Best of 2018, III: TV series.

From a total of 20 TV series I watched this year, my personal top 6 (I couldn’t trim it down to five this time), four animated shows (both Anime and US cartoons) and two docu-series. In no particular order:  

- She-ra and the princesses of power. One of two remarkable cartoon reboots in this list, and a fine example of taking an existing property and retooling it into something unique. Essentially a fantasy-action cartoon for the current era, with a charming cast and an engaging storyline that balances mystery with character focus. 

- Aggresive Retsuko (aka Aggretsuko). Technically a reboot as well, being a web-series spun-off into a TV series proper. A slice-of-life comedy (or perhaps dramedy), and one of the few animated shows that can be legitimately described as “relatable”. After a Christmas special this year, I’m looking forward to the second season. 

- Time of Eve. A quiet, vastly underrated sci-fi show that explores a future society composed of humans and androids from a pivotal place: A café where the two may mingle freely. Subtle and emotionally sincere. Looking forward to the movie. 

- DuckTales. The other remarkable cartoon reboot in this list, a series that managed to be both an homage to the past (not just the original DuckTales, but to decades of Disney Duck comics, movies and cartoons) and a brand-new artifact. An all-ages, extremely enjoyable blend of comedy and adventure. Looking forward to the second season. 

- Sat, Fat, Acid, Heat. A four-part documentary based on the book by chef Samin Nosrat, a tour around the world (Italy, Japan, Mexico —then back to the US) in search for traditional food and cooking methods. A feast for the senses, in several ways. 

- Explained. A collection of twenty information capsules that cover a wide variety of topics —from the world’s water crisis to the history of tattoos and exclamation marks, to eSports to the female orgasm and much, much more. A rare Netflix docu-series that aims to be informative rather than exploitative. Notable for both educational value and as a springboard for several necessary discussions. 

Best of 2018, II: Books in English.

I read a total of ten books in English this year, including prose and comics. Which gives us a top 5. I found this list MUCH more difficult to compile. Also, this year I read a lot of essays, almost without noticing. Once again, these aren’t so much the very best books I read this year, but those that made much more of an impression on me. 

Arranged in alphabetical order: 

1. Amphigorey. Edward Gorey. Gorey’s first fifteen… books? Comics? Illustrated books? Under the same roof. Very unusually for a chronological compilation, all of them already display the author’s themes, interests and virtues in full. A quintessentially Weird artist, in the sense of delving into unusual themes and techniques, very much for those looking for something original. He is about everything I had heard and a lot of things I had not. 

2. Bad Feminist. Roxane Gay. One of the best essay collections I read this year, at once candid and carefully researched. Gay’s voice is a delight to read even as she guides us through hauntingly dark torments, both personal and social. 

3. Before I fall. Lauren Oliver. One of the best current YA novels I have read yet. If the plot is quite familiar, this is one of those books that prove it’s all in the execution. 

4. Love is love. A powerful anthology of short queer comics, ranging from the tear-jerking to the thoughtful to the puzzling. The best way I can describe the impact this comic had on me, warts and all, is that it was one of the many factors that contributed to my actually attending the local Pride parade this year. 

5. So you’ve been publicly shamed. Jon Ronson. This is the one entry I wasn’t completely sure about. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and it did give me plenty to think about. At the same time, it does have a certain exploitative tone, being as it is primarily a collection of lurid cyberbullying cases wrapped in a cautionary warning. Yet it holds a fascination for me beyond the morbid, because of Ronson’s intimation that the problem is not the tool (the internet) but the ways in which we can use it to foster our worst instincts. Thought-provoking, for better, for worse and for something unexpected. 

***

Comments are welcome.

Best of 2018, I: Movies in English.

I watched a grand total of 25 movies in English this year. 

From this, we choose a top five… not in order. These aren’t necessarily the absolute best five movies I watched this year; they are the five that made the most impression on me and that I find to be all fine movies in themselves. I don’t really think one is superior to the other (besides they are very different in terms of story, themes, style…). With one exception, these are all from the current century. So, in alphabetical order: 

1. A ghost story (2017). A tour-de-force journey through time and space presented via a deceptively simple image: A bedsheet ghost! The result is neither an horror movie nor a parody of the genre (even though it actually is both of those things sometimes), but a poetic exploration of the human soul. Genuinely haunting, as the best ghost stories are. 

2. Do the right thing (1989). The up and downs of a tightly-knit, diverse urban community during a cruel heat wave. Possibly the quintessential Spike Lee movie, as polarizing as the deep-rooted conflicts it portrays, with unforgettable sequences that range from the touching to the humorous to the disturbing. 

3. Dream Boat (2017). A documentary of a week-long gay cruise which becomes a snapshot of the international gay community of the current era. Mixing interviews with party chronicles, it achieves an almost symbolic quality (case in point, a nighttime party is almost dreamlike, as befits the title). 

4. I, Tonya (2017). Less a biography or a reconstruction of a real-life event than an exercise in film that highlights the unreality of what we think of as “fact”. A movie that is by turns hilarious, spectacular and very thought-provoking, anchored by terrific performances and a delightfully sardonic script. 

5. Kinky Boots (2005). A comedy loosely based on a real-life anecdote (it’s interesting how fiction is nourished by reality, without needing to be an exact copy of it). But what makes this movie shine is the use of a simple detail (shoe-making) to illustrate the changing attitude of entire societies around complex issues (blue-collar workers grappling with novel concepts of gender and sexuality, which often challenge their own assumptions). And it manages to tackle these subjects without needing to be overtly dramatic nor heavy-handed. 

***

Thoughts and commentaries are welcome. 

Aquaman.

- Aquaman (2018, dir. James Wan). The son of an Atlantean queen and a human lighthouse guard, Arthur Curry (alias Aquaman) is required to reclaim his throne as the rightful heir of Atlantis —before an alliance between the seven seas (well, what is left of seven underwater kingdoms, really) wage a huge war against the surface world. Unfortunately, Arthur has no interest in the throne or in Atlantis. Fortunately, he is interested in a globe-trotting adventure…

A superhero movie that is at once silly and spectacular, occasionally problematic and often loads of fun —so the quintessential Superhero story, really. Opting to ditch the dour cynicism of previous DC-based movies (“Superman vs Batman”), this one opts for a simple story that serves mostly as an excuse for adventures, spectacular fights and stunning landscapes, both above and below water. 

What makes it silly? It’s a movie that presents with all sincerity such sights as an armored shark roaring like a trained circus lion, an octopus beating war drums (something of a live-action interpretation of Disney’s version of The little mermaid, indeed!), a woman feasting on live goldfish and more. And that is fine, really —there is plenty of merit in daring to be silly. 

What makes it problematic? The tired cliché of a fantasy race (Atlantean) that consist almost exclusively of white people, while the one black person in the story (Black Manta) is the villain. The movie goes to great lengths to try to humanize Manta, but in a movie where most of the characters sound and act like they stepped out of an episode of “He-man and the masters of the universe”, it only makes the problem even more obvious. Add to that the casual destruction and unacknowledged massive death toll that is common to the genre and you have a movie that refused to learn the basic lesson: There is a lot wrong with being problematic due to slavishly following genre rules that were never meant to be followed at all. 

And yet, aside from elements that leave a really bitter taste on your mouth, the rest of the movie is still unabashedly entertaining, with grandiose overacting (on purpose) from a talented cast and a neat sense of spectacle and wonder. 

The american meme.

- The American Meme. (2018. Dir. Bert Marcus). Assorted internet influencers (amongst them Paris Hilton, Kirill Bichutsky and Brittany Furlan) are interviewed about their methods for capturing a huge online following --and in the process wind up revealing the genuine horrors of a soulless existence. 

What starts as something of a vanity project (Hilton is one of the producers) becomes a fascinating exploration of the pitfalls of celebrity adoration and a certain cultural equivalent of fast-food joints (amusing, satisfying once in a bit, but astoundingly dangerous if you make them a regular part of your life). The portrayals of each online personality feel genuine, in that all admit to catering to the lowest common denominator in order to gain attention --enough that they can monetize their quickly-consumed (and quickly forgotten) antics. At times the documentary borders on exploitative as it beings to portray what come across as profoundly self-destructive personalities (at least two of the persons interviewed state numerous times that they want to die but their followers won't let them go). Even Hilton, whom the director attempts to portray as a tragic figure ultimately comes off less as a victim of media and more as a person trapped in a hole of despair of her own making. Her final decision is both reminiscent of a "Black Mirror" episode and borderline surreal: To quite literally live permanently on the Internet, building herself an online world where she's to spend most of her waking hours. 

But seeing this documentary merely as a freak show would be missing the point: There is an understated warning about the dangers of online addiction. How many people do we know who state the same lament many of the interviewees say: "I don't know how to be alone with myself." 

To be sure, the documentary itself remains manipulative. No attempt is made to present a more responsible use of online distractions, nor of the ways in which the Internet itself can be used for more humanitarian causes (say, grassroots campaigns. Say, distribution of urgent information. Say, reaching out to the more communication impaired). In that respect, it's an interesting, provocative and thought-provoking film, but that needs to be balanced with further research on the viewer's part. 

The Babadook.

- The Babadook (Australia, 2014. Dir. Jennifer Kent). Widow Amelia is trying her best to raise her troubled son, Samuel, on her own --always a difficult task and doubly so as the child's birthday approaches. Amelia became a widow the same day she became a mother, as her husband was killed on a car crash as he was driving her to the hospital. Her unsympathetic sister is not much help, either. But when Samuel happens unto a remarkably eerie pop-up storybook that tell of a Mister Babadook (who once inside "will make you wish you were dead"), both mother and son find themselves increasingly plagued by a menacing presence. Yet this presence may not be what they or even what we think...

Terrific horror movie that skill fully blends psychological horror and monster films to produce an appropriately ambiguous film about the long-lasting effects of grief. More interested in the characters' psychology (check out the visual design on Amelia's house) than in traditional scares. The titular creature is a successfully sinister creation (in no small part because he's never fully seen on screen), and the acting is commendable. All in all, one of the most remarkable horror movies in recent memory. 

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

- Bohemian Rhapsody (2018; Dir. Bryan Singer). Fictional account of the musical career of Farrokh Bulsara, better known as Freddie Mercury, vocalist of Queen, from 1970 to 1985 --covering the behind-the-scenes process of several hit songs as well as the drama stemming for a world unwilling to accept the unconventional. Be it song rhythms or sexuality...

Part musical (sometimes, borderline Concert movie), part Queer drama, what you have here is a rather entertaining homage both to Queen's music and to the figure itself of Freddie Mercury. Much has been discussed about how true the movie is to the facts, mostly by people and critics who seem to have trouble understanding that fictional biographies are fiction, not documentaries. To be sure, this movie is somewhat toned down for a mainstream audience. So what, exactly, were people expecting from a Hollywood production? 

But the interest here is the movie, first, as a movie (and it is an honest Queer drama, highlighting people's rejection of Mercury's bisexuality --from explicit harassment by the media to subtle bigotry from close friends), then as a musical (and it is a pretty good sampling of Queen's hits). It is both an entertaining drama and an introduction to a cult musician / music band. Overall, recommended. 

Halloween.

- Halloween. (1978. Dir. John Carpenter). Dr. Sam Loomis is desperately searching for an escaped patient. Meanwhile, ordinary Laurie Strode is getting ready for a quiet Halloween, babysitting as usual. Both will soon cross paths with an evil figure --Michael Myers, determined to leave a path of death and destruction behind him...

Seminal Horror movie, a touchstone of Slasher movies (some argue that this IS the birth of that particular sub-genre. Others argue it has predecessors --like Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, Peeping Tom, the entire Ghiallo sub-genre, itself preceded by Krimi movies... well, you get the point), and of the careers of both director Carpenter and screenwriter Debra Hill. There are thousands and thousands of essays about this movie, ranging all the way to entire books written about it. 

So influential is this movie that there have been at least four separate attempts to jumpstart it again. Be it "Halloween II" and all subsequent sequels, be it "Halloween: 20 years later", be it the 2007 remake, the 2018 reboot-sequel...

...thousands and thousands of imitators...

And nearly all are interesting for essentially missing the point. 

Right, say so many critics, bloggers, fans, horror buffs. Because it's all about Michael. Because it's all about Laurie. Because it's about the evisceration of 70's Americana. Because it's about suspense. Because it's all about subtle violence. Because it's all about setting the holy rules of the slasher movie. Because... because....

No, not really. It's none of these things. It's simply an effective scary movie. 

A scary movie that was a pioneer in so many ways, yes. That brought a lot of specific themes to the mainstream consciousness, yes. All of that and more. 

But fundamentally, this movie's real virtue, and the reason not a single of its sequels, remakes, imitators, etcetera, etcetera has ever come close to capturing the original's lasting power, is just that: Because it is not attempting to do anything except being an effective scary movie. It means to scare, period. 

Does that mean one shouldn't make analyses of this movie? Oh, not at all. Critique, after all, isn't really about understanding a movie (or book, or comic, or really any work of art), it's about exploring our own interests and obsessions using said work of art as a totem. Some are more upfront about it and some are less so. 

What it does mean is that the best way to appreciate this movie is to watch it, to see if it retains its power for us --or if it's your first time, to see if it lives up to its own reputation for you. 

Venom.

- Venom. (2018, Dir. Ruben Fleischer). Exposé journalist Eddie Brock is down on his luck. After messing with an immensely powerful billionaire, Brock has lost his job, his home and his fiancée. He has also recently gotten involved with a new story involving what appear to be alien parasites. And here Brock might have a chance to turn around his life... for better or even worse. All thanks to a whole new paramour --one of the alien parasites, who goes by the name "Venom"...

Immensely fun superhero... okay, "anti-hero" movie, and a seminal lesson in how to adapt a comic book to the screen: Specifically by cutting out all unnecessary baggage. It cuts the character of Venom out of anything related to Spider-man and the extended Marvel Universe, and the result is a more entertaining film with a lead character that quite a few people have identified with. (It also pisses off a certain type of critic and blogger, which while not at all important to the movie itself is a satisfying result, honestly). 

More important is the way the movie holds up regardless of the comparison to other current superhero movies. It's basically a buddy action film (with the kind of romantic subtext that becomes text as the story goes on), with a good-natured yet highly reluctant protagonist. Eddie Brock is no hero, or more accurately no devil-may-care action man -he's simply a distressed guy trying to be good. That he winds up paired with another underdog (well, by alien standards) is simply one chance he seizes and just happens to get lucky with. 

Also notable is Brock's ex-fiancee, Anne. What would normally be a put-upon, estranged love interest, is if anything a character with as much darkness as Venom (rather than Brock) --as she points out early in the movie, she is a lawyer who defends the very people Brock denounces, and after briefly donning the Venom symbiote, actually does kill somebody, which she comes to terms with rather quickly. By the end of the movie she was switched to pro-bono cases, perhaps having come to terms with her own dark impulses. 

Are there flaws? Yes, though not really the ones you have heard. The CGI does what it's supposed to do, which is create an image that should feel literally Alien, something not quite of this world, only vaguely familiar. Rather the problem is with the mandatory connection to other Marvel movies --the usual cameo by Stan Lee (dispensing a very inappropriate piece of advice) and a rather worthless after-credits scene that is literally a clip from "Into the Spider-verse" (that it's animated and thus completely at odds with the movie we just saw is another major problem). The mid-credits scene, with another mandatory cameo from the comic books, is somewhat more interesting... oh, okay, to hell with avoiding spoilers: 

It's a cameo by serial killer Cletus Kasady (aka Carnage). It's also a scene we have seen a million times before, with villains ranging from Hannibal Lecter to several versions of The Joker. It still does what it's supposed to. 

Overall, a genuinely entertaining action (or sci-fi, or superhero) movie that is --well, it's as divisive as you have heard. Decide for yourself. 

Inside Out.

- Inside Out. (2015. Dir, Pete Docter). 11-year-old Riley is trying to navigate a hard time --moving to a different city, with all her traditions and memories suddenly uprooted. But we are not just following Riley as she tries to adjust --we follow the journey of her main emotions as well. Primarily through Joy, who was the first Emotion and is herself trying to adjust to a situation she can't seem to make any better no matter how hard she tries. But perhaps the answer lies in listening to the things we usually try to push away...

Remarkable Pixar production, both from a technical point (it truly is cutting-edge animation) and from a storytelling one. At its heart a tale about the importance of acknowledging grief in order to grow up --and how as much as growing up always hurts, it is no less important. It is appropriate, then, that the movie is itself quite sad at times (it's the kind of movie intended for children that sometimes makes adults tear up more, from sheer nostalgia) --and ultimately optimistic, too. We follow Riley's transition towards a certain self-actualization. Her childhood ideals crumble and vanish (literally, inside her head), but in order to build something new. As she develops more complex world-views, her Emotions grow. Interestingly, Joy herself gets to experience her companion's emotions --she gets to experience being angry, scared, repulsed and sad, all in order them to better understand each other. 

All in all, recommended. For all ages and all audiences, really. 

Wicked.

- Wicked. Gregory Maguire. Elphaba was a strange one since the minute she was born --with green skin and a natural affinity for the weird. She was destined for greatness even when she lived her whole life simply trying to make sense of it. Barely even aware of her title: The Wicked Witch of the West! 

The infamous novel that reimagined the classical Oz novels from the point of view of the villain and for a decidedly adult audience. This novel is perhaps more famous for starting or popularizing several trends and media. It was adapted to a very successful Broadway musical (which for the record is VERY good, and also quite different to the book in terms of plot, if actually pretty similar in spirit), it launched Maguire's career as a writer specialized in re-writing popular fairy tales and books for children, adapting them to adult sensibilities ("Confessions of an ugly stepsister", "Mirror, mirror", "After Alice"). It became the first in a (so far) four book series. It revitalized a tradition of dark Oz variations (before this, there was the movie "Return to Oz", the short story "Emerald City Blues" and so on. After this there was the "Dorothy must die" book series, the characters' inclusions in the comic book "Fables", the MacFarlane Toys "The twisted world of Oz" series and so on). It popularized a trend of re-presenting classical fairy tales and children's book adaptations from the point of view of famous female villains (the movie "Maleficent", the tv show "Once upon a time"), itself a classical literary device. All of which nearly overshadows the novel itself. 

So how is this novel? Is it a light-hearted fantasy with a political subtext, like the musical? No. Is it a cynical, bigoted novel written solely to piss on a childhood memory, as quite a few critics and bloggers say? No, not at all. It is a more realistic exploration of what a fantasy land like Oz would have been in the harsh 1930's, as other literary critics and other bloggers claim? Not really, no. 

So what is it? It's what the book's subtitle tells us: "The life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West". It's a novel that chronicles a character's life from birth to beginning, and in the process illustrates an era. It's just that the character happens to be the infamous Witch (named "Elphaba" --in-universe after Saint AElphaba, and out of it, in homage to original author Frank L. Baum. LFB, get it?), and the era happens to be a fantasy land that is unknowingly living the end of one time (the Wizard's rule). 

It does have queer characters aplenty (gay couples, bisexual three-way marriages, lesbian crushes) --for which we are all quite thankful (and yes, author Maguire is himself gay, in case anybody was wondering). It does have a, if you'll pardon the obvious pun, a wicked sense of humor (when the witch addresses Dorothy as "The one whose house had the nerve to make a crash landing on my sister", the girl nonchalantly answers "Well, it wasn't my house in a legal sense, strictly speaking."). It's also enigmatic to the very end (we really only see Elphaba's point of view a handful of times. Most of the time the narrative is more focused on the many characters around her), and often refuses to go where the reader would expect. 

All in all, an engaging novel, very much for people interested in the off-beat. 

Reading diary.

- So you've been publicly shamed. Jon Ronson. An examination of public shaming online, studying several individual cases with far-reaching (often tragic) consequences and different attempts to understand the mob mentality associated with the phenomenon. Includes different interviews and personal confessions from the author about his own experiences --on both sides of the conflict. 

So many cases seem vindictive or at least amusing --somebody says or does something online and people pile on them. In many cases it surely feels like social justice --shame on these people for being bad. But the more cases are examined in this book, the more it starts becoming obvious that a lot of it has very little to do with justice and a lot to do with a collective desire for blood, be it literal or metaphorical. And always fundamentally cruel. And always self-righteous --how many people insist they did nothing wrong or that they were "just saying" after too much damage has been inflicted? 

Assorted attempts to find a solution seem to be dead-ends. In theory, it is possible for an individual to simply not let public shaming get to them. In practice pretty much the only people who got away unscathed are those whose transgressions are things that world society really doesn't care about. Those who kept a strong facade were nevertheless nothing short of traumatized by the experience. 

Then, the punishment tends to be out of proportion: Women and minorities who are shamed online tend to have it much worse. And keep in mind that cases involving men (and yes, cis straight white men) being shamed have ended in them committing suicide. With, of course, people immediately claiming that they had nothing to do with it OR turning against a new victim (usually the one to first call them out, preferably, again, a woman or a minority). 

Yet this book isn't simply a string of horror tales, nor is it a self-help book that urges you to be good online. If it's anything, it's a close study of a fascinating and rather alarming phenomena (that is not unique to our times --the book also draws an interesting connection between this and public punishments in previous centuries). Author Ronson himself observes that: "The great thing about social media was how it gave a voice to voiceless people. Let's not turn it into a world where the smartest way to survive is to go back to being voiceless". 

In short, a thought-provoking, and perhaps quite necessary book. 

Film challenge.

August: Cinema of Africa, Asia and Oceania. 

- The Duplex. (Nigeria, 2015. Dir. Ikechukwu Onyeka). Emeka has been offered a hell of a bargain: a luxurious duplex for a fairly cheap investment --the perfect place for himself, his wife Adaku and their soon-to-be-born child! Sure, they'll have to make a few sacrifices, such as selling her car and take out quite a few loans. And sure, Adaku is more than a little wary about the property. Oh, and there is the curiosity that the previous owner was apparently in a hurry to sell the house and leave the country. Still, it can't be quite so bad, right? 

...Perhaps Emeka should have paid more attention to his wife's sightings of a ghostly figure that roams the house at night...

Nollywood productions, or simply Nigerian films, are a relatively new phenomena, having existed for roughly twenty years (there are quite a few disagreements on this number). As a still emerging movie industry, the offer is quite varied in terms of themes and quality. There are as many highly experimental artistic offerings as there are products intended for a more commercial venture, of which "The Duplex" is one. 

One way in which studying low-budget genre productions intended for a non-centralized population is that they will often reflect those population's concerns and interests. Horror, Action, Romance and the like, intended for very specialized audiences (say, Chicano cinema in the US, Andino cinema in Peru, Ghanian English-language cinema and so on) can offer not necessarily a social critique, but a social reflection. These are movies intended to entertain a large audience while keeping certain popular concerns in mind --social and economic unrest, allusions to assorted wars and conflicts, and so on. 

The reason for these notes is this: Taken at face value, a movie like "The duplex" would seem a completely unremarkable low-budget horror movie except that it's a Nigerian production (and indeed, most online reviews you'll find of this movie hold it in quite some disdain). But when you consider the specific context in which it was created, it can be more than a little interesting. 

Take, for instance, the themes of gender, religion and social responsibility on display: 

We have a married middle-class couple, financially and socially stable at first, but in which the husband is determined to climb up the ladder. He is convinced to buy the titular house with the argument that "you'll become a Landlord" (and given the eventual revelations of just how far some people would go to own a property like this, that's no small accomplishment). Adaku, for her part, not only plays along with her husband's plans despite her misgivings --she hides from him exactly how much money she truly has, and goes so far as to arrange for a friend to pretend that she'll loan them the rest of the money they need. Above all, they want to keep up appearances. 

Then there is Adaku's pregnancy, and her impression that Emeka cares more about the child (and indeed about his position as a father, as a successful family man) than about her. She even mentions that in part they have stayed with each other because they were both thought to be sterile. 

And then there is the conflict of religion and spirituality. Two attempts to reconcile a certain Christian rationality with the situation (praying to God not to "see or hear things that are not there") end in tragedy, while a more traditional ceremony unveils the house's complicated backstory. 

It's this backstory that constitutes the weakest part of the movie. After presenting a successful role reversal (at first, only the woman sees the ghost and her husband dismisses her as crazy; halfway through he is the one haunted, while she has regained her autonomy and makes the decision to leave him to his devices), the third act is bogged down by unnecessary plot twists and complications. The actual ending presents an attempt to reconcile the present with the many sins of the past, but it's hard to buy the amount of coincidences necessary for the story to happen as it does. 

In sort: A flawed (but not quite so flawed as so many reviewers would have you think), yet interesting curiosity. 

Reading diary.

- Land of the lustrous (aka Houseki no kuni), vol. 1. Haruko Ichikawa. In a world inhabited by sentient gemstones, natural contrarian Phosphophyllite, or Phos, is searching for a new occupation. Having tried all sorts of odd jobs except for combat, Phos is deputized... as an historian. With a brittle body that could shatter into dust, Phos is just no match for the lustrous' natural enemies, the lunarians. Phos may not be ready for battle --but this new job might provide a good chance to explore new wonders of the world. New dangers, too... 

A rather unique blend of gritty action and whimsical fantasy --with a generous helping of body horror and stunning illustrations, too! The story has drawn more than a little comparisons with the cartoon "Steven Universe". While it's likely a coincidence, it's actually pretty interesting comparing the two, their similarities and differences in approach. 

Beyond those comparisons, this is a fascinating comic in itself --it's even different from the recent anime adaptation (which itself is worth a look for the gorgeous animation). Recommended for genre fans looking for something original. 

Film diary.

- Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. (US / Canada, 2010. Dir. Eli Craig). A group of college students head out to the woods for a little R&R. If only they weren’t surrounded by creepy hillbillies, the kind who are surely deranged killers waiting to dismember them, just like they say it happened about twenty years ago! At the hands of rednecks like Tucker and Dale, lifelong friends who are heading to the woods for a little R&R. If only they weren’t surrounded by those hysterical college kids, who look like they are planning a mass suicide in the woods! 

Sometimes, misunderstandings can be murder, of the most bloody hilarious kind. 

Horror movies starring evil rednecks (Deliverance; Wrong Turn; Calvaire; Just before dawn; etc. etc.) are a sub-genre as venerable as it’s full of certain, shall we say, problematic subtext. Specifically the recurrent notion of impoverished communities as savage monsters menacing upper- to middle- class citizens (preferably white, with maybe a couple token friends of color, of course!). This movie, then, spoofs those particular genre conventions by inverting the sympathies: A benevolent pair of mountain-folks pitted against a high-strung group of college kids led by a disturbed, proto-Incel-type ringleader. And in the middle, a sympathetic psychology student attempting to negotiate peace (and very much not up to the task, what with her being so injury-prone both groups are seriously concerned for her physical integrity). 

There are certain notes of social critique regarding established genre clichés, especially concerning classism and related social prejudices. Even so, this movie is ultimately not so much concerned with social commentary as it is with gleeful mayhem —it’s a very gory romp populated by some of the most jaw-dropping, astoundingly cartoonish cast I’ve seen since “Scream Queens” (and to be honest, that goes for both groups here). But it’s that anarchic spirit, the refusal to take anything too seriously, that lets this movie accomplish the most over-the-top visuals (case in point: What can be described as the ultimate “smoking kills” advertisement —as a character manages to blow herself up along with three other people just to get one final cigarette lit!). 

In short, a recommended romp for fans of genre movies with a sense of humor. 

Film diary.

- The voices. (2014. Dir. Marjane Satrapi). Optimistic Jerry is making the most out of his factory job. He still has to see a court-appointed psychiatrist; still, things are good. He has a cushy apartment on top of a bowling alley, has two loving pets who regularly talk with him and he’s just met a co-worker he’s sweet on. Maybe he should be taking his medications; but, what for? They only make the world less lovely, not to mention bring back bad memories. Now, if only he hadn’t accidentally hit that deer, and if only it hadn’t begged “Kill me!” to Jerry…

A dark (very dark) comedy / horror / tragedy that successfully accomplishes a very difficult feat: That of crafting an horror tale centered on a mentally ill character, but that instead of feeling exploitative (“Split”, anyone?) is genuinely thought-provoking. Director Satrapi (incidentally the author of the infamous “Persepolis”, as well as other notable comics) displays a very clever use of colors and compositions to draw us into Jerry’s world —his charming hallucinations being less a scare tactic than a character trait. The candy-colored fantasies are Jerry’s attempts at copping with the very real horror in his past and present. And the titular voices are not the perhaps-supernatural entities so many movies would be tempted to make them (again, “Split”) —it soon becomes evident that they are further attempts from Jerry himself to make sense of what is going on. All of which makes the inevitable story turns more than a little impacting. 

Very recommended, for genre fans and those looking for an off-beat tale. 

Film diary.

- The ritual. (UK, 2017. Dir. David Bruckner). Four long-time friends take a hiking trip through King’s Trail in Sweden to honor the memory of a recently murdered fifth. Seeking a shortcut, they wander into a forest off the trail. Big mistake. This seemingly endless ocean of trees has quite a few surprises in store for them —like the mysterious symbols carved on a few trunks, the eviscerated animals hanging from high branches, the effigies that bring eerily prophetic nightmares… and a certain supernatural entity…

SPOILERS AHEAD! 

Terrific chiller based on a novel by Adam Nevill. Drawing inspiration from assorted tales of pagan horror a la Arthur Machen or Algernon Blackwood (and indeed the novel opens with a quote from Blackwood), this movie is also a nicely downbeat tale of guilt and betrayal. Luke, who organized the trip, is wrestling with his guilt over his friend’s Rob death —he was killed in a robbery gone bad, while Luke hid, too afraid to act in time. And as he comes to discover, at least two of his friends blame him as well. 

Then, the creature that is hunting them down, apparently a Jötunn, can grant certain privileges upon people in exchange for being worshipped. At one point the men come upon the remains of camping site, including a photo of the family vacationing back in the 70’s. Later, the woman in the photo is revealed to still be alive and to be one of the creature’s worshippers —apparently she traded her family for functional immortality. 

By the end of the movie Luke is once again the sole survivor, now with so many more deaths hanging on his shoulders and the knowledge that he was only spared because he actually did bow down to the monster in a moment of sheer terror. 

All in all, very recommended for horror fans. 

Reading diary.

- Insufficient direction. Moyoco Anno. Semi-biographical comic about the Anno marriage —manga author Moyoco and anime director Hideaki, respectively represented by the avatars of Rompers and Director-kun. More than the usual trials of marriage, their main challenge will be finding a way to balance out their respective geekiness… or combine it to become something of a power couple! 

Wonderful comedy that tears down quite a few preconceived notions about artists (or confirms them, depending which ones you had). Both are regarded as ‘serious’ artists (being a lead author of Josei manga and the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, respectively), but if anything their characters are endearingly dorky. And then there is the real heart of the story, which is simply the way in which two oft obsessive people can learn to work together —perhaps even improve each other’s lives in subtle ways. 

The story is filled with a ton of genre in-jokes and references, to the degree that the annotations are nearly as long as the story itself. Said jokes aren’t essential to following each chapter, however. 

In general, recommended, particularly for fans of either or both artists. 

Reading diary.

- Love is love. An anthology of short comic book stories (all from one to two pages long) in response to the Orlando Pulse shooting of 2016, with all profits donated to assorted LGBTQA charities. Includes contributions from dozens of artists and writers. 

The stories are immensely varied. From deeply personal anecdotes to reflective essays to one-shots using licensed characters (DC, Archie comics, Harry Potter, and a few others) to illustrated poems and think-pieces. 

I found this entire comic powerful and very impacting to read. Enough so that it took me much longer to read than I thought —I had to read a very small number of entries at a time. Some of them *will* make you cry. And most of them will make you think. 

Truth be told, most of the stories using licensed characters were my least favorite —it’s hard not to feel that using fictitious characters to talk about a real life tragedy is a little inappropriate. And there are at least two entries that, while definitely well-meaning, they… well, they come across as the work of a straight person still struggling to understand Queer culture in general. But even those entries feel sincere —all are honest attempts to make sense of both tragedy and history. 

It’s a book I especially recommend, both for the stories themselves and for the humanitarian gesture. 

Film diary.

- The burning. (1981. Dir. Tony Maylam). A group of teenaged camp attendants seek to prank mean old custodian Cropsy —it goes horribly wrong. Cropsy, released after five years of intense physical therapy, attempts to pick up a prostitute —it ends in the worst way possible. And a new batch of campers take a canoe trip, unaware that they are heading straight into disaster…

One of the movies that best encapsulate 80’s slashers. While the plot has more than a few elements that you could either call “lifted from previous productions” or “clichés” depending how benevolent you feel, it is all pulled off with enough confidence to work. The script has essentially the internal logic of the campfire tale it’s framed as (that is, there are plot elements that don’t quite make sense if you think about them for too long, but which work perfectly in terms of being twists made up on the spot for a scary story); the acting ranges from pasable to surprisingly good and the score is more than a little effective. But as this is a slasher movie, the real highlight is the murder scenes —and they ARE good. The infamous raft sequence alone is as powerful and well-made as you have heard, and definitely worth the price of admission. 

All in all, an essential entry for genre fans.