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fictionz · 22 days

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New Fiction 2024 - March

Dark Disciple by Christie Golden (2015)

I couldn't binge SW without going to the library like the old days to grab one of the recent EU novels. This one continues the Asajj Ventress arc that was cut from the final Clone Wars seasons, and I'm ambivalent about the course of events. But it looks like I chose the perfect time to read it because the final season of The Bad Batch will address things that annoyed me about the ending.

Cathedral by Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels (2002)

It was feeling a bit shaky in the previous novel (This Gray Spirit) with a lot of time spent on less interesting nuance, but this novel saves this short series by trimming off the expositional fat and keeping up the pace. The cliffhanger ending was fantastic and I've been jittery waiting until I can move on to the next one.

Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville (1851)

Herman, pal, I know what you were going for with the middle 2/3 of this book, but that really should've been a standalone expansion. Tolkien (or maybe his editors) knew to leave that to its own thing. In any case, WHAT A BOOK. How is this from the mid-1800s? Great beginning, great ending, interesting middle for those who can get through the instructional texts on whales and whaling.

"leave your laundry on the floor for them" by Pocketss (2024)

It's good to recycle.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor dev. Respawn Entertainment (2023)

I miss some of the more alien environments from the first game. They definitely borrowed spaghetti western cues from Mandalorian for this, and you see below how much I gripe about that show's influence. Cal's still kind of a dud. But it's great overall. What a fun, huge, expensive-looking game. How does any SW developer going forward beat this?!

Drive-Away Dolls dir. Ethan Coen (2024)

It's reaching out toward those 90s crime comedies the Coens had going, but just kinda falls short. I can't put a finger on what exactly is missing. Maybe it doesn't go far enough?

Madame Web dir. S.J. Clarkson (2024)

One of those laugh-at-the-dialogue-that-isn't-meant-to-be-funny affairs.

Perfect Days dir. Wim Wenders (2024)

I've over the moon for this movie. Just perfect in every way. I felt it in my bones, watched it ten times at theaters all over the area as I chased down showtimes, and I'll gladly watch it again.

The Peasants dir. DK Welchman & Hugh Welchman (2024)

Holy crap, I missed Loving Vincent but this makes me wanna go and check that out, because this animation technique is gorgeous. All of the performances were great, too.

Stopmotion dir. Robert Morgan (2024)

Stopmotion, puppets, horror, madness. It's a perfect combination.

The Taste of Things dir. Tran Anh Hung (2024)

I haven't seen food shot this beautifully since Food Wars.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training dir. Haruo Sotozaki (2024)

Never watched an episode before and I can say that was a helluva fight.

Maestro dir. Bradley Cooper (2023)

Man, I mean, he did it, he sure damn did it, but should he have?

Land of Bad dir. William Eubank (2024)

When the shit hits the fan.

Imaginary dir. Jeff Wadlow (2024)

I was in from the get-go, but it did need a certain something. Maybe 25% more creepy toys.

Love Lies Bleeding dir. Rose Glass (2024)

You'll think you know where it's going but it does not go there.

The American Society of Magical Negroes dir. Kobi Libii (2024)

Justice Smith and An-Li Bogan did amazing work in The American Society of Magical Negroes. Everyone in the cast and crew, really, but they portrayed a lot of complicated feelings and fears with aplomb and also had a really sweet romantic scene that got to me like no romantic scene in recent memory. I fell for Bogan’s character just like Smith’s character did. (And they respond to that by the end.)

Shayda dir. Noora Niasari (2023)

Scheming and plotting to convince my higher-ups to cast Zar Amir Ebrahimi in any of our projects because I just wanna see her cast in more stuff.

One Life dir. James Hawes (2023)

More than most of us.

Problemista dir. Julio Torres (2024)

When there's no choice but to suffer and no one will understand.

Luca dir. Enrico Casarosa (2021)

Oh, this is just The Little Mermaid retold (affectionate).

Late Night with the Devil dir. Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes (2024)

They needed more insanity and a higher frequency of it.

Immaculate dir. Michael Mohan (2024)

Whoa BUDDY, props to Sweeney for going for it in the end.

Exhuma dir. Jang Jae Hyun (2024)

I feel like I'm missing a critical cultural understanding here to get past my tepid response.

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 dir. Rhys Frake-Waterfield (2024)

I didn't need to do this again.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire dir. Adam Wingard (2024)

Closing in on minimal humans and maximum giant monsters.

The Bad Batch - Season 2 (2023)

Yep, nailed it. They have great character moments here and it continues the tradition of "oh the clones are more interesting than most everyone else."

Andor (2022)

First half is two thumbs up, second half is one shaky thumb up. Big Mandalorian vibes with the whole return from whence you came narrative arc. I'd like to see them break away from Favreau's influence (I unfairly pin the live action ups and downs on him).

The Mandalorian - Season 3 (2023)

It's getting weird with the father figure thing. And it's befuddling when one has to catch a different show to understand key beats in Mandalorian and Grogu's story. Hype status for more seasons is low.

Ahsoka (2023)

The get-togethers are fun, but it meanders a bit and the ending was a headscratcher. Great combat and Star Wars-iness though. I'd come back for more with a hopeful glint in my eye.

Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020)

They could've had something good here, but they really whiffed most of season 1. It starts to get good at the end of s1 and maybe through half of s2, but then they seemed to tie things up hastily when they knew they were getting cancelled. Can't recommend. :(

Tales of the Jedi (2022)

Anthology Star Wars?! Anthology Star Wars!! They make me care about characters from the movies that meant nothing to me, as is Filoni and co's way.

Star Wars: Visions (2021-2023)

MORE anthology Star Wars?!! And "Screecher's Reach" in the second season kinda wrecked me. Just typing this out makes me think of it again and the tears well. It's from the Secret of Kells studio and it's just a phenomenal short. Both anthology shows are must-watch.

The Outer Limits - Volume 2 (1964)

I'm surprised how little of this first season carries through to the 90s revival that I love so much.

#new fiction #new fiction 2024

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dweemeister · 4 months

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2023 Movie Odyssey

I keep submitting this later and later! Anyways, as is tradition on this blog, this is the complete list of films I saw for the first time in their entirety over the last calendar year. They are listed in the order of completion and with a respective rating out of ten from me. Each rating (my ratings system and eligibility rules are explained here - which I really need to update) is based on my personal imdb rating. All half-points are rounded down.

Mid-late January was mostly virtual viewing for the Sundance Film Festival. March was defined almost entirely by my blog’s annual 31 Days of Oscar marathon (in which I limit myself to watching films nominated for an Academy Award or Honorary Academy Award winning films). May was entirely dedicated to viewing submissions for Viet Film Fest - which contributed heavily to the amount of short films (in somewhat-related news, I have finally completed viewing of the entire original Popeye short film series, an endeavor that took several years).

For the first time since I started taking records in 2012, I recorded not a single 10/10 rating.

In sum, I saw 226 films that were new to me in 2021 (up from 207 in 2022). 111 of those were features (films defined as forty-one minutes or longer, a record low since I've been keeping records); 115 were short films (forty minutes or shorter; a record and the first time short films surpassed features).

For the second straight year running, I failed on my yearly objective to watch more pre-1980 films than 1980 and after - this is to ensure that I my viewing habits are well-rounded, chronologically. Among features, I saw thirteen more features released 1980 and after. Adding both features and shorts, the deficit was fifty (a record, up from last year's count of nineteen).

What follows is the entire list of the 2023 Movie Odyssey:

JANUARY (asterisk denotes Sundance Film Festival)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) – 8.5/10

Beaus Will Be Beaus (1955 short) – 6/10

Heathers (1988) – 7/10

My Father’s Dragon (2022) – 6.5/10

Gift of Gag (1955 short) – 6/10

I Know Where I’m Going! (1945) – 8/10

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) – 7/10

Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) – 7/10

My Friend Flicka (1943) – 6/10

Fellini Satyricon (1969, Italy) – 6/10

The Family Circus (2022 short)* – 6.5/10

Weapons and Their Names (2022 short)* – 6/10

The Flying Sailor (2022 short, Canada)* – 8/10

Thriving: A Disassociated Reverie (2023 short)* – 6/10

Tender (2022 short)* – 5/10

Sèt Lam (2022 short, France/Réunion)* – 7.5/10

Shortcomings (2023)* – 7/10

The Accidental Getaway Driver (2023)* – 7.5/10

Pianoforte (2023, Poland)* – 6/10

Shayda (2023, Australia)* – 7.5/10

The Stroll (2023)* – 8/10

The Eternal Memory (2023, Chile)* – 6/10

Triangle of Sadness (2022) – 5/10

FEBRUARY

The Bachelor Father (1931) – 6/10

Women Talking (2022) – 8/10

Lured (1947) – 7/10

The Omega Man (1971) – 5.5/10

Beverly of Graustark (1926) – 7/10

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022, Germany) – 6/10

Living (2022) – 8/10

Something Good – Negro Kiss (1898 short) – 7/10

Beauty’s Worth (1922) – 6.5/10

The Fabulous Senorita (1952) – 5/10

Êsse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine) (1964, Brazil) – 7.5/10

That Man of Mine (1946) – 6/10

How Do You Measure a Year? (2021 short) – 6/10

The Elephant Whisperers (2022 short, India) – 7.5/10

Stranger at the Gate (2022 short) – 6/10

Haulout (2022 short, Russia/United Kingdom) – 7.5/10

The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022 short) – 7/10

Top Gun (1986) – 6/10

The Ring (1952) – 7/10

Ivalu (2023 short, Denmark) – 6/10

Night Ride (2020 short, Norway) – 6/10

Le pupille (2022 short, Italy) – 8/10

The Red Suitcase (2022 short, Luxembourg) – 8.5/10

An Irish Goodbye (2022 short) – 8.5/10

Curly Top (1935) – 7/10

MARCH (31 Days of Oscar) (double asterisks mark exceptions)

Tár (2022) – 8.5/10

Wee Willie Winkie (1937) – 7/10

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – 7/10

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It (2021 short) – 8/10

Ice Merchants (2022 short, Portugal) – 9/10

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022 short) – 6/10

My Year of Dicks (2022 short) – 8/10

The Sea Beast (2022) – 7.5/10

Fire of Love (2022) – 7/10

The Whale (2022) – 6/10

The Quiet Girl (2022, Ireland) – 7/10

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) – 6/10

Block-Heads (1938) – 7.5/10

A Haul in One (1956 short)** – 6/10

Nearlyweds (1957 short)** – 6/10

The Crystal Brawl (1957 short)** – 5/10

Patriotic Popeye (1957 short)** – 6/10

Murder on the Orient Express (1974) – 6.5/10

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969) – 8.5/10

APRIL (WB100) (pound/sharp sign denotes exceptions)

Hollywood Steps Out (1941 short) – 7/10

Buccaneer Bunny (1948 short) – 7/10

Clash of the Wolves (1925) – 7/10

The Sea Wolf (1941) – 7.5/10

Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943 short) – 6/10

This is the Army (1943) – 5.5/10

Suzume (2022, Japan)# – 7.5/10

A Lion is in the Streets (1953) – 5/10

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) – 7/10

The Strawberry Blonde (1941) – 7.5/10

MAY (all are VFF submissions)

House Rules (2022 short) – 7.5/10

The Bonsai Master (2023 short) – 6.5/10

Oink (2022 short) – 7/10

Refuge After War (2023) – 7/10

Kim-Ly and the Bottled Up Emotions (2022 short) – 6/10

What We Don’t Talk About (2023 short) – 6/10

(Phục Sinh)(Resurrection) (2022 short, Vietnam) – 7/10

Family (2022 short, Hungary) – experimental film; no rating provided

Ngày Mai (Tomorrow) (2023 short, Germany) – 7.5/10

In Living Memory (2022 short) – 8/10

Still Queer (2023 short) – experimental film; no rating provided

Polite Society (2023) – 7.5/10

On the Edge (2022 short, Vietnam) – 6/10

Supermarket Affairs (2022 short) – 8/10

Ma’s Kitchen (2022 short) – 5/10

Je Suis Là (I Am Here) (2022 short, France) – 6.5/10

Jackfruit (2021 short, Germany) – 8/10

The Resting Place: Nơi An Nghỉ (2022 short) – 5.5/10

Trốn Tìm Về (Homeseek) (2022 short, Vietnam) – 6/10

Jheff Wick (2023 short) – 6/10

Echo 8 (2023) – 5/10

For Tomorrow (2023, Canada) – 6/10

Cat Daddies (2022) – 6/10

Hex the Patriarchy (2023 short) – 6/10

Love, Dad (2021 short, Czech Republic) – 8.5/10

Match Point (2023 short) – 6/10

Porcelain (2023 short, Australia) – 7/10

Ripen (Trưởng Thành) (2023 short, Canada) – 6/10

La Cosecha (The Harvest) (2023 short) – 7.5/10

Hoang the Paper Boy (2023 short) – 5/10

The Ride (2023 short) – 6/10

Dawn of Skates (2023 short) – 7/10

Sleepless in Saigon (2023 short) – 5/10

Glow (2023 short, Germany) – experimental film; no rating provided

Little Parrot (2022 short, Germany) – 6/10

Tanh (2023 short, Vietnam) – 5/10

The Resemblance (2022 short) – 7/10

Astonishing Little Feet (2023 short) – 7/10

Breathe (2023 short) – 6/10

303.77 (2022 short, Vietnam) – 5/10

Bột (Powder) (2023 short, Vietnam) – 6/10

You Could Destroy Me But I’ll Still Be Here (2022 short, Canada) – experimental film; no rating provided

Her Name is Like a Sigh (2023 short) – 7/10

Mười: Lời nguyền trở lại (Muoi: The Curse Returns) (2022, Vietnam) – 3/10

Trails (2019 short) – experimental film; no rating provided

Conversations at the Register (2022 short) – 7/10

Good Chips (2023 short) – 7.5/10

Flowing Home (2021 short, Canada) – 8/10

Love, Mai (2023 short) – 7/10

Video Funeral (2023 short) – 7/10

The Waves Now Calm (2021 short, Malaysia) – 7.5/10

Object of Desire (2023 short) – 7/10

Think of Something Beautiful (2023 short, Germany) – 7/10

Heaven is in Space (2023 short) – 6/10

I Want You to Live (2023 short) – 6/10

Golden Seams of Love (2022 short) – 7.5/10

Hyphen (2023 short) – 6.5/10

Pipe Dreams (2023 short) – 7/10

39 (2022 short, Spain) – 7/10

Hao Are You (2023, Germany) – 7.5/10

Angels (2023, Vietnam) – 8/10

Our Blossom (2022, Hungary) – 5/10

Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)(2019, Vietnam) – 6.5/10

Trạng Tí (2022, Vietnam) – 4.5/10

Mekong Apocalypse (2023, Canada) – 3/10

Qua Bển Làm Chi (My Nail Guy) (2023, Vietnam) – 5/10

Tro tàn rực rỡ (Glorious Ashes) (2022, Vietnam) – 7/10

JUNE

High and Dizzy (1920 short) – 6.5/10

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023) – 8/10

Billy Blazes, Esq. (1919 short) – 6/10

Ask Father (1919 short) – 7/10

Sparkle (1976) – 5/10

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) – 9/10

The Last Command (1928) – 8.5/10

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963, Japan) – 4.5/10

Gentleman Jim (1942) – 8/10

Fallen Angels (1995, Hong Kong) – 6/10

Past Lives (2023) – 9/10

Land of the Pharaohs (1955) – 5/10

JULY

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) – 6/10

Black Legion (1937) – 7/10

Scarecrow (1973) – 7.5/10

Barbarella (1968) – 4/10

In Which We Serve (1942) – 7/10

The Tarnished Angels (1957) – 5.5/10

AUGUST

Assault and Flattery (1956 short) – 5/10

Hill-billing and Cooing (1956 short) – 7/10

Popeye for President (1956 short) – 6/10

Treasure Island (1973) – 3/10

The Black Shield of Falworth (1954) – 6/10

Out to Punch (1956 short) – 7/10

Batman (1989) – 7/10

Barbie (2023) – 7.5/10

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) – 7/10

Insect to Injury (1956 short) – 6/10

Oppenheimer (2023) – 8.5/10

Parlez Vous Woo (1956 short) – 6/10

How to Swim (1942 short) – 7/10

The Color Purple (1985) – 8.5/10

Let’s Sing a Song About the Moonlight (1948 short) – 6/10

Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) – 6/10

House of Wax (1953) – 8/10

Blue Beetle (2023) – 6/10

SEPTEMBER

Happy Together (1997, Hong Kong) – 7/10

Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022, France) – 8/10

The Old Mill Pond (1936 short) – 5/10

Trolley Troubles (1927 short) – 7.5/10

Pluto Junior (1942 short) – 6/10

Nimona (2023) – 6/10

A Haunting in Venice (2023) – 6/10

The Creator (2023) – 6.5/10

OCTOBER

Trick or Treat (1952 short) – 7/10

Alice’s Wonderland (1923 short) – 7/10

Once Upon a Studio (2023 short) – 7/10

So You Want to Hold Your Wife (1947 short) – 7/10

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) – 9.5/10

The Last of the Line (1914 short) – 8/10

Hare and Hyde (1955 short) – 7/10

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) – 7/10

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) – 7/10

Witchfinder General (1968) – 7/10

NOVEMBER

The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934 short) – 6/10

Fanfan la Tulipe (1952, France) – 8/10

How to Fish (1942 short) – 7/10

The Island at the Top of the World (1974) – 6.5/10

Sun Valley Serenade (1941) – 7/10

The Oath of the Sword (1914 short) – 8/10

The Las Vegas Story (1952) – 6/10

Anatomy of a Fall (2023, France) – 9/10

The Great Impostor (1960) – 6/10

The Holdovers (2023) – 8/10

That Darn Cat! (1965) – 6/10

Wish (2023) – 4/10

Đất rừng phương Nam (Song of the South) (2023, Vietnam) – 6.5/10

Barsaat (1949, India) – 7/10

DECEMBER

Carmen Jones (1954) – 7.5/10

Godzilla Minus One (2023, Japan) – 8/10

The Small One (1978 short) – 6/10

Society Dog Show (1939 short) – 7/10

The Wise Little Hen (1934 short) – 7/10

The Boy and the Heron (2023, Japan) – 7.5/10

The Goddess of Spring (1934 short) – 8/10

Maestro (2023) – 7/10

One Magic Christmas (1985) – 6/10

The Cheaters (1945) – 7/10

Don’s Fountain of Youth (1953 short) – 6/10

American Fiction (2023) – 7.5/10

The Pups’ Christmas (1936 short) – 6/10

Tevya (1939) – 7/10

#My Movie Odyssey

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