Dan Geeks Out

Thursday, January 16, 2025

The 2024 Movie Ranking Countdown: It begins!

Hello everyone. If you've been following this blog at all (and let's be honest, you probably haven't), you would know that I have been going through all the movies I watched in 2024, and picking my five favorite from each month. At the end I was left with sixty movies, five from each month. Now it is time to rank them from least to most favorite.

Since I like the number fifty (it just has a better ring to it than sixty), I am going to immediately cut ten movies right off the bat. That's right, they aren't even going to make the cut at all. They are going to suffer the same fate as Jonathan and Wanda of Survivor Palau.

*Note regarding the movies I watched: they don't have to be movies released in 2024. I just need to have watched them at some point in the year 2024.

Baby bye bye:

Grave of the Fireflies

Jigsaw

Halloween

Dr Giggles

The Thing

Stephen King's IT miniseries

Glass

The Deer Hunter
Cloverfield

Transformers

How could such classics not make the cut? The Deer Hunter dragged on for far too long, and I didn't find myself as emotionally connected to it as I would have liked. Grave of the Fireflies has never connected with me emotionally for some reason, and I've seen it twice now. Same with The Thing. I love the premise and you'd think this would be right up my alley, but I get bored every time I give it a shot. Halloween, while a very good movie, is a lot of walking and driving around and a lot of yacking. I was bored with it. I also wasn't feeling the It miniseries for some reason, either. Oh well, it's a miniseries. It shouldn't really be here anyway.

The other movies were underwhelming as well.

You know what, I'm going to throw a curveball out there. I like the number fifty, but let's be real: I don't have time to sit here and write down what I think about fifty damn movies. I have a four year old. I barely have time to use the bathroom. So I'm going to trim ten more off the list. That's right, we're making this a top forty.

Baby bye bye:

Dune: Part Two
Legends of the Fall

Eden Lake
Saw

Grizzly Man

The Purge

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

The Menendez Brothers

Rear Window

The Disaster Artist

I thought Dune 2 was not as good as the first movie, and I fell asleep during it. It was okay. I plan to watch it again before the third one comes out. Maybe my mind will change. Legends of the Fall is good but doesn't leave as much of an impact as it probably thinks it does. I liked The Disaster Artist, but I think I would have appreciated it more if I was a Room fan. The rest of the movies are good but not good enough to make the top forty. The ones I feel the worst about are Rear Window and Grizzly Man. Those movies deserve some love.

That will do it for today. Starting soon I will began ranking the top 40 movies I watched in 2024! Listed below are the participants. Who do you think will win?

Last Night
The Help
The Greatest Night in Pop

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Doctor Sleep
A Star is Born
Mystic River

Forrest Gump
Stand By Me
Dune (1984)
Dune: Part One
As Above, So Below
The Shape of Water
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition
Ghost
Milk
Platoon

Deadpool & Wolverine
Sleeping with the Enemy
Fried Green Tomatoes
The Four Falls of Buffalo
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Open Water
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Old
Bone Tomahawk
Manhunter
Dumb and Dumber
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
The Skeleton Key
The Illusionist
The Prestige
The Terminator
Trauma (2017)
Milo and Otis

Martyrs (2008)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Gerald's Game

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Re-Review #19: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

PlayStation 3

For my initial review of the game, click >here<

I have been planning to return to this game for a while now. While Uncharted 3 has always been a well-regarded game critically, I've always considered it to be the worst game in the Uncharted series. Looking back at when I reviewed it in 2015 (the last time I played this game), I simply called it "aiiight."

Has my opinion changed in the last nine years? Actually, it has! The game is not boring and completely devoid of action, like I had initially thought. I think my problem with the game is the lack of big, cinematic set pieces (like the train scene in Uncharted 2). Plus, the environments in the game can be a bit drab. Lots of deserts and underground tunnels. So visually, it is not exciting as the other games in the series. In many ways it feels like the game takes a step back from the previous installment. It's almost like this game should be Uncharted 2, while Uncharted 2 should be Uncharted 3. If that makes sense.

But it is still a fun game! I picked this up and beat it in less than a week. Basically, every free moment I had (and I don't have a lot of them), I spent with this game. I wouldn't "binge" a game like this if I thought it was boring or dull. I'd set it aside and it would take me months to finish it. I wouldn't keep coming back to it like I did here.

This is a re-review, and these are supposed to be short, so don't expect me to break down the story or the gameplay for you. You can read my old review if you want that. I'm just here to tell you if my opinion has changed or not. And it definitely has. While I still would not consider it one of the best in the series (2 and 4 are the best for me), it may have earned its spot above the OG Uncharted on my hierarchy.

It's a good looking game. It's fun. It kept me glued to my TV. It may not be the best game in the Uncharted series, but it is still pretty darned good.

MY reGRADE:

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Monday, January 13, 2025

Video Game Review #551: Battletoads

Battletoads

Arcade

Before playing:

I've played the NES version of Battletoads in the past, but in all my travels I have surprisingly never encountered the arcade version of the game. I visited a lot of arcades in my youth and not once did I run into it. Huh. Well, I finally decided that, thanks to the power of emulation, I would be able to give this game a shot.

Coming in, all I really knew about Battletoads was that this game was a 100% beat 'em up, as opposed to the NES game which was filled with platforming action. Which version of the game would I end up liking more? Let's find out!

Story:

Not much is really explained in the game. You pick a Battletoad. You're shown a screenshot of your character talking trash to an enemy character. You're tossed into the level, where you have to battle through hordes of enemies. You fight the boss character, who is the person you exchanged barbs with at the beginning of the level. You beat them. The cycle repeats the next level. Trash talk. Stage. Boss fight. Repeat. There's not much connective tissue behind the stages. Each stage's introduction reminds me a bit of a wanted poster. Are the Battletoads bounty hunters? What's going on?

At the end of the game, it says that you've thwarted the Dark Princess's plans to control the galaxy. Oh okay, well that's cool. Care to elaborate? No, the game doesn't.

Gameplay:

On the surface this is a straightforward beat 'em up. But once you start to settle in, you discover that things are a little unusual here. The first thing to jump out at me was the over the top animation style. How when you are punching an enemy, you'll grow a big hammer for a fist, or your foot will turn into a big spiked boot as you kick them. You can also perform some gruesome, over the top finishing animations when defeating an enemy. Once you get over the initial surprise of this, you'll discover that Battletoads really is not much different from a normal beat 'em up. You fight through a ton of enemies, picking up weapons and destroying things in the background. Each stage ends in a boss battle.

There are a few variations in gameplay you'll encounter. The second level introduces some platforming mechanics to the mix. There is also an arcade-shooter type stage at the end of the game. This might sound familiar if you've played the NES version of Battletoads. But don't worry, this is a completely different game. It shares some similarities, but it is more focused on the beat 'em up aspect of things. It is also much easier. Just keep putting in quarters, and you'll power your way through it eventually.

While the game is fun, I have to say it gets repetitive quickly. I know, I know. Most beat 'em ups get repetitive after a while. The reason I criticize this game is because of how it overstays its welcome. The game felt like it would never end. I kept thinking: "is this game over yet? Is it over yet?" every time I would finish a level. But it just keeps going and going. And the levels themselves are long, too. It is the longest beat 'em up I have ever played. It definitely begins to feel like it after a while. It's never a good thing when the person playing a game wants it to be over.

The game tells you how long it took you to beat it at the end, and it took me a total of 1 hour and 2 minutes to beat this. That's just crazy to me. Over an hour to complete an arcade beat 'em up??

As much as I wanted to like this game, it just gets too tedious after a while. I mean, it's an okay beat 'em up. I can see they put a lot of work into the graphics and the presentation. But is it really that fun? Meh.

Graphics:

The graphics are probably the best thing about this game. They stand out immediately. The first level drops you into the middle of an epic battle in outer space, and I was a big fan of that. The toads are big, colorful, and well animated. The enemies look great. The environments look great. The presentation is top of the line. It's like a Saturday morning cartoon brought to life. No doubt I would have been drawn to this game if I had encountered it in the arcades as a kid.

Sound:

Honestly, I don't remember much about the sound. I finished this game a couple of days ago (I'm late writing the review) and in that short amount of time, the game's music has already slipped out of my mind. I couldn't name a track from this game to save my life.

That said, I do remember vibing with the look, feel, and presentation of the game - and that includes the music, too. So it must not have been that bad.

Overall:

I really wanted to enjoy this game. It has all the fixings of something you'd think I would like. It looks the part. It feels the part. Too bad it's just not a whole lot of fun to play. I mean, it's fun for the first ten minutes. Maybe even the first twenty. But for the first hour and two minutes? Give me a break. An arcade beat 'em up should never be that long. If this had been the home version, I may have had a different mindset. I wouldn't mind if the game was a little longer, as it would be more bang for your buck. But not the arcade version. This is the complete opposite.

I'm going to rank this is a below average game. But I did like it more than the original Battletoads, which I gave a D+. And I do have to admit, the game is fun (for a while) and it looks great. So I have no problem giving it a....

THE GRADE:

C-

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Friday, January 10, 2025

15 things that brought me joy in 2024

Approximately one year ago, I made one of my most successful blog posts to date. Not that that's saying much. But it was a rundown of the top 15 things to bring me joy in 2023. Want to read it? Check it out >HERE<

I had such a good time doing it, I decided to do it again here in 2024. How many things will be different? How many will stay the same? Let's take a look, shall we?

X-Men '97

TV Show

Being a child of the 90s, the X-Men cartoon was a large part of my development. I absolutely loved this series, and this series is my basis for which I've judged all X-Men projects that have come out since. When I heard they were rebooting the series in 2023, I was skeptical at first. But as soon as I started playing the first episode and that sweet, sweet theme song started playing, I knew I had no reason to be skeptical.

This series was everything I could have hoped for, and more. Shocking deaths, giant plot twists, it had it all. I can't wait for season 2 to come out. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll be bingeing this show again - since the first time I had to wait a whole week for each episode to come out. I bet I will like it even more without having to wait and being able to watch at my own pace.

The Devil's Plan

TV show

I remember seeing this on my Netflix recommendation list. A Korean reality show where a group of super smart contestants compete in a series of brain challenging games. I like reality shows, but the premise did not appeal to me. I'm dumb. What do I care about brain challenging games?

It wasn't until I saw Mario Lanza posting about this show, and how good it is, that I decided to give it a chance. I generally trust his recommendations. Turns out, the show was much better than I ever could have imagined. The games are super complex and my eyes often glazed over when they were explaining the rules, but I still liked it. Great cast, great twists, and a very unusual format that I am not used to seeing in reality shows. I just found it so intriguing from start to finish. It is hard to truly explain this game, as there is so much going on in it. Even the house itself, and the game pieces they win during the games, are part of a larger twist. I suggest watching it for yourself to see what I am talking about. You can thank me later.

Dynasty Fantasy Football

This made my list last year, and honestly it will probably make my list every year until the day I die. I am obsessed with dynasty football. Not just regular fantasy (which I still enjoy) but dynasty. Build a team, make trades, decide who you want to keep in the offseason, research all the incoming rookies, etc. 2024 was the year I became completely engrossed in dynasty football. It was year 2 of my home dynasty league for friends and family, and I was the #1 scoring team all season just to lose in the championship game. But you know what? In dynasty, you never stop playing. I'm already seeking out trade partners for next season, and ways to move up in the draft. I probably won't stop thinking about dynasty all year long, even though there is 8 months left until next season starts up.

Special shout out to a few podcasts I listen to, which include Dynasty Happy Hour, The FF Dynasty, and Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Mathew Berry. It is where I get all the intel on the incoming rookie class, and how I know who to keep an eye on during the season in case an impatient manager drops them off their team. It didn't help me win this year, but they are always fun to listen to, even in the offseason. Especially in the offseason.

The Terminator

Franchise

I became obsessed with the Terminator in 2024. The whole franchise. I have always liked the Terminator, but this year was different. It started with the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I started watching it on a whim, and found that I really liked it. It left me wanting more, so I set out to watch all the movies. I didn't make it through all the movies (I only had time to watch 1-3 before the year ended), but I still had a great time with them.

I found that my favorite movie in the series was the first, which was a surprise because I always loved T2 growing up. But the original is definitely the best movie. It's tense, it's atmospheric, and I love the grittiness and the sheer horror of it all, if you are looking at it through the eyes of Sarah Connor. Truly a brilliant film. T2 is great as well, but I found myself more impressed by T3 than I ever have been in the past. I always thought it was kind of a shit movie, but I actually really enjoyed it this time around. Who knew?

I'm going to be watching the remaining movies in the franchise in 2025. I don't remember any of those movies being particularly good, but maybe they will surprise me.

The Edge of Sleep

Podcast

Up until I listened to this, I had only listened to non-fiction podcasts. This one kept popping up as "something I might like", so I finally gave it a shot. It was only ten episodes or so, and all the episodes were short. It would not be a giant time commitment.

I had not been listening to story based podcasts because my attention span is so terrible. It's one of the reasons I can't listen to books on tape either. But for some reason, I don't have that trouble with non-fiction podcasts that do not have a story. Turns out, I was missing out! I instantly fell in love with the Edge of Sleep, and consumed the whole thing in less than a week. I would set aside time for it when everyone in the house would go to bed, just so I could listen to it unbothered. It kind of sucks there is not a season 2, as it leaves you on a cliffhanger. I noticed that this was recently made into an Amazon show, so maybe the show will prompt the podcast to start up again. Either way, I freaking loved this.

The Edge of Sleep inspired me to listen to a few other fictional, story based podcasts well. One that almost made the list is called Museum of the Missing, which I thought was freaking great. There were several misses, however, like Carrier and Birds of Empire. I just couldn't get into them.

A Star is Born

Movie

This movie has been out for several years now, and I have never had ANY interest in watching it. It just didn't seem like something that I would enjoy. Then I stumbled upon a spoiler about the fate of Bradley Cooper's character, and how this movie left so many people who watched it in tears. Okay, now it had my attention. I'm an emotionless bastard, so I am always on the lookout for something that will provoke some sort of emotional reaction from me.

I sat down and watched this movie, and holy crap, I loved it. It did indeed provoke an emotional reaction from me. I was in tears almost half the entire movie. The tears started when Gaga joined Cooper onstage to sing her original song Shallow. I sat there with a big dopey grin on my face, with tears flowing from my eyes, watching her get up there and get to live out her dream. And not only live it, but excel at it. That scene in particular is one of the most wonderful cinematic moments I think I've ever seen. The rest of the movie is great, too. The music is just phenomenal. I listened to this soundtrack for weeks after I was done with the film. I watched this movie in January of 2024, and it became one of my first big obsessions of the year. Mock me all you want for liking a somewhat girlie romantic movie, but I don't care. I love it, love it, love it.

Dune

Franchise

I've known of Dune for years and years now, but I've always dismissed it as something I would not like. Every time I would research it, I would think "wow this sounds so dry and boring." As a result, I never really gave it much of a chance.

With the success of the new movies in the theaters, I finally decided to give Dune a shot, starting with the first Timothee Chalamet movie. And holy crap, I loved it. It hits you with a lot of lore right off the bat, but once I was able to get my mind around who was who and what was going on, I became glued to the screen. Almost reminded me a bit of Game of Thrones, but in space.

After watching the first movie, I went back and watched the David Lynch film - which I also enjoyed. Then I saw Dune Part Two. Shockingly, I was not in love with this movie, even though the reviews seem to indicate it is the best Dune movie. I can't wait for part three to come out. I will have to see that one in the theater for sure. In the meantime, don't be shocked to see me watching the first two films again to refresh my memory. Maybe you will see this on my list again next year?

Rufus Wainwright

Musician

I have been a big Rufus fan since 2001, when I first listened to his initial album off of a bootleg cassette tape at my ex-girlfriend's house. Over the next few years I continued to follow Rufus, buying all of his CDs up through Want Two. It was then that I stopped caring about him and moved onto other things. Rufus's CDs have sat in my collection untouched for nearly 20 years... until my kid came along.

He went through a phase where he was obsessed with CDs. He would put in nearly all of our CDs one at a time, listening to them, and determining which ones he liked the best. As luck would have it, Rufus Wainwright was one of the artists he fixated on.

It was really nice being reintroduced to Rufus after such a long hiatus. I was able to fall in love with his music all over again. So many songs brought back so many memories from a time in my life that I can barely remember. On the flip side, it was also very nice making new Rufus memories with my little four year old. He listened to these CDs so many times, he nearly wore them out. A few favorites of his were "Old Horse Dying" and "Oh What a World." I work from home, so it was always a treat to hear a Rufus CD firing up in the other room, because my son decided to listen to him. Nice background music. This prompted me to check out all the CDs that I missed since Want Two came out. Not surprisingly, those are good too. 2024 was the year of Rufus Wainwright in our household... until it wasn't. My son's CD fixation abruptly vanished towards the end of the year, and he moved onto other things. We haven't really listened to Rufus since. I have a feeling this is not the end of Rufus in our household, though.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Video Game

This game began as an innocuous purchase of a random cheap game on my PS4. I thought "oh hey that game looks like Castlevania, and it is only two dollars" and I bought it. Little did I know it would become one of my biggest video game obsessions of 2024.

This is a Castlevania game for the NES in everything but in name. Gameplay, graphics, presentation, check check check. It's an incredibly well done game. Challenging, but never overwhelmingly so. I enjoyed how you can recruit new members as you play, and how each new member has a unique strength they bring to the table. I had a blast playing through this the first time. And then I discovered that the game has multiple endings, all dependent on how you played the game and how many people you recruited/ignored/killed. I ended up playing through this game about four or five times. If you know me, you know that is something I NEVER do. I usually beat a game once and then I move on.

So that shows you I must have really enjoyed this game. And I truly did. It feels right at home with the classic NES Castlevania games. Not only is it a fun nostalgia fueled trip, it is a heck of a game too. I love it. Heck, I may fire it up again in 2025. I still have one ending left.

The Challenge

TV Series

The Challenge made my list back in 2023, and it makes my list again in 2024. There's just something that is infinitely watchable with this show. It never gets old. It's kind of trashy and not the usual type of reality TV I like, but damn if it is not entertaining.

I began watching this series "Memento style", meaning I started at the end with all the spinoffs and started making my way backward through the main series. I stalled out at season 35, because Paramount Plus does not have that season, and I can't seem to find it anywhere online. This sucks, because I'm a completionist who would rather stop watching something than skip a season and continue on. Not gonna happen. So hopefully I am able to find it online somewhere soon! I heard the show is hard to find because a contestant on it got canceled for something. If so, that is horribly asinine. Let us watch it and make our own decisions. You can't undo history!

The Retrograde

Podcast

The Retrograde makes my list for the second year in a row. Of all the podcasts I listen to, it is the most "listenable" - if that makes sense. I can put it on when I am watching my kid, when I am driving, when I am by myself. Literally any time I can put this on and enjoy the podcast. It's funny, it's entertaining, and it is easy to enjoy. Of all the podcasts I listen to, it is probably the one I am listening to the fastest.

Unlike other podcasts, I can multitask when this is going on, and if I miss something, it doesn't really matter much. That's what I like about this podcast. You can just turn your brain off and listen to it. That's right, this podcast is for brainless people, and I am guilty as charged.

Survivor

TV Series

Survivor made the list last year, and it makes it again this year. Let's be real, Survivor is never going to not make this list. I love Survivor. It's one of my comfort shows that I come back to time after time. I am currently in the middle of yet another rewatch. One that started when I began listening to the Survivor Historians podcast about 3 or 4 years ago. I have now outpaced the podcast, and am in the middle of season 27 - Blood vs Water.

When I am not rewatching old seasons of Survivor, I am watching the current seasons, as there are always two per year. And I have been watching foreign seasons as well, such as Australia, UK, and South Africa. There's always Survivor to watch somewhere. If it exists and it is Survivor, I am going end up watching it.

Yellowjackets

TV Series

I watched the first season of Yellowjackets back when it first came out. I vaguely remember liking the show, but I was never really that super into it. I was a brand new dad back then and I had a lot going on in my life. I think I was only half paying attention to the show and not giving it the attention it deserved.

I've heard the show gets better and better, so I decided to come back and start it from the beginning, not season 2. I could not remember much about it and I figured I would need the refresher. Turns out, this was a great move, as I absolutely loved the show the second time around. I flew through the first ten episodes in record time. I am soooo ready to move onto season two, but I am making myself wait until I finish a few other things I have started (like House of the Dragon and Killing Eve). It's a delayed satisfaction thing. But yeah, this is one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.

Squid Game

TV Series

I rewatched the first season of Squid Game in preparation for season 2 coming out late in the year. I first watched the show when it originally came out. I liked the show, but I figured I could use the refresher, so I watched it again. I enjoyed it even more the second time around. Almost the exact same thing I said about Yellowjackets!

Season 2 of Squid Game came and it wasn't as great as the first season, but I still highly enjoyed it. I can't wait for season 3. I'm a big fan of the series, and if you have a good memory, you'll remember that Squid Game: The Challenge made it to this list in 2023. What an accomplishment for Squid Game: back to back appearances on my "Things that brought me joy" list.

The Help

Movie

I've seen this movie twice in the past, and both times I only mildly enjoyed it. I gave it another shot in 2024. I don't know what changed. Maybe it's just me being older, or maybe I was too distracted by Candy Crush when I had watched the movie in the past. But wow, I really loved it this time around. I was drawn in instantly. I connected with the characters. It's filmed beautifully. It is touching. There is never a dull moment. This movie resonated with me in every single way possible. I loved it.

Look for this movie, as well as A Star is Born, to finish highly on my year end movie rankings.

Runner ups:

Heavy Rain video game

Only Murders in the Building

Good Mythical Morning

Museum of the Missing podcast

Batman: The Animated Series

Killing Eve tv series

Fallout tv show

Parasite Eve video game

Big Brother tv show

The Cartridge Club podcast

Collateral Gaming and Collateral Cinema podcasts

Jurassic Park the book

The Amazing Race tv show

Staff Picks podcast

Arcade Attack podcast

The 7th Rule podcast

The Losers' Club podcast

Saw franchise

Sonic Frontiers video game

Thursday, January 9, 2025

2024 Movie Rankings: December

8 movies watched in the month of December, bringing my yearly total to 122 movies watched in 2024.

As always, I will briefly run down my experience with each of these movies and pick which five of them will advance to my ultimate year end movie ranking. Here are the 8 movies I watched in December:

The Thing 1981

The Other

Under the Skin

The Deer Hunter

Spiral

The Terminator

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Not Moving On:

Under the Skin

I've always heard that this is a movie I would like. Unfortunately, I hated it. The premise is good, and I do have to admit that some of the special effect and atmospheric effects are awesome. But the movie is dull AF. There are lots of long, lingering scenes that I'm sure some people praise as being artistic. It is very David Lynch-like, and I've never been too big a fan of him either. I'd avoid this movie. I wanted my time back when it was done.

Spiral

I know I watched this movie - but looking back, I can remember absolutely nothing about it. And I just watched it last month!

The Other

Normally I enjoy a good Staff Picks recommendation, but I wasn't feeling this one. Admittedly, my life has been chaos lately and it is hard for me to sit down and watch something I really have to pay attention to. Maybe I'll try this again later and I'll like it, because the podcast does make it sound like a very good movie.

Moving On:

The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

I was big into Terminator in December, mainly because I was watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles show. When the show ended, I came back and watched the first three movies in the series. And I must say that these movies are awesome, even the third one. I think that letting time pass and then watching it with lowered expectations really helps its cause. The first Terminator was the star of the show, though. I love the gritty feel, and the acting, and the dire, stressful circumstances of the movie. It's just brilliant.

The Deer Hunter

This movie really only makes it because something had to make my top five. I like the grim tone of the movie, and I actually enjoyed the long drawn out wedding sequence at the beginning of the movie. To me, the second half felt too disjointed, and I often struggled with suspension of belief. A strong movie, but not one that I can see making waves in my year end ranking.

The Thing

I always think I am going to like this movie more than I actually do. I know it is a cult classic and I know a lot of people really love this movie. And I wish I was one of them, because it seems like something that would be right up my alley. It just fails to connect with me, on some level or another. This is another movie that only makes my top five because of lack of other options.

Thats it. 2024 is in the books! We now have a list of 60 movies - my 5 favorite from each month of the year. Soon, I will rank these movies from worst to best and determine my favorite. Here are the 60 that have moved on, in random order:

Last Night

The Help

The Greatest Night in Pop

Doctor Sleep

A Star is Born

Mystic River

Stephen King's IT miniseries

Stand By Me

Dune (1984)

Dune: Part One

Dune: Part Two

Legends of the Fall

The Deer Hunter

Cloverfield

Grave of the Fireflies

As Above, So Below

The Thing

Glass

The Shape of Water

The Menendez Brothers

Milo and Otis

Gerald's Game

Dr. Giggles

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition

Ghost

Milk

Forrest Gump

Platoon

Sleeping with the Enemy

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Four Falls of Buffalo

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Open Water

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Old

The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

Bone Tomahawk

Deadpool & Wolverine

Grizzly Man

Manhunter

The Purge

Dumb and Dumber

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Skeleton Key

The Illusionist

The Prestige

The Terminator

Trauma (2017)

Rear Window

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Martyrs (2008)

Jigsaw

Transformers

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition

The Disaster Artist

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Eden Lake

Saw

Halloween

Past 2024 rankings:

May

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

2024 Things: December

Last month of the year! I'm not sure what I'll be doing with this information. but I'll soon be taking a look back at the top 15 things that brought me joy in 2024, which is similar to what I did last year:

https://dangeeksout.blogspot.com/2023/12/15-things-that-brought-me-joy-in-2023.html

12.01: Listened to 2 episodes of Collateral Cinema (Ep 39 and Movie Recommendations with Beau and Robert from 5.11.2020). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 4). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 46). Listened to 1 episode of the Retrograde (WWF: Wrestlemania the Arcade Game). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.12).

12.02: Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under (S05E12). Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.08). Listened to 2 episodes of Stephen Kingcast (ep 69 and Bonus Episode-In the Court of the Crimson King). Listened to 2 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (11.27 and 12.2 episodes).

12.03: Watched 2 episodes of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.13 and 2.14). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Golden Years Pt. 1). Watched 1 episode of Worst Ex Ever (1.04). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (10.25 and 10.26). Listened to 1 episode of the Retrograde (Kirby's Adventure). Watched movie: The Thing (1981). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks (05.07).

12.04: Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.09). Listened to 1 episode of Worth it or Worthless (ep 7). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.06). Watched 2 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (Shadow of the Bat Pt. 1 and Pt. 2). Watched movie: The Terminator. Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Point Blank Range).

12.05: Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 418). Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.10). Watched 2 episodes of Big Brother Canada (10.27 and 10.28).

12.06: Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (10.29). Watched movie: The Deer Hunter. Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (The Demon's Quest Pt. 1). Watched 1 episode of Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies (1.01).

12.07: Listened to 1 episode of the 7th Rule (T7R #256). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.12). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.07). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (The Demon's Quest Pt. 2). Watched 1 episode of Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies (1.02). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Where's the Money?). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.01).

12.08: Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks (05.08). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.02). Listened to 3 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.4, 12.5, and 12.6 episodes). Listened to 1 episode of the 7th Rule (T7R #257).

12.09: Listened to 1 episode of Retroblast (Mega Man X). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (The Other). Watched movie: The Other. Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.9 ep). Listened to 1 episode of the Cartridge Club (CC #53). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Ep 48 Pt. 2). Listened to 1 episode of Stephen Kingcast (ep 242). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.03).

12.10: Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 191). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge Argentina (1.08 and 1.09). Watched 1 episode of Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey (1.01).

12.11: Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.04). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.10). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Golden Years Pt. 2).

12.12: Watched movie: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.13). Watched 1 episode of Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.05).

12.13: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.11). Listened to 1 episode of Retrograde (MVP Baseball 2005). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks (05.09).

12.14: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.12). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 419). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 192). Watched 2 episodes of Yellowjackets (1.06 and 1.07).

12.15: Watched 1 episode of Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey (1.03). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Editor's Corner #11). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Ep 49 Pt. 1).

12.16: Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (Very Bad Things). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.15). Watched movie: Spiral. Listened to 2 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.13 and 12.16 episodes).

12.17: Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.08). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.13).

12.18: Finished video game: Resident Evil 4 remake. Watched 1 episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.16). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.09).

12.19: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.14). Watched 1 episode of Yellowjackets (1.10). Listened to 1 episode of the 7th Rule (T7R #258). Watched 2 episodes of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.17 and 2.18). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 420).

12.20: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.14). Watched movie: Under the Skin. Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Haunting of Bellaire House). Watched 1 episode of House of the Dragon (1.01).

12.21: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge Argentina (1.15). Watched 2 episodes of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.19 and 2.20). Watched 1 episode of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (1.01).

12.22: Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Insomnia). Watched movie: Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

12.23: Listened to 1 episode of Retroblast (Goldeneye 007). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.01).

12.24: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.02). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.20.24 ep). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (Re-Ranking 2024 Rookie Class). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Ep 49 Pt 1). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club (ep 134). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.21).

12.25: Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club (CC Weekly #83). Watched 1 episode of Squid Game (2.01). Watched 1 episode of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (2.22).

12.26: Watched 1 episode of House of the Dragon (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.03). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Sonic the Hedgehog 2).

12.27: Watched 2 episodes of Squid Game (2.02 and 2.03). Watched 1 episode of Aaron Rodgers: Enigma (1.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.04). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 5).

12.28: Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (14.01). Watched 2 episodes of Survivor (26.05 and 26.06). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club (CC Weekly #84). Watched 1 episode of Squid Game (2.04).

12.29: Watched 1 episode of Squid Game (2.05). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 193). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks (05.10).

12.30: Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (The Grinch for Dreamcast). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Editor's Corner #12). Finished video game: Santa Claus Junior. Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.07).

12.31: Watched 1 episode of Squid Game (2.06). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (How Many Books Does Stephen King Have Left?). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (26.08).

11 episodes of Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles watched.

11 episodes of Survivor watched.

10 episodes of The Challenge Argentina watched.

10 episodes of Yellowjackets watched.

9 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour played.

8 movies watched.

6 episodes of Squid game watched.

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Video Game Review #550: Santa Claus Junior

Santa Claus Junior

Game Boy Color

Before playing:

This is a somewhat odd choice for me to play through and review. Truth be told, I had never so much as heard of this game until just a few days ago. I saw a screenshot of the game, and it crossed my mind that maybe I could play it for the holidays. I don't play too many Christmas themed games so I thought why not?

So I set aside some time and I played through it. How would I feel about the game? That's what we are here to find out.

Story:

This game does not do a good job of telling you what's going on. You turn on the game. There's no text. There's just some random images floating across the screen. Looks like Santa Claus is shot down by a witch and then stuffed into a bottle. Your character, an unassuming kid playing a handheld video game, puts on a red suit vaguely resembling a Santa suit. And then bam, you are 2D platforming.

It's your job to right through the levels until you get to the end of the game, where you defeat the witch and save Santa.

Gameplay:

This is an extraordinarily basic 2D platformer. You must make it through a series of stages, collecting items and jumping on your enemies' heads until you reach the level exit. There is no attack button, just a jump button. So all you do is move and jump. Most of the game revolves around precision platforming and not falling into bottomless pits. Combat is a small part of the formula. There are enemies to fight, yes, but they can almost all be defeated by simply jumping on their heads. You will take a lot of damage because some of them act erratically. Luckily, the game is pretty forgiving with both the health items and the extra lives.

Once you make it through about 25 or so platforming stages, you fight your only boss battle of the game against the witch - the game's final foe. She moves around the screen quickly and fires projectiles at you as she goes. You have to jump on her head a certain number of times until she is defeated. In a game that is not too overly challenging, she was one of the most difficult things about the game.

I'm going to struggle to post too much about this game. Because truth be told, it really is not that interesting. I've seen and played through dozens of platformers better than this in my lifetime. It brings almost nothing to the table. It's not a bad game, it is just so incredibly basic. The Christmas theme could not even keep me interested, because the game is barely Christmasy at all. The password screens and the fact that you collect candy canes are really the only Christmasy things about the game.

I suppose there are some things to like here, such as the abundance of hidden areas and many opportunities to collect items and bonuses. I just find it really hard to get excited about anything this game does.

Graphics:

This game does nothing special visually. It's all very basic looking. Your character and many of the enemies are very generic. I suppose it is nice watching the Christmas theme get darker and darker the closer you get to the end of the game. The levels leading up to the witch get magical, dark, and a little trippy. That said, the highlight of the game visually is probably the cutscenes. They look decent.

Sound:

For a Christmas themed game, I expected more Christmas music. You hear a little bit at the end, but almost nothing as you are playing. The stage music is okay, I guess, but just as generic as the game's visual presentation. The music that plays during the intro is "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star." Would it hurt them to get some Christmas music in the game?

Overall:

I don't hate this game, but I will never play it again. It does nothing I haven't seen or experienced a hundred times before. And it doesn't do anything special. Maybe if they had pushed the Christmas theme harder with more Christmas music and Christmas themed stages and characters, it would have made the experience a bit more memorable.

If you have never played this game, I can't give it a recommend. It takes about an hour and a half of your time that you can spend elsewhere. Not to say the game is bad, it just brings NOTHING to the table. It's almost admirable how dedicated to mediocrity it is.

As much as I wanted to like it, Santa Claus Junior comes in at below average for me. Not terrible and not completely failing, but undoubtedly below average.

THE GRADE:

D+

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Friday, December 20, 2024

Re-Review #18: Resident Evil 4 (remake)

Resident Evil 4

PlayStation 4

For the original review, click here!

I don't re-review games too often. In fact, I have not re-reviewed a game since I played through Uncharted 2 about ten months ago. But I have been in a gaming rut lately. I haven't been "feeling" anything I've been playing. Titles like Yooka-Laylee, Breath of Fire, and Syphon Filter just have not been able to snag my full attention. So I thought I'd put those games on hold and take a quick detour and play through the Resident Evil 4 remake again. Maybe it will get me out of that rut and back into the swing of things again.

When I first played this game, I enjoyed it. I even gave it an A-, which is a pretty good score coming from me. But I also indicated in my review that the game was sort of stuck in limbo between being a faithful remake of the original RE4 and being its own separate identity. When Capcom remade Resident Evil 2 and 3, each game was like an all new experience. But this one closely follows the original in some parts, while doing its own thing in others. I personally would have preferred a ground up remake instead of a compromise between the two. As a result, it often made this remake feel completely unnecessary as I was playing through it. That said, RE4 is still a fantastic game and one of my all time favorite titles of all time. So I was not complaining too much.

Coming back to it over a year later, I still feel almost exactly the same way. It's a good game. I enjoyed playing it. Is it as good as the original? No. Why did Capcom feel this remake was necessary when there are titles like Code Veronica and RE:0 just sitting there waiting to be remade? I don't know.

I'm not going to knock the game too much, because it is fun. But if they are going to remake a classic like this, they need to one-up it in every way. And that didn't happen.

Would I recommend this game to people who have not played Resident Evil 4 before? Yeah. I sure would. I'm not sure I can recommend it to people who have played the original though. It just doesn't do enough to set it apart from that game. Give me the original any day of the week.

Again, it is not a bad game. It's just a completely unnecessary game. I feel like I am running out of stuff to say and just repeating myself over and over again. That's okay. This is a re-review. I don't put much thought into these. I'm just going to go ahead and give this game its final score. Again, it will get an A-, which is a great score. It may feel like I'm hating on this game, but I truly do enjoy it.

All right, I am going to log off now. I've reviewed and re-reviewed the original RE4 and now I've done the same to its remake. I am RE4'd out for the foreseeable future. I've basically played the same game four times now since I started this blog. If I feel like playing this game again anytime soon, someone please stop me.

THE GRADE:

A-

For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

>HERE<

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

2024 Movie Rankings: November

I watched ten movies in the month of November. As always, I will briefly run down my experience with each of these movies and pick which five of them will advance to my ultimate year end movie ranking. Four movies this month were Saw movies. Just one left and I will have seen them all.

Here are the ten movies:

Prey

Saw V

Star Trek The Motion Picture

Sleeping with the Enemy

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

A Quiet Place: Day One

As Above, So Below

Saw VI

Saw: The Final Chapter

Jigsaw

Not Moving On:

A Quiet Place: Day One

I've liked the Quiet Place movies in the past, but this one really missed the mark. I found it to be incredibly dull compared to the more tightly paced original movies. Got to wonder what they were thinking here.

Prey

I've watched this movie twice now in my life, and both times it has failed to resonate with me. I know people like this movie but for some reason it just doesn't seem to do anything for me.

Saw V, VI, and The Final Chapter

Bye bye to these Saw movies. I enjoyed all these movies individually, and I am enjoying the series as a whole, but looking back on them, I could not tell you which one was which, or what happened in which movie. They all sort of blend together after a while.

Moving On:

Jigsaw

This is the one Saw movie that moves on this month. I like how it was a reboot of the series after a long absence. It felt a bit more fresh. The big twist that Jigsaw was back kind of blew my mind for a while. I was like HOW could he possibly be alive? Turns out it was a twist I should have seem coming a mile away, but I didn't. Anyway, at least this Saw movie has an identity and stands out from the others.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture and The Wrath of Khan

As big of a Trekkie as I am, I am very unfamiliar with the movies based on the Original Series. I've seen all of them, but it has been a long time since I have. I decided to start rewatching them this year. Oddly, I enjoyed The Motion Picture a tiny bit more than Wrath of Khan. I've always found this movie to be a bit overrated in my opinion. But it is still very good. The Motion Picture is slow and deliberate, but it gave me a Dune vibe at times. I liked it.

Sleeping with the Enemy

I remember watching this movie with an ex of mine, and she loved it. It was one of her favorite movies. I haven't seen it since me and her were together - which was over 20 years ago. It was a fun movie to revisit, even if I knew what was going to happen in advance. I've never been a big Julia Roberts fan, but I liked her in this. Her evil husband really knocks it out of the park in this role, too.

As Above, So Below

This was probably my favorite movie I watched this month. I had never heard of this movie before, but then it suddenly showed up on my Netflix queue as a recommendation. I almost watched it one night, but then decided to pass last minute. The next day, I fired up the next Staff Picks episode in my downloads, and it was about this movie - which I thought was a crazy coincidence. The episode really sold me on it, and I decided to watch it immediately afterwards. And you know what? I thought the movie was great. I'll dive into more detail about it when I do my year end ranking, but this is a serious contender to finish in my top 10.

With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 55. 11 months down, 1 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will rank them from worst to best and determine my favorite. In no particular order, here are the 55 that have moved on so far:

Last Night

The Help

The Greatest Night in Pop

Doctor Sleep

A Star is Born

Mystic River

Stephen King's IT miniseries

Stand By Me

Dune (1984)

Dune: Part One

Dune: Part Two

Legends of the Fall