Rated PG Newsletters - Issue 06

It was a pretty hectic week for me this past seven days, but I’m happy to say I accomplished everything I wanted to. I not only recorded the press conference for Cold War 1994 while asking Daniel Wu a few questions, but met with Angela Yuen, finished editing my Max Payne retrospective, and even secured a review code for Dragon Ruins 2: Aftermath. I’m undecided if I want to do a traditional review for that game since I’d like to move away from those, but I am willing to make an exception. Developer Romanus Surt has been kind to me in the past, so I’d like to pay that forward.

As for what happens with my blog for the remainder of 2026, I’m not sure yet. I will continue to review films, but it won’t be a weekly thing. I do intend to post a review for Spider-Man: Brand New Day simply because I enjoy the MCU Spidey films. I don’t have high hopes, but I do like that the Jackie Chan stunt team was involved.

Games This Week

However, I may have originally intended to format this newsletter, gaming has become the defacto opener because I’m finding myself with less time for it now. This week, I finished off Devil May Cry 4 and then started on Splatoon Raiders. DMC4 is… fine. I think the Special Edition makes the game easier, weirdly enough, but its bonus characters often clash against enemies not designed for them. Vergil makes the game a total joke while Lady/Trish are too simplistic to remain fun for long. I forgot how bizarre Dante feels in the game, too, since his move set doesn’t really gel with Nero’s enemies.

Splatoon Raiders, on the other hand, is fun. I’m not sure if its very simplistic design philosophy can sustain an entire campaign, but I do appreciate that Nintendo didn’t simply pump out a Splatoon 4 and call it a day. The best levels, so far, are the small challenge maps that feel like traditional Splatoon campaign levels. The raid arenas, of which the game is named after, are novel, but feel like a side mode. I do like how things have a sort of Monster Hunter vibe to them, however. It’s fun to set up a loadout and trek into a level to see how you fare. Props for the game offering difficulty levels and making its hard mode an actual challenge.

For the first week since the New York Asian Film Festival started, I did not watch any films for long-form review purposes. This was simply a week of checking out stuff for myself. I started it off last Sunday by finally watching Jackie Chan’s Who Am I? Surprisingly, I didn’t mind it, even if the entire intro feels a bit racist. I found it to be far more consistent with its story than Mr. Nice Guy, though it still comes down to its action design. Finally getting to see Chan slide down the Willemswerf building in 4K is a treat, especially since it heightens the tension of what is maybe his greatest stunt ever.

Since I was tired the next day after trekking around NYC, I watched Lucy when I got home. The less said about that, the better, but it’s a truly awful movie. We might have Luc Besson to blame for Scarlet Johansen winding up in Ghost in the Shell, but she definitely didn’t acclimate to whatever the hell Besson wanted. Also, Besson is a pedophile, so fuck him.

Next up was Song Sung Blue, and I didn’t mind it. It’s still just a musical biopic, but Kate Hudson did an incredible job. Hugh Jackman is no slouch, either, but he’s had a career filled with great performances. Hudson I’ve never been a fan of, apart from Almost Famous, so it was great to see her nail something so effortlessly. I appreciate that the film is also fairly optimistic about what is a never-ending cavalcade of bullshit getting thrown at a family who just wants to perform on stage. It could have been framed much differently, but instead went for a happier vibe.

Rounding out the week were Mortal Kombat 2 and I Am What I Am 2. I’m not going to rant about Mortal Kombat 2 because there is no point. It’s yet another terrible video game adaptation that banks more on its R-rating than anything. I Am What I Am 2, however, was great. China has really been upping its game when it comes to animation, and I love seeing the medium being deployed to depict martial arts. The art style is wonderful to look at, but the story of remembering where you came from and pushing through impossible odds to achieve success is an evergreen way to make a solid movie. For some damn reason, Well Go USA is releasing the movie in the states as The Kung Fu Kid, which will be available digitally on August 11, 2026, and physically on September 15, 2026. I promise you, familiarity with the first movie isn’t required.

Upcoming Week

Next week is the first time since launching this site that I’ll be mostly free to do whatever I feel. I’m always looking for more consistent work, especially related to film. While I don’t expect this site to become the only means of publishing work, I will still update it with film reviews if I can’t find another outlet for them. I’m still sad that Flixist is mostly dead, but I can’t live in the past and hope for the best. I need to push forward to achieve something new.

The only other updates from NYAFF 2026 still to come are me posting the press conference for Cold War 1994 and writing out the interview with Angela Yuen. I hope to have both finished this week so that everyone can read them in a timely manner. Thank you to everyone who has read these newsletters, and if you’d like to see me cover anything specific, feel free to reach out.