Film (and tv) diary.

 Some stuff I watched recently:

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- Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's revenge.

- Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the realms.

- Mortal Kombat (2021).

Assorted animation and live-action adaptations of the infamous video-game franchise. And anybody who's played any of the games knows these are at their best when they embrace how cheesy and silly the whole thing is. Same here, then: All of these work best when they stop pretending to be a serious story and merely have fun with the over-the-top violence and (literally) outlandish scenarios. Thus: Good, mindless fun.

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- Venom: Let there be carnage.

Likewise for superhero movies: The best ones are the ones that won't take themselves too seriously and merely have fun. This, then is one of the better exampled, particularly for letting the subtext of the first film pretty much become text. A gleefully entertainin romp that requires you to sit back, not think about things too hard and just enjoy the action fest that is also essentially a gay romantic comedy.

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- Looking (2 seasons).

This meanwhile is something else --a gay tv show that is quite possibly the most "quiet", low-key I've seen yet. The life of three gay friends in San Francisco told in whispers rather than shouts. In other words, a very intriguing show, followed by a movie that served as the conclusion. More than worth a watch.

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Film Diary.

 Some movies I've been able to watch recently (...ish).

Animated:

- Wonder Woman (2009).

Fairly decent early foray into having solo movies for Wonder Woman. Better than the latter "Bloodlines" --but the live-action ones were better, and this one suffers from a wildly uneven script (you can practically hear the two credited story writers fencing over the tone). Overall entertaining but missing something.  

- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017).

Loose adaptation of the infamous comic book arc. So-so, not nearly as fun as the version from the Teen Titans cartoon. The updated cast and setting both feel rather underused, too.

- Justice League Dark: Apokolips war (2020).

This one is just plan BAD. Quite gratuitously gory and grim, to the point that sails way past self-parody and into "just plain sad" territory.

- Freedom Fighters: The Ray (2017 - 2018).

Perhaps the only animated DC superhero movie to star a gay lead. Released both as movie and as mini-series, this is quite worthy of a watch --a very rare good superhero yarn released in the current century.

- Teen Titans Go & DC Superhero Girls: Mayhem in the multiverse (2022).

Essentially the movie of the underrated tv show "DC Superhero Girls" (second version that is) disguised as a crossover film. Surprisingly fun and well-written, definitely recommended.   

Live-action (and gay):

- The Prom (2020).

Film adaptation of the stage musical, itself loosely based on a real-life anecdote. Surprisingly good, if overlong musical. Worth a watch for the powerhouse performance of lead Jo Ellen Pellman and a couple suprisingly touching songs.

- Behind the candelabra (2013).

Biopic about Liberace, told from the POV of his boytoy of ten years (Scott Thorson, whose memoir is the basis for this film). Tremendously underrated and more than worth a few looks.

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January 2022 extras.

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More stuff finished in the last month.

- Voir. A collection of film essays ranging from genre to format to design to cultural impact. Thoughtful and ponderous, quite recommended --each of the six essays.

- Sailor Moon Eternal. I re-watched the entire "Sailor Moon Crystal" anime, then these two movies  --it holds up much better than we remember all in all, away from pointless discourse and seen more as its own thing.

 

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December 2022 extras.

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Also watched, near the end of the month: 

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TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- Wednesday. 

- The Good Cop. 

Copaganda at its most blatant, being a sitcom that asks us to believe that a policeman arrested and discharged for drug traffic is undeniably a good and sympathetic guy. Even as he tries to kill someone he has a personal grudge against. None of it presented as a black comedy even. 

- The Boys, season 2.

ANIMATED

- Bojack Horseman, season 3. 

MOVIES

- Black Adam. 

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November 2022 Extras

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Also read / watched in the month: 

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- The midnight club. 

Inspired by assorted books from 90’s YA horror author Christopher Pike (not just the titular one). Good companion to other recent adaptations of YA / Children’s horror —like the "Fear Street" and "Goosebumps" movies (all drawn from R. L. Stine), or “Scary tales to tell in the dark” —and one would be tempted to include the tv series “I know what you did last summer”, had that one not been a disappointment. 

In any case, The midnight club is a fairly entertaining thriller that, like the Fear Street movie trilogy, brings the diversity (in particular the Queerness) that was barely present in the original books. 

- Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of curiosities. 

Fairly entertaining horror anthology. Though at times it’s little more than a new season of “Masters of Horror”, rather than the Twilight Zone vibe it seems to be aiming for, it’s nevertheless worth a look for horror aficionados. 

- The boys (season 1). 

Media satire disguised as a bad-taste superhero parody. Better than one would expect from the trailers, if still more clever than intelligent. Still, worth a look —definitely not for everyone, however. 

ANIMATED

- Dead end: Paranormal park. (season 2)

Extraordinary dark fantasy for children, notable both for the queer elements (that are here an integral part of the story) and for becoming an apologia for rebellion against God. Quite recommended. 

- Zootopia+. 

Shorts derived from the famous movie. Nicely animated and amusing, if short enough to count almost as deleted scenes. Still, pretty entertaining. 

- Sailor Moon Crystal. (Seasons 1 - 2)

The much maligned second anime adaptation of the world-famous manga —I found it to hold up surprisingly well. Perhaps it works much better completely ignoring the Fandom Discourse around it, both positive and negative, and simply watching this one on its own merits. 

WEBCOMIC

- Some other animal’s meat. Emily Carroll. 

Excellently creepy horror comic from a master of the genre. The basis for a Cabinet of curiosities episode that truly did not do justice to the original. 

MOVIES

- Sailor Moon R: The movie. 

- Sailor Moon S: The movie. 

- Sailor Moon SuperS: The movie. 

The movies spun off from the original anime all hold up nicely, each with their own themes and aesthetic.

- Sing.

So-so animated musical. While entertaining and nice to look at, something is missing and overall is fairly unmemorable. 

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September 2022 extras.

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Also seen...

Two Docu-series: 

- The real Bling Ring: Hollywood heist. Somewhat smarmy examination of the famous robbery club, with a light slap on the wrist directed at lowbrow reality tv culture. 

- El caso Cassez-Vallarta: Una novela criminal. Somber examination of a notorious case involving Mexico and France, which becomes a condemnation of deeply corrupt government institutions. Worth a look. 

One live-action show: 

- The devil in Ohio. So-so domestic melodrama disguised as a satanic thriller. 

One Anime series: 

- Golden Kamuy. 3 seasons. Excellent adaptation of the notorious manga. An adventure yarn with heavy, healthy doses of homoeroticism and over-the-top antics. 

And two movies. 

- Snyder’s Justice League. Four-hour movie that if fused with the theatrical cut would result in an actually pretty good film. Certainly above most current superhero films but that is a very low bar to clear. 

- See how they run. Fairly entertaining mystery-comedy that starts annoying but manages to become increasingly charming as it goes on. Might make a fine double feature with the vastly superior “Knives Out”. 

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August 2022 extra.

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Also watched / read: 

ANIMATED TV SHOWS

- Dead End: Paranormal Park. 

Terrific all-ages mystery with horror touches, notable also for a trans gay boy being one of the leads. Based on a webcomic (that is, shall we say, intended for an older audience). Good atmosphere and intriguing plot.

- The legend of the three caballeros. 

Something of a cult show, or perhaps a bridge between 90’s Disney cartoons (off-the-wall approaches to classic characters) and their current-day counterparts (a more cynical humor and a teensy bit of envelope-pushing). Very entertaining. 

COMICS

- DC Pride 2022.

- DC Pride: Tim Drake Special. 

- Marvel Voices:  Pride (2022).

- Marvel Voices: Indigenous Voices. 

- Marvel Voices: Heritage.

- Marvel Voices: Comunidades. 

Assorted anthologies from the ‘big two’ (re: mainstream American superhero comics) centered on minorities —three about queer characters, two about Native American characters, one about Latino characters. All offer a welcome variety in their approaches to themes and representation. All feel like they could have gone much farther, but it is very much a step in the right direction.

MOVIES

- Black Panther. (Re-watched)

Holds up remarkably well less as representative of the by now bloated genre of live action superhero movies —than as the film that brought Afrofuturism to the mainstream. Still worth at least one watch. 

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July 2022 extras

In addition to individually recapped books and others: 

TV SHOWS

- Working Moms, Season 6. 

A consistently entertaining Canadian sit-com. While cast and plot lines come and go, at its best it remains a solid show about the bond between women of (and past) a certain age. 

MOVIES

- Dr. Strange and the multiverse of madness. 

So-so superhero movie (or sci-fantasy if you prefer), one of the blandest depictions of the concept of multiple universes yet, and downright mean-spirited at times. 

- Shang-Chi and the legend of the ten rings. 

Better superhero movie, perhaps because it’s barely superhero —it’s more of a martial arts film on a Hollywood budget (and with certain Hollywood sensibilities, for good or bad). Pretty entertaining. 

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June 2022 TV

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Concluded recently: 

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- The wilds, Season 2. 

The survival thriller returns, this time presenting an island full of boys, contrasted with the original island full of girls. Remains entertaining, if increasing far-fetched. Still worth a look. 

- Midnight Asia.  

Documentary about the nightlife in assorted major Asian cities. Pure entertainment, with a nice emphasis on queer culture, food delights and the occasional rarity. 

ANIMATED

- Wotakoi: Love is hard for an Otaku. 

Nerd pandering at its most deplorable: With fetishization of gay people presented as a quirky, charming trait. 

- He-man & the masters of the universe. 

Delightful remake of the classical 80’s cartoon —that by now has seen both an even better remake (She-ra) and a surprisingly effective sequel (Revelation), plus several previous sequels, reboots, adaptations… Not bad for a franchise designed to sell toys!

OTHERS

- Housamo: Chapter 8. 

Overlong to the point of exhaustion, but saved by the usual charming character interactions. Still, as it’s the end of volume one and the enormous build-up only leads to more buildup it is hard to keep interest in the story per se. 

BOOKS

MOVIES

- Clear and present danger. 

- The hunt for Red October.

Two adaptations of famous Tom Clancy bestsellers —not bad thrillers, deliver pretty much what they promise and little more. 

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May 2022 TV

 Seen on tv: 

- Riverdale, season 5. 

Unfortunately the weakest season so far of a generally very entertaining show —you can see exactly how much the plans for his one had to be altered several times mid-production. 

- The Andy Warhol Diaries. 

- Halston. 

Two glitzy series covering capital fashion icons of the twentieth century. The first is a docu-series and the second a dramatization —they sometimes overlap, as they share a producer (Ryan Murphy). Entertaining —the first is a touch too long but together they constitute an important screenshot of oft censored Gay History. 

OTHERS

- Housamo: Memories of Thor. 

- Housamo: Memories of The Fisher King. 

Essentially two “chapbooks” released between major chapters (plus a third, Shoggoth), covering previous time loops within the main story. Fairly entertaining. 

MOVIES

- Bombshell. 

Dramatization of a real life scandal —that is hampered by the participants (the ones in real life, not the actors in this movie) being such extraordinary unpleasant people it’s legitimately hard to care for anyone here, victims and assailants. Nevertheless very well acted and with polished production values. 

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March 2022 TV

Live-action.

 

- Dear White People, season 4. Sometimes stumbling, sometimes brilliant; a good ending for a still fascinating tv series overall. Worth several discussions. 

- Pieces of her. So-so thriller that becomes increasingly implausible as it goes on.

- One day at a time, season 3. Excellent sitcom, or rather excellent tv show in general, quite recommended.

 

Other

 

- Housamo: Shoggoth's memories. Peculiar, sometimes head-scatching yet often fascinating exploration of the concept of time loops and alternative history of sorts.

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February 2022 TV

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IN ENGLISH:

- Kevin can F himself. 

A put-upon housewife has had more than enough of her moronic husband and decides to off him. Intriguing fusion of braindead sitcoms and darkly comedic crime shows, which thus gleefully tear each other down. While it doesn’t go quite as far as the premise would have surely allowed for, it’s nevertheless a highly original concept that merits watching. 

- Yellowjackets. 

In the 90’s, a girls’ soccer team crashed in the Canadian wilderness. More than ten years later, the few survivors are determined to bury the truth about what happened during their ordeal —no one may find out the many horrible things they committed just to stay alive. Essentially a more exploitative version of “The wilds”. Far-fetched but pretty entertaining. 

- Unwell. 

Docu-series about assorted health fads, from essential oils to bee poison. While more ‘exploitainment’ than information, it’s nevertheless worth a look and a few follow-up discussions. 

- Inventing Anna. 

Dramatization of the real-life notorious con-woman who scammed many of New York’s wealthiest and naivest. Gleefully black humored, though it lasts a touch too long. At its best moments it plays almost like a Ryan Murphy show, with the mandatory camp that entails. 

IN OTHER LANGUAGES:

- Magia Record (season 2). 

- La divina gula. 

Literally “divine gluttony”, a docu-series about some of the wildest, most elaborate concepts in Mexican street food —as liable to make you hungry as to make you sick, but more than worth a look. 

MOVIES

- The Eternals. 

A very rare case of a movie that is at once too ambitious and too short-sighted for what it winds up being —the lastest MCU movie entry, and by now showing exactly why mega-conglomerates like Disney + Marvel + Tons more —are not the right people for high-concept productions. 

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January 2022 TV

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Assorted shows I finished this month (and a couple extras)

LIVE ACTION

- The movies that made us. 

Netflix docu-series built around trivia about the making of assorted pop culture icon films, usually from the 80’s - 90’s (though the most recent is a 2002 entry). While fans of each movie know every episode is rather white-watched, it works as a starter for people interested in delving further into film culture. 

- One day at a time, season 2. 

Still of the best sitcom reboots I’ve seen yet, with a very good focus on Latino communities (filtered through sitcom standards, yes —but the moments when the show gets bolder are more than worth a look!). A good example of pop entertainment that can also —if not teach you a thing or two, definitely get you interested in learning more!

ANIMATED

- Golden Kamuy, season 2. 

Excellent adaptation of the even better manga, that here increasingly attempts to push the envelope on homoeroticism proper (as opposed to a particular kind of bland tease many of you are much more used to). A few arcs were cut for this adaptation —and still!! Quite recommended. 

- BNA: Brand New Animal. 

Anime mini-series about a city built as a haven for beaspeople —those born with a shapeshifting ability. Somewhat meandering, and even at twelve episodes it manages to have a little too much filler, but nicely animated and fairly entertaining. 

OTHERS

- Housamo: New Year Sunshine (year of the bull / ox).

Charming, small (as in pretty brief) event that manages to get the most out of the gimmick of starring every character in the game that is a bull or even vaguely bull-themed. 

MOVIES

- Saludos, amigos. 

- The three caballeros. 

Disney anthology combo (they work much better seen as a double feature) nowadays famous for introducing their earliest attempts at Latino characters —in particular José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles. Often critiqued for the slightly less spectacular animation compared to their biggest projects —and much more so for the problem of representation (of note, it led to the birth of iconic Chilean comic character Condorito). In themselves they are an interesting curiosity, often experimental in their animation proper, almost endearing in their earnest ignorance about Latino reality… and on a whole, still worth a look and discussion. Within, ahem, the community or in a diverse group, that is!

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December tv shows and others.

 DECEMBER 2021

The last extras of this year. 

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- One day at a time, season 1. Remake of a classic Dramedy, this time about a Cuban-American family navigating modern life. Surprisingly smart writing and engrossing acting all around. 

ANIMATED

- Aggretsuko, season 4. Cult favorite anime that went from relatable to outlandish. This season starts quite rough, but manages to become fairly entertaining by the end. 

COMIC BOOKS

- Wonder Woman: Black and Gold, vols. 1 - 3.  Anthology of short stories showcasing different takes on the titular character. 

- Marvel Voices: Identity. Anthology by, for and about AAPI (Asian, Asian-American and Pacific Islander) creators and characters. 

Both make good samples of what mainstream USian superhero comics are striving for and sometimes achieving in the current century. 

OTHERS

- Housamo: Jiangshi Night Event. 

- Sera Myu: Sailor Moon Stars. 

I never quite know how to rate video-game storylines (the first) and tapings of on-stage musicals (the second), other than to say that both are quite entertaining in their own right. Neither holds up separate from context, but by now they are intended for an already engaged audience. Both, then deliver what they promise. 

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November tv shows (and comics)

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- I know what you did last summer. 

New adaptation of the YA novel and of the 90’s slasher film series… it has virtually nothing in common with any of them. On its own it's one of many recent tv series recreating slashers of yore (Scream. Slasher. Scream Queens. AHS: 1984). This one is low on suspense but rather high on shock value. 

- Harlan Coben’s Into the woods. 

Somewhat ordinary thriller that by coincidence itself delves into slasher shenanigans every so often. 

ANIMATED

- Devilman Crybaby. 

The newest adaptation of Go Nagai’s notorious shocker, aiming to go even further with the sex and violence formula. 

- Masters of the universe: Revelations. (Volume 2) 

Fairly entertaining continuation of the 80’s cartoon. 

BOOKS

- DC Pride. 

- Marvel Voices: Pride. 

- Chilling Adventures in Sorcery. 

- The problem of Susan and others. 

- Wonder Girl: Adventures of a teen titan.

Assorted comic book anthologies. The first two centered on Queer characters, the second on Horror, the third on Fantasy, and the fourth on a legacy character. On the whole, a good sampling of the many possibilities of Mainstream American comics. 

WEBCOMICS: 

- Big Ethel Energy. 

One of the best current-era Archie Comics properties. 

- FoxTrot. 

- xkcd. 

Two regular humor strips…

- Sleepless Domain. 

One excellent dark fantasy yarn…

- AJ & Magnus. 

One strip that can’t quite seem to decide if it wants to be for adults or for children…

- Oglaf. 

- Debuffed. 

Two excellent comics for adults…

- SundayHaw. 

- Foxes in love. 

- Ty-Pesh.

Three very good furry comics for all ages…

- Wilson. 

- Convergence.

- The Island. 

And three other furry comics for adults only!

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October tv shows.

Television watched in October of the present year. 

TV SHOWS

LIVE ACTION

- Midnight Mass. Mike Flanagan (show runner of  ‘The haunting of Hill house’ and ‘The haunting of Bly Manor’) now gives us an unconfessed adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot’ —oh, sorry: A tale about religion an vampirism in a sleepy small town —oh, sorry, Spoilers! 

Ahem. 

Midnight Mass is an horror tv show in what has now become Flanagan’s signature style, for both good and bad. Good in giving us a slow-paced, ponderous drama with supernatural punctuations, and long reflections on faith and mortality. But bad in that —first, it’s the kind of genre story that seems to think it’s inventing themes that are by now past self-parody, and in that the tone risks becoming pretentious more than once. 

All in all, an uneven but not altogether uninteresting tv show. 

- Explained, season 3. The very entertaining docu-series continues —short informative capsules about a variety of subjects. Like most of their kind, they can even be useful provided they are not taken as a be-all educative tool, but rather as springboards for longer conversations and researches. In that vein, recommended. 

- Everybody hates Chris, season 1. I always find it hard to recap sit-coms, be they cartoonish, or (relatively) gritty, as is the case with this one. I think I can best sum it up as: Very interesting, but it feels stretched as a tv show, might have been much more interesting as a movie. 

ANIMATED

- Golden Kamuy, season 1. Terrific adaptation of Satoru Noda’s manga, being an adventure yarn with plenty of action —and a healthy dose of homoerotism and sensuality. Somewhat toned down compared to the gritty original, still more than worth a look. 

- Housamo: Lil’ Salomon’s Golden Week. Short and sweet snippets detailing the relationships between assorted minor characters. Charming and, for lack of a better word: Fluffy. 

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