And here is, after a long while and with quite a delay, a new overview.
(The drafts for #46 and #47 are already in the works, so hopefully it won’t take forever…)

Film

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

Well, an old horror classic; I think I’ve only ever seen the remake from 2006, but that was too long ago to remember how I felt about it.
This original film, 30+ years before the remake (which is also already 15+ years old!), is a different beast.
Hard for me to judge, but watching it in 2023 for the first time isn’t doing it any favors.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Dogtooth (2009)

As artsy-fartsy as one can get; not my cup of tea.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Frontier(s) (2007)

With this one, I completed after many years the run of watching all four major entries of the wave of New French Extremity from the early 2000s: “Inside”, “High Tension”, “Martyrs” and now “Frontier(s)”. Two of them I watched a long time ago (“Inside” and “High Tension”), the other two just recently.

The first two were so long ago that I can hardly recall anything of it; the other two are still fresh in my mind. But all have in common, that I’m not a big fan. Some were a tad better than others, but overall: Not great (as mentioned: I’m also not the biggest horror fan in this world).

This one, “Frontier(s)”, in particular, came accross at times as involuntary too campy, too exaggerated.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

As a kid, back in the 1980s, I probably would have loved it – but the times and also me (and my taste) have changed in the last 40 years, therefore: Only two stars; and that is very gracious!
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Ladyhawke (1985)

Rewatch – Another cool mid-1980s fantasy flick with a great cast; haven’t seen since my childhood, but this one still holds up as a good movie, while not without flaws.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Barbie (2023)

On the one hand, I had feared to view a much worse movie than what I got at the end. On the other hand: I’m not part of the target audience. And while it is quite entertaining at times, overall I was not impressed.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Alles ist eins. Außer der Null | Everything is one. Except for the zero

A german documentation about the Computer Chaos Club and its founder Wau Holland. Interesting topic, but could have been done better.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Pig (2021)

Heard and read only positive things about this one, especially about Nicolas Cage’s performance. And yes, Cage is very good in it, very subdue (for a change). And while liked a few ideas of the plot, overall it didn’t grab or convince me.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

A Quiet Place, Part II (2020)

Can’t really judge it, because I fast-forwared most of it after the beginning (the flashback). Looked very uninspired.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Fight Club (1999)

Rewatch – Since I knew the plot, I could this time focus on other things; and it’s been many years since my last watch: It’s pretty OK.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Spider-Man: Accross the Spider-Verse (2023)

Very exhausting (and I want to believe that also my teenage-myself would think that about it), although there were some slower passages sprinkled around. And despite its (too) long runtime, the story is only done halfway.

Didn’t like it as much as its predecessor (A New Universe), and I wasn’t even a big fan of that one; so that gives…
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Her (2013)

I expected a completely different story (from the little that I knew about this film before watching it). Sadly neither the protagonist nor the story-arc or plot-points were doing it for me.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

One of those older non-Disney animation classic that I’ve never seen in my childhood. Three stars, but only because I liked the animation.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

The Ruins (2008)

Rewatch – Also a film that now sits a little bit higher in my ranking after having watched it again, for a second time, many years later. It has an interesting premise, but I scratch my head when thinking about it – but that could be ’explained away’, and maybe it is in the novel on which this film is based on.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One (2023)

Hm, not bad. But after the absolute highlight that came before (Fallout), it was a bit of a letdown. And it also felt a bit repetetive. If this series ends with the next part, it may be the right decision (on the other hand, maybe part two will be a surprising resurgence again – wouldn’t be the first time for this franchise).
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

The Running Man (1987)

Rewatch – Not an outstanding movie, and also not one of Arnold’s better films. But with that being said, it’s still a good-enough affair: The production value is a bit low, but there’s still plenty of Schwarzenegger charisma to make up for it.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

I knew Pee-Wee only by name and always thought of it as this pure children’s show host. But this movie (which is also Tim Burton’s feature-film debut) is a very weird and very humorous matter.

One absolutely must like this kind of extremely wacky kind of comedy (and may also need the right timing to hit, as it did for me now). But if all this matches properly, it’s great entertainment.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

48 Hrs. (1982)

Rewatch – A very 1980s buddy comedy, that doesn’t give a fuck about political correctness. I liked it, especially due to the banter between Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy, but it won’t get into my hall of fame.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Rewatch – A well made vampire drama, with a good cast. But I do have some issues with a few plot-points of the story, especially at the very end (meaning the final few minutes).
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

The King of Comedy (1982)

OK, I can definitely see why Joker gets compared to this one, even though this film is very different at its core. I liked (a few) parts of it, and diskliked (a lot of) other parts. So, a mixed bag, but with a slight emphasis on not that great for me.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Rewatch – This was my second viewing of it; I remember that I watched it years ago, because it had this reputation of being one of the early, original screwball comedies. I didn’t particulary like it back then, but did recognize why it had that fame.

Now, seeing it again, may years later, I liked it more, but still didn’t fall in love with it. I guess the age and changes in culture and society over the decades comes heavily into play here.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Empire Records (1995)

Rewatch – I probably have seen it a long, long time ago, as a TV re-run… A kind of coming of age story, but it actually felt more like a random episode of a TV show (also caused by the very limited setting), with a very hightened 1990 vibe (US-style, of course, not my own, german, small-village experience of the 1990s).
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Hysteria (2011)

Read about this film years ago and then totally forgot about it (wasn’t also never mentioned on any places that I follow). By chance, I now finally caught it on YouTube. Well since it’s a mainstream costume film with that kind of topic, one can count on one finger how this will turn out: A harmless and toothless affair.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Well, that was a movie. With a new and unique art style. But the movie itself was just OK; nothing special. Especially the last act was the same kind of action/effects overkill you very often get these days; and that made me lose my interest very fast.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Any Bullet Will Do (2018)

A western that is not terrible, but very forgettable and with generic and standard tropes on a tiny budget.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Black Death (2010)

Rewatch – I dimly remember having watched this film before, and that I wasn’t very convinced by it. I didn’t find it really bad, but a bit underwhelming. And now I will make a very similar judgement: Not bad, but even when ignoring the low budget, the writing is also not the best.
So, again: OK(ish), but far from really good.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

TV

Barry — Season 3

Still a great show. As with previous seasons, it took me a while (one or two episodes) to get back into it again (and briefly asking myself: Maybe it peaked last season?). But it then soon picked up again and surprised me with its plot and characters; good stuff! (Side note: I’ve heard that before I began with this show, and it’s true: It gets darker and darker. While it was a [very] dark comedy from the start, it now turns very bleak, but still has its subtle, evil humor in it).
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Castlevania: Nocturne — Season 1

Hm, considering that the first season of the original Castlevania series was also slightly disappointing for me, I will give this show the benefit of doubt and wait until the next season for a further verdict.

But for now, I’m not too fond of this: It doesn’t really show or tell anything that hasn’t been done before, often better, in the other Castlevania show.
I even found the animation lacking here at times.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars