My hot take about The Phantom Menace is that Jake Lloyd gives the film's best performance because of how authentic it feels (and likely is). So much of the vitriol directed towards him just comes off like this.

Whitey's on the moon.

A fine way to end one year and start another.

Good Morning and Happy 2026 from Seattle.

Suffering

Movie of the year.

Seeing Avatar: Fire and Ash again this week to celebrate

There are only so many smug New Yorker writers that get pissy about the popularity of the Avatar movies when there are plenty other aspects of them to criticize. Then again, those probably don't get you clicks.

Oh hey I remember the last time you tried and failed to make this point

Die Hard is a movie set at Christmas but it's not a Christmas movie. You could swap out the company event with any other. More importantly, Die Hard is a phenomenally well put together action spectacle and I wish there was more discourse about that.

Nothing quite like rewatching The Matrix on Christmas day.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is exactly what I expected, which is to say it's overstuffed, overlong, unfocused, but ultimately more than the sum of its parts. Also she can fix me

The Red Spectacles felt like a movie so very specifically designed for me and I loved every second.

Looks like we're invading Venezuela after all.

Cowboy Bebop on laserdisc tonight.

I am once again thinking about the trailer to The Matrix Resurrections.

Time for the only Christmas tradition that matters.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair is phenomenal and amazing and great and so many other words I would probably be able to conjure up if I hadn't just watched a 4.5 hour long movie that ended with a Fortnite collab for some reason.

I want someone to love me the way Mamoru Oshii loves fisheye lenses.

You don't really experience Twin Peaks until you watch it on the Japanese laserdisc.

I bought 32 GB of RAM for my PC for $130 two years ago.

Broke: Wicked for Good Woke:

There are some hot gaming deals at Target right now

Learned today that Heen in Howl's Moving Castle is based on Mamoru Oshii and actually yeah that makes sense on many levels

I'm a day late but happy 25 years to Unbreakable, M. Night Shyamalan's best film.

Thinking about them again.

"Samus's new bumbling, slapstick sidekick, Miles MacKenzie"

Angel and Demons.

A lot of people that don't live here are very upset today. Congratulations Katie.

Now seated for Angel's Egg.

"Until somebody builds a bigger bob-omb"

I'll always hold this as one of the high points of the franchise. Everyone failed, the world's situation is considerably worse, and for nine whole years it felt like the end of the series would be the three leads walking towards an uncertain future. Great stuff.

Horror in many forms.

Based on Jay Jones' prior polling numbers and victory, I would like to announce my candidacy for president of the United States in 2028 with a platform of "Everyone should be given a rifle and a mandate to hunt billionaires like animals"

Which is the shot and which is the chaser

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You is extremely good and very uncomfortable. Highly recommended viewing.

Frankenstein is very good. I think Guillermo del Toro kinda gets lost in the scope of the story he's trying to tell but a lot of the individual character moments and performances are great. Check it out.

How it feels explaining the concept of jury nullification to someone about to serve on a jury.

Probably going to be doing some horror maxing this coming week.

My lukewarm take is that Halo's moment has come and gone and if Microsoft isn't going to do some kind of Doom 2016 return to form for the series then they should just put the franchise on ice.

Once again I ask, why weren't people organizing like this a year ago?

I get to see Twin Peaks: The Return in a theater next month

Progress

Back on my Gunpla shit again.

A little moment I love in this sequence is Fuyutsuki stating that the fight's already over while everyone below him and Gendo is still panicked about whether or not Shinji and Unit 01 will survive. These first two episodes are really forward thinking without showing the series' full hand.

My angry internet self from a decade ago reawakening the second I come across anyone whose entire brand is pedantry

This Mariners game

Disney could have just rereleased Tron Legacy and saved themselves a lot of money.

Once again I am validated for not following any political streamers