Dreams Mean Nothing - The Sandman (2022)
I started to write this piece as a simple review of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, now streaming on Netflix; like the show itself, and the comic series at its origin, it turned into something far bigger, a historical narrative including random characters, with meanings and truths revealed as if from nowhere.
Like dreams, this review has become something more, an essay about writing itself, about narrative, about the consumption of art for both good and evil, and about its very effect on our lives.
Or maybe just mine.
Ravings - How My Brain (Sometimes) Works, The Star Trek Edition
I See What You Did There - WandaVision (2021)
I can accept change (if you know me at all, please stop laughing as you read this.) But when it comes to narrative, such changes have to be done in a fashion that they fit with the story you want to tell. Or perhaps with the story that wants to be told.
The story that wants to be told in WandaVision, Marvel’s newest comic-book adaptation, is a story of grief and mental health, and how they play in a world of super-heroics. WandaVision brings the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to an episodic TV format, one that will actually be acknowledged on other screens (unlike Agents Of Shield.)
As such, WandaVision is a story that works very well for what feels like seven of the show’s nine episodes, only to dramatically lose such appeal when coming to a close, forgetting any heart and focus it had, moving instead to solely show off its actions and powers.
Queer Filthy Horror- The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection (2020)
I started writing this solely as a review of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection, touching on queer imagery (and life) within both the arts and day-to-day life, especially around Halloween. That, however, turned into something a hell of a lot grander. Most of the time when watching anything related to the Boulet Brothers, I find myself inspired, challenged (in the good way) and, above all else, comfortable and safe; this is my people and my world, and I want to support and love them every chance I get.
And so, I warn you now: this is going down a rabbit hole. Things are going to get surprisingly personal, which is not what I was expecting.
shrugs Deal with it, motherfuckers.
Game Of Thrones Minus The Blue Balls - Kingdom, Seasons 1 & 2
A politically heavy Korean narrative that just happens to have zombies in it isn’t quite what I was expecting when I sat down to watch Kingdom on Netflix, but it’s what I got.
And boy, was I happy to get it. Visually stunning, I found it very hard to write about Kingdom and not draw comparisons with Game Of Thrones. So let’s just put my money where my mouth is and say that, yes, it’s fucking better, being nowhere as afraid to embrace its horror/fantasy roots.
Nine Killed You, Nine Shall Die - The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971)
As a married man who has gone through his own medical dramas, there’s something about The Abominable Dr. Phibes that sets a particularly high standard for me. After watching this film, I now highly expect that, as and when something ever happens to me, my husband will take on the Vincent Price role and avenge my death.
Them’s the fucking rules, peeps.
Such is the somewhat beautiful premise of this film, a camp and silly story that is very indicative of its age. First released in 1971, the film plays with those elements of camp, keeping its tongue firmly in cheek throughout. Thankfully, it’s coming from a time where that camp wasn’t always screamed at and forced upon its audience, and works poignantly well within this narrative.
AKA Everybody Move, Everybody Gets Hurt - Jessica Jones, Season 3
No, now would not be a good time to sit down and watch thirteen episodes of a TV show that goes out of its way to shit on its own characters and their interactions and relationships, providing absolutely no sense of closure to their journey, nor any hope or promise of a future for them.
Picarder, Better, Faster, Stronger? - Star Trek: Picard, Season 1
Sometimes, all I want out of my TV shows is a little bit of consistency; is that really so much to ask for?
I was enjoying the early episodes of Star Trek: Picard, even if it felt like it was taking its goddamned fucking time to get going with whatever it wanted to do. But, by the end of the show…I don’t know, it feels sort of mean thinking this, let alone writing it, but…I wanted my fucking time back.
I'm Asking, Mr Harper, If You Had Sexual Intercourse With Count Dracula - BBC/Netflix’s Dracula, 2020
After watching just one episode of the BBC/Netflix's Dracula, I got back surprisingly more creative drive than I expected.
I was entertained, and I wanted to talk about it and write about it and think about it. It takes a lot for something to do that to me these days, but clearly 2020 is the year I'm meant to get my groove back. #wishfulthinking
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