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Barbarian

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Watched this to round out my Cregger horror filmography. This one has a lot of similar qualities to Weapons and RE, a blend of horror and humour, lots of quick, snappy editing, and is a more a fun, campy movie rather than a grim or psychological one. In this one, a young woman rents an airbnb but someone is oddly already staying there. The longer they stay, the more strange this house turns out to be until they discover more and more of its secrets. The other major plot point is Justin Long, who plays a complete scumbag, owns the place and heads over when he wants to sell it. There is a scumbag in each of Cregger's movies and they are always my favorite, always played for guilty laughs.  Yeah, this one is terrifying! Again I think it strikes that perfect balance of being light and funny enough, but really pushing boundaries with the horror too. It will make you feel sick to your stomach at times, and the payoff is plenty disturbing. As I do with most horror movies, I fe...
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Beowulf - Translated by Seamus Heaney

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⭐9/10 Beowulf has been on my radar for years. I mean, what a cool name right? But my bigger thing was that if it's good enough for Tolkien then it's good enough for me. This is an Old English poem written by a now unknown source, the oldest known "English" piece of writing we have. For centuries it's been studied by scholars, but then in the 30s Tolkien began to shift the thinking that this shouldn't just be ancient literature to be studied, but rather should be art to be celebrated and enjoyed.  I picked up the Tolkien translation years ago but admitted defeat pretty quickly. A nearly 100 year old translation of a 1000 year old story was not doing much for me, and so I put it aside, and so something that should have not been forgotten was lost and passed out of all knowledge until when chance came, I found this much more modern translation at the bottom of a river (a shelf at Value Village). I had lower expectations this time around, but I gotta s...
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The History of Concrete

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⭐ 9/10 This is basically a feature-length How To with John Wilson episode, and I couldn't have been happier about it. Its structured the exact same way as every episode, where he documents obscure things he sees in New York, and follows every aimless interaction as far as it will go (often incredibly far). Most of this is focused on concrete, how and where its used around New York, where it fails, with a ton of detours along the way. Thematically its right in line with the show. Everything feels like it boils down to impermanence, how we build these structures out of this boring material and patch it eternally even though its bad for the environment and doesn't look all that nice. He goes to concrete conventions, speaks with a couple contractors, looks at concrete in Rome, visits a brick-layer competition that is the epitome of Americana, works with a guy that blasts gum off sidewalks, and that's barely scratching the surface! In How To the weirdness and mundanity of moder...
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Sense and Sensibility (1995)

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⭐ 9/10 I didn't even realize when we booted this one up that a new version was coming out just a few days later! Well, who needs it. This is essentially a perfect movie, with great writing, fantastic performances across the board, and some legitamite moments of humour. My only exposure to Austen has been Pride & Prejudice, and I think I like this story a lot more. I mean, its kind of the exact same thing, but what this movie lacks in visual splendour it makes up for in a tighter script and runtime. I love the way Hugh Grant is in this movie for just a couple moments, but his aura lingers in every single scene. I love the way Kate Winslet pants for breath and says "he picked me up and carried me as if I were no more than a feather" after her romantic first encounter with Willoughby. Honestly that first encounter is one of the best romance scenes I have ever seen, and I think it's all Kate. Eat your heart out Mr. Darcy, that's how you come striding across the m...
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Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

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⭐ 5/10 This is a Netflix dumpster fire if I have ever seen one. Big budget, a couple stars (including a now Oscar winner back in the title role), but a nothing script with empty meaningless dialogue. This movie is for people that get turned on seeing Tommy Shelby put his hat on and walk in slow motion. Much like the final season it only cares about the glorification of its star instead of, I don't know, telling an interesting story. Barry Keoghan is here as his son, which is kind of cool casting, but whatever, he's an angry pitbull son causing lots of issues, and Tommy needs to come out of retirement to set him straight. That's basically all there is to this? Arthur is now dead, a fact that infuriated me since the show didn't have the guts to kill him, and not only that, he dies off screen! The actor isn't even here for a flashback. A true tragedy, the ultimate act of cowardice. Tommy's involvement in his death is used for a dramatic moment, but its so stupid a...
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Peaker Blinders (Season 6)

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⭐ 6.5/10 Easily the worst season of the show, and a tremendously disappointing "conclusion". This season really spins its wheels, seemingly unable to cope with an unexpected death of one of the actors, and as I said last season they are clearly incapable of imagining this show without any of the main cast. This is a dangerous world they live in, and they take on a ton of risk! The fact that basically no one dies in inexcusable, and they need to look at Boardwalk Empire (the closest comp) or the Sopranos for a lesson in killing your darlings. The show is firmly just "doesn't Cillian Murphy look and sound so cool", and he does. I'm going full spoiler, but he gets a terminal diagnose in this season, and I was like, great, this suicidal dude who is getting closer and closer to the grave will now have an out to go full kamikaze, how convenient. But at the end we find out the doctor was lying! This was a plot by the fascists to trick him into killing himself! Jus...
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Lanterns (Season 1)

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⭐ 7/10 This show was honestly pretty boring, minus two episodes that gave me that "Lost" feeling I crave. The setup is good, I love the two stars, but I just found myself not caring. It ditches a lot of the classic superhero stuff, and in the best episode actually dissects the idea of a Green Lantern in a thought provoking way, what would it mean to be raised into this inheritance. The show also deserves credit for essentially doing its season finale half way through, with the big CGI battle, and then the latter half of the show exists in the devastation that follows. A bold structure, and I thought that part of the show worked well. I actually found a lot of the show confusing. In the climactic one there is double crossing and alliances I did not understand at all. The entire plot is basically around them trying to find a Manhunter, and I have no idea what that is or what they are capable of. There is this guy Sinestro that is played as a big reveal early on, really don...
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East of Eden - John Steinbeck

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⭐8/10 Even before the Netflix show was announced, this book was garnering a ton of attention and having a bit of a resurgence in popularity. It's a bit of a booktok darling, and after reading it it's easier to see why. It's a chunky classic that looks impressive on your Weview, but also super accessible and has a sunnier view of humanity than most stuffy classics. In truth, this book was kinda what I needed in life, and I thought this one would be just what the doctor ordered. For that reason I was probably a little let down by my sky high expectations. I was counting on this book to change my life, and that's a lot to put on a book.  It's a multigenerational story where the questions it asks are very clear - in fact they are written directly on the page. Can people choose to be good, or are they doomed to repeat the sins of their forefathers (or in this case... foremothers?).  The ol' nature vs nurture argument, and it's a question examined with...
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Resident Evil

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⭐7.5/10 The latest from Cregger, a director I am now a little more invested in because he makes horror movies the way that I prefer them. They try less for genuine terror, but more for anxious excitement and thrills. They are more often an ode to the campy horror of the 80s and 90s, movies meant for sleepovers or a good time with friends.  Well I had a good time with a friend for this one!  I watched this and Obsession on back to back nights, and I thought it was funny that Obsession iterates on an interesting concept while Resident Evil is the most basic horror movie premise there is. A guy has to traverse a zombie apocalypse to deliver the cure for mankind. Tried and tested for sure, but while this was an issue I just had with a movie (Romulus), the thing that's great about Resident Evil is that it is self aware. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, it's just trying to bring more thrills to an old idea.  Abrams was my favorite part from Weapons, and he's...
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Alien: Romulus

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⭐6/10 If Prometheus and Covenant were like the flawed Star Wars prequels, then Romulus is the Force Awakens. There were no new ideas here, but rather a soulless, inferior rehash of the original, safe and audience-tested to make nobody mad and pull in lots of money from a big IP. I hated this movie to start. Horrendous writing, a boring team of paper-thin characters, Netflix level exposition, and it all felt like a bad, 2010s YA dystopian movie.  There is also one of the worst CGI abominations to bring back a beloved actor from dead. I was ready to write this one off as a sub-5.  The second half happens and the movie sorta catches its stride. The biggest thing is it's all action and scares, and so the bad writing is less important because there isn't any dialogue. The worst of the actors are killed off, and there's some pretty good moments including a truly frightening final boss. Also, and this is a bit random, but I've never been a big fan of Isabela Merced...
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Alien: Covenant

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⭐7.5/10 I watched Prometheus last year and my main take was that we don't need all the extra Alien lore, that the simplicity and the unknown is what made the original great. Covenant really continues to explore the background and history of the Alien universe, and while I still think the original benefits from scarcity, I will say I was coming around on the lore aspects. Now that I'm 4 movies deep, I do find myself intrigued with the sci-fi stuff, though i will say that Prometheus made such a small impression that I had to go back and research the plot. I mean, the plot summary rang zero bells and i was starting from scratch. I feel the same will happen a year after watching this one.  But this movie was pretty solid. The horror elements were certainly there, but I was more intrigued by the Michael Fassbender of it all. He plays two parts in this movie, 2 different models of a robot sent to space at different times. It made for some really interesting discussions th...
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Finding Meaning - David Kessler

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⭐10/10 This is a book I read for work, and Kessler is kinda the authority on grief work these days. Generally I don't bother to review books I read for work, but I thought this one was absolutely awesome. What makes Kessler an amazing voice on grief isn't necessarily his knowledge or communication, but how authentic and human he sounds in these pages.  He was the protege of Kubler-Ross who came up with the 5 stages of grief, and toured and lectured around the world. However, in the midst of all this, he lost his adult son to an accidental drug overdose, and suddenly all this became very real. This book is a more overarching grief therapy book, but then he takes time to tell his own story and it's super powerful, tying all these threads together in a way that you don't learn in a classroom. He is a terrific writer and the book gave me more hope and optimism than I would have thought. He goes over stats and theories, but again grounds it all in very real human...
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The Bear (Season 5)

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⭐ 6/10 Your suffering is over, you can go to sleep now. We started this season, got 6 episodes in, then stopped for over 3 months. That should tell you all you need to know. The season basically takes place over like 3 long and painful days. There is a huge storm, the restaurant is flooding, they have no money, everything that can go wrong is. There are tons and tons of close ups on cigarettes blocking a drain that is causing a bunch of these issues, and it felt ironic to me, but completely not self aware. Maybe the show is... circling the drain? I think they think all the madcap stuff and fast talking is funny, but it really isn't. Every moment of humour feels ad-libbed, where people are swearing and being sarcastic or whatever. Its just so worn out. There is a moment early on when a mom is talking to another mom about how she is sad she is here and not with her kid. And the other mom is like, but would your kid want you home and sad wishing you were here instead? Which to me was...
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Primetime

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⭐ 9/10 I thought this movie was so good. It combines the "great man" drive of something like There Will Be Blood or Whiplash or Marty Supreme with modern attention-seeking, and its based on a true story! I was aware of Chris Hansen and To Catch A Predator, but I was pretty young and didn't think too much about it. But this movie is fixated on the people who made that show, and whether what they were doing was good for anyone. Don't get me wrong, obviously pedophiles are a problem, but there is a really interesting dynamic here. This show basically entraps people, playing on their darkest desires and then utterly shaming them on national television. Chris keeps saying "what would happen if I wasn't here", and the movie makes you think, well, maybe nothing! These creeps would still be creeps, but the show's intent was to make them act on it, which might not have even happened without the show. Pattinson is phenomenal, driven by this holy crusade but c...
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Peaker Blinders (Season 5)

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⭐ 8.5/10 The show is in a familiar rhythm, and that's fine. This season the new big bad guy is a fascist, and I kind of like that Tommy has moved all the way up to politics. We are getting to the end and it is reminding me of all mob stuff, like the Sopranos, in that the main character is trying to figure out what all of this has meant. Tommy is going through it, and while he does that every season death is really becoming a preoccupation of his (like Tony). Again, nothing new here, but I think the execution is very good. I was impressed by Sam Claflin, really goes toe to toe with Cillian, especially having to follow up Adrian Brody as the bad guy. I thought the women get a chance to shine here too, all going through the same cycles as the men. Again, lots of Carmilla Soprano in all of them, but we are far enough along now that they have all mostly accepted that they are the bad guys too. Happy to see Anya Taylor Joy now, and I wish she had more to do, but I have faith season 6 wi...
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Obsession

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⭐9/10 In a year of great movies, it seems like this was the one to make the most headlines. There's a lot of reasons, like the rags to riches production and the launching pad for some sure-fire future celebrities, but in the end this movie became wildly popular because it is very, very good.  It's a super simple premise though I'm not sure it's really been done? A sorta loser guy makes a wish that a girl would like him, and then she becomes dangerously obsessed with him. I wouldn't even say this movie takes many super unexpected turns, but it is executed nearly perfectly in my opinion.  I think one thing missing in the discourse is that people call this a modern metaphor because it's an incel-type selfish loser taking away the free will of a better woman. I actually don't think that's exactly the case! I think this movie succeeds because it's not so blatant. Bear isn't a complete loser to start! He has a good, emotionally supportive a...
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Palworld

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⭐8/10 I find it extremely difficult to rate a game like Palworld. On the one hand, this is a truly creativity bankrupt game. It's not just that they stole Pokemon's homework and wrote their name on it with the creature designs, but every element of this game seems stolen and cheaply applied. Clear rip offs from Elden Ring to Breath of the Wild, there is nothing sacred enough to not be stolen and desecrated. And yet? This game is also a ton of fun!  This is a crafting survival game, a genre I have never explored and so most of this was new to me. Essentially there is a loop of exploring, gathering, and catching Pals, then going back to your base to craft and upgrade materials with the help of your Pals so that you can more effectively explore, gather and catch more Pals. There is a story here too (beat 8 gyms, the elite 4 and the final boss) to keep track on your progress, and this feedback loop is nigh irresistible.  In a lot of ways, this is Pokemon as it should h...
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Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (Season 1)

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⭐8/10 Man, where do I begin with this show? I have no idea why I decided to start this. I hate anime.  I heard somewhere that this show is the only fantasy to truly capture Tolkien, and while I think that's not even remotely true, the first episode elicited such a strong response from me that I had to give it a go.  In that first episode, Frieren is returning home from a long journey with her companions after saving the world. But as an elf, all of this is kinda meaningless because she is ancient and every conflict feels like another blip. She comments that the 12 year adventure meant nothing to her, and leaves her companions so she can continue doing whatever she wants to do. Only after 50 years and the death of their leader does she kinda realize what a hollow existence it is to not feel anything, so she commits to try to understand humans better.  I mean, what a weird premise for a TV show. The conflict is over, and much of the show uses flashbacks for her ...
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Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings - Jared Diamond

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⭐7.5/10 Jared Diamond is back! He is now 88 years old and I really had no idea he was still writing. I am always super skeptical when someone that old is still putting out work, but Jared will always be my guy, and this is a topic I've debated at length with Weview's  other contributor.  I am often on the record saying that leaders don't matter, but I usually only mean coaches in basketball or billionaire CEOs rather than, say, politicians. Well Diamond takes on that very topic, giving examples of those 3 plus religious leaders.  To start, I was totally sold. I love Diamonds style, and he opens with two fantastic stories of the first president of Botswana as well as an environmental writer (I found the second to be a huge stretch because she wasn't really even try to be a leader). Still, they were new stories to me, and were those wonderful examples of learning more about the world and history in a digestible and interesting fashion. Clearly leaders matter!...
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Monsters

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⭐7/10 This is an older, cheaper movie from a director I reluctantly love. It was Gareth Edward's tryout for Godzilla, and he was really able to show what he could do with a teeny budget.  In this movie, alien lifeforms have fallen to earth and a photographer and a girl have to cross the restricted zone - an area in Mexico that has been blocked off from the world. But the plot is secondary to Edward's signature style of cool images shot in cool ways. In that way, I'd say this movie is a success with some great sequences.  As far as the rest goes... Well I get the distinct impression that Gareth Edward's thinks this is a good movie. It goes really hard, and in some ways it succeeds, but in others it makes you roll your eyes. The biggest weakness is probably that the two leads aren't that good, both at acting and portraying normal human adults. They have a few moments, but especially the guy is so annoying, not sure what they were going for here.  But yeah,...
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