Tops of 2024
Let’s go through some new-to-me media and experiences that were meaningful to me in 2024.
Movies
I saw a lot of movies in 2024! Much of them binged on long flights to and from Johannesburg.
- Anatomy of a Fall – this and the next one (The Teacher’s Lounge) fall in the category of talky foreign drama unafraid of challenging the viewer.
- The Teacher’s Lounge – avoiding spoilers for this is a good idea, not because there’s some big reveal but much of the fun is figuring out where things are going.
- Dune: Part Two – epic cinematic fun. Nice to see this book getting a solid treatment.
- The Truth vs Alex Jones – so much enjoyable schadenfreude.
- The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial – even if you are familiar with original Caine Mutiny, this is good and will surprise you.
TV Shows
This is where arguably the best show making is happening. I think the quality talky dramas that get pitched to film studios are mostly ending up stretched out into TV mini-series.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm – mostly watched this on my own (Julie not so much a fan), starting in 2022 and finishing in June of 2024. Very good social commentary on norms and rules.
- The Sopranos – talked Julie into watching this all the way through and she quickly became a fan.
- 30 for 30 - The Luckiest Guy in the World – Bill Walton was in Portland before my time, but the reverence there was still palpable when we moved there in 1998.
- The Bear – Latest season not as awesome but still enjoyed all of it.
- Fallout – Probably the best new series we started watching in 2024. Funny and scary.
- Slow Horses – Still holding up as one of the best in a deep pool of very good TV.
- Wheel of Time – Definitely picked up in season 2. Julie and both read all the books so it is fun to see this play out. We don’t mind the changes.
- Bad Sisters – Guilty pleasure with a season 2 not as strong as 1 but still good.
Video Games
Deep but not broad! Steam says I split my time about equally between these two, but doesn’t count all the time I picked up on a second round with Balatro when it was released on Apple Arcade+.
Boardgames
Not a lot in 2024, but these were the new-to-me highlights.
- Ethnos – Surprising hit playing with son Jacob on his game night. Takes me back to classic euros that came out in the early 2000s.
- Nokosu Dice – Innovative trick-tracking game I played with Greg and Matt and really enjoyed.
- Mistborn: The Deckbuilding Game – Just one play with Julie so far but I think this is going to be a hit.
- Harmonies – Just one play but look forward to trying more. In the same area as Azul in terms of complexity and length.
- Fromage – Very interested to see if this holds up with repeated play or is just a fun mechanical gimmick. There’s really nothing like this game, and that’s high praise.