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⭐7.5/10 This is a movie from the late 90s in which Denzel Washington is in jail, but the governor is willing to cut his sentence short if he can convince his son (Ray Allen) to play for the local Big State University (what a silly name). The problem is that Ray Allen hates his dad! I had some familiarity with this movie because it always played on local TV, and while I knew they made some changes to make it family friendly (changing all the N-words to "joker"), I didn't realize just how much they changed. This movie is RACEY! There are a lot of boobs in this movie, which is a bit of whiplash because oftentimes this feels like a family movie, and other times it feels like a porno.  Anyways, I think I liked this movie. I am wildly nostalgic for late 90s, early 00s basketball, and this plays on every trope. This is the story of Allen Iverson or LeBron James, kids from rough areas who are certain to be superstars, but have to deal with enormous pressure before get...

⭐7/10 This is a zombie movie that came out in 2002, and I think that's super important to note because this is the most average, cliche zombie movie ever made, and yet that is actually a praise rather than a criticism because this movie kinda inspired the media that came after. Zombie movies were mostly dormant at the time, and this revitalized the genre and brought us the Walking Dead, Last of Us, World War Z, etc. I should add that I love zombie movies. I watched all of the above and loved them all. I love Post Apocalyptic stuff and all of its implications. I will always be down to watch stuff like this. But this movie has the same opening as The Walking Dead (like literally, TWD completely ripped this off), and the movie could be any episode of the series. There is absolutely nothing added to the genre that I wasn't familiar with, but again, that can't really be held against it. Still, I was not moved by anything.  The bigger issue is that this movie is absol...

⭐8/10 Not a ton of notes on this season, the latest one. I really do love how this reality show has become both a wonderful comfort watch and also a binge watch for us. So many nights where we are negotiating, you know, let's just watch up to the technical on the next episode, even though we should be in bed... Anyways, a bit of a spoiler warning, but this one didn't have much for standouts both in terms of personality or star power. There was one wunderkind who looked like he was about to have an MJ run, but he waffled in the end which made the season a bit less satisfying. But again, unlike fricken Survivor, it was justified in this season. He didn't come through when it mattered, and so he lost! But his storyline was the most compelling to me. There were a few other fun personalities but they didn't make it super far, and that's okay.  So kinda just an average season. It sounds like there will be some changes next season which is a little sad, mostly ...

⭐ 4/10 I loved Past Lives! And now the writer/director gets a massive budget with some known stars to make her follow-up? Of course I am in. This movie was terrible. I will say we had a great time talking about this movie after, what our favourite parts were, laughing at the bad parts, pitching better ideas that the movie should have used. But otherwise this was a sterile bland movie. It starts off in a unique way, something I found kind of intriguing, especially when it cuts from that to our leading lady doing her makeup in the modern world, and that gave me hope. But by the ending came I had already given up hope that it would be good, and then it circles back to that opening scene in the most uninteresting eye-roll way, honestly so lame. The main sin here is that Dakota Johnson simply cannot act. She is so dry and unemotional. But Tim, you say, that's the character here! She's a calculating matchmaker in the big city who views all relationships as calculus, even her own. Th...

⭐ 10/10 This show is easily the best Star Wars of my lifetime. Episode 3 is peak movies for me, and honestly the Mandalorian season 1 re-ignited a love for the world, but this series is for grown up Star Wars fans. I do think season 1 was slightly better, but there are absolutely no complaints here about this season. The set design, the music, the writing and how its delivered, all top notch. Seeing what someone can do with the most wrung-out IP is honestly inspiring, and gives me hope that we aren't just living in a corporate hell-scape where everything we once loved is repackaged and regurgitated back at us for the rest of our lives. I remember in season 1 being in awe as a TIE fighter screeched above a group of rebels in hiding, and how terrifying this staple of Star Wars objects was when viewed from that perspective. In a nutshell that's what this show does so well, re-contextualizing everything you know about Star Wars with the trappings of actual people caught in an actu...

⭐ 10/10 I read the first book in this series more than 4 years ago. I remember starting the first one in line to get my first COVID shot. And here we are, 16 books later, at the end of one of my favourite fantasy series. Sad to see it go, but this final entry is among the best, and it ends in a completely satisfying way. As a whole, this final trilogy is maybe the weakest of the series, with the first two books setting up the avalanche of this final book. This book is enormous, so I think some of it could have been distributed differently, but whatever, I think this is a masterpiece finale. The books are all pretty slow, but this one reminded me of the final book in the third trilogy, where all of a sudden there is tons of action, tons of travel, and tons of change. Hard not to compare to Wind & Truth, which I read after, but the way this tells a broad story, bringing together disparate storylines in ways that are meaningful and not just easter eggs, is really satisfying. I can...

⭐10/10 This fricken movie!! Sergi Leone, oh captain my captain! Ennio Morricone, I will go to war for you! Blondie, you are the sexiest man alive! Tuco, I was always on your side! Angel Eyes, you sonuvabitch, I will kiss you on the lips!  This movie has perhaps the greatest final hour of any movie that doesn't take place in Middle-earth, and as it was coming to that final crescendo, and the music swelled, my dog woke up from her sleep and started howling in worship. That is 100% not a joke. She has never howled before and has never howled since, but she recognized the utter majesty of the final standoff. I knew at that moment that this was going into my personal pantheon of all-time greats.  As I began watching, I completely admit i wasn't sold. It was kinda confusing, and kinda lacked logic in that same way I complained about in Fistful. Not only that, but Eastwood is named "The Good" and he's not only just bad, but does one of the more evil things I...

⭐8/10 Kinda a random Disney movie that came out when I wasn't really into Disney movies, so I'm not sure I've actually seen this one before. It was a choice from Jess, and not really one I had an interest in.  Man, this is a strange one to watch in 2025. Just not a movie that could be made today, or at least not this way. It's a movie where all animals live in society together, but there are tensions between predators and prey, and this movie is all about perception and stereotypes and stuff like that. It really is a movie about racial tensions, and this movie doesn't really hide that at all. But the thing is also that it's a pretty light kids movie, and so all of this is treated with a levity that you simply wouldn't see today. There is a sequel coming out in the fall and I'll be VERY curious to see it because if this one came out today, I don't think these jokes would have made it through the edit, and we probably would have gotten an o...

⭐8/10 I watched this a few weeks ago, and it's a bit of an odd one to reflect on. In honesty, it didn't quite make me feel like I expected. It is a documentary about the IDF slowly forcing the Palestinians of the West Bank out of their homes. This is a key point because I didn't really know much about Palestine going in, but what I learned is that Palestine kinda has two parts right now, and the West Bank is not Gaza, which is where there is a much more forceful genocide happening.  I suppose that with everything that is currently happening, land displacement in the West Bank (all before the 2023 escalation in Gaza) felt a little less central. Obviously I learned a lot, and there is violence to be sure, but you don't see those stark images of starving children or piles of corpses. Honestly one of my biggest takeaways was that these people are much braver than me, because I sure wouldn't risk what they do to stay on my land. I totally get they have a diff...

⭐7/10 I always feel a bit guilty feeding the artistically bankrupt live-action remake machine, but alas, I am the target audience in that I'm always looking for an easy, family friendly way to pass 2 hours (in my case, with Willy and Corney). I totally acknowledge that there is zero reason for this movie to exist. The animated version was doing just fine, thank you, and this movie is such a CGI-fest that it may as well have been animated anyways.  Still, because the movie is so faithful, it's hard to say this is a bad movie. I will also concede that there are a handful of absolutely breathtaking sequences that don't have the same thrill in animation. One in particular was outstanding and one of the coolest things I've seen.  So that's my review. It's like How to Train Your Dragon, but slightly worse, but also in a few instances, slightly better. If you like the og, you'll like this one.

⭐9/10 This is now the second novel I've read by Osman, and he's quickly becoming a favorite of mine. I don't think there is a funnier writer alive today. I feel like I laugh out loud every time I read a chapter and that's a rare quality.  This book is about a group of seniors at a retirement home that get together every Thursday to review cold cases in hopes of solving old murders. Naturally, things amp up when there are a series of murders in close proximity that they take upon themselves to solve. And the mystery is fun! There are plenty of fun twists and turns that keep you engaged, and an outcome that I thought was both unexpected and pretty rewarding (I should mention that I'm never the type of reader that tries to solve a mystery as I read).  But I think the mystery aspect is secondary to both the characters and the comedy value. I think Osman is a terrific writer and writes lots of unique, interesting, realistic characters. I love seniors, and I...

⭐9.5/10 The second entry in the dollars trilogy, which I have since learned is not a trilogy at all. I liked the first movie for it's visual flair and amazing music, but was either underwhelmed or straight up baffled by everything else. But this one? I loved everything about this one.  All the same style is present here. Clint Eastwood is as sexy as ever, and he must have smoked a million cigars in the making of these movies. He's cool, understated, the quickest gun in the west. That outfit is such an all-timer and I'm surprised we don't see more attempts to recreate it. But in this movie we get two other awesome characters, one being the villain Indio, and the other being the bounty hunter Colonel Mortimer. Both have super engaging backstories that sorta intersect, and both feature awesome performances. Eastwood was awesome, but I kinda felt like this movie is built on these other two. I was especially impressed by Mortimer, who is oddly the same actor that...

⭐9/10 This is the coolest, most badass video game ever made. It's also the most Christian video game ever made because in what other game are you trying to kill the devil?  I don't actually know that much about the DOOM universe, but I don't think that's important. This is the second game I've played, and in each one you play as the Doom Slayer (I mean, what a name) as you fight off an invasion of demons, and then travel to hell to finish the job, all the while rocking out and killing things to metal music. There is a little more story to this one, complete with cutscenes and all, but it's all a bunch of nonsense. You are here to blast demons into smithereens.  This game, and this series, is an ode to badassery. You play as some sort of vengeful demigod, and your weapons consist of a shotgun, a gas-powered chainsaw shield, a gun that crushes skulls into bone-fragment bullets, a spiked mace, a gun that shoots a ball on a chain... I mean everything her...

⭐ 7/10 This was a bit of a disappointment. I wanted to laugh throughout so so badly, and at times I felt like I was forcing it. I have never felt like that before, basically rooting on a movie that I wanted to love. But in the end it was a bit of a disappointment, although not entirely unexpected. The premise is that this awkward guy makes a friend with a charismatic neighbour, but then is a total weirdo and the friend group starts to distance themselves from him. I think its speaking to the difficulty men have in formation meaningful emotional bonds, and the fear of completely screwing it up, but I can't say I ever really found this buffoon relatable. The comedy of Tim Robinson really does work for me, but that's because the highs are so high. I Think You Should Leave is some of the funniest TV to me, but I also forget that probably half the sketches just aren't that funny.  Unfortunately this movie felt like a prolonged version of one of those sketches. All the awkward i...

⭐ 7/10 This pairs well with my Lonesome Dove review, since its an adaptation of something I loved. However, I don't think this did as good of a job. The game has a unique structure, and the show kind of tries to match it, but I don't think it works at all, especially since there will probably be 2 years until the next season. Ellie's half of the game was less interesting than the second half in my opinion, and this season didn't improve on that. I don't want to hate on the actress, since I think Bella Ramsey actually does a great job, she does doesn't have the stature or frankly the age to match the character from the game. Everything seems less heightened and serious because she looks so young. There were great moments, and I thought the flashback episodes were better than expected. The big moment early in the season was solid, and I actually really like who they have playing Abby. Dever also doesn't match the stature, but I thought she brought the same en...

⭐ 8/10 An adaptation of a great book, I thought this show was surprisingly faithful, and this 4 mega-episode structure served it really well. Acting was great, I don't have any real complaints other than that its hard to compare it to the book since I didn't have the same connection. You spend so long with the characters in the book, and I think these actors will always be those characters in my head, but its just not the same. The final episode is fantastic, and there is this montage after a major death where the road ends and they start setting up the ranch that I found very moving, felt it captured the spirit of the show so well. That's probably mostly because of the fantastic score, the main theme here is perfect. I thought they nailed a bunch of the big moments. My favourite moment from the book is a hanging, and they used a ton of the same lines here and I thought it was great. Otherwise I think it was a lot of the in-between moments where I would lose steam. It'...

⭐6/10 I feel like I have a bit of a complicated relationship with this season. It's an adaptation of a series I am heavily invested in, but moreso for the first game, and not the sequel which is what this is adapted from. I love this world and its characters, but I have mixed feelings on the second game. I gave that game a 9/10, ultimately admiring the decisions that game made while admitting that they didn't always land for me. Even with Tim's recent glowing review, I think my thoughts are still the same. The heart chooses what to love, and it simply can't love the characters from this game.  But the problem with this season, then, is that this is actually the portion of the game that I absolutely loved. I often think back and feel that the first part had some of my favorite gaming memories ever. I think this show was a complete downgrade in every regard, from the small story changes, but mostly because of performances.  I believe the issue is casting. I th...

⭐7.5/10 I have no idea what to think of this one. It has a few awesome qualities, but this is a 60 year old non-Hollywood movie made with a small budget, so it's impossible to think about this one in any modern sense. It is bizarre, completely lacks in logic, very hard to follow, and has silly things like terribly dubbed voices and ridiculous shoot outs. And yet? I kinda liked it! Well first off, this movie looks incredible. It is dripping with style, and has the soundtrack to match by my guy Ennio Marricone. It's actually the first of the Dollars Trilogy (Good, Bad & Ugly) and I felt similarly with that one: awesome movie that I wished I loved more. Clint Eastwood is so incredibly handsome in this and I have no bigger man crush. And I guess my final verdict is kinda just that if you have Clint Eastwood being moody in old Spaghetti Mexican towns with a banging soundtrack, I simply must give a high score.  And again, the style carries a lot of weight because at s...

⭐9/10 This one has been hanging out in the drafts! I actually watched this a month ago. After our disappointing anniversary romance viewing of The English Patient, we decided to go with something tried and true. This was not my first viewing, and this wasn't even Jess's first viewing of this movie that week. But I had never written about it here, so here we are.  This movie is amazing, everyone knows that. But beyond anything, I really was struck by the utter beauty of the audio/visual. We listen to the soundtrack regularly, so it's nothing new, but then putting that into the context of these magical vistas, Elizabeth standing in a misty moor, by the pond, by the tree, in the garden. Every frame of this movie is stunning and I think I forgot just how pretty it is to look at.  I still remain a bit unconvinced by the romance here. I have heard that it's a bit quick, and the TV show (or better yet the book) help to play it out. But I still think Darcy is kinda ...

I read slightly fewer books this month than usual (but still a lot, obvs), but also some of the best books I've read all year. Unsurprisingly, this is a pretty eclectic mix. This speculative literary novel is about the people of NYC waking up one day to realize that every building has suddenly appeared in a new place, often showing up in a completely different borough. Esme and Arjun both work for the emergency management team; Esme is great at analyzing and helps to problem-solve all the electrical emergencies and such, while Arjun longs to be a hero as he drives around trying to help people who have gotten lost. As the city continues to rearrange itself every night, they try to find out more about where it originated, Esme searches for her fiancé who has disappeared, and Arjun just tries to find himself. This is a really great concept, and never went where I expected it to go. It's character-driven and is more concerned with asking questions than answering them. The character...