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.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (PS3)

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

The explosive success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) would naturally justify production of a sequel, eventually confirmed and revealed as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (CoD:MW2). While I was in high school back in 2009, this was actually the first Call of Duty (CoD) game where I couldn’t escape discussion about it thanks to the massive hype surrounding it (even a teacher would mention playing it one time during a class discussion). Apart from hearing endless discussion about the multiplayer, however, I was mostly aware of one Mission, “No Russian”, due to its controversial content, which for years was the only thing I knew about CoD’s storytelling and knowingly out of context. Now, with much more knowledge about CoD than I had before, my approach is more informed by not only playing CoD4, which has an incredible campaign on its own, but also the knowledge that this was the last time that Infinity Ward would develop a CoD game with original creators Jason West and Vince Zampella still involved, a story that I’ll save for another time. For now, however, we celebrate this blog’s fifteenth anniversary with CoD:MW2, which holds up surprisingly well in spite of some issues with the campaign.

Tron RUN/r (PC)

During a drought of Tron media following Tron: Legacy, Sanzaru Games developed Tron RUN/r, which introduced the franchise to the endless runner genre. When I first heard about the game, without looking into it further, I will admit that I didn’t bother with it because the title made it sound like a mobile game, only for me to learn during the leadup to Tron: Ares that it was, in fact, a PC/console game. On seeing you could still buy it on Steam, I waited for a sale to purchase the Deluxe Edition bundle that includes all DLC and starts you with 11,000 Bits, the in-game currency. While my personal dexterity and endurance was only able to carry me so far, I’m still glad to have finally played this game.

Stubs - Miracle on Main St.

Miracle on Main St. (1939) Starring Margo, Walter Abel, William Collier Sr., Lyle Talbot. Directed by Steve Sekely. Screenplay by Frederick Jackson. Produced by Jack H. Skirball. Run time: 78 minutes. Black and White. USA Christmas, Melodrama

Before there was Cher or Madonna, there was Margo. Born María Marguerita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O'Donnell, in Mexico City, Margo began her career as a dancer, at age 9, working for her uncle Xavier Cugat and his band in performances at nightclubs in Mexico. While accompanying Cugat and his orchestra at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Margo was discovered by producer and director Ben Hecht and screenwriter Charles MacArthur, who cast the 17-year-old performer as the lead in their film Crime Without Passion. She would also have a memorable part in Frank Capra’s Lost Horizon (1937).

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)

Back in high school, in the far-off era of the mid-2000s, I couldn’t escape discussion about Call of Duty (CoD) from fellow students, particularly the Modern Warfare trilogy (even one of my teachers played Modern Warfare 2 at the time). Despite this, however, I never really touched the games for one reason or another due to my differing tastes in games at the time. I have since played more FPS games, as you can see on this blog, but even then, I still never touched CoD and hadn’t intended to thanks to the series’ increasingly mixed reception. That would change, however, as I learned that the series had more than just the name going for it and actually left a major impact on FPS games and gaming as a whole. As such, I decided that for the fifteenth anniversary of this blog, I would finally do my due diligence and play the Modern Warfare trilogy, beginning with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (CoD4) from 2007, developed by Infinity Ward. I didn’t know exactly what to expect going in, but I walked away finally understanding the game’s appeal and lasting influence.

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (Film)

When the first Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) film finally came out in 2023 and proved itself a runaway success, making back over ten times its $20 million budget, a sequel, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (FNAF2), based on the game of the same name, was inevitable. As a fan, I was hyped enough for the film that I attended the Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where the cast and crew discussed the experience working on the film and they had announced a Scream reunion with Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich appearing in the same film once again (they also gave away pizza boxes lifted straight out of FNAF). As a reviewer, I recognized the flaws in FNAF, even more so on repeated viewings, though there were assurances that the production crew had listened to feedback and incorporated the criticisms into the sequel, which had a much smoother production. While FNAF2 did leave me curious about the future of the series, I can’t deny that it was overall a step down from the original.

Zootopia 2

Ever since seeing the original Zootopia in 2016, I’ve always felt that there was a lot of untapped storytelling potential for its setting. While this has come in the form of comics and children’s books, as well as the short-form Disney+ series Zootopia+, I’ve felt a lot more could be done with a longer story, as the premise seems to lend itself perfectly to an episodic TV series. While this does not appear to be happening, the next best thing came nearly 10 years later with the announcement of the sequel film Zootopia 2, though my expectations were tempered a bit by Disney’s recent sequel track record. It is then fortunate that the film not only surpassed these expectations, but actually managed to improve on the first in some ways.

Stubs - Larceny, Inc.

Larceny, Inc. (1942) starring Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn, Edward Brophy. Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Screenplay by Everett Freeman, Edwin Gilbert. Based on the play The Night Before Christmas by Laura and S. J. Perelman (New York, 10 Apr 1941). Executive Producer: Hal B. Wallis. Run time: 95 minutes. Black and White. USA. Comedy, Drama, Christmas

Towards the end of his career at Warner Bros., Edward G. Robinson made movies that spoofed the hard-nosed gangster roles that had made him a star; comedies, like A Slight Case of Murder (1938) and Brother Orchid (1940). Both of these films were directed by Lloyd Bacon, so it is no surprise that Bacon would be chosen to direct Robinson’s final film at the studio, the comedy Larceny, Inc.

Sonic Heroes (Xbox)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Heroes.

Following the release of Sonic Adventure 2 (SA2), the previously unthinkable happened when Sega went third-party and started developing titles for non-Sega consoles and handhelds, including Sonic Advance, which officially ended the long-standing rivalry with Nintendo. When Sega showed interest in developing a multi-platform Sonic game, Sonic Team USA landed on a team-based concept to take advantage of the capabilities of newer hardware. Since the new title, Sonic Heroes (Heroes), would celebrate the series’ twelfth anniversary, they also decided that they would create a standalone experience closer to the Genesis games instead of a third Adventure entry, both due to the number of numbered sequels hitting the market and out of a desire for accessibility. The final game would launch in 2003 to mixed reception, but still sold very well and led to the development of 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog.

Unlike some of the other Sonic games I’ve reviewed recently, I actually have more of a personal history with this one. When it first came out, it was one of the first Sonic console games I owned, so I played it obsessively, yet I couldn’t ever finish the game. At some point, I didn’t have my PS2 copy anymore, though an original Xbox that I bought still had a copy in the disc drive, so I ended up playing that copy for the purpose of this review (the disc had seen better days, but the data layer still looked fine). Fortunately, the disc held up well as I finally completed Heroes over twenty years later and concluded that it’s built around a neat idea with a tedious and frustrating execution.

Stubs - Armored Car Robbery

Armored Car Robbery (1950) Starring Charles McGraw, Adele Jergens, William Talman Directed by Richard Fleischer. Screenplay by Earl Felton, Gerald Drayson Adams. Produced by Herman Schlom. Run Time: 67 minutes. Black and White. USA Film Noir, Crime, Drama, Police, Heist

Many films that get categorized as film noirs fit into another group of titles called B pictures. Armored Car Robbery is such a film. An RKO Pictures production, Armored Car Robbery, according to film professor Bob Porfirio, possesses the "film noir visual style" of the many RKO crime and suspense films of the early 1950s, such as: high-contrast photography integrating studio and location shooting, expressionistic lighting, deep focus, and haunting music (by Roy Webb).

Dispatch (PC)

During the 2000s and especially the 2010s, Telltale games made a name for themselves with classic point-and-click adventure games, as well as choice-driven narratives. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t last forever and eventually went bankrupt in 2018. Although the studio would come back soon after, some of their former talent rose from the ashes and formed their own studios, one of which was the LA-based AdHoc Studio, specifically formed with those who had worked on Telltale’s The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands. Early on, AdHoc were hired to work on a live-action superhero workplace comedy, which got scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They didn’t want their work to go to waste, however, so they repurposed the idea into the choice-based narrative game known as Dispatch.

When I had first heard of the game at the 2024 Game Awards, the concept grabbed my attention enough that I played the demo when it released in early 2025. I loved it enough that I bought the game Day 1 on Steam, but couldn’t get around to it immediately thanks to my focus on Silent Hill f, so I didn’t get to really experience the episodic release schedule, two episodes a week for four weeks, in real time. When I did get to Dispatch, however, I thought that AdHoc had made a very strong first impression, one that can only improve from here.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional

Following the release of Rohan at the Louvre, I continued to keep up with the live-action Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (TSKR) drama as it became available in English, and remain a big fan of it for how well it translates the world of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to live-action. When another film based on the series, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional (At a Confessional) (JP: Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai Zange-shitsu), was announced, this time based on the original At a Confessional manga one-shot that started the spin-off manga, I was instantly hyped for it, both as someone who read the one-shot and watched the OVA adaptation, and based on how well Rohan at the Louvre turned out. This hype was instantly all but completely shattered as soon as I heard about how the music was handled (more on that later), but I still wanted to see it anyway once it became available in the US. Now that I’ve finally seen it through Amazon Prime Video, while I did think it was worth the wait to see it in English, it overall falls just shy of Rohan at the Louvre.

Stubs - The Big Steal

 The Big Steal (1949) Starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, William Bendix, Patric Knowles, Ramon Novarro Directed by Don Siegel Screenplay by Daniel Mainwaring, Gerald Drayson Adams Based on the short story "The Road to Carmichael's" by Richard Wormser in The Saturday Evening Post (19 Sep 1942). Produced by Jack J. Gross Run time: 71 minutes. USA Drama, Crime, Film Noir

Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer starred together in Out of the Past (1947), which is considered by many to be one of the best film noirs ever made. The film was a hit at the time, so a silver screen reunion with the two of them wouldn’t seem out of the question. However, their pairing in The Big Steal almost didn’t happen.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution (GBA)

Before the original Shantae had a sequel in the form of 2010’s Risky’s Revenge, WayForward started development on a demo for an alternate sequel for the Game Boy Advance (GBA). Due to Shantae’s low sales, however, prospective publishers wouldn’t pick it up and the project went on hold, with different story and gameplay elements recycled for other entries. In 2023, however, WayForward announced that development on the original demo would resume and they would release the finished game as Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution on physical Game Boy Advance cartridges, with modern console ports to follow, as part of their partnership with Limited Run Games. The long-awaited final game would receive mixed reviews from critics, though that’s par for the course with the series.

As a Shantae fan who loves physical media, I bought a copy of the GBA version and later a copy of the modern console port (pre-order still unfulfilled as of this writing). Although I received my GBA copy in a timely fashion, I wouldn’t get to it as quickly as I would have liked for different reasons, but when I did, I locked in and made steady progress in short bursts whenever I could. By the time I got to the end, I enjoyed myself and felt glad that Risky Revolution finally saw the light of day. However, either due to its prolonged development or other limitations, it’s sadly not without some jank.

Stubs - I Wake Up Screaming

I Wake Up Screaming (1941) starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis. Directed by Bruce Humberstone. Screenplay by Dwight Taylor. Based on the novel I Wake Up Screaming by Steve Fisher (New York, 1941). Produced by Milton Sperling Run time: 82 minutes. Black and White. USA. Film Noir

In 1941, the first major studio film noir, The Maltese Falcon, was released, on October 3rd, followed later that same year by I Wake Up Screaming, released by 20^th Century Fox, on November 14th. Filming took place between July 21, 1941 and late August with re-shoots on September 4, under the working title Hot Spot and was originally released under that title. However, fans of Betty Grable, the star and main attraction, were not expecting her in a mystery thriller. Retitled back to I Wake Up Screaming, the film did better and actually earned $574,100 profit on a budget of $462,500, taking in $1,491,500 at the box office.

Once Upon a Katamari (PS5)

Following Touch My Katamari on the PS Vita in 2011 (2012 in the US), the Katamari series went dormant for years aside from mobile games, until the release of Katamari Damacy Reroll (Reroll) in 2018, as part of a series of remakes from Bandai Namco, showed a willingness to revisit the series. The success of Reroll led to a follow-up, We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie in 2023, the success of which created the possibility of further installments. This would come to fruition with the announcement of a proper new game earlier this year, the first in 14 years, titled Once Upon a Katamari. As a fan of the Katamari series who had actually been waiting for such an announcement the whole time, the news and initial trailer was enough to excite me, albeit with cautious optimism. Thankfully, this optimism paid off, as it feels like the spirit of Katamari is alive and well in this installment.

Stubs - Odds Against Tomorrow

Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) Starring Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley, Gloria Grahame. Directed by Robert Wise. Screenplay by Abraham Polonsky and Nelson Gidding (credited to John O. Killens, Nelson Gidding) Based on the novel Odds Against Tomorrow by William P. McGivern (New York, 1957). Produced by Robert Wise Run time: 96 minutes. Black and White USA Drama, Film Noir

Harry Belafonte was perhaps best known as a singer aka King of Calypso, but he was more than that. A vocal and visible supporter of civil rights, he was also an actor, and in the case of Odds Against Tomorrow, also a producer, having founded his own production company, HarBel, which was behind the film.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

Note: This review contains spoilers for Chainsaw Man Season 1.

The overwhelming success of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train appears to have started a trend, in which some anime adaptations adapt an arc from the source material as a feature film. Such was the case with 2024’s Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, as well as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle (Infinity Castle) earlier this year, and this trend continues with Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (Reze Arc) (JP: Gekijō-ban Chensō Man Reze-hen), which takes place after Season 1 of the Chainsaw Man anime. Since I became a fan of Chainsaw Man through said anime, I was excited for Reze Arc after learning of its canon status, but the two-year gap since the ending of the first season led to me rewatching it again shortly before my appointed screening to get a reminder on what happened. After managing to catch a dubbed screening, I felt Reze Arc was worth the wait.

Silent Hill f (PS5)

Back in 2022, Konami announced a full revival of the Silent Hill IP that included a number of video game projects, including a teaser for Silent Hill f (SHf), developed by NeoBards Entertainment. Even back then, SHf stood out for its distinct Japanese flair, which came from a desire to bring the series back to its roots after worry that the series had grown too “Western” following the Team Silent era (games that they clarified were influenced by Western media, but filtered through a Japanese lens, creating a unique blend of both sensibilities). To this end, they brought on famed horror game writer Ryukishi07, known for the When They Cry series of visual novels, and set the game in 1960s Japan. When this entry finally released in 2025, it not only received critical praise, but became the fastest-selling game in the series, with one million copies sold in only three days.

From the outset, the concept of SHf intrigued me as someone open to exploring other aspects of Silent Hill that developers hadn’t yet tapped into and as someone used to legacy media experimenting with their format once in a while. As such, it was a day one buy for me and I started playing it as soon as I got the chance. Thanks to a combination of personal health factors, however, as well as my prior reviews locking myself into viewing every single ending, it did take me a bit longer than I had initially thought to truly complete the game. Although I found the final product flawed like any other Silent Hill game, I can confidently say that trying out a new direction paid off spectacularly.

Fobia Vol. 1

Note: Product received for free in exchange for a copy of Powers Squared Vol. 1 and an honest review.

When you’ve dedicated yourself to creative works, it’s natural to want to branch out and try new things when inspiration strikes. One such medium creatives have branched out to is comic books, whether they’re actors, like Keanu Revees (BRZRKER) or David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley), or content creators, like penguinz0 (Godslap) or Jacksepticeye (Altrverse). Now, Derrick Acosta of Mega64 fame has thrown his own hat into the ring with Fobia, a horror anthology inspired by other anthologies like Tales from the Crypt and Slow Death, among others. In an impressive feat for a first-time independent comics creator, he managed to raise $34,671 on Kickstarter to bring Vol. 1 of his dream to fruition, with physical books on the way and a Vol. 2 already in the works. As an independent comics creator myself, it’s nice to see someone else with a burning passion for the medium and, as a Mega64 fan, I was curious about his latest venture.

Little Nightmares III (PS5)

Following the success of Little Nightmares II in 2021, it was inevitable that publisher Bandai Namco would want to continue capitalizing on the series, with Little Nightmares III in development under Supermassive Games after original developer Tarsier was purchased by Embracer. Despite the change in hands, I wanted to continue supporting the Little Nightmares IP due to its more unique approach to horror. After waiting patiently for the long-awaited third entry, I found myself enjoying it at first, only to end up getting gated enough by the game’s own mechanics to put it down before getting the chance to finish it.