A Record of my time on this blog

T. Bruce Howie
Jan 1, 2022
5 min read

Believe it or not, I have been writing on this blog for nearly 2 years now, at the rate of just over one review a week. That’s insane to me, especially considering that this week will be the final time I post anything on it. I’ve decided to move on, having completed all the requirements for this blog to satisfy IB CAS, the Ivanhoe Diploma and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

I have become quite attached to this format in a sense, but I feel like if I want to express myself more fully as a lover of film, I should focus on Letterboxd and YouTube, platforms where legitimate criticism is easier to find (and frankly cheaper to produce). So goodbye, this blog.

Let’s go through some of the highlights, shall we?

March 8th, 2020 – My first review ever

As I was doing this blog so that I could fulfil IB CAS requirements, I initially thought I had to make it about “global issues”. So that’s the first bunch of reviews I wrote, stuff trying desperately to relate to global issues.

The first thing I tried tacking was autism in media via the 2011 film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Three things are really apparent from the review:

1. I’m a liar (I hadn’t seen the film, I just heard about it online and hated it)

2. I couldn’t understand IB properly (and I still don’t)

3. I was terrible at prose (even now I’m still average).

Still, it was a start.

March 21st, 2020 – My first positive review

Even all these years later, I would still recommend First Man to you. Divisive with audiences due to its tacking of the subject matter, emphasising the emotional core of Neil Armstrong’s moon journey instead of the Hollywood jingo, I thought it was one of the best biopics I’d ever seen. And it was the first film I had anything positive to say about on my blog.

**April 17th, 2020 – When I tried to pass “visual clusterf*ck” as a genre**

Yeah.

May 1st, 2020 – My most viewed review

With a grand total of 17 views, my angry thrashing of Fant4stic is still my triumph, my ultimate, my one-and-only. I wish it wasn’t, though.

May 20th, 2020 – First guest review (from Hamish Alexander)

Hamish needed some CAS hours, so I got him to do this under “creativity”. He did a good job, well done Hamish.

June 19th – When I tried to pitch a Snakes on a Plane sequel

Even I recognize the stupidity of it now.

July 10th – My only gaming review

I wrote three reviews in this one week about gaming-centred media, including the films Game Night and Jumanji 3, as well as Half-Life 2. It is one of the best games of all time, and we wouldn’t have our industry without it.

July 24th – Pat Suiter’s first review

August 13th – When I asked you for underappreciated movies

10 Things I Hate About You, Bill, Charlie and Boots, Dodgeball, Freedom Writers, Gattaca, Isle of Dogs, Perfect Blue and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

October 9th – Most out-of-context thumbnail

December 28th – I return after a 2-month break

I reviewed Nomadland after breaking for exams and holidays (which we should all do). It was also the first review I submitted for the Duke of Edinburgh skills section.

February 12th, 2021 – When I compared Chinese and Western Cinema

Honestly, I don’t look kindly back at this because of how strongly my opinions on the matter have changed, but I do thing that comparing the two countries’ output is important for Intercultural Understanding. I also did the same thing for Korean Cinema 6 days later.

March 8th – The most obscure movies I’d ever seen (According to Letterboxd)

This review is now outdated, due to the completely random stuff I find on Letterboxd. But Bugs! A Rainforest Adventure still reigns supreme with just 10 logs.

April 26th – I tried to review The Raid in Indonesian.

I still think it went pretty well in terms of translation. I mean, I could read it.

May 12th – I wrote 16 film reviews in 3 hours to beat the deadline for an Ivanhoe Diploma with honours.

According to Wix, this review was 38 minutes long.

I believe it.

I reviewed one film each from New Zealand (Hunt for the Wilderpeople), Australia (The Dry), Russia (Hardcore Henry), Mexico (Roma), England (Attack the Block), Taiwan (The Assassin), Indonesia (The Raid), Japan (Howl’s Moving Castle), France (Joyeux Noel), Brazil (The Little Panda Fighter), Denmark (Help! I’m a Fish!), South Africa (District 9), South Korea (Inchon) and Uganda (Who Killed Captain Alex).

My fingers hurt just thinking about it.

June 13th – The review I’m least proud of

I still don’t get why I didn’t like Sweet Tooth. And I couldn’t communicate it well in my review either. The review sucked.

I didn’t even spell the preview correctly. Look.

August 12th – The first in my campaign against Paramount+

Considering I put out another post on the subject, I’d say this was an issue I was particularly passionate about.

October 17th – My most anticipated movies of the year list

I only managed to watch 4 on the list (and didn’t even complete one of them because it was too scary - not in a horror sense, but in a realism sense). At least they didn’t disappoint.

Finally…

19th and the 26th of December – My best and worst lists.

Here, I’ll just leave you with the whole list of stuff I saw in 2021.

To all of those reading, thank you so much for your time.

This is an experience I will not forget.

THE FILMS I SAW IN 2021

Red - Strong recommend

Green - recommend

Black - Meh

Purple - No recommend

BOLD - Strongly don't recommend

Minari
Arcane (Series 1)
The Last Duel
Judas and the Black Messiah
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Squid Game (Series 1)
Bo Burnham: Inside
The Cost of Concordia
Pig
Dune
Tick, Tick… BOOM!
Spider-Man: No Way Home
High Ground
Invincible (Series 1)
Val
A Quiet Place Part 2
Palmer
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
The Guilty
Lupin (Series 1)
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
In the Heights
Worth
The Dry
Come from Away
Oxygen
Pieces of a Woman
Luca
Love and Monsters
Love, Death and Robots (Series 2)
Army of Thieves
Free Guy
The Dig
Brand New Cherry Flavour (Series 1)
The Harder They Fall
Raya and the Last Dragon
Boss Level
Close Enough (Series 2)
How to Become a Tyrant (Series 1)
The Swarm
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
Star Wars Visions (Series 1)
Jungle Cruise
Nightbooks
Blood Red Sky
Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978
CODA
Passing
Bad Trip
Godzilla vs. Kong
The Mauritanian
Willy’s Wonderland
Encanto
This is Port Adelaide
Sweet Tooth
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Cruella
Fear Street: Part 1 - 1994
Vivo
Jolt
Fear Street: Part 3 - 1666
Major Grom: Plague Doctor
Lupin (Series 2)
The Water Man
The Chair (Series 1)
A Perfect Fit
My Salinger Year
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (Series 1)
Fatherhood
Kate
Mortal Kombat
Cherry
Cowboy Bebop (Series 1)
Finding ‘Ohana
Ammonite
The White Tiger
Rick and Morty (Season 5)
The Marksman
Muppets Haunted Mansion
Army of the Dead
The Voyeurs
Fever Dream
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin
I Care a Lot
The Tomorrow War
Black Widow
The 8th Night
Stowaway
The J Team
F9
Malcolm and Marie
The Silent Sea (Series 1)
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks
Beckett
Shadow in the Cloud
Queenpins
Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse
The Starling
Outside the Wire
Eternals
Sweet Girl
Awake
Doctor Who: Flux
Prey
Dynasty Warriors
The Woman in the Window
Infinite
Black Island
Bliss
America: The Motion Picture
Cinderella
Things Heard and Seen
Thunder Force
Home Sweet Home Alone
Cosmic Sin