Standouts:
Monster (2004) - I never seen a show this balanced between its depiction of humanity's atrocaties and our potential for hope and goodness (other than maybe Evangelion). The story is a darkly beautiful tale about the cyclical nature of violence and trauma and how monsters can breed monsters. It has the same level of psychologically elegance as any live action thriller and I feel like it's no exaggeration to say that Johan might be he greatest villain in all of anime. This is going up in my top ten anime for sure. 10/10
The Beginner's Guide (2015) - holy SHIT, this game spoke to me a lot. I've been hearing people saying good things about it for years, but I only decided to play it now after talking to someone about my struggles with creativity and being recommended it by them. This feels like an ode to art and a takedown of objective interpretations all at once. The twist at the end felt like a swift kick to my gut. I hope all that stuff about Coda venting his loneliness and anxities through his games wasn't entirely made up by davey, because I felt really seen through them. 10/10
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - As someone who gets really spooked by other people arguing, this movie seriously triggered all of my fight or flight responses. This is a movie filled with so much anger and resentment that it pours from the screen. Half the time, it feels like I'm the fly on the wall for a real crumbling marriage and seeing things I really shouldn't. The ending itself is so brutally sad that it somehow makes you feel for both the husband and the wife. Overall, an incredible tragedy. 10/10
Dune: Part 2 (2024): I'm so happy I got to see this one in theaters! My local theater only shows one movie at a time, so they tend to leave out certain movies I really want to see. Luckily, they played this, and this really is a movie that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. It's an absolute marvel of cinema and insanely huge in scope. Every scene within it is a marvel, from the action, to the cinematography, and even just the sound editing. Everyone should see it this way before it gets dumped onto streaming. 10/10
Chicago (2002) - Every film director in Hollywood currently struggling to adapt broadway musicals properly should take notes from this movie because in my mind, this is what a perfect musical film looks like. It's shot brilliantly, with an infectious energy that somehow transitions the excitement of seeing a real stage performance life. The songs are all bangers and the set design is equally glorious. The fact that we're not getting more adaptations with this amount of life and soul is a downright shame. 10/10
Others:
Naked (1993): 9/10
Bringing Out the Dead (1999): 9/10
Helter Skelter (2012): 9/10
October Sky (1999): 8/10
Locke (2013): 8/10
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (2024): 8/10
District 9 (2009): 8/10
Looper (2012): 8/10
Dungeon Meshi: Season 1 (2024): 8/10
Closer (2004): 8/10
Love Lies Bleeding (2024): 8/10
Stay (2005): 7/10
Ingrid Goes West (2017): 7/10
The Creator (2023): 4/10
Hazbin Hotel: Season 1 (2024): 4/10