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2007 2006 2005 2004 2003

Movies

Between nothing new coming out yet and me insisting of rewatching old favourites all the time, I've not watched anything new yet this year! Check back later.

Music

Title: Andacht
Year: 2007
Artist: Lunar Aurora
Date Listened: 10^th January 2007
Opinion: I actively tried to like this, I really did. Lunar Aurora is a friend's new favourite band and they were very enthusiastic about showing them to me. But. Jesus christ. I could not sit through the album. Truthfully, I just pretended I'd listened to and enjoyed it because this really just was not my cup of tea by any means. S3r, if you're reading this, sorry for lying about liking the album.

Title: Lithium
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: The Open Door - Evanescence
Date Listened: 3^rd January 2007
Opinion: If you've been here a while, you know by now how I feel about liking music that could get me misconstrued as 'emo'. (Evanescence isn't emo, BTW, J that means you, it's metal, >:/). I always act like it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. This is not changed by Lithium. I'm as always, embarrassed to admit it, but I really liked it. The consistently over-the-top theatrics just do something to me, man. It really hits some sort of spot in the back of my brain.

Title: Set Fire To The Third Bar
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
Date Listened: 3^rd January 2007
Opinion: I don't really listen to Snow Patrol that often so I'm not entirely used to their style, but I was a little iffy with the vocals on this. That said, I actually really liked the chorus! The way the instrumental picks up during it actually gives me chills, just a little tiny bit. It feels a bit like a song from a movie soundtrack. The song ends a little abruptly, but apart from that, I did actually quite like it.

Books

Nothing's here yet... Because it's literally January. And because I've been super busy. Check back in after a couple months and maybe I'll have read something.

Games

Title: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Year: 2006
Genre: Action-Adventure
Date First Played: 9^th January 2007
Opinion: TP is HUGE. Bigger than any LoZ game so far. Because of that, it's really hard to put down. There's just so, so much to do, and it's all over the place. I'm super impressed with how they expanded the game with this installment! I haven't even finished it yet but I love it <3 (I got the Gamecube version because I'm still a little unsure about forking out for a Wii. We'll see what else comes out on it first!)

Movies

Title: Flushed Away
Year: 2006
Genre: Animated Comedy
Date Watched: 5^th December 2006
Opinion: Okay, this one's a bit silly. I was babysitting my little sibling, and they wanted to go and see this. HOWEVER. Flushed Away was made by the same people who made the Wallace & Gromit, which is a series that, if you've been here a while, you know I've always loved. So of course I said yes. Whilst I'm a little out of the age bracket, some of the jokes still got a laugh out of me. Not really my style, but my sibling enjoyed it and I had a nice time with them. :)

Title: Pan's Labyrinth
Year: 2006
Genre: Dark fantasy/War
Date Watched: 29^th November 2006
Opinion: Saw in the cinema. Yes, I know. "Darker, you're spending literally all of your money on cinema tickets, you've got to stop!". I know, okay? ... Anyway, though. Everything about Pan's Labyrinth is so good. The costumes and set design are absolutely stunning. A couple of scenes genuinely had me on the edge of my seat, and it blended the two quite contrasting genres remarkably well. There was even a little gore in there which I'm always partial to. The final scene with the captain was so gratifying.

Title: Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny
Year: 2006
Genre: Musical Comedy/Fantasy
Date Watched: 25^th November 2006
Opinion: Man, the amount I've been going to the cinema lately I might actually end up going broke. But how could I not? It's Jack Black. It's Tenacious D. I've been buzzing since the album came out the other week. You already know what I'm going to say-- I loved it. I'm starting to realise just how much things with Jack Black in them are, like, comfort content or something like that for me. It was weird and all over the place and I really, really loved it.

Title: Hostel
Year: 2006
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 31^st October 2006
Opinion: Personally, I think we saved the best 'til last in the movie marathon. You all know I'm quite partial to a bit of gore and this did not disappoint. There's this one scene where a character's eye gets-- you know what? Watch it yourself. Provided you're not at all gore-sensitive, that is. The plot itself isn't fantastic, but I just can't resist gory practical effects and I fall for movies with copious amounts of them every. Single. Time.

Title: The Ring
Year: 2002
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 31^st October 2006
Opinion: Part two of the movies I hadn't seen in the Halloween movie marathon. The Ring is a remake of a J-Horror movie called Ringu, and they somehow managed to get this one pretty close to the vibe the original would have had, which isn't extremely common for Western remakes. It's definitely not as subtle, and a couple moments did feel a liiiittle schlocky, but it did manage to get under my skin just a little bit. But don't tell anyone.

Title: Scary Movie
Year: 2000
Genre: 'Horror'/'Comedy'/Absolute filth
Date Watched: 31^st October 2006
Opinion: ...There is a reason I had never watched this. I was not expecting this to be the first on a lineup of Halloween movies my friends and I were going to watch together. On first glance, this movie looks literally awful. Surprise surprise - that's because it is literally awful! I actually found myself offering to refill people's drinks or snacks purely so I didn't have to be in the room quite as much while this movie was still on.

Title: Saw III
Year: 2006
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 29^th October 2006
Opinion: Okay, so. It wasn't bad. Definitely weaker than the first two, but it was still pretty decent. The plot was a bit less believable but I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of Whannell and Wan. I'm intrigued about how they're going to continue the story from here on, but really, the word 'intrigued' here more means 'morbidly curious'. I've a bit of a sinking feeling about what Saw IV's gonna be like, but only time will tell.

Title: The Wicker Man
Year: 2006
Genre: Folk Horror
Date Watched: 21^st September 2006
Opinion: AAAAAGH!! NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES!!! AAAUGH, THEY'RE IN MY EYES!!! AAAAAAAAUGH!!
This was... awful. I wasted my money watching it in the cinema. Please don't make the same mistake I did. Spend your money on like, snacks or something instead. Something you think you might, y'know, actually enjoy.

Title: Nacho Libre
Year: 2006
Genre: Comedy Drama
Date Watched: 18^th August 2006
Opinion: I love Jack Black. Those who know me well are painfully aware of this. Of course I went to see this in the cinema. It was fun and silly and I enjoyed it. Maybe a little too much toilet humour for my liking and some of the jokes didn't land quite where they were meant to, but other than that it put a smile on my face during a pretty low week. It's actually surprisingly heartfelt, too.
...Really put me in the mood for a good slice of toast. Or maybe a fancy salad.

Title: War Of The Worlds
Year: 2005
Genre: Sci-Fi Action
Date Watched: 15^th August 2006
Opinion: It's just a bit... nothing-y. It's bland. I'm going to have to pad out my opinion on it because it needs to be about four lines in order to display the page correctly but I just have nothing to say about it. It wasn't bad, but I can't say I enjoyed it either. There's just nothing to work with. Nothing to say about it. Blah blah blah blah blah. Have I reached four lines yet? Save code, reload page... Yeah, just about. Cool.

Title: Signs
Year: 2002
Genre: Sci-Fi Horror
Date Watched: 24^th June 2006
Opinion: So... I didn't not enjoy it. It wasn't bad. I'm not sure I completely understand the excitement over it, however. The CGI was pretty impressive admittedly but I wouldn't actually call it scary - the alien's just kind of, like, a guy. The alleyway scene that everyone seems to find so scary isn't really that bad. In fact, I actually laughed a little bit. The imagery of Joaquin Phoenix in a pointy tinfoil hat made me giggle, too. Don't think that'd be enough to get me to actually spend money on it, though.

Title: Silent Hill
Year: 2006
Genre: Psychological Horror
Date Watched: 2^nd May 2006
Opinion: Ehhhhhhh. I don't know. It's Silent Hill, so I feel inclined to say it was good. This is the second video game movie I've watched this year and I need something good after DOOM. They DID get the visual style down. The movie looks great, and replicates the atmosphere of the games fairly well. The plot is confusing, however, and the pacing is all over the place. I'll probably watch it again, but I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it.

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Year: 2005
Genre: Fantasy
Date Watched: 4^th April 2006
Opinion: My little sibling really wanted to see this when it came out and we never got around to it, so my parents got them the DVD when it came out. Sat with them and watched it because why not. It's a bit out of my age range, but there were actually a couple moments that were kind of eerie. Nothing against her, but something about Tilda Swinton is so unsettling. Kind of fun and a little spooky, but overall not my thing.

Title: V For Vendetta
Year: 2006
Genre: Dystopian/Action
Date Watched: 23^rd March 2006
Opinion: I'll start as I mean to continue: I think this movie is overrated. Everyone has been telling me to go and see it, and I just... didn't really enjoy it that much, I guess. I thought the acting was great, the cinematography was pretty cool, and I like the plot in theory, but in practice... I'm... not so keen. It just feels a bit like it's meant to be a "smart" movie, but it was written by someone who isn't actually as smart as the movie is meant to be. Shrug. It was okay, but... eh.

Title: DOOM
Year: 2005
Genre: Sci-Fi
Date Watched: 7^th March 2006
Opinion: A friend asked if I wanted to watch it with them since they'd just got the DVD. I think I was close to falling asleep at some point. They try to be 'faithful' to the game, but DOOM does not translate to a movie. Whilst there's some semblance, the game doesn't really have much of a plot, something which they mirrored remarkably. It's massively nothing-y and just kind of banks on fans of the game thinking "wow! violence! just like in the game!" and not noticing how little substance there is to the movie itself.

Title: A Tale of Two Sisters
Year: 2003
Genre: Psychological Horror/Drama
Date Watched: 30^th January 2006
Opinion: Finally got ahold of this movie after trying to get my hands on it for ages. Thanks J for hooking me up. So, in review-- Oh my GOD. I was a bit concerned about where the twist was going at first but it really, really delivered the further towards the end it got. It's genuinely scary, it's raw, and in a weird way, it's got this sense of grief to it that's both heavy but also gentle. Does that make sense? I don't know. Not really. But, anyway, yeah, this is a delight and I will be rewatching it very soon.

Title: Donnie Darko
Year: 2001
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
Date Watched: 12^th January 2006
Opinion: Was super bored and got recommended this a few days ago, so I thought hey, why not. It was...
Fantastic. I know I'm just repeating the masses here but it was absolutely brilliant. I may only be twelve days in, but I might already have my favourite movie for the year. I love reading about all the theories people have put out about the ending - there's so much variation out there in what people think the plane crash actually means for the story.

Title: The Amityville Horror
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 6^th January 2006
Opinion: ... Eurgh. You know, you'd think with a predecessor as good as 1979's Amityville Horror, this one would be at least halfway decent. But it's just... not. None of the characters are particularly likeable (or intelligent for that matter), the entire thing is packed with about as many cheesy tropes as is humanly possible, and they try so hard to make it scary that it just loops back around to silliness. Don't bother with this. Stick to the '79 one if you want one that's worth watching.

Music

Title: Völkerball
Year: 2006
Artist: Rammstein
Date Listened: 26^th December 2006
Opinion: Got this for christmas and I couldn't be happier. Völkerball isn't new music, but rather a live album of existing songs with video footage of the concert. The visual element actually really adds to the experience (and compensates for the fact that I couldn't have been there in person) and despite some people voicing a dislike for it, I actually quite enjoy hearing the audience. Makes you feel more connected to the music, if you ask me.

Title: This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: Infinity On High - Fall Out Boy
Date Listened: 13^th December 2006
Opinion: Ooooh I loved this one. Listening to CTOL reminded me I hadn't watched the performance of this yet. It's punchy and fast-paced and the perfect kind of song for my brain. It's really specific, but I love the little 'do-do-do-do-dooo's in the chorus. The lyrics kind of tell a 'story' of the person the narrator is and it's interesting to imagine what that character is like. Between this and CTOL, the rest of the album has got to be good.

Title: Carpal Tunnel Of Love
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: Infinity On High - Fall Out Boy
Date Listened: 13^th December 2006
Opinion: This only just came out and I've been waiting so patiently for new FoB that I had to listen to it ASAP. Carpal Tunnel Of Love is the first single from their new album (releasing February, I think?) Infinity On High. It's good! Really good. There was a little screamo in it which is not unwelcome at all, and it's very catchy. I've been humming it all afternoon. I don't want to speak too soon, ever the cynic that I am, but the new album seems promising so far!

Title: You! Me! Dancing!
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: IIII... don't think they have any albums, but it's by Los Campesinos!
Date Listened: 4^th December 2006
Opinion: One of my friends went to these guys' gig and filmed some of it. They don't actually have their music available anywhere as far as I'm aware and the footage didn't do it many favours, but I think they've got some potential! It's not exactly my style of music, but it was fun, and the person I was with seemed really into it when we watched together, which is just nice to see either way. Very punchy and upbeat, almost to the point of silliness, but I have to admit it did make me smile.

Title: Different World
Year: 2006
Album & Artist: A Matter Of Life And Death - Iron Maiden
Date Listened: 16^th November 2006
Opinion: I mean, what could I possibly have bad to say about one of the most successful metal bands out there? Different World is just. Good. It's very catchy and I really like it. I'm not sure why I haven't listened to the rest of the album yet, should probably do that some time soon, but for now, I'm going to say that I'm totally here for this song as is.

Title: The Pick Of Destiny
Year: 2006
Artist: Tenacious D
Date Listened: 14^th November 2006
Opinion: This came out literally today. Thank god for modern streaming services, right? Anyway. This album is fantastic. This music is funny and good, something which a lot of 'comedy' musicians struggle to actually accomplish. It's loud and rebellious and - and I don't use this word lightly - actually epic. 'The Government Totally Sucks' made me laugh especially because it just felt totally unexpected. The song might not entirely apply to me, but the message stands either way - they're not wrong. Fantastic album. Getting a physical copy ASAP.

Title: Snow (Hey Oh)
Year: 2006
Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Date Listened: 12^th November 2006
Opinion: See, the thing is, I do try to like RHCP. Some of my friends do and I kind of just feel like I should. It's just not my kind of music. It feels like it's got nothing to it, in my opinion. It's sort of hollow feeling, like something a bit heavier should be there but it just isn't. It could be that I'm just into more metal-ly music in general and that loudness just isn't there. Shrug.

Title: The Black Parade
Year: 2006
Artist: My Chemical Romance
Date Listened: 27^th October 2006
Opinion: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Ahem. So uh. Yeah. It was... cool. Not bad. Didn't mind it.
Jokes aside, The Black Parade was everything. Every single song on it was brilliant and they're all probably going to be among my most-ever looped songs by the end of the week. Yes, even Blood (which, despite being really Silly, is still so catchy and very in-tone with the rest of the album). I missed having new MCR music and I am SO glad to have more. I'm putting my grubby little 'I-Am-Not-An-Emo-I-Swear' hands all over it. <3 <3 <3

Title: Illinoise
Year: 2005
Artist: Sufjan Stevens
Date Listened: 15^th October 2006
Opinion: I've heard mention of Sufjan Stevens before, but never really delved into listening. It's not my usual kind of style, and from brief snippets of songs I'd heard, it didn't sound like I'd enjoy it. One of my friends leant me their copy of Illinoise, however, and I actually really enjoyed it. They reccommended I waited for a quiet night, so that I did, and listened to it in the dark, and it was very... calm. The music's gentle and it makes you feel safe, in a way, I guess. Thanks for that, P.

Title: Ta-Dah
Year: 2006
Artist: Scissor Sisters
Date Listened: 22^nd September 2006
Opinion: Very good! Fun. I can't say I liked every song on the album, but most of them were really good. I've no doubt I'm going to get called edgy for this, but I especially really loved I Can't Decide. It's so campy and upbeat whilst also being about... literally making a decision about whether or not to murder someone. There's just something really fun about that concept and I love it.

Title: Dinosaurchestra
Year: 2006
Artist: Lemon Demon
Date Listened: 30^th July 2006
Opinion: Once again there's new Lemon Demon music out, and once again I am veritably forced to listen to it. It isn't bad, but god, I'm under ATTACK once a new album comes out. The spam doesn't stop 'til I listen... Anyway. Lemon Demon isn't exactly my thing. It's weird, and some of the songs lean more towards the sort of juvenile side, but there's a charm to them. They're catchy as hell, too - I can NOT get some of them out of my head and it does drive me the tiniest bit insane. I do kind of like it, though, deep down.

Title: The Sufferer & The Witness
Year: 2006
Artist: Rise Against
Date Listened: 19^th July 2006
Opinion: YESSSS. Rise Against just don't make any bad music, I've decided, that's a fact now. Big and loud and in-your-face and exactly what I look for in an album. Loud enough that I can't really think over it, just how I like it. I don't really have anything other than that to say about it, really - it was just really, really good. This is also a really random thought but I find the album cover really intriguing for some reason. IDK.

Title: The Summer Tic
Year: 2006
Artist: Paramore
Date Listened: 2^nd July 2006
Opinion: Man I LOVE these guys. They seem to have got a reputation in the last year though... don't call me emo. I'm not emo. The Summer Tic is perfect. The perfect mix of both louder and more gentle styles and a perfect followup to their first album last year. I'm so glad it didn't take long for them to put out more stuff. Each song flows into the next really well and my only complaint is that there isn't more in the EP. Love it. Love it love it love it.

Title: Under The Western Freeway
Year: 1997
Artist: Grandaddy
Date Listened: 25^th March 2006
Opinion: I don't even remember how I stumbled upon this. You know when you look at something on youtube, then something else, 'til you've gone down a massive rabbit hole and you're on some weird video with, like, 12 views? Yeah. that's what led me to stumbling upon this album. Some video had a song from this as BG music, and I decided to have a look at the album. It's not my usual style, but I really enjoyed it. There's something very neurally satisfying about the weird little beeps and boops, and every song feels like it belongs in a movie.

Books

Title & Author: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Year: 1953
Genre: Sci-Fi
Date Finished: 29^th November 2006
Opinion: God, people really worried about the future, didn't they? Thankfully, I think the fact I read this book in the first place is a good example of how it isn't quite that accurate. I relate to Clarisse a lot (though it makes me feel a bit weird to say, like I'm trying to point myself out as some sort of special, individual person) and the way she's so callously killed off 'off-screen' is so... abrupt. Everything else, however, just keeps building and building and building. Genuinely suspenseful. I really enjoyed it.

Title & Author: ASOUE: The End by Lemony Snicket
Year: 2006
Genre: Gothic/Black Comedy
Date Finished: 21^st October 2006
Opinion: God, uh... I don't... actually know how to feel. That was certainly sobering. I'd kind of been expecting something more along the lines of Sunny just... chewing the Count's jugular out. I do feel like not everything was answered, which I'd been hoping for, but to be honest I think it actually works better this way. It was just all so... I don't know. It still felt chaotic but it felt much more... somber. I'm honestly a little lost for words.
...Now to find a new book series to obsess over.

Title & Author: Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
Year: 2006
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: 30^th September 2006
Opinion: Oh, thank god. A reprieve from being forced to read... that. This is the third book in the Wee Free Men series, which people (Terry Pratchett himself included) claim is for children but I don't buy into that for a second. As with the first two, I really enjoyed it. Lots of silliness as per usual but this one was actually a lot more sober. The story was actually my favourite out of the three of them so far, too. Not sure exactly why, just everything about it. Something something opposites attract. Very nice.

Title & Author: Twilight: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Year: 2006
Genre: Dark Romance
Date Finished: 4^th September 2006
Opinion: Part two of reading the Twilight books because I lost a bet. God, reading this stuff makes me feel weird. I get it. People like dark things. My username is literally Darker. I know how it is. But New Moon is just... depressing. Bella, who, may I remind you has just turned eighteen, gets breakup-induced depression, then Jacob gets depression because he can't be with Bella, and then Edward gets depression because he thinks Bella died. It just... does my head in. Let these teenagers be happy for a bit, maybe.

Title & Author: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Year: 2005
Genre: Dark Romance
Date Finished: 18^th August 2006
Opinion: I lost a bet, there's a new Twilight book coming out soon, I've been forced to buy and read both. Maybe it's the fact I'm an adult when the main characters are seventeen, or maybe it's that I like my monsters... monstrous, of possibly even the fact that Edward admits he wanted to kill Bella and drink her blood when he first met her, but everything about this book is just... yuck. Did not like it at all. I only read the whole thing because P kept asking extremely specific questions to make sure I'd actually read it.

Title & Author: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Year: 2006
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date Finished: 28^th April 2006
Opinion: I loved this book. It was very heartfelt, largely attributed to how... sympathetic and gentle Death is as a narrator, which is certainly an interesting sentence. It's narrated beautifully. Saying the narrator of a story is your favourite character isn't weird, right? The story is quite honestly heartbreaking, but never feels like it's droning on or taking too long to get to it's point despite wordy sentences and quite a bit of repitition. This is going on the Favourites shelf for sure.

Games

Title: Sonic Riders
Year: 2006
Genre: Racer
Date First Played: 27^th December 2006
Opinion: Got the PC version as a christmas gift. I would've liked this year's main Sonic release, buuuut... I don't have an Xbox. So Sonic Riders it was. I actually had a lot of fun with it! I can't say I'm the biggest fan of racers in general, but I enjoyed this one - maybe it's just the nostalgia factor, or maybe the fact that there was a story in between races rather than just race after race like most in the genre. It was just... fun!

Title: Gregory Horror Show
Year: 2003
Genre: Puzzle/Horror
Date First Played: 30^th October 2006
Opinion: Bizarre little game based off an anime by the same name. I hesitate to really call it a 'horror', since it's more sort of silly than scary, but, to it's credit, there were a couple of moments that did genuinely have me panicking a little (the hotel residents LOVE to chase you - especially that damned lizard lady). I thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so that I actually (very briefly) thought about 'forgetting' to give it back to the friend who leant it. (P, if you ever see this, I promise I wouldn't have actually stolen it. Probably.)

Title: Pathologic
Year: 2006
Genre: Survival RPG/Horror
Date First Played: 06^th October 2006
Opinion: God. What to say? Pathologic is really... something. It's not fun, but it's... enjoyable, weird as that seems. You want to keep going with it consistently despite how miserable it is, and how miserable it makes you. It's very odd and that's so intriguing to me. It's a little frustrating in places, since mistakes have consequences and messing up is costly, but, to be honest, maybe it's just that we're being spoiled with games where mistakes don't mean much. I dunno. Very cool experience, either way.

Title: New Super Mario Bros.
Year: 2006
Genre: Platformer
Date First Played: 28^th July 2006
Opinion: I mean... it's Mario. What do you want from me? It's literally just a Mario game. A fun one, but... come on. You've played at least something from the series. You know what they're like. I guarantee you do.
... Okay, fine. It was fun. A pretty nice recreation of the original game but with a lot more content, better graphics, and overall a much more fleshed-out game, whilst keeping in spirit with that original concept. There, are you happy?

Title: Half Life 2: Episode 1
Year: 2006
Genre: Sci-Fi FPS
Date First Played: 3^rd June 2006
Opinion: Yes! Yes yes yes!! I really enjoyed this one. If you've been living under the world's biggest rock, this is an expansion for Half Life 2 which directly continues the story. The first bit's not great, but it gets better from there. It's certainly engagingly challenging, and Alyx works alongside you really well despite a few concerns people had had. Very good. Thank you Valve. My only, only complaint is that there WASN'T ENOUGH OF IT!!

Title: Animal Crossing: Wild World
Year: 2006
Genre: Life Simulator
Date First Played: 28^th April 2006
Opinion: I never got the original Animal Crossing, though I'm not entirely sure why. I thought I might as well see what all the fuss was about with this new one and got it as a payday gift to myself. It's... very, very calming. There's these guides that help you decide what face you want online, and my little guy looks surprisingly a lot like me! I've been playing it when I can't sleep and I really, really like it. The complete lack of concrete ending is actually quite comforting, too.

Title: Project Zero III: The Tormented
Year: 2006
Genre: Horror
Date First Played: 1^st March 2006
Opinion: Ooh, I'd been waiting for this one. I loooove the Project Zero series, and part 3 certainly didn't dissapoint. For one - Miku's back! ...Which is surprising considering her experience in the first game, but still, nice to see a recurring character. It's also harder and less forgiving than it's predecessors, which I'm actually grateful for, and I'd arguably say it's scarier, too. Little dissapointed that this is alledgedly the last game but glad it ended well rather than in flames. Loved it, as always. :D

Title: We ♥ Katamari
Year: 2006
Genre: Puzzle/Action
Date First Played: 28^th February 2006
Opinion: I never got to play 2004's Katamari Damacy because... it never came out here. :/
HOWEVER, we have been lucky enough to recieve We ♥ Katamari, which is weird because the plot widely revolves around the happenings in the original game. Such an odd decision. Still, though, I really enjoyed it! Fun (though slightly frustrating at times) gameplay, fun characters, fun music. Really enjoyed it. Just wish I could have played the original one at some point??

Title: Shadow of the Colossus
Year: 2006
Genre: Action/Adventure
Date First Played: 21^st February 2006
Opinion: Oh. My god. So, this game has been out for a while now - in fact, geographically speaking I'm among the last people to get it - and I've been itching to play it. It's, well... it's everything it needs to be. It's fun, it's challenging, it's tense, it's visually fantastic, and on more than one occasion it's made me visibly seethe, which, to be honest, I consider a merit of a good game. I'm so intrigued in this world. The plains are almost eerie, let alone the wall that spans the edge of the world. Very very cool.

Title: Grand Theft Auto III
Year: 2006
Genre: FPS/Action
Date First Played: 15^th February 2006
Opinion: Ughhh. J didn't believe me when I said I'd never Played a GTA game, and wouldn't listen to me when I tried to explain that that was on purpose. Long story short, I was physically forced to pick up the controller and play it whilst J watched. I wouldn't even mind that much if it was a multiplayer game but it's not! ... Not my type of game at all. I really, really, really did not have fun. Why would you do that to me. I thought we were friends.

Movies

Title: The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror/Drama
Date Watched: 27^th December 2005
Opinion: Yeah, it was pretty alright! Little boring in places, but whatever. I don't feel like the balance between the courtroom drama and the horror really worked that well, I would've liked a little less courtroom myself, but you know what I'm like. I'm a horror junkie. To it's credit, the horror was pretty good! Being (loosely) based on real events means they didn't really do too much with it, since they didn't want to overblow it, but they still good a decent level of creepy in there.

Title: Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Year: 2005
Genre: Sci-Fi
Date Watched: 16^th November 2005
Opinion: Eurgh. I'm not the biggest fan of the franchise anyway, I only really watch them because they're current and popular and despite my evident stance on counter-culture, to be honest if you can't beat them, join them. I'll say that I didn't buy it and leave it at that. Didn't enjoy it at all. Didn't really enjoy them anyway, but this one was just... utter rubbish. This is the last one, right? God I hope so. I don't think I can force myself through yet another one.

Title: Saw II
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 30^th October 2005
Opinion: YESSSSSSSSS. More horrible dark dingy gory mess. I looooved the first Saw and I was very excited for another. This one departs from the sort of 'theme' of the first, in a way, but that theme was mostly 'two men locked in a room having a very bad time', whereas Saw II's theme is 'a group of people locked in a house having a very bad time'. This isn't a complaint about either. Loved it just as much as the first. Hope a third is on the way soon! I'll be waiting patiently.

Title: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Year: 2005
Genre: Animated Comedy
Date Watched: 21^st October 2005
Opinion: Oh, Wallace & Gromit. A series I've loved since I was a child. A series that would've inspired me to be a claymation animator if my fine motor skills weren't quite so Absolutely-Terrible. Taking my sibling to go and see this was really just an excuse to go myself. Really enjoyed it. Very silly, very English, very fun. Always love the scores in these, too. Having a full orchestra is such a massive plus for any movie.

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Year: 2005
Genre: Animated Fantasy
Date Watched: 30^th September 2005
Opinion: New Ghibli!! There was actually another one a few months ago but I didn't catch it. I caught this one though >:DD!! As with any Ghibli movie, the environmental design is phenomenal and I love it. This movie is actually a little more fast-paced than some Ghibli movies, though it still has a few of those quiet, still moments the studio is so famous for. It's actually quite funny, too! Howl is a MASSIVE drama queen and I love it. Really loved :)

Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Year: 2005
Genre: Sci-Fi Comedy
Date Watched: 15^th September 2005
Opinion: Fun little space adventure. My dad loved the books and read them to me when I was maybe just a little bit too young for them and I never really got it, but I enjoyed them and have read them since. The movie follows the first book pretty faithfully, and seeing all of it visualised is cool. The costume and set design was really good, actually, and I thought the casting wasn't too bad (not entirely keen on Zooey Deschanel as Trillian though) and most of the jokes landed quite well. I liked it!

Title: Son of the Mask
Year: 2005
Genre: Supernatural 'Comedy' despite not making my laugh Once
Date Watched: 25^th August 2005
Opinion: Oh, christ. I think my brain might have just slopped out of my ear. Does anybody have a bucket anywhere?
..So, um, yeah. First one was good. Thoroughly enjoyed it. They did not manage to match that tone in the slightest. Didn't even have the same crew. Literally do not waste your time watching this one, for your own sake. It was ABYSMAL.

Title: Lemony Snicket's ASOUE
Year: 2006
Genre: Black Comedy
Date Watched: 6^th June 2005
Opinion: This fell under my radar for ages, apparently. Kind of wish it'd stayed that way. If you know me, you know I love the ASOUE series of books, so I came into this hoping I'd love it just as much... whilst they've got nearly everything right - the casting, the sets, the costumes, the music, etc, etc - the one thing they got crucially wrong is the PLOT. They tried to jam the first three books into one story and then gave it a cop-out ending. I hope to god the ending of the books isn't as unsatisfying at this.

Title: Being John Malkovich
Year: 1999
Genre: Fantasy Comedy
Date Watched: 11^th April 2005
Opinion: What a weird movie! It's mad. I honestly don't even know how to talk about it because it's just so bizarre and so much weird stuff happens and it's genuinely, honest-to-god really good. I got lost during it, admittedly, much to the delight of my friend (who insisted on buying me the DVD when I told them I'd never seen it - thaaaank you S3r~!) and I was told that that was just part of the experience and, on reflection, yeah, that makes sense. Actually kind of loved it, I think? Yeah, probably.

Title: The Grudge
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 23^rd February 2005
Opinion: Ehhhhhhhhh. I'd hesitate to actively call it bad, but it wasn't the best. It's just not Ju-On, y'know? There was some decent horror in there, but the movie itself loses you a bit part-way through since the writing isn't terribly comprehensive. They tried to replicate that jerky movement used so often in J-horror but it just turned out looking more like amatuer claymation and it just gives the whole things a bit of a silly vibe, but the costumes and makeup were pretty unsettling.

Title: The Good Son
Year: 1993
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Date Watched: 14^th January 2005
Opinion: ... Well. Seems the constant threats towards his life and parental neglect finally got to Kevin... I'm joking, of course, these movies aren't related... as far as I'm aware. What is related about them is my complete and utter disinterest in both of them. Admittedly I was intrigued at first by seeing Elijah Wood as a kid, I hadn't checked the cast and hadn't expected him, but even he couldn't make me sit through this movie ever again. God, that ending was so stupid. It genuinely made me laugh.

Music

Title: Cave Story
Year: 2004
Artist: Studio Pixel
Date Listened: 23^rd December 2005
Opinion: So. I played this game for the first time a couple days ago. Since then it's been literally all I've thought about. It's so good. Unfortunately, I'm often busy, as an adult human being, so I don't get the chance to play it whenever I want. Because of this, the soundtrack has become my companion whenever I'm doing something around the house that doesn't constitute playing and finishing Cave Story. Love it so much. Accidentally conditioned myself into having the game remind me of wrapping Christmas presents. Oops.

Title: See You On the Other Side
Year: 2005
Artist: Korn
Date Listened: 21^st December 2005
Opinion: I didn't mind Twisted Transistor when it came out a few months back, so I thought I might as well try the rest of the album. Korn isn't really my thing as it stands, but this was... alright? Kind of? I'm kind of indifferent on it, I guess. I did kind of enjoy it, but, as I said before, something about the vocals really just... bugs me. I think it's the way they pronounce things. "But Darker, how can you say that when you listen to System of A D-" shut up. Shut up. I don't want to hear your negativity.

Title: Apathetic
Year: 2005
Artist: Relient K
Date Listened: 12^th December 2005
Opinion: Relient K isn't one of the regulars on my lineup. In fact, I'm largely unaware of their discography as far as my knowledge of current artists goes. I ended up listening to this though, since it's just come out and I've seen a couple people mention it. It wasn't too bad! It was a liiiitlle bit... boy-bandy for my personal tastes, but I did genuinely enjoy this EP. I particularly enjoyed the first song, 'The Truth'. Did feel like it tipped my Emo Scale a bit, but I'll let it slide.

Title: The Nameless
Year: 2005
Artist: Slipknot
Date Listened: 26^th November 2005
Opinion: Specifically the version from the live album, creatively named 9.0: Live. I don't often listen to Slipknot, but their live album came out recently and I thought I'd have a little look. I only ended up listening to this song, however. I get that it's a live album, but, um... the mixing was... unbearable. I'm partial to a live album sometimes, but the two contrasting voices near the start really, really didn't do it for me.

Title: Hypnotize
Year: 2005
Artist: System of A Down
Date Listened: 22^nd November 2005
Opinion: This came out today. I don't actually get paid til next week. That alone should show you how excited I am about this. I loooooove System of A Down, which I'm sure everyone knows by now. Hypnotize definitely didn't disappoint. It's only ever so slightly longer than May's album, Mesmerize, which is again a bit of a shame, but then if it were up to me every SOAD album would be hours worth of content. Still, I suppose two albums in one year is a decent chunk of content either way! :D

Title: Rosenrot
Year: 2005
Artist: Rammstein
Date Listened: 30^th October 2005
Opinion: Aggghhh I LOVE Rammstein. I love them so much. Who cares that I can only understand like 2% of the words. Benzin got me excited and the full album got me even more excited. I've listened to the album on loop all day and will probably continue to do so for the next few weeks. It was just all. So. Good. I think my favourite (no, this is not a thing I usually do, and not a thing I'm going to start doing - I'm usually unable to pick a favourite anything) was Mann Gegen Mann - I've had it stuck in my head since the second I first heard it.

Title: Hypnotize
Year: 2005
Album & Artist: Hypnotize - System of A Down
Date Listened: 13^th October 2005
Opinion: Two singles from some of my favourite bands in the space of a week? Maybe there is a god, after all... This is the first single released from System of A Down's new album and my GOD I'm already hooked. They already gave us an album earlier this year, but another one?! They're spoiling us. They really are. Hypnotize works so well as a piece of promotional material for the album and I'm actually a little bit ashamed it took me two days to listen to it.

Title: Benzin
Year: 2005
Album & Artist: Rosenrot - Rammstein
Date Listened: 8^th October 2005
Opinion: Just over a year since their last album and Rammstein are already putting out new stuff. I'm so glad. I really love them and Benzin is the best thing they could have picked as a single. It's everything it needs to be and I'm hooked on it. I can only hope the rest of the album is just as good as this one was - not that there's a single modicum of doubt in my mind that it will be.

Title: Twisted Transistor
Year: 2005
Artist: Korn
Date Listened: 2^nd October 2005
Opinion: I don't often listen to Korn, but they've got an album coming out soon and I will listen to them on occasion so I thought I might as well check it out. It wasn't bad! The music itself was decently heavy, just the way I like it, and the song itself wasn't too bad, but something about the vocals just really irks me. They sound kind of... goofy. I dunno. Whatever.

Title: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Year: 1998
Artist: Neutral Milk Hotel
Date Listened: 19^th September 2005
Opinion: Despite the release year line, this album actually re-released a couple weeks ago, hence why I'm listening to it now. And gosh, I... really don't know how to feel about it? Some of it is just loud enough to sneak into the boundaries of my music taste, but it's weird and erratic and... I don't know?? It's certainly unique, if nothing else. Part of me never wants to listen to it again, and another part of me has the urge to listen to it again right now. Weird. Really weird.

Title: All We Know Is Falling
Year: 2005
Artist: Paramore
Date Listened: 4^th August 2005
Opinion: Paramore are new to the music scene, as far as I'm aware, but I've heard basically everyone in my circles talking about this album so I thought I'd give it a go. Oh my god. It's SO good! I think my taste is usually just a little heavier or, well, uh... "Darker", as it were (pun unintended, shut up) than this, but it's such a good album. I'm already a fan, and I'll be eagerly awaiting more from them.

Title: Attention Shoppers
Year: 2005
Artist: Nero's Day At Disneyland
Date Listened: 23^rd July 2005
Opinion: Stumbled across this with no prior knowledge of the artist or what the music was like. I... really don't know how to feel about this. It's a mess. I can't say I've ever really listened to breakcore before, nor have I ever really wanted to, but I'm so conflicted about Attention Shoppers. I couldn't help but listen to it for a while, just sitting at my desk completely bewildered. It's certainly... interesting. If nothing else, I'll give it that.

Title: Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven
Year: 2000
Artist: Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Date Listened: 5^th June 2005
Opinion: A friend put this on during a last-minute revision session because they said it helps them concentrate. As they often do, they seemed a little surprised that I'd never heard of this band before despite them being seemingly kind of obscure, and insisted on me listening to the album later on by myself. It's a really interesting concept if nothing else. It consists of only four songs but still manages over an hour's runtime, and it's got no actual lyrics to speak of. It's quite ambient, actually. Made for decent revision material and good laying-in-bed-not-really-doing-anything material, too.

Title: Demon Days
Year: 2005
Artist: Gorillaz
Date Listened: 29^th May 2005
Opinion: Ooh, this one excited me. I'd signed up for the newsletter email thingy after the first Gorillaz album, and somehow completely forgot about the new album coming out (in my defense, I just cleared out a backlog of maybe... three years worth of emails?) until I got an email with their new music video for the song 'Dirty Harry'. I did search out streams for it at first but eventually relented and waited to get paid to listen to the whole thing. They have such a unique sound that you really can't find executed the same way anywhere else, and the, like, story thing they've got going with the members is intriguing. It's such a cool project and I love it.

Title: Mesmerize
Year: 2005
Artist: System of A Down
Date Listened: 18^th May 2005
Opinion: Yessss!!! New SOAD!!! It's been three years!!! I love love love SOAD and I can't be calm about it. I somehow didn't even know this was coming out so it was a total surprise and I couldn't be happier. Loved it loved it loved it. The contrast between the intro track and track two, B.Y.O.B.? That was everything. It got me SO excited for the rest. My literal only complaint is how short it is, with a runtime of only half an hour. Oh well.
Maybe if they sung a little slower the album would be a little longer.  (THIS IS A JOKE)

Title: From Under the Cork Tree
Year: 2005
Artist: Fall Out Boy
Date Listened: 3^rd May 2005
Opinion: I've been sitting here waiting patiently for the album to come out ever since listening to Sugar, We're Going Down last month. I'm glad I was alone when I listened because it was like, a whole physical reaction when I started listening. That's how excited I was about this. Bouncing-up-and-down-and-clapping excited. It wasn't particularly dignifying. But for real OHMYGODTHISALBUMISSOGOOD. Loooooooove it.

Title: Damn Skippy
Year: 2005
Artist: Lemon Demon
Date Listened: 15^th April 2005
Opinion: One of my friends is really into Lemon Demon and so it's completely inescapable for me. I'm not necessarily complaining, though, just explaining why, whilst it's not necessarily my style of music, I'm always on top of it. This album is... weird, if nothing else. Very silly and very internet-y if that makes sense. It's also SO. LONG. Again, not really my thing, but undeniably catchy music. Geeks In Love made me laugh especially with the weird scat-like interludes of random words. Silly and fun and I hate it but also kind of love it.

Title: Sugar, We're Goin Down
Year: 2005
Album & Artist: From Under the Cork Tree - Fall Out Boy
Date Listened: 4^th April 2005
Opinion: AAAAAAAAA!!! This was amazing!! It only came out today but I was literally waiting for it to be available so I could listen to it. Fall Out Boy are still a fairly new band (they've been around since 2002 but their first full album only came out a couple years ago) and I've kind of become a bit consumed with them. I've actively sought out every piece of media by them that I can find and I love it all so, so much. Sugar, We're Going Down is a fantastic return and I'm so excited for the rest of the album to come out. It's going to be a long month...

Title: Hot Fuss
Year: 2004
Artist: The Killers
Date Listened: March 9^th 2005
Opinion: I'd be genuinely impressed if you haven't heard at least Mr. Brightside by now. This is The Killers's ('s? S? Ssss?) debut album that came out last year, but in the past couple months it's been steadily climbing the charts and is now nigh inescapable the second you're within proximity of a radio. I'm not exactly complaining, I suppose. It's a good song. I'm not entirely keen on the rest of the album - nothing seems to match Mr. Brightside's energy that much. Must admit though, I did kind of like All These Things That I've Done, and Somebody Told Me was pretty decent. Seen that one going around some of the forums I check in on, so I think it kind of got the universal seal of approval, too.

Title: For You
Year: 1982
Artist: Tatsuro Yamashita
Date Listened: 14^th February 2005
Opinion: So. This sort of music is not my usual style at all. P has this album on vinyl (stolen from their dad, if that makes it seem any more 'My Style') and wanted me to listen to it while we were hanging out. Apparently, this album influenced pretty much the entire genre it falls under, and... yeah, that makes sense. It's funky and fun and it might not be my particular style but it was a pleasant listen nonetheless. Got 'Morning Glory' stuck in my head really bad for a couple of days.

Books

Title & Author: ASOUE: The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket
Year: 2005
Genre: Gothic/Black Comedy
Date Finished: 1^st November 2005
Opinion: I was right. The series is coming to an end. I'll be sad to see it go, but I'm glad I got to go on this journey, y'know? The Penultimate Peril is... a rollercoaster, to say the least. Everyone is here. Everyone. The kids are undercover, until they're not. Everyone's searching for the same thing and nobody seems to know why. The last book better answer all the questions I have, or I might just have a riot. I'm pretty sure it will, though. It wouldn't be a proper ending if not ;)

Title & Author: Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Year: 2005
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: 19^th October 2005
Opinion: Yet another Terry Pratchett book~ This is actually the only actual book he's put out this year - I'm not counting the two kid's books, a playbook and a weird kind of half-scientific-analysis-half-story - so I've been missing him, to be honest. Thud! is, in a way, kind of a departure from his usual style? It's very much still him and very much still a Discworld story, but it's less... funny. That's not a bad thing. It just feels a bit more adult, I guess? A bit harder, maybe. Still very very good though. Really enjoyed it.

Title & Author: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Year: 2005
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Date Finished: 4^th October 2005 Jeez, that's an embarrassingly large gap...
Opinion: Similar to my love of Terry Pratchett, I really do love Neil Gaiman. American Gods was fantastic and I'm so glad he's continuing to work in that world, even though this isn't a direct sequel to it. This one was equeally brilliant. It's so fast and everything comes at you at once and you're not entirely sure what genre you're actually reading. It's very funny - I actually laughed out loud a couple times, which is admittedly a pretty rare event - and for once I don't even need to close my thoughts out with 'but it was too short'.

Title & Author: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Year: 2003
Genre: Thriller
Date Finished: 23^rd May 2005 though I didn't actually finish it
Opinion: So. Uh. Yeah. I'm sitting there one day, bored out of my mind, nothing to do. Suddenly I'm just... compelled to go to the library. So I do that. I go to the library and I just walk to whatever shelf is closest and this book is here. I think "Oh, I've heard people talk about that one. Let's try it!" and I take it out. I try to read it. I get about a chapter in and then just read the same page over and over because it won't. Go. In. The two weeks ends. I return it. I decide maybe it's just... not for me. Couldn't absorb it at all.

Games

Title: Shadow the Hedgehog
Year: 2005
Genre: Action/Platformer
Date First Played: 26^th December 2005
Opinion: Right. Okay. Can you believe I got called, on seperate occasions, both edgy and a furry for playing and enjoying this? Can you believe.
Bold words for someone so obsessed with Ratchet & Clank.
...Anyway. Got this for christmas and really enjoyed it. Something about the imagery of Shadow with a big ol' gun really makes me laugh. I'm not a super combat-y sort of person, but I did have fun with this one.

Title: Cave Story  Ignore the stretched image yet again...
Year: 2004
Genre: Platformer
Date First Played: 21^st December 2005
Opinion: When this game came out last year, it didn't have an English translation, so I couldn't play it... but hey, it does now! And I love it. You don't often expect much from freeware (which is why I don't really ever download any) but this game was a passion project and it shows. The unfolding story is perfectly paced and really well-balanced with the gameplay mechanics that make the game more of an actual game. It's hard as hell but not in a way that makes you hate it. Will be replaying over and over for the rest of my life.

Title: Mario Kart DS
Year: 2005
Genre: Racer
Date First Played: 30^th November 2005
Opinion: Okay, yes, look. I have the GBA version and the Gamecube version already, I know. I don't need to own Mario Kart three times. But, like, I DOOOOO, though. There's lots of new maps and they're all really good! I would like to say I am, perhaps, the best at the game amongst my friends, and that's not me boasting, it's just true. Alas, my racing prowess has left me injured :/ (by which I mean J came over, we played several cups, and when I won almost every single one they reflexively threw their DS at my head. Ow.)

Title: Sonic Rush
Year: 2005
Genre: Platformer
Date First Played: 21^st November 2005
Opinion: Aaaaaa I love Sonic so much. Admittedly there isn't much that makes this game unique from the other games despite the inclusion of Blaze as a main playable character, but I still appreciate new content even if it's the same thing they've always done. It isn't broke so they're not fixing it. It's a classic no matter how many times you've bought it - a fact of which has saved me the crisis of having to acknowledge just how much I've spent on Sonic games.

Title: Call of Duty 2
Year: 2005
Genre: FPS
Date First Played: 27^th October 2005
Opinion: I'm not the biggest fan of FPS games that don't have much substance besides the combat. As you can imagine, I wasn't exactly the biggest fan of this game. I find solace in the fact that I didn't pay for it (my friend did, since they were the one that wanted me to play it, and I think they knew I'd never have bought it of my own volition. You're not sneaky, J - but thanks for saving me the money) since it's... really not my thing. Certainly not something I'd play by myself.

Title: Bomberman
Year: 2005
Genre: Puzzle/Strategy
Date First Played: 2^nd August 2005
Opinion: Admittedly I thought there'd be more DS games released this year since, y'know, it only just came out, but alas - there's been very little in the way of DS games. A friend recommended me this one and said it was fun, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's a pretty simple little strategy game, but it's good to occupy yourself for a little bit. The OST was kind of repetitive and did drive me a little bit insane, but it was cute and I enjoyed it. Thanks for the recommendation S3r.

Title: Ratchet & Clank
Year: 2002
Genre: Action
Date First Played: 10^th June 2005
Opinion: My friend, P, was horrified that I had barely heard of this game, let alone played it. I was practically forced to play it ASAP. Like, hands-over-mine-on-the-controller forced. It was a bit awkward, actually. I kind of hate to admit it because P's very I told you so~ about it, but I really liked it. It was solid fun and I really loved the chemistry between the titular characters. Having two PCs that both have personality and don't always get along isn't a hugely common thing, which is a real shame, because it's always REALLY good.

Title: Doom 3: Ressurection of Evil
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror/FPS
Date First Played: 14^th April 2005
Opinion: This is an expansion pack for Doom 3 that also doubles as a sequel, kind of. It's not super long, which is typical of expansion packs, but it's a bit disappointing that it isn't longer nonetheless. It's not very different from Doom 3, which... I guess you'd expect of an expansion pack. There's not a whole load of plot development either, so it's mostly just "shooty shooty bye-bye monsters". Cool, though. One of the few FPS games I always enjoy and having a bit more material never hurts.

Title: Warioware: Touched! Ignore how long the game art is. DS boxes are square.
Year: 2005
Genre:Puzzle/Minigame
Date First Played: 30^th March 2005
Opinion: So guess who bought a DS today? :D
... Me. It was me. I bought a DS today. I had to wait to get paid. I hope to god they release enough good games to have made it worth it but hey, it's Nintendo, so I've no doubt they will. As far as first impressions go, it's pretty good! Warioware: Touched! is a fun, fast-paced, silly game that doubles as a pretty good demo of how the DS works and I'm mildly obsessed with it. It's very fun. :)

Title: Resident Evil 4
Year: 2005
Genre: Horror/FPS
Date First Played: 19^th March 2005
Opinion: Yes yes yes!!! It's been two years since the last Resident Evil game and I've been STARVING. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before (considering I started this particular page a few months after RE:Zero released) but I love love love this series. This one has everything - it looks brilliant, it's more fast-paced than previous entries in the series, really getting you on the edge of your seat, and it's genuinely scary. Loooved it. Did nothing but play it for like two days straight. Now, when's five coming out...?

Title: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Year: 2004
Genre: Action/Adventure
Date First Played: 19^th February 2005
Opinion: Feel a bit like a fake fan for getting this like four months late. Apparently, this is essentially January's The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures as a singleplayer game, but I didn't play that one because I have no friends so I wouldn't know. I enjoyed it either way! It's the usual that you'd expect from a TLoZ game, but it's still fresh enough to be enjoyable. The whole shrinking thing was pretty cute. Being a tiny little Link is fun. I liked it! :)

Movies

Title: Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Year: 2004
Genre: Action/Horror
Date Watched: 31^st December 2004
Opinion: Alright. Yeah. Look... I love Resident Evil, as anyone that's ever had the displeasure of speaking to me for more than five minutes knows. What I rarely admit however is that I actually didn't hate 2002's movie adaptation. It butchered the world and the story, sure, but it wasn't, like, that dreadful. Yet again, I hate to say it, but... I didn't hate this one either. It was schlocky, confused, and generally not-great, but it wasn't awful.
Wasn't enough to get me to watch it legally though.

Title: I, Robot
Year: 2004
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Date Watched: 21^st December 2004
Opinion: I didn't hate this movie, but it wasn't... it wasn't great. I must admit, I'm actually kind of partial to a Will Smith movie where he's in a more serious role - he's a funny guy, for sure, but I think he's actually pretty good in a more 'gritty' role. The movie itself, however, is a little tedious. The plot's been seen before, y'know? The CGI was kind of freaky but not necessarily terrible (though certainly not saying it was great) and... meh. I probably won't watch it again, basically.

Title: Shrek 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Animated Comedy/Fantasy
Date Watched: 15^th December 2004
Opinion: I really liked 2001's Shrek, despite feeling embarrassing to admit it. Not sure why. Maybe because it's animated. Maybe because it starts with an big green ogre doing gross things in his gross house. Dunno. Anyway, my sibling didn't get to see this when it released, so my parents bought it as an early christmas gift since the DVD just came out. It's... a very strong sequel! It was funny and quite witty and, oh, GOD that performance at the end. Unironically, that scene was brilliant. Enjoyed it a mortifying amount.

Title: The Incredibles
Year: 2004
Genre: Animated Action
Date Watched: 30^th November 2004
Opinion: My sibling BEGGED me to take them to the cinema to see this. Practically pulled my arm out of its socket. I won't say I've grown out of cartoon movies because the only people who say that are extremely pretentious and boring, but I wasn't planning to see this one by myself. I... like hanging out with my sibling though, so I went along with it. Not really my sort of film, but it was still pleasant. Enjoyed how they utilised the time period and its links with the spy genre and not just plain superhero stuff. Had a good time.

Title: Dawn of the Dead
Year: 2004
Genre: Action/Horror
Date Watched: 3^rd November 2004
Opinion: I didn't pay to watch this. That's how I'm going to preface this. Because remakes are generally, as most people are aware, Not Very Good. That turned out to not actually be the case this time, though. It doesn't hold up entirely to the original, of course, because nothing ever would, but the beautiful thing about it is that it holds up as it's own thing. It's never going to be the same, but it did the original some justice, which is about the best you're going to get for a remake of an icon of that magnitude. Jeez, that sounds pretentious as hell.

Title: Alien Vs. Predator
Year: 2004
Genre: Sci-Fi Horror  Yeah, right
Date Watched: 26^th October 2004
Opinion: I actually spent money to go and see this in the cinema. Can you believe that. I wasted money on a cinema ticket that could have gone towards literally anything else. Somehow, I'd deluded myself into thinking it would be literally anything other than complete and utter trash. Oh, boy, was I wrong. I'm not entirely even annoyed at the movie being bad anymore - I'm actually a bit more annoyed at myself for expecting to enjoy it, to be honest. Not scary and ridiculously overdone. Jesus christ.

Title: SAW
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 7^th October 2004
Opinion: Ohhhhhhhh. Ohohohohohoho. I haven't watched something that hooked me in like this did in a long time. I'm OBSESSED. Everything about this movie was so good. The plot, the set, even the absolutely nuts camerawork, which, yes, was a bit silly, but at the same time it kind of contributed to the panic and claustrophobia of the overall setting. Loved it loved it loved it. Praying they make another - I need to see more of those bizarre torture devices.

Title: Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Year: 2004
Genre: ...Honestly IDK. Comedy, 'drama', tiny bit of horror but, like, kiddie horror. Shrug.
Date Watched: 22^nd September 2004
Opinion: My sibling really wanted to watch this with me because the DVD had only just come out and our parents decided to get it to keep them entertained on a 'Darker Begrudgingly Babysits For Free' night (I'm half joking, I don't mind really) so we watched it together. It was alright. Wouldn't watch it again of my own volition, but I'm not really the target demographic anyway. The way they did some of the creature designs was good, I'll give it that. Decent CGI, y'know?

Title: Shaun of the Dead
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror/Comedy
Date Watched: 9^th September 2004
Opinion: Ooooh this was good. Rarely do horror and comedy make a good combination on the big screen. I'd entirely attribute that to poor writing, though, because this movie was so good. It was really funny, but at the time genuinely quite scary at parts, but also kinda sad? They had everything. The gore FX were good, too, which is always a plus in my books. That scene with Don't Stop Me Now playing in time with them whacking a zombie made me laugh out loud, which is practically unheard of.

Title: The Truman Show
Year: 1998
Genre: Drama/Comedy/Kind of a Psychological Horror, to be honest
Date Watched: 25^th August 2004
Opinion: Here's a confession; I always thought that this was a romcom. I don't know why. I think I'd only seen brief snippets of it or something. It was on TV and I ended up watching it since I had nothing better to do. I was not expecting what it actually was. I might actually watch it again since I missed the first few minutes - I really enjoyed it, actually! It's surprising how well Jim Carrey fits this role, being a comedian usually.
...Did very briefly trigger a bit of existential dread, but hey, we can choke that down.

Title: The Butterfly Effect
Year: 2004
Genre: Sci-fi Thriller
Date Watched: 23^rd July 2004
Opinion: UGHHHHH. Another to add to the pile of movies that try to be dark and twisted and 'thought-provoking' but are just sadistic and depressing and DUMB. This sucked. I'm glad I didn't spend money on it. I urge you to also... not do that. It was genuinely not enjoyable to watch because it was just a traumafest and makes you lose your faith in humanity a little bit. Skip this one. HARD pass.

Title: Kill Bill: Volume 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Modern Western/Action
Date Watched: 12^th June 2004
Opinion: As you'd assume, this is the sequel to last year's Kill Bill, which I really enjoyed. This one's... different, to the first. Not particularly better or worse off for it, but certainly different. It feels like it focuses a lot more on plot than action, though there's still a decent amount of action in there. It expands a lot on worldbuilding, which was quite nice. And that ending... god, man. It hit everything it needed to - including finally actually SEEING Bill... and then seeing him die. That was very gratifying.

Title: Big Fish
Year: 2004
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy/Drama/God I don't even know
Date Watched: 2^nd May 2004
Opinion: Oh man. Everything happened in this movie, huh? It was all over the place at all times. That's not a complaint, though! I actually really enjoyed it. The way it played with genre was really interesting and it almost felt a bit like an anthology of sorts. I quite liked the ending, and definitely didn't get a little bit teary-eyed at it. Not at all. Obviously not. Why would you even assume that? Go away. Don't look at me.

Title: Uzumaki
Year: 2000
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 24^th April 2004
Opinion: I've loved Junji Ito since I was like, barely even a teenager. That's probably why I love horror stuff so much now (and probably why I'm a Little Bit Messed Up as an adult). The man's hugely influential in the horror scene. Somehow, however, I didn't know that there was a movie of Uzumaki until very recently. Aaaaand... I don't know. It wasn't great. It didn't hit like the manga, I guess. The pacing didn't really work and it wasn't really scary... oh well. Maybe there'll be a better one one day.

Title: School of Rock
Year: 2003
Genre: Comedy
Date Watched: 16^th Febuary 2004
Opinion: Okay. Alright. I really, really like Jack Black. I loved 1997's Tenacious D (though I wish it ran for longer) and the music that followed it. I really enjoyed his role in 2002's Orange County despite him not being the lead. True to form, I loved this. It was very fun and silly and feelgood and very Jack Black. Clear, kind message but not one that forces itself down your throat so hard that it makes you sick. The music was kind of fun, too. Enjoyed it a lot.

Title: Thir13en Ghosts
Year: 2002
Genre: Horror
Date Watched: 5^th January 2004
Opinion: Was at a friend's house and they randomly asked if I'd ever seen this before. When I said no they practically THREW the VHS at me and said that's what we were going to do right that second. You know, I'm actually kind of surprised I hadn't seen it. I really liked it! It's a little schlocky but the visuals are great and the concept of the house itself is actually kind of haunting. Plus, it's got Matthew Lillard. Who doesn't love Matthew Lillard? <3

Music

Title: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
Year: 2004
Artist: Modest Mouse
Date Listened: 2^nd November 2004
Opinion: This one was unusual. Not bad unusual, though. The lead vocalist has an interesting accent and his delivery of the lyrics is kind of jumpy to the point that I'll admit that it did make me laugh a couple times, but overall I quite enjoyed it! It goes through a couple of tonal sifts that lead to a very varied and interesting listen and it got a little heavier in places which I always love. Very cool.

Title: American Idiot
Year: 2004
Artist: Green Day
Date Listened: October 3^rd 2004
Opinion: I have to confess something. I don't actually like Green Day that much. I know, shock, horror, various screaming sound effects. They just don't interest me that much, okay? This sounds a bit stupid, considering I listen to a LOT of American musicians, but it's just a bit... too American for me. Funny, considering the album name. I didn't mind Holiday. I'll give them that.

Title: Reise, Reise
Year: 2004
Artist: Rammstein
Date Listened: September 28^th 2004
Opinion: UGGGHHHH YEEESSSSSS!!!! I love Rammstein so much!!! Their music is just so epic regardless of whether or not you speak a word of German. Amerika really set me on track with how excited I was for this and it absolutely lived up to my excitement. Love it so much. Whole album was awesome. I can't even pick anything out because I'm just too excited - I'm literally writing this directly after my first listen.

Title: Amerika
Year: 2004
Album & Artist: Reise, Reise - Rammstein
Date Listened: September 6^th 2004
Opinion: Okay, so. This released, like, less than five hours ago for me. Since Mein Teil I've been waiting for more. I'm on it. From what I could glean from the lyrics I did understand (quite a few of them, actually) it seems to be about how commercial the USA is and it's like, sort of a satire? I'm not sure. It seemed that way from the tone, but Rammstein does also just sound like that. Very excited for the album.

Title: Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Year: 2004
Artist: Rise Against
Date Listened: August 13^th 2004
Opinion: WHOOF, what a way to start an album. I've really been getting into Rise Against recently and this just came out. Hooked from the first track, to be honest. It's really good, really heavy stuff. Especially really enjoyed the track Paper Wings - it's been stuck in my head all day. The chord progression just kind of itches my brain (in a good way) and basically, I just really love it. :D

Title: Mein Teil
Year: 2004
Album & Artist: Reise, Reise - Rammstein
Date Listened: July 28^th 2004
Opinion: NEW RAMMSTEIN NEW RAMMSTEIN NEW RAMMSTEIN!!!! I love Rammstein so much and I'm always always waiting on new stuff from them. Oh my GOD this song is so good. Blasted it so loud I could feel the vibrations and my neighbours probably despise me now (if they didn't already). Have I ever gushed about how much I love Rammstein on here before? I'm not sure. Probably in the blog, somewhere, but they haven't released anything in a couple of years. So, yeah, I ADORE RAMMSTEIN. They're one of my favourite bands ever. This release is a single from their upcoming album Reise, Reise and I could not be more excited.

Title: Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
Year: 2004
Artist: My Chemical Romance
Date Listened: June 9^th 2004
Opinion: OHHHHHHH MY GODDDDDDDDDDD
Uh. Excuse me. So I'm completely and utterly entirely obsessed with MCR's first album. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from them next, but... oh my god. That's all I can say. Genuinely. I think my favourite track is probably You Know What They Do to Guys Like Us in Prison, but they were all just... so... SO good. I cannot WAIT to see where they go from here, but until then I'm going to play this album until I'm literally sick of it*.
*(This is impossible.)

Title: Me and My Monkey On the Moon
Year: 2000
Artist: Mayumi Kojima
Date Listened: April 2^nd 2004
Opinion: ...P has very eclectic tastes. This was what they put on next, in a kind of battered CD case. Apparently they found it at a car boot sale at some point. I don't know how they manage it, I really don't. It's a Japanese album, as you might be able to guess, and it's kind of jazzy, I think? As with the last album, I couldn't focus on it super well since I was working pretty hard, but it was pleasant. Also not really my style, but did make for decent revision material.

Title: Numbers & Mumbles
Year: 2004
Artist: Say Hi (To Your Mom)
Date Listened: April 2^nd 2004
Opinion: So, my friend P has very eclectic tastes. I've never heard of anything they recommend or put on, most of the time. They're always like "Oh, have you listened to [thing I've never even heard of]?" and then act kind of, like, scandalised when I say no. That's usually how our revision sessions are soundtracked. Today it was this album. It was only released a couple of months ago, to add to the unlikelihood (is unlikelihood a word?) of me having heard it. It wasn't bad. Not my sort of music, maybe a bit too slow and quiet, but not bad. Kind of liked Let's Talk About Spaceships. Was kind of too absorbed in my work to form much of an opinion on the rest of it.

Title: Since I Left You
Year: 2000
Artist: The Avalanches
Date Listened: January 19^th 2004
Opinion: My dad used to listen to Frontier Psychiatrist all the time (probably still does, actually, I'm just not around quite as often as I used to be) and I often find it pops into my head randomly as a result. This was one of these occasions. I've never listened to anything else on that album, and got curious. I don't know why I'm surprised that it's all pretty similar, but it's a pretty good album, actually! I wouldn't really listen to it recreationally, but the splicing is a really interesting format and it's impressive how they built music from all the different clips they used.

Books

Title & Author: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Year: 2002
Genre: Crime/Thriller/Something
Date Finished: 8^th December 2004
Opinion: God, uh. What to say. I'm not entirely sure why I picked this book up, but I did and I read it cover to cover within like a day. It's... a very, very dark book. I'm not actually really sure what to say about it. I didn't exactly enjoy it because it was extremely morbid and NOT in the sort of gratifying way I'd usually enjoy. More in just the depressing way. It was a good book, but, like... it wasn't nice, you know?

Title & Author: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Year: 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: 4^th October 2004
Opinion: Yet another new book from Terry! :D This one has such a fun plot idea (though, to be fair, which of his books don't) and has a character we've never met before, which is unusual for a Pratchett novel. I found the comedy kind of didn't quite land the same way it does in some of his other books, but it was definitely still enjoyable! It would be unfair to call this book 'all-over-the-place' since that's kind of Terry Pratchett's thing, but this one was ESPECIALLY all over the place, and I loved it. Going straight on the re-read shelf.

Title & Author: ASOUE: The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket
Year: 2004
Genre: Gothic/Black Comedy
Date Finished: 30^th September 2004
Opinion: If you remember last year's first entry, you'll know I'm a big fan of the Series of Unfortunate Events book franchise. It feels like we're coming to the end of the story now, I think. Hopefully the hotel ahead gives us some kind of answers. At the moment it feels like for everything that's revealed, there's just. More. Questions!! And how about Fiona's betrayal, huh? That was a HEAP of mixed emotions... Anyway. I'll be sad to see the series go, but I'm so excited to see how it goes out. Eagerly awaiting the next one.

Title & Author: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Year: 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: 12^th May 2004
Opinion: ... And here's the sequel! Did I not say so? As with the first, A Hat Full of Sky is fun and silly but also a bit serious and generally everything you expect of a Terry Pratchett book. The twist the the Hivers aren't actually malicious, just sort of confused, was actually really nice, and the scene with the desert and Death was veeery nice. I'm assuming there'll probably be more of these (at least I hope there will be) and I'll be glad to see them! :)

Title & Author: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Year: 2003
Genre: Fantasy
Date Finished: 24^th April 2004
Opinion: This book went under my radar for a while - I think it's because it's marketed as a children's/teen's book which I... tend not to look at in bookshops. But, y'know, I love Terry Pratchett and there's a sequel to this book coming out soon (I think) and I figured I'd pick it up. It's good! The characters are all so... characterful. Is that redundant? I dunno, maybe. It's a fun and engaging and generally just very enjoyable story and the only thing it being 'youth fiction' really does is make it a little bit easier to digest. Really enjoyed it.

Games

Title: Half-Life 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Sci-fi FPS
Date First Played: 18^th November 2004
Opinion: Haha! Here it is! The moment we've all been waiting for! It's...!
... Not my favourite, actually. That's not to say it's bad - on the contrary, in fact. It's good. Really good. It's just not my favourite Half Life game, is what I mean. I just... I don't know. I feel like the first instalment felt more rooted in reality, despite the absurdity of some of it. The story jump between the two kind of threw me, I guess. Still a great game! Loved the gravity gun, that was very cool. Here's hoping for more :)

Title: Evil Genius
Year: 2004
Genre: Strategy/Simulator
Date First Played: 11^th November 2004
Opinion: Seems I've kind of fallen for the simulation genre. This game is fun. Am I good at it? Absolutely not. Do I enjoy embodying a cartoonishly evil villain? Absolutely. There's something so, so satisfying about just being... bad, y'know? Does that make me sound like a nutter? Probably. I don't know. Maybe I am a nutter. Look, you try playing the part of a millionaire megalomaniac for a while and then come back to me. You'll see what I mean. You'll all see... *Attempts an evil laugh but just has a coughing fit instead*

Title: Pikmin 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Puzzle
Date First Played: 13^th October 2004
Opinion: As I said last month, here's the sequel to Pikmin that I played the first game as prep for. This one was quite a bit longer than the first - at least in my play experience - and I really enjoyed it! I think I wasn't quite as invested as I had been for the first, since the stakes didn't feel quite as high (y'know, dying VS... like, losing your job? Or whatever) but it was still really fun. Might not play it again for a while though because I was genuinely so annoyed about the reveal that Louie actually ate all the cargo in the first place. >://

Title: The Sims 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Simulator
Date First Played: 5^th October 2004
Opinion: I'm... Embarrassingly addicted to this game. I hate to say it, but it's really fun. Not even in the "I'm going to put my sims in the pool and then remove the ladder just to watch them drown MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" sort of way. In the way the game's meant to be played. I actually really enjoy just... making up a random person and building them a house and making them do a job. Makes up for the lack of responsibility in my own life. If you happen to kow me IRL and see this on my desktop... you didn't, okay?

Title: Silent Hill 4: The Room
Year: 2004
Genre: Survival Horror
Date First Played: 29^th September 2004
Opinion: Ah, Silent Hill. One of the first game franchises I ever truly loved (which is not at all concerning). This fourth instalment takes place in, essentially, one single room, which just so happens to have branching paths away from it, which I think is really cool! I'd also say that this one is the scariest so far... NOT that I got scared! I swear!!
...Okay, maybe I got a little scared. Just a little. Still loved it though <33

Title: Pikmin
Year: 2004
Genre: Puzzle
Date First Played: 15^th September 2004
Opinion: One of my friends was excited that the sequel to this game is coming very soon and was actually quite surprised when I said I'd never played it, so here we are. It's so cute! I'm not usually partial to that sort of thing, but I really liked this game. It was a little frustrating in places, but everything from the character design to the music was just so... so... cute! I don't have any other words!! It was just cute and so fun and maybe I've gone soft?? AAAAA!!

Title: Yume Nikki
Year: 2004
Genre: Exploration? Or like, fetch-questy, kind of slightly horror, uh... I don't know.
Date First Played: 21^st August 2004
Opinion: One of my friends sent me a link to this game out of nowhere. They can read Japanese and I can't, so I was a bit concerned when I saw the menu, but they explained that that wouldn't exactly matter, but that they could translate anything if I needed (Thanks S3r~) and uh... wow. Wow. What an odd, interesting little game! It feels kind of claustrophobic but also far too big at once and it was really interesting to just explore.

Title: Doom 3
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror/FPS
Date First Played: 16^th August 2004
Opinion: More DOOM! Love DOOM. This instalment is certainly more graphically advanced, which is one of the first things you notice. I'm not actually... that enamoured by it, which is probably just because of the nostalgia factor (I miss the 2D charm TT~TT) but it's still really cool. One thing that's improved by the 3D look is the fear factor. I'm not ashamed to admit that it did make me jump a couple times. Some of them were kind of cheap jumps, but jumps nonetheless. Cool, but definitely not the DOOM you're used to.

Title: Spiderman 2
Year: 2004
Genre: Action-Adventure
Date First Played: 29^th June 2004
Opinion: Oh god the graphics are so much better in this game than they were the first. SO much better. The map's also huge in comparison. I can't say I play a lot of open world games so maybe I just don't have enough experience with bigs maps (or going outside in real life for that matter) but I genuinely got lost a couple of times. The web mechanic is so cool, too. Loved everything about it and finished it within a couple of days. SUCH a difference from the first one.

Title: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror
Date First Played: 29^th June 2004
Opinion: The first Project Zero game is one of my favourite games of all time - it's genuinely scary which is something I actually struggle to find in games. I found that this sequel was actually a little bit less scary than the first, but it still built the tension incredibly and the story was still stellar. The controls have been made a little easier, which I really appreciate, and visually the game's better, but to be honest that's expected what with the rate of game improvement in the past few years. Enjoyed this one a lot :D

Title: Forbidden Siren
Year: 2004
Genre: Horror
Date First Played: 2^nd April 2004
Opinion: This game is by the same guy that did Silent Hill! It's only just come out, and I hadn't heard anything about it until very recently, but I love the SH series so I thought I'd give it a go. It's really good! The characters all have these weird photographic faces which is super eerie and the fact that in most of the scenarios you get stuck in you can't fight back really ramps up the tension, as does the eyesight mechanic - which is SO cool, by the way. The Japanese really know how to do good horror, don't they?

Title: Puyo Pop Fever
Year: 2004
Genre: Puzzle/Tetrislike
Date First Played: 6^th March 2004
Opinion: Playing Sonic recently reminded me of an old game I used to play from the franchise -- it was like Tetris but with weird little blobs and you were fighting against Dr. Robotnik. Apparently, that was just a localisation of this game franchise, Puyo Pop (or 'Puyo Puyo', in Japan.) and also apparently a new one just came out so I picked it up. It's... SO addictive. I've played it for three days straight. I'm seeing the little blob creatures when I close my eyes. Is this what the Tetris Effect is? Oh god. Help.

Title: Sonic Heroes
Year: 2004
Genre: Platformer
Date First Played: 12^th February 2004
Opinion: I love the Sonic series, which is something I don't often admit in case anyone thinks I'm a certified internet weirdo for it (though, really, am I not?) and whilst I don't follow it super diligently I'll always pick a new one up if I see it. This is one of those ones where it's set up like a 3D take on a classic Sonic game, which you might think gets a little boring, but, hey, a classic's a classic, right? The animation in this one looked really good too! The only complaint I have is that I hate Amy's character. It's not like I hate her because I hate girls in games or anything, because I don't, but- wait, the rant I was about to go on is too long to fit the formatting I keep on this page.
You know what? Who cares. I'm breaking format just this once. I need to rant about this. This could easily be a blog post but whatever. Amy is such a two-dimensional character, right? Like, it feels like they said "Oh, we need a girl character to make this game slightly more marketable to a female audience. Okay, we'll add this one in, but she's bright pink and her only character trait is that she's so in love with Sonic that it's genuinely creepy and stalkerish. Eh, that seems too on-the-nose. Oh we can give her a big hammer to use too. That she often uses when she gets angry because people are badmouthing Sonic or he rejected her or whatever. Yeah. Okay. There we go. That's a complete character.". But, like, no! No she isn't! She's not complete at all! Her name might as well be Girl Stereotype because she's so, so basic as a character and I hate it! I desperately hope that they'll see that at some point and, if not give her more of a personality overall, at least tone down the Sonic stalking, because it feels really unpleasant and often kind of ruins the experience for me. I don't know, maybe I'm just getting too old for Sonic games.
That's it. Rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled, regularly formatted media logging.

Movies

Title: The Santa Clause
Year: 1995
Genre: ... Christmas :/
Date Watched: 22^nd December 2003
Opinion: My parents insist that I've seen this before. I think I would remember it if I had. I'm not exactly partial to Christmas movies at the best of times, but is this one not like... really weird? This man just gets turned into Santa against his will. That's weird, right? It's got so many loopholes too. What if nobody ever puts on the suit (why on Earth WOULD you put on a random Santa suit you found on the floor) and Santa just stops existing? How do the adults not believe in Santa when he still delivers to them? ...This movie is dumb.

Title: Gothika
Year: 2003
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Date Watched: 29^th November 2003
Opinion: Didn't pay to see this one because I heard it was bad. My GOD this movie is SO trashy. It's a complete trashfest disguised as a good movie because of the relatively-above-average camerawork. I hate to say it, though, but I actually didn't hate it. In fact, I actually kind of loved it...? Like don't get me wrong, it's bad, but I had a lot of fun watching it, which I think still counts as a merit towards a movie being good, critic opinion be damned. It's a little bit embarrassing that I didn't hate it, but hey - a bit of schlock is fun sometimes!

Title: Kill Bill
Year: 2003
Genre: Modern Western/Action
Date Watched: 30^th October 2003
Opinion: Two words; SO COOL. ...That sounds stupid. I'm never using that phrase again. But this movie IS really, really cool. The acting is fantastic and you're rooting for The Bride the whole time because oh, man, he really did mess up her whole life, huh? It's got such a solid style the whole way through and it's so interesting how it blends both Western-y kind of, like, Cowboy-y ideals and plot structure with Japanese aesthetics. Like I said, it's cool! It was also pretty gory which I always love :D

Title: Finding Nemo
Year: 2003
Genre: Animated Adventure
Date Watched: 15^th October 2003
Opinion: Took my little sibling to see this because they were desperate to and our parents were both too busy. It was a fun movie! Very bright and colourful, great to pre-occupy a small child, but it was also genuinely kind of funny and I actually quite enjoyed it myself. I'm not super into Disney usually, but I often find that I enjoy the ones I do see with my sibling. Whether that's the movie itself or the quality time with my sibling I'll never know. That's sappy and gross. Don't even look at me.

Title: Spirited Away
Year: 2003
Genre: Animated Adventure
Date Watched: 27^th September 2003
Opinion: This movie actually came out a couple of years ago, but that was only in Japan, and alas, I don't... live in Japan. But it just came out here! I really enjoyed it. It's visually brilliant and the story is just so creative and interesting and new, which is something that has actually been becoming harder to say of many movies in recent years. It's almost mesmerising, and the pacing is so interesting in that there's so many shots that are just... peaceful. Nothing-y, but in a good way. Really really liked it.

Music

Title: The Cat Empire
Year: 2003
Artist: The Cat Empire
Date Listened: 9^th November 2003
Opinion: Got sent this album by an internet friend of mine, S3raph1m. It's like, jazz or ska or something, neither of which are really genres I typically listen to. But I thought hey, a friend wants me to listen, so I might as well. I can't say it's entirely for me, but it did kind of get me swaying a little bit god that sounds silly. Like, I had it on whilst I was working on some code (for a SECRET PROJECT! SSH!) and I couldn't help subconsciously dancing a little in my seat. It's funky. And I don't use the word funky.

Title: Against Me! as the Eternal Cowboy
Year: 2003
Artist: Against Me!
Date Listened: 17^th November 2003
Opinion: Man, it's kind of hard to place the genre of this album, huh? It's like the first song sets you up for one thing, then gives you something completely different halfway through, but then just... keeps doing that? It was a little hit and miss for me, personally. All of the songs on the album were at least pleasant listening, but some were definitely stronger than others. A couple have also really grown on me! I really didn't like Sink, Florida, Sink at first, but now it's one of my favourites from the album! Will probably listen to it more, just maybe not the whole album.

Title: Fallen
Year: 2003
Artist: Evanescence
Date Listened: 1^st October 2003
Opinion: I tried my best. I tried to stay away. But I had to cave eventually, and it seems today was the day I was due to do that. This album came out earlier this year, and has quickly got a reputation as "emo music" (despite it clearly being rock) and I already have enough people telling me I "look emo" in my day-to-day life and frankly I'm sick of it. Sadly, though, this album is just... really good. It's just good music, no two ways about it. I really, really enjoyed the album and I wish I didn't because now I'm going to get bullied off the internet for it but IT'S JUST SO GOOOOOD UGGGGH....... shut up. Shut up. I can feel you calling me emo from here.

Title: The Wolf
Year: 2003
Artist: Andrew W.K.
Date Listened: 20^th September 2003
Opinion: Some of my friends were listening to this while we were hanging out together today. It's... eh. I dunno. It's alright? Some of it's fun! Loud and shouty and the kind of brain blockage I usually enjoy. There's other parts though, that feel kind of like, cheesy, almost? Very much sort of like, 80s-song-about-being-American-and-loving-America feeling to the songs, lyrics completely aside. I didn't mind it though. Made for an alright listen, if only a passive one over a room full of crosstalk.

Books

Title & Author: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Year: 2003
Genre: Post-Apocalypse Fantasy
Date Finished: 18^th November 2003
Opinion: Picked this book up on a whim because the front cover looked cool. I know, I know, you shouldn't judge a book by blah blah blah, whatever, but I'm glad I did, because it's a really cool book! The worldbuilding is so interesting and really vivid - I could really picture the city, I mean - and I really want to know what the initial disaster actually was, since the surface seems liveable now. I wonder if that'll ever be expanded upon? I'd like to hope so.

Title & Author: ASOUE: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket
Year: 2003
Genre: Gothic/Black Comedy
Date Finished: 24^th September 2003
Opinion: So. I'm doing a media diary now! Hi! Starting off strong, here's the latest A Series Of Unfortunate Events book, which is a series I'm obsessed with, despite the slightly lower age rating. This instalment came with a lot of annoyances - namely Carmelita Spats, who I hate with a burning passion - but also had some good twists (though that's the norm for these books). I'll admit I expected Quigley to be alive, but I didn't think we'd meet him here! ...If you can't tell, I'm really invested.
Edit from Future Darker: Yes, this is the first ever entry into the media diary! Ignore that it's in the middle of the other categories. I just ended up formatting it that way. I thought I should mark this, though :)

Games

...Nothing came out that interested me this end of the year so I... just got really into Rollercoaster Tycoon for a few months... Don't judge me... ￢.￢

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A media diary is a page in which you keep track of media you've consumed. Albums, movies, books, games, anything. You keep track of when you consumed them and what you thought about them, like a regular diary, just very specific.

I watch/read/play/listen to a lot. To be completely honest, it's partially so I can remember what things I've already looked at before. Sometimes I genuinely forget if I've already read a book (or anything else) before or not. I only record something the first time I consume it, however. Obviously it's not like I consume things once and never again - especially with things like music. Imagine listening to an album once and then never again. God.

...Anyway, sometimes I just like to figure out whether or not I've seen something before so I don't buy it a second time or something, or force myself through something I forgot I didn't enjoy the first time. I also just think it's interesting to keep a log of everything I've enjoyed (or not) in a year, y'know?

Whenever I remember to do it, really. Usually the same day as I've finished consuming the particular piece of media, but sometimes I'll forget this page exists for a few days and then remember it the next time I go to do something on the site. *Shrug*

The only exception to this is for games. Since not all games have a finite end, I record the date I first played them, but don't actually add the opinion until I've played a bit more of it. That one's just sort of up to how much I've played it and if I feel I've got the full experience yet.