I know, I know, a full five.

Here’s what I had tonight:
- A very funny, very silly movie chock-a-block with jokes
- A modern update of a true classic, which rarely felt cloying in its respect for what came before
- An incredibly game, open to laugh, here-for-a-good-time audience.

I’ve missed this. And this was just a joy which reminded me of being in a theater for Anchorman, or a preview screening of Scott Pilgrim, or seeing Hot Rod. 

Loved it.

A Wes Anderson movie at this point in his career is a consistent thing. He may try new things here and there, but they’re always little bespoke music boxes.

Shocked — shocked! — it took him this long to work with Michael Cera for the first time.

For ages, my friends and I have gone on and on and on: the best way to do a Fantastic Four movie is as a period piece. Mad Men with superheroes. The Incredibles, but live-action.

But they'd never do it, right?

Even with each piece of marketing -- the posters, the trailers, the Giacchino theme -- I thought, "yeah, but it's gonna turn into a generic superhero movie, eventually."

The first ten minutes is what my mind's eye and nerd brain had craved for ages. Holy fucking shit. That montage is absolutely unreal.

For the first time in years, it's a Marvel movie where you don't need the point of entry. Much like James Gunn's Superman, it's a movie bold enough to say, "you get superheroes now, yeah? Now watch THIS."

I cannot wait to watch this a billion more times. They fucking did it.

Watched on Thursday July 17, 2025.

Not the movie I expected, in some ways, but what a freaking joy.

Awesome Superman casting. Awesome Lois casting. Awesome Lex casting. Awesome Jimmy casting. And I fucking LOVE Mr. Terrific.

30 more of these, please.

And James Gunn got me again with a sequence about the importance of the family that loves you, even if they aren’t the family that made you.

This review may contain spoilers.

The Sad Brachiosaurus Stuck On A Burning Dock now has a friend, The Sad Brachiosaurus Stuck in Brooklyn.

Movie is fun enough, with some strong set pieces. The mutated Dino at the end is…something.

They shouldn’t have ruined that T-Rexes nap.

Watched at the demand of my 11 year old niece (who is obsessed), it’s a pretty fun flick.

Interesting how between the Spider-Verse movies, The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines, and this, Sony Pictures Animation has built a unique house style.

Netflix not putting this in theatres is just refusing all the money.

The plot is, of course, a mess. And it continues my theory that the John Wick universe is better seen in glimpses, versus explained.

However…

…the action in this absolutely rules ass!

Worth a recommendation on that alone.

Is it Top Gun: Maverick But With Race Cars Now? Yes, even to the closer-to-age-appropriate love interest (shout out Kerry Condon!).

But!

As a big screen, IMAX, amusement park-esq immersive experience, it’s absolutely incredible. Hands down worth seeing in the theater, even though you can call the whole plot from the jump.

DA MOVIESH

Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal are…Guys Bein’ Dudes.

Yesterday, after a roughly 24 hour heads up, Sony live-streamed the latest of their State of Play presentations¹, in what would’ve been the standard E3 presentation week.

In case you missed it, you can stream the whole thing here.

I’ve watched a lot of these presentations over the years — I’m very susceptible to hype — and I have to say, this may have been one of the most confident, complete and downright thrilling presentations by any of the big three video game companies in quite some time.

From the jump, with the reveal of the latest installment of the Lumines puzzle franchise, a relaunch in the vein of the enchanting Tetris Effect games, I was surprised and delighted by the breadth of games shared over the hour. Different genres, unique art styles, genuine risks in storytelling and audience focus — basically, intentionally or not, it seemed to be a direct shot at recent op-ed’s lamenting the end of the gaming industry, with its focus on only massive, cash grabbing hits and the heartbreaking increase of layoffs.

Are those still a problem? Yes, absolutely. But there was something in the air of yesterday’s presentation that told me that the world of creative games is not going out without a fight.

Among my personal highlights, which link out to their individual trailers:

• The aforementioned reveal of Lumines Arise, a trailer which — as a fan of Tetris Effect — gave me goosebumps.
• The bug nutty first look at Romeo is a Dead Man, a new action title from gonzo game director Suda51.
• The return of Giant Squid, creators of Journey, Abzu and The Pathless with Sword of the Sea, which looks gorgeous.²
• The reveal of 007 First Light, the biggest James Bond game in decades, as produced by Hitman devs IOI.
• And last, but not least…the reveal of the PlayStation Studios/Arc Systems collaboration, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, a 4 vs. 4 tag fighting game which looks absolutely incredible. It’s not Marvel vs. Capcom 4, sure, but it looks like it could be the next best thing.

In a year where my interest in gaming has been minimal, with me having only played the PS5 port of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle³, and anxiously awaiting my Switch 2 pre-order along with Mario Kart World, this was a shot in the arm for me. These are games made the way I like my games. And I hope they can all live up to their promise. I’ll be crossing my fingers as they release.

Tom Cruise will not rest until his death is captured in glorious IMAX.

Do you like I Think You Should Leave and actively feeling anxiety for a fictional character’s actions?

Have I got the movie for you…