I’ve now played 67 hours of Street Fighter 6. Since Steam and the other services started counting, I’ve only spent more time on Minecraft, Warframe, Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2. It deserves to be in their company–it’s a fascinating game, with a skill ceiling that seems to go forever and, as I praised back in August, a suite of tools that allow you to improve your play. I have reached Silver 4 rank, which is nothing for a fighting game aficionado, but for this 45 year-old seems just fine. Time is limited, and I have other things I want to play (I finally have started the original Hollow Knight and have also returned to the dour Last of Us 2) but I now understand why for some a good fighting game will be all they want to play. ★★★★★

Many were baffled why Disney had greenlit a prequel series to the prequel film Rogue One, but Andor is the best Star Wars has been since Empire Strikes Back. Dispensing with the space wizard and magic sword fantasy, this shows how the Empire’s galactic fascism was maintained and how its oppressive rule seeded its own destruction. The script is intelligent, the characters diverse and well-acted, and its short two seasons are plotted impeccably. The best science fiction series in a long, long time. ★★★★★

(dir. Mike Nichols) This is an almost flawless comedy. Robin Williams restrains his excess and provides pathos, Nathan Lane is outrageous but finally sympathetic, Hank Azaria scene-steals as Agador the houseboy, and even Gene Hackman’s comedy timing is surprisingly strong. Its setting in South Beach also provides a now nostalgic 1990s dayglo seminude rollerblading backdrop to the story. ★★★★★

(dir. Anselm Chan 陳茂賢) There are multiple protagonists in this film: Dominic Ngai (Dayo Wong), a wedding planner forced to switch to the funeral business during the Covid pandemic; “Hello” Man (Michael Hui), a Taoist priest upholding old funeral traditions; and Man’s two adult children, Yuet (Michelle Wai) and Ben (Chu Pak Hong). An excellent script and strong performances enliven all of these characters and despite a 140-minute length (in the director’s cut) it doesn’t feel in the least self-indulgent. It did well in the Hong Kong Film Awards, but lost Best Film to Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. I would have given this the top prize. ★★★★★

Parable of the Sower & Parable of the Talents (by Octavia Butler, 1993 & 1998)

Butler’s vision of a future America sadly seems closer today than it may have in the 1990s. The two books are examinations of how faiths and beliefs might change in a decaying nation, and the beginning of Trump’s second term has made it clear that fundamental societal values can indeed shift with surprising rapidity. Butler’s unflinching approach to the violence and death in her story also makes many other dystopian tales seem far too kind to their protagonists in comparison. These are excellent novels. ★★★★★

It has a Saturday-morning-cartoon plot, script, and voice acting, but its action gameplay is thrilling in a moment-to-moment way that Alan Wake 2 never was. Superb high-tempo electronic guitar music, good graphics (although I can’t help thinking it would be better at 60fps on something more powerful than a Switch) and a unique chain mechanic for you to control your beast buddies. It made me smile every time I turned it on and started bashing enemies.

I played this on Easy difficulty–people who are actually good at this kind of game might want challenge, but I just wanted fun and spectacle. The final boss, however, seemed impossibly hard, and it turns out there is a world of complexity in the upgrade trees and modifiers that I had completely missed in my hammer-the-buttons playthrough. Usually I loathe having to spend time in menus rather than playing the game, but figuring out of a configuration of abilities to defeat the boss made me appreciate just how cleverly assembled this game is.

If the other games by director Takahisa Taura and supervisor Hideki Kamiya are half as good I have many happy hours ahead of me. ★★★★★

(dir. Andrew Niccol) Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) is a genetic “invalid” in a world of gene-engineered perfection. He borrows the identity of Jerome Morrow (Jude Law), a paralysed “valid” to be able to work at Gattaca and dreams of making it into space on one of their missions. The investigation around the murder of a Gattaca administrator, however, threatens to reveal his secret identity.

I hadn’t seen this since around its release in 1997 and remembered very little. It is still visually striking–not for its sci-fi special effects, but for its careful photography and heavy use of colour filters that render the film off-putting but beautiful. The distinctive faces of Hawke, Law, and Uma Thurman add to the otherworldly intensity of the visuals. Sławomir Idziak (Three Colours: Blue) was the Director of Photography.

The film is really not interested in creating a plausible vision of the future–the cars and fashion are retro-styled, the astronauts wear suits and ties, and it all seems more 1950s than 2050s–but that’s perhaps because the real interest is in sibling rivalry, human frailty, and imperfection. From Vincent, to Irene, to the mission director, all the characters fail to hide their flaws from those around them.

Michael Nyman’s music is also key to setting the melancholic tone of the film. It all should seem portentous and heavy-handed–it even has bookending voice-overs!–but there is nothing wasted here. It’s an exceptional film, and I won’t wait twenty-five years before watching it again. ★★★★★

I haven’t watched much anime (bar Akira in the 90s and various Miyazaki) so never tried to get hold of Cowboy Bebop. Its name has kept popping up through the years, though, so I thought I should make the effort to go beyond my natural inclinations and pick up the boxset of the series (together with the slightly later film).

The bad: Faye Valentine’s physical appearance and outfit are stupidly sexist. Child-genius Ed can be annoying (but did grow on me as the series progressed).

The good: it’s stylish through and through in design, animation, and editing. The music–jazzy with a hint of Vangelis at moments–is superb. The stories are a delightfully weird fusion of elements from different genres (science-fiction, noir, gangster) and are never predictable. The characters’ backstories are gradually revealed as we go, and deepen our understanding of why they have become the oddities they are. The show even has ending that completes the narrative in satisfying way.

If you haven’t seen this, put your prejudices about anime to the side and watch a few episodes. It’s a treasure. ★★★★★

(dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) This film was not well-received at the time of its release, but its rerelease in 2006 led to it being widely hailed as a classic of cinema. Melville (Le Samouraï) creates a grim tale of Resistance members in occupied France. Pierre Lhomme’s cinematography is striking, and he was involved in the absolutely gorgeous remaster available on Bluray. As gripping as any spy thriller I’ve seen. ★★★★★

A road trip movie in an America fallen apart. The lead performances are very different but all work together to show how the horror of war leaves its scars. Slow sometimes and breakneck at others, it builds to a ruthless climax that regrettably makes great sense.

The sound is very well designed, veering between near silence, music tracks, and gunfire. The cinematography is sometimes gorgeous, and sometimes shocking.

Well worth your time. ★★★★★

I played this in VR (Luke Ross mod) all the way through with the Phantom Liberty DLC.

This beats Half-Life Alyx for me as the best VR experience to be had. Night City’s size and complexity makes Alyx seem a very linear and restricted game in comparison. I don’t care that Cyberpunk doesn’t have VR controls–using a controller with the mod’s gaze-aiming works perfectly.

The main story is, as every one points out, not quite as good as the DLC, but it’s still full of plenty of cool set-pieces and some genuinely different endings. The DLC in VR is just phenomenal.

There is nothing else like this. CD Projekt may have messed up the launch but right now it’s one of the best games ever made. ★★★★★

This is a fantastic game. Tight design means you never feel your time is wasted and you are always learning from each encounter. It is difficult (I played on normal) but fair. The sound is terrifying. The graphics and animation are high-quality throughout, dark but never obscure. Play it. ★★★★★

Great script, impeccably made, and full of good performances. Spielberg at his best. ★★★★★

The dubbing is distracting, yes, but the story and cinematography are superb. Clint Eastwood is as good as he ever was, but even more credit should be given to Eli Wallace for his comic but believable role as Tuco. ★★★★★

A gripping thriller about a serial killer in a small town in Korea in the 1980s. The incompetence and violence of the local police is both hilarious and awful, and the descent of the big city Seoul cop to their level handled convincingly. The 80s aesthetic and locations are also great. This is superb. ★★★★★

This would have been a four star game for me if it had finished with Arthur’s death. The epilogue, however, elevated yet another Rockstar game about a gang of thieves into something more impressive. Watching John Marston (Jim Milton!) build his new life on the ranch was the best part of the game by far, and something very special in gaming. ★★★★★

A clever script, fantastic acting from all the leads, and great cinematography. This is an absolutely outstanding modern western. ★★★★★

Cate Blanchett’s performance as Tár is phenomenal. The film also allows us to believe in Tár’s brilliance at the same time as loathing her disregard for everyone around her. A great film. ★★★★★

It’s a perfect gem of a film. A wonderful setting that the crafted cinematography gives you time to appreciate; loving attention to the cooking and food; believable and non-showy performances from the cast. The film even made the pretentious twit of a male protagonist endearing by the end. Sit back, slow down, and enjoy. ★★★★★

This was the perfect game to play with my four and half year old daughter. Co-op here is perfect for younger players, as they can’t die or fall behind. Although she wouldn’t be able to figure out the puzzles herself, she could feel she was helping as I bumbled along. Graphics are simple but beautifully animated; music is fantastic classical piano. It’s unique and, dare I say, a classic. ★★★★★