Stubs - Blackmail (1929)

Blackmail (1929) starring Anny Ondra, John Longden, Cyril Ritchard. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock, Benn W. Levy. Produced by John Maxwell. Run time: 85 minutes (sound). Black and White. United Kingdom. Thriller.

1929 was not only a crucial year in Hollywood history, with the coming of sound, but was also in Britain. With local film production in decline and the British film industry having to compete with the more polished and financially successful American studio product, British films were fighting for survival.

That year, Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail began as a silent film production. However, the producer, John Maxwell, was anxious to cash in on the new technology and gave Hitchcock the okay to reshoot some of the film as, what was called back then, a “talkie.” However, it has been reported that Hitchcock wanted to reshoot the entire film with sound. However, the finished film was a combination of the two technologies.

The first six and half minutes of the sound version are lifted from the silent film. So much so, that at one point you might be wonder if you’re watching the silent version before you hear non-synchronized dialogue. There are other sequences of the sound film that are also from the silent version as well.

There was some other obstacles to get over, including the fact that the lead actress, Prague-born Anny Ondra, had a noticeable Czech accent, and according to some, a "reedy voice", that was judged unsuitable for the film. With sound in its infancy, something like dubbing was not possible. Rather that re-casting the lead, Hitchcock hired actress Joan Barry to read the dialogue off-camera while Ondra lip-synched her lines.

2025 – The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

Although the threat of COVID-19 hasn’t affected release schedules as much this year, apart from lingering effects, changes in Hollywood have had, and will continue to affect, how we engage with films. We’ve settled into a combination of theatrical and streaming, which lets up (hopefully) avoid spending money on films that we don’t think it will be worth spending money on. We still saw a lot of films this year, and ended up playing a lot of newer game releases, but only a select few have made it onto this list. As usual, only films and games that we’ve actually engaged with have a chance to end up on this list and foreign works only take the US release date into consideration.

2025 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

Although my moviegoing experience remains a mixture of theaters and streaming, in contrast with previous years, I’ve ended up going through the former a lot more, especially in the back half of the year. As a result, many more movies stood out to me than form previous years, for better and for worse. While I have also played a lot more short free games on Steam, I was able to play more affordable console games this year though rising costs have still made me more selective.

Each list is presented in no particular order, with links to reviews where applicable.

Top Movies

The Bad Guys 2

The first The Bad Guys film took the core of the book series and put it in a different direction, one which quickly became one of my favorite movies. The sequel takes this same approach and goes even further with it, quickly making it one of my favorite film series to the point of preferring its more grounded, yet still funny, direction over the books. Here’s hoping the series continues this momentum, especially with Pierre Perifel at the helm.

Thunderbolts*

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe having lost its way after Avengers: Endgame with its largely aimless and disappointing Multiverse Saga, Thunderbolts* was a pleasant surprise. With its interesting plot and characters, as well as some John Wick-inspired battle choreography, this film is essentially what happens when you focus on quality over quantity.

Tron: Ares

After waiting 15 years for a new Tron film, Tron: Ares delivers in terms of pure spectacle and a banging soundtrack courtesy of Nine Inch Nails. While the writing could probably have been better, it is nonetheless a very straight-forward plot that moves at a decent pace, with Jared Leto delivering a solid performance as Ares. Despite its box office performance, I would hope that this doesn’t cause the franchise’s third chance at life to get derezzed prematurely.

Frankenstein (2025)

For those who crave a more book-accurate depiction of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation delivers. Although it takes its own liberties with the source material, they still ultimately serve this take on the story, backed by some excellent casting and practical effects in addition to compelling pacing. While watching on the largest screen possible is more ideal, it’s still a must-see either way.

Chainsaw Man– The Movie: Reze Arc

 

As a fan of the Chainsaw Man anime, I went into the canon Reze Arc movie expecting something of similar quality and it did not disappoint. While it is still a shonen series at its core, featuring beautiful animation and a very catchy opening song (“IRIS OUT”), the film uses it as a means to tell a surprisingly engaging and emotional tragic love story that advances the plot of the anime in a meaningful way.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional [Sans Music]

As a fan of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan drama, I found this to be a solid addition to the saga, even if it’s not quite as good as Rohan at the Louvre. Despite its shortcomings, it has some great Venetian scenery, perfectly captures the suspense of the original one-shot and Issey Takahashi remains the perfect choice for the title character.

Zootopia 2

The long-awaited follow-up to Zootopia takes what worked about the first film and runs with it, and even improves upon what didn’t work while it’s at it. In addition to further exploring Nick and Judy’s character dynamics, we also get a more in-depth look at the city of Zootopia itself and its seemingly endless storytelling potential that has yet to be properly tapped in to. Against all odds, it’s easily one of Disney’s best movies, not to mention sequels, in recent years.

Top Games

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Following in the footsteps of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 comes a remake of the following two games in the series. Between the two games presented, the handling of Pro Skater 4 has proven to be the most divisive of the two due to fundamentally changing how it plays to fit more in line with Pro Skater 3, even creating a few new levels to compensate. The soundtrack is also largely different from the original, at the request of the bird man himself. Despite this, I still had fun with it and anticipate an eventual foray into the Underground duology. You can’t really go wrong with a good Tony Hawk game.

Tron: Catalyst

I may be biased about Tron tie-ins due to there being long gaps of time without any legacy support, but I thought this game showed there was a lot more to explore with the setting, even if it’s on a different Grid altogether.

Once Upon a Katamari

After 14 long years, this game proves that the Katamari franchise is officially back and better than ever, sporting familiar gameplay against some new ideas and a lot more inventive level variety. Here’s hoping the series keeps rolling forward in the years to come.

Honorable Mention

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Keita Takahashi’s laTesT game brings wiTh iT a loT of The whimsey seen in Katamari Damacy, alongside an ouT-There buT no less unique concepT ThaT only he could pull off. While The game may have underperformed, and isn’T withouT jank, iT is no less an inTeresTing experience ThaT fans of his games will enjoy.

Top Disappointments

A Minecraft Movie

The world of Minecraft presents a lot of storytelling potential, and yet it’s first foray into feature films goes the route of “safe” and bland. While Jack Black is clearly having fun with it and the creation aspect does factor into the plot in some way, I felt a lot more could have been done with it and the game’s unique setting to make it truly stand out.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

While it manages to stay consistent with its parent series’ world and tone, the fact that Ballerina wasn’t originally meant to be a John Wick movie shows through. Although it still does some things right, Eve Macarro is simply not as compelling a character as John Wick. The biggest issue, however, is a cameo from Wick himself that gets explained in a scene that was ultimately cut, resulting in his appearance as-is muddying the timeline. Not a bad movie, but not one of the franchise’s best.

Elio

Just as Pixar was starting to get its groove back with Inside Out 2, Elio is a reminder that the studio is not the powerhouse that it once was. Although there is a light at the end of the tunnel with its emotional climax, the largely uninteresting plot and characters are not worth the journey to get there. The upcoming Hoppers has potential to right the ship once more, but the way this film turned out tempers my expectations.

Shadow Labyrinth

A dark platformer based on Pac-Man sounds interesting on paper, but it ultimately fails in execution. Aside from not bearing much resemblance to the Secret Level episode promoting it (“Pac-Man: Circle”), the majority of the game bears little resemblance to Pac-Man at all, to the point that you start to wonder why it needed to be a Pac-Man game in the first place. Even hardcore fans of the IP may want to consider looking elsewhere for their Pac-Man fix.

Little Nightmares III

Despite being a different studio, Little Nightmares III had potential to bring the Little Nightmares franchise one step forward, but ended up bringing it two steps back. Between a less interesting plot and a dreadful single-player experience that can easily lead to soft-locks, with no option for couch co-op, this entry is difficult to recommend to even seasoned players.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional [Music]

Despite enjoying the film overall, one huge knock against it is the cacophonic and ill-fitting AI-generated soundtrack, which “composer” Naruyoshi Kikuchi proudly admitted to around the film’s theatrical release in Japan. Thankfully, some human-created music still made it in, but should the drama series continue and Kikuchi remain on-board, I sincerely hope he does better by the fanbase and deliver more authentic music next time.

2025 - The Highlights (lionsroar)

A look at films watched during 2025 but not necessarily released in 2025.

The Highlights (2025) (In No Particular Order)

Thunderbolts* (2025) - My loyalty to the MCU has definitely waned, so I was happily surprised when two new films were released. Of the two, I think this is my favorite, the other being The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Thunderbolts* doesn't take itself too seriously and has good acting, and a good story. Make more like these, Disney, and you might win me back.

Frankenstein (2025) - While not a perfect retelling of the novel, this is by far the closest we may get. I wish del Toro hadn't added and changed characters, which he did, I'll give him credit for attempting to tell the entire story, which is much more sweeping than the original film and it's sequels would have you believe. That said, Boris Karloff is still the better monster.

Paddington in Peru (2024) - What's not to like about Paddington the Bear? While perhaps not quite as good as the previous two filns, this one seems like a worthy successor to the franchise.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) - All good things come to an end and a final stay in this world is something to enjoy. Time to move on, but with a tear in your eye.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (2025) - While maybe not a movie I would have sought out on my own, this seems to be a good companion to the first season of the anime series.

Disappointments (2025) (In No Particular Order)

Superman (2025) - This is not a really good introduction to Superman. The assumption is you know the backstory, so if you don't, you're out of luck. Superman also needs the help of other heroes to win, which is a little disappointing. The film feels sort of like a sequel as well as a prequel to a future Justice League film.

Elio (2025) - Pixar tries and fails again to make a compelling story for all ages. Perhaps young kids might like this, which may help it with Academy voters, but this is not the best animated film by far. If you're looking for a young boy wanting to meet aliens, I would recommend the anime series Dan Da Dan.

 

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional (2025) - This makes the list solely due to the composer not composing the music but using AI instead. Creative people need to create and not rely on shortcuts to get a paycheck.

The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) - Obviously made by people who loved the original Warner Bros. cartoons, this film fails to capture the magic.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) - Why?

Stubs - Blast of Silence

Blast of Silence (1961) Starring Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, Larry Tucker, Peter Clume. Directed by Allen Baron. Screenplay by Allen Baron. Produced by Merrill Brody. Run time: 77 minutes. USA. Black and White. Film Noir, Christmas

If there was a holiday you wouldn’t associate with film noir, I would think it would be Christmas. However, there are several including Christmas Holiday (1944), Cover Up (1949), Roadblock (1951), I, the Jury (1953), and Blast of Silence (1961). One of the bleakest, is the last one on the list, Blast of Silence.

Shot without permits and made on a shoestring budget of $28,000, filmmakers used borrowed equipment and shot the film in twenty-two days spread over a four-month period, including during Hurricane Donna (September 10–12, 1960), the only hurricane of the 20th century to blanket the entire East Coast from south Florida to Maine. The film was written and directed by the lead actor, Allen Baron, who really had no film experience prior to this.

Baron hadn’t intended to be the lead either, having written the part for his friend Peter Falk, but a paid gig made him unavailable. In typical film noir style, the film is narrated. The difference is that it is not the voice of the main character, but rather an observer-type read by blacklisted actor Lionel Stander for a fee of $500. The narration, written after the film was completed, was the work of blacklisted writer Waldo Salt, using the name Mel Davenport.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) (PS3)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009).

With a game as successful as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (CoD:MW2), making over $1 billion within three months, the future of the Call of Duty franchise would be surely be guaranteed. However, that future would not include series creators Jason West and Vince Zampella. It’s a very infamous and well-documented story, but the short version is that West and Zampella wanted more creative control over Call of Duty (CoD) following Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s (CoD4) success, though Activision CEO Bobby Kotick included a loophole in the agreement that control would revert back to Activision if the duo were ever fired. Soon after, Activision did everything in their power through an internal campaign dubbed “Project Icebreaker” to find a reason to replace the duo during development of CoD:MW2, which included plans to stage a fake fire drill to copy Infinity Ward employee emails. After CoD:MW2 came out and proved a massive success, West and Zampella were fired after renegotiations fell through, with Activision accusing them of “insubordination”. About 40 of Infinity Ward’s employees, numbering around 100 at the time, would quit and leave with West and Zampella to form Respawn Entertainment, who would develop the Titanfall series in partnership with Electronic Arts before later being acquired wholly by EA and making both Apex Legends and the Star War Jedi series. In the meantime, however, Infinity Ward was in the midst of developing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (CoD:MW3), now put in jeopardy without the studio’s founders, and the publisher was in a legal battle over unpaid CoD:MW2 royalties. As such, Activision would seek assistance from Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software to help with development on CoD:MW3, which would see the light of day in late 2011.

That brings us to now, as I now finish my journey through the original Modern Warfare trilogy. I didn’t remember hearing too much from other people around the release of CoD:MW3, but I did remember hearing about the drama around West and Zampella (especially the fire drill story). I was already planning on playing CoD:MW3 to round out the trilogy, but after enjoying Infinity Ward’s work on CoD4 and CoD:MW2, even with whatever criticisms I may have expressed, my curiosity grew about how the studio would handle CoD without any involvement from its creators. Although Sledgehammer and Infinity Ward did their best given the situation, it’s impossible to ignore the effect of West and Zampella’s absence in the final product.

Stubs - O. Henry’s Full House

O. Henry’s Full House (1952)  Starring (in alphabetical order): Fred Allen, Anne Baxter, Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger, Charles Laughton, Oscar Levant, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Peters, Gregory Ratoff, Dale Robertson, David Wayne, Richard Widmark. Directed by Henry Koster, Henry Hathaway, Jean Negulesco, Howard Hawks, Henry King. Screenplay by Richard L. Breen, Walter Bullock, Ivan Goff, Ben Hecht, Nunnally Johnson, Charles Lederer, Ben Roberts, Lamar Trotti. Based on the short stories "The Cop and the Anthem" in New York World (Dec 4, 1904); "The Clarion Call" in New York World (Oct 29, 1905); "The Last Leaf" in New York World (Oct 15, 1905); "The Ransom of Red Chief" in The Saturday Evening Post (Jul 6, 1906); and "The Gift of the Magi" in New York World (Dec 10, 1905) by O. Henry. Produced by André Hakim. Run time: 117 minutes. Black and White. USA Comedy, Drama, Anthology, Christmas.

While it wasn’t common practice for studios to make a series of short stories into movies, 20^th Century-Fox thought that the writings of William Sydney Porter, also known as O. Henry, were worthy of such a treatment. That is not to say anthology films were not made; they have been made frequently in India, Italy, and Great Britain, to name a few. Anthology films had been made prior to this one in Hollywood, most notably If I Had a Million (1932), produced by Paramount and including a segment directed by Ernst Lubitsch.

That said, it is thought that three films produced in the UK were the inspiration for O. Henry’s Full House: Quartet (1948) was based on stories by Somerset Maugham, who also personally introduced each one. Quartet was such a success, two sequels were made Trio (1950) and Encore (1951), also based on Maugham short stories. Paramount picked up the sequels for distribution in the U.S and the films were both critical and commercial successes.

Seeing as each segment was written, directed and starred different people, we’ll take each segment of the film one at a time.