Peruvian Idle

It seems everyone has a newsletter these days. Rather than do a newsletter about CSS or design systems (stuff I spend my day thinking/stressing about) I thought I'd write one about something I enjoy in my free time: consuming copious amounts of TV, movies and video games.

My wife and kids are usually in bed by 9pm, giving me a few solid hours to veg out... assuming I don't pass out from exhaustion first. Once a month, I'll share with you all the best stuff I've been watching and playing.

It's already been a busy 2024, so here's some of the best stuff I've enjoyed so far. (I promise these won't be this long in the future!)

🎮 Games

Usually the first few months of the year are devoid of any big game releases, but it seems as though I've been jumping from great game to great game this year.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

I hadn't played a Prince of Persia game since the original 80's version, so I was pleasantly surprised with this solid Metroidvania game. Fluid movement has been a hallmark of Prince of Persia from the very beginning, and the abilities you get in The Lost Crown make all of the platforming feel really good. The game is pretty challenging, but you can adjust the difficulty on the fly if you get stuck. There are a few platforming puzzles that are particularly hairy, but they won't keep you from beating the game. I can't really say how this compares to more recent iterations of Prince of Persia, but I ended up getting the platinum trophy on this one and had a great time in the process. [PS5/Xbox/Switch/PC]

Helldivers 2

I was immediately drawn into this cooperative third-person shooter that has you battling a two-front galactic war against bug-like aliens and killer robots, all in the name of "managed democracy." Helldivers 2 draws heavy inspiration from Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic, Starship Troopers (which has seen a recent resurgence in popularity thanks to this game). While you could play this game solo or matched up with random teammates, this game really shines when playing with friends. The over-the-top violence combined with friendly fire makes for a ton of laugh-out-loud moments. And for $40 it's not hard to convince all of your gamer friends to get in on the fun. [PS5/PC]

Balatro

Balatro is a poker-themed, roguelike, deckbuilding game that I am currently obsessed with. You're dealt eight cards and the object is to create poker hands to beat a specific score each round. After each round you can buy a number of special joker cards, consumables, passive abilities and additional playing cards to add to your deck, which help you keep pace with the exponentially increasing target score. The strategy is very similar to Slay the Spire, another deckbuilder I was obsessed with. There are so many combinations of cards, jokers and power ups that no two runs are ever the same. It's very easy to start "just one more game" before looking at the clock and realizing it's almost 3am. [PS5/Xbox/Switch/PC/Mac]

Nioh

I dipped back into this 2017 Team Ninja Soulslike game in anticipation of their new game, Rise of the Ronin, which released in March. I never could get into Souls games, despite several attempts. Nioh was the game that finally unlocked the genre for me — I ended up going back and playing all the Souls games and Elden Ring and enjoying them immensely. Nioh, like Rise of the Ronin, takes place in 17th century Japan and offers a number of different weapon styles, abilities and stances, which combine to create endless varieties of play styles. The combat is so kinetic and smooth, and makes you feel like a complete badass when you defeat a particularly challenging enemy. I'm not really enjoying Rise of the Ronin nearly as much — it's closer in style to Assassin's Creed or the vastly superior Ghosts of Tsushima — and found myself going back to Nioh. After seven years I finally earned the final trophy I needed to unlock the platinum. [PS5/PC]

🎬 Movies

I'm on a record-setting pace for movie watching this year. According to Letterboxd I'm averaging 5.3 movies a week and have already logged 61 films. Here are some standouts.

Dune Part Two

At long last we get the second part of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune. Leading up to it I rewatched Dune Part One and also watched Lawrence of Arabia for the first time, which obviously inspired Dune. Like Lawrence of Arabia, I loved the setup and action of Dune Part One but the second part, while still great, feels kind of overstuffed and sees Paul feeding into his own legend, much like Lawrence. Taken together as one story Dune feels epic and features some of Villeneuve's best visuals in an already stellar filmography. [In theaters]

The Promised Land

I'll watch anything Mads Mikkelsen is in. In The Promised Land, he plays a retired Danish officer, Captain Kahlen, who sets out to establish a settlement on the barren Jutland moorland. From there things get complicated as Kahlen struggles to fulfill his lofty ambitions. This was an epic and riveting Western that reminded me at times of There Will Be Blood and Legends of the Fall. Amanda Collin, who starred in Raised by Wolves, is a force. [VOD]

Perfect Days

I absolutely adored this meditative, analog, slice-of-life piece by Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, Wings of Desire). Originally commissioned as a commercial for The Tokyo Toilet, Wenders turned this into a character study about a man who leads a seemingly simple life cleaning those toilets. The idea of living a modest life in Japan, enjoying cassette tapes, books and taking pictures of trees really appealed to me. One of the rare films that I've watched twice in a row in recent years. [VOD]

Poor Things

I was a little worried in the first few minutes of Poor Things that it would be my least favorite Yorgos Lanthimos movie. But as soon as Mark Ruffalo showed up, things turned a corner and I was deeply invested in Bella's journey of self-discovery. It was fascinating to see her learn about the world through other people’s own worldviews. The subtlety with which Emma Stone grows is wonderful. Incredible production design and costumes. Outstanding supporting cast all around. Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe in particular but also seeing Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley made me want to watch Sanctuary again. [Hulu]

Society of the Snow

Absolutely harrowing. The way it’s shot completely immerses you in the plight of these survivors that overcame impossible odds. When I was young my dad took me to a small town in the Peruvian Andes and we trekked by bus and then by donkey nearly to the peak of a mountain. In every direction all you could see was vast mountains. It was surreal. To imagine that people could survive in that environment for as long as they did is unthinkable. Just an incredible and unsettling tale of survival. [Netflix]

Skywalkers: A Love Story

I watched Skywalkers: A Love Story in VR during the Sundance Film Festival (online). It's a documentary about a couple of "rooftoppers" who travel the world climbing tall buildings without the use of safety equipment. It's absolutely thrilling from start to finish and particularly harrowing in VR, with a lot of first-person shots by the couple themselves. This movie asks, what if Once was a heist movie? Netflix acquired the rights, so keep an eye out for this one. [Netflix, eventually]

The Last Samurai

I was inspired to revisit this with the current wave of Western-produced television featuring predominantly Japanese and Asian actors. (Shōgun and Tokyo Vice both feature actors from The Last Samurai, plus Blue Eye Samurai is also great.) It’s ironic that this film, which was met with a mixed response 20+ years ago, was ahead of its time as far as Asian representation.

It’s easy to dismiss this film if you think that Tom Cruise’s Capt. Algren is the titular Last Samurai, but he’s clearly not. This is among Cruise’s most compelling roles because his character undergoes a profound change, and he’s so deeply damaged that he can barely muster that trademark smirk.

The action is solid, the score by Hans Zimmer is stirring, and Cruise’s supporting cast (notably Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada, now well-known to Western audiences) are incredibly sympathetic.

Anyway, this movie is a banger and it still holds up for me. Perhaps even more now that America is only now starting to come to terms with the fact that perhaps we’re the baddies. [VOD]

Bamboozled

I wanted to revisit this after watching American Fiction, which has a similar premise but isn't nearly as dark. Bamboozled is even more relevant and sharp now than it was when it came out in 2000 as a critical and box office flop. For my money, this is one of Spike’s best films. Incredible casting all-around. Savion Glover is really the heart and soul of the movie. As one of the first Hollywood films shot largely on digital, it’s a shame the technology wasn’t quite up to snuff yet. Even the Criterion edition that I watched looks pretty bad by today’s standards. But props to Spike for even getting this movie made. There’s no way in hell a movie like this would get released today. I wish more people would watch it. [Criterion Blu-ray]

Other movies I enjoyed

Maestro, Aliens*, The Abyss*, The Killer, The Blues Brothers*, Widows*, Blade Runner 2049*, The Game*.

* re-watch

📺 TV

There haven't been a ton of new shows this year that have really grabbed me, which maybe explains my prolific movie count. Here's a few that stood out and one that I enjoyed going back to.

Blue Eye Samurai

I was immediately drawn in by the art style of this animated series about a young, half-white, half Japanese woman seeking revenge against the last four foreigners in Edo-period Japan, one of which is her father. Great characters and voice cast, including Maya Erskine of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the title role. This show is pretty dark and deals with very adult themes. I had to react pretty quickly when my five-year-old would walk in while I was watching. The fifth episode is particularly excellent. Really glad this was picked up for a second season. [Netflix]

Shōgun

Yep, I've got a thing for media set in feudal Japan and so far this year has been chock full of it. It took me a bit to warm up to Shōgun, which was hyped as a Game of Thrones-type epic. It's really not that. There is plenty of combat and intrigue but as the show has gone on what's really kept me interested is the relationship between foreigner, John Blackthorne, and his translator/love interest Mariko. This show is low-key horny, y'all. It's great seeing Hiroyuki Sanada, who's spent decades working as a character actor in Hollywood, finally get a much deserved starring role. [Hulu/FX]

Band of Brothers

I had an itch to re-watch this after being underwhelmed by Masters of Air on Apple TV+. Still the best of these WW2 series and maybe in my top 3 HBO series. Filled with great character actors and some notable faces that would go on to future stardom (Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, Colin Hanks). I'm kind of surprised more of the cast didn't become more well-known. It's over 20 years old but feels grittier and more realistic than Masters of Air, which looks like most of it was shot on the Volume. [Netflix/Max, the one to watch for HBO]

📱 Videos

I did a poor job of saving the best YouTube/TikTok content that I enjoyed this year, but here's a few off the top of my head.

• Andrew Callaghan, previously of All Gas No Brakes, has been doing some fascinating journalism that you just don't see in the mainstream media. It's hard to tell what his political leanings are because he tries really hard to relate to all of the people he interviews. This year he's done some great long-form content on hot-button issues like drug addiction and the border crisis.

• Loved this video of dance company CDK dancing to Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know.

• This Tiny Desk set from Chappell Roan is delightful.

• Everyone has that one friend in Helldivers 2.

• Shai Hulud wants to Make Arrakis Great Again.

• I'm not sure what the story is here, but this video had me in tears. (Sound on!)

Thanks for reading!

I hope you enjoyed this first issue of Peruvian Idle. I'm planning on sending this out once a month, so future editions will probably be significantly shorter and more manageable to read (and for me to write).

Shoutout to my friend Dave Chen, who hosts two podcasts that help keep me informed about what's going on in movies and television: The Filmcast and Decoding TV.

What are you enjoying on screens big and small? Let me know!