Paul Giamatti just keeps rolling, I’m on target for the full filmography. This movie felt like one of those “a day in the life of” flicks where we just happen to follow these people along for a bit, taking a sneak peek into their lives. Very well directed and shot, feels lived in.