david.reviews: Everything!

david.reviews: the game "Chorus"

Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Chorus initially wowed me with its freedom of motion and huge sense of scale. Its dogfighting battles were chaotic and cool, but felt like something I could really get good at. And that was true, but those battles came with a pretty serious legibility problem. With all the lasers and enemies flying around, it's easy to get disoriented. Couple that with a sort of nonsense story (albeit a nicely voice acted one) and an undercooked upgrade system and the game left me wanting. It's worth trying out if it's really up your alley and it's beautifully animated, but it didn't come together for me.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Small Time Crooks"

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Sort of charming little humorous character drama. Tracy Ullman steals the show. I might have liked a little more plot but it wraps up nicely.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

Article: "Wax Heads" makes you believe in the power of community

Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Keep a neighborhood record store afloat!.

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david.reviews: the movie "The Princess Bride"

Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Truly the best. A classic for a reason!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Wax Heads"

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A cozy visual novel that's full of energy and heart. Read more in my full review!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Rat Race"

Sun, 03 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: A comedy of errors with a little more error than comedy. All of the scenes are funny, but some land better than others. At some point it's hard to root for anyone as they all reveal themselves to be pretty heartless. It works out in the end though and there are a couple of truly funny scenes in there. Great ensemble, too.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Taylor Tomlinson: Prodigal Daughter"

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Gets a little preachy towards the end (ironically) but stays fun and funny throughout.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book "Carl's Doomsday Scenario" by Matt Dinniman

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Fairly tight story. Doesn't escape being someone's D&D retelling and we probably hear too many stat numbers, but this sequel does an admirable job expanding the world and characters. Shows a slightly more introspective Carl, too which is a promising sign.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Ruined King: A League of Legends Story"

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: An excellent turn-based RPG steeped in the world of League of Legends. Fans of League will find many cute allusions, both in item names and lore scrolls you find scattered around. The voice acting is superb and there are lots of great side quests (including legendary weapons and abilities for each character. The "motion comic" animation worked well for the more involved scenes and the campfire conversations between characters did a lot to flesh out their relationships. The story is basic, but has some cool moments and isn't totally predicable. The battle system itself was great. Its small cast of playable characters feels both unique and true to their original designs. There's good ability variation and everything can be useful in the right context. Battles were fun without being overwhelming. The "lane" system adds a decent amount of strategic depth and bosses can use it for unique interactions, to great effect. The whole thing is just put together nicely and was a blast to play!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Dr. No"

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: A pretty chill classic spy movie that does what it sets out to do. Establishes a lot of classic Bond things unironically, which is charming. Plus, it's way less problematic than you might expect the first Bond movie would be. Not spotless, but pleasant.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Wicked: For Good"

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Much less fun than part one. The added songs are duds, unfortunately. The direction and staging/costumes are great though, and the cast certainly pulls their weight. It just leaves a ton of time for dark emotional adventure while, even at its darkest, the musical is still a broadway musical (with the expected level of fun). The movie lacked some of that charm, instead feeling more like a moody fantasy drama with some songs. Good songs, but still.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Merrily We Roll Along"

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A touching story of lifelong friendships. Sort of odd, musically, but charming in its own way. The actual filming was odd- lots of super zoomed shots that you wouldn't get on the stage. It's not bad, just a different emotional experience. Great that more people get to see it though.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Project Hail Mary"

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Did an admirable job adapting a dense, hard-science book into a very approachable movie. I thought it zoomed through some plot moments to save time for wordless visuals, which is not the choice I would have made. The visuals (both in and out of the ship) were superb though, so it makes sense they'd want to really feature them.

They nailed the core relationship between the main characters, but provided little explanation for everything they worked through. I didn't expect the full book's worth of detail (the movie felt long as it was) but the film had a remarkable dearth of figuring things out. They seemed to solve everything immediately and always use their first intuition. It hit the core emotional beats, but tread more on vibes than explanation. This is maybe as technical of an adaptation as you could get without losing the core audience, but I wonder if non book-readers could follow everything.

But it does a lot right and is worth seeing on the big screen. There are a lot of little details to enjoy, and Gosling is great, per usual.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Tangled"

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Visually striking. Moves along at a brisk pace. There's a lot of character in these characters and a ton of small animation touches. Cute music too!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "A Mighty Wind"

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Some funny parody, but it felt slow and light on actual plot. His writing just may not be for me. The music sounded great though and the cast is unreal. And boy did I not care for Eugene Levy's character. He played it well, but he was just uncomfortable to watch

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Hercules"

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Holds up so so well. Songs are bops, it's dense with jokes, and it the animation is beautiful. Gospel music has no place working as well as it does for a Greek mythology movie, but it hits!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Thank Goodness You're Here!"

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A short, surreal, lovingly animated experience. It's basically an interactive cartoon, but every inch of it is packed with jokes and visual gags, not to mention an unmistakable layer of British charm. Every single one of the game's many signs is hysterical. Helping all these lovable weirdos makes for a great evening.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "American Arcadia"

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: The gameplay is light, but the presentation is superb. The world flows around you, dialogue responding to your pacing so naturally that it's hard to believe it's not static. The story kept us guessing the whole time and it made great use of 3rd/1st person perspective. Felt like an interrogation of the attention and steaming economies, which most modern-set games don't really engage with. The whole world was beautifully designed too: retro futurism as far as the eye could see. I kept wondering why we don't have lobbies like that. And where their noses were!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "StarVaders"

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A stellar roguelike deckbuilder on a 2D grid. Effectively mixing positioning and attack cards made for some really satisfying runs. Its "pack" system meant that synergies were easy to come by, which meant each run had a good shot and some interesting cohesion. There's a lot of cards and items to unlock (plus the characters themselves) which helped it feel fresh throughout. I was always interested in starting one more run. There's 3 classes and 4 characters in each, so plenty of build variety. It never felt _too_ difficult either, which I appreciated.

Boppin' soundtrack too; lots of bright guitar riffs that make it feel like an action anime. There's some light story, which is interesting enough. I appreciated that there was a "true ending", since a lot of times these sorts of games don't really end. It was perfect for what it was though.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Is This Seat Taken?"

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A cute little constraint solving puzzle game about shapes with a lot of feelings. There's just enough story to keep things engaging and there are a lot of micro stories that come through the NPCs and their preferences (like needing to sit near, or away from, their manager). I was especially charmed by the art and sound design: everything makes funny little pops and boops as you move them around. It's just delightful. There's great level variety and the whole thing just oozes style. Not too hard, either.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Upalu Mundi"

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A great mix of rail organization and true puzzles. Fun story to boot! Read more in my full review!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

Article: "Hamstermind" is an eclectic puzzle adventure that's as challenging as it is charming

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Layered puzzles and charming presentation make for a cozy little adventure.

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david.reviews: the game "Hamstermind"

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Great puzzle variety and presentation, but weak endgame puzzles. Lot of fun overall though! Read more in my full review!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Ghost of Tsushima"

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Beautiful presentation. The near lack of UI means you can focus on the gorgeous world around you. Favoring contextual guidance over a floating compass makes for a much more immersive experience than similar games. The story also punches way above its weight, adding context to (eventually repetitive) missions and driving big emotional beats in key moments. I also loved its focus on little moments, like letting you write haikus in especially picturesque spots.

The combat takes some time to get going, but really clicks once its does. Gets stale eventually, mostly due to the lack of enemy variety. Enemies get a little spongey, but you have enough tools that it's never too boring. The duels are cool, really capturing the essence of a tense sword fight. Stealth was decent, if basic.

The overall gameplay loop is a safe one: big standard open world faire (including the cluttered map and identical collectibles). But there's a reason the genre is popular: it's fun to run around and just exist in this world. If you don't mind the lack of originality, you'll have a good time. Everything's nicely polished.

I played the DLC as well and found it only ok. There's an ok plot, but mostly it's just more of the base game. More of a good thing is good, but I'm at an age where "more" is the last thing I need from these expansive open world adventures. I also didn't love the focus on hallucinations, a plot device I find tedious. That said, there's some nice narrative payoff for Jin before you wrap things up with him for good.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Vampire Survivors"

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Game's gone through a lot of improvements since I played it last and it's official: it's got the juice. There's an actual arc to the levels and there's a lot more weapon diversity and ability to make builds (even through the RNG). Weapons are fun and combining them tickles my brain in cool ways. Music is great. Graphics are bad, but it doesn't really matter. It hits what it needs to. DLC is great too!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

Article: "Upalu Mundi" blends excellent train puzzles with ample opportunity for optimization

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Factorio-style trains with Zachtronics-style puzzles. Need I say more?

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david.reviews: the movie "The Muppet Show"

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: A pleasant reunion, but it feels like they need a little time to get their sea legs. Nonetheless, it's fun to see them back at it!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book "Death Throes of the Republic" by Dan Carlin

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A fascinating read, especially considering it was recorded in 2011. There's not one thing that brought down the Roman republic, but a series of changes and people who set it on the road to ruin. There are some pretty obvious parallels for the state of the US right now. But the good news (such that it is) is that the empire took hundreds of years to fall after it started that way, so maybe we'll be ok for a bit. Hard to say. Either way, certainly a thought provoking read!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Palm Springs"

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: It feels like all time loop movies, this included, have an undercurrent of psychological horror. Nonetheless, it does a lovely job exploring the actual rules and mechanics behind the loop. It's also darkly funny and gives a lot of minutes to the emotional effect the loop has had on its participants. It's a fun, if introspective outing though, and Samberg does a pleasantly surprising amount of acting.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: The full cast makes for a great audiobook. The characters are well-rounded and the magic system is neat without being overbearing. Plus who doesn't love a heist?

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book "Rogue Protocol" by Martha Wells

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Fast and fun. Builds well on previous books and doesn't overstay its welcome. I like how densely she can pack these novellas.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Shakespeare in Love"

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Beautiful costuming and some delightful performances make this a great watch. The story is sweet, too. The leads are cute together.

I liked the framing with the production of Romeo & Juliet. While seeing Shakespeare write one of his play has been done a lot of ways, this one is moving and bittersweet.

I love movies about love, and this does a great job playing with its different forms. It also takes a narrative stand with its ending that impressed me.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "The Five-Year Engagement"

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Is more of a "problem play" than any other genre, really. It's a romcom, but there's a lot of turbulence along the way. Blisteringly funny though, and full of bit parts for actors that were (or would go on to be) big deals. Also obviously it's a big plus for me that so much of it is set around Ann Arbor. Worst thing is that its second act drags, but there's a great payoff.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Black Bag"

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Just as good the second time! Such dense dialogue and performances.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

Article: My Favorite Media of 2025

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The 10th annual celebration of the best things I played, watched, and read in 2025.

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david.reviews: the movie "Trainwreck"

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Funny enough, but tonally inconsistent and it's comedy did a disservice to its drama. Needed more LeBron.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Astro Bot"

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Delightful romp. The game oozes style and sets the bar for how the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers can be used in games. The world is vibrant and varied, doubling down on the Sony nostalgia. I especially liked the pastiche levels of other PS games; they really did their homework. Being able to play the levels fast or slow was good too - you only had to to find extra bots if you were excited to. The boss fights were only ok (all of the combat was, really) but the game is delightful anyway.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Groundhog Day"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Hadn't seen it in ages. Walks the line between charming comedy and existential horror well. It never occurred to me, but before this movie people wouldn't have described time loops as Groundhog Day experiences, which is something I've always just taken for granted.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Joy Ride"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: It's sort of wild how this movie mixes a spectacularly raunchy comedy with a truly touching story about family and friendship. I'm not convinced it wouldn't be improved by focusing in on one or the other, but both of its disparate halves are excellent. There's just a bit of whiplash swapping between them.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "School of Rock"

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: A feel-good classic. Though, and maybe I'm just getting old, it's sort of crazy how irresponsible everyone in this movie is and how it all gets waved away because of how good their concert is. Unreal casting though, especially with the kids.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Now You See Me: Now You Don't"

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Leans heavy on the cheese and is a little crowded, character wise, but felt more coherent than the last movie. Definitely sticks with the theme of "makes sense until you think about it too much" but I enjoyed it for what it was. The little heists were fun and everything was beautiful and smooth in motion.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book "Play Nice" by Jason Schreier

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: An absolutely fascinating look into the history of Blizzard Entertainment. Exhaustingly well researched and pieced together, making it easy to follow all the threads. It's a shame that money corrupted the studio as much as it did, but at least we got sone good lessons out of it. The inner workings of game development will never cease to amaze me.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent"

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Absolutely rocks. Strikes the perfect balance between self-aware and genuinely fun plot. They make a great team.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Now You See Me 2"

Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Gets a little too caught up being clever about its structure and not enough time on magic and character development that makes sense. It's a fun ride when you want to relax though. Has a couple of super memorable moments, especially the nutty vault scene. Also markedly less of a "wealth distribution" theme than the first one, which is a shame.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the game "Chroma Zero"

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Does a great job capturing the exploration aspects of Outer Wilds. It explains very little and sets you loose to understand the rules of the world. It expertly uses color theory as a base for most of its puzzles, slowly expanding what you can do an how you approach the world as you encounter new mechanics. Its stark, low-poly environment was a fun playground to explore and its concentric boxes are a wonderfully unique and alien setting.

It's tough to know if/when you're making progress at first. But there are little glowing dudes that give you pointers as you find them, which adds a light structure to the game. Navigating can be a little annoying, since you can lock yourself out of certain paths. The game encourages you to reset the world early and often, so you're never too suck, but it lead to a little more repetition than I wanted once I knew how to solve a puzzle. I ended up using a hint guide pretty aggressively, since I wanted to see the whole game but got a little impatient with some of the later puzzles.

Great time overall though, and a great soundtrack!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "Now You See Me"

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: All flash and little bang. It remains a fun watch, you just can't think about the plot points too much. Instead, sit back and enjoy the ride for what it is, not what it could be.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the book " Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret " by Benjamin Stevenson

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★★: Stevenson proves once again he really knows what sets his books apart by seamlessly mixing the meta narrative into the main investigation. This self-described "holiday special" is as twisty a mystery as ever, packed full of the series' characteristic charm and humor. It was a good mystery, too, which I only guessed part of. There's an especially fun climax too.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "New Year's Eve"

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★☆☆: Murderers row of a cast, but the storylines were underbaked to fit everyone. I like Garry Marshall schlock, but even this was a little heavy handed.

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "No Sleep 'Til Christmas"

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Doofy premise, but honestly a cute time. Performances are great for a budget this size. Not especially Christmas-y though

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!

david.reviews: the movie "My Secret Santa"

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

★★★☆: Has pleasant farce elements, pretty good actors, and a fun Christmas message. Funny concept, too. Pleasant all around!

FYI: My reviews are scored out of 4. Also, thanks for subscribing to my RSS feed and supporting the indie web!