Peruvian Idle

This month I kicked off my 2024 Extra Life campaign on Olivia's birthday (8/26) with a 12-hour gaming stream, raising more than half of our $6,000 goal already. We'll be doing the full 24-hour marathon the first Saturday in November. Aside from that it was a pretty light month screen-wise.

🎮 Games

Madden 25

The Chicago Bears picked quarterback Caleb Williams with the #1 pick in the NFL draft and there has not been more hype around a rookie in Chicago since Derrick Rose. The city is buzzing and thanks in large part to the HBO series Hard Knocks, a documentary series covering the Bears training camp, I am excited about the Bears for the first time since Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI in 2007 only to lose to the Colts.

Madden NFL 25 uses the same engine as College Football 25, yet seems somehow not as good, gameplay-wise. But being able to play a Franchise as the Bears is too good to pass up. After a rough start I managed to win 10 games, including an extremely satisfying division-clinching win against the Packers, earning Williams Rookie of the Year honors in the process. The joy was short-lived, as I eventually lost to the Packers in the second round of the playoffs.

I'm not nearly as well-versed in NFL rules around free agency as I am the NBA (not to mention players), so my offseason was pretty hit or miss. Williams has already developed into a superstar in Year Two and is looking to take the Bears to the Super Bowl. [PS5]

Dredge

Picked up this quirky 2023 fishing game on sale, based on a recommendation from a co-worker and immediately fell in love with its low-poly graphics, smooth gameplay and compelling story. It's a creepy game with elements of Lovecraftian horror. It probably took me less than 10 hours to roll credits, but I'm so into it I'm trying to knock out all the trophies and also upgraded to the deluxe edition, which includes a few different DLC packs. For $15 this game is a huge bargain for a great, short experience. [PS5]

Other games I enjoyed

Balatro gold stickers are getting harder to come by. I picked up 18 more this month (42 to go). A new update included a quality of life setting that shows the highest sticker you've earned on each joker, which is extremely useful. A new act of Destiny 2 launched with a fun exotic mission that rewards you with a powerful Void auto rifle that uses special ammo. I briefly checked out Tactical Breach Wizards, which looks like a fun cross between XCOM and Fights in Tight Spaces. Looking forward to digging deeper into it.

🎬 Movies

Ghostlight

I was deeply affected by this story of a man working through his grief through a local theatrical production of Romeo and Juliet. I’m usually put off by child death as a source of character motivation, having lost a child of my own. Here it’s played with sincerity by largely unknown actors (a real Chicago family no less) and it really hit me hard. It reminded me a bit of Chloe Zhao’s The Rider. Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness) is a delight. A contender for my favorite movie of the year. [VOD]

Five Easy Pieces

A really interesting character study. Nicholson is in top form. I knew very little about this other than the famous line about holding the chicken. It really took me by surprise. It almost feels Shakespearean. It seems like a movie that would reward repeat viewings. The final scene is a real gut punch. [Amazon Prime Video]

Other movies I enjoyed

Speaking of character studies, I revisited two Paul Thomas Anderson movies. The Master is exquisitely shot and acted with a melancholic score by Jonny Greenwood. It really made me miss the hell out of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Phantom Thread is just a delightfully fucked-up romance with some incredible acting, production design, and a sublime score, also by Jonny Greenwood. "Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick." I was compelled to revisit 2002's The Transporter, which launched Jason Statham to fame, after hearing that legendary director and fight choreographer Corey Yuen passed away unannounced a few years ago. The movie is completely ridiculous but still slaps. Some really inventive fight choreography and comes in at a tight 92 minutes.

📺 TV

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears

It's been awhile since I followed or cared about NFL football, aside from the occasional fantasy football league. But this excellently-produced documentary series is covering the Bears through training camp. Incredibly they turn out each episode in less than a week. It's been fascinating to get to know the players and the inherent drama of competing for a limited number of roster spots. Liev Schreiber does an impeccable job aping the gravitas of legendary NFL Films narrator John Facenda (you'd know the voice if you heard it). This show has me super hyped for the upcoming season. The Bears went 4-0 in the preseason, outscoring opponents by 68 points. Of the 6 previous teams to do so, all six made the playoffs and two won the Super Bowl. A good omen, indeed. [Max, the one to watch for HBO]

Other shows I enjoyed

I really enjoyed Adam Sandler: Love You, his newest Netflix comedy special. Say what you will about his movies (he's an underrated dramatic actor) but his comedy specials are sincere and combine music and comedy in a unique way. This special is no different. I'm slowly savoring each episode of Ripley. Every shot is just gorgeously composed in black and white. I only watched a bit of the first episode, but I'm really intrigued by Netflix's animated Terminator Zero. The Terminator franchise has been mostly misses since James Cameron's Terminator 2, but this series gives me hope.

📱 Videos

• I was thrilled to join Kelly and Adekunle on the Code & Pixels podcast to talk about CSS in design systems.
• Steph Curry had an all-time clutch performance in the Gold Medal game against France, hitting four threes in the final minutes to clinch USA's 5th consecutive gold.
• Chappell Roan has been having a year. Here's her full Bonnaroo set.
• Maxwell stopped by the Tiny Desk.
• I figured out how to play my PS5 remotely on my Steam Deck so I can continue to chip away at my Balatro gold stickers on the go.
• I had a chance to go to Pittsburgh for Brad Frost's Frostapalooza, an incredible charity concert featuring 40(!) musicians, including a full brass section. Here's the joyous finale of Bohemian Rhapsody.

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 September? Let me know!