Viridiana (1961)

From what other Buñuel I've seen, I had expected this to be far more surrealist. Instead, this was a straightforward film with gorgeous scenery, set almost entirely in a Spanish villa. The film was beautiful, even if the messaging fell short for me. For vague reasons, the title character visits her wealthy, estranged relative, just as she is about to achieve her life goal, which ends up derailing her life. Without sacrificing her goodness, she is able to make the most of a new situation, only for her intentions to betray her, and leave her empty. She is, quite literally, assaulted by those above and below her place in life, and we are left to believe she is ruined because of it. I realize the intent of the film was to decry the lack of morals of the upper class, but the way the poor were ultimately demonized at the end didn't sit right with me. 

Mile High Madness Anything Goes (AEW, 2/25/2026)

This is not really my style of match, overemphasizing chaos and props, but it was certainly enjoyable for what it was. This was the definition of a spotfest, and I don't necessarily use that as a pejorative. To begin the match, having Jack Perry's music running the entire first two or three minutes was goofy and fun. From there it was quick cuts jumping from action to plunder to more action. Kudos to the Perry, the Rascalz, and the Bucks for wearing similarly colored pants; otherwise, I would have been totally lost in the mayhem. I can't watch too many of these in a row, but I'm good for one or two a year. 

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Game Boy Advance)

Zelda is very much a winter franchise for me. Something about the holiday time inspires me to pick up a game to chip away on. This year, I landed on a new-to-me entry, as I didn’t own a Game Boy Advance growing up, and this game was a blast. While the overworld was a bit trite (forgivable, considering it’s on a mobile device) the dungeon puzzles were highly satisfying. I thought the music, when I remembered to turn up my Game Boy’s volume, was particularly magnificent, directly reminiscent of Ocarina of Time. There were moments I thought I had played this before, but it was only the music grounding me. This was not my favorite Zelda game, not even my favorite 2D Zelda, possibly not even my favorite handheld 2D Zelda, but even a “not my favorite” in this series is still a tremendous game. Especially after feeling burned by the Zelda output on the Switch, this reminded me what I love about the series.

Network (1976)

Although he doesn’t play a major role, Robert Duvall submits another incredible performance, proving he would not be typecast as Tom Hagen, despite being just a couple years removed from The Godfather. What a treasured American actor. A ludicrous satire of mass media, which—while obviously dated—somehow feels more poignant viewed in today’s America. The sensationalism depicted here actually winds up feeling quaint compared to the real-life news channels. The interpersonal relationships of the executives could not hold my interest, but the machinations of the TV station, whereby all moral values are sacrificed at the altar of Nielsen ratings and ad revenues, will never not be relevant. This is Succession, but fifty years earlier.

Football - Chuck Klosterman

I have often said no one has influenced my writing style more than Chuck Klosterman. In fact, these very words wouldn’t exist without him. So, my favorite author wrote a book about sports. One sport in particular, actually. And it was exactly what I’ve come to expect from him and his writing. I like to read his thoughts on pretty much any subject, but as it happens, football is also a topic I enjoy, though not nearly as much as he does. Still, his appreciation is undoubtedly infectious. This is less of a history or analysis of the game, and more critical think-piece essays about football’s place in the larger view of society, which is again to be expected. If anything, it was more focused than I expected, less tangential than his usual works. Not many nonfiction books have ever made me laugh out loud, but he does it with regularity, and this one was no exception. He writes at a level of intellectualism where I feel dumb even trying to comprehend it, but then bends it back around to a level of stupidity where I feel smart again. The truth is probably closer to the former for me, but at least it's a fun ride, and it tends to prompt me to initiate similar conversations with my own like-minded friends. He has an undeniably special way of looking at the world that sitting in the bar and chatting with him for an afternoon would feel natural.