The Boy and the Heron (2023)

The same tale Grandpa Miyazaki’s told many times: troubled kid enters a magical world, completes a hero’s journey, and returns to reality (maybe) healed. Honestly? Not that engaging to watch.

But props to the old man for embracing new animation techniques — the visuals are even more stunning than usual. Despite the relative boredom, it leaves that trademark Miyazaki warmth once the credits roll.

The Monkey (2025)

The boring moralists didn’t get The Monkey, but it’s a fucking brilliant black comedy. A true treat for fans of Psycho Goreman (review here) and John Dies at the End (review here). At times, it even reminded me of Wet Hot American Summer.

The film blends absurd humor with full-on sick humor — honestly, it’s art. Blood, Harms-esque dialogue, mysticism, dysfunctional families... the full chaotic package.

Metro 2033 Redux (2014)

A remaster of the 2010 game. I never cared for the whole Soviet post-apocalypse thing — Metro, Stalker — it was always boring crap to me. Tried the 2010 original about 7 years ago, dropped it after an hour. Just didn’t get what people saw in it.

But then I fired up the remaster — and… I liked it. Yeah, it gets stuffy at times, but the variety of levels and mechanics was surprisingly enjoyable. There are even moments that nod towards immersive sims, which I appreciated. The story is mostly nonsense I couldn’t follow, but the gameplay pulled me through to the end.

Gattaca (1997)

A sci-fi classic. We watched it as a group—some first-timers, some revisiting—and everyone came away satisfied.

Nowadays it plays more like a festival art film: slow pacing, highly stylized conventions, old-school motivations. The film practically revels in its vintage vibe, but channels it through retrofuturism, creating an oddly cozy charm.

Much like the recently mentioned Klara and the Sun (review here), Gattaca critiques ruthless elitism and society’s eternal flaws. But unlike the book, this one also doubles as a love letter to the strength of the human spirit.