“A Good Student” by Nuzo Onoh (2014) “Bit by slow bit, his body started to disintegrate like fluffy flakes of white cotton.”
I read a story from this book every year, and they are always memorable. Onoh’s stories present such a unique cultural viewpoint that it provides new takes on stories of spirits and ghouls. Another reminder to get my head out of America’s and Western Europe’s ass.
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Dracula Daily – “October” by Bram Stoker & ed. Matt Kirkland (1897, 2021) “The men were scared every time we turned our electric lamp on them, and fell on their knees and prayed.”
I’ve been reading Dracula Daily, well, daily since the beginning, and it ends next month. What a journey. I’d never read it before so I’ve definitely not had the typical reading experience. All the travel stuff this month reminds me most of playing the Fury of Dracula board game, zipping around Europe to hunt down the children of the night. As far as the reading, October was the most suspenseful month thus far as the protagonists chased Dracula out of London and pursued him into the east, then are forced to wait and see where he’ll turn up. I’m not actually sure how this is going to end since the 1992 movie adaptation has been all I knew about Dracula proper for a long time and it turns out is not too faithful to the actual novel written by Bram Stoker. And I suppose neither is this chronological reading, but at least this gets through the original text.
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“The End of All Things” by Natalie Leif & Elaine Well (2014) “I’ll look at the lines myself.”
I wasn’t quite sure of the message here, and it’s probably a sign of a good story that I found it very compelling but wanted more. The ending evokes a sense of inevitable collapse beneath the weight of the world, that we are all inextricably linked to an entity we cannot escape.
Take Street Fighter and throw in supernatural and sci-fi horror figures, and that’s this game. Each of the 18 characters gets their own little arc and ending through the arcade mode, and while I’m sure most people are more interested in the multiplayer aspect, I always found the single player mode an interesting part of these fighting games. This is another instance in which I realize that while I never considered myself a horror fan when I was younger, I was absolutely in for monsters and the supernatural.
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Amer dir. Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (2009) "Can’t you see she’s hungry?”
This was a doozy and a strange movie to end the month. Hardly any dialogue and fairly interpretive, it’s also a sharp homage to giallo horror, which I’m not especially versed in. But part of the reason I take on these movie-a-day projects is to check out new works and be challenged, so I’m glad I did. The horror here is in confronting the self, staring inward into the abyss from which there is no escape.
I enjoyed this year’s Treehouse of Horror, even if it was fairly light on comedy. But the comedy in recent years can sometimes be full of some real groaners, so perhaps I just welcome an acceptance by the writers that jokes every other second isn’t their strong suit. The first two segments are straightforward retellings of The Babadook and Death Note (the latter also animated in anime style), but the third segment was especially meta and weird, even as a simple parody of Westworld. That clicked with me because it’s as meta as The Simpsons Game, which I’ve written about before from my perspective of working on the game. That introspective angle also makes it the darkest segment, asking the audience to examine pop culture today and the way we treat the characters in our favorite media.
“Everyone wants a piece of you. Sometimes as a sacrifice to the gods.”
This show’s dedication to producing a Halloween show every year is admirable. The episodes are always great, though in recent years they’ve moved away from Halloween itself as the central theme in favor of other spooky familial shenanigans. Louise’s exploration of the nature of popularity was a poignant thread.
“Thank you for my second life. I intend to use it well and make wonderful new dreams of it.“
I’d watched the first two seasons some time ago, and waited until the show was complete to catch the rest. While the arc of the first two seasons that were focused on Dracula felt complete, these latter two seasons were more of an extended epilogue, exploring these characters in the wake of defeating a great foe. As a result, there isn’t the same satisfying arc, just a series of interesting encounters and meditations on forming new lives and relationships. It feels like a short story anthology that follows the novel. Reflecting on it, I’d say it’s just the thing to round out the month, some breathy autumnal monologues punctuated by decadent battle sequences.
It’s still rattling around in my brain. That’s a good sign. The music, the strange encounters and people. I loved it all, but it has the vibe of a polarizing work. It veers way off the path laid out by its JRPG predecessors. I can understand why it gained such a small and devoted following. But it wasn’t perfect. Battles are a far smoother experience here than in so many contemporaries, including the blessed removal of random battles, but they are still a tedious part of the process. Enemies late in the game can kill a party member with a single attack and can require particular tricks or items to defeat. But it’s all worth the journey.
This is a good inclusion alongside a few of the others this month. It’s a strange and surreal journey through America, the sprawling nature and open spaces. The weirdness of meeting strangers in life. This movie also has a similar meta-commentary on the nature of its medium. Movies about movies, games about games. Surreal comedies are a good way to explore those aspects.
On the other hand, a story like this. A coming-of-age movie set in a small place that turns into something else, something more sinister. By comparison to the other stories this month, this one is claustrophobic, rife with frustration over the limitation of being here and not there. The events unfold that way but I suppose it’s about confronting the seriousness of growing up, of entering a world of adults who know more. The movie extends a bit beyond the ending of the original story by Joyce Carol Oates, and that changes the final feeling of it.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure almost feels modeled on this. It’s a hoot. It’s especially interesting to see all the cameos from renowned comedians and actors. And I just have an appreciation for road movies. I think there’s something in moving that’s compelling. Moving here and there, the encounters along the way.
A Jackie Chan classic but small-scale relative to some of his other hits (especially contemporary works like Armour of God). Still, this is “pure Chan excitement” at its core, full of the same insane stunts and a middle act that turns the whole thing into slapstick comedy before the big stunt set piece at the end.
I was excited to see that the writer for this episode is a comedian and longtime co-host of a Simpsons podcast to which I subscribed for a while. The segments were a bit forgettable (I needed to check out the details again), but the introductory segment about the election (like the election itself) likely subsumed the rest.
I wanna hang out in haunted hotels. Really, old hotels are getting harder to find. The creaky ones that couldn’t stay in business before a pandemic and now have little chance of surviving. The trope is well-worn I suppose, but the writers of this episode did a great job with it. Halloween episodes of Bob’s Burgers are always good.
The second half of this show figured itself out in style. Instead of trying to drag a single conceit across a whole twenty-some episode season, they designed the season as a series of shorter arcs, and this kept things fresh. The final two seasons were shorter overall and didn’t have a chance to do that, and I think season 6 at least suffered for it. But then their final season wises up to the idea that this is indeed the end, and so it becomes a fan service-filled extravaganza across time and space. It’s an interesting and fun release in a year when Marvel properties were otherwise absent as Disney held everything back until the pandemic is over.
It’s still rattling around in my brain. That’s a good sign. The music, the strange encounters and people. I loved it all, but it has the vibe of a polarizing work. It veers way off the path laid out by its JRPG predecessors. I can understand why it gained such a small and devoted following. But it wasn’t perfect. Battles are a far smoother experience here than in so many contemporaries, including the blessed removal of random battles, but they are still a tedious part of the process. Enemies late in the game can kill a party member with a single attack and can require particular tricks or items to defeat. But it’s all worth the journey.
This is a good inclusion alongside a few of the others this month. It’s a strange and surreal journey through America, the sprawling nature and open spaces. The weirdness of meeting strangers in life. This movie also has a similar meta-commentary on the nature of its medium. Movies about movies, games about games. Surreal comedies are a good way to explore those aspects.
On the other hand, a story like this. A coming-of-age movie set in a small place that turns into something else, something more sinister. By comparison to the other stories this month, this one is claustrophobic, rife with frustration over the limitation of being here and not there. The events unfold that way but I suppose it’s about confronting the seriousness of growing up, of entering a world of adults who know more. The movie extends a bit beyond the ending of the original story by Joyce Carol Oates, and that changes the final feeling of it.
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure almost feels modeled on this. It’s a hoot. It’s especially interesting to see all the cameos from renowned comedians and actors. And I just have an appreciation for road movies. I think there’s something in moving that’s compelling. Moving here and there, the encounters along the way.
A Jackie Chan classic but small-scale relative to some of his other hits (especially contemporary works like Armour of God). Still, this is “pure Chan excitement” at its core, full of the same insane stunts and a middle act that turns the whole thing into slapstick comedy before the big stunt set piece at the end.
I was excited to see that the writer for this episode is a comedian and longtime co-host of a Simpsons podcast to which I subscribed for a while. The segments were a bit forgettable (I needed to check out the details again), but the introductory segment about the election (like the election itself) likely subsumed the rest.
I wanna hang out in haunted hotels. Really, old hotels are getting harder to find. The creaky ones that couldn’t stay in business before a pandemic and now have little chance of surviving. The trope is well-worn I suppose, but the writers of this episode did a great job with it. Halloween episodes of Bob’s Burgers are always good.
The second half of this show figured itself out in style. Instead of trying to drag a single conceit across a whole twenty-some episode season, they designed the season as a series of shorter arcs, and this kept things fresh. The final two seasons were shorter overall and didn’t have a chance to do that, and I think season 6 at least suffered for it. But then their final season wises up to the idea that this is indeed the end, and so it becomes a fan service-filled extravaganza across time and space. It’s an interesting and fun release in a year when Marvel properties were otherwise absent as Disney held everything back until the pandemic is over.
This was a fun movie about two adversaries jockeying for power and then, holy shit, what, it’s not that at all. But I loved it, it’s the kind of thing I want to read but who has the time, who? You might say it’s my… favorite.
Creed II dir. Steven Caple Jr. (2018)
Another movie of adversaries. Adonis Creed is the same man, out to prove something, and so is his rival as the son of the man who was humiliated by Rocky in Rocky IV. However, this man is far more fucked up, and his emotional arc is the stronger of the two.
If Beale Street Could Talk dir. Barry Jenkins (2018)
The injustice in this movie is the quiet, seething kind. The movie shows people trying to live within the rules and shot down at every opportunity. But their love, their connections to each other, provides the hope that allows them to survive. The movie never crescendos the way one might expect, much like Jenkins’s last movie. It just continues, like the best stories, like life.
A Private War dir. Matthew Heineman (2018)
Journalists of war exhibit a certain bravery to tread into war and tell the story of those who must suffer it. This telling of the life of Marie Colvin shows that need we all have, I think, to do the thing that we know we shouldn’t. We shouldn’t imperil ourselves. We shouldn’t tell the stories of those who we ignore, because then we must face our willful ignorance.
The Spectacular Now dir. James Ponsoldt (2013)
A romantic comedy with some edge, something I think has become more prevalent recently. Sadly, we have a dude with an alcohol problem, and a girl who he uses to get over himself. I only cheer for her to tell him to fuck off.
Shazam! dir. Peter Safran (2019)
Not what I expected. The movie leans into family-friendly and focuses on levity, taking its time with building the hero out of the boy. In truth, it’s a frustrating journey, but perhaps that’s what it is to watch children struggle to find their place in the world.
Avengers: Endgame dir. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (2019)
I’ve only watched it once, but something felt… off. Or I guess, felt too perfect. It was too buttoned up, too many solutions. The part I was most fascinated with was the fallout of the previous movie’s actions, living with that kind of loss. And they touch on it, with some characters driven by it. But the world remains. Maybe that’s how it is? The world will always remain.
Bob’s Burgers – “Brunchsquatch” (2017)
Beefsquatch! Gene is the kid I wish I was, entertaining and outgoing. Also, I’ve never had brunch, but as I understand it the boozy orange juice is the highlight, yeah?
Bob’s Burgers – “The Silence of the Louise” (2017)
Mysteries can be a real hoot. Solving them, finding clues, you know. And mysteries in primetime cartoons are the hootest.
Bob’s Burgers – “Sit Me Baby One More Time”
(2017)
I traveled all around in March and April and ate an embarrassing amount of expensive food for free. And let me tell you, good as it was, it’s never worth the price. Some burgers may be better than others but, at the end of the day, you’re just eating a plop of ground-up cow muscle.
The Simpsons – “Holidays of Future Passed” (2011)
I’ve been doing a ton (ton!) of research on The Simpsons for some upcoming projects. Part of the research is watching every single one of its 650+ episodes. This episode, one of the many that skip ahead to see the family in future times, was pleasant, but didn’t quite hit the jokes-per-minute average that the old episodes achieved. It was interesting to skip ahead and see where they’ve gone.
Star Trek: Discovery – "The Vulcan Hello” (2017)
Oh no. I’m one of those fans who is going to complain about changes, like the klingons’ radical physical and cultural alterations. I understand the old Star Trek is dead, long live Star Trek, but it’s a hurdle just the same. I hope to watch the rest of this series sometime soon and get a better sense of it. As you know, Star Trek is never good right out of the gate.
Luther – Series 5 (2019)
Luther, man, what are you doing? These last couple of series have seen Luther make some real questionable choices, perhaps showing the fallout of all the decisions he’s made in previous series. Like with Shazam! up above, it’s difficult to see characters fuck up so bad and for so long. But, always a but, I understand that sometimes shit happens, and you respond as best as you can.
This was a fun movie about two adversaries jockeying for power and then, holy shit, what, it’s not that at all. But I loved it, it’s the kind of thing I want to read but who has the time, who? You might say it’s my… favorite.
Creed II dir. Steven Caple Jr. (2018)
Another movie of adversaries. Adonis Creed is the same man, out to prove something, and so is his rival as the son of the man who was humiliated by Rocky in Rocky IV. However, this man is far more fucked up, and his emotional arc is the stronger of the two.
If Beale Street Could Talk dir. Barry Jenkins (2018)
The injustice in this movie is the quiet, seething kind. The movie shows people trying to live within the rules and shot down at every opportunity. But their love, their connections to each other, provides the hope that allows them to survive. The movie never crescendos the way one might expect, much like Jenkins’s last movie. It just continues, like the best stories, like life.
A Private War dir. Matthew Heineman (2018)
Journalists of war exhibit a certain bravery to tread into war and tell the story of those who must suffer it. This telling of the life of Marie Colvin shows that need we all have, I think, to do the thing that we know we shouldn’t. We shouldn’t imperil ourselves. We shouldn’t tell the stories of those who we ignore, because then we must face our willful ignorance.
The Spectacular Now dir. James Ponsoldt (2013)
A romantic comedy with some edge, something I think has become more prevalent recently. Sadly, we have a dude with an alcohol problem, and a girl who he uses to get over himself. I only cheer for her to tell him to fuck off.
Shazam! dir. Peter Safran (2019)
Not what I expected. The movie leans into family-friendly and focuses on levity, taking its time with building the hero out of the boy. In truth, it’s a frustrating journey, but perhaps that’s what it is to watch children struggle to find their place in the world.
Avengers: Endgame dir. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (2019)
I’ve only watched it once, but something felt… off. Or I guess, felt too perfect. It was too buttoned up, too many solutions. The part I was most fascinated with was the fallout of the previous movie’s actions, living with that kind of loss. And they touch on it, with some characters driven by it. But the world remains. Maybe that’s how it is? The world will always remain.
Bob’s Burgers – “Brunchsquatch” (2017)
Beefsquatch! Gene is the kid I wish I was, entertaining and outgoing. Also, I’ve never had brunch, but as I understand it the boozy orange juice is the highlight, yeah?
Bob’s Burgers – “The Silence of the Louise” (2017)
Mysteries can be a real hoot. Solving them, finding clues, you know. And mysteries in primetime cartoons are the hootest.
Bob’s Burgers – “Sit Me Baby One More Time”
(2017)
I traveled all around in March and April and ate an embarrassing amount of expensive food for free. And let me tell you, good as it was, it’s never worth the price. Some burgers may be better than others but, at the end of the day, you’re just eating a plop of ground-up cow muscle.
The Simpsons – “Holidays of Future Passed” (2011)
I’ve been doing a ton (ton!) of research on The Simpsons for some upcoming projects. Part of the research is watching every single one of its 650+ episodes. This episode, one of the many that skip ahead to see the family in future times, was pleasant, but didn’t quite hit the jokes-per-minute average that the old episodes achieved. It was interesting to skip ahead and see where they’ve gone.
Star Trek: Discovery – "The Vulcan Hello” (2017)
Oh no. I’m one of those fans who is going to complain about changes, like the klingons’ radical physical and cultural alterations. I understand the old Star Trek is dead, long live Star Trek, but it’s a hurdle just the same. I hope to watch the rest of this series sometime soon and get a better sense of it. As you know, Star Trek is never good right out of the gate.
Luther – Series 5 (2019)
Luther, man, what are you doing? These last couple of series have seen Luther make some real questionable choices, perhaps showing the fallout of all the decisions he’s made in previous series. Like with Shazam! up above, it’s difficult to see characters fuck up so bad and for so long. But, always a but, I understand that sometimes shit happens, and you respond as best as you can.
