Welcome! I'm Ocean, and this corner of the internet hosts my musings on TTRPGs and art more widely. If you have an inclination to contact me, find me on D...
If you’re in the mood for an action film with asymmetrical violence and you’re willing to put up with American military propaganda, War Machine (2026) will fit the bill. It doesn’t have much of any substance to say, but is well-made enough to be basically enjoyable. Aside from a couple points scattered throughout and a notable patch at the end, the film mostly avoids the cringe-worthy “badass”…
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is a 2026 horror film which follows on directly from 28 Years Later. I’ve highlighted this connection because of one key factor: I did not like Years when I first saw it. This is despite the fact that I’m very fond of 28 Days Later, and I liked 28 Weeks Later well enough despite its flaws. I’ve somewhat softened on Years since it first came out, but because of my…
Escape from Pretoria is a 2020 film directed by Francis Annan detailing the breakout of three political prisoners in 1979 apartheid South Africa. It’s a fun, tense film with no glaring missteps, so I do find it a little difficult to speak about. The pacing is well-done, and the performances consistently no worse than decent. Daniel Radcliffe put in a strong performance, as I expected, but Daniel…
This isn't really a review, as Grave of the Fireflies is a film so intensely sad that I find it hard to approach critically. Instead, I will note one particularly interesting piece of trivia: the director, Isao Takahata, has repeatedly denied that this film is an anti-war film. Nonetheless, the depiction of siblings struggling to survive whilst ostracised by society is painfully compelling,…
This is a review of the first omnibus compiling Chip Zdarsky’s run of Daredevil from 2019 to 2023. The omnibus collects Daredevil (2019) issues 1-30, and the 2020 annual. This will be a compressed review, both due to my unfamiliarity with comic books as a format and the length of time since I read the omnibus. It is worth noting that I read this book in digital, which may have affected my…
The Northman , released in 2022, was Robert Eggers' third stint in the director's chair for a feature film. The viking-era adventure story is based on the Scandanavian legend of Amleth and was made in consultation with a trio of academics specialising in that period of history. This shows through on screen, as Eggers highlights again his ability to direct a work that feels correct to a range of…
One Way (2018) and No Way (2019) comprise a near future sci-fi duology written by S. J. Morden, an English sci-fi author who also holds a PhD in Geophysics. Whilst Morden’s narratives do exhibit an analytical bent that pairs well with the hard sci-fi genre, his scientific background belies an evocative pragmatism when it comes to matters of emotion and psyche. Spoilers will follow. The duology…
The Witch, stylised as "The VVitch", is a 2015 film directed by Robert Eggers. Getting right into it, this film is an absolutely stunning directorial debut. In its tight 90-minute runtime, The Witch evokes a clear sense of place and communicates its tense, horrific tone without hesitation or adulteration. I have always been a bigger fan of atmospheric/tension horror than other horror subgenres,…
This is a brief review of Oppenheimer, a film directed by Christopher Nolan and released in 2023. It is based on the book American Prometheus, written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, released in 2005. I will preface this post by admitting that I struggle to think critically about films as they spend much less time marinating in my head than books do. The film has an absolutely stacked cast,…
This is a very brief review of Trainspotting, the debut novel by Irvine Welsh published in 1993. It went on to be adapted to a Danny Boyle film of the same name, released in 1996. Graphic content referenced, and spoilers ahead. The novel is a painfully vivid depiction of a specific point and place in British history. I count myself lucky that I have no first-hand experience of the deprivation and…