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First Viewing Viewing Date: October 11th Via: Cinema Plot: Shang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization. Rating: 4.9/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 10th Via: Blu-ray Plot: Two scientists develop a machine called the Resonator, which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. But when the experiment succeeds, they are immediately attacked by hostile, otherworldly lifeforms. Rating: 7.0/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 10th Via: Blu-ray Plot: A programmer at a TV station that specializes in adult entertainment searches for the producers of a dangerous and bizarre broadcast. Rating: 7.1/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 10th Via: iTunes Store Plot: Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents. Rating: 6.4/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 10th Via: iTunes Store Plot: An alien takes the form of a young Wisconsin widow's husband and makes her drive him to his departure point in Arizona. Distrustful government agents, along with a more ambivalent scientist, give pursuit in hopes of intercepting them. Rating: 6.9/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 9th Via: Blu-ray Plot: A scientist trains a man with an advanced telepathic ability called "scanning", to stop a dangerous Scanner with extraordinary psychic powers from waging war against non-Scanners. Rating: 7.7/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 9th Via: Shudder Plot: A police S.W.A.T. team investigates about a mysterious VHS tape and discovers a sinister cult that has pre-recorded material which uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy. Rating: 6.6/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 9th Via: iTunes Store Plot: Former LAPD Detective Russell Poole meets a journalist and recounts his experiences trying to get justice for the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Rating: 7.0/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 8th Via: iTunes Store Plot: A psycho-physiologist experiments with drugs and a sensory-deprivation tank and has visions he believes are genetic memories. Rating: 6.2/10

Rewatch Viewing Date: October 8th Via: Blu-ray Plot: At a high school senior prom, a masked killer stalks four teenagers who were responsible for the accidental death of a classmate six years previously. Rating: 6.1/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 6th Via: YouTube Plot: An ex-army major is kidnapped by terrorists in the Philippines, demanding ten million dollars worth of diamonds. Michael Ransom, a Vietnam vet who served under him, goes on a solo mission determined to rescue him. Rating: 3.2/10

First Viewing Viewing Date: October 6th Via: Netflix Plot: The graduating class at Osborne High is being targeted by a masked assailant, intent on exposing the darkest secret of each victim, and only a group of misfit outsiders can stop the killings. Rating: 5.6/10

Viewed: Season 1

An overnight sensation which has become one of Netflix's most-watched TV shows, Squid Game is an excellent South Korean thriller series brimming with gorgeous visuals, intense set-pieces and complex character relationships. There are obvious parallels to existing movies and TV shows like Battle Royale or The Most Dangerous Game, but Squid Game definitely feels like its own thing with its own unique identity and execution. It's also a satisfyingly culturally specific show, allowing viewers to get a glimpse into the type of games played by Korean children. Acting is top-notch across the board, and I get a headache when I consider the logistics of including over 400 performers on a single set, especially during the pandemic. It frequently looks expensive rather than cheap, and it's easy to get drawn into this world and these characters. Squid Game is a slick and compelling series, and despite a couple of slow-moving episodes (the fifth episode in particular), there's not much in the way of fat. Nine episodes is perfect for this story, and I'm glad that Netflix didn't try to persuade an extension to ten episodes for the sake of a tidy figure. If there is any more of this show, I'll gladly watch it - I'm invested now.