In big budget movies, protagonists facing unambiguous conflict and getting a clear, concise victory peaked in the 80s and early 90s. A lot of the other movies mentioned in this topic (V for Vendetta, Dredd 2012) have serious throwback vibes. Smaller movies usually have murkier conflict.

For a given value of, “through the ringer,” Karate Kid is my answer. It’s extremely easy to empathize with both Daniel and Mr Miyagi. I appreciate some movies that absolutely destroy the protagonist, but their larger than life troubles are more difficult to empathize with earnestly. Aliens fits well, too, the oppression of a faceless corporation may be heavier now than it was even on release. The Top Gun movies fit pretty well as long as you watched the original a long time ago.

I made mooncakes for the first time yesterday, I wanted to be ready to make them for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. I’ve been buying them for a long time and decided to finally make them myself.

They’re not as difficult as I expected, actually. Since the cakes are molded there’s some nuance to getting the dough the right thickness. Making them at home gives an incredible variety of options for fillings; I did purple sweet potato, cheesecake, and matcha.