Probability Street

While the four chapters of this 2024 mostly action flick only just hang together - despite narration, animation and recurring characters - and the alien-technology through line is never satisfactorily developed, I can see it being a future cult favourite. The stars and upcoming talents (Ji-young Yoo!) are fully committed to the wackiness, not least Tom Hanks in a cameo as a preachy video-store owner. The soundtrack is pleasingly eclectic. The vibe of 1987 Oakland, California as a place with something weird "in the air" definitely comes across. There are dashes of romance, humour and pathos, all of which feel natural. There's a pinch of history, too. And the downtrodden goodies repeatedly triumph over the cartoonish baddies in ways that are either figuratively kick-arse or literally lop-limb.

RS2 and I found this co-operative card game too easy in 2P mode and too limited in the strategy required for success to warrant many replays. At the same time, we both thought it nailed the theme of Federation plebs attempting to slack off as much as possible without being busted by their commanding officers. I'd like to give it another crack in 3P mode, with fellow "Lower Decks" fans CM and AM.

As with any true-crime podcast, you ask yourself whether a horrible, senseless murder should be turned into mass entertainment - especially when the intro feels inappopriately fanciful. However, this 50-year-old case has, arguably, never been conclusively solved. With a single episode still to come (out of 12), there are no less than six males who might be classed as suspects. Typically for such pods, it's a tale of blunders and bad behaviour by police and lawyers, as well as by wealthy parents and other supposed caregivers, and even by the then-teenagers closest to the crime. Which is not to say the poor victim was guilty of anything except perhaps trusting the wrong person/s. Much is made in the podcast of a familial connection to the Kennedy Clan and, to be honest, it's interesting and justified.