2024 Movie Rankings (October)

11 movies consumed in the month of October. As always, I will briefly run down these movies and pick which five of them will advance to my ultimate year end movie ranking. I ended up watching almost exclusively horror movies for the month of October - and not even because of Halloween. I watch horror year round. I don't need an excuse to watch them. It's just an interesting coincidence. Anyway, here are the 11 movies:

Halloween (2018)

Halloween Kills

Halloween Ends

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Joy Ride

The Sentinel

The Menendez Brothers

The Greatest Night in Pop

Eden Lake

The Purge

Unhinged

Not Moving On:

The Sentinel

A really bad old horror movie. I lost interest about five minutes in and started looking at my phone, so I ended up kind of zoning out for the rest of the movie. Maybe it is not as bad as I think it is. Maybe I didn't give it a chance. There seemed to be some legitimately creepy moments. I just couldn't get into it.

Unhinged

I read the synopsis on Netflix and thought it looked interesting, so I started watching it. About ten minutes into the movie I realized - hey, I have seen this before. And I didn't really like it. I ended up finishing the movie anyway. I only mildly liked it. I went back and searched my blog and my Facebook posts for "Unhinged" and I didn't find a single thing that matched. I know I watched this movie, probably within the last three years. I must have forgot to jot it down on my list though.

Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills, Halloween Ends

I suppose these movies are all right. While enjoyable (for the most part), they just aren't good enough to break my top 5. They have a lack of identity and don't have anything special about them that makes them stand out in my memory.

Joy Ride

I like this movie. I remember watching it with an ex-girlfriend back in the early 2000s and we always would imitate Ted Levine and say "Candy Caaaaaane" to each other. I probably haven't revisited the movie since then. Like I said, I liked it, but it just isn't good enough or deep enough (or believable enough) to move on.

Moving On:

The Purge

The movie that started the Purge franchise! This is probably the weakest movie to move on from October, but I don't care. I enjoyed it. It was either going to be this or Joy Ride - and to be honest, neither of them are winning my ranking. So I'll go with the one I had just a little bit more fun with.

Eden Lake

I discovered this film while reading through a list of "most disturbing movies." I thought it sounded good. I began watching and about 20 minutes into the movie, I realized I had seen it before. This came out in 2008, and I don't know who I would have seen this with or when I would have watched it, but I have definitely seen this before. It's pretty good, but probably is only going to move on because the movies I watched this month were pretty bad. I'd rank it a step or two about The Purge.

The Greatest Night in Pop

I started watching this on a whim and completely fell in love with it about five minutes into the movie. I thought this was going to be a "background" movie, but I paid close attention the whole way through and ended up watching it in one sitting, which is rare for me. It was fascinating seeing the whole project come together, and watching Lionel Richie deal with all the egos and personalities. It definitely makes me see and appreciate him in a new light. If you like classic music and you like the 80s, this is a must watch.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

This is not as good as the original Beetlejuice movie, but it is still better than I expected. A lot of these remakes and sequels these days are awful, but I had a fun time with this.

The Menendez Brothers

Admittedly I knew almost nothing about the Menendez case before watching this movie. But it made me see things in a whole new light. Those guys need to be released ASAP. This is a fast moving and informative documentary that has ignited my interest in the case. It really makes me want to see the new series about them as well.

With these 5 movies advancing, here is a look at the top 50. 10 months down, 2 to go! At the end, we'll have 60 movies - 5 from each month that move on. And then I will determine my favorite. In no particular order, here are the 50 that have moved on:

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

Cloverfield

Grave of the Fireflies

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

Fried Green Tomatoes

The Four Falls of Buffalo

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

The Skeleton Key

The Illusionist

The Prestige

Trauma (2017)

Rear Window

Martyrs (2008)

Transformers

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

The Disaster Artist

Eden Lake

Saw

Halloween

Past 2024 rankings:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

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

>HERE<

Video Game review #543: Jersey Devil

Jersey Devil

PlayStation

Nostalgia Factor:

Back in the late 1990s, 3D platformers were probably my favorite video game genre. I was a giant fan of titles like Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, Gex: Enter the Gecko, Croc, etc. So of course I was drawn to Jersey Devil. I fondly remember renting the game from Blockbuster Video for a weekend and playing the absolute bejesus out of it. I don't remember if I actually beat the game or not, but I remember enjoying it. Of course, this was nearly 30 years ago. Looking back, I couldn't really remember many specific details about the game, other than there being a park area that I got lost in for a very long time. Aside from that? Not much else but vague memories of liking the game.

Ever since I learned how to emulate, I've been thinking of coming back and playing through Jersey Devil. Fast forward to 2024. That time has finally come. How does the game hold up in modern times? Let's find out!

Story:

This game does not have a very deep storyline. A mad scientist has been terrorizing a small Jersey town with the monsters he has created - most of which are hybrid creatures made out of fruits and vegetables. It is up to the legendary Jersey Devil to swoop in and save the day, defeating the evil scientist and freeing this small town from the clutches of his tyranny.

Gameplay:

I didn't realize this back when I first played it, but Jersey Devil handles a lot like Crash Bandicoot. The character movement, the jumping, even the spin attack is the same. I guess if you ever wondered what Crash Bandicoot would feel like in an open 3D world, this would be it. The only major difference is how Jersey Devil can glide. When you jump, you can hold the triangle button in mid-air to glide across long gaps. I'm sure you've encountered this mechanic in games before. Unfortunately, this is probably the worst glide I've ever seen in a video game. Jersey Devil's wings don't pop out until he's already on his way down. And he sinks really, really fast. So while it has its uses, it is not as helpful as you'd think it would be.

Action starts in a hub world. You can see several different areas of the game, but the only one immediately accessible is the museum. I was a little confused when I entered the museum stage at first. I didn't realize that there are hubs within hubs in this game. It's a little hard to explain, but when I entered the museum area, I thought I would be going directly to a series of museum based platforming stages. But no. Instead, I entered an area directly outside the museum, where you can pick which museum stage to play first. So you start the game in a hub and have to enter another hub before you actually start playing the platforming stages. Once I figured this out, the game became much easier for me to wrap my head around.

As you play through the game's stages, more areas unlock within the central hub. There's a park, a cemetery, a dump, and a sewer area to explore - in addition to the aforementioned museum area. Once you complete all these stages, the final area is unlocked. Unfortunately, you will not be able to beat the game until you have collected EVERY green nitro box in the game. There are hundreds of these things scattered across the game's levels. This might be why I can't specifically remember if I beat the game as a kid or not. I can't imagine being this patient combing through all the stages and collecting all these things when I was younger. In fact, I almost didn't do it here. Normally when I play a game and then discover I have to go back and replay old levels to find things I missed, I stop playing the game, because that shit irritates me. Look at Jet Force Gemini and Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins. I said hell no when the game pulled that on me. But it was a little more tolerable here, because I actually enjoyed playing this game. If I was having a bad time with it, as I was those other titles, I may have very well stopped before finishing this.

The game's stages are pretty straightforward. There's a lot of precision platforming action. The combat is pretty basic. Some enemies take a lot of hits to kill, which is annoying. Be prepared to take a lot of damage from enemies, although the game is more than generous with its health items and extra lives. In fact, I completely maxed out my lives at 99 about 75% into the game. I was never in any danger of running out. That does not mean this isn't a challenging game. It is. Some of the platform areas are tough as nails. And the bosses, while really fun to play, can drain your health quickly too. I guess it is more of an issue of trial and error and repeating yourself till you get it right than it is actual challenging gameplay.

The stages are large, and often filled with interesting puzzles. The game is at its best when things are clicking and you are moving from one area to the next with relative ease. Unfortunately, your objectives aren't always crystal clear, and I did find myself getting stuck from time to time. Luckily I had the good ol' internet to help me in times of need.

So yeah. The game is fun. I liked it. I have to say, though, that it felt a bit generic from time to time. Jersey Devil doesn't do anything I haven't seen dozens of times already. There were times where I was literally like: "This is Croc. This is Crash Bandicoot." And it doesn't always do these things as well as the game that clearly inspired it. But it was good enough for me back in 1998, and it is good enough for me in 2024. 

Graphics:

Jersey Devil looks primitive by today's standards, but in the 1990s this was about as good looking as you could get. Your enjoyment of the game solely depends on your perspective. If you grew up playing these types of games, you'll probably love the graphics and the look and feel of the game. I know I did. There's an undeniable charm coming back and playing games from this era, when they were just figuring out how to make games in 3D. If you are younger or a new gamer, you may not be able to see past the pixels and the draw distance, and the overall jagged look of things. I can totally see things either way.

Before we move on, I have to note that this is essentially a Halloween themed game. You control a devil with a tail and wings. Instead of coins, you collect pumpkins. The locales of the game, like the graveyard and the museum, are clearly Halloween inspired. You fight freakish monsters. Almost everything takes place at night. The whole game just has a really campy Halloween feel to it. Coincidentally, I played through most of this game in late October. I'm not someone who plays scary or Halloween themed games when they are in season. I play these types of games all year long. It just happened to fall on Halloween this time around.

Sound:

The Halloween feel of the game carries over to the sound, too. It's like the game's music is tailor made for Halloween season. Upbeat, jaunty, and spooky at the same time. Ultimately, however, it is forgettable in the long run.

Sound effects are decent. Many of them sound like they were pulled straight from Crash Bandicoot - like the sound of your spin attack and the sound of boxes breaking. Heck, they probably were pulled straight from Crash Bandicoot. They sound good though, so I won't complain.

Overall:

I had a good time with the game, but deciding a final score is where I am running into trouble. I liked the game; I think that my words have made this clear so far. But "like" is about as far as I'd go. I won't say I loved the game. I won't even say I'll ever come back and play this again in my lifetime. In fact, I am almost certain I won't.

The problem with this game is that despite its cool theme and fun Halloween atmosphere, it fails to do anything new or interesting with its gameplay. Mario 64 was way better. Banjo-Kazooie was way better. Spyro was way better. The list goes on and on. Like I said, I liked this game, but it failed to leave any kind of lasting impression on me whatsoever. It's just so tame and vanilla. We've "been there, done that" so many times before.

I almost compare it to the 2D beat 'em up games that were so popular in the arcades. So many of them are very similar in gameplay, and it boils down to the skin or the theme that makes each game interesting individually. Would you rather play Captain Command, or would you rather play something like The Simpsons or the X-Men? You'd take the Simpsons or the X-Men game 99% of the time. Of course. In this example, Jersey Devil is Captain Command, while games like Gex and Spyro are the Simpsons and the X-Men. Despite the game sharing many similarities as its counterparts, there is just something very generic and milquetoast about this version of it. Not to say it is a bad game. It's just something that is easily overlooked and forgotten.

That sounds like I am being mean, but I am really not trying to be. I'll say it for the millionth time - I liked this game. At the same time, I can't say I got a whole lot out of it. It doesn't have originality, creativity, or staying power. It's just a generically "nice" game that left little to no impact on the gaming world. You can completely skip over this game and you won't be missing a whole lot.

I can't in good faith give this anything in the B range. At the same time, I can most assuredly say in good faith that this is an above average title. So I'm giving it a C+, with the caveat that this is about as close to a B- as you can get without actually being a B-. If this game just had a little bit more originality, a little bit more nuance to its control system, just a little bit more something, it would have done a world of good.

THE GRADE:

C+

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

>HERE<

2024 Things: October

January 2024

February 2024

March 2024

April 2024

May 2024

June 2024

July 2024

August 2024

September 2024

10.1: Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.34). Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.01). Listened to 1 episode of Worth it or Worthless (ep 2). Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (2.06).

10.2: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge (36.03). Watched 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix (5.1). Watched 1 episode of Agatha All Along (1.04). Watched 1 episode of Invincible (2.05). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (Off Balance). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (9.30.24 episode). Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.02).

10.3: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.04 and 36.05). Watched movie: Halloween (2018). Watched 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix (5.3). Listened to 1 episode of the Cartridge Club podcast (CC Weekly #75). 

10.4: Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Recapping the Stand: Pocket Savior). Finished video game: Sonic Frontiers. Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.35). Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (2.07). Watched 2 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series (The Man Who Killed Batman, Mudslide).

10.5: Watched movie Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (AAPOD180). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (ep 46 pt 2). Listened to 2 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.2 and 10.3.24 episodes). Watched 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix (5.2). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.01). 

10.6: Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.01). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks: Citizen Ruth. Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde podcast (Syphon Filter). Listened to 1 episode of the Retroblast podcast (Shadows of the Empire). Listened to 1 episode of the Losers Club (Stand Showrunner Benjamin Cavell). 

10.7: Watched 1 episode of Killing Eve (2.08). Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under (S05E03). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.02). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (T7R #249). Listened to 1 episode of the Losers Club (Recapping The Stand: Blank Pages). Listened to 1 episode of the Stephen Kingcast (ep 243). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.7.24 ep). 

10.8: Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.36). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.03). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.4.24 ep). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema podcast (Top 5 Favorite Full Moon Movies +SXSW Review).

10.9: Watched 1 episode of Agatha All Along (1.05). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.06 and 36.07). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 411). Finished video game: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon.

10.10: Watched 1 episode of Invincible (2.06). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Editor's Corner ep 5). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.04). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge (36.08). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.03). Finished video game: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.

10.11: Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.03). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries podcast (Fatal Fire). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.37). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.04). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge (36.09). Watched 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix (5.4). Watched movie: Halloween Kills.

10.12: Listened to 1 episode of the Retroblast podcast (Mortal Kombat I & II). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.38). Listened to 1 episode of the Stephen Kingcast (ep 244). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.10 and 36.11). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.05). Watched 1 episode of American Murder: Laci Peterson (1.01).

10.13: Watched 2 episodes of Invincible (2.07 and 2.08). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.06). Listened to 1 episode of the Losers Club (Recapping The Stand: The House of the Dead). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 88). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (Paging the Crime Doctor). 

10.14: Watched movie: Halloween Ends. Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Editor's Corner ep 6). Listened to 1 episode of the Cartridge Club (CC Portable #7). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Super Mario Kart). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (AAPOD181). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema podcast (ep 37). Listened to 1 episode of the Losers Club (The Stand's Julie McNamara). Watched movie: The Sentinel.

10.15: Watched 1 episode of The Challenge (36.12). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother (25.39). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.04). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (Zatanna). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.07). Watched 1 episode of American Murder: Laci Peterson (1.02).

10.16: Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.05). Watched 3 episodes of The Challenge (36.13, 36.14, and 36.15). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (The Mechanic). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 43). Watched 1 episode of American Murder: Laci Peterson (1.03).

10.17: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.05).  Listened to 1 episode of the Stephen Kingcast (ep 218). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.16.24 episode). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (T7R #250). Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.06).

10.18: Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 412). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.16 and 36.17). Finished video game: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. Watched movie: The Menendez Brothers. Watched 1 episode of Agatha All Along (1.06). Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under (S05E04). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.15.24 episode).

10.19: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.18 and 36.19). Watched 1 episode of Invincible (202.01). Listened to 1 episode of the Retroblast podcast (Doom 1993). Watched movie: The Greatest Night in Pop." Watched movie: Eden Lake.

10.20: Watched 1 episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.07). Listened to 1 episode of the Losers Club (Recapping The Stand: Fear and Loathing in New Vegas). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Joe and Mac). Listened to 1 episode of the Stephen Kingcast (ep 219). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks: Kentucky Fried Movie. Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Game Launch Edition: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (AAPOD182). Listened to 1 episode of How Did This Get Made? (Congo). 

10.21: Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.04). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Weekly #76). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries podcast (Demonic Possession). Listened to 2 episodes of Carrier (ep 1 and ep 2). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.08).

10.22: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge (36.20 and 36.21). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Pokemon Legends: Arceus). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (The Stand's Owen Teague). Finished video game: Jurassic Park: The Game. Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (13.01). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.09).

10.23: Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (13.02). Watched 2 episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (1.08 and 1.09). Watched movie: Unhinged. Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (1.01). Listened to 1 episode of The Retroblast (Resident Evil - The Lost Movie Script). Watched 1 episode of Agatha All Along (1.07).  Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (Top 5 Favorite Weed Smoking movies). Listened to 1 episode of Carrier (ep 3).

10.24: Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (Harley and Ivy). Watched 1 episode of The Challenge All Stars (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (47.06). Finished video game: Wolverine.

10.25: Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (1.03 and 1.04). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Lower Decks (5.01). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries podcast (Three Dead at Blue Ridge Bank). Watched 1 episode of Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (1.01). 

10.26: Listened to 1 episode of the Cartridge Club (ep 133). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks: Rocky 2. Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (1.05 and 1.06). Watched movie: Joy Ride. Watched 1 episode of Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter (1.02). 

10.27: Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Lower Decks (5.02). Watched 1 episode of Band of Brothers (1.05). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (10.24.24 episode). Listened to 1 episode of Dynasty Happy Hour (ep 19). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (T7R #251). Listened to 1 episode of Digging Six Feet Under (S05E05). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (AAPOD183). Listened to 1 episode of Carrier (ep 4).

10.28: Listened to 1 episode of How Did This Get Made? (Deep Blue Sea). Listened to 1 episode of the Retroblast podcast (Parasite Eve). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (Game Launch Edition: Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom). Watched 1 episode of Batman: The Animated Series (Blind as a Bat).

10.29: Watched 1 episode of This is the Zodiac Speaking (1.01). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (1.07 and 1.08). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde podcast (Jackass: The Game). Watched 1 episode of Only Murders in the Building (4.10). Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (13.03). Watched movie: The Purge.

10.30: Listened to 1 episode of the Cartridge Club podcast (CC Weekly #77). Watched 2 episodes of The Challenge All Stars (1.09 and 1.10).

10.31: Watched 1 episode of The Amazing Race (13.04). Watched 1 episode of Big Brother Canada (10.01). Watched 2 episodes of Agatha All Along (1.08 and 1.09). Watched 1 episode of This is the Zodiac Speaking (1.02).

19 episodes of The Challenge watched.

11 movies watched.

10 episodes of Only Murders in the Building watched. 

10 episodes The Challenge All Stars watched.

9 episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles watched. 

8 episodes of Batman: The Animated Series watched.

8 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour played.

7 episodes of The Losers Club played.

6 episodes of Big Brother watched.

6 episodes of Agatha All along watched.

6 video games finished.