Jojo Rabbit
Legitimately funny with some real heart, this movie completely won me over. The kids are great, Johansson is charming, and Rockwell damn near steals the movie. I really liked this one. A-

@el-shmiablo I think there's too much technical mastery on display for Us to be considered complete trash, but I will say that I found it massively disappointing, with plot holes created within the last half of the movie for literally no reason.

Trying to bring in a within-universe explanation for what was happening completely undermined both the literal and metaphorical aspects of the story for me.

Quick hit reviews:

Joker
Solid performance from Phoenix can't quite overcome a tonally muddled script. Strange story inconsistencies seem to pop up in my head the more I think about it. Walked out a B, now I'm at a B-

El Camino
A well-made and well-acted epilogue that is feels largely inessential. Some great moments, but I haven't really thought about it since I finished watching. B+

The Lighthouse
Destined to be a cult classic for all the wrong reasons, this movie is the most stereotypical arthouse film I've seen in a while. Some beautifully demented performances from Dafoe and Pattinson don't change the fact that this movie largely lacks substance. There is nothing to keep you invested in this movie. It completely lacks any sense of escalation; the movie starts with them claustrophobic and crazy, and it ends with them slightly more claustrophobic and crazy. I'll probably be arguing with people about this one for a while, because I genuinely cannot understand why it's been so well-received. The movie is under two hours and still felt about 45 minutes too long. C-

@dmcmaster

Wonder if that's why she left Tango

I always really wanted to play this game! Hope it gets a remaster/re-release.

@brannox 3 and 5 are the most underrated games in the series and you should definitely give them a shot! Just know what you're getting into with them. 3 especially is very old school, to say the least.

@dipset The final circle is always at a traffic stop

Started Demon Slayer. Was vaguely entertained for the first few episodes, but I'm about to drop it. Just met Zenitsu and don't know if I've ever been more immediately repulsed by a comic relief character in a show.

@e_zed_eh_intern Yup - I'll be taking care of my grandma out in western Tokyo, and probably working odd jobs on the side depending on what comes up. I also hit Yokohama pretty regularly, so let me know if you want to meet up!

@TokyoSlim lucky bastard. They're taking so many precautions to make sure this will be as smooth of a process as any Olympics can be. I think it'll be a breath of fresh air after the shitshows of Rio and London. Fingers crossed!

@tokyoslim Hella jealous you got tix. I applied to be a torchrunner, but gave up on the idea of getting any tickets.

I'm moving back there in January and will likely be there until late July (depends on PhD apps). Lmk if we have any overlap and if you want to link up! Same goes to anyone else who rolls thru while I'm there.