blog . . .

death stranding (watched playthrough)
type: game

"Deliveryman Sam Porter must travel across a ravaged wasteland and reconnect the city states of America formed after a mysterious apocalyptic event dubbed 'death stranding' left the world in ruins and plagued by supernatural tar creatures"

spent the last few days watching a 26 hour no commentary playthrough of death stranding, occasionally drawing in the background during the longer walking segments. in hindsight the game probably would've left an even bigger impact on me if i had played it myself but it's too late for that now. i still had a blast just watching someone play it. i love how carefully crafted kojima's games are and how much passion goes into making them. he has such an idiosyncratic approach to videogames you can really feel it in all his works. and everytime the music set in it made the game feel even more alive, it was delightful

i especially liked clifford's character and mad's portrayal of him. i've said before that i'm not the biggest fan of mo-capped things but it actually works well in death stranding

hannibal (2013) (rewatch)
type: tv show

"Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a young FBI criminal profiler who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers"

loooong dragged out sigh. somehow rewatched hannibal on total accident in less than a week. i can't pretend i dislike this show it still holds a special place in my heart. at least it kind of cured my art block

look at this site for actual hannibal gifs. i got nothing.

midnight mass (2021)
type: tv show

"An isolated island community experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens - after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest."

midnight mass has been on my watchlist since it released and i finally got to it over the span of the past few days. it didn't emotionally hit me as hard as i think it intends to with certain scenes but i still enjoyed it. especially father paul's character, his actor really delivered.

i like the cinematography in this show. also father paul falling down the altar because it's funny:

mickey 17 (2025)
type: film

"Mickey 17, known as an "expendable," goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet"

i think overall the tone was too satire and all over the place for me.. but i enjoyed it nonetheless? i guess i went in expecting something a little different. it's very contemporary in a way and works as a commentary on the absurdity of the current political climate. but it's so in your face about it i felt like the film didn't trust it's audience to pick up on it's themes had they been more subtle. it should've been more grounded and taken the political commentary and it's audience more serious for me to like it..

i did like the creature design for the inhabitants of the ice planet and pattinson's character was fun too. conceptually this movie was made for me but i didn't like the execution.. maybe i need to read the book it's based on

nosferatu (2024)
type: film

"A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake"

finally watched this together with a friend (in german). we giggled. also rewatched conclave in the cinema

conclave (2024)
type: film

"When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a web of conspiracies and intrigue that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church"

watched earlier today. i kind of loved this film.. striking visuals accompanied by a great score and thematically it's right up my alley too. just very well directed in general. i kind of wish i had watched it in a cinema.
that one scene where tedesco hits a vape actually made me laugh out loud that's a genius little characterizing detail to add

van helsing (2004) (rewatch)
type: film

"The famed monster hunter is sent to Transylvania to stop Count Dracula, who is using Dr. Frankenstein's research and a werewolf for nefarious purposes"

this film sucksss but it's so funny i love it. had a movie night with some friends and i made them watch ravenous (1999) as well. nothing more delightful than watching shitty films you love with your friends

the name of the rose (1986)
type: film

"An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey"

can definitely see where pentiment got some of it's ideas from. i enjoyed it, sean connery is funny in this. hrmm i want to read the book the film is based on

pentiment
type: game

"a historical narrative-driven game focusing on character development, heavily stylized art, and choice-driven storytelling in early 16th century Bavaria. Players will play as Andreas Maler, a clever illustrator caught up in a series of murders in Tassing and Kiersau Abbey over the course of twenty five years"

pentiment has so much charm..
i think it stands out as a historical game because the world is depicted so alive and human compared to a lot of gloomy or heroized "medieval" games. the lives of the people in tassing aren't constantly miserable & dirty and aren't being romanticized in some way either. i mean pentiment takes place during the reformation rather than the late middle ages but it is really well researched in comparison to other games or fictious works playing during the same period. it avoids generic fantasy tropes and doesn't play during the reformation purely for "aesthetic" reasons.. and the story fits in and therefore comes very naturally. i like that!
there are still some small things to criticize about the game, but idk not worth mentioning. i love glazing something i enjoyed playing

pentiment is also just stylized very well, especially the dialogue boxes with the character-specific typefaces and animations and the illuminatory(?) art style. i also really like the little ink blots on emphasized words and the corrections.

werner has to be one of my favorites among the cast. a few things from the game with him:

just now realized this drawing paul did was supposed to be werner.. how funny

this in act iii where werner is drunk in the inn + this scene a while later with baltas

i started the game in english but quickly switched to german because it seemed more fitting. i'll probably do another playthrough in english at some point though... there were a few scenes that got me to smile a little too. the nuremberger vs. innsbrucker inch bit was funny. i'm generally glad i picked the rapscallion background because it led to some fun dialogue options.

and somewhere somehow i see myself in andreas' struggle with art, love and his own mind blah blah here are some more images and gifs:

balatro
type: game

"a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big"

i'm late to the party as always but i started playing balatro! i get why people were talking about it so much now, it's honestly a really solid deckbuilding roguelike and the graphics are pretty charming as well. i like the different joker variations and the references on them

after 2 or 3 failed runs of only going for high card hands i tried something else and immediately had a good run lol

interstellar (2014) (rewatch)
type: film

"When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans."

watched this with my mom. liked the cinematography and of course the gripping soundtrack by hans zimmer. they're really the backbone of this film for me

also having seen 2001: a space odyssey now, i can definitely see the influence it had.
+ while rewatching i realized that those reoccuring nightmares of large bodies of water and gigantic waves i've had for years were probably evoked by interstellar lol

the rocky horror picture show (1975)
type: film

"A newly-engaged couple are stuck with a flat tire during a storm and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter, a transvestite scientist, who unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named 'Rocky'"

this has been on my watchlist for a while. what a ride lol, tim curry was great in this. bring back overtly perverted and queer films.. (meant in the most positive sense)