movie10Project Hail Mary · imdb.com · I was there on opening day, could not wait any longer. I found it heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, and for me it sits right next to Interstellar, Arrival and Contact. I will watch this at least two more times this year.
game8Resident Evil Requiem · metacritic.com · Technically impressive on the PS5 Pro and overall a recommendation. Not a continuation of RE7 or RE8 in spirit, a light homage to RE2 and RE3 with a nod to RE8. RE8 was the stronger game for story and set pieces. The first five hours are better than the last five. Levels start long and get shorter toward the end. Finished in 10.5 hours.
movie7Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die · imdb.com · Authentic and everything was very intentionally played. Unfortunately it is for me personally too incoherent. Good references to Stephen King, John Romero and other horror and fantasy tropes. Worth seeing but if you are looking for something wilder and ambitious, watch Everything Everywhere All at Once.
movie928 Years Later: The Bone Temple · imdb.com · I like this one even more than the previous one (9/10). Would have been a 10/10 if it had less gore and torture scenes. I hope they make the sequel and it does not end in limbo.
movie6The Roses · imdb.com · Great until it isn’t. I think the falling in love part and how they portray the early years of marriage is well done. Would have been an 8/10 for me had they ended the film 45 minutes earlier with a white fade.
tv8The Expanse (Season 1) · imdb.com · Jasper recommended me this one. I knew this show exists and I have been avoiding it for 10 years for an unknown reason. I finished season 1 and it was great. I like that it makes you think and asks you to follow minutely conversations and mini story arcs. Spoiler: It would be a 10/10 for me if they would spend more time on fleshing out the story points about protomolecule. It feels sloppy.
movie7Zootopia 2 · imdb.com · I watched it in the cinema with Tilian. About as good as the first one, which Tilian has seen ten times, and this one he’s already seen twice. It’s crazy this one made 1.83 billion USD at the box office so far.
movie6Predator: Badlands · imdb.com · The best parts of the film were the ones without the Predator, everything with regard to Weyland-Yutani was entertaining. If you’re in the mood for something from the Alien/Predator universe, Prey, Alien Romulus and Alien: Earth are the better pick.
movie6Body of Lies · imdb.com · Ten years ago I would have given this a 9/10, it was one of my favorite movies. Today it feels too black and white and stereotypical. The twists remain a highlight though.
movie6Death of A Unicorn · imdb.com · Spoon-fed satire. The film explains every joke and theme twice, just in case you weren’t paying attention. A24 on autopilot that would’ve worked better as a 20-minute short.
movie7Eddington · imdb.com · Chaotic like the last few years themselves it tries to capture. Surprisingly resonated with me, despite being very US-centric.
movie5Tron: Ares · imdb.com · Feels like they built a movie around a soundtrack. I knew it was questionable renting it and still left disappointed by its lack of substance. The 3D printing and digitization of matter was the coolest bit.
tv6Stranger Things (Season 5) · imdb.com · Each season felt like it had a different plan for the next. The finale was sentimental but without weight. Dark and 1899 did this better.
2025
game9Minecraft Dungeons · metacritic.com · A Diablo killer, better than Diablo IV. The local co-op is fun to play with my 8-year-old son Tilian.
tv10Pluribus (Season 1) · imdb.com · Nice cinematography, focus on single persons over multiple parallel story arcs, solid foreshadowing, nothing over the top and no ‘we are so smart’ 4-D chess. Very approachable and digestible.
movie9One Battle After Another · imdb.com · Appreciated the overall length, felt nicely timed. Sean Penn’s acting was great. It felt like a whole and well rounded movie.
tv9Foundation (Season 3) · imdb.com · The slow decline of the Empire, the hedonist Cleon and less focus on Hari Seldon and the Foundation. The twist at the end about the Mule was exciting but then felt rushed, as if scenes were missing.
game7Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound · metacritic.com · From The Game Kitchen who made Blasphemous I + II. Fantastic game, similar to Blade Chimera. Fun to play but very difficult.
game6Mario Kart World · metacritic.com · A disappointment, more of the same and actually felt like a step back from the previous installment.
movie8Warfare · imdb.com · Gritty, simple, no sugar coating.
game8ARC Raiders · metacritic.com · Learned that extraction shooters are not for me. The unpredictable PvP and recurring wipes don’t work with my need for permanent progression. Only played in duo with Jan.
game9Hades II · metacritic.com · A better version of Hades I, not more and not less. The end game was long though. Repetitively fighting bosses without any progression, just to increase the internal counter of x times defeated to progress to the end.
movie8Sinners · imdb.com · Feels like a modern From Dusk Till Dawn.
game8Assassin's Creed Shadows · metacritic.com · Nice evolution of the formula. No mandatory side quests and you could easily follow the main story without missing out. Did not like that you played with two characters.
game8Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance · metacritic.com · A core memory of mine. Streamed it years ago so Jasper could watch from the UK and we basically finished it over stream together. What a nuts game, easy to beat sub eight hours. Always great to come back to and I hope they one day make a second one.
game7Deadzone: Rogue · metacritic.com · No idea why I played this so much. Very straightforward, ran well on the Deck and was a low effort shooter. I guess I used this to compensate for a missing Call of Duty experience this year.
movie6The King · Good cinematography, good acting, but felt rushed towards the end. I thought it was a TV pilot at first.
movie7Captive State · Really enjoyed this one. A bit lengthy at 110 minutes but worth a Sunday evening. Characters don’t develop much but they don’t need to - the acting carries it.