A Decade In The Making.

It can't have been that long. Already? My eyes do not decieve me though, and it indeed has been a decade of writing and sharing opinions on a multitude of films and shows. And the worst part is, there's always more to see and talk about and there's no way I could get around to everything no matter how much I want to. This is extremely hard to write, but just...hang on. I'm not retiring, I'm not quitting, like fucking hell I am! Doctor Who and Andor are coming back for my birthday month! New movies I really want to see are still slated for this year! I'm not quitting I assure you, however I will not be here as much and this was rattling in my head since pretty much this year started, what was I gonna do once we hit 10 years? I knew I wouldn't want to bow out completely, but I've also been adhering to a very committed schedule for so long since the beginning with breaks peppered in of course to keep me from being burned out. But time catches up with us all and while I loved this it was time to focus more on life. So I will tell you what I'll do, new movie reviews are going to be the constant however in terms of regular reviews it'll be more when madness strikes or I see something I truly want to talk about. There is so many movies I have yet to get around to and I know I will discuss them when I do see them, it's just time to sit for different purposes. I have some plans for my birthday which will coincidentally end on my Nan's birthday, and we certainly still have some movies to look into this week. So it's far from the end, just time and world enough at last. I do still feel my writing has only kept improving since the beginning, but read the old stuff there's good recommendations buried in the past 1,000 reviews. Hell the fact I can say I've seen vastly more good movies than bad movies on my track record is something I hold dear, considering my inspirations mainly focused on the shitty side of the cinematic spectrum but that was the name of the game back then. Nowadays, it's a brave new world with animosity and praise and everything in between being put forth towards the media we watch, or read, or experience. I of course am extremely thankful for everyone around the world who has tuned in, even if just once, cause those are the people who made it all worth it. Even if you may have disagreed profusely with me, that makes the countless hours both watching and writing fulfilling. It doesn't seem real at times that I've been at this for so long and have written as much as I have, but even though I've been making pennies a year I could care less cause I get to talk my shit about movies and my interests so what more could I ask for. I've done a Dude's job sir. I guess I'm through now? Almost. It's too bad I won't live, but then again who does?

Communication Disruption Can Mean Only One Thing...

INVASION.

It has been a good long ass while since I have been this busy. I hate being busy. Pretty much from Sunday it's been non-stop life leaving little time for much else and uh...it ain't over yet! And the fact I lost internet capabilities for several days has grossly undermined the reviews for this week. There was only going to be two admittedly but now I'm not even sure I'll be at the theater opening day for Mickey 17, and that's horseshit man! You know me and sci-fi, I am always game for sci-fi and that got ripped right away from me. I can't honestly remember the last time I got several spanners thrown into the works to where it would affect the reviews, but the sooner it's over the better! I'll have to hunker down this weekend and get some writing done because we got our typical trifecta for next week and there is no way in hell I'm losing out on two weeks. So I am so damn sorry, it's turning into a clusterfuck over here, Halloween is not as busy as this week has been and that's saying something. I'll see what I can do come Friday so just bear with me and let's see if we can run this blockade.

Top 10 Films Of 2024

New year, same old controversial top 10.

10. Dune Part Two — Ohhh I did it again! I do promise we'll do an In Retrospect later this year on the whole damn thing. Solid first entry for the list regardless.

9. The Fall Guy — Nothing but fun and entertaining. Ryan you got me again buddy!

8. Wicked — Despite the minor grumbles I had this easily was the big event movie of the year that not only dipped below my radar but crept up on me in no time. Ace!

7. Godzilla × Kong — Of course I gotta put this on here, kaiju lover that I am. Outrageous, silly, but undeniably up my alley.

6. Alien Romulus — Ooh hoo we're getting good now! A much much needed breath of fresh air in the space terror franchise. Fingers crossed for some continuation.

5. Nosferatu — Horny my ass! Dark, gothic, even slightly romantic certainly fits the bill more here. Seems to be a home run for most people anyway

4. Monkey Man — The most unexpectedly grand action movie I've ever seen in my life, and would easily love to see again. Nobody talks about it but everyone should see it. Solid gold.

3. Lisa Frankenstein — If this movie was further up my alley it would be inside of me. Lavish, hilarious, and a grand slam directorial debut in my opinion. Call me a fan.

2. Heretic — Wasn't even slightly aware of where this was going but I could not have been happier seeing it. This is one of those movies people will discuss for years.

1. Rite Here Rite Now — Yeah, I knowww! Concert movie, nichè, totally biased. Welcome to the show everybody! Don't care at all, absolutely loved it, super proud to own it, take me to church Papa!

So hail Satan (or Santa if you're dyslexic), and I'll see you soon for some unexpected horror goodies to kick off the new year.

A Slight Detour, Jeopardize The Mission It Will Not.

Life you never cease to confound my efforts. Alright well I hate to say it and hate even more to live it, but things have been going south for about a month now. Job troubles, having to start the game all over again to find a good source of income without doing the whoring, and moving into a new apartment has pretty much bled me dry and I have no idea what to do. I'm tired, I'm strung out, and I'm spiraling downward into a patch of depression. However! I may have gotten a semi-okay job but the problem is it's gonna be like a 12 hour shift three or four days out of the week. Most likely not even going to be a do a whole lot of nothing kind of job, so I'm having to play the waiting game until all the details are revealed. In fact I've been out of the house for about 5 hours today getting paperworked signed and just got settled in my comfy chair. I honestly do not know if I can make it to see Trap tomorrow because of this ongoing situation or really any new releases this month, I'll try my damndest but it's only fair to give an update on what's been happening behind the scenes and what potentially is coming in the future. I hate that. Nobody likes getting upheaved unexpectedly and I am on the brink of cursing and hexing many many people for compromising my future, but maybe I won't have to now. We all can dream can't we? I'm gonna peruse some films and ideas for the next few weeks and see what I can do. What fun!

A Slight Delay...

Well....shit! Un-friggin'-believable. I was supposed to be speaking to you today from the new home of my incredibly basic and tiny The Dude Studio at the new apartment, but fuckery is afoot and there was a severe literal day of occurence and I quote, let me repeat that again and I QUOTE " The ceiling collapsed.". So I am stuck for all intents and purposes in limbo, with next door to zero cash, entombed in a prison of boxes, spinning my wheels. Getting nowhere. I am so burned out from this oh so special occasion that can suck on cox, and I am profusely sorry to say this but I won't be able to see Inside Out 2 and get the review done this week. I pray to my dark patron from beyond the stars, and appeal to every righteous and hellish force above, below, and in between that next week we are going to be back and the apartment debacle is settled. I'll throw out an In Retrospect for Inside Out because it's been coincidentally almost 8 years to the day that I wrote that review, but as one trained in the Force I know that true coincidences are rare, and finally get to see the new Pixar film. If not, screw it I'll throw some reviews up and try to make the best of this that I can. This isn't my first shitstorm and I'm playing the long game and I will win. So join me next week, catch up on some other reviews from the past I've written, find something good to watch and do all that grand stuff. I'm going to hex a few people and go to bed.

To New Horizons!

Update time! Well after several years of living under a semi-decent roof His Dudeness is uprooting and moving to a bigger better apartment, that no doubt will help out in many areas. And though I despise moving I know it's for the best, buuuut that means for about 3 weeks I'll be packing a myriad of books, films, appliances, and clothes so the reviews will be on the down low for a hot second. I'll try to get some writing done to have at least one review per week and since there's no major new releases on my schedule until halfway through June that is a blessing in disguise! If all goes well I'll be settled and ready to roll out with a more consistent schedule from then on. But for this week to atone for my missing World Goth Day on account of Mad Max and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a particular film please join me for my first viewing of The Crow on Wednesday. Stay safe, stay cool, stay awesome.

9 Down, 1 To Go

Alright, I'm back. Happy to be going to a semi-regular schedule, it was a nice little break just focusing on new movies but I'd like to be more consistent. Cause man there were multiple weeks of nothing new hitting the cinemas and that's not terribly fair to all the folks who come here to hear me ramble on like I do, so henceforth until madness strikes minimum of one review a week both old or new. I got a little something for you today to make this occasion all the merrier, giving you 3 reviews this week in preparation for Godzilla × Kong (How do you pronounce the ×, what does it mean??) so I hope you enjoy that. My God to think I've nearly kept this hobby up for a decade is almost inconcievable to me, because I was browsing the YouTubes as I often do, I've been an addict since 2007 it's never going away and I've embraced that, and I've seen videos that were uploaded in like 2013-2014 and I was like...it doesn't seem that long ago. It couldn't have been that long ago! But then it dawned on me I was 18-ish years old around that time, just on the cusp of being a unknown film critic, wrapping up high school, and shit man this whole life thing really does spirit you away in ways you'll never imagine. Did I ever think I was going to have written over 1100 reviews by now? That would be a naw. But I'm damn happy to have done it and hope it made a difference to somebody, even if just once. I mean it too, if you avoided a bad movie or gave something a shot just based on what I had to say about it, every single second of writing all those was worth it. No question. Couldn't tell you what's coming up this year but I think we can make it through and come out with more positive viewing experiences than negative ones. Free spoiler, yes this is breaking exclusive news just for you, this review coming up oh it's an angry one. I'll get that up later so enjoy and thanks for for joining as always!

Top 10 Films of 2023

Well here we are again. Let's go.

10. John Wick 4. Yeah I couldn't have been more out of the loop if I tried but it was still a really good movie and a great conclusion.

9. Blue Beetle. Bit of an underrated gem as far as I'm concerned with heart and charm to spare.

8. Super Mario Bros. The Movie. One of the best video game movies for sure and it gave us the song for this generation, Peaches.

7. Renfield. Very much a niché movie, made specifically for me, and I loved it!

6. Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves. Fun, unadulterated fun, and well worth all the research I put in.

5. Asteroid City. Such a unique film and had a charm that struck the right chords for me, and was funny to boot.

4. Spider-Man Across The Spiderverse. Holy cow was this a visual feast and easily today's Empire Strikes Back. Kino for certain.

3. Oppenheimer. Heavier than a 1,000 ton lead ball and took a long while for me to get over it, but it undoubtedly is worth watching.

2. Barbie. God...damn it! It had less than zero right being this wonderful and amazing, and the only film on this list to make me shed a tear.

1. Godzilla Minus One. Okay the top 2 are interchangeable, but this was such a rock solid film and I still kinda feel it's better than the 1954 original but we shall see. I just was blown away how grand it was and plead for people to see it in theaters.

And just for shits and giggles worst film of the year hands down, Expendables 4. Pretty good year and here's hoping for even better on this leap year. Can't be worse than the last...

The Journey Doesn't End Here

Death is just another path, one that we all must take. Not so much a literal death for me but certainly the end of an era, yeah that day has finally come. It's been coming for quite awhile in all honesty, months before the 1,000th review, but it's not through pessimistic attitudes or a loss of passion for doing so. It's just been a lot. If my calculations are correct it took just a bit over 7 years of regularly scheduled reviews to reach that tremendous milestone and as I've stated before I never quite intended to make it so far out. There comes a time when even the author of it all must look at the numbers and shakily catch his breath, and on those occasions, it's time to make plans. An overwhelming record in such a short span of time, and I've learned it never hurts to take a break and it seems the timing could not have been better. It obviously can't go on forever but I assure you I have no intention of quitting. You'll see me again sooner than you expect as we dive into the depths and uncover something potentially good. Goodbyes have never been my strong suit, so to take a page from master horror fans Dead Meat, thank you for joining me and be good people.

Evolutionary Viewing Of The Internet Critic: Part V

I've said it many times and I mean it with every syllable, for a pessimist I'm pretty optimistic. Fun though it is to reference a Paramore song, because I'm turning to dust and bones with each passing moment, I truly mean that. If you know anything about me in real life I'm grumpy, bitter, and don't care much for people. So why exactly do I choose to look on the bright side when it comes to movies, and shows, and just media in general? Well I always consider it to be escapism first and foremost, I'm self aware enough to look at the big picture and even laugh at my own anger and frustration which more often than not is directed towards something that doesn't matter a lot. Not to say cinema and entertainment cannot be more than simply that, I know better, I know what the power of film and stories can do to the world but like I said I have enough disassociation to understand it's a movie. I wish more people had such ways of thinking, cause I'll be honest here man....it's gotten to the point where I don't give two fucks about hardly anyone's opinions anymore when it comes to movies. That really is something big for me to say here, I built my life from teenage years onward on film reviews, internet critics, and opinion pieces on all different kinds of media, but I'm just not that dude anymore. Which is odd because I've held the firm belief that you shouldn't care what other people think and to live your life your way for a good long while now, before I really got out of my teenage years when self doubt, paranoia, and teeming emotions are a constant. And I'm taking a positive stance on this, it's just another part of growing up. And you never really stop growing. But I hate to admit it came from a spiteful source, I'm just so over an abundance of negativity to where I'm receding further and further from social media. Because I see just so much ugliness over like a kid's show or a book and most certainly on movie series I greatly enjoy, even if I don't indulge in those individuals content and it grates. It grates like a son of a bitch and I can't stand it. That's pretty much my stance on my own reviews, why contribute to just badmouthing and hating on something when you can shed some positivity instead? I know it all comes down to emotions but I strongly feel not many folks take everything into account and just rage for the sake of views and don't acknowledge good things as well. You've probably seen that a good few times online. I have seen some not so great stuff in my life but I don't dwell. You know what I mean? So my opinions and my personality have changed and I just hope it's for the better. Having a high functioning autistic mind doesn't help much, ridiculous though it seems I feel very isolated if that's the right word in my own thoughts and likings because I simply don't see or hear anyone share them. Not all of them obviously, that would be impossible but just something....anything. Very counter culture though I am, never once have I wrote something just to be contrary. I fail to see the point and just tell it how I feel, even if certain opinions have changed since the initial review which they have! I've even flat out called bullshit on myself for certain ratings, but I'd rather grow and form new opinions than stagnate on a topic for nearly a decade not reflecting on anything. I've been a hopeless YouTube addict for nearly 20 years, delving into all kinds of stuff but I find myself more rewatching older stuff than pursuing new material, maybe you do the same but I feel that's something I need to come out of my shell more on. You never have to agree on everything, you just gotta find someone your speed and energy. But all that most certainly will not hinder my own views on the things I choose to review, it's been a very grand journey thus far and to know people stop by to read awhile means the world to me. And let me tell you something man, it's a better world to live in when you get up, walk away from the computer, and savor life a bit before coming back for a little while later. That's the goal. And as far as my writing I can only say this: It is a far far better thing that I do than I have ever done before, and it is a far far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. Less than a month to go now and I'll see you tomorrow.

8 Years In A Flash

I know I said it but I still don't feel great about it. But it's time. From now until the 9th year anniversary next year, I'm taking a major break from reviews. New movie reviews will come out, I actually have a little over a month of stuff coming out pretty much culminating on my birthday so this isn't goodbye. And who knows, madness may indeed strike and I shall briefly rise from my tomb in the month of October to talk more spooky goodness! But it's genuinely a lot to take in, as I stated in my Rings Of Power review I can't believe I've hit 1,000 reviews and now we're almost to 1,050 in just 8 years. It certainly doesn't feel like 8 years! Just holy crap I've done way more than I ever thought I was going to do, I was wondering if I was gonna keep going to 100 reviews let alone ten times that amount. I don't hate doing it, I couldn't quit if I tried, and even with the breaks I take each year I'm still working on a constant regular basis. As an individual with a great love for cinema and expressing yourself through writing, if you add autism and depression into any equation you're going to have a lot of mental balancing. I'm not even stressed over this show man, I keep up a pretty strict relax regiment on a daily basis to keep my mind limber and at peace, with great success. I'm not burned out I promise, I'm just taking several steps back and looking at the big picture and evaluating what I've done. And I've done a lot with plenty more still to do. The fact this website garners about 1,000 people a month who read any of my reviews blows my mind completely, from here in the States to Russia to Asia I've had some big attention shed on my work and I really fucking mean this when I say, thank you. I'm incredibly content with the number of folks who seek out an opinion of mine, completely counterculture and wild though they are! I don't get paid a dime for my work but I could care less. Would I absolutely love to make this my living? Of course! But I certainly ain't mad about dumping probably close to $5,000 give or take over the course of all these years for movies cause let's be honest here I got a track record of mostly good movies. And I genuinely feel I'm only now starting to become more critical, I've held the belief that my writing has only gotten better with time, and it is night and day between this year's reviews and my 2015 reviews. I also will continue to pursue to be an optimistic reviewer, and you can absolutely expect a much needed addition to the Evolutionary Viewing Of The Internet Critic next month for me to elaborate further on that point. I must admit something though man, I'm so thrilled I've been writing reviews because it terrifies me beyond belief I'm having a much harder time of remembering things now more than ever, it's very concerning cause I can somewhat describe the feelings I got from a certain film but not a great deal on details of the film itself. You know? The human mind can only hold so much information, and to be candid none of the information in my head is incredibly useful not unless I win a cash prize for a Star Wars quiz. Not to close out on a morbidly introsepctive note but people create things and do things to create an impression, a legacy after they die, something to be not only remembered for but just to show you were there at all. This is mine. Memento Mori. I will see you all next week for admittedly just 2 reviews to kinda set the pace for the future, but the fun will never end it's adventure time!

Godzilla Series Ranked

This took some compiling and thought but there you go, full ranking.

29. Godzilla Vs. Hedorah

28. Godzilla Raids Again

27. Ebirah Horror Of The Deep

26. Godzilla Vs. Gigan

25. Godzilla Vs. Megalon

24. All Monster's Attack (Godzilla's Revenge)

23. Son Of Godzilla

22. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla

21. Destroy All Monsters

20. Terror Of Mechagodzilla

19. Invasion Of Astro-Monster

18. Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1992)

17. Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S.

16. Godzilla Vs. Biollante

15. Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla 2

14. Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus

13. Godzilla Vs. Spacegodzilla

12. Godzilla Vs. DESTOROYAH

11. Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla

10. Ghidrah The Three Headed Monster

9. King Kong Vs. Godzilla

8. Godzilla (1984)

7. Godzilla Final Wars

6. Mothra Vs. Godzilla (1964)

5. Godzilla 2000

4. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, Giant Monsters All Out Attack (GMK)

3. Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah

2. Shin-Gojira

1. Gojira (1954)

Not terribly surprising I'm sure but one of my favorite series ever regardless. Tune in next time for an animated Batman trilogy that I was not aware existed till now.

Top 5 Worst Films Of 2022

Welcome to the first ever top worst films list!

5. League Of Super Pets. Yeah I really wasn't expecting much and shock of shocks I didn't get much. Funniest part was a cussing blind turtle.

4. The 355. First review of that year and I was hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it was. Reality is often disappointing.

3. The Bad Guys. Oh God, this movie did fuck all. Toodles DreamWorks, you couldn't even get Richard Ayoade to be funny!

2. Lightyear. This movie can fuck clean off, not only did it just shit in it's hands and try to tell me it was hot chocolate but I also got hit by a car afterward. No good memory exists of this film.

1. Hotel Transylvania 4. You want to talk about wasted potential for a final movie? Look no further. I'm not even all that mad, just resoundingly disappointed and I shake my head in disgust and defeat.

It could have been worse I will fully admit, but it was still plenty bad enough. Catch you for the first review of the year next week!

Top 10 Films of 2022

I saw a lot of movies last year, broke my previous record in fact. I think the bottom 5 are going to throw my insignificant credentials into question, but from #5 to #1 I should be safe.

10. Elvis. Similar but different in the genre of music star biopic, but a solid film nonetheless.

9. Studio 666. Hard to believe that was 2022 as well but I got exactly what I wanted from this movie and I loved it.

8. The Munsters. I. Do. Not. Care. It was great, it was funny, call me this movie's number one fan because it was right up my alley.

7. Nope. Brilliant twisting of classic sci-fi with a firm base in suspense more than horror.

6. X. Again, giving some dimension and depth to a highy familiar style of film and the fact we're getting one more sequel to this makes me very excited indeed.

5. The Unbelievable Weight Of Massive Talent. Any film that acknowledges Paddington 2 and The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari desrves a spot on this list.

4. Pearl. Yeah it was close but Pearl gave that little bit more in no small part due to Mia Goth's performance. And hohoholy shhhit that ending shot.

3. The Batman. You knew it was going to be on here.

2. Licorice Pizza. Might be cheating because it techincally came out December of 2021 but I didn't review it until 2022 and it's my own damn show so bye.

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once. Nothing could top it.

And that is another chapter in my questionable but completely honest Top 10 history. But like I said I saw a lot of movies, and not all of them were good. Shall we make history again?

Doctor Who: 2018 - 2022 Retrospective

I'm making this short and plain.




Jodie's era was fine. It was good. I harbor no hatred or disappointment at all for it. Jodie was a good Doctor, able to be eccentric and fun but never pulls her punches when she has to act serious or dramatic. Bradley Walsh is a damn king and I want you to acknowledge him! Mandip Gill I feel she needed more characterization but ultimately a decent companion. Tosin Cole...no real idea why he was hired, he really can't act worth shit, I hate to be mean but honesty can be mean. John Bishop, really funny and a wonderful average bloke to be thrown in the mayhem. Sacha Dhawan, marry me, I will call you Master and [CENSORED], you are absolutely magnificent in this role and I want you back already! Now onto the series. I still feel Series 11 is actually a really good series, only one episode is a bit dull but the rest I like just fine, they did so much new stuff and I appreciate that! Doctor Who has neeeverrrr looked as good as Series 11, even with future series it doesn't have that crisp cinematic quality to it, the cameras they used need to be the standard. Series 12, best series of the Thirteenth Doctor, bring on the Master, the new Cybermen (please keep that design for a good 5 years), and the Timeless Child. Oh yeah. I still stand by that one. And to all of you naysayers that claim, "Well now we know everything about the Doctor! There's no more mystery to the character!" to which I reply, okay smartass literally tell me everything about the Doctor from before the young abandoned child standing by a portal all the way to William Hartnell. Oh wait, what's that? You can't?? Mein Gott! It's almost as if the mystery if anything has deepened even more than originally conceived. What sorcery is this?!? In other words, shut the FUCK up Donny! Very solid series, picks up the pace, gives us new and old in a well formed package. Onwards! Series 13, horribly crippled by real world events unfortunately but not too bad, great new villain introductions, gave if nothing else variety each episode, and each repeat viewing helps the understanding of the juggled plot and characters. The specials, mixed bag but ends on a high note and I'm happy about that! Chibbers, I've seen your previous Doctor Who writing, you ain't the best but you're not the worst either. I'm willing to dive into your other shows to get better acquainted with your writing style. You gave us some cool shit, some of it was very slap dash in planning and execution, but you kept the show going and gave us a fun Doctor. Every show has it's ups and downs, Doctor Who is no fucking exception, but even the more rocky eras had it's fans and was shown love whether currently or in retrospect. I love all the Seventh Doctor stories, yes even Time And The Rani. I treasure Colin Baker and watch his stories happily even if they aren't all great. Paul McGann deserved more than a TV movie and a mini-sode, despite the more cheesy elements of the movie, he's really damn good if you listen to his audio dramas! Peter Capaldi is the best Doctor Who for my money, but I sure as shit didn't worship all his stories now did I? And who knows, maybe David coming back to give another whole spin of an entirely different Doctor, both to his previous incarnation and his first run, will win me over and it'll always be lovely to see him again, but I'm thinking in broad strokes towards the future. Not one series or two years into the future, but decades down the road. Tomorrow is another day and life is just a constant sequence of 5 minutes (until it's not), but you have to look beyond at the impact of it all. I don't think people are posing the question "What will (blank) be like in 20 years?" anymore and they really really should. This isn't the end for Doctor Who, just a lower point than most other series and eras since 2005, nothing more nothing less. It's good, at times it's amazing, and people will wise up to that fact. It's just a matter of time.

Captain's Log: Year 7

Stardate 75696.3, we have reached our 7th year in the continuing encounter of countless types of cinema and visual media. Databanks show a current number of 920 reviews and still going. Yet I wonder if we'll reach #1000 before the end of the year or even next year's anniversary, I don't believe in the no win scenario. I don't like to lose. There are always possibilities Spock said, and come what may I am happy to still be doing this. I also have much to be thankful for, least of all my readers regardless of volume or nationality for their interest in my humble and unprofessional opinions and ramblings. I do not feel this endeavor to be a vain or empty one and of my friends who continue to read and explore with me I can only say this, of all the memories I have made in my life these are the most gratifying. I hope to continue for some years more, and still contribute good entertaining recommendations for all. By my calculations in the coming weeks we'll be visiting comic book movies, video game movies, magical movies and movies that defy genre, needless to mention another personal event that prompts one to somewhat feel old...worn out. But I'd rather be speaking my opinions, speaking them before I turn into a part of my collection, before I really do grow old. Cheers to the site and all those who attend, and tomorrow we'll knock out this kaiju series. Live long and rock on.

Top 10 Films of 2021

Start the countdown.

10. Halloween Kills. I had problems with it but at the same time I am endlessly fascinated how this ends and I did enjoy it for what it was.

9. The Protege. Leave me be, it's a solid movie man and it has Michael Keaton in it as a villain! Come on!

8. Cry Macho. Clint does it again with a good story, solid connections, and one of the most gosh dang happiest endings ever.

7. The Suicide Squad. Wild superhero stuff, would have made it higher if you didn't off Polka Dot Man. For shame.

6. Dune. Re-evaluation will come when I see the rest but I certainly am here for the ride!

5. Candyman. Excellent modern telling with a unique spin and wonderful production.

4. No Time To Die. Don't worry we're gonna talk about it again, but I did enjoy so much of it and respect it for the big things it did.

3. Last Night In Soho. Mental, visually stunning, and an interesting plot. I couldn't ask for more.

2. Godzilla Vs. Kong. May have been juggling a few stories and had some weak elements, but it's a competently made movie and a gigantic treat to have seen in the cinema.

1. Cruella. Yes. I just did that. I loved it, I thought it was f***ing class, no I am never taking it back.

Breaking the law, breaking the law! And it continues on with our first week of reviews starting tomorrow, see you there.

Memento Mori

It's been 84 years, or at least feels like it.

These are powerful memories to the initiated, but for the uninitiated time for backstory. On this day of our lord, November 14th 2019 a channel was created hosted by super popular YouTube stars Mark and Ethan where for an entire year a video would be released, with the catch that once a full 365 days have passed the channel would be deleted and the videos would no longer exist. It was an unparalleled experiment that had nothing short of a cult following, and I couldn't possibly give a one year in memoriam eulogy to this wild and amazing thing because well, Mark and Ethan already did and spoke for all of us. So instead I do what I do best, recount my personal experiences to show that I was there, and I was watching. Set the wayback machine to 2019 a much simpler time when I first heard about the channel and having precisely no idea what it was, I subscribed. Now I won't lie to you and say, oh yeah man I was there from day one, every single day I watched the newest video, blah blah blah. No. I forgot about Unus Annus for at least a month or two, so I had a backlog of considerable amount when I got fully into it. Then....f***. We are still reeling from the events of 2020, and Unus Annus was such a strong thing that kept me going and as it got more turbulent, eventually I had to seek refuge with other family. By that point it was September of 2020, and my cousin was an enormous fan of Mark and Ethan and he watched Unus Annus but he was fully caught up, and I was playing catch up so we spent night after night watching this show I guess you could call it. There were three staples of entertainment in that household, wrestling, anime, Unus Annus. And you better believe we were the biggest dorks, quoting it constantly, out of nowhere dueting the Disclaimer Song, making morbid jokes followed by "Memento Mori. Unus Annus....", it was our shit man. We loved it. And I'll tell you right now, I barely caught up to everything before the final day. Binge watching to stay up to date, and it really can never be properly explained what the videos were. The only thing I can offer is a perspective, it was all about trying new things they never did before, often very stupid things, but they did some fascinating and cool stuff too, almost like a bucket list recorded for this brief blip in human existence. In a strange way, despite it having undertones of death, and loss of time, and (comical) murder, it really was a celebration of life in so many facets. Whether you're in your room laughing at stupid shit on your computer with your friend, enjoying the great outdoors and several sports, or just doing random stuff, my God it really summed life all up for me. Just the spirit of it was, go out and enjoy life, you only have so much time and you never knew when you're gonna die, treat your life for what it's worth and live for every breath, I know it's easy to get bogged down with normal everyday things but to live is to die so enjoy it. In fact, Unus Annus played a huge part in accepting, me as an individual, my death one day. Not that I dreaded it, but it made me appreciate life and not be afraid to go when the time comes. I mean really, if you had a countdown, you had a clock that could never stop, ticking away the seconds of your life until it hit zero, would you sit and mope and fear or would you actually do something with that time. Everything ends and it's always sad, but everything begins again and it's always happy. Be happy, laugh hard, run fast, be kind. And when that final day came, he wasn't ready to let go but I was happy that I was there. I was there at the beginning and now I got to see how it ends. The clock kept ticking, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 3 minutes, 1 minute, and when it was about to hit zero I had exactly one thing to say, "See you on the other side.". And then it was gone, and all we have left are the memories. There's a great many things I miss in my life, some I'll never properly have the words to express, but this is a day of fond remembrance. And after it was over, they had a store full of different items for Unus Annus and in the final hour of it existing I bought an hourglass pin for my black coat. And you better believe I'll be buried with that. The clock still ticks for me, and there's always more to talk about with movies and shows. So I'll see you soon, come what may. Always loved, never forgotten. Memento Mori.

007 Films Ranked

So how does it all stack up? Try to guess where No Time To Die enters the fray.

25. Spectre - Yes the film that gave me nothing ended up the worst, what a shock.

24. Quantum Of Solace - Not much better but at least I can gush over Olga Kurylenko.

23. Thunderball - Bit controversial but this film has it's flaws believe me.

22. Die Another Day - Ooh boy, yeah....I just did that. Better than Thunderball.

21. Diamonds Are Forever - Campy, sleazy, yet has some fun and enjoyment to it.

20. A View To A Kill - Roger mate, you should have settled down with Maud Adams.

19. Dr. No - Basic, but still good and worth the time to see how it began.

18. The Man With The Golden Gun - I still like it even though it's not terrific. I won't apologize for it.

17. Live And Let Die - A very strong start for Roger and bless him for doing it so long.

16. For Your Eyes Only - Back down to earth but still has good moments and tries a character arc.

15. From Russia With Love - Respect and credit where it's due but I like the rest of the movies coming up better.

14. The Living Daylights - The world wasn't ready for you Tim, but I'm here for you.

13. Tomorrow Never Dies - The most action packed entry and what a grand ride it is.

12. The Spy Who Loved Me - Larger than life scale is always welcome here in this seried.

11. Moonraker - Sci-Fi Bond. We're not science fiction, we are in fact science fact.

10. Octopussy - What could have heen the best final outing for any Bond yet.

9. Licence To Kill - Gloriously dark and brutal, I'm all in!

8. The World Is Not Enough - Excellent film that deserves more recognition.

7. No Time To Die - For now at least, I very much enjoyed this film and placed it fairly high. But the future is always unknown.

6. You Only Live Twice - Beautiful film with a great plot and more than enough entertainment. Good times!

5. Goldfinger - Honestly, truthfully, the most perfect example of a Bond film and a terrific starting place.

4. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - I love you Lazenby, I love you Tracy, I love everything you have to give.

3. Casino Royale - Damn fine start to an era and boy did it end on a bang.

2. Skyfall - Well done to all on this one, and thanks for the great film.

1. Goldeneye - Big shock, not sorry, it's class, the end.

Tune in next week for some goodies from our old friend John Carpenter.

Anime Landscape: Now And Then

Another editorial for you this time, I was in a severe rumination mood after I drank heavily from the last review, so I decided to do a somewhat EVOTIC style piece on one of my favorite things to watch, anime. What really kickstarted this for me is I was watching a reviewer unpack literal memories of different memorabilia and items of interest, and it did nothing but spark memories of a very specific niche genre. My utter love and fascination with anime stemmed from a very early age, I can't have been older than 4 or 5 when I started watching anime on this thing called Toonami on Cartoon Network, still my favorite channel ever. I watched that channel religiously every single day, and my cousins who were like 16 or 17 used to come down to my grandparents house and watch Dragonball Z with me. They explained basic plot because when I got into that we were into the Cell saga, but they also told me that these cartoons were not from America but from a place called Japan. And to a 4 year old the concept of a place bigger than my hometown was beyond my comprehension, but I never took the animation style or voice acting differently than I would with shows like Powerpuff Girls or Scooby-Doo. I used to run as fast as I could to my bedroom, tell my Nan and Papa hi, throw my backpack down and turn on this giant television set incased in wood to watch Toonami after school everyday. If I was really lucky I could see the intro which I thought was the coolest intro to anything ever, and Tom was the coolest host ever. And boooooy did that start something for my life. As I grew up I found likeminded friends who also watched anime in the early 2000s, a true golden age for such content. Staying up as late as I could to see Adult Swim, having sleepovers and watching all our favorite series was the highlight of the day. Watching Ghost In The Shell, Case Closed, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, The Big O, Trigun, and easily the one me and my friends were most involved with, Inuyasha. It was the show for us and when I found out there were feature length films of the show like Pokemon I lost my mind. Cause you have to fully grasp, anime has come lightyears since my youth. The internet was still in it's infancy, if you wanted to delve deep into anime culture or see more examples of the genre, whether it be films, or shows, or games (hell I didn't even know about manga until high school) you either had to know places that selled episodes and merchandise, or know people who knew people where you could get different anime stuff. Nowadays I can walk into a Walmart and pick up shows as current as My Hero Academia or as old as Cowboy Bebop with ease. I knew two places that sold anime DVD's, a local video store and Fry's Electronics. And that shit was expensive. I can pick up the first season of a show or an entire show for about twenty dollars now, but if you wanted the first whole season of say Chobits you better be ready to cough up 50 or 60 bucks. Or you had to do it like me and spend roughly twenty dollars for 4 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist and do that for volume after volume to get the whole show. No joke that was the first anime show I not only owned but saw all the way through, cause the only way you could watch it is if it was on TV or you spent a pretty penny for it on video. And merchandise was nonexistent. Regardless of what it was, posters, statues, plushies, action figures, cosplay items, you had to either have the good grace and knowledge of having a website where you could buy stuff which was an absurd notion to me back then, or you pick up an anime magazine with a little luck from the gods at your local supermarket and they would have extensive lists, pages upon pages, of different items to order through the mail. I cut up a magazine like mad to keep the pictures inside or to give them to friends who saw it and thought it was cool during school. The landscape of being a fan of this genre has changed to the point of being unrecognizable now, I had bookmarks on the family computer of places that sold anime merchandise in middle school, and now I can get an entire show and cosplay apparel and find 20 websites where I can marathon Bleach without even getting off the couch. It has changed for the better but you really had to have been alive and interested in that stuff at that moment in time to fully get what I'm saying. Unless it was Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh, there was no way in hell you were getting anything in stores, and televison blocks were the only way to watch your favorites. All the premium movie channels like Encore and Starz were godsends to pre-teen Dude, to be able to watch Howl's Moving Castle and the second Inuyasha movie. Hell when Cartoon Network held a special month of Miyazaki's films that was a big deal back then, I think they possibly even showed it both subbed and dubbed. You had to dig in the right place, but if you fell asleep late at night before your show came on, totally me by the by, you were screwed. I had to rely on friends to fill me in on what happened last time on Dragonball Z (literally), or some other slew of shows at sleepovers, and had to wait sometimes a day sometimes until next week for the next episode. In a way it's all sort of lost it's sense of adventure, you had to bust your ass to find anyway to watch and enjoy this very niche market in America before it grew into an industry that is just as prolific and strong as any movie studio, but those experiences would last forever if only in memory. Funimation man, Funimation damn near single-handedly presented so many shows to me on a silver platter, captivating my imagination and made me always wanting more. I truly couldn't have been born at a better time for that culture, that fanbase, it crafted many good memories and I truly would not trade or change one bit of it. The fact that watching Toonami lasted well into my teens, that I would still be at my grandparent's house in my room and that I could turn my TV on Saturday night and digest show after show and wrap up by the time the sun slowly starts to rise, is incredible beyond words. How fitting is it, that you spend an entire night watching animation from Japan to wrap up by the time of the rising sun. Britain might have a strong place in my heart, but never forget who stole your heart first.