Psycho-Pass (Series): Being a big cyberpunk fan I'd see this recommended often but for some reason I never got around to it until just recently. I can see where the praise comes from. Sleek, cerebral, forward thinking, it's arguably a better spiritual successor to Ghost in the Shell than modern GitS entries have been. Over several seasons and movies now it's certainly had its ups and downs, but when it hits it hits. I'll try to see the latest movie at my local theater this summer if it reaches my town.

Vivy: Flourite Eye's Song: Only caught a glimpse of this one on YouTube but it was intriguing enough for me to give it a try. I tuned in mainly for the action which was sparse but excellent when it showed up. Despite its numerous clear attempts to pluck at your heartstrings I can't say it really affected me emotionally - until the final episode, that is. That's when it finally won me over. I didn't really care much about side characters we only met last episode or even the main character that much while she was a cold and bland AI but after all her trials and tribulations her growth and selflessness got to me at last.

Just watched Across the Spider-Verse and I must say, it's the best movie I've seen this year easily and probably one of the best movies I've ever seen. A piece of art in every frame. Emotional, funny, fast paced and always exciting with a wonderful soundtrack. Absolute bliss. The ending set up Beyond the Spider-Verse up perfectly.
A masterpiece.

Extraction 2: This is now a seriously underrated series in my book. Great action, great camera work, and tight directing that knows its assignment. The 20+ minute continuous shot in the first act is mindblowing. Imo these movies are every bit as good as the Wick films and I don't know why one receives so much more praise than the other. Here's hoping #2 does well enough to justify the third film it's setting up.

The Flash: This one exceeded my expectations. Barry is hilarious without falling into the MCU trap of cheapening emotional moments, both Batmen put on some of the coolest action setpieces I"ve ever seen from them, the ending brought a tear to my eye, and the nods to DC history are awesome. If it weren't for Across the Spider-verse this could easily have been my favorite geek movie of the year. A nice end for a troubled universe.

Since my last post I've watched the following movies...

-Avatar The Way of the Water (via Disney+)

-Ponyo (via HBO Max)

-Shazam Fury of the Gods (via HBO Max)

I finished watching Ranking of Kings: Treasure Chest of Courage and really liked it (aside from the order of the story) - hoping for a sequel.

Other than that, I'm just trying to catch up to all the anime I missed (and that was adding on in the past month) after my trip to Europe

Black Mirror Season 6 was about as good as Season 5 but with more episodes, I thought Season 5 was a large step down from Season 1-4.

I would say that I had enough fun with it overall but nothing stood out to me as special, I don't really feel like I need to talk about any of the episodes, I don't think they'll stick in my mind and be thought provoking, like with Season 5. It was largely predictable and I feel like some of the social commentary lands a bit flat or shallow (like paparazzi are dickheads, I already know that).

Thought it was really weird as well, a couple of the episodes didn't feel like they fit in Black Mirror at all, they had no commentary on the dangers of technology, it was straight up supernatural horror and I don't know how I feel about them, I don't know how to judge them, Lol. If they were in Cabinet of Curiosities it would be fine but it felt like someone just slapped the Black Mirror name over a random anthology horror, it really fucks the tone.

I've long linked Black Mirror to the dangers of technology so it may take some getting used to it being now about fantasy and demons, Lol. The biggest twist was the first episode with supernatural stuff in it because I didn't expect supernatural stuff because Black Mirror has never had supernatural stuff, Lol. Not that I don't enjoy supernatural stuff but supernatural stuff typically is a "turn your brain off" moment, Lol, I have other shows for that.

Episode 3 was carried by amazing performances but it was extremely predictable, went on for too long and some of it was really dumb too. Episode 1 and 3 were the most Black Mirror of the season, I'd say I mostly enjoyed them both, although Episode 1 fell flat in the ending for me. Episode 2 I enjoyed but it was also less "Black Mirror" and just your typical well produced serial killer documentary.

It's a weird one. Still wrapping my head around how I feel about them deviating to supernatural, Lol.

I also watched All of Us Are Dead a few months back, I found it fun, I always prefer Korea's take on zombies to a lot of Western takes.

Lots of deaths...Nice amount of action, I don't know where the hell Season 2 is heading, Lol.

Been watching Kiff, funny and adorable new show animated by Titmouse for Disney.

I have quite a different opinion so far. I'm 3 of 5 episodes through (watching one each night of the weekend), and will watch the remaining 2 next weekend.

I don't approach it on a season-by-season basis, but rather episode-by-episode. The third season shows this well. It includes two of my favorites, two that I consider average, and my two least favourite. "San Junipero" easily tops my list, ranking among my top 3. "Shut Up and Dance" comes close to making it to the top 3 (probably in my top 8). I consider "Nosedive" as one of the better mid-tier episodes, while "Playtest" falls on the lower end of the mid-tier spectrum. "Hated by the Nation" and "Men Against Fire" are in my bottom 3, with "Men Against Fire" being my least favorite due to its resemblance to one of my least favorite Star Trek Voyager episodes.

However, I still believe that Black Mirror consistently delivers high-quality episodes. Even the ones I don't particularly enjoy still showcase excellent direction, and I believe it all comes down to personal taste. For instance, "Striking Vipers" (the one with Anthony Mackie), "Metalhead," and "Ark Angel," are three episodes I'd rate highly but these episodes are generally disliked by the audience, often ranking in the bottom 5. "USS Callister" (the one with Jesse Plemons) is often ranked in the top 5, but I would place it near the bottom of my list, just above my bottom three.

Anyway, onto my thoughts (So far):

"Joan is Awful": I found it to be of similar quality to "Nosedive," not only in terms of tone but also in how much I enjoyed it. It merges deep fakes with the idea/myth that social media is listening to you. If someone asked me which episode of Black Mirror to start with, I'd probably recommend "Joan is Awful" or "Nosedive." as they both work as good appetizers with their comedic approach. It would really depend on the viewer - if they're a big social media person: Nosedive, if they're a big streaming service person: Joan is Awful.

"Loch Henry" stands out in the most recent series for me. It captivated me with its atmosphere, blending wholesomeness and creepiness. I spent a significant portion of my teenage years in a small town teeming with tightly woven secrets—mainly revolving around sex and hard drugs—and I could never quite find my place or feel entirely comfortable within that community, despite their outward friendliness. However, "Loch Henry" struck a deeply personal chord within me that I believe may resonate differently with most viewers. I don't necessary expect many to feel the same.

I loved the characters in this episode, without exception. Each of them brought forth distinct worldviews, delving into the hidden layers of their own understanding and knowledge about the over and underbelly of the town. I found myself drawn into their individual journeys, eagerly exploring the depths of their psyches as they navigated the murky waters of truth and deceit. Undoubtedly influenced by the recent surge in true crime fascination.

"Beyond the Sea": This episode reminded me more of "The Entire History of You," "White Christmas," and "Be Right Back." It had a highly depressing tone and included some extremely dark moments. I'm not sure how I would compare it to these four episodes in terms of how good I think it is since I have a strong bias favoring "White Christmas." This episode explores the theme of desperation, which reminded me a bit of "Crocodile" (although I can't recall if I liked or disliked it, as all I remember is the plot, and not so much the visuals or the emotions).

I'm looking forward to the remaining two!

Try 'Happiness'-- It's a unique take on the genre that feels more like a realistic slice-of-life at times, has a really cool vibe and focuses more on the psychological aspect of humans during a crisis. The zombies are more like an added feature, which felt welcome for once.

Our Flag Means Death was great and funny. Episode 1 and 2 are a bit of a slow start, they're fine but once you get through those, Episode 3-10 are all great, Imo. The cast works well together, loveable bunch, Blackbeard in particular is awesome and very much a interesting but good surprise, Lol. Looking forward to Season 2.

Started American Horror Story S11 and stopped 5 minutes in, thought to myself, why am I still watching this series when I've disliked most of the seasons, then I read the reviews which put me off even more, then I read that Kim Kardashian will be a lead in S12 and I think that's pushed me over the edge to finally remove the show from my tracking apps, Lol.