rcmnd

Gwern

Pseudonymous independent researcher and essayist writing on gwern.net about statistics, psychology, genetics and AI.

33 things

Blade Runner 2049Other

loved

one of the best movies I’ve seen all year, well worth paying to see on the big screen

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

RedlineOther

loved

One of the most amazing hand-animated films of all time, Redline is a blast from start to finish in showing dystopian SF racing

Gwern's compiled anime/manga reviews since 2010 (page last modified 2024-06-06).

2024-06-06·gwern.net ↗

Made in AbyssOther

loved

I suspect Made in Abyss will be the best anime I watched in 2019, and perhaps 2020 too.

Gwern's compiled anime/manga reviews since 2010 (page last modified 2024-06-06).

2024-06-06·gwern.net ↗

Mushishi Zoku ShouOther

loved

Rather than declining, the second season is better than the first.

Gwern's compiled anime/manga reviews since 2010 (page last modified 2024-06-06).

2024-06-06·gwern.net ↗

Ringing BellOther

loved

There are not many anime from the 1970s which could be said to be as worth watching now as the day they were made, but Chirin no Suzu manages to be one of them for its unflinching honesty.

Gwern's compiled anime/manga reviews since 2010 (page last modified 2024-06-06).

2024-06-06·gwern.net ↗

Stories of Your Life and OthersBook Ted Chiang

loved

He is the closest thing to a modern Jorge Luis Borges in melding high concepts with literature to create something better than either

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

Collapse of Complex SocietiesBook Joseph A. Tainter

loved

much more convincing than Spengler or Toynbee

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

Star MakerBook Olaf Stapledon

loved

It’s really impressive how Stapledon just casually scatters around handfuls of jewels that lesser authors might belabor singly throughout an entire book.

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

The Remains of the DayBook Kazuo Ishiguro

loved

The prose is so smooth that like Gene Wolfe’s, it becomes invisible, and you pass through it to the slow silent sorrow of the protagonist.

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the WorldBook Liaquat Ahamed

loved

I enjoyed this tremendously for revealing a new world to me where I thought I already knew the lay of the land.

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

The HistoriesBook Herodotus

loved

Overall, far more interesting than I had expected. Surprisingly funny or interesting anecdotes.

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de ZoetBook David Mitchell

loved

It was surprisingly unliterary and unpostmodern for Mitchell, but in exchange, he nailed the historical details and gave us an adventure which subverted many of the usual tropes

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

Bias in Mental TestingBook Arthur R. Jensen

loved

One of the classics in the field, Jensen sets out to explain almost everything, it seems, in psychometrics

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

KediOther

liked

Thoroughly enjoyable, stuffed with beautiful shots of Istanbul and cats, with particularly clever ankle-level tracking shots following the semi-feral cats around.

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

All About EveOther

liked

Excellent character-study/drama about the price of fame, the sincerest forms of flattery, and a little meta-fictionally, the psychology of the theatre and Broadway being usurped by Hollywood

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

Ready Player OneOther

liked

It is excellent to watch on a big screen in 3D despite how silly it ultimately is, so I’m not surprised it’s been successful.

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

Hellsing UltimateOther

liked

All in all, a very satisfactory OVA indeed.

Gwern's compiled anime/manga reviews since 2010 (page last modified 2024-06-06).

2024-06-06·gwern.net ↗

The Black CompanyBook Glen Cook

liked

I enjoyed the first book a great deal: it’s in a fairly stock medieval setting, but it handles the dark fantasy well

Gwern's compiled star-rated reviews of books he has read since ~1997 (page last modified 2022-10-13).

2022-10-13·gwern.net ↗

Apollo 11Other

recommended

Strongly recommended for anyone with an interest in space, greatness, or reality.

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

AmyOther

recommended

Overall, required viewing for any Winehouse fan and of general psychiatric interest; possibly too painful to watch for others.

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

They LiveOther

recommended

For a compelling depiction of how this might feel from the inside, I strongly recommend John Carpenter’s movie They Live

Gwern's compiled movie, television and opera reviews since 2014 (page last modified 2024-06-29).

2024-06-29·gwern.net ↗

Every entry is a verbatim quote and a link to the public post it came from. Nothing is paraphrased. If it is not on record somewhere public, it is not here.

The verdict is what they actually said: loved and liked are explicit; recommended means they told others to get it; uses means they only say they use it; read is a book on their public shelf with no verdict; mixed and disliked are kept too.

A dashed affiliate link, sponsored or their own label means the post disclosed a relationship. It is shown, never hidden.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is for its kind of thing.

The shading behind a date shows how dated a recommendation is, for its kind of thing. Fully green is recent. It drains a quarter at a time as the post gets older, and is empty once it reads as dated.

What counts as old depends on the thing. A laptop praised four years ago has been replaced twice; a book loved twenty years ago is probably still loved. The shading is gone after about:

Stripes mean the post carries no date and the date shown is an estimate. No date at all, no shading.