Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I’ve got an unusually timely selection of films for you all, having checked out some of the latest streaming releases alongside the usual grab bag of older films. I’ve also been slowly preparing myself to actually watch some currently-airing anime next season; stepping back from the grind has been lovely, but I imagine that Mob Psycho and Chainsaw Man will be appointment viewing, with Do It Yourself also looking to be a potentially impressive production. I’m not super excited by the Jujutsu Kaisen-style visual sheen of Chainsaw Man’s trailers, but even a Chainsaw Man that’s been homogenized into anime’s current “action prestige aesthetic” should still be a fun time. In the meanwhile, my housemate’s been powering through Naruto at a truly alarming pace, which hasn’t exactly been the revelatory experience of One Piece, but has at least introduced me to terrific highlights like the 3rd Hokage’s big fight, or Sakura’s faceoff with the Akatsuki. It’s feeling easier all the time to appreciate the distinctive strengths of specific animators, which is in turn helping me embrace a more holistic approach to anime analysis. But let’s set aside the sakuga grind for a moment, and explore a fresh selection of films. It’s time for the goddamn Week in Review!
Category Archives: Week in Review
Summer 2022 – Week 4 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. This week I’ve got an offering of surprisingly timely features for you all, as we actually watched a couple new releases alongside the usual temporal grab bag of selections. I still haven’t checked out Nope, but the film’s universal acclaim is really testing my plague-era aversion to theaters; I compromised for The Northman, and I might just have to compromise for Peele as well. Along with that, I’ve got a wildly impressive action film, a scattering of the usual horror fare, and also a political thriller that prompted some feisty/fatigued reflections on our terrifying political climate. It’s a very strange thing, watching films from back when people had faith in our political institutions, and those institutions were kept in check by a free and respected press. But we can save those reflections for later – let’s start off with something spooky and satisfying, as we burn down the latest Week in Review!
Summer 2022 – Week 3 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all bearing this absurd heatwave okay? I’m currently spending my time migrating between a pair of temperature-controlled rooms, treating every sojourn into the outer world as something akin to a moonwalk through a deeply hostile alien landscape. Which, to be honest, is a regimen I’ve already become familiar with due to COVID – so I guess, just, this is what the future is from now on? We’ve surrendered the outer world to unmitigated climate change and pandemic waves, and just sort of have to accept this as the new normal. Delightful! But even if humanity cannot unite in solidarity to save itself, we can at least come together to rant about some movies. Let’s get right on with that then, as we charge through the latest Week in Review!
Summer 2022 – Week 2 in Review
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. I’ve still got a healthy buffer of film reviews to share with you all, but my house has also burned through a fair number of TV productions lately, so I figured it was about time for a recent series roundup. No, it’s not anime, you cheeky scamps – we’ve mostly been watching American cartoons and recent streaming additions, as we continue to chip away at the post-Flapjack dynasty of modern animation. Churning through top quality western animation has become another house tradition at this point – two years ago we burned through Avatar, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe, and had a great time with all of them. Last year was basically consumed by our One Piece watch, but this year we’re back in force, having knocked out Regular Show and Gravity Falls in the last few months. Let’s break ‘em down!
Summer 2022 – Week 1 in Review
Hello and welcome to the first week of the summer season! Y’all ready for summer!? Yes, the distribution of months in a year does indeed make the commencement of “summer season” feel oddly delayed, and yes, that makes for a doubly weird experience when I’m not actually tackling seasonal anime in these things. But chill out, live a little, let’s just try and enjoy what summer we’ve got left. I’m currently enjoying that delightful New England combination of extreme heat and humidity mixed with oppressive gray skies, meaning the air conditioners are working hard and the movie screenings are plentiful. Today I’ve got wuxia classics, Italian pulp goodness, and even some actual anime, with my house proving ill-equipped to defend against Bastard!!’s gleeful absurdity. Let’s run ‘em down!
Spring 2022 – Week 13 in Review
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time! Today I am happy to report that this article actually has something of a binding philosophy, as all of its features fall within the same meta-franchise umbrella. This week saw us conducting a marathon of all the non-essential Alien films, skipping genuine classics Alien and Aliens, and instead commencing with Alien vs Predator. This theoretical heresy didn’t really bother me, though; frankly, I’ve probably seen those first two Alien films more than any other movies period, as they’ve both been favorites since adolescence. Alien will always be one of the greatest horror movies ever, and Aliens one of the peaks of action cinema – and as I get older, I can only better appreciate the deft, organic dialogue of Alien, the way its capitalist and sexual threats build off each other, or the masterful ebb and flow of Aliens’ propulsive run. The first two Alien films are essentially perfect, succeeding both as visceral entertainment and as embittered commentary on how capitalism will embrace any violation to perpetuate itself. So how do the other Alien features fare?
Spring 2022 – Week 12 in Review
Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Summer’s in full swing at this point, but predictably, I’m spending the better part of my free time indoors and preoccupied with a replay of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I’m not really a musou fan, but the release of Three Hopes reminded me of just how much I loved Three Houses, and I certainly can’t say no to this mass infusion of new fanart. Unfortunately, in spite of my very best efforts, I’m currently just replaying the Black Eagles route. Look, it’s just really hard to betray Edel once you’ve already made that commitment, and also it’s pretty hard to recruit Bernie if she’s not already on your team. But fortunately for you all, my misadventures at Garreg Mach have been accompanied by an eclectic selection of screenings, and I’ve got plenty to say about all of them. Let’s run down the latest features in one more Week in Review!
Spring 2022 – Week 11 in Review
Hey folks, and welcome to Wrong Every Time. How’s everyone doing today? I’m currently attempting to will myself into writing up another article after this one, because goddamnit, that Current Projects list is not going to watch itself. But dubious productivity aside, I’m actually feeling pretty great at the moment, and looking forward to a jog later this afternoon. It’s becoming something of an annual tradition for me to start up one of those “couch to 5k” running plans in early spring, get pretty darn fit by the end of summer, and then squander my gains when it gets too damn cold out. I really should invest in a gym membership or something this winter, but as of now, I’m currently in the peak improvement segment of my fitness arc, which syncs up perfectly to the brief period of tolerable New England weather. Also I just received an extremely nice note from a long-time reader, which is, you know, day made right there. I know it can be intimidating to send messages to creators you like, but there is nothing more rewarding than hearing you made a positive impact in someone’s life. And don’t limit that courage to internet folks – we’re not on this ball for very long, and I’d say the best thing we can do with that time is to let people know they are loved.
Alright, I’m getting all mushy here and you folks don’t need any of that. I’ve sifted through my review sack and emerged with an interesting medley of features, with topics ranging from the apex of genetic engineering to the lawless drama of the old west. Let’s run down some movies!
Spring 2022 – Week 10 in Review
Hello everyone, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. You all doing okay this week? I’m personally feeling fan-fucking-tastic, having knocked out a couple of anxiety-provoking appointments late last week, and also just reveling in all the great shows we’ve been munching through recently. Anne of Green Gables and Sherlock Hound are simply wondrous slices of pre-Ghbili goodness, Star Driver embodies all that thorny thematic density that first enthralled me in anime, and even the ongoing Spy x Family is proving to be more charming and hilarious than I expected. You subscribers are treating me very well at the moment, and I only hope I can return the favor by suggesting some awesome films for you all. Without further ado, let’s burn down a fresh Week in Review!
Spring 2022 – Week 9 in Review
Hello everyone, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. You all doing okay? I’m frankly feeling a bit lethargic at the moment, but fortunately, my current tasks are largely mechanical ones. Just gotta write this here opening paragraph, find some screencaps for the week’s features, and plug it all into the CMS – perfect lazy afternoon work, after which I’ll be clearing my head with a nice jog. My own micro-moods aside, we’ve got quite an interesting collection of films this week, ranging from another Hitchcock classic to the original Top Gun. I can’t imagine I’ll be adding anything to the Top Gun discourse that hasn’t been rehashed a thousand times already, but I’d be a terrible reviewer if I let my intellectual redundancy stop me from opening my big fat mouth. Let’s start off with a tragic misfire from one of my favorite directors, as we burn through a fresh Week in Review!