➥ AADL 2024 Staff Picks: Homepage
➥ AADL 2024 Staff Picks: Words
➥ AADL 2024 Staff Picks: Audio
➥ AADL 2024 Staff Picks: Pulp Life
 

AADL 2024 STAFF PICS: SCREENS
TV, movies, DVDs, video games, YouTube, streaming, etc.

ALLISON J. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

Caddo Lake
(2024)
One of my favorite movies of the year! It’s labeled as horror but it’s not. It’s a drama/mystery following the disappearance of an 8-year-old girl in the middle of the Texas/Louisiana bayou.  Don’t look up anything ahead of time—it's a MYSTERY.  I made my husband watch it with me two days after I saw it for the first time because I thought it was really great! (Even though it's not a genre I would ordinarily watch). {Max}

When Evil Lurks
(2023)
Two men stumble upon a disemboweled corpse in the woods and things quickly go from bad to worse … to worse … to even worse.  One of my favorite films of all time! This movie is nasty and brilliant—definitely not for the faint of heart. This is about as brutal as horror gets but I thought it was awesome! Beautiful cinematography, good pacing, and an engaging study of the human tendency to really mess things up over and over again. {AADL}

I Saw the TV Glow
(2024)
I’ll be the first to say that I’m not really the intended audience for this movie, but I did catch the metaphor from the very first scene so I instantly understood and really appreciated the core theme. I watched this movie for the first time around the same time I listened to Chappell Roan for the first time, and both had me seriously considering if I’m living my life to its full potential.  Am I leaving room in my life for fun? For the things that matter most? For being myself, for better or worse? I had to give these questions serious consideration, lest I end up like the main character at the horrifying conclusion of this great movie. {Max}

Joko Anwar’s Nightmares and Daydreams
(2024)
I’m a huge fan of Joko Anwar (his movie Satan’s Slaves Communion is one of my favorite movies of all time!), so of course I was going to check out his new seven-episode series on Netflix.  And I was pleasantly surprised! A mix of sci-fi, horror, mystery, and the supernatural (with an Indonesian twist) in an interesting anthology format featuring actors such as Ario Bayu, Marissa Anita, and Asmara Abigail (regular recurring faces in Joko Anwar’s work). I hope there’s a season two as there were a few threads left open at the end of the first season (now that’s an understatement). {Netflix}

Little Monsters
(2019)
Another movie that has quickly become one of my favorites of all time. A total loser accompanies his 5-year-old nephew on a school field trip when a zombie outbreak occurs. Starring Lupita N’yongo as the classroom teacher and heroine of the film and set in Australia, this is one of the few horror comedies I can get behind, let alone love as much as I love this movie. It’s super funny and only slightly gory, meaning I could share this movie with my non-horror-loving husband—he also loved it! {AADL}

Challengers
(2024)
I’m not a sports person—like, at all—but I really enjoyed this movie starring Zendaya and two men I’ve never heard of before who are trapped in a decades-long social game much like a back-and-forth high-stakes game of tennis. This movie had an absolute chokehold on me for the few weeks after I first watched it, and I highly recommend it, even if you’re not that into sports. {AADL}

A Quiet Place: Day One
(2024)
I’ve never seen the first two Quiet Place movies (I’ve never been interested in them even though I love horror movies), but I loved this one! Starring Lupita N’yongo and Joseph Quinn—known to most as that guy from the last season of Stranger Things—as they navigate the beginning of the apocalypse as seen in the previous Quiet Place movies. As someone whose family has been impacted by cancer this year, I found this movie to be incredibly moving. {AADL}

Birth/Rebirth
(2023)
For the most part, I’m utterly uninterested in retellings of Frankenstein. I find them boring and pointless. But this one gave me a lot to chew on. A story about how far a mother will go to protect and care for her child. {Hulu}

The Secret Life of Pets
(2016)
A spoiled dog named Max has his world rocked when his owner brings home a new, very large, and unruly stray dog named Duke. Hijinks ensue. Maybe it’s because bringing home my first puppy this year made me soft, but I really enjoyed this movie! I saw the first few minutes of the movie in a waiting room and immediately placed it on hold at AADL so I could see the entire thing.  Reviews are mixed online but I thought it was fun and funny!  By the same folks who brought you the Minions—who I also love! {AADL}

Sailor Moon (original series with new dubs)
(1991)
Fourteen-year-old Usagi Tsukino meets a magical talking cat and finds out that she has the power to become a superhero named Sailor Moon. She fights bad guys—along with her team of Sailor Guardians—and stops the world from being taken over by evil time and time again. I watched various episodes of this series as a kid, and at the time, I thought it was sweet!  Earlier this year, I decided to rewatch it to see if it held up … and it did! This show is surprisingly good and the artwork is often stunningly beautiful. I can’t speak to the original dub but the new one is really great and feels natural. (This is the only time I will ever suggest a dubbed version of anything; I’m usually firmly in the “subs-not-dubs” camp.) Usagi is funny yet relatable as she journeys through life with the help of her friends. This series is surprisingly dark at times as it’s adapted from a very popular teen manga, but somehow things always seem to turn out all right in the end. {AADL}

ALYSE P. — PRODUCTION TECHNICIAN

Detroiters
(2017)
The Detroiters is on Netflix! If you missed out on the show when it was on Comedy Central, now is a great time to binge-watch all three seasons—like I did. Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson's offbeat sitcom about two best friends running a failing ad agency in Detroit is a fun ride with humor similar to Robinson’s more recent sketch comedy show, I Think You Should Leave. {Netflix}

Greg in LA
(2022)
This short-format comedy series could easily be an indie film with its high-quality writing and comedic timing. This series follows recently divorced fortysomething Greg as he tries to find meaning and a steady job in Los Angeles. The highlight of the series is often the recurring side character Dave played by Jacob Jeffreys. Also, Greg’s dog Winston provided the philosophical voice of reason—via subtitles—which is pretty cute. The upcoming fourth season was picked up by 800 Pound Gorilla Media and looks to be a great continuation of the story with a bigger platform and more guest stars. {YouTube}

AMANDA S. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

Jim Henson: Idea Man
(2024)
As someone who is obsessed with the Muppets and Jim Henson, I was so happy to watch this documentary. It dives deep into the life and career of a man who changed children’s television—and the lives of many—forever. {Disney+} {Trailer}

Beef, season 1
(2023)
This was the first show I watched in 2024 and it was so good! It’s an award-winning dark comedy featuring two strangers who have a beef after experiencing road rage and their continuous interactions go beyond next level. It’s totally gripping. Season two is in the works with a new cast. {Netflix}

Heartbreak High, seasons 1 & 2
(2022)
An Australian show that is a soft reboot of the 1994 series. The series follows the teens and teachers at Hartley High, where there is plenty of drama, angst, lies, love triangles, and trysts. It’s hilarious but also digs into issues teens may encounter. The characters are fun to get to know! {Netflix}

Somebody Somewhere, season 3
(2024)
The third and final season of this most wonderful show. We hang out with Sam and Joel and share in their hilarious and heartfelt friendship. The show and characters are honest, authentic, and not something we see in many shows. It’s a feel-good show to watch on repeat. I’m not ready for it to be over. {HBO}

AMANDA V. S. — GRAPHIC ARTIST

Shōgun miniseries
(2024)
{Website}

Butterfly in the Sky: The Story of Reading Rainbow
(2024)
{Website}

Jim Henson: Idea Man
(2024)
{Website}

Godzilla Minus One
(2023)
{Website}

ARTEMIS B. — DESK CLERK

Jeopardy!
A classic that I have been in a deep relationship with this year. Enough said. You can watch it on Paramount Plus or on a YouTube channel called Home by Houda that posts the episodes each night (with an extra inexplicable home cooking video edited in at the end). Actually, maybe Home by Houda is my true pick. {Website} {YouTube}

CHEYENNE F. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

Problemista
(2024)
Julio Torres was so charming and funny in Los Espookys, and he really gets to show off his writing chops in Problemista. I honestly don't think anyone is doing surrealism like him right now. This story about a burgeoning toy designer attempting to get his work visa renewed by working with an eccentric and overbearing art critic is so fully realized I didn't know it was his first time directing a feature film. I think this was my favorite movie of this year. {Max}

I Saw the TV Glow
(2024)
When I saw this movie, I spent the entire car ride back in complete silence. While not necessarily outwardly provocative or violent, the movie intentionally makes its audience uncomfortable and pretty successfully shows the fear and pain that comes along with denying who you are. It’s a visually rich psychodrama with a lot to say, and I think Jane Schoenbrun really hit it out of the park. {Max}

American Fiction
(2024)
Yet another amazing directorial debut! The casting in this movie is incredible on its own, but the way Cord Jefferson manages to weave a story of familial struggle with the never-ending struggle of what it means to create “Black art” in systems designed for white people is really something special. American Fiction is equal parts hilarious and insightful, and I do think Sterling K. Brown should’ve won that Oscar. {AADL}

Didi
(2024)
I'm a sucker for a good coming-of-age movie, and Didi is just that. From what I have read about director Sean Yang, it’s somewhat autobiographical, and I think that shows in the care and complexities he affords the angsty main character. {AADL}

The Zone of Interest
(2023)
While it is an extremely hard watch, The Zone of Interest perfectly portrays how brutality can become mundane to the people complicit in it. Johnathan Glazer’s frigid approach to a historical drama about the Holocaust only serves to magnify the atrocities of war. {Max}

The Holdovers
(2023)
I really love Paul Giamatti, and it’s a real treat to see him as a curmudgeon professor bonding with a troubled student. Despite how heavy it can get, The Holdovers somehow manages to maintain a steady pace and never wallows in its own misery. All that being said, you should really watch it for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who did in fact win that Oscar. {AADL}

Happiness
(1998)
I am so sad that Todd Solondz’s upcoming movie Love Child has been canceled due to insufficient funds. However, I have also been looking on the bright side and it is really cool that Happiness, a dark comedy about a family full of failures, has finally gotten a Criterion release. I’m always watching Solondz’s work, and I find that I tend to skip over Happiness due to its relative popularity but this year I finally included it in my yearly Solondz rewatch and realized I was being annoying. It’s a great little depressing movie. {Criterion}

Interview With the Vampire, season 1 & 2
(2022) (2024)
This show is everything I’ve ever wanted from an Anne Rice adaptation, and there's not a single actor who isn’t giving it their all. I watched the first season earlier in the year and really loved it, but the release of season two really blew me away and built on my love of the series. There was a solid three-month stretch where all I could think about was Jacob Anderson’s portrayal of Louis de Pointe. I might even still be thinking about him now. {AADL} {AADL}

Insecure
(2016-2021)
Confession time: I’ve been avoiding watching the last season of Insecure for a while because I wanted to pretend like it never ended. I have now officially finished the series, and although sad, it was definitely worth it. {HBO}

In My Skin
(2020-2021)
I stumbled on this comedy-drama series about a Welsh teenager trying to hide her troubled home life from her friends while also navigating her sexuality by chance and really enjoyed it. With only two seasons, it’s a quick watch that stays with you. {Amazon Prime}

Fantasmas
(2024)
Another Julio Torres win. Somehow a bunch of surreal sketches are made into a very vaguely coherent narrative in this out-there short series. The premise is similar to Problemista. However, the extended runtime and sketch-based nature of the show allowed him to really go all out. {Max}

Silent Hill 2
(2024)
Silent Hill 2 is my favorite game, and unfortunately, the Silent Hill series has fallen on hard times for a while now, so when they announced a remake of SH2 I pretty much ignored it. I didn't think it would come out, and if it did, I was sure it wouldn’t be good, but I’m very glad to be wrong on both fronts. The remake stands on its own as a good game while adding enough to make it its own. I still recommend playing the original too. There’s enough Silent Hill to go around. {Steam}

Splatoon 3
(2022)
I’ve been playing Splatoon 3 since it came out, but with this being the last year of regular updates, I somehow found a way to play it even more. I’ve been gaming my entire life, but I never understood the pure gamer rage some of my friends would get when playing Call of Duty until I got beat in Splatoon 3 six times in a row by a bunch of 12-year-olds. And I think that’s a beautiful experience. {Nintendo}

CRYSTA C. — DESK CLERK

Atomic Hope: Inside The Pro-Nuclear Movement
(2023)
Even if I didn’t end up becoming a convert, I did find the information in this documentary valuable and interesting. {AADL}

Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island
(2024)
This served as a good counterpoint to the documentary Atomic Hope. {AADL}

The Crimson Kimono
(1959)
What a surprising film to have been made in the 1950s! Great for fans of film noir and Japanese American history. {AADL}

Renfield
(2023)
Funny, campy, and just a delight! {AADL}

Lisa Frankenstein
(2024)
A fresh take on comedy horror. And romance? Especially love that it takes place in the 1980s. Oh, the nostalgia! {AADL}

Around the World in 80 Days
(2022)
If you are looking for a fun and adventurous mini-series, this is a must. It doesn’t follow the book closely, but I think it upholds the spirit of it. {AADL}

Mrs Sidhu Investigates
(2023)
A terrific new British mystery series about a crafty caterer who solves mysteries on the side. {AADL}

Poker Face
(2023)
An unusual take on a mystery series. We are shown the crime up front and then we’re taken back and shown the full story of what led up to it and how it gets solved by the protagonist. {AADL}

DANI G. — BOOKSHELVER/PROCESSOR

Twisters
(2024)
I went to see this in theaters this summer fully expecting an awful adaptation of the original Twister movie. I came out of the theaters absolutely loving it and feeling solidified in my crush on Glen Powell. The science behind what they are trying to do is very questionable, but if you are willing to ignore that and just enjoy a wild tornado movie—think Sharknado—I think you'll have fun! {AADL}

Physical: 100
(2023)
A lot of Korean reality TV/game shows have come out on Netflix in the last year or two and I have been eating them up. Here's a list of my favorites: Physical: 100, Devil’s Plan, The Society, Culinary Class Wars, and Crime Scene. Honestly, I can’t recommend them all enough! Watch their trailers/read their synopses to see which one interests you the most and dive in. They are so, so fun to watch. {Netflix}

Frieren
(2024)
I am not a big anime watcher, but my husband is. A few years ago, I offered to watch two episodes of any anime he wanted for his birthday, and since then I’ve watched Demon Slayer, Spy x Family, and a few more. But Frieren is the first one I specifically requested to watch, and it did not disappoint. This show follows Frieren, an elven mage, and her adventuring party after defeating the big bad. It dives deep into grief and forging new friendships as she goes on to outlive her former adventuring party. It’s such a beautiful depiction of friendship and grief, and I think anyone can see themselves in this story. {Crunchyroll}

Practical Magic
(1998)
My best friend and I started a movie night to watch a bunch of the movies people get mad at us for not having seen yet. We watched Practical Magic for the first time in the fall and absolutely fell in love with it! I cannot believe it took me this long to see it, what a perfect Halloween/fall movie. It’s definitely going on my list of movies to watch every year from now on! {AADL}

Fruitbus
(2024)
This game came out in October of this year and I absolutely adore it. You play as a bear who is taking up the mantle of running their late Grandma Bear’s Fruitbus. A food truck that sells primarily fruit salads, you gather around the different islands and complete quests to get Grandma’s friends to come to dinner to celebrate her life. It has a really unique art style and the gameplay gets more interesting as the game progresses! For instance, you go from making just fruit salads to making stir fry and soup and bread. It’s a lovely story mixed with fun gameplay, and I would love to see more people playing it. {Steam}

ELLEN L. — DESK CLERK

Dimension 20
(2018–)
I originally got my Dropout subscription to watch shows like Game Changer and Um, Actually—all of which I also 100 percent recommend—but somehow with no warning, I stumbled upon the tabletop role-playing game show Dimension 20. Brennan Lee Mulligan’s quick wit and portrayal of a wide variety of quirky non-playable characters is captivating to watch. The varying genres from season to season also offer an intriguing watch for everyone. (My personal favorites are the fantasy storybook season Neverafter and the science-fiction, anarchy-filled Starstruck Odyssey.) The permanent cast of the show is so hilarious I sometimes have to pause to catch my breath from laughing so hard. (Ally Beardsley, they could never make me hate you.) There is never a dull moment in this show, and if you want to start watching without a subscription, there are some free episodes on YouTube! Go crazy, get wild, the ball is rolling up the hill! {Website}

Cult of the Lamb
(2022)
I bought this video game in an effort to jump into games with more action and adventure instead of my usual Stardew Valley and Cozy Grove. I believe that Cult of the Lamb is a perfect—albeit strange—bridge between the two. You play a lamb who is saved from death by a god-like being, and you must repay your debt by starting a loyal cult in the name of “The One Who Waits.” This game has a little bit of everything and it gives “Animal Crossing’s weird little sister who happens to be a cult leader” energy. Instead of villagers, you get cute animal followers that you can customize and indoctrinate. And instead of living on an island or farm, you’re building structures for and decorating what is essentially a cult compound. And instead of gathering crops or selling collectibles for coins, you give sermons, fight other cult leaders, and put your followers to work to collect resources! On top of all of that, this dark game has an adorable art style that really takes your mind off of the fact that you’re—well, you know—running a cult. {Website}

ELI — LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Carol & the End of the World
(2023)
Dan Guterman's beautifully made animated tragicomedy series requires some leaps of disbelief to get into the world, but the excellent writing, pacing, music, and design deliver in every episode. It’s featuring types of characters and personalities you rarely see on TV, let alone in animation. Nothing else is quite like it that doesn’t involve a depressed TV horse. {Netflix} 

ELIZABETH S. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

3 Body Problem
(2024)
The creators of Game of Thrones, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, have released their first post-GoT production, a series based on Liu Cixin’s novel of the same name. If you’ve watched GoT, you’ll recognize many actors. The visual effects are great, the mysterious plot is captivating, and the results of the characters’ desperate attempts to stop a mysterious phenomena—depressing. So what are the vibes? Despair? You’ve got it. Hopelessness? Line right up. Yet, there is something poignant and overall relevant to the current zeitgeist. 10/10 recommend. {Netflix}

Bodies
(2023)
Will all of my 2024 titles have something to do with bodies? Maybe. Though it came out at the end of 2023, I didn’t get a chance to watch it until early 2024. The show has frequently been compared to Dark, which appeared on my list last year. Naturally, I had to watch it. {Netflix}

Yellowjackets
(2022-2023)
No bodies in the title? Great. In the show, however… I’m late to the game on this one, but it did enjoy a period of revived interest with the third season on the horizon. I tried to watch this show three times in the past, and could never get past the [light spoiler?] horror of the plane crash scene. But I made it through, and I am now significantly more desensitized to disturbing scenes! {AADL, season 1} {AADL, season 2}

Various shows about cults
Like many Americans, this past year I went down a path of exploring cults of our nation’s past and present. Nothing says “cultural pastime” like the creation of a seemingly wholesome community that eventually becomes a dangerous cult! It all started in early 2024 with Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God {HBO}, then touching on series from years past such as Wild Wild Country {Netflix}, and the recent, regional, and related Escaping Twin Flames {Netflix} and Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe. {Amazon}.

Evil
(2019-2024)
Though I enjoyed the ambiguity of the earlier seasons, the show remains a good mix of funny and creepy. {Netflix}

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
(2024)
Who knew that a group of bored, famous Mormon housewives could generate so much drama? Contradictions abound, buckle up if you love a vapid reality show! THIS is for you. {Hulu}

EMILY M. — LIBRARIAN

Detroiters
(2017-2018)
Supreme silliness in a familiar setting! If you loved Tim Robinson's I Think You Should Leave but wish it had a bit more structure (🙋‍♀️), his earlier work Detroiters alongside fellow comedian Sam Richardson is exactly what you need. Somehow I missed this during its tragically short run of two seasons on MTV, but its 20 episodes are a delight and now more easily accessed on Netflix. {Netflix}

HALEY Y. — DESK CLERK

The Substance
(2024)
Coralie Fargeat’s new body horror film does not disappoint. It follows Elizabeth Sparkle—played by Demi Moore—an aging aerobics star who suffers the misogynistic effects of a patriarchal industry and society. It specifically focuses on the self-hate that can emerge from being under the male gaze all your life. She makes an extreme choice to keep receiving the adoration that she received as a younger celebrity and the results are out of control. A friend smarter than me pointed out how this film is not just a comment on how society devalues women as they age, but also shows how parts of an addicted person battle for control. {Mubi}

All of Us Strangers
(2024)
Although I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, this film—directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal—was overall lovely. It was like stepping into the main character’s reimagining therapy sessions as he tried to process past traumas and face his fear of vulnerability. There’s a lot of heartbreak to be found, but also a lot of healing. {AADL}

ISH H. — BOOK PRO

Our Flag Means Death
(2022-2023)
Ostensibly, this is a comedy show about pirates and it is funny and does contain pirates. But it’s really a show about being accepted for who you are, finding your community and family, and growing together. It will make you laugh, cry, and feel a sense of belonging. It’s a true gem. LGBTQIA+ {HBO Max}

Interview With the Vampire
(2022–)
AMC has breathed new, modern life into Ann Rice’s—to me—most notable work. The show makes some impactful changes from the books to create a gripping drama with depth, tackling themes of race and sexuality directly. However, it does still match the themes and important arcs in the books. Nothing about it feels forced, it just feels right. The acting is superb, the directing fantastic, and the attention to detail and accuracy in set dressing is amazing. Also, let's be real though, I can't get enough of those sexy, sexy vampires. {AMC+} {Netflix}

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
(2024)
Every once in a while, there comes a film that is art and this is such a film. I was hesitant to watch this—since despite being a great film—the explicit violence and trauma on full gory display in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road went too far for me. I was more than pleasantly surprised by what I found. A compelling, non-traditional approach to storytelling relying more on physical acting than spoken word. They show us, rather than tell us. And while you will remain aware of the stakes and the violence, they’ve found ways to show us without actually showing it. You learn the backstory of the world and Furiosa, and the end of the film is satisfyingly the exact beginning of Fury Road. Unlike many sequels and prequels, they’re not revisiting the highlights for the sake of nostalgia either. It is a thoughtful, engaging story from beginning to end. {IMDB}

Arcane
(2021-2024)
Arcane is a succinct two-season show that draws from the League of Legends game. I have never played it myself, but that does not diminish the absolutely unprecedented nature of this show. It’s an animated series for adults and it is incredible. It’s out there and beautiful and gripping and powerful. Set in a steampunk universe with magic, it itself is magic to behold. Season one does not waste a single moment; it is incredibly paced, balanced, acted, and visually stunning. While season two has a stumble with pacing, it is no less gripping. {Netflix}

Blue Eye Samurai
(2023)
Set in Japan’s Edo period—during the time when the government was controlled by the military and Japan had closed its borders to the outside world—a half-white, half-Japanese warrior goes on a quest for vengeance. In addition to the ostracizing nature of being mixed race in Japan at that time, this epic tale also addresses how women during that period were treated. It is a moving work of art visually and emotionally. {Netflix}

JENNY C. — DESK CLERK

Metaphor: ReFantazio
(2024)
{Website}

One of my favorite games in recent years, Metaphor: ReFantazio, is brought to us by the team that created the Persona game series (a spinoff from the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series). Metaphor uses many of the mechanics from the Persona games, while being set in a fantasy world instead of modern-day Japan. Said fantasy world is made up of various races, so it can tell a story about a caste-based and racist society without touching on real-world hate or biases (a trope perhaps too often employed in fantasy/sci-fi stories). The player character appears human but is referred to as an Elda, and spit upon by strangers who see him. No one knows why the Elda are so terrible, other than the major religion of the country demonizing them. Humans, however, are what the populace calls grotesque monsters based on the artwork of Hieronymus Bosch (a real-world Renaissance painter from 500 years ago, known for bizarre depictions of heaven and hell). The Humans show up and lay waste to whole villages, seemingly at random.

The story begins in Grand Trad, the royal capital of the United Kingdom of Euchronia. Before the game even starts, players witness the murder of the king by a disillusioned man named Count Louis. This sets off a chain of events resulting in a unique election for the next king. The royal palace lifts into the sky, and the face of the slain king appears on the underside, made of stone. Within his right eye, the most popular candidates for king amongst the people appear. The protagonist enters this competition not for his own gain, but to support his best friend the prince. The son of the late king, the prince was cursed by an assassin 10 years prior to the start of the game. Kept secret and safe, the kingdom believed the prince dead. But instead, he was surrounded by magical thorns, and unable to wake. The protag, along with his fairy friend Gallica, must find allies and work their way up the rankings in order to prevent the cruel Count Louis from gaining control of the country and its royal magic, and enacting his desires for a nation that only supports “the strong”. While the protagonist’s ultimate goal is to save the prince and allow him to ascend to the throne, his actions and words boil down to “Help anyone in need.” Help the downtrodden, save lives, and make a positive change in the world.

I wrote out a long paragraph explaining the gameplay, but honestly, it isn’t too different from Persona (save for a job class system similar to some Final Fantasy games). Instead, I want to touch on the theming of the game. With a name like Metaphor, you can imagine that some metaphors may be involved. The kingdom of Euchronia is named such in reference to the term Uchronia, which is defined online as “A time of perfect social, technological, and ecological harmony; a utopian era”. The kingdom is anything but that, being built upon a caste system highly immersed in a racial hierarchy. The protagonist carries a banned book with him that is about a fictional utopian society that everyone refers to as fairy tales and fantasy. Said book shows an idealized version of our modern world, complete with pictures of skyscrapers, and talk about freedoms of speech and religion.

So from our perspective as the player, we are viewing a fantasy world with fairies, named after a utopian society—and that world views ours as a fairy tale fantasy world without strife. It feels like this is meant as a “grass is always greener” message. We may dream of going to a fantastical world vastly different from our own but that world will have the same problems as ours—just in different ways. Metaphor: ReFantazio is available to play on Playstation and XBox consoles, as well as on Windows. If you want to look at the artwork of Hieronymus Bosch, the Renaissance artist whose art was referenced for the “humans”, AADL has several books including this one!

JOE K. — BOOK PROCESSOR

Dune: Part One
Dune: Part Two
(2021) (2024)
I saw this because my brother recommended it to me. If for any reason you have been holding out, then stop. Both movies are really good. {AADL} {AADL}

JOSH H. — DESK CLERK

Hades II
(2024)
I think it would be fair to say that I have an obsession with the Hades duology. I’ve racked up hundreds of hours in the first game, and the first week the Hades II: Early Access dropped, I put in 30 hours. I have never been this dedicated to a game in my life. Where the first game had you playing as the son of Hades, Zagreus, you are now instead the daughter of Hades, Melinoe. Chronos—a Titan and Hades’ father—has taken over the Underworld, and you must fight your way into Hades and kill Chronos to save your family and Olympus. The game is not fully finished yet, but in Early Access alone it is over double the amount of content the full Hades release has, and with the recent Olympus update, there is even more to discover. {Website} {Steam}

Inscryption
(2021)
This is a game I went into knowing only two things: it’s like Yu-Gi-Oh!, but if it was horror with a weird guy trying to kill you while playing cards (although I guess that is Seto Kaiba), and there’s a rude little stoat everyone hates. My friend tells me this is one of the best ways to play it. Many hours later, I emerged on the other side standing in my kitchen and looking at a wall just to process. That is to say, it’s a very good game, and I think you should play it. {Website} {Steam}

Pop Culture Detective
YouTube channel and podcast
(2020)
Run by Jonathan McIntosh, Pop Culture Detective is a YouTube channel and podcast devoted to the intersection of politics, masculinity, and entertainment. I stumbled upon this channel when I was searching for material for a college project—I forget what at this point—and quickly made my way through all his videos. McIntosh is a fantastic essayist and critic who discusses toxic and positive masculinity and the tropes used as vehicles for misogyny. He also envisions a better world by examining cultural oppressions. He coined the trope “Born Sexy Yesterday” in a video of the same name in 2017, and if you only ever watch one of his videos, I hope it’s that one. {Website}

Dropout TV
(2018)
This is the streaming service that got me through COVID. And college. And introduced me to D&D. Primarily based around comedy improv, Dropout is the rebranded CollegeHumor that was able to become so much more than its predecessor. It has game shows such as Make Some Noise; Um, Actually; Game Changer; and the tabletop-roleplaying show Dimension 20. It’s the only streaming service I have and the only one I’ve ever kept around. You can catch full episodes of the gaming shows and full seasons of Dimension 20 for free on YouTube, but you might just end up buying a subscription after getting sucked in. {Website} {YouTube}

KATIE D.W. — LIBRARY TECH

Gravity Falls
(2012–2016)
This show was recommended to me by some colleagues when I asked for fun fall spooky vibes shows. This was exactly what I was looking for. There was plenty of wacky and bizarre supernatural goings-on in the show, but it never really crossed over from spooky into horror. I also always like when episodes pretty much stand alone, but there is an overarching plotline that ties the whole season/show together. Finally, I really liked the pacing of the character development. I can see why this show still has a dedicated following. {AADL}

Tasting History with Max Miller
(2020–)
This YouTube show combines two things I love—cooking and history! The show covers a huge range of time, with recipes from ancient civilizations all the way to the 20th century. The host, Max Miller, shares each episode’s recipe and its origin before demonstrating how to prepare it. While the food is baking, cooking, resting, fermenting, etc., he then gives a brief history of the people who would’ve made this recipe and/or of the food itself. He draws on primary sources to help paint a realistic picture and ensure accuracy in how he prepares the dish. He released a cookbook—which we have in our collection here—so you can try your hand at preparing some of these fascinating foods. I personally just love learning the history behind some iconic foods and learning about foods that have been lost to the ages. {YouTube}

KATRINA A. — LIBRARIAN

Design for Living
(1933)
Challengers
(2024)
In Design for Living, two male friends fall in love with the same woman, but she can’t decide between them. Their competition for her affection drives their career success and she forms a relationship with one and then the other. No one is willing to forfeit their feelings, so they come to an unconventional solution. If you were shocked by the brazenness of Challengers, prepare yourself to be surprised by its predecessor of almost a century: Design for Living. {AADL}

Past Lives
(2023)
Brief Encounter
(1945)
Past Lives is less directly inspired by the plot of Brief Encounter, but aims for the same emotional resonance. Both films revolve around finding what could be the “right" person at the wrong time. Brief Encounter is full of yearning constrained by social code when our protagonist is confronted with a connection outside of her marriage that leads her to question the life she has been leading. {AADL}

Connecting all four: Both Brief Encounter and Design for Living were adapted from plays by legendary English wit Noël Coward. The writer and director of Past Lives, Celine Song, and the writer of Challengers, Justin Kuritzkes, are married.

KIM G. — DESK CLERK

Baldur’s Gate 3
(2024)
Is this video game a hidden gem? No. Do we all know this is incredible? Yes. But I just have to give a shout out to it anyway. This was my first ever RPG, and it was a great one to learn on! The sheer amount of exploring, romancing, and general buffoonery I get up to in this game is astonishing! And that’s not even starting on the complex and rich storylines each character has or the sheer number of incredibly hard decisions you have to make as a player. I’ve played through it twice since its release, and I’ll be playing this for years to come. {Website}

LOREN B. — DESK CLERK

I Like Killing Flies
(2004)
{IMDB}

Freshwater
(2023)
{Vimeo}

Farewell: ETAOIN SHRDLU
(1978)
{Vimeo}

LUCY S. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

Top Chef
(2006-2024)
All of it. Season 15 and Season 20 were standouts. {Bravo}

MARISA H. — LIBRARY TECHNICIAN

Delicious in Dungeon
(2024)
Half dungeon crawl, half cooking show, all the way cozy and fun. {Netflix}

Kaos
(2024)
A modern reimagining of Greek myth. Perfect casting. Beautiful cinematography. Darkly funny.
{Netflix}

It’s What’s Inside
(2024)
A horror/comedy about body swapping. It’s super-fast paced with lots of motivations, jealousies, crushes, and bodies to keep track of. The ending “twist” wasn’t very twisty but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fun ride. The editing and lighting of the film really brought it all together for me. {Netflix}

PHINEAS I. — DESK CLERK

Bound
(1996)
This film—the Wachowskis' debut—has since been overshadowed by The Matrix, which is a pity because it is phenomenal. It’s incredibly well-paced, tightly plotted, shot, and edited. The sound design is not subtle—really nothing about the film is subtle—but it hits hard and drives home the impact of scenes and actions. The first act is almost straight-up lesbian erotica but it’s all set up for the second half of the film—the heist. During said heist, the film manages to continually ratchet up the tension in a way few others I’ve watched have, making the climax beautifully cathartic. The film is all about acting and trust, and throughout it all, the characters put on different faces for different characters in a way that makes it very rewarding to pay attention to how different characters comport themselves. {AADL}

PHOEBE H. — DESK CLERK

Blue Eye Samurai
(2023)
I started watching this at 8 pm and accidentally stayed up until 2:30 am because I couldn’t stop watching it, and I finished it in one sitting. That definitely doesn’t say anything about my self-control and says everything about how good of a show it is. {Netflix}

Ted Lasso
(2020-2023)
Man. What a feel-good show. It was funny, smart, and heartwarming. A true delight to watch. {AADL}

Culinary Class Wars
(2024)
A cooking competition show that was intense and engaging, but didn’t stress me out the way American cooking competition shows do. {Netflix}

REENA P. — DESK CLERK

Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon)
(2024)
When Falin teleports her party out of the dungeon to safety, her brother Laios and remaining party members Chilchuk and Marcille must find a way to rescue her. With no money to resupply for the journey, their only method for reaching Falin in time is to eat the dungeon denizens themselves! My favorite anime of the year with an excellent cast, a colorful world, and a plot as deep as the dungeon itself. {Netflix}

Azumanga Daioh
(2002)
Zany slice-of-life anime featuring a colorful cast of high school girls and two of their teachers. The sense of humor is perfectly dry with plenty of gags that capture the awkward experiences of school life. Even 20 years later, the jokes still hold up. {Amazon}

Clue
(1985)
Before video game movie adaptations existed, there was 1985’s Clue. A party of guests are assembled at a mansion, only to find out they are being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy. Shenanigans ensue, Mr. Boddy dies, and now everyone must work together to find out whodunnit before the cops arrive. Fantastically corny and cheesy, featuring a star-studded cast (Tim Curry! Christopher Lloyd! Eileen Brennen! Lesley Ann Warren! and more!) This is a uniquely good take on a much-beloved board game. {AADL}

1000xRESIST
(2024)
In the last bastion of humanity beset by alien invaders known as the Occupants, ALLMOTHER is slain by her Watcher. With this, events unfold that threaten to render mankind totally extinct. A very nonlinear story featuring well-voiced characters, epochs-spanning conflicts, and a lot of unreliable narration, 1000xRESIST is a sci-fi tale about intergenerational family trauma, exploitation and violence, pandemic and isolation, and resistance. I cannot say much about the substance of the story without spoiling everything, but I believe immigrants, and especially East Asian diaspora, will get a lot out of this story like I did. This game made me cry three or four times. This is my game of the year. {Steam}

RICH RETYI — COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING MANAGER

Hundreds of Beavers
(2022)
Top movie of the year for our entire household—kids and adults! Trust me. Go in cold. See it tonight. Partly filmed in the U.P., if Michigan pride factors into your entertainment decisions. {Website}

SHERLONYA ZOBEL — DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Grey’s Anatomy
(2005–)
Let’s not talk about how much time I’ve wasted looking at TikTok’s little instant gratification bombs. At a certain point, I realized that the clips from Grey's Anatomy left me wanting to know more about this dramatic fictional world. At the beginning of the year, I thought, "I need a workout show. Something that I can watch on the treadmill. Something with a lot of seasons." Grey's Anatomy was the obvious answer! In the space of a year, I've made it several episodes into the current season, *cough* season 21. Unfortunately, I didn't spend all of that time on the treadmill. However, it has been the perfect show to watch on my phone or iPad while doing household chores or nursing myself through a truly awful cold. {AADL}

ROOSEVELT R. — DESK CLERK

I Saw the TV Glow
(2024)
{YouTube}

Dream Scenario
(2023)
{AADL}

Fright Night
(1985)
Content advisory for sexual assault. {AADL}

Balatro
(2024)
{Website}

VANESSA K. — BOOKSHELVER/PROCESSOR

Bocchi the Rock!
(2022)
Without a doubt, this is the most relatable anime I have watched this year. Bocchi the Rock! is about a high school girl named Hitori “Bocchi” Gotou who becomes inspired to learn to play the guitar and dreams of making friends and joining a band. Her only obstacle? Extreme social anxiety! What I love about this anime is how it portrays Bocchi’s social anxiety in comedic and extreme ways (example 1 and example 2). As someone who also struggled with social anxiety in school—and still do to this day!—I felt the character resonated with me. And as a bonus, the show has some great songs, albeit in Japanese. {Crunchyroll}

Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You), seasons 1-3
(2009, 2011, 2024)
I felt a roller coaster of emotions watching this romance anime series from start to finish. The protagonist, Sawako Kuronuma—nicknamed Sadako by her classmates—struggles with communicating. This has led to some misconceptions from her classmates, and as a result, she became very socially inept. All of this changed when she met Shouta Kazehaya on the first day of high school. Slowly, she begins to improve her communication skills, and as a result, forms friendships and perhaps even romance. {Netflix}

So I’m a Spider, So What?
(2021)
There are a lot of Isekai on the market and stories where the protagonist either dies and gets reincarnated in another world or gets transported to another world—usually in a fantasy setting. In the world of anime, sometimes unique twists are added, such as being reincarnated as a slime, a sword, or even a vending machine! This time, the protagonist is given in the form of a spider. So I'm a Spider, So What? is about a high school girl whose entire class gets reincarnated after being obliterated in an explosion. The story is told from two perspectives: 1) the female main character who becomes a spider, and 2) a group of classmates who are also reincarnated. Going into this anime, I knew nothing about the plot and didn’t have high expectations because I had seen some bad Isekai anime. However, I was quite surprised because there was a nice blend of action, comedy, character progression, and plot twists that I didn’t see coming. {Crunchyroll}

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
(2023)
Another unique anime that I have watched this year, and it is possibly within my top three watched anime of all time. I was really impressed by the animation of the spells used. The title character, Frieren, is an elven mage who joins an adventuring party consisting of two humans (Himmel and Heiter) and one dwarf (Eisen) to take on the Demon King. The story is not about the journey leading up to the final fight, but rather the journey after the quest has been completed. As an elf, her life has lasted for over 1,000 years, so the time she has spent with her party members feels like a tiny fraction of her life—quite insignificant. It is not until the death of Himmel and Heiter that she begins to feel some regret for not taking their presence for granted. Desiring to truly understand humans and form deep connections, Frieren takes on an apprentice mage named Fern and recruits a warrior named Stark. Together, they take on a new journey with the ultimate goal of paying respects to Frieren’s former comrades and also collecting seemingly useless spells. {Crunchyroll}

Hazbin Hotel
(2024)
Created by a YouTuber known as VivziePop, this adult animated musical comedy takes place in a fictional interpretation of Hell. Charlie Morningstar, Hazbin Hotel’s protagonist, is the cheerful and adorkable princess of Hell and daughter to Lucifer. Her goal is to solve the overpopulation in Hell by redeeming humans who have ended up in hell after death—referred to as “sinners.” Unfortunately for her, almost everyone believes her endeavors are futile. Almost. Despite the odds, Charlie and her girlfriend, Vaggie, are determined to prove that sinners can be redeemed into Heaven. The musical is backed up by a number of talented voice actors with previous experience in musicals, including Erika Henningsen (Mean Girls Broadway musical, 2018-2020), Stephanie Beatriz (Encanto, 2021), and Keith David (The Princess and the Frog, 2009). It is clear to the audience that both the creators of the show and the voice actors involved are passionate about this project. {Prime}

Helluva Boss
(2020-present)
Set in the same universe as Hazbin Hotel, the series revolves around a group of Hellborn imps who run an assassination business. This show expands on VivziePop’s imagining of Hell beyond the setting that Hazbin Hotel takes place in. If it is possible, I daresay this series is much more mature, but still manages to be sprinkled with comedy and features musical numbers throughout the current 18 episodes and four shorts. The same love and passion is poured into this series by both the creators and actors. {YouTube}

More AADL Staff Picks:
➥ 2023
➥ 2022
➥ 2021
➥ 2020
➥ 2019
➥ 2018
➥ 2017
➥ 2016