My Top Films for 2024

    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.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite ~ video game review

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.

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

    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

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

    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

Pendragon Book Four: The Reality Bug ~ book review

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!