J Smudger

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This film is undeniably creative and embraces its own absurdity, but it completely fumbles the story. The lead protagonist is far too entangled in the overall plot, and the film’s attempts to be clever fall flat, with twists and character arcs failing to land. Even the imaginative segments veer into the ludicrous—like ice skating on crude oil with blades strapped to shoes. Every part of that scenario is as ridiculous as it sounds, and it doesn’t work within the context of the film either. I’m more than willing to suspend disbelief and indulge in fantasy for the sake of a good movie, but this is far from a good movie. It’s terrible by nearly every metric: • Poor CGI • Cringe-worthy humor • Unconvincing and unlikable characters • A lack of cleverness • An obvious and predictable storyline • Nonsensical plot decisions or lazy writing • Physics-defying stunts that stretch credibility even for a cheesy action film • A wasted, talented cast Matthew Vaughn continues his streak of disappointing releases. His last worthwhile film was Kingsman: The Secret Service in 2014. At this point, if his name is attached to a project, it’s a clear signal to skip it.

Argylle

The show is entertaining in many ways. Season 1 features some interesting character development, and the dialogue is often clever and amusing. These elements make it enjoyable to watch on a surface level. However, the show frequently pushes a political agenda that is hard to ignore and, at times, disrupts the overall experience. For example, there’s a scene where the protagonist parks on the sidewalk and justifies it by saying it’s fine because he’s white. Moments like this feel less like storytelling and more like virtue signaling. This pattern is consistent with Apple’s broader messaging, from downgrading the family emoji to introducing pregnant men emojis. It’s not surprising that this ideology spills into their shows, often in ways that come across as heavy-handed. While the series has its entertaining aspects, viewers should be prepared for recurring themes such as: society admiring an 80-year-old woman’s beauty as though she is young, promoting cosmetic surgery among women as normal, portraying masculinity as inherently toxic, and the idea that being a man or being white is something to apologize for. If you’re able to look past the agenda, there’s still some entertainment value, but it’s hard to fully immerse yourself when the messaging is so overt.

Shrinking

7 likes

Woke garbage. The animation, voice acting, and some of the character arcs are decent. I especially like Brian Cox as Santa. However, we have to stop with this misplaced “feminism” (because it isn’t really feminism) and woke stuff being forced down our throats in everything - dads are useless, women are the best, children should worry about climate change, 7/10 people are gay, nuclear families are evil, bla bla bla. This film had potential as a Christmas classic but like everything else, the enjoyment was destroyed by ‘The Message’ and far left propaganda.

That Christmas

30 likes

Firstly, all Pokemon games on Switch are way too easy and spoon feed you constantly, taking away the all of the challenge, and most of the intrigue that the older games had. If you are looking for the best Pokemon game on Switch, it is Sword. While it hasn't got much of a challenge, the game mechanics and graphics are all fairly tight. Its wild areas and Dynamax challenges are pretty fun, it has a day/night and weather system, and plenty of decent Pokemon to choose from. BDSP, Let's Go, and Arceus all have too many issues, as detailed respectively: 1. A broken friend system and no quality of life changes. No challenge until the end of the game but when this came it was so fun. 2. A completely OP main Pokemon, hand holding and zero challenge. No battling wild Pokemon and the simplified TMs/Hms is stupid. 3. A catching Pokemon game with no focus around a league/gyms/battling. Now onto this game... This game takes the wild areas of Sword/Shield that were done really well and turns them into an open world. While this sounds good, it means that if you get lost searching for Pokemon and doing the challenges (which is fun), you will be well over-levelled for all the gyms. This makes the game so easy, and you just wish the gyms had a level cap on them to force you to use lower powered Pokemon, or your control over higher levelled Pokemon was more strict, forcing you to face certain gyms earlier. This game does have some technical issues and is pretty rough looking. I hate the silly looking Pokemon you ride around on that looks like a bike, and the game doesn't leave you alone for long before it smothers you with conversations, hand holding, and boring storylines. I recommend to wait for Pokemon ZA to release. If you have to buy a Pokemon game on Switch, the order of best to worst is this: 1. Sword - best of the new and old formula. 2. BDSP - best traditional. 3. Scarlet - like Sword but worse. 4. Arceus - New formula and not like the traditionals at all. 5. Let's Go - Could had been the best but was clearly made for 3 year olds.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The game is so incredibly easy, it’s actually not worth playing and the Devs should be ashamed. I worry for the kids of the new generation playing games like this where they are spoon fed and not challenged. No challenge, no strategy, no figuring out where to go, no grind to gain XP for new Pokemon, A.I. is awful, status effects are basically nonexistent, and you are handed the best Pokemon in the game. Not to mention the constant battles with the same 5 Pokemon throughout the game.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

Dumbed down compared to the original: Pokemon Yellow. For example: - When Pokémon get confused, they rarely hit themselves. - All Pokémon share XP. - Pokemon no longer intimidate one another. - Pikachu is crazy OP and learns all HMs (surf, cut, etc.), which is outside of any moveset. - The only trading possible is via Pokémon GO. - All wild Pokémon are to be caught only, not battled. And the XP for catching them is way too generous, which (as said before) is given to all Pokémon in your party. - All Pokémon can be carried on your person, i.e. no more PCs. - Everything and everywhere to go is spelled out for you. - Every battle is super easy. I never lost. - TMs (moves) can be learned as many times as you want. There are more examples but the point is that the game is dumbed down, which is a shame for all players but especially the new generation who seem to be treated as thick. The game has some great quality of life improvements, such as: graphics, animations, seeing wild Pokémon running around, riding your Pokémon to speed up travel (although you still use Pikachu and his balloon bike for flying regardless of whether or not you are riding your flying Charizard), and the music is still as you’ll remember too! I am not a fan of the new Pokémon formula in games like Legend of Arceus so this is the best modern adaptation of the original formula. It’s fun and a good time but without any challenge in the battles, puzzles, figuring out where to go next, Pokémon management (for HMs, battles, levelling up, holding items, etc.), etc. the game is not even half as good as the originals. Personally I hope they remake Emerald, bring back the challenge from the original games and address most of my points above.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

1 like

Alien Romulus offers a mildly entertaining first watch, but it falls short in terms of originality. The central plot device—a girl refusing to part with her robot as if it were a living being—is overused and quickly becomes grating. Despite efforts to make the emotional attachment relatable, it remains implausible throughout the movie. The film struggles to deliver any genuine scares, and its atmosphere and soundtrack fail to build tension. The characters are frustratingly annoying, making irrational decisions that seem more like shortcuts to move the plot forward rather than actions grounded in the story’s reality. While Alien Romulus has moments of entertainment, it ultimately feels like yet another generic offering in 2024. With shallow characters and a script that prioritizes convenience over coherence, it’s hard to recommend this film. The lack of creativity and poor decision-making in the writing only contribute to an overall forgettable experience.

Alien: Romulus

1 like

**Game Review: PS5, 40 hours played** As expected, the game mechanics in this latest installment of EAFC are as tight as ever, delivering the fluid and responsive gameplay fans have come to expect. However, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the mechanics have largely remained unchanged for the past 10 iterations. There's an undeniable lack of innovation here, and the same stale experience from previous years is recycled once again, without any fresh ideas to invigorate the gameplay. One of the most glaring issues continues to be the in-game celebrations. Players still appear out of thin air during goal celebrations, often glitching into the stands or through advertising boards. To make matters worse, some players on your team seem to not care about the celebrations at all, standing idly while others react to the goal—creating a disjointed, immersion-breaking experience. Additionally, EA has removed the ability to manually adjust a player’s position in the tactical setup, a baffling decision. If you want to have a CDM, CM, and CAM, you're restricted to using one or two specific formations. This limitation greatly reduces tactical flexibility and forces you into formations you may not want to use, making squad management more frustrating than ever. Also, the ability to change music by pressing the touchpad is gone, a minor but annoying quality-of-life downgrade. **Career Mode:** Career Mode remains riddled with issues. The new features, like every year, are broken. Navigational options in Manager Career mode often disappear, forcing you to exit and re-enter to continue. The Youth Team management is a mess; you can't adjust your squad during a tournament, and simulating games isn’t an option. If you've disabled the first transfer window, accessing the transfer hub can become impossible, and you can't add players to your list—making planning future transfers difficult. Another year and still no trophy room to display your hard-earned silverware is another glaring omission. It strips away a rewarding element of progression that should have been a core feature. Furthermore, the morale system is largely irrelevant and only serves to flood your inbox with repetitive, annoying messages from players about their happiness, despite no actual effect on gameplay. The game's transfer system remains highly unrealistic, and pre/post-match press conferences are laughably shallow, with repetitive dialogue that barely scratches the surface of what could have been a more dynamic, engaging system. The training for fitness and sharpness is tedious (thankfully, it can be turned off), and the commentary feels stuck in the past, adding little excitement to the matches. There's also a noticeable lack of records to break—no acknowledgment of highest goal scorers in the league or club-level achievements, which makes the experience feel less meaningful. **In Conclusion:** This latest EA FC25 instalment is more of the same—a lackluster, uninspired rehash of previous versions. It's a complete ripoff, and the absence of meaningful innovation only serves to highlight how out of touch EA has become with its player base. It’s high time we stop giving them our money for this repetitive, broken mess of a game.

EA SPORTS FC™ 25

293 likes

Astro Bot is an absolute joy from start to finish. The gameplay mechanics are incredibly tight, making every moment feel precise and satisfying. The game fully utilizes the PS4 controller in clever ways, accompanied by great music and a simple yet engaging narrative that kept me glued to the screen. I completed the game and earned the Platinum Trophy in 23 hours, and honestly, I was left wanting more. I’m eagerly hoping for some DLC! Other highlights include near-instantaneous load times, impressive attention to detail, and a highly addictive gameplay loop of rescuing lost bots, hunting down puzzle pieces, discovering secret areas, and unlocking new looks for both Astro and the controller. It’s a truly delightful experience all around. And fit for all ages.

Astro Bot

2 likes

Alan Wake 2 just isn’t for me. While I can appreciate that it has a specific audience, I found the narrative to be overwritten and a bit heavy-handed, failing to hold my interest. The segments where you play as the FBI agent, investigating a cult, were far more compelling to me than the supernatural or nightmare-focused sequences, which felt overly convoluted. The gameplay, while consistent with the first game, wasn’t enjoyable for me. I’ve never been a fan of the mechanic where you have to shine a light to weaken enemies before using bullets. It felt more tedious than engaging, and I wasn’t expecting much different here. That said, the technical aspects of the game are undeniably impressive. The visuals are stunning, the sound design is top-notch, and the voice acting is solid across the board. Ultimately, I would have preferred a more grounded experience—staying with the FBI agent’s investigation without the supernatural layers. However, if you loved the original Alan Wake, this sequel will likely resonate with you.

Alan Wake 2

1 like