Wot I Watched

I have been taking a greater interest in The Troubles the past couple of years, so I'm always on the lookout for movies about the history of Ireland. If nothing else, I'm glad this movie sent me down the rabbit hole of Michael Collins. However, the movie has the same feel of a lot of movies from the 90s/00s about Ireland and the troubles, or historical figures in general. I think this is probably on the better side of it, but it has this vibe like other movies of the time that was hard to ignore.

Well this was fun, McAvoy and Theron are an excellent pair in this movie, and while I do think the plot is slightly confusing as to the true motivations of characters, the fight work and stunt work is really something else.

A low budget, but decent movie about the Rwandan Genocide. I really want to read the book this is based on, but for something I found on YouTube I have little in the way of complaints. Now if I paid for it, I would proabably have some more choice words.

It's funny to think how long it took me to get around to this movie. What I knew of it was through pop culture and so it's interesting to finally view the source. It is a horny movie, which is unsurprising I suppose considering this is a Cronenberg movie, but it is fun. I don't know if I would feel the pull to ever watch it again, arguably many movies have stood on Basic Instinct's shoulders and come out better for it, but much like viewing Jacob's Ladder, it's interesting to see the source of inspiration for many movies.

I have little to say about this one, there's been a lot of very average TV series this year, and this was one of them. I think my problem with this show is ultimately rooted in the same problem with She Said from last year, the pursuit of the story or in this case, the interview doesn't feel particularly compelling. We join the story halfway through, and the road to the interview is just not interesting really. People make some good performances, but it just does little for me.

Another Spielberg movie I saw this year, and again it's kind of funny it took me this long. I remember a great deal of talk around Daniel Day Lewis's portrayal of Lincoln that it felt like it was bordering on satire, by how much love it got. Part of me felt this must be fairly overblown and just decided not to watch the movie. However, I have to say he is pretty damn good in this movie. A movie that also has an incredibly stacked cast. I think there is a degree of romanticism around the presidency and the events, but I feel that isn't particularly surprising given the time this was made. Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, and a lot of my favorite actors popped up. I would probably watch this again.

It's fine, nothing special. I think. I feel like I'm encountering more and more of these shows "based" on a true story, that just feels very paint by numbers. Don't go out of your way to watch it.

I remember watching the movie some time ago and found it to be good, but not necessarily amazing. The stage play is much the same, but to be honest, the lack of David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow just feels wrong in my eyes.

I think about this movie a lot, I don't know if I fully understood it, but I think about this movie a lot. I will probably need to watch it again.

The last movie from one of my favorite directors Tony Scott. I would say it was pretty good overall, a bit silly, but this is a Tony Scott movie after all. Tony Scott in many ways was such a singular director, and it's a shame that he is no longer with us. Not a bad movie to go out on.

Fun American football movie, sometimes that's all you need.

My perception was this movie got a little slated when it first came out, and while I don't think it necessarily does anything groundbreaking. It is a pretty chill and enjoyable movie. Decent music, quite beautifully shot and some wonderful writing and acting. Sometimes a movie doesn't need to change the world, sometimes we just want to feel a little warm and inspired. I could see myself watching this again.

Bad, bad, bad, bad. You would hope that the return of Cameron after all these years would bring us a better movie. Alas I guess it was not meant to be. Personally, I never particularly had high hopes for this movie, but I still was rooting for it. I think for me at least while the SFX water does look amazing, the rest of the movie just doesn't really stand up. The biggest problem is in the first 10 minutes of the movie they nullify death. If death isn't final, what do we have to fear for our characters? I'm curious if we will see more of the planned sequels or if they will be quietly shelved.

I would be curious how many people outside the U.K. are aware of this event. It's one of those things that even if you were in the U.K. your recollection as to what probably happened won't be correct. This is partly due to some stunning misinformation on the part of police to cover up for their own incompetence. One of the main officers behind the shooting came out of anonymity recently and still feels they acted reasonably. I think this show is a decent primer on the events and what happens, but I'm not sure is really worth seeking out on its own merits.

This was another series I really struggled to land on where I would rate it. I had read the book the series was based on and so I wanted to give this a shot. I have heard since that the book of Say Nothing has it's problems, but overall I enjoyed my time reading it. I don't really think the series works particularly. Part of that is just the nature of adaptations needing to compress and alter details to allow things to flow. However, this is one of those topics that is so rich and interesting anything you decide to leave it feels like a disservice to the very real history and people that participated in these events. I think if you haven't read the book you can give this a go, but there are some flaws with it as a show on its own that could hinder peoples enjoyment.

It was okay. I am quite partial to movies about movies, but I don't think Spielberg quite has the juice any more. Compared to watching something like Lincoln, there's a seemingly a lack of energy to the film that seems extra surprising considering the close personal matter of the film. David Lynch (R.I.P) was an inspired choice for John Ford.

I honestly didn't enjoy this movie. I know it's very well-regarded, but I just find it incredibly rough to watch. There are good performances for sure here, but I do think Taxi Driver is a much better movie, and I can see Scorcese in DNA of this movie, but I found it a bit aimless.

Two sisters invent a time machine and alter the course of the second world war. For such a low budget movie, this was actually incredibly entertaining. A bit rough around the edges, but a surprisingly well-done time travel movie. If you come across it, I would recommend giving it a shot.

Another pop culture reference I can finally understand!

It's interesting to finally get around to watching what many consider a Spielberg classic. I would certainly say it holds up. Spielberg has a pretty distinctive style that's present in this movie, but it is funny to watch this in 2026. It's interesting to see how movies of this time perceive the government as almost being uber competent, engaging in a cover-up.

I quite enjoyed this movie, but I do think I was quite in the mood for something that went a bit off the rails. I'm a pretty big fan of Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone. Plemons for me perhaps being one of those actors who always excites me when he crops up in a movie, so I was already pretty primed to enjoy the movie.

Why, hello again, Ethan, you're cropping up a bit on my list this year. As I mention in my Before Sunrise review I like a movie that has the confidence to lean on its excellent cast and writing to confidently tell a story. The sort of movie that could feel a bit like a stage play, and to me this has that. I think your mileage may vary with this movie, but I do think it's worth watching for a very solid performance from Hawke.

Goddamn you Sheridan! Much like 1923, this feels like a rush to finish rather than an entirely thought out ending. To be honest, despite my positivity, Yellowstone was a downward trend for quite some time, some would argue it never actually started in a terribly positive position. Yellowstone is really more soap opera than prestige television, which is a shame, because there was some terribly talented people in this, and it felt like they just got squandered. I do think Sheridan is a talented writer, but I also believe that he is at his best when he is bouncing off someone else. The same way I think Aaron Sorkin is a great writer, but is at his best when someone else is directing.

I wish I could escape this grip that Taylor Sheridan has on me, but I feel me and him will be in this dance for some time. There's a lot of stupidity to this show, but goddamn if it's not at least a bit hate-watchable.

The first season of this show, I would say was pretty good, much in the same way that I rather enjoyed 1833. However, the second season was just bad there was a sense of rushing present in the show as if they just wanted to get this all over with, it leads to some pretty implausible decisions and actions from the characters all because ultimately they are all trying to arrive at one destination before the show ends. Taylor Sheridan continues to be a frustrating writer that seems to be spreading himself too thin.

I expected little from this, but I had a trial for Paramount and so decided to give it a shot and overall I'm glad I did. I think Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Paddy Considine are such a great combination, and their chemistry is fantastic. It can feel a bit derivative at times, but I had less conflicted feelings about this show than I did Gangs of London. I'm curious to see how the next season go, because in some ways I feel like the ending could lead it in a direction that's not particularly sustainable.

Stupid title. I hate this title so goddamn much. This is an adaptation of one of my favourite French espionage shows Le Bureau des Légendes, and it is ultimately a poor imitation. There was a simplicity to the French show that borders more on office drama than classic espionage show. It's so good, the characters were amazing. Everyone here, just kind of sucks. I like the actors, but the writing is just not there. I will probably give the second season a go, but I really don't have high hopes. There is a seriousness, a darkness to this show that I just don't particularly gel with.

I like Jon Hamm, but this just feels like a very standard kind of thriller. I don't think anything particularly elevates it, but it's also pretty inoffensive as a movie.

I had completely forgotten that I had watched this movie this year. I really could not recall a single thing about this movie except a ridiculous car crash scene.

I'll be honest, I was quite torn whether I would give this an average or good rating. I think overall I enjoyed it, but that is probably more from the acting of Tobias Menzies and Anthony Boyle, otherwise it has the same feel of a lot of miniseries I watched this year. Nothing that particularly elevates the series. It also doesn't help that I saw Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis's incredible portrayal, Hamish Linkater just doesn't really compare.

Another movie I really remember little about. I don't think I hated it, but at best I can only remember Matthew Mcconaughey's performance. Not necessarily his best.

Utter shite.

Much better than Glass Onion in my opinion, but still not quite as good as the original. I think part of that is helped by my love of Josh O'Connor.