slime rancher (2017)

cute game, will suck you in, lots of easy fun. 

Journey (2012)

This is a beautiful and beautifully short exploration video game that there are, to this day, still people hopping into and playing, which is cool, because there is a light multiplayer component in which you get paired with a fellow traveler at random and it makes the whole thing quite delightful. 

Stalin by Oleg Khlevniuk

This historically situated and incredibly researched biography of Stalin will certainly teach you a lot but I fear it suffers from a miscalculation of depth of focus- it's too long to read as a useful summary of events, but far too short to give the reader a chance to understand and identify with the major players as characters. 

Malcolm X (1992)

I was utterly riveted by this Spike Lee biographical treatment of the great leader; everything about the man and the history is fascinating, Denzel does his usual outstanding job, and yes, the movie is 3.5 hours long, but (and yes this is an abnormal position for me) it really earns it, the man deserves it. 

happiest season (2020)

Not my normal fare but this Christmas drama romcom thing was so-so and entertaining enough, watchable if for no other reason than kristen stewart looks so cool in heavy eye makeup and disheveled boy clothes compared to all the fancy rich people. 

Zombieland: double tap (2019)

Zombieland the original was fun action comedy, and this sequel is a perfectly sufficient rehash of that formula, albeit with pretty sloppy writing.

Reaper's Gale and Toll the Hounds by Steve Erikson

Although there are definitely some emerging criticisms of the latter half of the Malazan series (too many quickly shifting viewpoints, an ever increasing tendancy to philosophize from various characters' viewpoints, sometimes at length), I still can't put down these books, with their incredible and ridiculous spread of lore and pathos and fun, and their huge, bewildering story. 

The Thing (1982)

I’m a huge Carpenter fan and this is my favorite of his - punchy, snappy, verve, amazing effects and music, literally never a dull moment, poignant and interesting despite being a pretty straightforward monster thriller on the surface, just all around in my top 10. 

die hard with a vengeance (1995)

Even tho I have a soft spot for Bruce Willis' action comedy style of sardonic humor mixed with extreme violence, and even tho the third die hard movie is well paced and plotted and written (for a dumb action movie), there's something about it that just doesn't add up; the two leads have very little chemistry, maybe overall the movie just lacks heart. 

Barry Lyndon (1975)

It's always excellent to watch Kubrick stretch out and show off, as he does in this gorgeously shot, slightly ponderous but overall clever and poignant period piece.