The Guard is a small film which manages both to tickle and unnerve at the same time. Gleeson's performance utterly swamps everything before it, but it's to the film's credit that it never quite becomes a big screen Father Ted. There may be philosophy-spouting gangsters, but the threat they pose is real, and the film tries very hard (mostly succeeding) to walk a line between comedy and gangster movie. The characterisation is excellent, notably framed by the buddy movie pairing of Gleeson and Cheadle. Is Gleeson an irrepressible, drinking and whoring buffoon, or just smart yet offbeat? You're never left entirely sure until late on in the film. To the film's credit his Guard may be corrupt as hell in most conceivable ways, but he remains an easy hero, whom Bad Lieutenant style, you root for relentlessly. Cheadle on the other hand is someone I normally don't rate, but his FBI straight man is inspired, and fodder for many of the greatest moments in the film. It won't be to everyone's tastes, but in a film market dominated by identikit scripts and superheroes, it's an oasis of originality that I remain hugely fond of.

Self indulgent beyond all comprehension, but that's Seth MacFarlane. Both Family Guy at its blandest and at its most irreverent, Ted's a must-see despite its serious storytelling shortcomings. Artfully narrated by Patrick Stewart, when it hits the spot it's laugh-until-you-weep funny (and he consistently is), which happens just enough to lift it from its otherwise average TV movie delivery. MacFarlane the director is nowhere near as good as he is a writer, and it shows - Mila Kunis for example is acting in a completely different movie to Mark Wahlberg. But Ted just manages to shock and appal in equal enough measures to make this compulsive viewing.

What can I say? Good pacing and a good fleshed out world of therianthropy. I really liked the various characters and the wordplay with the therianthropes’ species. Bit surprised to hear my own name too, so I’m sure there’s a character to pop up and make me feel slightly uncomfortable when he’s on screen in the next series.

Even for a person like me who has always had a loose appreciation for the Sonic games, this was a treat to watch. I don’t know how accurate Shadow was to the games, but then again the films follow a different canon. I will say, the various jokes with the Robotniks (such as the meta joke about how both are played by Jim Carrey) was quite funny.

Jesse Eisenberg as a director manages two really important things here: saying something meaningful about the Jewish diaspora experience, and teasing out an Oscar winning support performance by Kieran Cullen (overdue and deserved). Is it always as fun as billed? No. Is the relationship between the cousins as developed as it could be? Also no, but the slice of life look at their relationship while they’re away touring Europe is pretty accomplished. Eisenberg plays himself as ever, but it doesn’t matter much - this tries to be a small film with naturalistic performances, which happens and it’s so rare these days it’s a delight to be immersed into. And Culkin’s performance genuinely is devastating - he has so much work to do as the anchor for the film and he makes it look effortless and once more delivers an unlikeable character and makes him knowable and likeable.

A film I really wanted to like and the first arc, admittedly largely expositional, made for impressive world building. The tone started very similar to Armando Iannucci’s Avenue 5 - flawed but the social commentary managed to bite. But after the premature copy of Mickey 17 that bite fell away and never really came back. I enjoyed Mark Ruffalo hamming it up as an uncoded Trump analogue but it got a little too close for that satire to work, and the real Trump is much worse. Pattinson is good if not stellar, Colette is utterly wasted, as is Yeun, although Naomi Ackie is impressive. The film for me buckles under directorial self indulgence - it’s fun and has big ideas but Bong Joon-Ho is so heavy handed with them he loses sight of the satire. And the loss of Mickey 18 is predictable. It’s certainly entertaining but taken as a whole it disappoints.

True to its title, the show shamelessly gets you hooked. William H. Macy is amazing.

Faithful representation of the character. The third season is 🔥

One of the absolutely best Sci-Fi movies of all time. A masterpiece that tugs at the heart right up until the end.

Amazing. Absolutely beautiful.

Solid movie overall

Tetris is an icon, a meditation, an art, a science, a state of mind... for several years preceding the release of Tetris Effect, it was a brand tarnished & abused by shovelware cash grab releases from EA. But Tetsuya Mizuguchi brought us something with the spiritual reverence that it deserved. Truly a mind altering experience. There is no other possible way to play Tetris anymore. 20,0572 out of 5 stars. No notes.

one of the best christmas movies ever made.

never forget the first rule.

lives up to the hype.

such a good movie.

one of the worst cop shows out there. they constantly abuse innocent people and due process. there’s no “innocent until proven guilty” on this show.

not only is it the perfect game it’s also the perfect movie. worth watching more than once.

just as good as firered. easily one of the best GBA games ever made.

one of the first GBA games i ever played as a child. still holds up 20+ years later.