May-June ’25 Media

Recommended

Big Trouble in Little China — Still excellent, especially if you play Shadowfist or Feng Shui (the RPG in the same universe).

Devil’s Plan, Season 2 — Much improved and the games had a theme of “rules discovery” that kept the TaoLing and I arguing over what it could be. See my comments on S2.

The Man Who Fell To Earth — Definitely a 70s movie, and not one for people who want resolution or even a clear plot. Also the wife was wondering why it didn’t get an X rating, lots of nudity. Still — visually stunning (more so the sets and ideas than the effects), a movie that swings for the fences and strikes out a few times, but sometimes connects. So, again, 70s. With AI it may be that some auteur could produce something so weird and looking like it had a huge budget today on a shoestring. Let’s hope.

Maybe

Abba: Against the Odds — I was vaguely interested in Abba, so this was vaguely interesting.

Deliriums Master — More Tanith Lee. Diminishing returns, but her writing is poetic.

I am Ikki and my mistress is a scorpion whose sting discommodes for a mortal year, particularly in the riding position …. [Later] “How is your mistress, Ikki?” “Stingful”.

Department Q — A modern day mystery show with all the things you’d expect. Of course the main cop is a genius ass; and the case is revealed in drops and drollops; but a lot to like. The case/season takes 9 episodes and probably only needed six, and you are untangling the clues. Great supporting cast, and the John Watson character is excellent, and the genius ass is not Sherlock Holmes but regular human level clever. Several of the twists were genuinely surprising and well done. So … “a modern day mystery show with all the things you’d expect” … but well executed.

Trainwreck: The Astroworld Disaster — I had forgotten about this and wanted to know more. The documentary and the wikipedia page conflict, and I’m inclined to trust the wikipedia page more, and its much more information dense.

Maybe Not

Delicious in Dungeon — Look, this is a stupid anime and no Frieren. But admit that you’ve wanted to see a D&D series that was actually about how to cook monsters. Bonus — No real recipes will be learned. I finished it, but I am also trying to pick up some Japanese and even I gave up on it several times.

Exam — One of those movies trying to be supremely clever and flirts with stupid. Kind of like an escape room movie. I mean, I finished it.

Just a Gigolo — David Bowie plays an upper class German officer/twit injured in the final charge of WWI who awakes from a coma (still looking like Bowie, lucky for him) and returns home to find his family in disarray. I’d literally never heard of it, until Tubi offered it. This is supposed to be a comedy, I think? The ideas are funny at times, and the dialogue has jokes, but is often cringe-y bad. Bowie’s character feels like it’s just trying to recreate Thomas Jerome Newton only he’s Aristocratic German instead of an alien (but those aren’t that different). I watched in 15 minute chunks (or less), which is as much as I could stand but a finally gave up during a cringe dinner party, and he hadn’t even started to become a gigolo. Really this is a “not recommended” but could be of interest to some.

Love, Death and Robots (season 4) — These are shorts where you watch them, they take ~10 minutes, look good, and have no lasting impact. Maybe one from each season is memorable.

Zardoz — I only knew of this b/c of Rick and Morty (and the memes) so I thought it was a Male vs Female with gratuitous nudity. But no, it was class struggle (with gratuitous nudity). Were 70s movies batshit insane because then people would focus on the insanity and you could show nudity with plausible deniability? Sean Connery goes blind in one scene because …. I don’t know, but then 45s later someone touches him and says “I’ve healed him.” Uh, ok. But in it’s defense, I watched it all.

Not Recommended

LoneStar (Videogame) — A rouge-like tactical ship combat … I was hoping for FTL-esque but the combat was so boring I uninstalled after 12 minutes. (And I don’t want to hear “But it gets better.” No, you need a good core to build on).

Saturn 3 — Part of the “I wonder if this is really that bad” 80s movies rewatch. Reader, it was. Harvey Keitel called it “the nadir of my career” but does rock a nice pony tail.