My World of Entertainment!

My Top Films for 2024

2026-10-16T22:50:21.479+08:00

I posted my top movies of 2023 early this year, so it's finally time to move on to 2024. When it comes to the number of movies I watched in cinemas in 2024, it was definitely an improvement over 2023. Going for only 9 movies the previous year to 12 this year might not seem like a massive jump, but it's still more than I anticipated. In fact, I actually have enough films to build a top 10 list this time - but I don't think I want to. Instead, I'll just split the total and make a top 6.

Alright, let's dive right into it. These are my top 6 movies for 2024, starting with number 6.

6 ~ Inside Out 2

Image source from impawards

This movie is quite amazing, and it seems like most people think so too because it made almost $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office. You usually only pull in that much money from repeat viewing; after all, you wouldn't want to watch something again if you didn't like it, am I right?

I can't decide if I like this or the first movie more, but I really hope they don't make a third one. Despite loving this second film, I don't think the original even needed a sequel. It's an amazing movie that can absolutely stand on its own. But with this much money involved, I'm sure the studio will milk the franchise dry. Do you think the story needs to continue? I'm really curious to know what others think.

5 ~ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Image source from 20th Century Studios official website

To be honest, I thought the studio would try to reboot the franchise yet again, but they went ahead and made a standalone sequel to War for the Planet of the Apes instead. Personally, I think it turned out great! The story is solid, the cast is amazing, and the movie looks beautiful.

I hope the next sequel continues the story from the perspectives of the two main characters, Noa (played by Owen Teague) and Mae (played by Freya Allan). Frankly, though, I wouldn't mind if new characters take center stage. The universe of these movies is so vast that following a completely new journey with different characters would make sense too.

4 ~ Longlegs

Image source from IMDb

This is a highly unique movie with an incredible opening sequence. There are three major elements that I found fascinating about this film: the story, the locations, and the camerawork. The narrative captured my attention immediately and made me want to solve the murders right alongside the main character. The snowy locations and the settings give the film a fantastic, distinct look.

As for the camerawork - I'm not entirely sure how to explain it - but the way the camera was positioned really heightened the creepiness factor. For example, there's a scene where the camera cuts back and forth between the house and the doll inside the car that felt deeply unsettling. I also really liked Maika Monroe as the FBI agent, Lee Harker; she was excellent. This is the first movie I've watched by director Osgood Perkins, and I really enjoyed it. I'm definitely looking forward to his future projects.

3 ~ Smile 2

Image source from IMDb

Another horror movie! Well, I love horror, so I usually catch at least a few every year. Interestingly, I never watched the first movie before I watch this, but luckily you don't need to know much to enjoy this second installment. Naomi Scott takes center stage as Skye Riley, a famous pop star struggling after the loss of her actor boyfriend, and she did an amazing job with the role.

This is just a great horror film all around. From jump scares and creepy faces to dancers in bizarre formations, they really found creative ways to scare the audience. It only raked in around $138 million at the worldwide box office, but I think that's a huge success considering the budget was only $28 million. Are you, like me, wondering if there'll be a third movie? Good news - it looks like they are officially working on one, though we don't have a solid release date yet.

2 ~ Alien: Romulus

Image source from 20th Century Studios official website

I've been wanting a new Alien movie for years, and Alien: Romulus didn't disappoint. It's the seventh movie in the franchise and is set right between the first and second films. It features a brand-new crew finding terrifying new ways to die in space. I mean, some of these deaths are truly horrific. And that new alien creature at the end of the movie...wow, it was super creepy. But that's exactly why I love these films!

Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine definitely has the potential to be the Ellen Ripley of this generation. Meanwhile, David Jonsson was so good as the android, Andy, that I really hope we get to see him again in future installments. A sequel is currently in development, but I'm not sure if it will follow the surviving characters from this film or introduce a whole new crew. We will have to wait and see.

1 ~ Dune: Part Two

Image source from IMDb

This movie is an absolute work of art. The story, settings, visual effects, action sequences, characters, and music all work beautifully together to create an amazing end result. I've never read Frank Herbert's novel, so I went into it not knowing where the story was going, which made seeing it in the cinema an incredible experience.

There are plenty of twists and turns as the narrative jumps from one character to another - each with their own complex motivation - so it can be a bit hard to follow at times. Overall, though, it's very enjoyable even if you haven't read the book, though I think you definitely need to watch Part One first to fully understand it. Dune: Part Three is coming out in December this year alongside Avengers: Doomsday. That's quite a competition at the box office. Which movie do you think will perform better?

Those are the movies I liked the most from 2024. What about you? What was your favourite movie of 2024? I just have my 2025 list left to write before I'm fully caught up to 2026. How many movies have you watched at the cinema so far this year?

Aliens: Fireteam Elite ~ video game review

2026-10-03T23:11:24.351+08:00

Title: Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Played on PlayStation 4

There are actually a bunch of other video game titles queueing up on my list to be reviewed, but I have to make an exception for this one, even though it's further down the line. Why? Well, the sequel, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, was released recently, so I'm not sure how much longer the developer will support the first game. I enjoyed this game a lot, so I hope it remains playable in the future, even without developer support. Will this game be playable offline? We'll have to wait and see.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a third-person shooter from Cold Iron Studios released in 2021. The story ties into the original Alien film trilogy and takes place around 23 years after the events of Alien 3. A paid expansion titled Pathogen was later released in 2022. It's an online co-op game, though a solo mode is available with AI teammates.

Marines in Space

You play the role of a Colonial Marine on board a spaceship heading to the Katanga refinery station, which is orbiting the planet LV-895, after receiving a distress call. I don't think online multiplayer games care that much about the story, right? My assumption is that developers care more about keeping players returning to the game. Whatever the case, I still appreciate the story this game tries to tell. It complements the missions and creates an interesting narrative that flows well into the campaigns, with a few plot twists as well. The story builds off the Alien franchise and merges perfectly with the original lore, creating its own distinct branch in the universe.

The base game has 4 story campaigns with 3 missions each, plus an additional campaign from the Pathogen DLC. Some missions can be quite challenging, so if you're playing solo with AI teammates, good luck with that. Missions within the same campaign can also feel very similar, with environments that don't change much and enemies that stay roughly the same. Once you complete all the base campaigns, Quick Play and extra game modes will be unlocked for you.

Xenomorph Overload

One of the interesting aspects of this game is the selection of character classes that you could choose, each with its own special abilities. You can level up both your characters and your weapons as you complete missions. There are many different types of weapons to buy and experiment with, allowing you to find the best fit for your playstyle. I love switching weapons to see what works best, but levelling up each one takes a lot of time. This can be a bit demotivating, especially when trying to experiment during later, more difficult missions. At least, that was the case for me; my regular weapons were more leveled up, offering better firepower and attributes, which made me prefer using them against the harder enemies and bosses later on.

This is a very challenging game. You can be swarmed by enemies in minutes, so you must always stay vigilant and strategize on how to defeat them. Playing in online co-op is great because it's not only fun, but it also helps you clear missions more easily. However, playing solo with AI teammates is my preferred choice. The major reason for this is my slow internet connection; I've been kicked out of missions before when playing online with others. While AI teammates might not be the best at helping you complete missions on higher difficulties, I still personally feel they are a blessing for someone with network connectivity issues like me. I just wish the game had local co-op support; it would be fun to play alongside someone next to you, though split-screen might be too chaotic for this type of fast-paced game.

Majestic Alien World

Visual-wise, the game looks great. I did experienced some glitches, but I think that was more due to my slow network connection rather than the fault of the game itself. Otherwise, the game performs well. The settings are quite interesting; you get to explore an abandoned space refinery station and a planet with hidden alien technology - both overrun with Xenomorphs and other enemies. I used the word "explore", but honestly, the missions are very straightforward, simply taking you from point A to point B. What I'm really saying is that, at least, the environments you pass through during the missions are quite nice to look at.

One more thing I have to talk about is the final segment of the last mission in the fourth campaign - it plays out just like a movie sequence! It is incredibly impressive and amazingly well done. The sequence cleverly combines gameplay and story together, creating a spectacular ending to the base campaigns. While some missions in the other campaigns can leave me feeling frustrated due to high difficulty spikes, this one, while still challenging, left me feeling completely satisfied. It made all the effort feel worthwhile. It was quite an experience.

Conclusion

While I'm not usually into online multiplayer third-person shooters, I have to say that I really enjoyed this game. Personally, the difficulty was quite high for me, but I'm glad I still managed to complete all the missions. I really wish there were one more base campaign to play, or release another DLC, I'll buy it! However, since the sequel has already been released, I'm guessing the lifespan of this first game might not be very long now. If you haven't played it yet, this might be your last chance to try it, although I'm not sure how much time you have left. Maybe there's still hope for this game to live on offline. One can only hope.

K-pop Female Groups: My 2022 Top 20 Songs ~ No. 10 to 1

2026-09-19T23:50:23.613+08:00

Let’s wrap this up! Recently I posted songs from number 20 to 11, so it's time to list the top 10 now. Can you guess which songs made it to the top of my list?

Just a quick note for everyone: there is one song released in December 2021. I actually considered songs with music videos released between December 2021 and November 2022. That's how I manage my list while charting the songs. I just wanted to put that out there in case people are wondering why that particular song is on the list.

Alright, without further delay, here are the top 10 songs.

No. 10: Starlit by UiU

No. 9: Fearless by LE SSERAFIM

No. 8: DM by fromis_9

No. 7: Eleven by IVE

No. 6: Last Sequence by WJSN

No. 5: Lovin' Me by Fifty Fifty

No. 4: Eye To Eye by Limelight

No. 3: Rollercoaster by woo!ah!

No. 2: Tick Tick Boom by CLASS:y

No. 1: Venom by BVNDIT

It has been a long journey listing these songs, but I finally finished it. I'll move on to other types of posts before I start my 2023 list, which is going to take awhile. Hope you enjoy the songs and I'll see you again soon. Take care!

K-pop Female Groups: My 2022 Top 20 Songs ~ No. 20 to 11

2026-09-19T13:04:16.021+08:00

I usually have several parts for this type of post because I have a lot of songs to list; for 2021 list, I had 70 songs! So for 2022, I will only list my top 20. I'm already behind and need to catch up, so I guess it will be faster if I don't have too many songs to list. The downside, of course, is that several underrated gems will be excluded. Such a shame.

Without wasting any more time, let's start! Here are my top 20 K-pop girl group songs of 2022, and we're starting with number 20 until 11. Some of these groups might already be inactive or disbanded, but good songs are timeless, so I hope you will still check them out if you haven't already.

No. 20: GingaMingaYo (the strange world) by Billlie

No. 19: WooAh HIP by M.M.D

No. 18: Hype Boy by NewJeans

No. 17: Wa Da Da by Kep1er

No. 16: Hit Ya! by Lapillus

No. 15: Talk That Talk by Twice

No. 14: Chiquita by Rocket Punch

No. 13: Butterfly by Craxy

No. 12: Nerdy by Purple Kiss

No 11: Fiore by Rocket Punch

That's all I have for you today but I will be back soon to finish off the list. If you're a K-pop fan, I'm pretty sure you've heard most of them before. But do you think I missed out on some of your favourites so far?

Pendragon Book Four: The Reality Bug ~ book review

2026-07-22T03:07:56.628+08:00

Title - Pendragon: The Reality Bug

Author - D. J. MacHale

It has been a few years, but I am finally back to my adventure with the Pendragon series. It's never fun to forget key plot points when you leave a series for too long, but luckily, jumping back in is easy. There's not too many characters involved, and the plot is straightforward enough to recall without much effort. Honestly, if you need help remembering, a quick internet search will get you back on track in no time.

A quick overview, Pendragon: The Reality Bug is the fourth book in the Pendragon: Journal of an Adventure Through Time and Space series. Written by D. J. MacHale, the story follows Bobby Pendragon as he travels through different dimensions to prevent local calamities and ultimately defeat the main villain, Saint Dane.

There will be spoilers as I continue my review below, so click away now if you want to avoid them!

Now let's dive a little bit into the story. In this fourth installment, Bobby travels to Veelox, a dimension where almost all of the citizens have abandoned the physical world in favour of Lifelight, a technology that allows them to create a perfect reality inside their own dream worlds. Aja Killian, the Traveler from Veelox, thought she had everything under control. Little did she know, Saint Dane is sneakier than she ever could have imagined.

Everyone is enjoying their own virtual realities so the physical world is desolate without people to run and manage it. To fix this, Aja decides to introduce a virus called the "Reality Bug" to hijack the system, making the experiences the people are having less than perfect and hopes that would force the people back to the real world. Unfortunately, her plan backfires. The Reality Bug goes wild, corrupting everyone's virtual worlds and turning them into dangerous, potentially fatal nightmares. Now, Bobby and Aja must track down Dr. Zetlin, the creator of Lifelight who is also currently living his best life inside his own perfect illusion, for help.

This was actually a very fun read for me. I've always enjoyed reading children's and young-adult books because their word choice is usually much easier to understand and digest for a reader like me, who speaks English as a second language. Nothing too complicated, and of course, the stories are just fun to read.

The setting of this book is especially interesting. Although we're still a few steps away from the high-concept technology of Lifelight, the concept of virtual reality taking over people's lives feels highly relatable. Honestly, I feel like we're moving toward that exact future if we're not careful. I wish the author had explored the world of Veelox a bit more - specifically the physical world outside of Lifelight. It would have been fascinating to learn how society functions when most of its citizens are living online instead of offline.

I've grown to love Bobby even more with this book. He was already great in the previous installments, but he matures a bit more here and is beginning to become the leader of the Travelers that he was always meant to be. Aja Killian was great too - she's smart but a bit snarky, which is a lethal combination if you ask me. As for Saint Dane, he still feels a bit of a mystery. Once again, he is not in the book much, and we still have no idea what motivates him to bring these dimensions down. Since this is already the fourth book, I wish we had learned more about him by now. Last but not least is Dr. Zetlin, whom I found quite interesting. He seems like someone who hates being around real people, yet he turns out to be quite resourceful during their escape from Lifelight. Other characters from previous books, like Loor, Mark Dimond and Courtney Chetwynde, also appear in this installment.

While I found the story quite entertaining and well-paced overall, the later part of the book felt a bit repetitive, specifically the part where Bobby, Loor and Dr. Zetlin are running away from a "monster" that is chasing them. It felt like they were running back and forth through similar locations multiple times, making me feel like the author just wanted to pad the page count instead of actually progressing the plot. Aside from that small portion, the rest of the book was an enjoyable read.

And that brings a close to my review! The book series so far has been quite amazing, and it seems like Bobby is heading to an even crazier dimension in the next installment. I hope to continue my journey with Bobby soon and tell you all about it in my next review. Until then, take care!

Not a Review! Crimebound Chronicles ~ video game thoughts

2026-06-19T22:53:39.878+08:00

No, no...this is not a review. I only review games that I finished story-wise, and usually the games that I finished are the ones that I really enjoyed. I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy playing Crimebound Chronicles but I did finish it anyway, so I better write something about it, right?

So what should I write? Well, one positive thing about this game is that it is a pretty easy game to get a Platinum trophy, so if you want to add one to your trophy collection, this is one easy way to obtain it. Honestly, there's not much gameplay. You just keep on pressing the button to continue reading the text, and at the end you select the person who you think is the murderer. That's it. 3 separate cases, 3 murderers to choose. Other than that, there's not much to say. Well, there's actually plenty to say if I want to list down all the wrongs that I find while playing it...but I'm not doing that. No, let's just say I didn't enjoy playing it. That's all.

Let's just end here before I start saying something bad. See you guys soon in another review ya, take care!

Vampyr ~ video game review

2026-03-03T00:20:00.006+08:00

Title: Vampyr

Played on PlayStation 4

Vampyr is an action role-playing video game released way back in 2018 on multiple platforms (PS4, Windows, Xbox One, and later on Nintendo Switch in 2019) developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Focus Home Interactive. Right off the bat, let me just say that I love this game. Despite its flaws, I had an amazing experience playing it and I have to thank Playstation Plus for this because I wouldn't have known the game existed if it's not included as one of their free monthly games. It's seriously an underrated gem.

A Doctor Reborn

In Vampyr, you played as Jonathan Reid, a doctor who had been turned into a vampire. You literally started off waking up in a pile of corpses, it's quite an amazing way to start a game. After running away and bumping into some new shenanigans, you found yourself a new ally named Doctor Edgar Swansea, and thus your new life begins as the new doctor at Pembroke Hospital. I really enjoyed the story told in this game. You meet a lot of interesting characters, and there's a few twist and turns in the plot as well, which keeps the story interesting and engaging.

The world and settings of Vampyr is pretty amazing. The semi-open world of 1900-era of London is beautifully realized. We only get to explore at night so the surroundings can feel a bit gloomy and drab but in a game about vampires? It's perfect. Although not so big, the map splits into several districts so there's a few places to explore and characters to meet. Talking about characters, there are a number of citizens spread across the districts that you can track using citizen menu. You can monitor the district health, see citizen's illnesses and track clues. You can decide to cure sick citizens to avoid the district from becoming hostile, or you can decide to devour them instead to gain experience points.

To Kill Or Not To Kill

There is dialogue branch when interacting with some characters that is essential to the plot. These dialogue branch only appear at certain moment in the game that could directly impact the story and your character's actions. Honestly, there are moments when it's pretty hard to make these choices because things could turn out differently than what you expected. There was once in the game where I thought I had made the right decision but my character ended up did something that I didn't expected instead. It was kind of rough and I felt a little bit misled by the choices given in the dialogue branch. Luckily though, other than that one instance, the rest of the choices I made didn't turn out too bad.

Combat in Vampyr is quite fun but can feel a bit generic too. You can wield melee weapons and ranged weapons, as well as having vampiric abilities that you can use to help fighting your enemies. Weapons can be improved by crafting but there's not much to experiment here. Basically if you found the right weapon that you like, just level up that weapon and you're good to go. The weapon crafting system is the one aspect of the game that I feel desperately need improvement because in its current state, there's really no incentive in doing it once you upgrade that one weapon that you like. Aside from that, you also have the Mesmerize ability which you can use to control weaker characters. With it, you can coerce your targets to reveal information or guiding them to hidden area to feed on them.

A Somber Town

The ambience in this game is truly amazing, and part of that is because of the beautiful soundtrack. I truly believe the soundtrack makes a difference here because it truly elevated the experience for me. Its melancholy and sad sound reflects the struggle of the character as he ventures into this new world that is unbeknownst to him before. The music is so haunting that it lingers in my head hours after I close the game and shut down my console. It's beautiful and sad at the same time.

Before I end my review, I have to acknowledge that this game do suffer from glitch, like a major glitch that caused my screen to become blue and I have to restart my console again. That is quite a destructive glitch and it happened to me quite a few times. Luckily though, I stopped having it after...5 or 6 hours of gameplay? I cannot fully recall but it did stop after awhile. While it didn't prevent me from enjoying the game, I have to admit that the glitch is quite bad and it might hinder some people from enjoying or finish the game.

Conclusion

Exceptional story, great characters (Jonathan Reid is quite charming I might add), amazing settings and beautiful soundtrack, Vampyr would have been a perfect game for me if its not for the generic combat, uninspiring weapon crafting and glitch that causing me to lose my game progress. Still, I love this game so much that I hope Dontnod Entertainment would consider making a sequel. I can see quite a lot of love from many people in the web towards this game and furthermore, all the negatives that I've mentioned is not really that bad. If you haven't try this game yet and still kind of hesitate, I would recommend you to read other reviews before you make your decision. If and when you're ready, you will be welcomed by the somber yet fascinating world of Vampyr.

My Top Films for 2023

2026-01-29T00:11:00.001+08:00

It's 2026! It's time to list down my top movies for 2025, right? Well...sadly I'm always behind in my posting. So let's go back to 2023 because that's where I'm currently at right now with my movies list. That's not too far behind, right?

How many movies did I watched in cinemas in 2023? It's only 9 movies so I can't even make a top 10 list but it's up from previous year, so at least that's an improvement (I guess). I only watched 6 movies in cinemas in 2022.

Ok, let's not waste any more time. Below is my list of films for 2023 from the bottom to the top. Let's begin.

No. 9 ~ The Marvels

Image source from Marvel official website

Despite being at the bottom of my list, The Marvels is actually not that bad. Okay, so it is considered a box-office bomb and is currently the lowest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but it's still quite enjoyable to watch. It doesn't have the best story or the best villain but the three main heroes; Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, are all great characters and by the end of the movie, I kind of liked them. Technically, I always liked Captain Marvel so it's the other two characters that I originally not too familiar with. But like I mentioned, I ended up liking them. Hopefully, despite their box-office performance, we will get to see all 3 characters again in future MCU movies.

No. 8 ~ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Image source from Marvel official website

Another movie which placed lower in my list but is actually not that bad. The movie served as quite an interesting introduction to Kang the Conqueror, the supposedly next big bad villain of the MCU after Thanos. With Jonathan Majors, who played Kang, out from MCU and Marvel not intending to re-cast the role, we probably won't be seeing Kang in another MCU movie anytime soon, which is a shame because he is quite a fascinating villain. While Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Ant-Man again in Avengers: Doomsday, I'm not sure when will we see the rest of the characters next.

No. 7 ~ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Image source from Marvel official website

This is quite a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy, and the ending that involved Rocket is surprisingly quite sad. I didn't know he got such a tragic backstory. The rest of the cast, as always, was excellent and there are quite a few funny moments in the film which I loved. The High Evolutionary is quite an intriguing villain but I find him not quite memorable. The film is highly successful but I don't think you would see the same team again in future Guardians of the Galaxy film, so most probably we would see some of them in other Marvel movies instead, which is fine I guess. Time for other Marvel characters to take center stage.

No. 6 ~ Blue Beetle

Image source from IMDb

The visual effects for this movie is really good. It's stunning! I'm really impressed by how they managed to beautifully design the superpowers surrounding the main character. I love the family aspects portrayed in the film too; how they support and care for each other, and they become the center piece of the story. It's a good introductory film for a new live-action superhero and I wish we would see more of Blue Beetle in future DC movies...I really hope we do.

No. 5 ~ Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Image source from IMDb

This is quite a funny movie, seriously there are some parts that I laughed out loud during the movie. But looks like I'm in the minority because it seems like not a lot of people enjoyed it since it got mixed reviews from critics. It was a box-office bomb as well as it only grossed around $130M+ worldwide against a $110M-$125M budget. Ouch. I really enjoyed the movie; the cast is great, the film is funny, and I really like how the movie portray the power of Anthea, the third daughter of Atlas, played by Rachel Zegler. With this type of box-office performance though, I think it's safe to say that the characters won't be brought over to the new DC Universe.

No. 4 ~ The Flash

Image source from WarnerBros official website

Some would say it is blasphemous to rank this film higher than the rest of the superhero films released for the year but I genuinely really like this movie. The special effects got a little bit weird in the climax of the movie but there's so many other things that were good; the story was nice, the cast were awesome (Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle were great as Batman and Supergirl respectively), the action sequences were good, and the cameos were fantastic too. I mean, I don't really think it's as bad as some people would like you to believe. I wonder if there would be a new Flash anytime soon or would they bench this character for awhile to give way for other superheroes in the new DC Universe by James Gunn?

No. 3 ~ The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Image source from IMDb

I didn't think I would like this movie since the story is about the early days of Panem, during the 10th Annual Hunger Games, which I foolishly thought would be boring. Surprisingly, I ended up quite liking it. It's interesting to see the journey of young Coriolanus Snow, and how his view of the world changed as he navigates the cruel and cutthroat world of Panem. It's also fascinating to see the war-torn Capitol, how it was like before it became the Capitol that we know from the previous Hunger Games movies. It's almost felt like a history lesson of the fictional world, and honestly I don't mind if the author, Suzanne Collins, would write more about the past of Panem and how it became to be. A second prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, is coming out later this year. I'm so looking forward to it and I hope you are too.

No. 2 ~ Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

Image source from IMDb

What a thrilling movie! Despite having so many setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic, director Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise and the whole team still managed to deliver an incredible film. As per the usual for his Mission: Impossible movies, you jump from one amazing location to another, packed with amazing choreographed actions, and featuring a stellar cast with new and returning characters. It's only part of a story, hence the Part 1 in the title, but still it's an enjoyable ride. If you love action movies, this film is a must watch.

No. 1 ~ A Haunting in Venice

Image source from IMDb

It's been 2 years in a row that a Hercule Poirot film managed to top my list. Last year, it was Death on the Nile and this year, it's A Haunting in Venice. Story-wise, I think this is my most favourite yet. The setting of a haunted palazzo really makes this movie stands out for me, and the amazing ensemble elevates it further. My favourite character from the movie is Leopold Ferrier played by Jude Hill, a young son of Dr. Leslie Ferrier played by Jamie Dornan, who had quite a tragic backstory. I really wish the film franchise will continue beyond this but with a total box-office gross of only around $120M+ , it seems unlikely. I hope I'm wrong.

So those are the movies I've watched in cinemas in 2023 from my least to my most favourites. Do you still remember what you watched in that year? Any movies that I missed that you think I should watched? I hope you enjoy this list and I'll see you again soon.

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 10 - No. 1

2026-01-11T23:14:00.000+08:00

Let's finish this. It's already massively overdue.

Here are the songs from number 10 to number 1. Click the links and enjoy the music.

No. 10 - Boyfriend by cignature

No. 9 - After 'We Ride' by Brave Girls

No. 8 - Addicted by Pixy

No. 7 - Elegante by Azer

No. 6 - Would You Run by TRI.BE

No. 5 - I Don't Miss U by woo!ah!

No. 4 - Rub-A-Dum by TRI.BE

No. 3 - After School by Weeekly

No. 2 - Icons by Hot Issue

No. 1 - Love So Sweet by Cherry Bullet

We're at the end of the chart...finally. I hope you like the songs that I've listed. They are relatively "old" songs but still good to listen to.

If you missed the other posts, you can still check them out from the links below.

Songs from number 70 to 61

Songs from number 60 to 51

Songs from number 50 to 41

Songs from number 40 to 31

Songs from number 30 to 21

Songs from number 20 to 11

Next, list of 2022 songs. See you soon? Well, hopefully soon.... Until then, take care!

Limbo ~ video game review

2025-08-21T00:00:00.007+08:00

Title: Limbo

Played on PlayStation 4

Limbo is a puzzle-platform video game developed by the independent studio Playdead. It was originally published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360 and was released way back in July 2010. The game was later made available on other platforms as well including PlayStation 4 which is the version that I played and reviewed here. A unique video game that excels in its simplicity, Limbo has been listed as one of the greatest games of all time by various publications, and it has also won many awards within the industry since its release.

It's Black & White

Limbo is a minimalist video game not just in its visuals but controls, story and sound as well. When it comes to its visuals, the game is basically in black and white. However, the developer still managed to create beautiful and eerie settings with its monochromatic tones. I'm surprised at how striking the visuals can be even in its limited use of colours and art designs. It shows you the creativity of the developer on how they can stretch their imagination in creating the world of Limbo with simple designs.

The soundtrack of the game is very interesting. It's more like a compilation of sounds than music, at least that's what I feel about it but other people might disagree. Nevertheless, it's a unique soundtrack that evokes the sense of calmness and at other times, a sense of dread as well. It's a weird combination, I know, but it complements the game very well.

Horrible Death Ahead!

The controls of the game is simple; one button for jump, one to grab and pull things. You can move left or right, climb ledges, and climb up and down ropes or ladders. You move forward by figuring out how to overcome certain obstacles. Honestly, I find some of the puzzles quite difficult mostly because I can't think outside the box, so I was constantly stuck. The game is quite short relatively, but because I kept getting stuck at certain puzzles, it felt kind of long to me.

There are many deadly hazards throughout the game such as traps, sharp spikes and giant spider, and that mean your character will faced gruesome deaths over and over again. When I said gruesome, I mean gruesome. I flinched almost every time I died in the game. It's fast, it's brutal and it's almost always unexpected. At times I feel bad and tried to not die but you learn and understand the traps in the game by dying, so it's almost hard to avoid dying when you play the game for the first time.

A Brother On A Mission

As I've mentioned before, Limbo is a minimalist game, and it's true for the story as well. There's really nothing much in the story: you play as a little boy waking up in a gloomy and deadly forest, and you make your way to find your sister. I can't remember if it's explicitly mentioned in the game that the girl is the boy's sister, but that's what I got from Wikipedia. From the forest, you move forward and face traps, dangerous creatures and other boys who tried to kill you, then into a crumbling town, and then to mechanical industrialized settings. No dialogue, no voiceover, nothing...but I would argue it still manage to tell its story in a simple way with its unique visuals and settings.

Conclusion

Limbo is a unique albeit simple video game. It won't take much of your time (aka it's a short game) but it's still worth to play with its challenging puzzles and beautiful multiple-shades-of-black settings. I enjoyed the game but I get frustrated sometimes with the puzzles. So I feel like it is not a suitable game to play when you're impatient. So if you feel that way, close the game and come back when you're more relaxed. It will be more enjoyable if you give yourself time to complete it.

My Top Films for 2022

2025-08-01T00:49:00.010+08:00

I used to list the movies that I watched in the cinema for the year but I've missed out to post about it for so many years. I'm catching up now, so that is why you're seeing the 2022 list in 2025. I didn't watch too many movies per year especially after the pandemic so it's not really hard to rank it. How many movies do you watch at the cinema/movie theaters now?

Here's how my 2022 movie list looks like. There's only 6 movies in it...it's not much but it's something.

6 - The Matrix Resurrections

Image source from WarnerBros

Technically this movie was released in December 2021, but I watched it in 2022 so that's why it is in this list. I don't remember much what happened in the previous 3 movies but surprisingly it's not too hard to follow the story in this latest installment. There's some really good casting here with the new characters. The movie is quite enjoyable with some pretty cool sequences but sadly the box-office returns was quite poor. Maybe it didn't feel as special as the original trilogy? I kind of feel something missing too, but I can't quite make out what it is. Still, like I said, the movie is enjoyable and I feel it improves with repeat viewing.

5 - DC League of Super-Pets

Image source from WarnerBros

This is a really fun and funny movie. It's seriously better than I anticipated. While the superhero animals are great, the one that steals the show for me is the main villain, a skinny pig named Lulu, who has flight and telekinesis power and voiced by Kate McKinnon. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation has some great and smart animation films under its belt like The Lego Movie and Storks, and this movie is another good addition to their list.

4 - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Image source from IMDB

There was once when the Fantastic Beasts franchise was imagined as a five-film series but I don't think that would be true anymore after the "soft" performance of the third movie. To be honest, I like the second movie, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, more compared to this one but it was still an enjoyable movie. The characters were charming, the beasts/animals were majestic and overall visuals for the movie was quite magical and stunning. The story can be a bit confusing to follow at times though. I'm still pretty much on board for more movies under the Fantastic Beasts banner but it looks like the studio is focusing on other projects now.

3 - Everything Everywhere All at Once

Image source from IMDB

This is quite a unique film. It's something different not just visually but the way it tells its story as well. The movie won multiple main awards at the Oscars; Best Picture, Best Director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, as well as in the acting categories for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Quite an achievement. I really like the character played by Ke Huy Quan, such a charming and kind-hearted guy. Shout-out to Stephanie Hsu too who played the daughter, Joy Wang. She did a fantastic job.

2 - The Batman

Image source from WarnerBros

I never thought Robert Pattinson would be such a good batman. In fact, he wasn't just good, he was awesome in the role. The Batman is yet another reboot of the Batman film franchise. New Batman, new villains, new director, new everything. The cast is amazing, the story is great and full of twists, and the set of villains in this movie are all great and fantastic. A sequel, The Batman: Part II, has already been announced. Currently it is scheduled for release on Oct. 1, 2027. I'm not sure why the sequel is taking so long but I definitely can't wait for it.

1 - Death on the Nile

Image source from 20thCenturyStudios

I just adore this Hercule Poirot film series by Kenneth Branagh. They are just so interesting and somewhat comforting for me. It's an ensemble cast so you get a group of people with colourful personalities and secrets to hide. Similar with the first movie, Death on the Nile is visually mesmerizing as well despite being the direct opposite when it comes to the settings compared to the previous movie. Everything just look gorgeous. But the highlight to me is of course the story. I've never read Agatha Christie's novels so I never knew what's coming. I really, really wish there's more to come in this franchise.

That's all for this list, only 6 movies for 2022. Hopefully it won't be too long for the 2023 list. Until then, stay safe and enjoy more movies!

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 20 - No. 11

2025-07-08T00:13:00.012+08:00

I'm continuing a post from years ago. I still have the full list so might as well finish it while I still can. Better late then never I guess.

Here are my favourite songs for 2021 from female K-pop groups, and these are the songs from number 20 to 11.

No. 20 - Bewitched by Pixy

No. 19 - Ring X Ring by Billlie

No. 18 - BEcause by Dreamcatcher

No. 17 - We Go by fromis_9

No. 16 - Chi Mat Ba Ram by Brave Girls

No. 15 - Tales of the Unusual by Pink Fantasy

No. 14 - Ghost by DreamNote

No. 13 - Siesta by Weki Meki

No. 12 - Where Are We Now by Mamamoo

No. 11 - Cast Pearls Before Swine by Purple Kiss

One more post to go then we will be finished with the 2021 list. Finger-crossed I can post it soon.

If you want to check out the rest of the songs from this chart, you can click the links below.

Songs from number 70 to 61

Songs from number 60 to 51

Songs from number 50 to 41

Songs from number 40 to 31

Songs from number 30 to 21

Resident Evil (Remake) ~ video game review

2025-07-05T01:01:00.001+08:00

Title - Resident Evil (2002 Remake Remaster)

Played on PlayStation 4

Have you heard the rumour that Capcom might be doing another remake to the first Resident Evil game? Remake of a remake, how crazy is that? Only time will tell if the rumour is true. If it's not, well no need to be sad about it. The remastered version of the 2002 Remake that were released still look amazing and is still great to play.

Here's a brief info of the game. Resident Evil Remake was released way back in 2002 by Capcom exclusively for GameCube. A remake of the original 1996 game of the same name, it has improved graphics, new gameplay mechanics and puzzles, new areas to explore, additional story and reworked dialogues. A high-definition remaster (this is the version that I've played and will review here) was later released in 2015 for multiple platforms (PlayStation, Xbox and PC) and later in 2019 for Nintendo Switch.

A Hauntingly Beautiful Mansion

It's hard to believe that this game is more than two decades old because looking at the graphics, the game still looks pretty amazing. The minute you enter the mansion, the main setting of the game, you will be mesmerized by the amazing details and you can look forward to more eerie settings to come. Gloomy lights from the lamp on the ceiling casting long shadows, with zombies and dogs lurking around the dark hidden corridors barely lit by the dim lights. The sound design complemented the creepiness with the sound of dogs howling, the moaning of the zombies, and the screaming of one Lisa Trevor. Both the graphics and the sound design make the game feels so atmospheric that you immediately transported into the horrific world of the living dead when you're playing the game. Sure, the human characters and the creatures that you fought didn't really look lifelike like the AAA games that you typically see nowadays, but they still look nice and fit with the game's settings and overall design.

Zombies & Monsters Everywhere!

The game still retain some of the difficulty from the original game, for example the limited amount of ammo available as well as the limited slots that each character have in their inventory. But of course now you have the improved gameplay of using the analog stick to control the characters compared to the D-pad in the original PS1 version of the game...that was quite a nightmare for me. There are a lot of puzzles to solve and they were quite fun to figure out, not too easy but not too challenging either, so I enjoyed them quite a bit. Similar with the original, you have to go back and forth in the same area quite a few times but since I like the atmospheric nature of the settings, I don't really mind doing that.

Jill Sandwich Anyone?

Is the story the same with the original game? Well, yes and no. The basic premise is still the same; you as Jill Valentine or Chris Redfield, and the rest of the Raccoon City Police Department's S.T.A.R.S. Alpha team members are trapped in a huge abandoned mansion in the middle of a forest after investigating the whereabouts of the Bravo team which was sent earlier to investigate the murders that have been happening around the area. As you find your way to escape the place, you discover the horror that have been taking place in the mansion and the history behind it. The story have been expanded to include even more detailed back story of the place and the people involved. One of the character directly involved in the story behind the mansion even appeared as a mini-boss to fight in one part of the game.

I'm sure people who've played the original remembered the dialogue like the Jill sandwich incident. If you find that cringe, then no need to worry as the game have been improved with much better dialogues for the characters. To be honest, I don't have too much of a problem with the original game's dialogues; they are quite cheesy but I think it's alright. For context though, English is my second language and I was quite young back then too, so probably that's why I'm okay with it.

While the main story with the Bravo team is enjoyable; exploring the mansion and learning about the illegal experiments, helping each other, and finding out what happened to the Alpha team members, I also really appreciate the back-story of the mansion and the people involved that are incorporated in various letters, documents and memos which were scattered throughout the mansion. Some of them contain clues to solve certain puzzles but the developer put extra effort to combine them with story-telling elements as well. It was really well done and I enjoyed the way the game is telling the story through the environment.

Conclusion

Resident Evil Remake is a fantastic game with beautiful graphics, great atmosphere and engaging gameplay that is still fun to play. It is often regarded as one of the greatest remakes ever made and after playing it, I can definitely understand why it get such a title. The remastered version of the game improved a lot from its graphic to its control scheme making it suitably updated and comparable to the other more recent games. I highly recommended it if you haven't play it yet. It's worth a shot.

The Haunting of Hill House ~ TV review

2025-02-11T22:37:00.002+08:00

The Haunting of Hill House is a supernatural/horror television miniseries created and directed by Mike Flanagan for the streaming platform, Netflix. The 10-episode TV series premiered on the platform on October 12, 2018.

It's a fantastic TV show, so I'm inspired to do this quick mini review on it. I am a fan of Mike Flanagan's films such as Oculus and Before I Wake but for some reason I was dragging my feet when it comes to his many TV series that were currently available on Netflix. Finally this year, I took the first big step and watched the show, which is loosely adapted from the 1959 novel with the same name by Shirley Jackson. The show follows the Crain family, the husband and wife with their 5 children, and their experiences with paranormal activities after living at the Hill House. The show alternates between the time when the five children were still kids staying at the Hill House, and when they were adults still grappling with the tragedy that happened when they were kids.

I love how the way the show tells the story of the family; it took its time and slowly building up the tense and mysteries to finally revealed everything at the end. It's as much of a family drama as it is a horror story. The two elements blended beautifully. The first 5 episodes focused on each of the five children characters respectively (both when they were kids and adults), and I find that really helpful for me to get to know each of them and their struggles. There's also an episode each that focused more on the parents in the second half of the show.

There are a lot of twists and turns as more secrets are revealed near the end of the show but there are parts that I find to be quite dialogues-heavy. I don't mind when characters are giving long speech but there's this one monologue about the past from one of the parents that got me a little bit confused. Maybe it's the lack of my understanding of the context but I don't really understand how that story connects (or the significance of it) to the character. I enjoy the speech and the performance is great, I just don't understand the connection. Regardless, I still love the scene and the whole episode. Talking about episodes, my favourite is episode 5, The Bent-Neck Lady, which focused on one of the two youngest members of the family. There's also an episode with multiple long-shots that were quite spectacular (I think it was episode 6?). I don't study films so I'm not even sure if that's what its called but from an audience perspective, I'm really quite impressed.

It's a great watch and I thoroughly enjoy it. If you haven't watch it yet and you love horror, then I'm definitely recommending you to watch this. It's high quality, sophisticated story-telling with a great cast which I'm sure you will enjoy.

Sources: Netflix, IMDb

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Remastered ~ video game review

2025-01-27T00:16:00.001+08:00

Title - Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (part of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection)

Played on PlayStation 4

I don't think this game need an introduction but for those who may not have known about this "little" franchise, here's a brief intro. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is the first game in the Uncharted series released way back on PlayStation 3 in 2007. Developed by Naughty Dog, the game received praise from game critics and gained quite a number of fans, which give rise to a couple sequels and even a film which starred Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.

In 2015, a remaster of the first three video games was released, titled Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, for the PlayStation 4. This is the version that I played but I will only review the first game for today.

Time to Explore

Obviously, I'm late to this party. I played the game more than a decade after its initial release. I know it's the first game in a successful franchise but I have to be honest, my first impression of the game visual-wise was not great. I can definitely say that it was underwhelming...and I know the reason why. Throughout the years, I have been keeping up with the news on this franchise; reading articles and reviews, watching walkthroughs and reaction videos, et cetera, et cetera. So in a way, I am aware how the games have grown and evolved throughout the years. I think maybe the greatness that I saw of the 4th game in the series somehow cloud my judgement and I was expecting the visuals of the first game to be at the same level as the latest installment, which is foolish of me. I somehow forgot that this is the first, the very first, game in the series, and furthermore it's just a remaster, not a remake. But as I spent hours playing the game, the visuals grew on me, and I can finally see how beautiful the game is.

Even though it looks a little dated visual-wise, the game still managed to mesmerize me with its beautiful locations and settings; the lush jungles, the winding rivers, the ancient structures; they were all quite fascinating to behold. You get to walk around and explore these great locations and as a player, it feels amazing. Something that I wish the game would have though is more varieties for its locations because sometimes there are a little bit of sameness to some of the locations.

One of the strong points for me is the main characters; the design looks distinctive from one another and they have colourful personalities to match. Well, at least that's what I feel for the good guys, the villains however...not so much. I don't think they are quite memorable enough. Having said that, I still think the overall performances for all characters are great; from good guys to bad guys, from big characters to even the background characters. I love the small things that happened like the dialogues the background characters would have when they were engaged in a fight or cross-fire with the player; it creates a level of realism that elevates the player's immersion of the game.

Guns, Guns and Guns!

So, the visuals is nice, the characters are great, what about the gameplay? It was actually quite a treat! You get to explore the environment and solve puzzles, then few minutes later you were engaged in a gun-fight with enemies. It's roughly alternating between those two, with few action-sequences like driving a jeep or motorboat thrown in-between. All of those segments are fun to play but personally, some of the gun-fights and action sequences are a bit challenging for me. It took several attempts (sometimes dozens!) for me to clear some of the sections. Still, it didn't take away any enjoyment that I have playing the game.

I really like the gunfight combat in this game. It's really fun to pick up a variety selection of weapons and fire your way through the enemies. You could fight with bare hands as well although that would be tricky to do alone without the guns. You start with limited type of weapons but as you fight through multiple groups of hostile mercenaries, you were presented with more weapon options to try your hands on. I must warn you, the gameplay is very addictive.

As mentioned before, there are certain sections in the game where you get to control certain vehicles like a jeep or a jet ski. This part of the game, unfortunately, is the one I like the least. The jet ski section, for example, was really frustrating to play. I can't seem to control it the right way and I kept dying several times. It's a skill issue, I know. At least the water graphic is pretty to watch.

A Remarkable Adventure?

Story-wise, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune play itself like an average adventure movie. It was a simple story, nevertheless it was still fun and enjoyable. I didn't like one thing though; you were put right in the middle of the action once you get to control the character for the first time. It was a total panic for me! I usually like to take my time learning the control every time I play a new game so this sort of things kind of get me off my balance a little bit. Maybe the developer felt it was more interesting to put the player right into the action, which kind of make sense when you think about the story. So I guess this is more of a preference for me, and not really an issue otherwise.

Conclusion

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune remastered is a game that needs no recommendation because I believe everyone that wants to play it, already have, and those that haven't play it yet, I bet already have a plan to buy the game sometime in the future. Right! RIGHT?!? If you don't have a plan to play it, you're just not into this genre I guess, which is okay. Personally, I feel this is a really fun game to play and suitable for all ages. I don't really recall any swear words...is there any? Even if there is, I would still recommend it to young players because it must be so minor that I can't even remembered it. It's a fun game, honestly, and a great introduction to this franchise.

Now off to the 2nd game!

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 30 - No. 21

2022-11-26T00:26:00.000+08:00

Here's Part 5 for my 2021 list of favourite songs from female K-pop group. You can check out the links below if you missed the previous parts;

Songs from number 70 to 61

Songs from number 60 to 51

Songs from number 50 to 41

Songs from number 40 to 31

Hope some of the songs in my list piqued your interest to check them out if you haven't already. Now let's get on with the list.

No. 30 - Let Me Know by Pixy

No. 29 - First by Everglow

No. 28 - Tiki Taka by T-ara

No. 27 - Dancing in the Starlit Night by Majors

No. 26 - Close to Me by BlackSwan

No. 25 - Doom Doom Ta by TRI.BE

No. 24 - Unnatural by WJSN

No. 23 - Vivace by Lightsum

No. 22 - Too Too (22) by Hi-L

No. 21 - In the Morning by ITZY

We're almost at the top! 20 more songs to go. See you in my next post.

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 40 - No. 31

2022-09-07T22:29:00.000+08:00

Here is Part 4 for the 2021 list of my favourite songs from female K-pop group. Missed the earlier 3 parts? Click the links below to go there;

Songs from number 70 to 61

Songs from number 60 to 51

Songs from number 50 to 41

What other songs do you think will be in my list? Let's continue the journey with songs at number 40 to 31.

No. 40 - Gray Area by Hi Cutie

No. 39 - I Cook by HeyGirls

No. 38 - Stop by Minimani

No. 37 - Not Friends by LOONA (HeeJin, Kim Lip, JinSoul, Yves) - Produced by Ryan Jhun

No. 36 - Fly With You by PoshGirls

No. 35 - Vanilla by Lightsum

No. 34 - PTT (Paint The Town) by LOONA

No. 33 - Spit It Out by Majors

No. 32 - Odd Eye by Dreamcatcher

No. 31 - Easy by WJSN The Black

We have passed the halfway mark, 30 more songs to go! Hope you enjoy some of the songs and see you soon in the next part.

Unravel ~ video game review

2022-08-27T00:09:00.000+08:00

Title - Unravel

Played on PlayStation 4

Unravel is a video game developed by Coldwood Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. It was released back in 2016 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It's a puzzle platformer where you control Yarny, a creature made of yarn, across different sets of environment while solving puzzles along the way. It's sweet, it's lovely and it lets you look at the cycle of life through the perspective of its cute little protagonist.

Little Yarn in a Big World

First of all, let me tell you that Unravel is a beautiful video game. The settings are beautifully crafted from the peaceful, soothing locations of the house backyard and the seaside, to the dark, intimidating locations like a gloomy factory, a toxic dumpster area and snowy garage of abandoned vehicles. Everything is perfectly visualized. It feels like you have been shrunk to a small size and you get to explore these amazing places which are basically real-world based locations but from a different perspectives. The fact that it was greatly and beautifully constructed makes exploration a fascinating and wonderful experience.

The soundtrack for the video game is well-crafted too; complementing it's beautiful sceneries with soothing and calm music, while slow and melancholic music complement it's dark and depressing locations. The music and the environment go hand-in-hand in making the journey richer and satisfying. Not to forget the sound design; crashing waves, rustling leaves, flowing water, all of which play an important role immersing us in the adventure of our little protagonist.

Swing Away

As mentioned, the game let you control Yarny, the cute little creature made of red yarn. First awaken inside a house, you make your way to the photo frames located throughout the house and through these photos, you get to explore the memories of the house's occupant; from happy and fun memories which would then gradually becomes darker, depressing and sad as you move from one photo frame to the next. As you explore these locations that are central to the memories, you will get Yarny to swing, jump, climb, make a bridge and drag apples, tin cans, boxes, etc. to get to your destination. Sometimes there are tricky ways to get across from one spot to another but usually the puzzles are not too difficult to figure out, although I have to admit I did get stuck a few times but I don't necessarily associate these to the puzzles being difficult but rather on me being unable to think outside the box, so yeah, in my case it's more or less the player problem. :-)

Unravel Your Feelings

I've read that the game was inspired from the landscape of Umeå, Sweden, and from the small town where the game's director, Martin Sahlin, had lived which is in the countryside. Although I have never set my foot in Sweden, the game somehow managed to make me feel nostalgic, and it makes me missed my own carefree days of childhood especially in the early stages of the game. My interpretation is that Yarny's journey symbolizes the journey of someone's life from childhood, youth all through adulthood and death. As the game explores the past memories of the house's occupants, from growing up, to heartbreak, to death in the family, it also somehow makes me think of my own memories of growing up and ups and downs in my own life. It's sweet but also bittersweet and I find it amazing that Unravel, a seemingly simple platforming video game, managed to do that.

Conclusion

Overall, Unravel is a great platforming game, not too hard but not too easy either, with beautiful graphics that features gorgeous locations, and with great soundtrack and sound design. While all of that are great, what's truly remarkable is how it makes you feel while you're playing the game; happy, cozy, nervous, sad, heart-broken and everything in-between. If you don't like platforming games, then you might not like this then no matter how good I'm telling you Unravel is, but if you do or if you simply want to try this, then give it a shot. I'm pretty sure it will be worth your time.

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 50 - No. 41

2022-08-14T23:56:00.000+08:00

Back again with Part 3 of my favourite songs for 2021 from female K-pop groups. If you missed the first 2 parts, you can find the link here for songs at number 70 to 61, and here for songs at number 60 to 51.

More great songs below for your enjoyment. Let's begin!

No. 50 - Got Chu by PoshGirls

No. 49 - Only You by Saturday

No. 48 - ASAP by STAYC

No. 47 - Time For Me by Berry Good

No. 46 - Rain On Me by Majors

No. 45 - Like It Hot by GWSN

No. 44 - Kiss Kiss by Laboum

No. 43 - Loco by ITZY

No. 42 - Holiday Party by Weeekly

No. 41 - Scaredy Cat by woo!ah!

How do you find the list so far? Do any of your favourite songs or groups in my list as well? If not, well then maybe they are at a higher position in the chart, who knows?

See you again soon for songs at number 40 to 31.

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 60 - No. 51

2022-08-13T01:28:00.000+08:00

Here's the 2nd post for my favourite songs of 2021 from female K-pop groups. If you missed the first part, you can find it here.

If you didn't fancy any of the songs in the first part, hope these next 10 songs might be of interest to you. Enjoy!

No. 60 - DA DA DA by Skyle

No. 59 - Stalker by 3YE

No. 58 - Panorama by IZ*ONE

No. 57 - LA LA LA by Bling Bling

No. 56 - Wrap Me in Plastic by Momoland x Chromance

No. 55 - Dun Dun Dance by Oh My Girl

No. 54 - Savage by aespa

No. 53 - Obvious by MAJORS

No. 52 - HWAA by (G)I-DLE

No. 51 - Moonlight by Pixy

So, find any songs that you like? Or maybe you're already a fan of some of them, which is great if that is indeed the case. Please look forward to more great songs as I'll be back with songs at number 50 to 41. See you soon!

My 2021 Top 70 Songs From Female K-pop Groups ~ No. 70 - No. 61

2022-08-06T23:53:00.002+08:00

Okay, it's time to do this again.

Welcome to my list of favourite songs from female K-pop groups for 2021. I do this every year since...few years ago and I'm always late as usual. Anyway, I love archiving this as it helps me whenever I want to search for older K-pop songs that I might forget, and I hope somehow I help people discover something new to listen to as well.

I've increased the songs to 70 from 60 songs the previous year. It's just too many songs that I feel would be left out if I did not listed them. So I hope you found some of these to your liking.

Just a side note, my consideration is based on the release date of the music video on YouTube, and for this 2021 list I take songs released from Dec-2020 until Nov-2021.

No. 70 - Hola by Pritty-G

No. 69 - Oh Mama by Bling Bling

No. 68 - Perfect World by Twice

No. 67 - Swipe by ITZY

No. 66 - Whatever by KEEMBO

No. 65 - Forever by aespa

No. 64 - Poison by Pink Fantasy

No. 63 - Zombie by Purple Kiss

No. 62 - Kura Kura by Twice

No. 61 - bugAboo by bugAboo

Any particular song that you like? If not, then maybe the songs in the next post would be to your liking.

I'll be back soon for songs at number 60 to 51.

My Top Films for 2021

2022-07-12T00:37:00.001+08:00

I only have 7 movies here in my 2021 list, so it's obviously not a top 10 list as per usual, but at least it's more than the 6 movies that I've listed for 2020...so I guess that's still a win? The pandemic really hampered me from going to the cinemas but to be honest, it really changed my habit of watching movies too. So far in 2022, I've only watched 5 movies, far less than what I used to before the pandemic.

I don't know how my 2022 list will look like but let's just focus on the current list. Late as per usual, here's my top films for 2021 (only those that I watched at the cinemas).

7 - The Vigil

Image source from Wikipedia

Have you heard about this movie before? I certainly didn't before I went to see it, so I didn't really had any expectation going into the cinema hall. I did quite enjoyed watching it; it has its moments and the creepy atmosphere was well done despite the small budget and the limited setting. The Vigil is the directorial debut feature of Keith Thomas (he later directed Firestarter) and starred Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Lynn Cohen and Ronald Cohen. The story involves the culture and relationship in the Orthodox Jewish community which I'm not familiar of and so I find the story quite interesting.

6 - Venom: Let There be Carnage

Image source from Wikipedia

This sequel to the 2018 movie Venom see the return of Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Reid Scott alongside newcomers Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris and Stephen Graham. Directed by Andy Serkis, the movie continue to explore the love hate relationship between Venom and its human host Eddie Brock, while facing new enemies in the form of Carnage and its human host, a psychotic serial killer Cletus Kasady, as well as Kasady's lover Frances Barrison. The relationship between Venom and Eddie Brock is the most interesting aspect of the movie in my opinion beside some of the fun action scenes. I can't decide if I like this movie or the 1st one better, both movies have things that I like and dislike, either way I hope they can make it even more interesting for the 3rd movie which was confirmed to be in development by Sony.

5 - Mortal Kombat

Image source from Wikipedia

I watched this at the cinema despite it being released in HBO Go here in Malaysia as well. I do find myself enjoying the movie more while watching it at home on HBO Go compared to the cinema which I find kind of interesting. Where did you watched Mortal Kombat if you did watched it? Nevertheless, it was a fun movie overall with many great fight scenes, especially the one involving Sub-Zero and Scorpion. The ice special effects involving Sub-Zero were really beautiful to look at. I particularly love the opening of the movie which shows the back story of Hanzo Hasashi who would later become Scorpion. I don't think there is anything to shout about plot-wise since this is a martial arts movie so obviously the fight scenes should be the draw of this film. While the fight scenes were good, I do wish some of them were a little bit extended; some fights were shorter than others... although that kind of understandable considering the many characters that were featured in this movie. A sequel had been greenlit by the studio so if you're a fan, watch out for more news on that.

4 - Godzilla vs. Kong

Image source from Wikipedia

I've enjoyed the previous movies in the MonsterVerse franchise; 2014's Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters; all of them are good, entertaining movies. Godzilla vs. Kong (shorten to GvK for convenience), the 4th movie in the franchise, is also a fun blockbuster movie to watch but I have to say, it's not my favourite from the franchise, I still hold Kong: Skull Island as my favourite. Directed by Adam Wingard (he also directed 2016's Blair Witch, love that film!), GvK brings back characters from the previous movie played by Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler alongside newcomers Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Brian Tyree Henry and Julian Dennison. The movie got cool fight scenes between the two titans and a surprising third titan who would later join the fight. The studio is currently developing a sequel with a tentative release date in March 2024.

3 - Antlers

Image source from official website

I was very excited to see this movie when I first saw the trailer for it but the release date was delayed several times so it got me worried that the movie might not even be released here in my country. Sometime small movies don't get release here and it's even more unlikely when it was delayed several times so I must say that my worry was totally valid. Luckily, it was still released here and to make things better, I really like the movie! It was great and explore the folklore of the evil spirit wendigo, a topic which I find very fascinating albeit scary. Directed by Scott Cooper, the movie starred Jeremy T. Thomas (who I thought portrayed the troubled and lonely boy, Lucas Weaver, brilliantly), Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Graham Greene and Scott Haze. It's not as creepy as I hoped it would be but still it was very atmospheric, the location and cinematography really help elevated the movie. The theme of loneliness, domestic abuse and abandonment were also explored which make the story even more interesting, and the film more than just a typical horror movie.

2 - Eternals

Image source from official website

Eternals is quite unlike any other Marvel film that I've seen before. It's quite different in tone, quite grounded despite telling a story about a group of alien beings coming to Earth and become its protectors for thousand of years. It's the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so it's reasonable to think that the studio might want to deviate a bit from its previous movies. I really like Eternals; it's charming with likeable characters, a good story and a balanced pacing. The special effects for the movie is quite impressive; I love the golden effects that came out when the Eternals project their powers, it looks regal and elegant. I must admit, I was not really interested when I saw the first trailer but the second trailer really sold me on this movie and I was not disappointed. Unfortunately, the movie was not well-received by critics and the box-office numbers are not very high either (but at least you could still point to the pandemic for the box-office result). I'm not sure if a sequel to Eternals is in development, maybe the characters would appear in other Marvel movies instead.

1 - Dune

Image source from official website

Dune is just an amazing film. Great story, amazing ensemble cast, beautiful settings and breathtaking cinematography. It's quite slow-paced with quite a complicated premise but it has a very moving and engaging story. It is not easy to tell a story to people, someone like me, who has no knowledge about the settings, culture and lore of the original source material but I think the movie managed to pull it off. A sequel, Dune: Part Two is in development now with a scheduled release date of November 17, 2023.

Thanks for reading! One question before we end this; how has the pandemic changed your habits of consuming movies?

Heavy Rain ~ video game review

2022-03-28T01:29:00.000+08:00

Title - Heavy Rain

Played on PlayStation 4

Heavy Rain is an interactive action-adventure drama video game by Quantic Dream first published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2010 for PlayStation 3. A remaster of the game was later released for PlayStation 4 which, for the record, is the version that I played. The game was also later released for Microsoft Windows.

It was my first time playing an interactive drama video game like Heavy Rain, so I was a bit worried if I would not like it. Will it be like a movie? Will it have enough gameplay for me to enjoy? I have so many questions. I think I did watched few gameplay videos for the game before but still I was worried. Now I can happily say that I love this game and the experience it gave me. It has its flaws and plot holes, no doubt about it, but I was enjoying it so much that I ignore them all and just focus on my enjoyment of playing it.

A Father's Love

So what is the story of this game? The main story is about a father looking for his son who has been kidnapped by a serial killer known as the Origami Killer. The modus operandi of the killer consists of abducting young boys during fall season and leaving them to drown in rainwater. Beside controlling the father, Ethan Mars, players will also control three other protagonists; Madison Paige, a journalist; Norman Jayden, an FBI profiler who is assisting the local police in tracking down the killer; and Scott Shelby, a private investigator who is investigating the murder cases related to the Origami Killer from the request of the previous victims' families.

As an interactive drama video game, story is definitely the number one selling point for Heavy Rain and I have to say, the developer did a pretty good job with it. The story will take you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions; happy, sad, suspense, relief, anger to name a few. I really enjoy the story and feel so connected to the characters, I feel their joy and pain and suffering. But the scenes can feel a bit disjointed at times. It must be hard to combine a good story with gameplay especially when you want to make the narrative flow like a movie, so I think that is what contributed to the plot holes and disjointed feeling between scenes in the game. I always have questions in my head like "How does character B knows that character A would be here?" or "How did character C knows about this? Did they explain it before? Did I missed it?". After awhile, I learn to stop questioning stuffs and just enjoy the game. And because this is a video game and not a film, I'm okay with that.

Trials and Tortures

The gameplay consists of pushing the prompt controller buttons or move your controller as it appears or instructed on screen to make the characters do certain actions like brushing teeth, driving, dancing, playing the piano, playing golf, chasing a thug, escaping a maniac, cutting a finger, escaping from a submerged car...yeah, you get to do a lot of different stuffs in this game, some are mundane things and some are totally insane and bizarre stuffs. I must warned you that some of them are totally brutal and torturous. You get to choose what the characters will say in some of the scenes too. So in a way, you get to make decisions for your characters and see the consequences of your actions and decisions. It's fun, it's interactive, and can be painful when you realized your choices have consequences far worse than you expected. To be honest, I was quite surprised of how involved the players have to be in this game, especially when it is presented almost like a film (albeit a very long one). It opened my mind of how much varieties a video game can become, especially when telling a story in a film-type format.

It Rain All Day, Everyday

As mentioned before, the game that I've played is a Remastered version. However I couldn't tell you if the visuals have any improvement compared to the original PS3 version since I've never play that game before. Personally, I really like the graphics for this game. You can see the almost life-like visual of the characters during loading screen but be warned though that the actual gameplay wasn't as life-like as that. They still look good and hyper-realistic in my opinion but still cartoonish in a certain way, which is not a bad thing considering the uncanny valley factor that can arise from video game characters that look too realistic.

I'm quite impressed with the acting or motion-capture performance from the actors, they are really good and committed to their roles. I understand if people have the feelings that the performance can be over-dramatic at times but to me personally, they had done their job pretty well. I'm not sure if all the actors are professional actors or not, or if they are from different background such as theater, but I do hope they get to make more motion-capture performance for video games because I've enjoyed their performance so much that I hope this is not the only time they do it.

Other aspects that help elevate the game are the overall visuals for the environment, the sound design as well as the beautiful orchestrated soundtrack. The sound of rain that prevalent throughout this entire game had truly mesmerized me. It makes me feel melancholy which pretty much make sense considering the tragic story that the game is telling, but as someone who loves the sound of rain, it also provide some sense of calmness and tranquility. As the game title suggests, rain would be featured quite heavily throughout this entire game, so it makes sense for the developer to get the feeling and sound of rain to be perfect. The soundtrack should not be forgotten too, as it is one of the best aspect from Heavy Rain. It makes you nostalgic and emotional which perfectly complemented the story, but also make your blood pumping during action scenes or challenges that the characters had to face.

Conclusion

Overall, I am quite satisfied with Heavy Rain. Despite plot holes and the feeling of disjointed in the story as I was playing the game, it still managed to provide me with a beautiful story of a father's love towards his children. I'm impressed by the performances of all the actors in this game, and the wonderful sound design and soundtrack complemented the game beautifully. I've enjoyed Heavy Rain so much, so thank you Quantic Dream for a wonderful experience.

My 2020 Top 60 Songs: The Best From K-pop Female Groups ~ No. 10 - No. 1

2022-02-14T00:06:00.000+08:00

Here's the final part for my favourite songs from female K-pop groups in 2020 where I finally can introduce to you my top 10. Wow, such a long journey. Sorry for procrastinating this. Now, let's go to the songs. Can you guess which group top my list?

10 - Fiesta by IZ*ONE

IZ*ONE had officially disbanded in April 2021 but that's okay, we still can enjoy their music and music videos through various platforms. They had lots of cool music and Fiesta is probably one of my favourite. It's a super upbeat song and it's almost as if they were rushing when they are singing this song which kind of funny when I think about it. Still, it's super catchy and a highly addictive song so you've been warned.

9 - Why Not? by LOONA

I'm so in love with this song. It's different, it doesn't really sound like a K-pop song and I think I did need some time to get used to it when I first heard it but I was definitely hooked by the time the song was over. I'm in love with the music video too; it was beautifully shot, the edits were good, the members were stunning and the choreography was just perfect. For some reason, I was mesmerized by the flying orbs scene in the music video. I'm not sure why....

8 - Girls by Nature

This song and the music video that accompanied it were such a nice surprise, because it was a departure from the type of songs that the group used to release before. It was an experiment for them I guess, but it worked, they all committed to it and they delivered. The link that I provided for the music video is for the normal version but I really recommend that you check out the uncensored version as well; it was interesting and well made and definitely my choice when I want to watch the music video.

7 - Not Shy by ITZY

I must admit, I wasn't really into this song before but it grows on me and now I think it is one of the best K-pop songs for 2020, obviously since it's in my top 10. There's something about the group's songs that always sound different to me, since their debut with Dalla Dalla until now. I'm not sure how the company do it but they always manage to find the most unique songs and give it to them. I view it as part of their identity now, to have unique songs every comeback.

6 - Nonstop by Oh My Girl

This is such a good dance track. The music just makes you want to bop your head, or move your shoulders, or just get up and dance. It's a cute, upbeat song and kind of feminine too if that make sense which I think consistent with the group's image and previous concepts. The choreography is cute too and compliments the song perfectly.

5 - BOCA by Dreamcatcher

What an amazing song this is. The music and the vocals are fantastic. The music video with the gorgeous styling for the members, the beautiful background settings and the tight choreography; it was all just so perfectly cool. They are getting more popular, aren't they? I saw a lot of YouTubers react to them and their album sales seem to be rising so I hope my assumption is true because they do deserve the recognition. It's long overdue.

4 - Not Beautiful by Pink Fantasy MDD

I rarely have ballads in my list but when I do, you know it must be good. Well, I know we don't necessarily have same taste in music but please believe me, this is really good! It's from a sub-unit of the group Pink Fantasy which consists of just 2 members; Yechan and Yubeen. It's a beautiful ballad and the members sung it beautifully with their strong and powerful vocals. If you haven't check this out, you should. Go. Now.

3 - Say My Name by ANS

This group has so much potential; the song is fantastic, the vocals are good, the dance is on point, and the music video is well made and polished. Everything seemed to be working well but unfortunately the group has disbanded. Such a waste of so much potential and talent. I'm honestly sad. I hope all of the former members are doing well and I wish them all luck in their next endeavours. One of the member, Bian, had joined a different group named Majors and they had released several songs in 2021. You can check that out if you're interested.

2 - Wannabe by ITZY

I'm pretty sure every K-pop fans know about the iconic shoulder dance move by now. I've mentioned before that ITZY seems to have unique song every comeback but one more aspect that I like about them is their creative choreography. Again, their company managed to find not only unique songs for them but also choreographer to choreograph these creative moves. Whoever the team behind ITZY, I applaud you. In case you didn't notice, I have 2 of their songs not only in my list but both of them are in my top 10. Do you like ITZY's songs too?

1 - This Is Me by Elris

I would be very surprised if you managed to guess my number one song for 2020. I would say they have a sizable group of fans but they are not considered a "big" group, and the song was not even the title track for the mini album that they released that year. But I don't discriminate, as long as the song has a music video, I would consider them in, and in this case, This Is Me does have a music video albeit a dance version only. I'm not sure what it is but the song just pulls me in; it's upbeat, has bubblegum pop sound to it, and also...sounds happy? I don't know but happy is definitely how I feel whenever I listen to this song.

Finally I have finished it! All 60 songs have been listed. I have to admit, it was quite a task to finalize the songs especially my top 10 songs but I finally did it, and my 2020 list is complete. Hooray! But I still got work to do which is to finalize my next list of songs which is for 2021. I'm not sure if I would go with top 60 again, should I do top 50 instead? Top 40? We'll see.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Here are the links if you missed previous posts;

Songs at number 60 to 51

Songs at number 50 to 41

Songs at number 40 to 31

Songs at number 30 to 21

Songs at number 20 to 11

My 2020 Top 60 Songs: The Best From K-pop Female Groups ~ No. 20 - No. 11

2022-02-07T00:51:00.001+08:00

*I can't believe I had been postponing this yet again! A lot is happening in my personal life and I just can't find the right time to write. However, I am determined to finish this list and then straight away continue with my 2021 list as well so...let's just hope I will make it.*

Here's Part 5 for my top 60 K-pop songs from female groups in 2020 for songs at number 20 until 11. Let's jump right in!

20 - Apple by Gfriend

This is one of those songs that doesn't sound like a Gfriend song. You know, usually you can hear in their songs that kind of familiar sounds that you can straight away associate with them but no, not this one. Apple sounds different and that is actually good for them. It shows their versatility. As of this writing, Gfriend has disbanded. To be honest, how many of us would expect that this would be one of the last songs that they would release?

19 - Hmph! by WJSN Chocome

I'm so in love with this song! It's fun, cute and reminded me of the concepts that Orange Caramel used to pull when they were active. Seriously, more groups should try quirky concepts like this, I don't think we have enough of them nowadays.

18 - More & More by Twice

They never take a break, do they? They keep releasing song after song after song...sometimes I wonder if they have enough rest between releases. Anyway, More & More is an awesome dance track and the dance break in the music video was phenomenal. The music video was beautifully shot too. In my opinion. this is one of their best track.

17 - Dumhdurum by Apink

Apink is one of the senior girl group which is still active in the music industry and their songs have been continuously popular too eventhough they have been in the industry for quite some time...much respect to them! Dumhdurum is another great song from them and again, this song continue their trend of more mature and sophisticated sound like their previous songs "I'm So Sick" and "%% (Eung Eung)", which is a departure from their earlier pop and cutesy releases. This is definitely a right path for them and I hope they continue to release more bops like this.

16 - Scream by Dreamcatcher

This song is so energetic it gets your blood pumping. I know that's a weird way to describe a song but this EDM-rock song really gets you going. You feel like you want to head-banging together with the uptempo beats of the song. You just feel so alive! Okay, it's getting weirder, let me stop now.

15 - Thumbs Up by Momoland

I like Momoland, they are a fun group and they always churn out fun, upbeat songs and Thumbs Up is another great release from them. Interesting concept for the music video too. They suffered from bad publicity and lost some members but I hope they keep on going and keep on releasing great songs like they always do. As for this release, thumbs up from me!

14 - La Di Da by Everglow

This is the second song from Everglow in my 2020 list. If you missed it, I placed Dun Dun, another song from them released in 2020, at number 22. One of the member, E:U, also contributed to the lyrics for La Di Da. I really love this song, it has 80's vibe to it and I'm really digging into it. I'm so in love with the music video too, which I think looks gorgeous and quite highly stylized. The few seconds scene of them dancing in slow motion was really exceptionally edited, I really like that part a lot.

13 - Feel Good (Secret Code) by fromis_9

Originally I thought I wouldn't like this song for some reason but in the end, I was literally quite obsessed with it. I listened to it quite a lot for couple of months. It was so addictive and like the title itself, it makes me feel good. I like the styling that the girls had in the music video, as well as the choreography. I almost always like the choreography that they have for their songs so that was no surprise.

12 - ASSA by cignature

What a great song this is, I love it! Yes, cignature is fast becoming one of my favourite new girl group. The concept for the music video, with the laser lights and colourful sets, was really well done as well. I'm not sure how popular they are in Korea or outside of Korea for that matter, but I think at least their company is managing them well in terms of their music with well-composed songs and well-made concepts for them, which I think is really cool.

11 - Scandalous by KEEMBO

Honestly, KEEMBO doesn't get as much recognition and attention that they truly deserved because this duo is seriously super talented. They had released several songs in 2020 but Scandalous is my favourite out of all of them. Great vocals, great song, fun music video; it's a perfect combination. More people should check them out.

Finally finished the second-to-last post for this. One more to go!

If you missed previous posts, check the links below;

Songs at number 60 to 51

Songs at number 50 to 41

Songs at number 40 to 31

Songs at number 30 to 21