November was filled with fun side-quests like setting up my Anbernic RG40XXV and overhauling my home network setup. I also dipped into my electrical engineering background and did a little microcontroller programming and a bit of soldering. I learned that the wireless capable ESP32 system has come quite far in the past few years and through projects like HomeSpan, makes adding custom made systems to Apple’s HomeKit quite simple.
In between all that, here’s what I watched and played last month:
🍿 The Wild Robot. Heartbreaking story with awesome animation visuals. Watch this one with your family folks. (👍)
🍿 Alien: Romulus. I love the Alien franchise and this is a pretty good installment. Unfortunately, I think this was a bit too same-y for its own good. The director’s previous entry in the Evil Dead series had me expecting a wilder experience.
🍿 Joker: Folie à Deux. They really thought they were making something high-brow didn’t they? There were some decent moments and the ending was simultaneously insulting and intriguing. I don’t think it was a success.
🍿 The Substance. Sexy and gross at the same time. The visuals were on point, but the movie went way too far in the last 20 minutes. If they had a bit more restraint this could have been really great.
📺 What We Do in the Shadows. This is the best comedy on television bar none. (👍)
🍿 Blink Twice. Channing Tatum is great in this Midsommar-esque horror. Ari Aster did it better.
📺 Arcane. This is the most entertaining television I watched all month. Don’t be put off by the video game vibes, this is high quality television. My only complaint is that the first season had a bit more focus than the second but the character development pays off in the end. (👍)
📺 Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. Decent background noise television.
📺 Slow Horses. Best season since the first. I also want to shout out the fact that they always preview the next season after the finale ends. This never happens on any other show and I’m here for it. (👍)
🍿 Megalopolis. Awful, confusing, low production values. Skip it.
🍿 Speak No Evil. James McAvoy is jacked in this movie and you don’t really notice it until the end. This is a fun romp but I think mostly forgettable.
🍿 Smile 2. Way better than the first installment. It’s a shock that I even entertained watching this one as I really didn’t enjoy the first. If you felt the same about 1, don’t be put off by the second, it’s much better.
🕹️ Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I played this on my Anbernic RG40XXV and truly enjoyed every minute of it. The art style was way ahead of its time. I keep thinking about how bold of a choice it was to buck the game mechanics and art style of the prior Mario installments this early in the franchise. (👍)
🍿 Gladiator. Rewatched this classic in anticipation of the sequel. I’m not sure I’ll go see the sequel in theaters though so this may have been watched a bit early. The movie holds up well 20 odd years on and Joaquin Phoenix is as infuriating as ever.
📺 The Penguin. I was extremely skeptical of this show. I have not enjoyed the recent trend of villain-focused superhero dramas without the superhero. I’m pleasantly surprised to say that I was completely wrong with this show. The Penguin is funny, engaging, and has been must-watch television for me. (👍)
🕹️ The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I expected a more puzzle-focused, less combat-focused experience here and I’m not sure it delivered on that promise. This was yet another Zelda game. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. It is. If you enjoy Zelda, you’ll want to play this one too. (👍)
