#10 · Spies n' Stuff
January 19, 2025
This issue took me awhile. Between being off for the holidays with the kids, being sick, having to write my 2024 recap (also late) and traveling to Peru for my dad's 80th birthday, I just haven't had the energy to bang this out. As it stands I have about as many subscribers as I've written issues, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep this up. If you enjoy this newsletter and aren't subscribed, let me know by smashing that subscribe button! Otherwise I may just wrap this up after 12 issues and call it a failed experiment.
🎮 Games
The holidays are the start of a slow time of year for gaming. I typically spend it grinding live-service games like Call of Duty and NBA 2k and revisiting games I haven't played in awhile or missed completely.
Sniper Elite 5

For some reason I was compelled to revisit this fantastic series that combines stealth, sniping, and killing Nazis into a satisfying package. Each mission places you on a huge map with several objectives and side missions and gives you a variety of tools at your disposal to accomplish your objectives. You can go in loud, killing and blowing up everything in sight; quietly dispatch your enemies one-by-one; or avoid combat entirely if you're stealthy enough. The sniping mechanic is extremely satisfying. Depending on the difficulty, you have to manage distance, wind speed, bullet velocity, and the movement of your target. The game makes this slightly easier on lower difficulties by showing you where the bullet will land, even if it's not in the center of your crosshairs, and slowing down time by holding your breath. The best part is, upon taking your shot, the camera follows the bullet in slow motion, and when it penetrates your target, it shows an x-ray view of the enemy and the horrific damage done to their internal organs, including but not limited to their testicles. That's right, you can shoot Nazis in the nuts in slow mo.
In my replay, I played on the hardest setting, which removes all of the assists, as well as the entire UI of the game. So not only do you have to be intimately familiar with the shooting physics, but you also have no idea how aware enemies are of your presence until everyone starts shooting at you. I had a blast with this play through, and even grinded out the platinum trophy. I'm looking forward to a new installment, Sniper Elite Resistance, coming out at the end of January. [PS5, Xbox, PC]
Nine Sols

I didn't get to spend a ton of time with it, but Nine Sols is a gorgeous Metroidvania with some feudal Japanese influences, tight counter mechanics reminicent of Sekiro, and a fairly interesting narrative. I'm looking forward to digging deeper into it, but it is quite challenging. I'd say even moreso than Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. [PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC]
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

I got Xbox Game Pass and tried streaming this, because I'm a big fan of MachineGames Castle Wolfenstein games as well as Indiana Jones. In order for it to be playable on streaming though, the graphics quality was greatly compromised. It was like playing through a dirty windshield. Troy Baker does an incredible Harrison Ford imitation, and the opening scene puts you in Indy's shoes for the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark. From there, there's some great first-person puzzle solving, but a lot of reliance on whacking Nazis over the head with various objects. Ultimately the streaming made this hard to play, so I'll probably wait until it comes out on PS5 to continue. [Xbox, PC]
Other games I enjoyed
I spent most of the rest of my gaming time grinding weapon camos and prestige levels in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, and playing MyTeam in NBA 2k25. I might have added one or two more gold stickers in Balatro on PS5. I have 12 left for the platinum. I played it a lot more on my phone. 😅
🎬 Movies
December is when all the awards season buzz gets in full swing. I tried watching as many 2024 movies that might make my top 10 as possible. Nothing cracked my top 10, but a few came close!
Carry-On

Way more fun than it has any right to be. The plot is ridiculous but the cast is stacked with a who's who of great character actors. Taron Egerton is solid, if not overqualified to be a TSA agent. A lot of comparisons to Die Hard, but this is more like Phone Booth except it's actually enjoyable. [Netflix]
Y2K

Kyle Mooney's humor is definitely not for everyone but this movie had me laughing my ass off. Heavy on the late 90s nostalgia and includes maybe the best cameo of the year. Brilliantly spoofs movies of that era and mixes genres in a fun way. It's almost a millennial Wet Hot American Summer. Didn't love this as much as Brigsby Bear but was not disappointed. [VOD]
Red Rooms

Absolutely chilling. Feels very of the moment with our obsession with true crime and its depiction of the dark web. Juliette Gariépy delivers an incredible performance, creepy and understated at the same time. This movie kept me guessing until the very end. [VOD, Shudder]
Heretic

My mom told me she once invited a Jehovah's Witness in for a chat and they by the time they left they were no longer a Jehovah's Witness and now I have questions. Anyway, this was fiendishly clever and it seems like the type of movie that will benefit from repeat viewings. Chilling performance from Hugh Grant. [VOD]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I was so happy to revisit this gorgeous movie on 4K Blu-Ray. It had been a long time since I’d last seen it but it really holds up as one of the best wuxia films of all time. Great cast, stunning cinematography and a moving score. [4k Blu-Ray, VOD]
Other movies I enjoyed
O Brother, Where Art Thou is of my favorite Coen Brothers movies, I must have seen it a dozen times but probably not in at least 15 years or so. All these years later it felt like it lost some of its luster but it’s still a fun time., I picked up the gorgeous 4k remaster of Paris, Texas. This movie is a slow burn but the last half hour is so remarkable it's haunted me since the first time I saw it. Another new 4k Blu-Ray, I love No Country for Old Men more each time I see it. The thing I noticed most this time around is how much happens off screen. The story and characters are so well put together that they don’t even need to show you things that other movies would relish making a scene of. Finally, I had my traditional Christmas Eve watch of It's a Wonderful Life while wrapping presents. Every watch surfaces something relevant to today's times. George Bailey tells Mr. Potter: "...this rabble you're talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath?" It turns out we're all living in Pottersville and Mr. Potter is the President.
📺 TV
What a year for espionage thrillers. This month was particularly dense with good ones, and the return of a massively popular Netflix series.
Squid Game

I was skeptical that they could top the first season, but season two comes out swinging and doesn't let up. The dynamic of Gi-hun returning to the game while still keeping things interesting is really well-played. Having the Front Man take the role of Player 001 was a great idea and gives Lee Byung-hun some more much-deserved screen time. This show in general does an amazing job at efficiently introducing characters and injecting them with enough personality that you actually care whether they live or die. The season ends in a cliffhanger, but it seems we won't have to wait long for season 3, which releases in August. [Netflix]
The Agency

I subscribed to Paramount+ just to watch this fantastic spy series starring Michael Fassbender as a CIA agent suddenly called back to London after being undercover in Africa for several years. When his romantic interest from that mission (played by Jodie Turner-Smith) turns up in London, things get complicated. The show has a great cast including Jeffrey Wright and Richard Gere(!) as London's CIA station chief. This show feels a lot more grounded than others of its genre, and really puts the spotlight on the personal toll being a covert operative takes on its characters. [Paramount+]
Special Ops: Lioness

Another Paramount+ show, I decided to check this out because of its stacked cast and the fact that its written by Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Wind River, Hell or High Water) and burned through both seasons in a week. Zoe Saldaña plays the leader of a special ops force that embeds covert agents within the inner circle of assassination targets. Laysla De Oliveira holds her own among a cast that also includes Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman (albeit briefly). The show definitely has a Sicario vibe to it. [Paramount+]
Landman

Taylor Sheridan is just banging out shows between this, Lioness, Yellowstone and its various spinoffs. I was not expecting to immediately love this show, but Billy Bob Thornton is so good as oil-industry fixer, Tommy Norris. Jon Hamm plays his boss, in full Don Draper mode. It feels like Mad Men meets Friday Night Lights (Tommy even catches a Permian Panthers game at one point). Some of the MAGA-coded dialogue is a little eye-rolly, particularly the stuff that feels like PR for an oil company. But if you can get past that, it's a fun watch and perhaps Sheridan's funniest work. [Paramount+]
Other shows I enjoyed
I really enjoyed Black Doves on Netflix, which stars Keira Knightley as a member of a covert organization that embeds spies with high-ranking government officials. Knightley's character, Helen, is married to the UK's secretary of defense. Things go awry when her lover is assassinated. Day of the Jackal wrapped up and I found the conclusion to not really add up to much. The cat-and-mouse action was wrapped up a little too neatly to leave open the possibility of a second season. The show is gorgeous though and I enjoyed it, even if the ending was a little disappointing.
📱 Videos
- Kyle Mooney put out his first YouTube video in years to promote Y2k and it's very Kyle Mooney.
- Someone found the recipe for those ubiquitous school pizzas that I enjoyed eating in the 80s and 90s.
- Brad Frost posted some clips from his epic Frostapalooza show he did in Pittsburgh for his 40th birthday. I had the pleasure of being there and it was a blast.
- I was moved by this tribute to Derrick Rose at the United Center, which ended with Rose basically telling his son, "this is the bar by which I will judge you!"
- I loved this behind the scenes look at the making of The Substance, my favorite movie of 2024.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you enjoyed this issue of Peruvian Idle. I send this out on the first of every month. You can subscribe at peruvianidle.mikeaparicio.com or via RSS.
What are you looking forward to in January? Let me know!