Finished Orville season 2 and holy moly, I freaking love this show, its the most I've enjoyed a new series since I discovered Killing Eve last year. Near perfect blend of classic Star Trek vibes with a modern revamp that doesn't take itself too seriously or let anything get the way of being fun.

Also caught a few movies:

- Lake Placid. Okay dumb fun, it's a film I wanted to see since I was a kid but never got around to.

- The Arrival for the second time. Definitely one of my top movies of the 2010s, just so incredibly poignant, intelligent, and well crafted.

- Godzilla vs Kong, this time on Blu Ray. Enjoyed it quite a bit more the second time around once I knew what to expect. Top notch popcorn entertainment and an excellent addition to the series.

Been watching the "Cornetto" trilogy of Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg quite a bit. Particularly Hot Fuzz, which I'm ashamed to say I only saw for the first time within the past year. Can't get enough of that film lately. Just a brilliant, hilarious movie. May even surpass Shaun of the Dead for me, which I never thought possible. Revisited the third film of the trilogy recently too, World's End. Fun premise and like the sci-fi angle, but doesn't quite have the same appeal or depth the other two films have for me.

"You look so lively. Did something good happen?"

Seems I'll be clearing my schedule soon to do a re-watch of the Monogatari series, start to finish (Zoku coming a bit later). Few things can put me in this good of a mood.

Also noticed a blu-ray for Paranoia Agent available from the same source. I'll hopefully pick that up along with Zoku next month.

Apparently this slipped me by when it aired but I saw it in the running for the Emmys and was in the mood for some hardboiled fiction so I gave it a spin. Very well executed from top to bottom. Production values, performances, storytelling etc were all on point. Only issue I had was that sometimes important dialogue moves so fast that it's hard to follow along. I expected to watch a couple episodes a night but by the third night I was invested enough to finish the second half of the season in one sitting. Good PI mystery turned courtroom drama. Looking forward to more.

Just a few more months...

Just watched A Quiet Place Part II.

I really enjoyed the first film and was skeptical that a sequel could live up to it, especially given the tendency of horror sequels to be kinda crap.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised to find it very well acted and directed, with some incredibly tense sequences and a level of class well beyond most of its peers.

This summer is still a bit light but this holiday season looks stacked full of big films that got held back. Dune is definitely one of my most anticipated.

A Monster Calls: My mother lost her battle with cancer a week ago. Since then I've been watching films with related themes to help reflect and process. The most relatable and resonant by far has been this. Mandatory viewing for anyone who has had to watch a loved one wither away.

The Green Knight: Good, classic hero's journey. Beautifully shot. Definitely more arthouse than blockbuster. I've never been great at picking up on symbolism in fiction, so I'm gonna have to watch/read an analysis or two to appreciate it properly.

Season 5 of The Expanse.

Not as amazing as the first two seasons but better than Season 4 and still a cut above most shows. It retains the grounded grittiness, believable world, strong acting, and intelligent plotting that made the series great to begin with, and although it does have a bit too much padding in the second half, it still manages to finish strong.

The Matrix trilogy, finished the first one and currently watching reloaded. They're just as good as I remember them being.