Every year, I try to compile a list of games, books, and movies I experienced. For the complete list, check the Ratings. Here we go (sorted by rating then alphabetically)!

NOTE: I believe this list is the one that is mostly incomplete. I will probably make additions to it time to time.

1. Anora (9★★★★★★★★★): My pick for the best movie of the year. The actress shows drama, comedy and sexuality.
2. Conclave (8★★★★★★★★): Superb performances. Tense with a plot twist.
3. I'm Still Here (8★★★★★★★★): The Brazilian movie about dictatorship from 70s. In other words: modern as ever.
4. Im not a Robot (8★★★★★★★★): Amazing short movie about the consequences of a CAPTCHA.
5. Prisoners (8★★★★★★★★): A dark and haunting exploration of morality and justice, with powerhouse performances and a gripping narrative
6. Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back (8★★★★★★★★): The only movie from the saga that I did not have a VHS to watch 1000 times. It’s really good, even for today’s standards.
7. The Brutalist (8★★★★★★★★): A visually stunning drama. An intersection of architecture, history, and personal resilience. Brody is Oscar-worthy.
8. The Day the Earth Stood Still (8★★★★★★★★): Cold War sci-fi at its most elegant. A film that trusts its message enough not to shout it.
9. The Princess Bride (8★★★★★★★★): I was told time after time that is goofy but memorable movie. I cannot agree more.
10. The Skin I Live In (8★★★★★★★★): Almodovar delivers one plot twist after another.
11. What We Do in the Shadows (8★★★★★★★★): A group of vampire friends with humor and absurdity in the best Monty Python style. I always like Taika Waititi’s directing and acting style.
12. A Quiet Place Day One (7★★★★★★★): The origins story.
13. After Hours (7★★★★★★★): One of the earlier Martin Scorsese movies, it’s a darkly comedic odyssey of unpredictability of a single chaotic night.
14. Dredd (7★★★★★★★): Lean, mean, and criminally underrated. Karl Urban never lifts the helmet and never needs to. The platonic ideal of a B-movie that knows exactly what it is.
15. Full Metal Jacket (7★★★★★★★): I’m definitively not a fan of Kubrick style.
16. Identity (7★★★★★★★): A psychological thriller filled with plot twists.
17. Scarface (7★★★★★★★): Excess, ambition, and violence in pure De Palma style. Iconic, but its length and melodrama can test patience.
18. The Apprentice (7★★★★★★★): If you already dislike Donald, it will just reinforce your vision. If you like him, it’s time to change sides.
19. The Substance (7★★★★★★★): Its visuals insist on sensations: desire, disgust, wants. It’s a mix of social criticism and B-movie horror.
20. Thief 1981 (7★★★★★★★): A gritty heist drama with existential undertones
21. Wicked (7★★★★★★★): Ariana Grande is really well. All the rest, passable.
22. Déjà Vu (6★★★★★★): The premise of seeing the past “in real time” is interesting. Once you get past that, it gets silly.
23. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (6★★★★★★): Sharp, self-aware neo-noir with crackling dialogue. Underrated at the time, still a fun ride.
24. You Were Never Really Here (6★★★★★★): The film itself is more mood than movie.
25. Emilia Pérez (5★★★★★): 13 nominations? It’s a boring movie, the songs are bad and forgettable (not to mention the ASMR presence). Unfortunately, it was caught in pointless controversies.
26. Ghost In The Shell (2017) (5★★★★★): Scarlett’s version is substantially more confusing and less engaging than the original animation. Only worth it if you’re marathoning both.
27. Mountainhead (5★★★★★): Ambitious ideas buried under murky execution.
28. The Day the Earth Stood Still 2010 (5★★★★★): A fraction from the original.
29. Crimes of Future 1958 (4★★★★): Cronenberg’s embryonic vision, interesting only as an artifact.

Documentaries

1. Incident (7★★★★★★★): A tense, meticulously assembled account that lets footage speak louder than commentary. Unsettling in the best documentary tradition.
2. The Elephant Whisperers (7★★★★★★★): Quietly beautiful. It says more about humanity than wildlife.
3. I am Ready Warden (7★★★★★★★)I am Ready Warden (6★★★★★★): Sobering and humane, but struggles to find a fresh angle on familiar ground.
4. The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★)The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★): You leave admiring the film, not the subject.

Animations

1. Robot Dreams (10★★★★★★★★★★): Beautiful, interesting, and moving.
2. Wander to Wonder (9★★★★★★★★★): great short stop motion animation.
3. Ghost In The Shell (8★★★★★★★★): Visual and thought-provoking spectacle. But it’s not easy to understand everything it proposes. A classic I had already watched in 2009.
4. In the Shadow of the Cypress (8★★★★★★★★): post-traumatic stress disorder

TV Shows

1. Adolescence (10★★★★★★★★★★): Four single-take episodes that hit like a gut punch. Devastating, precise, and impossible to shake.
2. The Last of Us (S1) (9★★★★★★★★★): Faithful where it matters, inventive where it dares. Episode 3 alone justifies the whole season.
3. 24 (S1) (8★★★★★★★★): Real-time tension that still holds up. Jack Bauer’s first day remains a masterclass in procedural propulsion.
4. Murderbot (S1) (7★★★★★★★): A lovably anxious killing machine just wants to watch TV shows. Charming adaptation that nails the voice if not always the pace.
5. Senna (2024) (7★★★★★★★): A series that is neither a documentary nor a work of fiction. And it’s average at both. Entire plots of no importance.
6. Severance (S2) (6★★★★★★): The mystery deepens but the momentum stalls. Gorgeous and maddening in equal measure — not always intentionally.
7. The Last of Us (S2) (6★★★★★★): Ambitious but overstretched. Loses the intimate focus that made S1 special, trading earned emotion for sprawling setup.

The USA’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is about to host the annual Oscar Awards. These are the movies that I watched and can comment on.

1. Anora (9★★★★★★★★★): My pick for the best movie of the year. The actress shows drama, comedy and sexuality.
2. Conclave (8★★★★★★★★): Superb performances. Tense with a plot twist.
3. Dune: Part Two (8★★★★★★★★): A sci-fi epic of stunning scope and spectacle. Villeneuve balances grandiosity with intimate character moments.
4. I'm Still Here (8★★★★★★★★): The Brazilian movie about dictatorship from 70s. In other words: modern as ever.
5. The Brutalist (8★★★★★★★★): A visually stunning drama. An intersection of architecture, history, and personal resilience. Brody is Oscar-worthy.
6. The Substance (7★★★★★★★): Its visuals insist on sensations: desire, disgust, wants. It’s a mix of social criticism and B-movie horror.
7. Emilia Pérez (5★★★★★): 13 nominations? It’s a boring movie, the songs are bad and forgettable (not to mention the ASMR presence). Unfortunately, it was caught in pointless controversies.

Documentaries

1. Incident (7★★★★★★★): A tense, meticulously assembled account that lets footage speak louder than commentary. Unsettling in the best documentary tradition.
2. I am Ready Warden (7★★★★★★★)I am Ready Warden (6★★★★★★): Sobering and humane, but struggles to find a fresh angle on familiar ground.
3. The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★)The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★): You leave admiring the film, not the subject.

Animations

1. Wander to Wonder (9★★★★★★★★★): great short stop motion animation.
2. In the Shadow of the Cypress (8★★★★★★★★): post-traumatic stress disorder

Every year, I try to compile a list of games, books, and movies I experienced. For the complete list, check the Ratings. Here we go (sorted by rating, then alphabetically)!

NOTE: I believe this list is the one that is mostly incomplete. I will probably make additions to it, time to time.

1. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (10★★★★★★★★★★): A timeless exploration of rebellion, freedom, and madness, with Nicholson delivering an unforgettable performance. A film that captures both hope and despair in one breath.
2. Game Night (9★★★★★★★★★): A chaotic, clever, and hilarious rollercoaster where every twist lands perfectly. Surprisingly sharp and self-aware for a comedy.
3. Leaving Las Vegas (9★★★★★★★★★): Raw, heartbreaking, and utterly devastating. Cage and Shue lay their souls bare in this tragic descent into addiction.
4. Past Lives (9★★★★★★★★★): A delicate, melancholic meditation on love, fate, and missed chances. Quietly profound and achingly human.
5. The Invisible Guest (9★★★★★★★★★): Our first movie entirely in Spanish since we moved to Peru. Twists and tension done right, keeping you guessing until the very end. A sleek, tightly-woven thriller.
6. The Thing (1982) (9★★★★★★★★★): Paranoia, horror, and practical effects at their peak. Carpenter’s chilling masterpiece.
7. The Whale (9★★★★★★★★★): A gut-wrenching portrait of redemption and regret, anchored by Fraser’s vulnerable and transformative performance.
8. Tropic Thunder (9★★★★★★★★★): Hollywood satire dialed up to 11, skewering industry egos and excess with wild, unfiltered humor. Somehow both ridiculous and incisive.
9. All The President's Men (8★★★★★★★★): Journalism’s finest hour on film, unraveling a scandal with a relentless pursuit of truth.
10. Bernie (8★★★★★★★★): Dark humor meets small-town crime with charm. Jack Black shines in one of his most nuanced performances.
11. Dune: Part Two (8★★★★★★★★): A sci-fi epic of stunning scope and spectacle. Villeneuve balances grandiosity with intimate character moments.
12. High and Low (8★★★★★★★★): A Akira Kurosawa masterful moral thriller of ransom and class, showing the fine line between privilege and desperation.
13. Palm Springs (8★★★★★★★★): Groundhog Day meets millennial cynicism with a heart. A time-loop comedy that’s surprisingly existential. Better than I expected.
14. Poor Things (8★★★★★★★★): Surreal, inventive, and delightfully strange. Stone’s performance is fearless, and the world is bizarrely beautiful.
15. Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping (8★★★★★★★★): Satirical absurdity in perfect harmony, mercilessly mocking the music industry while delivering bangers.
16. Seven Samurai (8★★★★★★★★): Kurosawa’s blueprint for action epics, combining heart, strategy, and heroism.
17. Silence (8★★★★★★★★): A quiet descent into faith and suffering. Scorsese’s understated masterpiece asks hard questions with haunting beauty.
18. A Most Violent Year (7★★★★★★★): Crime and integrity clash in a snow-covered 1980s New York. A slow-burning, tension-filled character study.
19. Anatomy of a Fall (7★★★★★★★): A courtroom drama that dissects more than just a case. A slow-burn character study wrapped in ambiguity.
20. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (7★★★★★★★): Stay classy, comedy fans. A ridiculous, quotable romp that never takes itself seriously.
21. Colossus: The Forbin Project (7★★★★★★★): AI paranoia before it was cool. A chilling look at humanity’s hubris in the face of technology.
22. Donnie Darko (7★★★★★★★): Disturbing, puzzling, and oh so cult-worthy. A time-twisting tale of teenage angst and existential dread.
23. Metropolis (7★★★★★★★): The foundation of sci-fi cinema, a vision still ahead of its time. Note that today, only heavily edited versions of it exist.
24. Take Shelter (7★★★★★★★): A slow-burn descent into anxiety and uncertainty.
25. This Is the End (7★★★★★★★): Self-aware apocalypse, dripping with absurdity, with celebrities roast themselves while the world burns.
26. Upstream Color (7★★★★★★★): A hypnotic puzzle only the boldest try to solve.
27. The Zone of Interest (7★★★★★★★): The horror lies in its mundane perspective. Oscar worthy of either “international movie” or “best picture”, but not both.
28. Civil War (7★★★★★★★): A tense and unsettling exploration of a fractured, grim and plausible America.
29. Primal Fear (7★★★★★★★): A gripping legal thriller with a twist that lingers. Norton’s breakout performance steals the show.
30. Killers of the Flower Moon (6★★★★★★): A tragic epic that loses its sharp edge. Brilliant performances can’t quite save the bloated runtime.
31. The Thing (2011) (6★★★★★★): Decent. A shadow of its predecessor’s brilliance.
32. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (5★★★★★): Tom Cruise runs; the thrill fades. 85% what they talk is one-liners.
33. Mr. Nobody (5★★★★★): The concept is interesting, but the movie in boring.
34. Waking Life (4★★★★): Interesting visuals drags.

Documentaries

1. RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop (8★★★★★★★★): Super nostalgic documentary about the creation of the first movie.
2. Period. End of Sentence (8★★★★★★★★): A powerful, concise look at the fight for menstrual taboos.
3. Nai Nai (7★★★★★★★): A tender and simple portrayal of family bonds across generations.
4. The Last Repair Shop (7★★★★★★★): A heartfelt tribute to unsung heroes keeping music alive, one instrument at a time.

Animations

1. Nimona (9★★★★★★★★★): Bold, vibrant, and full of rebellious energy. A dazzling blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and self-acceptance.
2. Elemental (5★★★★★): I did not like even the visuals, over-saturated.

TV Shows

1. Arcane S1 (10★★★★★★★★★★): A stunning explosion of art, lore, and character depth.
2. Shogun (10★★★★★★★★★★): A masterclass in historical drama, rich and ruthless.
3. Arcane S2 (8★★★★★★★★): Continue to be stylish, but abuse of numerous character timelines with looong playoffs. In several episodes, you end up without knowing what you’ve just watched.
4. House of the Dragon S2 (7★★★★★★★): Dragons characters are cool, but the humans ones are most lame.
5. Severance S1 (7★★★★★★★): Clever, eerie, and just a bit too enigmatic.
6. 3 Body Problem S1 (6★★★★★★): Sci-fi that starts strong, then it becomes less than Lost or Heroes final seasons.

It’s kinda rare to find a show that truly pushes the boundaries of both visual artistry and narrative depth. Netflix’s Arcane does just that. This series, based on the popular e-sport game League of Legends, defies expectations of both animated shows and game adaptations. I can confidently say that Arcane stands on its own as a masterpiece of animation and storytelling.

The old formula of Satisfaction = Experience - Expectations rings true here; with minimal expectations, the actual satisfaction went to the roof.

Post-Disney Rule-book

It boldly breaks away from the Walt Disney formula, long followed by Western animation studios. Much like how “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” rightfully claimed the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, Arcane is a representative of a new era of audacious artistic choices.

The series’ visual style is nothing short of breathtaking, seamlessly blending 2D and 3D techniques to create a unique aesthetic that’s both gritty and beautiful. The attention to detail is astounding, from the intricate steampunk designs of the city’s towering spires to the grimy, neon-lit streets of the underworld. The cinematography employs non-standard angles, innovative compositions, and dramatic lighting that would be at home in a live-action film.

Interestingly, the characters themselves are deeply invested in various forms of art, from painting to music. There are scenes where characters are actively creating art, stroking paint onto canvas, their actions mirroring the creative process behind the show itself. Nice meta-textual layer.

While the character animations are indeed noteworthy, with facial expressions conveying complex emotions through subtle movements, it’s a holistic approach to the visual and auditory experience. It is enhanced by a masterful sound design and a compelling musical score.

Mature Narrative

While the visuals might draw you in, it’s the mature and intricate storyline that keeps you hooked. This is decidedly not a children’s show, tackling complex themes such as politics, class struggle, drug addiction, and mental health with depth and exploring themes of family, loyalty, and the corrupting influence of power.

What’s particularly impressive is how the show manages to give each character enough screen time to develop fully. Unlike series that rush to action scenes and vague dialogues (looking at you, “Rings of Power”), Arcane takes the time to develop its cast. Viewers understand and care about the characters’ motivations, making the conflicts feel real and impactful. There are no clear-cut heroes or villains here; even characters who initially seem antagonistic are given depth and motivation, making them understandable, if not always sympathetic.

One of the show’s greatest strengths is its world-building. While some shows struggle to make their lore accessible (think “House of the Dragon”, where many details are only truly appreciated in “making of” videos), Arcane manages to present its rich world in a way that’s both detailed and digestible. The cities of Piltover and Zaun are characters in their own right, with distinct aesthetics and cultures that inform the actions of their inhabitants. The show explores these locations methodically, allowing viewers to build a mental map of this fantastical world without feeling overwhelmed.

Super Accessible

As someone who came into Arcane with virtually ZERO knowledge of League of Legends (except knowing it’s a worldwide famous MOBA e-sport with a seemingly insurmountable entry barrier), I was pleasantly surprised by how accessible the show is. While there are undoubtedly references and Easter eggs for fans of the game, the series stands entirely on its own. The lore and world are introduced organically, never feeling like an information dump or requiring outside knowledge to appreciate.

Watching with my wife, who is also unfamiliar with the source material, was a delightful experience. The show sparked discussions until long after each episode ended.

It’s clear that the creators prioritized telling a compelling story first and foremost, rather than simply creating a cash grab. The second and final season is planned for release in November 2025, and we’ll be eagerly waiting on the couch.

The USA’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is about to host the annual Oscar Awards. These are the movies that I watched and can comment on.

1. Oppenheimer (8★★★★★★★★): Probably the biggest winner of the night, it deserves. The 3 part story of the titular character tells the background story of the atomic bomb creation. Downey Jr and Murphy are both good. It drags a bit but is brings both information and entertainment.
2. Society of the Snow (8★★★★★★★★): A gripping remake that skillfully balances tension, hope, joy, and despair. Captures the essence of survival. Had the crash occurred in the Alps with English-speaking characters, it would be a strong contender for Best Film.
3. The Holdovers (8★★★★★★★★): My personal pick for best actor and best movie.
4. Barbie (6★★★★★★): Overly self-absorbed and self-promotional, lacking subtlety, and with an LoTR’s unnecessarily long ending. More meta than Matrix 4.
5. Maestro (6★★★★★★): Cooper conducts well, but orchestra plays flat. Great acting & visuals (B&W to color thru time), but story drags on irrelevant details, like the Jewish origin. Makeup steals the show.

Animations

1. Nimona (9★★★★★★★★★): A hilarious, fast-paced adventure featuring a diverse cast. Tackles themes of inclusion, acceptance, and LGBTQIA+ with wit and depth. A standout choice for the Animation category.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (8★★★★★★★★): Very good sequel of the amazingly good first entry. The artistic value is on the roof.
3. Elemental (5★★★★★): This time Pixar won’t take the golden statuette. Visually unpleasing with oversaturated colors all the time. The protagonist’s forced villainy. Except the excellent water family (that almost steals the show), all characters are boring and unidimensional.