More mini-reviews of films and TV shows that I’ve watched during the past months (I began with this list on 2024-07-13).

Film

The Spine of Night (2021)

An interesting watch; quite weird, but interesting.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Partially OK, but also a level or two below the previous three films of the reboot. And the story was also not very gripping.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Mars Express (2023)

A very cool animated SciFi film.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Miami Vice (2006)

Rewatch – Liked the TV show back in the days (though I haven’t watched it since the 1980s; curious how it would hold up), but this film, although from the same mind as the original show, simply didn’t click with me.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Nimona (2023)

The live-action Netflix originals are seldom good, but with animation films (or shows), they really have a good hand. This movie is not outstanding, but I enjoyed it while watching…
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Leviathan (1989)

Another underwater SciFi/Horror flick; and again, not very good.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Dämonen 2 (Dèmoni) (1985)

Better than the other Dèmoni film, but only barely.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Dämonen | Dèmoni 2… l’incubo ritorna (1986)

Rewatch – I totally forgot that I saw it before; it’s still crap.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Family Business (1989)

It had it’s moments, but it’s was also missing the certain extra spark.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Ali (2001)

Rewatch – I just realized: Another Michael Mann movie on this list (next to “Miami Vice”) that didn’t really do it for me. He’s pretty much a hit (“Heat”, “Collateral”) or miss director for me.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Mystic River (2003)

Rewatch – It’s a good crime-drama, but also not extraordinary.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Braindead (1992)

Rewatch – Early work from the later director of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy; very early, very low budget, and also bloody fun (literally).
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Hm, it’s OK, but not as original as the first part (which I liked, but was also not enthusiastic about it); just more of the same. Well made, but also only a continuation of the story (and for me, even a little worse than the predecessor).
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Longlegs (2024)

This one got quite the media hype, but it was simply not for me: Too slow and too uninteresting, overall.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Only Yesterday | Omohide poro poro | Tränen der Erinnerung (1991)

Another Studio Ghibli production: Good film, very emotional.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Rebel Ridge (2024)

An alright action-thriller, not groundbreaking, but entertaining; maybe a bit too long, but fine nevertheless.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Ocean Waves | Umi ga kikoeru | Flüstern des Meeres (1993)

And yet another film by Studio Ghibli, but this one sadly didn’t resonate with me at all.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Rewatch – Quite a classic of the western genre and very decent, but not a favourite of mine.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Pom Poko | Heisei tanuki gassen ponpoko (1994)

Yet another film from Studio Ghibli, but I didn’t finish it (only watched a third or so of it), because it’s absolutely not for me; thus no real rating.
☆☆☆☆☆ 0/5 stars

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)

I had hoped that this spin-off of the “F&F” franchise would entertain me more, but it didn’t: In fact, it was catastrophic.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Whisper of the Heart | Mimi wo sumaseba | Stimme des Herzens (1995)

Studio Ghibli, again. It was OK, not more.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

The Batman (2022)

Rewatch – Hm, my rating dropped one star on the second viewing…
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Rewatch – Interesting.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Wolfs (2024)

Felt like a very minor production, and even the two well-known star actors couldn’t save it.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

Forrest Gump (1994)

Rewatch – Nice – but not great.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Well, this one is not easy: On the one hand, I found it to be very funny, very entertaining; but on the other hand I wonder how good (or bad) it will age or hold up on rewatches…
For now, I go with this rating:
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Cube (1997)

Rewatch – An interesting high-concept SciFi flick; maybe not the best cast or execution. The very low budget didn’t bother, due to the premise, in fact it fit very well with the concept. And the orignal idea helped this film a lot.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)

Rewatch – I think of it still as a good and funny fantasy adventure (which are a rare breed).
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

Strange Darling (2023)

Couldn’t really get into it (on first watch), especially because of the gimmicky (IMHO) non-linear way of storytelling.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Only God Forgives (2013)

Not good. It looks stylish and has brief moments that are not too shabby, but overal: Not good.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

DeepStar Six (1989)

Rewatch – A (below-)average B-movie of the underwater horror/sci-fi genre.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 stars

The Last Starfighter (1984)

Rewatch – Can’t really rate this objectively, because it’s a very memorable movie from my childhood.
That being said: Even without that nostalgia bonus, it still holds up as a very entertaining 1980s space opera.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars

TV

The Boys — Season 4

This felt like a transitional season, a preparation for the next season. On its own, it didn’t provide anything really new or exciting or progressed the overal storyline.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 stars

Terminator Zero — Season 1

Did not like it, at all: Boring crap.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 stars

Star Trek: The Next Generation — Season 5

Rewatch – As usual: Some episodes are better than others, but in total, still a good show.
★★★★☆ 4/5 stars