Better Call Saul - Season 3

Mr. Robot - Season 3

Breaking Bad - Season 4

Mad Men - Season 6

Stranger Things - Torn between 1 & 4

Curb Your Enthusiasm - Torn between 4 & 6

Seinfeld - Season 4

Succession - Season 1

Rings of Power is a little inconsistent but I still found it good. I should stress the word good, as I didn’t find it great or a masterpiece or anything like that.

It has its shortcomings but at times it can shine. What I like most about it is the different races and their dynamics. Elves and Dwarves in particular are explored fairly well.

I would recommend giving the first episode a try. If you don’t like the first episode or see any potential in it, quit there.

I’m never one to think something is too sacred or impossible to succeed.

Why? I dismissed Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring prior to release. Ended up loving it. So I’ve always been open to the idea of remakes or adaptations or sequels/prequels, etc. because you never know if they can be good.

Rocky is a classic in my opinion. Would have never guessed I’d think a sequel that focused on a child of Apollo Creed would also make a good movie but it did.

More Lord of the Rings movies can turn out good. Will they be as good as Jackson’s trilogy? Doubtful. But they can still be good movies.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

This is my favorite theatrical experience of all time. A grand-scale epic firing on all cylinders from performances, direction, writing, production design, VFX for the time, score, cinematography, etc.

The first 2 were incredible experiences as well, but I stand by Return of the King being the most emotional and heartfelt of the 3.

Soaring moments like the Ride of the Rohirrim, Aragorn’s speech, and Sam’s “I can’t carry it for you, but I can’t carry you!” Quieter moments like Gandalf’s talk with Pippin about death or Frodo’s departure.

I could go on and on but 20 years on and it’s still my favorite to this day.

I’m going to make a case for 2004:

You had acclaimed blockbuster sequels with Spider-Man 2, Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and The Bourne Supremacy.

Some other acclaimed movies like Collateral, Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Before Sunset.

Popular comedies Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story were released.

That’s 10 strong summer movies so far.

Even the not so well reviewed movies that summer seemed to entertain a variety of audiences over time or upon release like The Village, The Day After Tomorrow, I,Robot, The Notebook, Troy, Van Helsing, White Chicks, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Documentaries also had a very strong year. Fahrenheit 9/11 and Super Size Me. To this day the highest grossing documentary of all time is Fahrenheit 9/11 and Super Size Me gained a lot of attention, even making McDonald’s getting rid of the super size.

It was a very strong summer showing, movies with a lot of different audiences in mind.

After 2003, a year with Daredevil, Gigli, and Paycheck, Ben Affleck was the bottom of the barrel of actors for me.

By 2013 he had become a reliable actor for me who I enjoyed seeing in movies.