(dir. Joseph Kosinski) This is better than I remembered–at least until the last act. The cinematography–even in the real world sections–is all cold shiny symmetries, and together with Daft Punk’s electronic score it works to create a unique style for the film. The main problems, though, are with the characters: Garrett Hedlund’s protagonist lacks charisma; Jeff Bridges is a hokey The-Dude-in-Cyberspace; and every female character is a robotic cipher. The dialogue in the final third is also atrocious (the “warm, radiant, beautiful” line about the sun must rank up there with Anakin Skywalker’s musings on sand).

I watched in 3D on a VR headset thanks a MakeMKV rip processed with BD3D2MK3D. The 3D looks good but is not transformative. ★★★☆☆

(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. ★★★★★

Age has withered my interest in online multiplayer, so it was the talk of this game’s single-player campaign that attracted my attention. Credit to the designers for aiming to bring in some brief open-world elements to change up the pacing, and even greater credit to them for the Control-influenced supernatural horror sections. It’s not quite as inventive as its influence, but the production design is impeccable and the game is always fun to play (thanks, too, frequent save-points!). This is the game-equivalent of a good Mission Impossible film. Silly, but entertaining. ★★★★☆

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. ★★★★★

Yes, it’s long, but the endless sewing and rate negotiations do give a sense of what life is like for the people working in the clothing workshops in Zhejiang. It will make you look differently at any Chinese-made clothing you have in your wardrobe! ★★★★☆

It has dark and hilarious moments, but never really coheres as a satisfying film. ★★★☆☆

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. ★★★★★

After the non-character that Ethan Hunt was in the first two movies, Tom Cruise finally realizes he should turn on the charm and make us like the protagonist. With that improvement together with the nastiness of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance, this Mission Impossible succeeds. ★★★★☆

It’s a good film with some unique action and moments of beautiful cinematography. Plot, script, and acting are more workmanlike. A solid B-movie. ★★★☆☆

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. ★★★★★

Gloriously fun, with continued brilliance of animation and music. ★★★★☆

Not quite Airplane! but there’s still enough ridiculous jokes to make this extremely (re)watchable. ★★★★☆

A melodramatic zombie flick that is fine but fails to surprise. ★★★☆☆

It’s not Fury Road but still a hugely enjoyable action spectacle. ★★★★☆

A dull plot, and Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is still a non-character, but John Woo’s fun action choreography and stylistic touches elevates this into an entertaining action oddity. ★★★★☆