Music
PUP - PUP (4/5)
I finally got round to listening to the debut record of PUP, I thought it was apt as the new album was coming out, and I was seeing them live a little later in the year. You can clearly tell from this album that it isn't as tight as their second or third records, but even despite that PUP still brings you screeching pop punk anthems, the band hasn't managed to create a cohesive album experience like they would later on, but it doesn't mean they lack any potential singles. That is what this LP kind of feels like, a collection of incredible singles.
Fave Tracks: Reservoir, Dark Days, Back Against the Wall, Factories.
Tropical Fuck Storm - Braindrops (4.5/5)
The audacity of TFS to release a new album the next year after releasing their incredible debut, not only that, but to release it and it be as good if not better than the previous. TFS still have their sound here, but it isn't without experimentation. One of the most notable changes here is on the track 'Who's my Eugene?' where Liddiard steps back from the lead vocals role for the first time and it instead goes to Erica Dunn who is usually in backing vocal duty with Fiona Kitschin. Also sonically the track feels a little funkier than anything on the previous record. For me, this album wasn't as instantaneous love as the debut, but I found by the time I started loving the album, I was in LOVE with the album.
Fave Tracks: Paradise, The Planet Of Straw Men, Who's My Eugene?, The Happiest Guy Around.
Billie Eilish - when we all fall asleep where do we go (4/5)
First hearing about Billie Eilish mean't my snobby side kicked in, look at this uber young, talented popular singer/songwriter that creates hip-hop/pop/something or other songs, everyone loves her, this means I must hate her. I listened to the album just through pure buzz, really expecting to hate it. I liked 'bad guy' but nothing really clicked with me at all. So I put it down and said that was a job done. But the hype for Billie never dissipated, which led me to rethink my finality on listening to her. A friend of mine started telling me that he was loving the album, I asked him what really convinced him about her, he said that seeing a live performance really changed how he listened to the album afterwards. So I went ahead and watched her short set at Glastonbury on iPlayer, he was right. I loved the performance, I thought she was incredibly talented and doing something completely different in the modern charts. I re listened to the album and everything that didn't click suddenly did. I looped that album over and over again, now I listen to her tracks regularly. Billie is the next big change in popular music.
Fave Tracks: bad guy, you should see me in a crown, my strange addiction, bury a friend.
Tool - Lateralus (3.5/5)
Lateralus is considered one of the greatest Metal albums ever made, as a self proclaimed metal fan I really should've come to this sooner. Regardless I listened to it this year. What I found is a band I really like and an album that I really like, but also an experience I have never had before. This is the firt time I have had an immediate connection with a band and on more listens have liked the record less and less. It is so strange, I still think all of this album is great, but I find after my third or fourth listen I started getting tired of the LP. I'm not totally sure why that is, regardless it has led me to the 3.5 rating.
Fave Tracks: The Grudge, The Patient, Schism.
Brockhampton - Ginger (4/5)
Brockhampton come back with a record that feels so satisfying after everything they have been through, especially the previous record being a little lacking as well. Finally the emotions of the bands loss and betrayal come into the frame and give off an extremely catchy, sad and dense album. I had another great situation of the right album coming around at the right time. I started listening to the record in the winter months which felt apt due to the depressing nature of the LP and the time of my life at that point. It helped me through my own feelings. A great record from the world's best boy band.
Fave Tracks: SUGAR, HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU, ST. PERCY, DEARLY DEPARTED, BIG BOY
slowthai - Nothing Great About Britain (3/5)
I'm glad I listened to this album, I quite like slowthai and his style, I like his lyrics and I think he has great things to come. That all being said, as an album I wasn't massively enthralled, nothing was bad on here I just didn't fully gravitate to all of it, there are some great tracks but overall I just think it is an ok/good album.
Fave Tracks: Northampton's Child, Drug Dealer, Doorman.
Movies
Fyre (3.5/5)
If this films aim was to make me think one guy was a slimey, disgusting, bag of trash. THEN IT WORKED!
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (2.5/5)
A funny and goofy film with prime Jim Carrey that is let down with the ending stretch playing a trans person for laughs. Obviously hasn't aged well at all.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End Of Evangelion (5/5)
I love this show and I love this film, it gave me a new outlook on life and changed my world view in a way I didn't think a mech robot show could when I first started watching the series. Heart wretchingly sad as well.
Jackie Brown (4/5)
Out of Tarantino's filmography it is easy to see why this is the one that is overlooked. It doesn't have the traditional hallmarks of Tarantino movies. Instead it weighs itself on the less 'in your face' ones where almost the violence, gore and flashy directing take a back seat to dialogue and story. I honestly think this is one of his best films, it feels like a pulpy detective/crime TV show from the 60s/70s and it is such a breathe of fresh air from his other films, but it still has that extremely captivating dialogue that you instantly recognise as Tarantino.
Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood (4/5)
Another outstanding film from Tarantino, a snapshot and love letter to the crazy place that was Hollywood in 1960s. The movie is mainly a story about a pair of actors trying to evolve in an industry that is leaving them behind, with the underlying narrative of the Manson murders of 1969. A really great piece of cinema for lovers of cinema.
Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 (3.5/5 & 4/5)
I watched Kill Bill 1 on it's own not really knowing anything about it, just knowing people loved it, and I found it horrendously disappointing, it sets up this large epic and it feels like it barely touches it in anyway, it left me feeling completely dissatisfied, although there was moments I really liked I was upset about it feeling so short. I left it for a while and I came back to it with the intention of watching Kill Bill 2 immediately after, a double feature. The movie holds up much better this way, but I also found, that everything I wanted to see in the first movie came in the second, and that's where the story felt like an epic martial arts action flick of revenge. As such I think I will always prefer the second film, although it is clear that this should have been one film.
The Image Revolution (3/5)
As a movie the production, editing etc feels extremely low budget, to the point where i think i could've done better. But as a movie displaying interviews and talking about a topic that interests me it is a solid movie that is very interesting.
Inglorious Basterds (3.5/5)
A great fun movie, and Tarantino to a tee, but it is also my personal least favourite of his filmography. A very good movie but just didn't land as strong as others have for me.
It Chapter Two (3/5)
Movie is fine. As a follow up to a great movie its disappointing but its not outwardly awful. There were some strange decisions made but also some absolutely amazing moments. No where near as scary or as charming as the original but it was fine i guess.
From Dusk Till Dawn (3/5)
First half is a weird creepy version of a Tarantino movie and the second half is ALL Robert Rodriguez. It's fun because when Tarantino's character dies in the movie, that's when the switch between the two halves happen. Almost like a meta nod to the making of the film. It's a weird one.
Ad Astra (3.5/5)
Lots of lovely world building and some real solid acting but fails to retain attention for me once it slips into 'One Man Mission' mode. Maybe feels too much like DEEP SPACE MOVIE than carving out its own thing? Still enjoyable.
The Hateful Eight (4/5)
A wonderful western movie that is mainly based in one building and follows a range of characters and their relationships with each other, an exceptionally great movie, Samuel L Jackson as the stand out in this one.
Dracula (1931) (3/5)
An enjoyable old flick for its age, and a classic story, definitely a fun thing to watch around Halloween season.
Frankenstein (1931) (3/5)
Another wonderful classic film, felt bad for Frankenstein's monster. Also Fritz is a dick!
The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
I preferred this movie to the previous two classic horror monster movies from Universal. I love the way Boris Karloff plays The Mummy and Zita Johann's overall performance from normal fancy lady into possessed mummy god thing.
The Invisible Man (1933) (3/5)
Way goofier and funnier than the other classic horror moves so far, but still a great 70 minutes.
The Wolf Man (1941) (3.5/5)
By far, heads and shoulders my favourite out of all these movies, the story is compelling, the acting is great, especially Lon Chaney Jr. He Was extremely likeable even when he was doing things that weren't that likeable. Great movie.
Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) (3/5)
Another fun classic, I think a lot of it is decent but some of it seems slow and plodding. I can totally see why Del Toro wanted to remake this and how this inspired what he eventually made 'The Shape Of Water'
Joker (3.5/5)
I'm not a massive fan of the movie on a whole but it's another one of those strange cases where enough of it was likeable to get this score. I love Batman, and his rogues gallery, but I feel like this doesn;t really have the spirit of Batman at it's core, and that might be a plus if it didn't feel like an empty, hollow Scorsese rip-off. At least Joaquin Pheonix was good.
Alien 3 (3/5)
Although clearly the weakest out of the first three films, it is still a fun a different movie with the core ideals of the original film still in place. Campy but fun.
The Blair Witch Project (3.5/4)
I can see why this was such a major film for horror and how it has evolved a whole different type of horror genre. But in the years that have pasted it seems the climax of the movie has become tepid in the face of modern horror, regardless the movie is still a great watch and frightening.
Alien Resurrection (2.5/5)
It seems I may have watched a Dvd version that had a slightly better cut of the movie than the theatrical release, that has made it a much tighter film overall. Which has kinda given me the view of this movie being a overtly ridiculous clusterfuck that I loved to watch, though objectively I have to say, it's a poor movie.
Your Name. (3.5/5)
An emotional and romantic little anime feature, music is incredible and has an interesting premise.
Zombieland: Double Tap (3/5)
But for the most part this movie hits the funny notes it hit previously with the stand outs again being Harrelson and Stone. Also I wondered if they were gonna use another Metallica song for the intro, and they only went and bloody picked the best one.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2.5/5)
I may not have seen any other Terminator movie before. But why would you hinge future sequels to this movie on the two worst actors in the movie. The most blockbuster ass blockbuster.
Prometheus (3.5/5)
Yknow, vibe and visuals really get you through this plot holed movie. Also super risky, weirdly super into it.
Climax (3.5/5)
There's not much I can sit here and say that will describe this movie accurately, I'll just say I really like it and it's also the worst.
Alien: Covenant (4/5)
This movie has made me love all the other movies in this series more. It's like all the best parts of Prometheus, made better, and then took out all the plot holes and rough parts of that movie. I love this movie and I also love Katherine Waterston.
Inside Llewyn Davis (3.5/5)
I'm so sad. I'm so hopeless. Thanks Llewyn Davis for reminding me that I'm you and I'm a fuck up. Thanks for that, Llewyn.
Polar (1/5)
Imagine John Wick, but awful in everyway.
Dolemite Is My Name (3.5/5)
Considering I know little to nothing about Rudy Ray Moore, this movie was a really feel good in a way I really needed right now and I thought Eddie Murphy nailed it. Man this one really hit the spot!
Velvet Buzzsaw (2/5)
I really like the concept of this movie, especially the art setting, but the way it begins compared where we end up, i don't understand why this was even made? The initial weird, different character driven exposition stuff was kinda admirable, and interesting, but considering it went from that to... bad horror movie, tells me that, along with the visuals, this movie had no direction whatsoever.
The Cabin In The Woods (3.5/5)
Triple Frontier (3/5)
An alright war/heist flick but kinda bland and forgettable in the long run.
Booksmart (4.5/5)
I'm happy, I'm sad, I'm laughing, I'm crying, life is beautiful, life is awful. Fuck.
Gone Girl (3.5/5)
Felt like the back end started to slow down after a pretty high peak and left the ending, although crushing, less impactful than it could have been.
Sorry We Missed You (4/5)
A movie that feels less like a feature of fiction and more like a documentary on class in the UK, powerful and meaningful. It got shafted at all the award shows, and it deserved to be put on a pedestal and shown off to the world. Everyone should watch this.
The Great Hack (3/5)
An interesting doc though I feel like it floats over the actual issue more than I would've liked. Regardless a good watch.
Isn't It Romantic (2.5/5)
Maybe it's my shit sense of humour but this got a couple of chuckles out of me and I think the general premise is fun, but it's not a good movie, however it is surprisingly watchable overall.
The King (3.5/5)
It's not some superb piece of cinema, but I love the setting and I found all the acting to be very good, sure this is probably Chalamet's weakest performance, and sure Robert Pattinson had a questionable accent, but honestly enough of it is compelling to me for me to ignore that stuff. It was a really interesting and enjoyable watch.
The Ritual (3/5)
The Ritual (3/5)
The World's End but depressed and spooky.
The Red Sea Diving Resort (1/5)
I haven't watched something so excruciatingly dull and boring. A bad cast led by a boring Chris Evans performance doesn't help either. The story isn't even that compelling. If you combine all that, it also really doesn't help that the messaging in this movie is essentially a propaganda movie for Israel, which is worse when you realise they are a main causer of refugees being held captive and abused in the world right now. But anyway the movie was bad.
The Knight Before Christmas (2/5)
Is this dumb? Yes. Is this silly? Yes. Is this very low budget? Yes. Is this another crappy Hallmark Christmas film? Yes. Did I still find it enjoyable? Yes.
Klaus (3/5)
Beautiful looking movie animation and design, as a movie, decent and fun but a bit average. Though the music choices were a bit weird.
Dumbo (1941) (3.5/5)
I wish I had someone who was as kind and loyal to me as the mouse is to dumbo
Midnight Sun (2/5)
Beautiful Boy (4/5)
A movie of two halves, from perspectives of a father and a son, and the battle of addiction. A stressful and agitating watch that also has a melancholy and dream-like glaze over everything. Much like the title, it is beautiful.
Cyberbully (1/5)
Hahahahahahahaha How The Fuck Is Cyber Bullying Real Hahahaha Taylor Just Walk Away From The Screen Like Taylor Close Your Eyes Haha
Ford v Ferrari (4/5)
A tremendous feel good film with a great visual direction, allowing for an amazing sense of speed which is all you really want out of a movie about fast cars and racing.
Dumbo (2019) (2/5)
Millie:
Happy 😐
Sad 😐
Excited 😐
Scared 😐
Shocked 😐
Danny DeVito:
hilarious and fun then has no lines for the rest of the movie
The Report (3.5/5)
This is so incredibly dense and interesting. Laser focussed on delivering a gripping political drama with performances that are incredible. Unfortuneately, I feel like this movie might be in the charity shop in a year just because of just how niche the movie is, I dont think there is many people out there looking for this kind of movie.
Alita: Battle Angel (3/5)
Yo someone should make a Motorball video game, where the campaign is Alita rising through the qualifying to get to the champions league.
Someone should hire me.
I swear too god he was saying bitch
Alita: Battle Angel (3/5)
Yo someone should make a Motorball video game, where the campaign is Alita rising through the qualifying to get to the champions league.
Someone should hire me.
Tall Girl (0.5/5)
I'm so glad this movie told me I can be a creepy weird stalker to the girl I like and manipulate her situation that she'll eventually like me.
Lady and the Tramp (3.5/5)
Knives Out (4/5)
The most fun whodunnit you'll see around, an all star cast who are all great especially Daniel Craig who you can tell is having the time of his life and the leading lady Ana de Armas who I'm really happy to see gets such a great role here. Rian Johnson basically cements himself as one of the best current story tellers, with this and Last Jedi, for me it's indisputable.
I Lost My Body (4/5)
A beautiful and unexpected ride, when I played this animated feature on netflix that night I knew nothing about it and came out of it loving it.
Let It Snow (2.5/5)
Lady and the Tramp (2019) (3/5)
Surprisingly good, cgi much better than it should be, comedy was much funnier than it should've been, additions and slight changes to the story don't feel awkward or bad, overall a good remake unlike Dumbo
The Lion King (4/5)
Yeah this is exceptional and I'm amazed i recognised a lot of this from that one time i watched it as a kid.
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (3.5/5)
Why was this as funny as it was? Seemingly a perfect mix of right actors, right roles, right script.
The Lion King (2019) (3/5)
Its a word for word remake of the original. So why? Regardless, its fine. But didn't hold a candle to the original. Hopefully this will be forgotten in time.
Catfish (3.5/5)
Extremely sad. Also 2008 is massively cringe.
6 Underground (0.5/5)
Michael Bay is like the antithesis of a director
The Irishman (4/5)
Just a great long dramatic epic, full of great stuff, it feels like the culmination of Scorsese, De Niro, Pacino, Pesci - Crime films.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (3.5/5)
Tries to do too much when it wasnt neccessary, could be fixed by a longer edit to make each scene breathe a little more, or a rework of the script to tighten the story and cut the fluff. But when the movie is good, its great. Character arcs and moments makes the movie and multiple decisions means it doesnt shit on The Last Jedi like I thought it would.
The Dead Don't Die (3/5)
I just kinda wish it was more of a straight up dry, meandering, awkward, parody critique of zombie movies rather than any of this additional character and story stuff that add nothing.
The Two Popes (3.5/5)
A beautiful and hilarious story about two popes discussing life, policies and religion. Also I dont know why but I love how its shot. Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins are both excellenet.
Little Women (2019) (5/5)
I have no words for the type of feelings I get when I watch this movie. It's a perfect film in my opinion, I couldn't stop smiling and I couldn't stop crying.
Cats (0.5/5)
Ever since T.S. Elliot put pen to paper he has forever made sure the human race will hate the pet cat.
Games
Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock (5/5)
Another case where I played a lot of a game but never actually finished it. Personally, I believe this is the best plastic rhythm game, I think there are lots of really great games in this genre from both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but when it comes down to game play and track list, for me this is the pinnacle. When it comes to the progression from Guitar Hero II to this, everything is relatively the same with the biggest changes being art direction, graphics and the career mode. I think this is the de facto 'I wanna play one of these right now', this is the one I will slot in over every other one. At least that's what I'm saying right now. I still have a fair few games from this Guitar Hero/Rock Band series that I have never even touched.
Super Mario Maker 2 (3.5/5)
Always heard great things about the original game but as a non-Wii U owner I never get to experience the game. I was hoping for a sequel for the Switch and I was hoping for story mode in the vain of a 2D Mario game. I got both of these in Mario Maker 2 and I was delighted with it. From a story mode perspective I think the game is great, and also shows you everything you can do with the level building, it really gets the creative mind going about how to build a level and the numerous ways you can combine the mechanics the level building gives you. The other side to this coin however is the lack of intuitiveness on the level building side. I personally have no other frame of reference for the level building, but it is just fiddly enough in docked mode to be a bit annoying when trying to make your level. This kind of leads me to believe if you were an avid player of the previous Mario Maker, then the level building here would almost be unbearable. I don't think it would be too bad if the touch screen functionality was still in the game, but what I've heard is that it has changed there too. It's especially evident when you realise that the release of the game didn't have a wide spread bundle with a stylus, only certain countries and certain areas. For me, I find building a level to be a great thought process, and maybe too much of a chore in practice. I try to dip in every once and a while and fiddle around, it is not completely devoid of fun, but I would much rather play all the levels that the experts online have been making.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (2.5/5)
As a lover of Until Dawn and these type of story choice, character games, Man of Medan was an exciting start to the new 'Dark Pictures Anthology', unfortunately, the game falls into the traps of Hidden Agenda, rather than the positives of Until Dawn. It is clearly a step up from Hidden Agenda, but playing it through with the two player online co-op, it felt like all our choices really lead to nothing, the ending felt extremely abrupt. Although the fact we were seeing different things and getting spooked in different ways, I also felt it wasn't used as effectively as I would want it too. I hope with the next game in this anthology they go for a more intuitive uses for the different mechanics and games modes they've added in this time around.
Life Is Strange 2 (3/5)
As a franchise I just love Life Is Strange, even with this new direction and new set of characters, it stills feels like Life Is Strange to me. This time around they improved on graphics and improved on writing, but although I still enjoyed the game overall, I feel like there was a distinct lack of something special that the original game had in droves. As such, you just kind of wish there was more pulling you towards Life Is Strange 2, every fan of Life Is Strange should definitely check out the game, but maybe limit the expectations. For me, if you're looking for more Life Is Strange in the vain of the original game, Deck Nine's Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is the route to go.
Persona 5 (5/5)
I finally did it. I beat Persona 5. Persona 5 is easily one of the greatest games of all time, but for someone who has never sunk 100 hours into a game before, it was a struggle to keep my momentum going consistently. As such it meant I dipped in and out of the game for over 2 years. But that final stretch to finally beat the game this year made me fall in love all over again, just like I did back when I booted it up. There's nothing I can say here that hasn't already been said by better writers, reviewers and content creators. But I can say that I wish more turn based JRPGs existed in modern games and I wish a confidant system, with almost a visual novel styled format like here in Persona 5, appeared in more games as well. These two highly in-depth, completely separate game play loops, to me, are the key to why this game, and this franchise, is so beloved and so revered.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (3.5/5)
Luckily for me I finally got round to playing the original Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare this year via the remaster, so I got to see the kind of changes made from that game to this game. For me I haven't played a newly released Call Of Duty since Black Ops 2, but I heard a lot promise from this new one and so I finally bit the bullet and got the game. Campaign wise I thought it was a little lack luster, I liked it and it definitely wasn't bad, but I still found the original Call Of Duty 4 to be the superior game on that front. Truly though, this game shines in it's multiplayer, maybe it's because I haven't played multiplayer of one of these in a long time, or maybe it is just that good, but playing the online, with all the different modes and maps felt extremely liberating and also nostalgia filled. I was transported to my younger days on the 360 while simultaneously getting addicted to the numerous different modes to play over and over again.
Wrestling
G1 Climax 29
Another great tournament this year, just absolutely the best of the best. It wasn't devoid of stinkers but there was so much good stuff that it is hard to be very angry. Ospreay and Shingo being moved up was a great call, Shingo felt in his element and Ospreay got to have classics with most of the Heavyweights. Lance Archer is now one of my favourite wrestler in the world right now. Just completely changed his whole vibe and it has brought on new life for him and great matches. Ishii as always was the MVP and now I have to believe that New Japan wouldn't be so stupid not to put the belt on this man soon. Jon Moxley has become one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet, not too bad for someone considered to be the least talented in ring from The Shield. Juice, my fave, had a barn burner of a tourney, the man is incredible and I can't wait for him to be reaping the rewards of his hard work. SANADA majorly disappointed this year for me, consistently botching and making mistakes, not putting a lot of effort into his matches and seemingly becoming very predictable with his matches. Ibushi, however much I love him, hasn't had a major tournament either, felt slightly underwhelming, and especially in regards to his selling of his ankle injury, aka not selling it really at all. Overall though this was one hell of a tournament.
MOTY Contenders: Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii - Night 16 (8/8/19)
Fave Matches: Jeff Cobb vs Shingo Takagi - Night 12 (1/8/19), Tetsuya Naito vs Juice Robinson - Night 12 (1/8/19), Zack Sabre Jr vs Lance Archer - Night 13 (3/8/19), Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano - Night 14 (4/8/19), Jay White vs Jon Moxley - Night 14 (4/8/19), Tetsuya Naito vs Shingo Takagi - Night 14 (4/8/19), Jay White vs Juice Robinson - Night 16 (8/8/19), Lance Archer vs EVIL - Night 17 (10/8/19), Zack Sabre Jr vs KENTA - Night 17 (10/8/19), Will Ospreay vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - Night 17 (10/8/19), Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi - Night 17 (10/8/19), Taichi vs Tomohiro Ishii - Night 18 (11/8/19), Juice Robinson vs Jon Moxley - Night 18 (11/8/19)
NXT Takeover: Toronto
Overall slightly better, but still feels like NXT is in a stunted area. Tag Title match was superb and was the highlight of the night, Street Profits really shone in ring, which I felt I forgot because of their hilarious segments on Raw. But they really showed their chops here. Io Shirai/LeRae was also very cool but it felt like a little bit of a special squash match, which is fine because I'm sure we will get a rematch down the line, but the focus was really on Io and how different and interesting and cool she was. Triple Threat was pretty good, Women's title was extremely disappointing, especially Yim, and the main event came across as a bit too self indulgent and was so invested in giving itself massive grandeur that it kinda took any grandeur away.
Fave Matches: Street Profits vs Undiputed Era, Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae.
WWE SummerSlam
I thought overall it was a fairly weak show but this launching point actually got interested into watching regular WWE again, which is where I really am enjoying the show again. But here at this event I only liked a couple of matches but nothing truly special here apart from The Fiend and Rollins/Lesnar.
Fave Matches: Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor, Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar.
NJPW Royal Quest
I got to attend this show live and I have never had such a visceral reaction to any wrestling show ever, specifically at this show it was the main event. I still intend to rewatch the whole show again on demand too. But yeah this show ruled and the main event is in the conversation for MOTY for me. So expect to see that in the end of the year list.
Fave Matches: Birds Of Prey vs Ishimori/El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Zack Sabre Jr, Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki.
AEW All Out
This felt like the kick up the ass AEW needed just before their TV debut, nothing MOTY worthy in my opinion, but almost every match was decent to really good on some level. Which is exactly what you want. I am mostly surprised by the Young Bucks/Lucha Bros and Jericho/Hangman as for me nothing before these matches indicated to me that they would be any good, but they were both pretty good, The best Tag match these two teams have had so far and this is Jericho's best match since his hardcore bout with Omega at Wrestle Kingdom. Also can't forget the decent match between PAC and Omega, you could tell they wanted to continue and do more, and bring it up to a Main Event MOTY calibre match but the early placement meant they were a bit constrained. I also really liked Cody/Spears, though I really am a Shawn Spears mark so it shouldn't be a surprise. But best match of the show goes to the hardcore triple threat where MYBOY Jimmy Havoc finally got a showcase and finally got a win on AEW. Very very cool!
Fave Matches: Private Party vs Angelico & Jack Evans, PAC vs Kenny Omega, Jimmy Havoc vs Joey Janela vs Darby Allin, Cody vs Shawn Spears, Lucha Brothers vs Young Bucks, Chris Jericho vs Adam Page.
WWE Clash Of Champions
Overall a fairly forgettable PPV, I personally quite enjoyed a couple of matches but I know that wasn't all common consensus. Luke Harper's return was something I was really clamouring for, with the No DQ match itself actually being very enjoyable. Becky and Sasha had a great brawl (not as good as their 5 star from NXT). And I personally enjoyed the slower paced Orton/Kofi title match, thought it was a nice ending to their feud. And of course, the Fiend's attack on Seth Rollins setting up for the big title match we all wanna see.
Fave matches: Becky Lynch vs Sasha, Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan, Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton.
Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston on Smackdown
What more can be said, the "match" was such a tone deaf portrayal of Kofi and his character. If the ending angle is to see Cain Velasquez challenge Brock for his new title, which I think everyone can agree was the presumed direction WWE were going to take befoe the match even started, then why would you have Kofi, a people's champion, lose in such a unsatisfactory way. The man had a great run as WWE champion and I'm glad we got to have it, but this type of match indicates to me that WWE never really thought that highly of Kofi in the first place. If Kofi got to have a quick but at the very least back and forth match with Lesnar, similar to the first Reigns match, Goldberg, Rollins, Balor and Bryan matches, this is a completely non issue. But the disrespectful way of tossing out your 6 month champion is just heartbreaking. You would hope Kofi would still be in the main event picture after this but everything else here indicates the opposite.
WWE Hell In A Cell
Woof. Regardless of the hideous main event, that I actually thought started very promising, The show itself was actually alright. Legitimately was very into the Becky and Sasha HiaC and I thought the Roman/Bryan vs Rowan/Harper was the best WWE tag match in a very long time. Also Corbin and Gable have had a bunch of great matches together in NXT and now in the King Of The Ring Tournament, and their match here was also good fun! But yeah the main event kinda ruined the overall vibe of a alright show.
Fave Matches: Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks, Bryan/Roman vs Rowan/Harper, Chad Gable vs Baron Corbin.
AEW Full Gear
Overall this was a great show all round, I honestly liked most of the matches, it would probably be easier to list the ones I didn't like. Jericho/Cody was a great match but also a superb angle for a new Cody/MJF feud, very exciting. Young Bucks and PnP had a great match, Hangman and PAC had a good one, The tag title match was a lot of fun. But of course, for me, match of the night and the first AEW MOTY contender, Omega vs Moxley in that thrilling Lights Out match. This was superb, I know it sounds like opinons are mixed but I was hooked on this one and seeing Kenny's interpretation of a No DQ match against someone who is a known former death match guy, it was just a great night, I loved a lot of the different weapon spots and honestly they left it all out in the ring that night. Loved it.
MOTY Contender: Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley
Fave Matches: Young Bucks vs Proud and Powerful, Hangman Adam Page vs PAC, SCU vs Lucha Brothers vs Private Party, Chris Jericho vs Cody.
NXT Takeover: War Games
NXT has finally hit its stride in full force. You now can clearly see the effects the Wednesday Night Wars are having on both brands, and in this case NXT. They had a wonderful night of wrestling with the final War Games match being a MOTY contender for me. The women's division feels out of this world, the Finn Balor return wasn't exceptional but he is clearly on a higher level than where he was before on main roster. I thought the triple threat was a very lackluster But the two War Games matches really made the night, Dakota Kai's turn on Nox was unexpected and a great angle. Owens as the mystery last man for team NXT was another lot of fun, and both matches tore the roof off.
MOTY Contender: Team Ciampa vs The Undisputed Era
Fave Matches: Team Ripley vs Team Baszler.
WWE Survivor Series
Survivor Series over the past couple years has had a (fairly) decent track record, 2016 was exceptional, 2017 was poor, 2018 was good, and 2019 is good once again! The premise of the show is much better than any other brand warfare WWE did in history, and this time it's the first time NXT has been included, and I personally thought it made the whole show that much better. The main centre points of the show were the multi-person brand warfare matches, men and women. I also was a fan of Bryan and The Fiend. Overall a good PPV!
Fave Matches: Men's Survivor Series Match, Women's Survivor Series Match, Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt.
Book/Comics
Batman Vol 10: Epilogue (3/5)
I dont think this is essential to the Snyder/Capullo run, and actually think some issues sour the amazing ending of the previous book. But some issues rule and some don't.
The Two Popes (3.5/5)
A beautiful and hilarious story about two popes discussing life, policies and religion. Also I dont know why but I love how its shot. Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins are both excellenet.
Little Women (2019) (5/5)
I have no words for the type of feelings I get when I watch this movie. It's a perfect film in my opinion, I couldn't stop smiling and I couldn't stop crying.
Cats (0.5/5)
Ever since T.S. Elliot put pen to paper he has forever made sure the human race will hate the pet cat.
Games
Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock (5/5)
Another case where I played a lot of a game but never actually finished it. Personally, I believe this is the best plastic rhythm game, I think there are lots of really great games in this genre from both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but when it comes down to game play and track list, for me this is the pinnacle. When it comes to the progression from Guitar Hero II to this, everything is relatively the same with the biggest changes being art direction, graphics and the career mode. I think this is the de facto 'I wanna play one of these right now', this is the one I will slot in over every other one. At least that's what I'm saying right now. I still have a fair few games from this Guitar Hero/Rock Band series that I have never even touched.
Super Mario Maker 2 (3.5/5)
Always heard great things about the original game but as a non-Wii U owner I never get to experience the game. I was hoping for a sequel for the Switch and I was hoping for story mode in the vain of a 2D Mario game. I got both of these in Mario Maker 2 and I was delighted with it. From a story mode perspective I think the game is great, and also shows you everything you can do with the level building, it really gets the creative mind going about how to build a level and the numerous ways you can combine the mechanics the level building gives you. The other side to this coin however is the lack of intuitiveness on the level building side. I personally have no other frame of reference for the level building, but it is just fiddly enough in docked mode to be a bit annoying when trying to make your level. This kind of leads me to believe if you were an avid player of the previous Mario Maker, then the level building here would almost be unbearable. I don't think it would be too bad if the touch screen functionality was still in the game, but what I've heard is that it has changed there too. It's especially evident when you realise that the release of the game didn't have a wide spread bundle with a stylus, only certain countries and certain areas. For me, I find building a level to be a great thought process, and maybe too much of a chore in practice. I try to dip in every once and a while and fiddle around, it is not completely devoid of fun, but I would much rather play all the levels that the experts online have been making.
The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan (2.5/5)
As a lover of Until Dawn and these type of story choice, character games, Man of Medan was an exciting start to the new 'Dark Pictures Anthology', unfortunately, the game falls into the traps of Hidden Agenda, rather than the positives of Until Dawn. It is clearly a step up from Hidden Agenda, but playing it through with the two player online co-op, it felt like all our choices really lead to nothing, the ending felt extremely abrupt. Although the fact we were seeing different things and getting spooked in different ways, I also felt it wasn't used as effectively as I would want it too. I hope with the next game in this anthology they go for a more intuitive uses for the different mechanics and games modes they've added in this time around.
Life Is Strange 2 (3/5)
As a franchise I just love Life Is Strange, even with this new direction and new set of characters, it stills feels like Life Is Strange to me. This time around they improved on graphics and improved on writing, but although I still enjoyed the game overall, I feel like there was a distinct lack of something special that the original game had in droves. As such, you just kind of wish there was more pulling you towards Life Is Strange 2, every fan of Life Is Strange should definitely check out the game, but maybe limit the expectations. For me, if you're looking for more Life Is Strange in the vain of the original game, Deck Nine's Life Is Strange: Before The Storm is the route to go.
Persona 5 (5/5)
I finally did it. I beat Persona 5. Persona 5 is easily one of the greatest games of all time, but for someone who has never sunk 100 hours into a game before, it was a struggle to keep my momentum going consistently. As such it meant I dipped in and out of the game for over 2 years. But that final stretch to finally beat the game this year made me fall in love all over again, just like I did back when I booted it up. There's nothing I can say here that hasn't already been said by better writers, reviewers and content creators. But I can say that I wish more turn based JRPGs existed in modern games and I wish a confidant system, with almost a visual novel styled format like here in Persona 5, appeared in more games as well. These two highly in-depth, completely separate game play loops, to me, are the key to why this game, and this franchise, is so beloved and so revered.
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (3.5/5)
Luckily for me I finally got round to playing the original Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare this year via the remaster, so I got to see the kind of changes made from that game to this game. For me I haven't played a newly released Call Of Duty since Black Ops 2, but I heard a lot promise from this new one and so I finally bit the bullet and got the game. Campaign wise I thought it was a little lack luster, I liked it and it definitely wasn't bad, but I still found the original Call Of Duty 4 to be the superior game on that front. Truly though, this game shines in it's multiplayer, maybe it's because I haven't played multiplayer of one of these in a long time, or maybe it is just that good, but playing the online, with all the different modes and maps felt extremely liberating and also nostalgia filled. I was transported to my younger days on the 360 while simultaneously getting addicted to the numerous different modes to play over and over again.
Wrestling
G1 Climax 29
Another great tournament this year, just absolutely the best of the best. It wasn't devoid of stinkers but there was so much good stuff that it is hard to be very angry. Ospreay and Shingo being moved up was a great call, Shingo felt in his element and Ospreay got to have classics with most of the Heavyweights. Lance Archer is now one of my favourite wrestler in the world right now. Just completely changed his whole vibe and it has brought on new life for him and great matches. Ishii as always was the MVP and now I have to believe that New Japan wouldn't be so stupid not to put the belt on this man soon. Jon Moxley has become one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet, not too bad for someone considered to be the least talented in ring from The Shield. Juice, my fave, had a barn burner of a tourney, the man is incredible and I can't wait for him to be reaping the rewards of his hard work. SANADA majorly disappointed this year for me, consistently botching and making mistakes, not putting a lot of effort into his matches and seemingly becoming very predictable with his matches. Ibushi, however much I love him, hasn't had a major tournament either, felt slightly underwhelming, and especially in regards to his selling of his ankle injury, aka not selling it really at all. Overall though this was one hell of a tournament.
MOTY Contenders: Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii - Night 16 (8/8/19)
Fave Matches: Jeff Cobb vs Shingo Takagi - Night 12 (1/8/19), Tetsuya Naito vs Juice Robinson - Night 12 (1/8/19), Zack Sabre Jr vs Lance Archer - Night 13 (3/8/19), Tomohiro Ishii vs Toru Yano - Night 14 (4/8/19), Jay White vs Jon Moxley - Night 14 (4/8/19), Tetsuya Naito vs Shingo Takagi - Night 14 (4/8/19), Jay White vs Juice Robinson - Night 16 (8/8/19), Lance Archer vs EVIL - Night 17 (10/8/19), Zack Sabre Jr vs KENTA - Night 17 (10/8/19), Will Ospreay vs Hiroshi Tanahashi - Night 17 (10/8/19), Kazuchika Okada vs Kota Ibushi - Night 17 (10/8/19), Taichi vs Tomohiro Ishii - Night 18 (11/8/19), Juice Robinson vs Jon Moxley - Night 18 (11/8/19)
NXT Takeover: Toronto
Overall slightly better, but still feels like NXT is in a stunted area. Tag Title match was superb and was the highlight of the night, Street Profits really shone in ring, which I felt I forgot because of their hilarious segments on Raw. But they really showed their chops here. Io Shirai/LeRae was also very cool but it felt like a little bit of a special squash match, which is fine because I'm sure we will get a rematch down the line, but the focus was really on Io and how different and interesting and cool she was. Triple Threat was pretty good, Women's title was extremely disappointing, especially Yim, and the main event came across as a bit too self indulgent and was so invested in giving itself massive grandeur that it kinda took any grandeur away.
Fave Matches: Street Profits vs Undiputed Era, Io Shirai vs Candice LeRae.
WWE SummerSlam
I thought overall it was a fairly weak show but this launching point actually got interested into watching regular WWE again, which is where I really am enjoying the show again. But here at this event I only liked a couple of matches but nothing truly special here apart from The Fiend and Rollins/Lesnar.
Fave Matches: Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon, Bray Wyatt vs Finn Balor, Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar.
NJPW Royal Quest
I got to attend this show live and I have never had such a visceral reaction to any wrestling show ever, specifically at this show it was the main event. I still intend to rewatch the whole show again on demand too. But yeah this show ruled and the main event is in the conversation for MOTY for me. So expect to see that in the end of the year list.
Fave Matches: Birds Of Prey vs Ishimori/El Phantasmo, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Zack Sabre Jr, Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki.
AEW All Out
This felt like the kick up the ass AEW needed just before their TV debut, nothing MOTY worthy in my opinion, but almost every match was decent to really good on some level. Which is exactly what you want. I am mostly surprised by the Young Bucks/Lucha Bros and Jericho/Hangman as for me nothing before these matches indicated to me that they would be any good, but they were both pretty good, The best Tag match these two teams have had so far and this is Jericho's best match since his hardcore bout with Omega at Wrestle Kingdom. Also can't forget the decent match between PAC and Omega, you could tell they wanted to continue and do more, and bring it up to a Main Event MOTY calibre match but the early placement meant they were a bit constrained. I also really liked Cody/Spears, though I really am a Shawn Spears mark so it shouldn't be a surprise. But best match of the show goes to the hardcore triple threat where MYBOY Jimmy Havoc finally got a showcase and finally got a win on AEW. Very very cool!
Fave Matches: Private Party vs Angelico & Jack Evans, PAC vs Kenny Omega, Jimmy Havoc vs Joey Janela vs Darby Allin, Cody vs Shawn Spears, Lucha Brothers vs Young Bucks, Chris Jericho vs Adam Page.
WWE Clash Of Champions
Overall a fairly forgettable PPV, I personally quite enjoyed a couple of matches but I know that wasn't all common consensus. Luke Harper's return was something I was really clamouring for, with the No DQ match itself actually being very enjoyable. Becky and Sasha had a great brawl (not as good as their 5 star from NXT). And I personally enjoyed the slower paced Orton/Kofi title match, thought it was a nice ending to their feud. And of course, the Fiend's attack on Seth Rollins setting up for the big title match we all wanna see.
Fave matches: Becky Lynch vs Sasha, Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan, Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton.
Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston on Smackdown
What more can be said, the "match" was such a tone deaf portrayal of Kofi and his character. If the ending angle is to see Cain Velasquez challenge Brock for his new title, which I think everyone can agree was the presumed direction WWE were going to take befoe the match even started, then why would you have Kofi, a people's champion, lose in such a unsatisfactory way. The man had a great run as WWE champion and I'm glad we got to have it, but this type of match indicates to me that WWE never really thought that highly of Kofi in the first place. If Kofi got to have a quick but at the very least back and forth match with Lesnar, similar to the first Reigns match, Goldberg, Rollins, Balor and Bryan matches, this is a completely non issue. But the disrespectful way of tossing out your 6 month champion is just heartbreaking. You would hope Kofi would still be in the main event picture after this but everything else here indicates the opposite.
WWE Hell In A Cell
Woof. Regardless of the hideous main event, that I actually thought started very promising, The show itself was actually alright. Legitimately was very into the Becky and Sasha HiaC and I thought the Roman/Bryan vs Rowan/Harper was the best WWE tag match in a very long time. Also Corbin and Gable have had a bunch of great matches together in NXT and now in the King Of The Ring Tournament, and their match here was also good fun! But yeah the main event kinda ruined the overall vibe of a alright show.
Fave Matches: Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks, Bryan/Roman vs Rowan/Harper, Chad Gable vs Baron Corbin.
AEW Full Gear
Overall this was a great show all round, I honestly liked most of the matches, it would probably be easier to list the ones I didn't like. Jericho/Cody was a great match but also a superb angle for a new Cody/MJF feud, very exciting. Young Bucks and PnP had a great match, Hangman and PAC had a good one, The tag title match was a lot of fun. But of course, for me, match of the night and the first AEW MOTY contender, Omega vs Moxley in that thrilling Lights Out match. This was superb, I know it sounds like opinons are mixed but I was hooked on this one and seeing Kenny's interpretation of a No DQ match against someone who is a known former death match guy, it was just a great night, I loved a lot of the different weapon spots and honestly they left it all out in the ring that night. Loved it.
MOTY Contender: Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley
Fave Matches: Young Bucks vs Proud and Powerful, Hangman Adam Page vs PAC, SCU vs Lucha Brothers vs Private Party, Chris Jericho vs Cody.
NXT Takeover: War Games
NXT has finally hit its stride in full force. You now can clearly see the effects the Wednesday Night Wars are having on both brands, and in this case NXT. They had a wonderful night of wrestling with the final War Games match being a MOTY contender for me. The women's division feels out of this world, the Finn Balor return wasn't exceptional but he is clearly on a higher level than where he was before on main roster. I thought the triple threat was a very lackluster But the two War Games matches really made the night, Dakota Kai's turn on Nox was unexpected and a great angle. Owens as the mystery last man for team NXT was another lot of fun, and both matches tore the roof off.
MOTY Contender: Team Ciampa vs The Undisputed Era
Fave Matches: Team Ripley vs Team Baszler.
WWE Survivor Series
Survivor Series over the past couple years has had a (fairly) decent track record, 2016 was exceptional, 2017 was poor, 2018 was good, and 2019 is good once again! The premise of the show is much better than any other brand warfare WWE did in history, and this time it's the first time NXT has been included, and I personally thought it made the whole show that much better. The main centre points of the show were the multi-person brand warfare matches, men and women. I also was a fan of Bryan and The Fiend. Overall a good PPV!
Fave Matches: Men's Survivor Series Match, Women's Survivor Series Match, Daniel Bryan vs Bray Wyatt.
Book/Comics
Batman Vol 10: Epilogue (3/5)
I dont think this is essential to the Snyder/Capullo run, and actually think some issues sour the amazing ending of the previous book. But some issues rule and some don't.
Star Wars Aftermath: Life Debt (4/5)
Spider-Man: Life Story (4/5)
Daredevil (Zdarsky) Vol 1: Know Fear (4/5)
