Wednesday, March 4, 2026

VHS Tape #28: Crazy Ray Is Awesome!



He doesn't actually make an appearance on the tape, but this tape is named after noted Milwaukee East Side icon Crazy Ray Ertl. He was a homeless guy who always liked to shout at people and yell out abnormal things. Apparently he was actually a really smart guy, though? I used to see him all the time back in the early 2000s. I'd always get excited when there was a Crazy Ray sighting. That's why I dedicated this tape to him. He was fresh on my mind back then. 

Anyway, I recently found out that he passed away. You can read about him here. Such an interesting fellow, eh?


(00:00:00)

Big Brother 6 finale continued from the last tape. Howie places his awkward final vote. The pre jury boots come back and are interviewed. Howie highlights are shown. April bashes America after they vote Janelle for an America's Choice reward. Kaysar is interviewed and bashes Jenn but Cappy says Kaysar lied and backstabbed too.

Animal Crossing is discussed on G4 channel in the commercials

BB6 finale (cont.) The votes are revealed and Maggie wins the game.

Rockstar INXS finale
 - Season recap and judges talk to the contestants
 - Mig's journey recapped and he sings Bohemian Rhapsody
 - JD's journey recapped and he sings You Can't Always Get What You Want
 - Marty's journey recapped and he sings Wish You Were Here again
 - Mig eliminated
 - Marty sings Don't Change
 - JD sings What You Need
 - Band chooses JD as the winner. Booooo!
 - JD and INXS perform together a new song called Easy Easy

(55:55)

Happy Tree Friends and Friends
 - Happy Trails clip where a bus trip goes horribly wrong. The tape is messed up a bit on this part.
 - RFTV: Ambience. This is stupid
 - Dr Tran. This is dumb too.
 - Petey and Jaydee: Microwave clip
 - Polygon Family. Trippy computer animated guy walks around and does weird things.
 - Refrigerator Art: My Family. Animated kid talks about his neglectful parents
 - Timmy's Lessons In Nature: Aim correctly when cow tipping
 - Hard Drinkin' Lincoln cartoon. Abe becomes a superhero and saves blonde woman from death
 - Dr Tran. Not this again. Laaaaaame!
 
Commercial for Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

Happy Tree Friends and Friends (cont)
 - Petey and Jaydee: The Blender
 - Dr. Tran..... again
 - Happy Trails Part 2. Marooned animals meet many misfortunes

Family Matters - Urkel transports the Winslows to Paris. This is a 2 part episode and apparently I only recorded the first part.

Psychonauts discussed on G4 Channel. Also, strategy tips and codes are revealed.

(1:53:33)

COPS
 - Girl gets into her mom's pain medication and takes too many pills. She freaks out when the cops come in, and has to be taken away in an ambulance to get her stomach pumped.

Clip of some hippy dude named "Cipchogee" from a reality show. This may be spelled wrong.

Short Svengoolie clip

COPS
 - Police called to a fast food restaurant where there is a crazy shirtless bearded man acting up and terrorizing customers. He yells "peace for mankind" before getting tackled. This clip is awesome. This the closest thing you'll get to Crazy Ray on the tape.
 - People pulled over in car that isn't theirs. They get caught up in a bunch of lies. They lie about everything!
 - Car that is falling apart and held together by tape in places is pulled over by the police. The driver is a meth addict who is arrested. The cop finds a DARE card in her wallet.
 - Toilet papering gone bad. The victim of the papering fights back. He jumps onto the offender's car as it is driving away and holds on for dear life.
 - 91 year old black woman arrested after stabbing a woman she was arguing with

(2:35:07)

Battle of the Network Reality Stars
 - Sue Hawk flips out after a bad challenge performance
 - Sue's team loses the second part of the tug of war challenge, despite her blow up

Blind Date. White rapping guy is matched up with a chick who loves nerds. It doesn't go well.

Happy Tree Friend and Friends
 - Suck It Up. Sniffles sucks destructive objects through a vacuum attached to his snout
 - RFTV by Ambience. Dumb yet again.
 - Timmy's Lessons In Nature: Avoid snakes and rabid animals
 - Polygon Family. Husband comes home late and faces the wrath of his wife, fighting game style
 - Petey and Jaydee: Electric carving knife
 - Petey and Jaydee: The deep fryer
 - A Hard Act to Swallow. Ants lead a violent rescue mission to save an ant from inside of the Sniffles.
 - Hard Drinkin' Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth shoots Abe Lincoln after he gave him a wrong answer on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
 - Petey and Jaydee: The can opener
 - Beyond Grandpa. Animated grandpa put into all kinds of weird situations
 - Flippin' Burgers. Flippy goes crazy and kills people at a burger joint.
 
(3:10:29)

Cinematech: The Games of 1998. Apparently this is considered the most innovative year in gaming history. I kind of agree. I own or have played most of the games they talk about, and a lot of them are very memorable and still hold up.
 - Grand Theft Auto
 - Panzer Dragoon Saga
 - Banjo-Kazooie. WTF they only show the introduction where they play music.
 - Tekken 3
 - StarCraft
 - Xenogears
 - Sega Saturn game montage
 - Starsiege Tribes
 - King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest
 - Metal Gear Solid
 - Comparison of old games to newer ones
 - Radiant Silvergun
 - Thief: The Dark Project
 - Baldur's Gate. There are commercials after this
 - Grim Fandango
 - Half-Life
 - Bad Games of the Year montage- Twisted Metal 3, Pocket Fighter, Trespasser, and Bio Freaks
 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
 - Credits

AFV
 - Man rolls away from collapsing shed
 - Man falls off ladder
 - Tent flies away that wasn't spiked down
 - Little boy grabs girl's boob at birthday party
 - Turtle bites camera
 - Dog undoes woman's bikini as she lies on her stomach
 - Kid hits himself repeatedly with pan
 - Boy blows bubbles out of his mouth
 - Kid in a raincoat in the shower
 - Man's face recorded close up while bungee jumping
 - Little boy climbs on rocking chair and it falls over
 - Guy trips over small kid on a bike
 - Big dog drags small dog by it's tail
 - Boy cries when he finds out he's getting a baby sister instead of a brother
 - Kids make gross faces after eating.... something
 - Sharp Dressed Man music montage of weight lifting accidents
 - Guy skis into a tree
 - Old man spins and falls into a bush
 - Dancing guy with a faked padded behind
 - Kid falls while Superman posing
 - Guy on bike falls off top of fence
 - Funny cat and dog clips
 - Video camera on sled with people as they go down a steep hill
 - Football players has pants ripped down as he runs with the ball
 - Little girl dances with cheerleaders
 - Kid puts leg behind head in classroom
 - Piano cover collapses while girl is playing it
 - Asian man pushes over baby with power of the mind
 - Boy shoots toy gun at camera and sticks it perfectly
 - Little kid help upside down by feet to dance on the ceiling
 - Kid swinging on rope knocks over other kid
 - Kids sneezing into baked goods Vs men who scream like girls
 - Guy thrown off horse and does the splits on the top of a fence
 - Cats tussle with iguana on a couch
 - Kid with Easter basket falls and spills eggs and a wiener dog chases after them
 - Kids mess up at a play
 - Kid take the term eye on the ball a little too literally
 - Man runs past swinging empty swing and gets horse collared
 - Girl ruins present right after opening it and cries
 - Kid flushes flashlight down the toilet
 - Kid falls off a bike for 2 and gets run over
 - Music montage of waterski accidents

Dave Chappelle show. Racial draft skit.

(4:01:01)

Crank Yankers
 - Niles calls the Astoria Chamber of Commerce, He wants to set up a violent sex offender rehab center there
 - Man calls gym to ask about hiring a personal trainer and he keeps interrupting the lady on the phone

Rick Santorum interviewed on Jon Stewart. They have a discussion about homosexuality and the sanctity of marriage

South Park clip where Chef and James Taylor sing the prostitute song

AFV
 - Kid in tub opens mouth and a sponge pops out
 - Horse drawn carriage dumps over
 - Guy trips and falls while pushing merry go round
 - Guy falls while lifting a woman, and a TV falls on his head
 - Woman sledding down hill hits dog and kid and crashes
 - Kid kicks at soccer ball and falls head over feet
 - Person gets foot caught in rope trap
 - Little dog chases around young kid
 - Scooter driver wipes out
 - Guy tries to throw grill ashes into the water and they blow back at him
 - Shed collapses on people
 - Roof collapses at sporting good store
 - Football team tries to tackle coach
 - Shoplifter is yanked off camera by strong arm
 - Nincompoop corner. People hurt themselves doing silly outdoor activities
 - American Woman music montage of all female funny clips
 - Man throws down camera to rescue kid from falling in the water
 - Kid gets water dumped on head
 - Kid watching horses walk by waves hand in front of his face and says "Ooooh! Who cut the cheese?"
 - Kid tries to toss popcorn into his mouth but misses and eats it up off the floor
 - Screaming baby quiets down when dad screams
 - Funny clips with Tom's head superimposed over the actual clip
 - Waves crash high into the air in small swimming pool
 - 2 clips of kids on swings
 - Cat leaps up and pulls dangling light cord
 - Kid throws hat at other kid and it lands perfectly on his head
 - Dude pulls spaghetti noodles through his nostrils to cradle a meatball up into his mouth. Ick
 - Baby kitty clips
 - Name That Sound: Dog attacking door stopper, Dog makes funny noises, kid with bowl stuck to butt in bathtub
 - Guy throws stick into tire spokes of a bicycle and wipes out the rider
 - Little dog has balloon stuck to face
 - Kid falls while balancing on playground
 - Kid left on his  own to paint treehouse gets covered in paint
 - Snow fishing man pulls up fake leg and freaks out
 - Funny pig clips
 - Guy tricked in gross bobbing for money trick
 - Fake lottery ticket winner reaction montage
 - Kid tricks mom by picking up fake poop off the ground with his hand
 - Rat caught in a trap starts moving and scares woman
 - Fake scarecrow scares people on a porch during trick or treat and a black guy punches him
 - Creative ways to crack eggs and clever ways to pour milk
 - Funny pet tricks
 - When Balloon Animals Attack
 - Poultrygeist
 - Funny animal bathing clips
 - Winning clip finalists - motorcycle kid who hurts crotch, painted boy, and blindfolded fool
 - Funny camping clips
 - Grand prize winner is: motorcycle crotch kid

(4:54:44)

AFV
 - Guy sleeping on boat is splashed by water coming over the edge
 - Chick does cartwheel off bed and hits head on wall
 - Little kid rides tricycle while pulling a toy vehicle behind him on a rope. The rope gets wrapped around a pole and the kid wipes out.
 - People sledding downhill in a cardboard box wipe out
 - Sneeze scares a cat and it falls off the counter
 - Little kids frightened of a tiny dog and they scream
 - Guy pushes woman away and she falls
 - Little kid throws bottle and whacks another kid in the head
 - Small black child brushes dad's bald head and then whacks him with the brush
 - Kid whacks standing video game player in crotch with fist
 - Little child sprays adult with hose
 - Man carrying child trips over dog and falls
 - Little kids freak out because AFV isn't on the TV
 - Little kids laughing hysterically
 - Jump music montage of trampoline and other jumping mishaps
 - Surprised and happy children
 - Cameraman walks in on opera singing boy and he screams
 - Excited baby
 - Excited dog
 - Head, Gut, or Groin segment. Female audience member had to guess where the contestant in the clips is going to get hit
 - Guy tries to exercise by lifting himself between the backs of two chairs, but the chairs fall and so does he
 - Guy flies off waterskis when going over a jump
 - Small child falls down steps in middle of wedding
 - Dude poked in eye with 2 fingers, 3 Stooges style
 - Painting falls on fat guy's head
 - Keyboard setup collapses while kid is playing it
 - Man hits self in face with nunchuks
 - Kid gets upset when sister plays Happy Birthday to him on trumpet
 - Dog dances around edge of pool table and grabs at balls
 - People on boat scared by whale
 - Funny dog clip segment
 - Unforgettable animal music montage
 - Kid dumps milk on head when trying to put it on high shelf in fridge
 - Kid hit in face with cake at birthday
 - Dog can't tell which hand a sausage is in
 - Guy eats moth. WTF
 - How many people can get hit by a bat before a duck gets up and walks?
 - Clips of animals stealing people's things
 - Kid gets splashed by batter when using an automatic mixer
 - Kid crashes a go kart into a parked go kart
 - Kid tosses basketball back over head and makes a basket from long distance
 - Grandma falls down kid's slide
 - Funny rundown in little league baseball game
 - Dogs that sound like they are talking
 - Winning clip finalists: excited dog, people scared of whale, and grandma getting stuck in Styrofoam pit (which apparently I must have missed). Of course this one wins 

(5:21:02)

Nickelback singing Photograph on Jay Leno. Gary Busey appears briefly in the credits

Clip of Timmy singing with Lords of the Underworld on South Park

Jay Leno's Don't Try This At Home skit
 - Man balances on sword edge while juggling swords and holding spinning swords in his mouth
 - Man sets firecrackers off on his body

Jack Hannah on Dave Letterman. He brings his animals of course

Dominic Monaghan interviewed on Jay Leno. He complains about people in America not using their turn signals

Jimmy Kimmel Live
 - Unnecessary censorship skit. There's a clip from a Packer game in this
 - Billy Bush partial interview
 - Nickelback performs Photograph again, lol

COPS
 - Officers remove homeless Mexican folks living in a small space under a bridge. They come out from this little crack all smiley and happy. It's funny. Officer gets poked by a needle in the back pocket of one of the guys.
 - Cops crack down on wild party goers at a festival


END OF TAPE



Sunday, March 1, 2026

2026 Things: February



A complete list of all the movies I watched, podcasts I listened to, video games I completed, and episodes of TV I watched in the month of February, 2026.


Previous 2026 months:
January

2.01: Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 63). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (7.02). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.09). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 68). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Body in Cedar Creek). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (Micro 66). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (QSC Savepoint ep 1). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band).

2.02: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (7.03). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Zip Tie Murder). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Post-Holiday Edition: AVGN 8-bit Game Review). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.10). Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.01). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 69). Finished video game: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (arcade). Watched 1 episode of Home Improvement (1.17). 

2.03: Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (7.04, 7.05). Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (Announcement). Watched movie: X-Men: Apocalypse. Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.08). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Top 5 Mario Appearances in a non-Mario game). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.04).

2.04: Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.05). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (7.06). Watched 2 episodes of Survivor South Africa (2.09, 2.10). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (1.22.26 ep). Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.02). Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 1). 

2.05: Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.04). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.06). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (7.07). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 746). 

2.06: Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.11). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.05). Watched movie: Dante's Peak. Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (8.01). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 255). Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 2). Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.03).

2.07: Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (4.06, 4.07). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (ep 305). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (8.02). Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.04). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.138).
 
2.08: Listened to 1 episode of The Retro Blast (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (At the Movies: The Batman, 2022). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Dreamcatcher movie with Gillian Horvat). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.03 feedback). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.07).

2.09: Watched movie: Shutter Island. Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Flirting with Death). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (8.03). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Stephen King's In the Mouth of Madness). Listened to 1 episode of Cartridge Club (CC Hangouts #3). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.08).

2.10: Watched 2 episodes of The Purge (2.09, 2.10). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (8.04). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.12). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.08). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.137). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 70). 

2.11: Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.05). Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (8.05, 8.06). Watched 1 episode of Survivor: South Africa (2.13). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 108). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Live Show: 4.30.21).

2.12: nothing

2.13: Finished video game: Jak and Daxter. Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (The Man in the Iron Mask). Watched 2 episodes of Fallout (1.06, 1.07). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.04 recap). Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 172). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.135).

2.14: Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Super Mario Bros Review and Spoilercast). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (2.5.26). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.04 feedback). Watched movie: Mandy. Watched movie: Labyrinth. Watched movie: The Black Phone. Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 3). Watched 1 episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1.01). Listened to 3 episodes of Creepy podcast (The Expressionless, The Pill, Where Bad Kids Go).

2.15: Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (4.01). Watched 1 episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1.02). Listened to 2 episodes of The Left Right Game (eps 4 and 5). Watched Michael Jackson's Ghosts. Watched movie: Moana. Listened to 6 episodes of Creepy podcast (NoEnd House, The Rake, Gateway of the Mind, Smile Dog, Robert the Doll, Russian Sleep Experiment). Listened to 3 episodes of Unsolved Mysteries (Dead by Dawn, The Scott Family Massacre, Scott Family Update Episode). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Portable 63). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Hollywood King: Welcome to Derry, Ben Stiller's Shining). Watched 1 episode of It: Welcome to Derry (1.01).

2.16: Watched 2 episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1.03, 1.04). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 71). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (Miikeversary: Imprint). Finished video game: Daxter. Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 69). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 256). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Editor's Corner 32). 

2.17: Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Dead Zone with Gretchen Felker-Martin). Listened to 1 episode of Creepy podcast (Mr. Mix). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (2.6.26 ep). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.09). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (17.01). Watched 1 episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1.05). Watched 1 episode of Fallout (1.08). 

2.18: Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 81). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 110). Listened to 1 episode of Creepy podcast (Dead Bart). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (17.02). Watched 1 episode of It: Welcome to Derry (1.02). Watched 2 episodes of Lost (1.01, 1.02). 

2.19: Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Voyager (1.04). Watched 2 episodes of It: Welcome to Derry (1.03, 1.04). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.141). Listened to 2 episodes of The Stephen Kingcast (eps 173 and 174). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (34.01). Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.03). Listened to 1 episode of Creepy podcast (Ted The Caver Pt 1).

2.20: Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.142). Watched 2 episodes of Lost (1.04, 1.05). Watched 2 episodes of It: Welcome to Derry (1.05, 1.06). Listened to 1 episode of Creepy podcast (Ted The Caver Pt 2). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.10). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (17.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (34.02). Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 6). 

2.21: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (34.03). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (ep 306). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (17.04). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Mario Teaches Typing). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 257). Watched 1 episode of It: Welcome to Derry (1.07).
 
2.22: Listened to 1 episode of Looking Back at Lost (101). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (A Killer Comes Knocking). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Live Show 5.7.21). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (2.9.26 ep). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (The Lost Boys). Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.06). Watched 1 episode of It: Welcome to Derry (1.08). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (17.05)

2.23: Watched 2 episodes of Lost (1.07, 1.08). Watched movie: Christine. Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.143). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (Micro 67). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Voyager (1.05). Watched 1 episode of The Sopranos (1.01). Watched 1 episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (1.06).

2.24: Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.09). Listened to 1 episode of Looking Back at Lost (102). Watched movie: Goldfinger. Watched 1 episode of The Sopranos (1.02). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Black House). Watched 1 episode of Australian Survivor (14.01). 

2.25: Listened to 2 episodes of Creepy podcast (Ted The Caver Pts 3 and 4). Watched 3 episodes of Lost (1.10, 1.11, 1.12). Watched 2 episodes of The Sopranos (1.03, 1.04). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 72). Watched 3 episodes of Survivor (34.04, 34.05, 34.06). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.144).

2.26: Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.13). Watched 2 episodes of Survivor (34.07, 50.01). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Game Launch Edition: 2025 in Review). Watched movie: The Platform 2.

2.27: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (34.08). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 149). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.11). Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.14). Watched 1 episode of The Sopranos (1.05). Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 7).

2.28: Listened to 1 episode of The Left Right Game (ep 8). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.148). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.12). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (34.09). Watched 1 episode of The Sopranos (1.06). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.05 recap). Watched 1 episode of Lost (1.15).  Listened to 1 episode of Creepy podcast (Ted The Caver Pt 5). 


Most things done (min of 6)


16 episodes of Creepy podcast played
15 episodes of Lost watched
12 episodes of Game of Thrones watched
10 movies watched
10 episodes of The Traitors watched
10 episodes of US Survivor watched
8 episodes of Fallout watched
8 episodes of It: Welcome to Derry watched
8 episodes of The Left Right Game pod played
8 episodes of The FF Dynasty pod played
7 episodes of Unsolved Mysteries pod played
7 episodes of The Purge watched
6 episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms watched
6 episodes of The Sopranos watched
6 episodes of Survivor: South Africa watched




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

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Re-Review #26: Jak and Daxter

Jak and Daxter
PlayStation 2


For my original review, click


This has got to be one of the quickest turnarounds for a re-review I've ever had. I just played through Jak and Daxter back in July of 2025. For anyone reading this in the future, that's a seven month gap between my initial review and my re-review. I enjoyed the game and I gave it an A-. Why did I play through this game again so quickly?

It's simple: because of my kid. I had tried showing him this game back in July, but he was only mildly interested in it, and we ended up moving onto other things. He settled on Ice Age: Scrat's Nutty Adventure, which he played for months and months on end. Finally, he started to get sick of the game and wanted to move onto something else. That's when I decided to come back and revisit Jak and Daxter with him.

While he wasn't interested in the game the first time around, he dived right in this time. I think he just wasn't used to 3D platformers the first time around, and he didn't know how to handle the controls. But all those months of playing Ice Age paid off. He quickly adjusted to the 3D controls, and it wasn't long before he actually became quite adept at playing this game.

For a good portion of our first playthrough, I had to do most of the difficult sections myself, like the zoomer sections and anything requiring precision jumping. Then he would take the controller back and keep playing. We ended up beating the game in less than a week. He immediately wanted to come back and play again. So we started up a new game. And then another. And then another. And then another. We must have played through this at least 7 or 8 times.

We were initially playing the version on the PS3 trilogy collection disc. I got the platinum for this version of the game a long time ago. But then I noticed there was a downloadable version of the game on the PS4, complete with a new trophy list. I decided to download this version of the game and play through it myself, just to add another platinum to my collection.

So my playthrough, combined with all the other times I played through this with my son, made me say hey, it is time to come back and re-review this game. So that's where we are.

In my July 2025 review, I didn't beat the game to 100%. I just did what I needed to do to beat the game, and then moved on. But let me say, that was a mistake. I gave the game an A-. If I had played through it to completion, that score would have risen to an A. There is so much to see and do in this game. I didn't even play the Spider Cave last time around, and that is one of the best levels. What was I thinking!?

Having played through this game so many additional times, I have a newfound appreciation for it. I've always liked the game, but now I really like the game. Seeing the light in my son's eyes as he played this is something I wouldn't change for the world. We meticulously scoured essentially every square inch of the game on our various playthroughs. I feel like I now know the game like the back of my hand.

And you know what? After all those playthroughs, I am still not sick of the game. Heck, I could fire it up for a 10th time right now, and still have a good time with it. To me, that is the mark of a truly great game. 

I want to give this game an A+ on my re-review, but I think that might be a little too high. It's not a perfect game or a flawless game. It's excellent, but not perfect. So I think an A will do.

To anyone out there with small kids: please introduce them to Jak and Daxter. Not only will they love it, they'll make you fall back in love with it, too. I just can't say enough good things about this game. It's one of the best 3D platformers available on the PS2.

And for anyone wondering, my kid had now moved onto the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. I last played this game back in November of 2019. Don't be shocked to see me re-reviewing that at some point in the near future. I've been wanting to introduce him to both Sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank, so be on the lookout for those reviews, too.


THE GRADE:
A


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

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Video Game Review #608: Daxter

Daxter
PSP


Before Playing:

As a fan of the Jak and Daxter series, I've known about this game called Daxter for quite some time now. I've never given much thought to playing it, though. Whether it is justified or not, I've always had a slight disdain for handheld games. I immediately assume they aren't very good, and that they are inferior to anything you'd play on a home console. So while the idea of a standalone 3D platformer starring Daxter was something that appealed to me, I ended up writing it off because "it's just a PSP game."

I've been trying to be more open-minded lately. It seems like every time I play a Game Boy or GBA game, I walk away pleasantly surprised. So why not give the PSP a chance, too? Plus, I've been big into Jak and Daxter lately because my son has been so obsessed with the series. I figured it was time to finally suck it up and give the game a chance. If not now, then I was never going to get around to it.

Let's see what I thought.




Story:

You don't need to know much about the lore of Jak and Daxter to enjoy the game. It takes place in between the OG game in the series and Jak II. Jak II begins with Jak waking up from a two year slumber, during which he was imprisoned and experimented on. But that is irrelevant. All you need to know is that this game covers the two year gap he was asleep, and what his buddy Daxter was doing during that time when he was all alone.

Turns out, he was working as an exterminator. The main goal of the game is taking missions and going on-site to various areas throughout the city to kill bugs and destroy their eggs and nests. As the game goes on, Daxter spots his long lost pal Jak being transported through the city in a vehicle. He gives chase, and eventually ends up rescuing Jak from prison at the end of the game. That's where Jak II begins.

If you are looking at the Jak and Daxter series as a whole, the events of this game are fairly irrelevant. It's basically a side quest starring Daxter the exterminator. Now that I've played through this game (and the OG Jak and Daxter very recently), I am probably going to move onto Jak II soon. I played it once back in 2013, but that was two years before I started this blog, so I never ended up reviewing it. I only review games that are fresh in my memory. I remember pretty much next to nothing about where this series goes from here, so I am kind of excited to keep playing.




Gameplay:

This is very different from the other games in the series. The obvious difference is that you play as Daxter, and the fact that he handles very differently from Jak. He's little. He hits enemies with an electric flyswatter. He can jump. He can double jump. He can ride vehicles. But what is most different about him is his array of insect-fighting accessories.

The main gimmick of the game is "hovering." Once you get your first backpack item (the green spray), you'll quickly discover that much of the action of the game is dependent on this move. If you've played Mario Sunshine, you'll be familiar with this backpack. On its own, it works as an anti-insect spray. It stuns the insects in front of you long enough to hit them with your electric flyswatter. But when you are jumping, its jets shoot towards the ground. This allows you to hover in mid-air, as long as you are spraying. I mentioned Mario Sunshine because there is a move with the water pack that is very similar to this. Jump, hit the jets, and allow it to let you hover in mid-air for a little bit so you can get over gaps or reach secret items.

The levels seem to be designed around this gimmick. You are going to need to master it if you want any chance at beating the game. As the game progresses, you get a fire spray that shoots you into the air even higher. You are going to abandon the green bug spray as soon as you get this. Another accessory allows you to fire bombs at your enemies, but is useless when it comes to propulsion. You'll be using your green gas and your fire for that. 

This is a very straightforward 3D platformer, although it does give the illusion of the more open world you see in Jaks II and III. But it is not an open world. The game begins with a visit to your employer. He tells you to go to the hotel. You walk through the city streets to the hotel. The man at the desk tells you that you need to go into the basement and kill 30 bugs, and bring the gems they drop back to the desk for payment.

You head down on the elevator - and essentially a 10-15 minute 3D platforming stage begins. No frills, no funny business. Just make your way through the linear level. Kill bugs, collect eggs. Look for secrets. Make it to the end of the stage. Check in at the hotel desk. Go back to your employer. He tells you to go to the next stage. You walk through the city and go to the next stage. The linear stage begins. You fight through it, completing whatever the objective may be (collect x number of gems, destroy all the bug hives, defeat the boss, etc). Then onto the next level. Then the next. then the next. There is an overworld where you spend time in between stages, but like I said, it is nothing like Jak II or III, which I consider to be much more like open world, GTA-style games. This one is fairly straightforward.

While the platforming action is fun, it can get repetitive from time to time. About halfway through this game, I was like "maaaan this getting old." But luckily the game does keep things fresh with a little variety in its mission objectives. And you keep getting new powers and abilities also. Some things that break up the gameplay include vehicle levels or reflex-based button timing minigames. Mastering these minigames helps Daxter learn new abilities. They take place while Daxter dreams, and are based on movie franchises like The Matrix and Braveheart. I never expected this game to branch off into Conker-style movie satire when I first fired it up, but here we are.

The game isn't too long to beat. I'm sure you can finish it in fewer than 10 hours. I can't remember what my total was, but it was probably somewhere in that ballpark. All in all, this game gave me exactly what I was looking for: a fun little diversion from some longer games I am playing that have been dragging on a bit (Legend of Dragoon and Ecco for the Dreamcast are these games). Not everything needs to be 90 hours long and super serious all the time. Sometimes you just need something quick, fun, and lighthearted.




Graphics:

This is a PSP game, so be prepared for it to look a little rough. It's noticeably bad during the cutscenes. I cringed when the first cutscene started playing. I thought to myself: oof. Am I going to be able to play this game? Luckily, the game looks a lot better once the actual gameplay begins.

It's not as sharp looking as a PS2 game, but it is laudably close. If you squint your eyes and stand all the way on the other end of the room, this could possibly pass for one. But it's all good. The game has some jagged edges and won't win any beauty awards, but that doesn't really matter to me. I'm here for the gameplay. As long as the graphics aren't affecting whether the game is any fun to play or not, I can live with anything.




Sound:

This game sounds great. The music is on-point. The sound effects are perfect. The voice acting is what steals the show. Daxter is the star of the game not only because of the title of the game, but because his performance carries the game's story. Not that the story is very interesting to begin with, but just think about how dull it would be without Daxter's humor infused. My kid is a big fan of Daxter and his wise cracking, so this was right up his alley.




Overall:

This was a surprisingly good game. It kept my interest from start to finish. I was always interested in seeing what kind of level the story would take me to next. But what I liked the most was taking my time to check out all the nooks and crannies of each stage. I liked experimenting with the gameplay gimmicks. I liked fighting bugs and collecting their gems. Honestly, 3D platformers are one of my favorite game genres. It's really hard to mess them up for me *cough Yooka-Laylee cough cough*. 

But this game didn't mess it up. In fact, I'd say it was pretty good! Maybe not outstanding. It's not going to sniff anything close to an A from me. But still, pretty good.

Will I ever play this game again? Eh, probably not. I'm at the age of 43 now where I am starting to see myself running out of time to play all the games out there that I haven't played yet. While this was certainly an enjoyable game, I just can't see myself coming back to it when there is still so much out there to explore. I can certainly recommend it to anyone who has never played it before, however. It's a fun 3D platformer, and it is a shame it got buried on the PSP where I am sure a lot of people have unjustly passed on the game, or simply never had the means to play it. Good news, as of right now this game is available on the PlayStation Network. I don't know if it will be there forever, but it is a good way to check out this game if you've never been able to before.


THE GRADE:
B


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

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Video Game Review #607: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Arcade


Nostalgia Factor:

My grandmother used to be part of a bowling league. Every week when she was babysitting me, she'd take me along to a place called Kuglitch's. It was a pretty big place, with a kid's play area, a restaurant, several bar areas, private rooms, etc. I remember the whole place smelling of beer, cigarette smoke, and freshly polished bowling lanes. It had its own unique sound, too.

While my grandma was bowling, I used to wander around and do a lot of exploring in areas that I probably shouldn't have been exploring by myself. There was one particular room kind of tucked away in the back of the building. It was a glassed-in private bar area. It was a small room, but very ornate looking. Nice wooden furniture, red carpet, a fully stocked bar counter, some elegant looking ferns and greenery lining the edges of the room. It's what I picture the smoking room in Titanic looking like. A nice, quiet place for distinguished gentleman in their finest suits. No one was ever in there, though, and the door was always locked. I normally wouldn't have paid this room one iota of attention if it wasn't for the one interesting thing they had in there: an Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom arcade unit. It was so out of place in this fancy, elegant room. I always wondered what it was doing in there. I was a big Indy fan, so I always wanted so much to go in and give the game a try. The only problem? Like I said, the room was always locked.

Every time I'd visit this bowling alley with my grandma, I'd end up walking over to that room and staring longingly through the glass at this arcade game. I thought the game looked incredible. Being able to sit down and play it would have been an absolute dream for me. And I had quarters, too. My grandma would give me a handful to keep me busy while she bowled. I had the means to play the game, I just couldn't get in the freaking locked room to play it. It was painful to me as a kid because the arcade unit was SO CLOSE but so far away, locked behind the glass, the gameplay segments looping on the screen over and over again. It was like it was mocking me.

That's what comes to mind whenever I think of this game. That longing feeling I felt as a kid, seeing this arcade game and having the money to play it, but never being able to because it was out of my reach. The demo screen would cycle between the different stage types as I watched. The standard on-foot stages, the mine cart levels, etc. They looked like so much fun. I would have given anything to try one of those mine cart stages, if only just once. When I think of this game, I think of this arcade unit tucked away in that little room. I think of pressing my face against the glass, hoping someone would see me taking interest in the game and unlocking the door for me. But it never happened.

30+ years later, I am finally ready to sit down with this game and give it the attention I was never able to as a kid. Little Danny boy would have been so excited to have this game at his fingertips like I do now. Let's do him proud.




Story:

The game loosely follows the events of the movie. You're Indiana Jones. You have to make it through each level and rescue all the kids from their cages. Once you've saved all the kids in a particular stage, you move on to a mine cart escape level. When you reach the end, you enter the main chamber and take one of the Shankara stones off the altar and run away. The game begins to cycle. Rescue kids in cages, do a mine cart level, grab a Shankara stone. I think you have to do this three times. 

Once you have all the Shankara stones, you move to the last level of the game, where you must run across a suspended rope bridge. Mola Ram, the big bad guy of the game and the movie, appears in front of you. Chop the rope and send everyone else falling to their Doom. Indy escapes and is reunited with his friends. The end (kind of). After you "complete" the game, you move to a bonus stage that never ends until you use up all your lives. I don't remember that happening in the movie.

But yeah, there isn't much here as far as story goes. There aren't even any in-game cutscenes or story sequences. The game just assumes you've seen the movie and know what is going on.




Gameplay:

When the game begins, you are given the choice of the Easy, Medium, or Hard path. You'll notice right away that this isn't a side scrolling game, but it isn't really an isometric title either. Indy moves up and down on a 3D plane, kind of like a beat 'em up. That's really the best way I can think of to describe it. But as far as the actual gameplay goes, this title is no beat 'em up.

The first level starts in the mine. You'll notice you have a certain number of kids you need to rescue. You must fully explore each stage, whipping bad guys and saving the kids from their cages. The hardest thing about this game isn't the combat. The enemies are annoying and require a lot of hits to kill (or at least to knock them off the edge), but they aren't necessarily difficult. What makes the game hard is the constant falling.

This was my most common cause of death. I couldn't stay on the little paths, or the little bridges, or the little staircases to save my life. If you are even remotely close to the edge, you are going to fall. I wasn't good at keeping myself in the middle of them. It's so hard to judge just where exactly it is that you need to be, and you have to be pixel perfect to stay alive. Hard to do when the controls can get a little jank sometimes. So yeah. This game can get really hard, really fast. Depending on how many quarters you put in, you get either 3 lives or 7 lives, and there are no continues. It's hard as fuck on either setting. I don't know how you can possibly beat the game with just 3 lives. I'm sure there are people out there who have done it, but I can't fathom it. Even with 7 lives, I constantly had to micromanage my progress using save states. Call it cheating, call it what you want. If I didn't do it, I never in a million years would have been able to complete this game.

Once you've rescued all the kids in a level, you must head to the exit. The better you are playing, the more enemies will attack you. What I mean is that the game punishes you when you are doing well. Mola Ram appears all over the place and launches homing fireballs at you. The action goes faster and faster, and the enemies become more and more harder to evade. They keep coming and coming. And Mola Ram keeps appearing and peppering you with projectiles. When you are on a good run and haven't died in a while, the game is going to make sure you die soon enough. But as soon as you so die, the game lets up on the difficulty a little, and you're able to play in relative peace for a short period of time. Funny how it does that. Gotta get those quarters.

After rescuing the kids and reaching the exit, you move to a mine cart stage, where you must pilot a mine cart downhill. You have to take the correct paths, or you risk crashing into things like boulders. You have to whip enemies in other mine carts that are trying to chase you, in addition to the people standing near the tracks looking to get a cheap shot in. You have to do this while managing the right speed. Go too slow, and you may encounter a gap in the tracks that you fall into. Go too fast, and you won't be able to react to the broken pieces of railroad track. It's a real screwed it you do, screwed if you don't situation. Again, I save stated my way through this.

10-year old me would have been so disappointed with these mine cart segments. Heck, he would have been disappointed in the game as a whole. The controls are so touchy, and the game itself is way too overly difficult. It's impossible to make any real progress, especially with no continues. I can use save states now in present day times, but back in the day this wasn't an option. Even if I'd put in a bunch of quarters and picked Easy difficulty with 7 lives, I still would have struggled to make it to the first mine cart stage, much less past it.

The only stages that are truly fun are the Shankara stone stages, and that's not saying much. I think I just like to be able to play through the iconic area with the skull altar that you see in the movie. The goal of these stages: you have to wait until the trap door in front of the altar closes itself. Then you run up to the altar, grab the stone, and run out the nearest door. If done right, you can beat one of these "stages" in 10 or 15 seconds. That's probably the only reason I like them. Not because they are that great, but because I can be over and done with them in a very short amount of time.

For review purposes,  I played through Easy and Medium difficulties, completing the game in each mode. I did not bother with Hard mode. I'm sure it is more of the same thing, just tougher. No thanks. I didn't have much fun on the easier levels. I probably would have hated Hard.




Graphics/Sound:

I am lumping these two categories together for this review, because I feel like they compliment and rely on each other in many ways. The programmers did a great job at bringing the look and feel of the movie to life. The game may not be fun to play, but it least it is visually appealing and it sounds like Indiana Jones. The music in particular is great. The iconic theme song is present. But it is the Muse-like stage music that steals the show for me.

Check out the game's music here

The graphics may not be "beautiful" but all the iconic Temple areas from the movie are represented here. The stages are simple, but draw you in with the atmosphere the game creates. You can easily see why a little kid who likes Indiana Jones would have been mesmerized by this arcade cabinet. It looks and sounds the part.




Overall:

I hate the fact that I didn't have a good time with this game. On paper, it does a lot of things right. It looks and sounds good. Any kid who grew up in the 80s and loved Indiana Jones was going to be drawn to this arcade unit. The basic gameplay hook is intriguing, and it can be fun to scour the stages looking for kids to save. But that's really where the fun ends. And trust me, it doesn't take long for it to end.

Probably within about 15 seconds of starting the game, you are going to fall off a ledge and die. At best, you'll have 7 lives to beat all these levels. At worst, 3. Every life matters. But you can get killed in the silliest of ways. Lots of falling off ledges, oftentimes when you aren't under attack or under any kind of pressure. An "unforced error" in sports terms. In other instances, you can be walking along and minding your own business, and all of the sudden spikes pop up out of the ground and kill you. In most games, you can see them coming and adjust yourself accordingly. But in this game, you can't see very far ahead. Plus, you are under pressure of collecting all the kids within the time limit. So you go fast, and you don't have time to react. And that results in a lot of frustrating deaths. I also died a lot coming down ladders right on top of spikes popping up out of the ground. Again, you have no chance to adjust or to save yourself. It's instant death.

So you are always battling many things at once: staying on the ledges and not falling, fighting off enemies, rescuing the kids, avoiding spikes, and navigating the maze like stages. As if this wasn't hard enough, bats swarm you, and Mola Ram will begin to appear and start launching fire balls at you. Good luck beating this game with no save states. There aren't even any in-game continues, or the ability to keep pumping in quarters to keep going. It's back to the beginning of the game when you are out of lives. Who thought this shit up?

I feel bad for the little kid with his face pressed up against the glass, gazing longingly at the Temple of Doom arcade unit. He had such high hopes for this game. The power of imagination made it ten times better than it is in real life. In reality, the game kind of sucks, and that's too bad. I can't possibly see myself coming back to this and playing it again.


THE GRADE:






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

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Ranking the Top Ten Movies I Watched in 2025!

I'm a little late this year, but the time has come for my annual movie ranking. I take a look back at all the movies I watched in 2025 and I pick out the ten that I enjoyed the most. These can be movies that didn't come out in 2025. These can be movies I've seen before. I just have to have watched them at some point in 2025. Also, I am not saying that any of these movies are the best movies of all time, just the ones that I happened to enjoy the most. Look, I know Street Fighter with Jean Claude Van Damme isn't winning any awards. But dammit, I enjoyed that movie. So it's making my list.



#10:
Street Fighter

Most people consider this an objectively bad movie. It is often the butt of many jokes. But I don't care. I've always had a soft spot for this movie, going back to when I was a kid. This year, it really hit the spot when I watched it. I paid attention. I picked up on a lot of things I missed when I was younger. How did I not get the obvious Nazi parallels? 

I really took the time to appreciate the over-the-top performances of the characters. While much of the acting is "bad", I still like it. And how can you not appreciate Raul Julia's performance? It is amazing. He deserves accolades for this role. He is the best part of the whole movie. And he says one of my favorite lines ever:


I know this movie probably doesn't deserve to be here. I originally had the final spot down to Sinister, Con-Air, Incendies, Child's Play, Speed, Rogue One, or The Mummy. But Street Fighter takes it home. Take that, movie snobs! Eh, who am I kidding? Movie snobs are probably appalled by my taste in films.



#9:
Bridge to Terabithia

I'm not really a Disney guy, so this is a movie that has never been on my radar. I just happened to be reading a clickbait article about "the saddest movies of all time", and this was on it. I perked up and thought: hey, I need to check that out. I like sad movies and I like movies that make you cry. I know that sounds weird, but it's hard for me to find a movie that provokes a strong emotional reaction out of me, so I am always on the lookout for ones have potential to do so. I like to feel something from time to time.

This movie definitely did the trick. It does such a good job telling this coming of age story with two young kids who seem to really care for each other. Looking at the girl from the perspective of the young boy (I forgot their names) you can really see him starting to fall in love with her. I knew coming in that she was going to die. I just didn't know how. I figured the swing had something to do with it. Even still, the ending hit super hard. It's just the unexpected and sudden way in which it happens. One moment she's there, and one moment she's not. It's devastating. So yeah - this was a good one for me. Woo hoo.



#8:
Fargo

I've had the itch to watch through the television show Fargo again, so I figured I'd come back and watch this movie first, since it ties into the show. I've already seen this movie four times in my life: once when it first came out when I was a teenager (and I didn't like it), a couple random times in my 20s, and then when I initially started watching the Fargo series back around the time season two of the show was coming out. This was the only time I actually liked the movie. For the most part, I had always found the movie to be overrated.

Well guess what? Fifth time was a charm. I liked it again. It's really the performances of the characters that make the movie go. Because not a lot really happens in it in the "grand" scale of things. It's a small, contained story about true crime in a small town. The characters are unassuming. It's funny, it moves along quickly, and it really puts you in the shoes of everyday folks who don't really know how to do crimes, doing crimes. I enjoyed it a lot. Steve Buscemi and William H Macey in particular are great in their roles.



#7:
The Fugitive

I remember seeing this movie a lot when it first came out. It was 1993. I was 11 years old. I remember going to see this in the movie theater with my grandparents. Shortly after, it came out on video and my family rented it. We burned it to a VHS tape. We watched it again and again. Then it hit television and would be played seemingly at all hours of the day. I must have seen this more than a dozen times when I was a kid. And then just like that: the movie disappeared from the zeitgeist and right on out of my life. I'm sure I've seen bits and pieces of it a few times since then, but 2025 was the first time I sat down and watched the movie through the eyes of an adult.

I picked up on all kinds of things I missed out on as a kid. I don't think I really understood a lot of what was going on when I was younger, like with the pharmaceutical company and all that. But this time, it all made sense. Not only is it a fast paced and fun movie, the stakes are high and the action always feels real. And the performances are fantastic. I always found Tommy Lee Jones annoying as a kid, but this time around I appreciated his performance and I thought he stole the show.

This is definitely an awesome movie. Everyone forgets how big a blockbuster it was. I'd encourage anyone who wasn't alive back when this movie was a massive deal to check it out.



#6:
Weapons

I came into this movie relatively blind. I knew the basic premise, and that was it. A group of kids wake up in the middle of the night and walk out into the dark, never to return. These kids are all from one classroom. One kid is left behind, seemingly untouched by whatever has happened to his classmates.

It is such an interesting hook. I was unspoiled, so I had no idea what was going on. I loved the first half of the movie. It had such a mysterious, almost "Leftovers" reminiscent feel to it. Was it horror or science fiction? It was a combination of the two. As the movie progresses, it becomes more straightforward. And I loved the second half, too. I felt like it took a lot of inspiration from Sam Raimi, and the way he handles body horror/humor in such a unique, slapsticky way. The whole movie was just a lot of fun in general, and I am very glad I watched it.



#5:
The Wild Robot

This is the only movie on my list that I watched twice in 2025. I watched it once by myself, because I'd heard that it was a "crying" movie. As I said in my Terabithia review, I am always on the lookout for a movie that will spark an emotional reaction from me. This one did not. I liked the movie, but it didn't really hit those emotional marks with me. I could identify the parts of the movie that were clearly designed to make you cry. But I myself did not cry.

The very next day, I was talking about this movie with my wife and kid - and they said they wanted to watch it. So we did. This time, I liked the movie so much more. My kid was particularly interested in it. It's funny how it was such a different experience for me this time around. The first time I watched it, it was more of a detached experience. But watching it with two people who were watching it closely and crying and reacting to the emotional scenes had a reaction on me. I liked it so much more the second time around. It was like their energy rubbed off on me. The emotional scenes were a lot more touching and hit a lot closer to home. I ended up really loving this movie. It lingered with me. I thought about it for a few days afterwards, which is normally something I don't do. I have to say, it is one of the better kids movies I've seen in recent years.



#4:
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial

ET is a beloved movie from my childhood that I watch every five years or so. It's a movie that's always connected with me. It came out the year I was born. Even a few years later when I was old enough to form memories, it was still around and popular. Toys, merchandise, the infamous Atari video game, that kind of thing. I had an ET clock where his finger would light up.

But what is good about this movie is that it is not a movie that I've ruined for myself by watching too many times, like Jurassic Park or the original Star Wars trilogy. I think I've watched it just the right amount of times, where every time I watch it, I notice something I hadn't before. And it still feels fresh. I'm still teleported right back to the 80s every single time. I still feel that sense of wonder when ET and Elliot make their initial connection. I still feel the sadness when things get grim in the middle of the movie. And of course, I feel the emotion when ET leaves at the end. It's a near perfect movie for me. It hits the mark every single time. I know that for some reason this movie has its haters, but I don't know how you could say anything bad about it.



#3:
The Substance

This was my first time watching this, I fell in love with this movie right away. It's so slick and stylish. I just love the way it is filmed. It's like Requiem for a Dream meets Black Mirror. It has this hypnotic quality to it. Even when things are moving slowly, you can't help but be fascinated by what is happening onscreen. There's a deep mystery and lore contained within this world that is just ripe for exploration. Plus, I like gross shit and body horror. Combine that with a mysterious science fiction element, and you've got something that is right up my alley.

This movie got a lot of  attention, and for good reason. I was engrossed every step of the way. Like all movies that get a lot of praise, it often gets the criticism of being overrated. But I feel like this is perfectly rated. People like it because it's fucking good. I'm already getting the urge to watch it again. I will say that I didn't really like the end. I know it's silly to say "it's not realistic" in a movie that is not realistic, but too many things happened that completely wrecked my suspension of disbelief.



#2:
The Green Mile

The Green Mile won my ranking when I last watched it a few years ago. I'm not sure why I decided to watch it this year, but it was probably because I was on the lookout for something that could make me cry. I'm not sure if it ever did or not, but I ended up loving the movie, like always. It's beautifully filmed, it's well-acted, it moves along at a pretty good pace (at least, in my opinion it does). It never feels as long as it really is. 

This is a controversial statement, but I like it more than The Shawshank Redemption. It feels more personal, and less cold and oppressive. To me, this could very well be King's best movie. I find it to be such a memorable film. Coffey is an iconic character. Percy is one of the most easy to hate villains you'll see in a movie. The film has a tragic ending (and looking back, I think I may have shed a tear). But it also ends in a satisfactory manner. Someone gets exactly what was coming to him.

I just think this is an all around fantastic film. It works for me on nearly every level. And a big plus: I haven't seen it too many times, so every time I do watch it, it feels very fresh to me.



#1:
Titanic

I think I've come to terms that Titanic might be my favorite movie ever made. Laugh if you must. But I think it is great. I have a sentimental attachment, as it came out when I was an angsty teen, and I really connected with it. Even then, I still think this is a great movie. It's beautifully filmed, well acted. And it packs a walloping emotional punch. Remember how I said I'm always looking for movies I connect with that can provoke an emotional reaction? Well, this one never fails to do so.

It works well as an action movie and a romance movie. It works well as a period piece, whisking you back in time effortlessly. The movie is 30 years old now, and it doesn't feel outdated at all. It's a bit on the long side, but I don't care. That just means there is more movie to love. I've never had a bad experience watching this movie. It clicks on every single level for me. I can't say anything bad about it. I will die on the hill that this movie deserved all the love, praise, broken box office records, and Oscar wins it earned. It's the greatest movie of all time. For me, anyway.



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That's it! Thanks for reading. For a complete list of all 118 movies I watched last year, and when I watched them, check out my list below. Anything you feel that should have made the cut, but didn't? For me, it was Speed. I hadn't seen it in ages, and watching it again really transported me back to the 1990s when I was a teenager sitting in front of the TV, completely enthralled by this film. I loved every second of it.

Until next year!


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January (14):
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Threads
Saw X
Predator
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Genisys
Batman: Mask of Phantasm
Session 9
Annihilation
Commando
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Dune Part One
Tomb Raider (2018)
Hellraiser

February: (9)
A Perfect Getaway
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Unlawful Entry
The Substance
X-Men
Blue Steel
Pacific Heights
The Fugitive
Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life

March: (9)
Dreamscape
X2
Pet Sematary 1989
The Green Mile
Skinamarink << possibly the worst movie I've ever seen
The Dark Tower
Super Mario Bros.
Batman & Robin
Chaos: The Manson Murders

April: (7)
X-Men: The Last Stand
Titanic
Stir of Echoes
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men: First Class
Dune: Part Two
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

May: (9)
The Wolverine
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Trilogy of Terror
Incendies
The Blair Witch Project
Creep
War For the Planet of the Apes
Creep 2
Predator 2

June: (9)
Bridge to Terabithia
Exam
The Wild Robot
The Village
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Sinister
The Purge: Anarchy
First Blood
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie

July: (7)
Sunshine
The Virgin Suicides
The Crazies
Brick
Sinister 2
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Rising Sun

August: (12) 
Speed
Sinners
Dead and Buried
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Con-Air
Copycat
Jurassic Park
The Revenant
Vanilla Sky
One Cut of the Dead
The Conjuring

September: (15)
Total Recall 
Ghostbusters
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Disaster
Big Trouble in Little China
Weapons
Fargo
Terminator: Dark Fate
Civil War
Police Academy
Police Academy 2
28 Days Later
Nosferatu
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Jurassic Park III

October: (8)
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
The Fifth Element
Train To Busan
The Perfect Neighbor
Dead Alive
Raw
Bring Her Back

November: (11)
Child's Play
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
Hook
His House
Child's Play 2
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
The Long Walk
Coherence
The Mummy (1999)
Solo: A Star Wars Story


December: (8)
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Child's Play 3
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Police Academy 3
The Karate Kid reboot
Southern Comfort
Gremlins



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