Need a laugh that also makes you think? Let me recommend Lonely Flowers, a comedy special from Roy Wood Jr. Here's a short(-ish) review, for once! letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

WOW. Amazing progress tonight on practicing MM8. I'd been stuck for a couple weeks on merely *surviving* Wily 1 (you know, the SLEDDING stage). Then I decided to try *even harder* to show off. Which somehow made the stage...almost easy? I'm never playing it the normal way again. Onto Wily 2!

It's official: Season 3 of The Next Generation (TNG) is now the highest-rated TV season of my Star Trek rewatch project. Cue the celebratory mariachi band. This is where TNG hit its stride, refining its aesthetic, setting a new quality standard, and honoring old Trek without trying to replicate it.

One reason why I write Letterboxd reviews is to help people decide what to watch. My ratings only reflect my personal enjoyment; what matters is whether your (dis)likes align with mine. Mamoru Hosoda's latest film, Scarlet, was not for me. But it might be for you! letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

A funny murder mystery with a loaded cast and a director whose work I've enjoyed? Of *course* The Thursday Murder Club was going on my watchlist. Here's a review to dissuade you from putting it on yours: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

No stream today after all, but hopefully soon. I'm still advancing some other Mega Man projects today, though...

No promises, but...I might try to livestream a couple Mega Man fangames this Sunday afternoon? Watch this space.

Season 2 of The Next Generation (TNG) replaces Crusher (one of my favorite main cast members) with Pulaski (my least favorite), and yet it still surpasses Season 1. Average scores for this Star Trek project have been a LOT closer than expected, so we're using two decimal places now. We are smart.

GOOD! MORNING! MEGA MAN! :D —FAN-FARE— is burnout over? am I ready to get back to regular morning streaming? with a guest, maybe?? let's find out as I get closer to that Make A Good Mega Man Level 3 100% completion! drop on by and say hi, I missed y'all <3 www.twitch.tv/zandravandra

Over a year ago, I spent a few days catching up on the Planet of the Apes reboot movies specifically so that I could watch the latest one: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball. With this review, I am DONE with this series. What a wonderful day! letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

I'm excited to share the long-awaited release of Mega Man Relay! Joining the ranks of Mega Man Endless, OH JOES!, and most of the MaGMML series is another fangame with levels perpetrated by yours truly. Expect a livestream once it's had a couple weeks to breathe. :) gamejolt.com/games/mega-m...

We've finally arrived in the 24th century, my favorite era of Star Trek. People will tell you that Season 1 of The Next Generation (TNG) is not very good. Those people are ugly giant bags of mostly water. Sure, there are rough edges. But it's reverent toward old Trek while boldly going new places.

My first exposure to the work of director Kleber Mendonça Filho—and I think it's my first Brazilian film, too—was not the transformative experience everyone else seems to be reporting. Here's a review of The Secret Agent, from one of the very few who didn't like it: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

Mega Man goals for 2026: 1. Finally record that MM8 playthrough for YouTube 2. Add manual subtitles to my YouTube playthroughs 3. Finish the remaining MaGMML3 replay videos 4. Resume fangame livestreams I'm done waiting for the stars to align. I'm setting aside time every week to do *something*.

Rewatching ALL of Star Trek in chronological in-universe order has been a fascinating treat so far. Before I boldly go to the 24th century, let's look back at the scores so far. They're extremely close! Reminder that I'm keeping the Discoverse separate, and this doesn't count the ENT finale yet.

Now that all the reviews have been posted, how about a graph? The six movies that followed off of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) were a high point of my franchise rewatch—collectively, they are far and away the highest-rated "season" yet. Next up is my all-time favorite. Onto TNG!

For decades, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country has been my undisputed favorite Trek movie. Pitting the theatrical cut against The Motion Picture in 4K Ultra HD, that title may now be in dispute. Versions are weird. Either way, I still love this movie. A review: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

Letterboxd just informed me that my 2025 Year in Review is ready, so I figured I'd share. I absolutely love the pairing of first and last watch. letterboxd.com/flashman85/y...

Each Trek fan hides a secret pain. It must be exposed and reckoned with. Share your pain... Share Star Trek V with me and gain strength from it. The Final Frontier, directed by William Shatner, may not be the popular favorite, but it's an outing I enjoy. A review: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

The fan-favorite fourth installment of Star Trek on the big screen delivers basically everything I want in a movie: whales, pizza, and Sulu flying a helicopter. Here's a review of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

Rewatching Star Trek III: The Search for Spock made me appreciate just how much of The Original Series spirit director Leonard Nimoy brought to it. This installment introduces so many things I love, from the Excelsior to Sulu's fashionable capelet. Here's a review! letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

My rewatch of ALL of Star Trek continues with The Wrath of Khan, directed by Nicholas Meyer. Ask any fan for their favorite Star Trek movies, and this one is guaranteed to be on the list. Unless you ask me; it's not even in my Top 5! A review to explain my heresy: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

After so many weeks of charting my episode ratings for Enterprise, The Original Series, and The Animated Series, I've reached the first of the Star Trek feature films. Time for a review! The Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise, is my second-favorite of all. :D letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

When I first watched it some 15 years ago, I liked Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) more than The Original Series (TOS). Novelty and pacing were big factors. Revisiting TAS and now comparing against TOS Remastered, my opinion has flipped. There's more to say, but this infographic is a start!

Season 2 of Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) barely merits a separate graph from Season 1—it's only 6 episodes and feels almost the same! On a rewatch, I was more critical of some aspects of TAS...but less critical of, say, tricking Romulans with an inflatable Enterprise. Onto the movies!

Gigantic tribbles? Shrinking crewmen? An ill-advised crossover with Known Space? Must be Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) Season 1. Fuzzy canonicity aside, TAS is a welcome continuation of Kirk's 5-year mission that (usually) fits with established Trek. That's really all I want from a spinoff!

Infographic time! Here's a recap/overview of my scores for Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS). Considering this is the show that set the standard for the franchise, the series average is fitting—3.0 is my baseline for what Trek should ideally be. Interesting which writer ended up on the bottom!

The third and final season of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) might rank slightly behind the others, but don't let Herbert tell you it's bad. More narrative consistency. Fewer egregious HR violations. So much that sparks my imagination. Forget the 1960s; this feels like the 2260s. Onto TAS!

Mega Man 8 recording update: In all these years, I don't think I've ever seen Aqua Man's taunt where he sticks out his butt. In all these years, I don't think I've ever been killed by Aqua Man's butt.

Previously, I would've told you that Season 2 of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) was my favorite. Statistically... it isn't! Although it still frequently reminds me it's a 1960s TV show, this season develops and refines TOS to more consistently embody what I love about it and Trek in general.

I basically never listen to podcasts, but after rewatching Star Trek: TOS "The Paradise Syndrome" and poking around for Indigenous perspectives about the episode, I found this gem from Women at Warp. Thought I'd share! Also covers TNG, DS9, VOY, and more. www.womenatwarp.com/episode-54-i...

Watching Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) immediately after Enterprise (ENT)—in production order and Remastered (both a first for me)—was interesting. Lots to unpack for a future blog post. For me, Season 1 has a lot of pacing/writing issues, but the best parts are so satisfying. Solid overall.

A NEW VIDEO!? Here's a compilation of ancient footage from the judging process for MaGMML3—various highlights of my second time playing the levels. Be sure to read the description! This is the first time I've manually subtitled a video; feedback is welcome! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es4w...

Ooh, look, an infographic! Here's a recap of my episode scores for Star Trek: Enterprise across the whole series, with new and (I think) interesting score breakdowns. A couple scores changed once I locked down what separates a 0 from a 1 from a 2. See the comments for a fresh graph of each season.

Of the nearly 2500 movies I've marked as watched on Letterboxd, horror makes up <5%. October has become my designated "catch up on spooky stuff I can stomach" month, but I'm running behind this year, which is why I watched Halloween for Daylight Savings. A review: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

Wow, I haven't watched a movie in almost 2 weeks!? Here's a belated review of Putney Swope, a slightly surreal satire from the 1960s, directed by Robert Downey Sr. letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

After 3 entertaining but uneven seasons of low-tech TNG/DS9/VOY adventures, Star Trek: Enterprise finishes strong as the TOS prequel it was meant to be. "Isn't there 1 more episode?" Not yet! Too early in the timeline for that. For now, "Terra Prime" is the end of ENT, as it should be. Onto TOS!

Another week, another graph! Rewatching Season 3 of Star Trek: Enterprise was an absolutely wild ride. And it all averaged out to...perfectly average? I might faint; someone get me a Double Superbeef. I only planned to keep track of one major trope; this season demanded two. I had no choice.

Any Dropout fans in the house? Here's a review of D(e)AD, starring and written by Isabella Roland with a cast full of others you might recognize. A very funny, very human story of working through the loss of a loved one...who isn't so lost and wasn't so loved. letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

For my Star Trek rewatch project, I'm keeping one season ahead of the graphs I'm posting. That gives me time to waffle about my ratings. Whereas Enterprise Season 1 was better than I remembered, Season 2 didn't hold up as well. A couple episodes landed higher than expected, but several slipped.

MM8 recording update (don't worry; my life isn't *entirely* Star Trek now): I resumed my practice run last night; I'm now into the second round of Robot Masters. I'm feeling good—there's some actual showoffery now. I'm also working on a test project for my new video editing software. Stay tuned...

In two weeks, I've rewatched two seasons of Enterprise. At this pace, I'll get through the whole franchise in about a year. I promised graphs. ENT Season 1 was a bit better than I remembered! Scores of 3-5 are my happy place, but I'll put up with a 2. See my previous post for my scoring rationale.

For my (re)watch of ALL of Star Trek, I'm rating each episode and movie on a scale of 0 to 5. Expect a weekly graph starting soon! First, though, I think it's important to share my methodology. I'm not following a strict rubric, but here's a summary of the key factors contributing to my scores:

Happy THE END DAY! Mark your schedules (click notification) for one of our best Crystalis stream ideas yet! youtube.com/watch?v=WHlY...

Okay, so I'm not *completely* taking a break from movies to watch Star Trek. But I definitely watched one *because* of Star Trek, so here's a review of The Wages of Fear. Classic French film. No, you'll like it. Things blow up. letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

Here's the watch order for my big Star Trek project. My views on continuity echo those of website Ex Astris Scientia. Officially, this is a rewatch of the first 50 years of Trek, and a second attempt to get through the last 10 years—previously foiled by canon rage, tone issues, and a weak stomach.

I'm taking a break from movies to pursue a project I've been contemplating for years: a full rewatch of ALL of Star Trek. It's fine; I've got 700 hours to spare. More details to come, but I'm following in-universe chronology, starting with Enterprise. I'm also rating every episode. Expect graphs.

If you need a feelgood reminder that positive change can come from ordinary people—or if you're just looking for something fun, music-filled, and English—I recommend Bank of Dave (from the director of Fisherman's Friends, which I greatly enjoyed). Review: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

I can be concise sometimes. Here's a tidy 200-ish words (this is concise for me) about Cinnamon in the Wind, an artsy comedy special starring Kate Berlant and directed by Bo Burnham: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...

From writer/director Andrew Bujalski comes a completely normal '80s throwback mockumentary that definitely doesn't [ERROR: BLATANT MISDIRECTION NOT FOUND]. Here's my review of Computer Chess: letterboxd.com/flashman85/f...