__Hello.🙂 I hope everyone's doing well.
__It's been a long, long time since I posted on this blog. For the last few years, I've been using Wordpress instead. However, they've recently revised their writing system to a format I really don't like. The text is divided into blocks, and it no longer seems to be possible to insert "read more" tags or wrap the text around pictures, like I wanted to for this post. Besides, the main reason I stopped using Blogger was because emoticons only showed up in text form, but it appears you can insert them as special characters now, so I may start using Blogger on a more permanent basis once again.
__Before I continue, I should probably explain the format my posts have been following lately. I've seen so many movies by this point that I've lost my motivation to write the full reviews that I used to on this blog, so I usually just copy and paste my comments from Twitter, with each movie's title serving as a link to its IMDb page if you'd like to know more.
__Today's post, however, will follow a layout I haven't used for a long time: the usual series of mini reviews from my Twitter page, followed by a full review of the last game I played. I've been watching a lot of Let's Plays lately, mainly NES classics like Castlevania and Metroid, although I have actually sat down and played a more recent game on top of that, and it turned out I had enough to say to fill a review of almost 250 words, just like I used to.
__But before that, let's go over the last few movies I've been watching. Among them was Weathering with You, the last movie from 2019 that I was really looking forward to seeing; I just had to wait for the DVD. After that, as per tradition on Halloween, I watched several new horror movies, in this case the Shark Attack trilogy (yeah, I was in the mood for some trash this year😀) and some of the Universal classics to offset it.
__There's also Predator 2, the only film in the Predator series that I hadn't seen yet. So, before I comment on that one, it might be appropriate to give my brief thoughts on the first Predator movie, especially since I did watch it again before the sequel anyway.
Predator (1987)
An adept example of pitting macho heroes against an impossibly greater threat. I like how the cinematography conveys the tightness of the jungle. But by far the best part is the climactic cat-and-mouse game between Arnold and the Predator.
My rating: 75%.
__So, with that out of the way, let's get started on the movies I was watching for the first time.
Predator 2 (1990)
It's hard to care about the characters because everything about the acting and overall presentation is so over-the-top that it becomes obnoxious. Ultimately, it just feels like a cheap rehashed sequel that doesn't add anything significant.
My rating: 30%.
Weathering with You (2019)
The animation is outstanding, and the movie points out how the weather affects your mood, so I think it's clearly a metaphor for the romance, especially given Hina's direct connection to it. The only thing I don't like is the ending.
My rating: 75%.
Beetlejuice (1988)
It's a comedy infused with Tim Burton's signature macabre zaniness, but it also has its share of effective dramatic moments, like when the couple first realise they're dead. It's boosted by a fun and inventive take on the spirit world.
My rating: 75%.
Shark Attack (1999)
If you're expecting B-movie trash, you're not quite going to get it. The sharks take a back seat to an involved business plot, and the attacks are often obscured behind a flurry of hectic cuts. It's not spectacularly bad, just kind of dull.
My rating: 40%.
Shark Attack 2 (2000)
This is bursting with the so-bad-it's-good quality that the first movie lacked. The writing is stock, and the effects are so lame it's hysterical. It's a terrible movie, but I laughed so much that I can't quite bring myself to hate it.
My rating: 25%.
Shark Attack 3: Megalodon (2002)
In terms of competence, this truly is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The laughable dialogue and effects can only go so far when they're surrounded by utter stupidity to the point of getting shark species wrong.
My rating: turkey.
Dracula's Daughter (1936)
For the most part, the countess's struggle is an interesting one, seeking to break her vampire curse through psychological means and being told to confront her issues instead of avoiding them. It's all undone in the third act, however.
My rating: 65%.
Son of Dracula (1943)
All the characters are memorable: Alucard in search for new feeding grounds, the detectives on his trail, and his bride who has motives of her own. It's a fun sequel with plenty of satisfying plot developments and a great ending.
My rating: 70%.
House of Frankenstein (1944)
The first movie to include three Universal monsters, all held together by a mad scientist using them in a quest for revenge. Dracula is the first attempt, which fails and forces him to find an alternative. It's good but not amazing.
My rating: 70%.
House of Dracula (1945)
Aside from a couple of good ideas, like what comes of Dracula's blood transfusion, it's definitely one of the Universal monster series' weakest, because it blatantly disregards all continuity. The result is a second-rate retread.
My rating: 55%.
The Mummy (1932)
The original Mummy might still be the best. Right from the opening scene, it's spellbinding. Be it exploring Imhotep's past or his central quest to recover his long-lost love, the overall tone is just as hypnotic as Boris Karloff's stare.
My rating: 85%.
__And now let's end with the more in-depth game review.
Jurassic World Evolution (PC)
__Essentially a remake of 
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. It's the same basic setup: build a park, create dinosaurs by excavating their genetic material from dig sites around the world, and try to keep both the animals and the guests satisfied.
__I'm still trying to decide whether I prefer this to JPOG. On one hand, as strange as it sounds, I prefer when everything's locked down on a grid; it makes space much easier to manage. Here, when trying to place a building close to another, or a path or something, it would often say "building constraints" or "terrain constraints" or just "obstructed", even when it looked like there was plenty of room. On the other hand, I love the freedom you have in JWE, not just in the variety of dinosaur species (especially with the DLCs that include even more), but the fact that you can name individual dinosaurs, buildings and even your ranger teams.
__The only DLC I didn't bother with was Secrets of Dr Wu, because I'm just not interested in the hybrid dinosaurs.
__For me, the hardest part was trying to unlock every entry in the InGen Database (basically what other games might call a codex). In some cases, the conditions are just outrageous, particularly Paul Kirby's character profile! That's the main reason my final play time was over 103 hours.
__Overall, it's a fun and addictive park simulator, and by far the best thing to bear the name Jurassic World.
__My rating: 90%.
