#The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies

[esonetwork]

Son Of Frankenstein| Episode 430

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/son-of-frankenstein/

Son Of Frankenstein| Episode 430

Madeline Brumby and Shane Morton (Silver Scream Spook Show) join Jim for a rollicking discussion of the 1939 classic “Son Of Frankenstein,” starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, LionelAtwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Donnie Dunagan, Emma Dunn, and Edgar Horton. Wolf Frankenstein goes to the village where his father years earlier had created “The Monster.” But surpirses await the doctor. Find out more on MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies.

[clonerightsagenda]

In honor of Dracula Daily starting again tomorrow, I am posting a preview of the trailer for my Arden Dracula AU, which will be posted in full during @podcastgirlsweek! Enjoy, and know that I read academic articles for this.

BEA: However old you are, wherever you live, you’ve almost certainly encountered some version of the Dracula story.

[Clip:]

DRACULA: Vell, vell, vell…. Velcome to my humble home. You must be chilly on such a cold, dark night.

WOMAN (breathily): I got caught in a rainstorm with nothing but this translucent nightgown.

DRACULA: Please, let me help you into something more comfortable. (sinister chuckle)

[New clip:]

DETECTIVE: We just pulled another body out of the river. The same as the last one. Bloodless, with two pricks on the neck.

CHIEF INSPECTOR: Why??? She was so young!

[New clip:]

WATSON: Have you figured it out?

HOLMES: It’s elementary, my dear Watson. The killer is none other than the count!

DRACULA: (hisses).

[End clips.]

BEA: Count Dracula is a stock character, a movie monster, while the original details of the case have faded out of the public memory. When he is revisited as a historical figure, the story still gets… inflated.

[Clip:]

VOICEOVER: Could Count Dracula have studied at the Scholomance, an arcane academy dedicated to devil worship and black magic? Join our team of experts as we prove that the Scholomance does exist… and your children might be on their mailing list.

EXPERT: If you study this ancient Mayan carving, I think you’ll be convinced, just like I was, that Dracula and Elvis Presley both attended the Scholomance and returned there after their time among us was over. In fact, if you do a deep dive into the lyrics of “Suspicious Minds”, I’ll argue that the “trap” Elvis refers to is none other than the school’s underground labyrinth. 

VOICEOVER: Coming up next on the History channel.

[Clip ends.]

BEA: But who was Count Dracula, really? Who were his victims? And how did one of the world’s most famous serial killers disappear so successfully that some people believe he’s still out there, over 100 years later? I’m Bea Casely, investigative reporter and host of hit podcast Arden. In this special miniseries, we’re going to peel back a century of hyperbole and romanticization to find the man behind the monster.

BRENDA: Unless, of course, the man was a monster.

BEA: (sighs) And that’s my cohost, Brenda Bentley, who has her own take on the case.

BRENDA: For as long as Count Dracula has been at large, there’ve been rumors that he’s more than he seems. Or, exactly what he seems. Victims suffering from blood loss, reports of unnatural abilities, a parasitic relationship with the lower class… is it any surprise many people suspect him of being… (bad accent) a vampire?

BEA: Yes! It is a surprise, since vampires don’t exist.

BRENDA: “If human testimony taken with every care and solemnity, judicially, before commissions innumerable, each consisting of many members, all chosen for integrity and intelligence, and constituting reports more voluminous perhaps than exist upon any one other class of cases, is worth anything, it is difficult to deny or even to doubt the existence of such a phenomenon as the vampire.” That’s from Le Fanu’s seminal vampire narrative Carmilla. 

BEA: Which is fiction.

BRENDA: It’s important to lay out all the possibilities. The fans loved the dual narrative thing we had going on last season.

BEA: (deep breath) That’s what you have to look forward to, listeners! We’ll look into the case, exhume the facts of what took place all those years ago, and settle this once and for all.

BRENDA: The Dracula debate never dies. Just like Dracula.

BEA: (intensely) We only have six episodes, so we’re going to pin this case down even if we have to stake it through the heart.

BRENDA: Aw, you are getting into the vampire spirit.

BEA: Don’t push it.

[The Wheyface Industries jingle begins to play.]

ANDY: Murder? Vampires? Ghost ships? How fantastically spooky! I’m trembling already.

PAMELA: Andy, we haven’t aired the section on the Demeter yet.

ANDY: That’s what we call a ‘teaser’. It’ll keep the audience excited.

PAMELA: Then I’d better start working on episode one. Stay tuned, everybody.

ANDY: Arden is brought to you by Wheyface Industries: the good people. So good, in fact, that we’re immune to vampiric wiles. Don’t believe me? We’re so confident in that promise that if you’re slain by a vampire after enjoying any Wheyface Industry goods or services, we’ll give you your money back, no questions asked. That’s a Wheyface guarantee.

(rapidly) This offer is null and void if you become a vampire, as you are then no longer one of the good people. Instead you will be slain by our patented Wheyface brand vampire slaying drones, all equipped with stakes and holy water blessed by our corporate priest. Terms and conditions apply.

In 1893, a series of unexplained killings shocked the English towns of Whitby and London. Blame eventually fell on a Mr. DeVille, a recent arrival from Romania better known as Count Dracula. Before he could be held responsible, he vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind but a legend that continues to this day. But was the count one more Victorian serial killer, or something even more monstrous? And what does this case tell us about gender, race, and power in Victorian England?

Join us, won’t you? As we unravel the mystery, on Arden.

[billiewena]

since I never made a post for these, here are all of MY ideal endings for sam (and how I would do them) that I spite-wrote after a coworker told me about how perfect his finale was <3

HUNTER NETWORK ENDING: Sam establishes an official network for the American hunters, leading a new generation of hunters as the antithesis of John Winchester. One of the final shots is a montage of all the hunters working and saving people all across the country, proving the Winchesters are no longer alone in the world.

SAMWITCH ENDING: Sam becomes a full-fledged witch thanks to all the magic supplies he inherited from Rowena and blends hunting/witch shenanigans. He can still be powerful but now he gets to choose where that power comes from. Okay this is basically Goldenrod Revisions, leave me alone.

SEPARATE WAYS ENDING: Sam and Dean both alive but living / hunting apart, going their separate ways like a parent and child who is finally leaving the nest. Sam gets the independence he always wanted while also getting to keep his brother in his life, because this is the ultimate proof that Dean trusts him. For the first time, they can move on without the reason being the other is dead. They no longer doubt they will always be there for each other even if they’re not living under the same roof anymore. The episode ends with Sam breaking into Dean’s [insert post-finale residence of choice here] in a callback to the pilot, saying he was in the area for a hunt. The last lines are Sam asking if he wanted to reunite for the hunt for old’s time sake and Dean saying “looks we got work to do.”

PODCASTER ENDING: Sam starts a podcast about the supernatural discussing urban American legends, myths, and mysteries that also helps viewers know what to look for and maybe even teaches them to defend themselves. Some take it as fiction, some use what he tells them to save their lives. It hits the top of the paranormal/mystery charts. The Ghostfacers, whose attempt to get into podcasting failed, ARE livid.

THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END: Sam and Dean both die in a blaze of glory, sacrificing themselves to defeat Chuck and bring back the rest of the world. They both get a moment to say an emotional goodbye to Jack and to each other. The two get a massive hunter’s funeral where all the past hunters come to mourn them and talk about their impact. Jody’s speech probably makes us cry. They get to Heaven at the same time, where they are greeted by all their past friends and family at the Roadhouse. On Earth, they live on forever as urban legends and heroes.

SAM & ROWENA ENDING: Sam says #FuckHeaven and spends his afterlife in hell as the consort to Queen Rowena, drinking margaritas all day, living his best life and stopping any demon uprisings in their tracks. Anytime they give him a hard time, he reminds them that he was Azazel’s boyking and they’re just Random Demon #489. What are THEY doing with their life.

SAM & EILEEN ENDING #1 - MARRIED HUNTER LIFE EDITION: Sam and Dean both survive and continue to hunt / live together, except now Eileen and Castiel are around and live in the bunker with them too after Cas was saved in [insert Empty rescue scenario of your choice.] Sam has some deja vu to the vision he had of all four of them living together in 15x09. He realizes that this is actually real and not a vision; that they are actually together, at peace and beat Chuck. The episode ends with them going to have the movie night that they never got to have in the vision. As Eileen takes his hand to go to the movie room, you see two engagement rings on their hands. Sam realizes that his journey may have started with losing Jessica but he found love again, and that while once upon a time all he and Eileen wanted was revenge, they’ve finally both found peace.

SAFE HOUSE ENDING: Sam starts a trauma center/safe house situation for hunters and ex-monsters to recover and heal, dedicating his life to proving that no one is beyond saving and everyone can redeem themselves and defy fate like he had. Mia Vallens, the shapeshifting grief counselor, is on payroll.

SAM IS THE AUTHOR NOW ENDING: Sam narrates the finale the same way Chuck did for the original series finale "Swan Song", further proving that they are now in control in their story. We get Sam's POV as he tells us what happened to all the other hunters and side characters, as well as him and his brother, with flashbacks from all fifteen seasons and young Sam & Dean growing up together. The episode ends with the reveal that Sam actually finishing the journal entries for the Winchester family's edition of the Men of Letters Bestiary, putting the finishing touches on some monster entries and his own personal anecodotes. He treats the Bestiary like a journal, in a callback to After-School Special where Sam almost became a writer and wrote about his and his family's hunting stories.

BABY JACK ENDING: Sam raises Baby!Jack after he is de-aged and “falls” to Earth in the same fashion the angel Anna once did. Baby!Jack wears overalls that don’t say his name in giant letters because Sam is a good parent who would never do that to his child. The two have a happy life as an adopted father/son duo who defied everything Lucifer and Heaven wanted them to be.

SAM & EILEEN ENDING #2 - EUROTRIP EDITION: Sam going on a year-long vacation around the world now that he has a cool Irish girlfriend who is not afraid of planes, leading to a fun exploration of the supernatural in foreign countries. Who is Dean.

DOG SHELTER OWNER: Sam owns a dog shelter and gets to walk at least ten dogs a day. Jack helps out and Miracle is the HBIC. Life is good.

CHUCK WINS ENDING: Sam lives and Dean dies, Sam throws a funeral for him that no one attends but him and a dog, and moves to the suburbs to live a generic white picket fence life with an unidentifiable wife. As a montage of Sam’s life plays, the camera pans away what looks like a computer and Chuck’s old office. A string of quotes can be heard in the background (“we’re just hamsters running around in a cage” “what would you rather have: peace or freedom?” “I can do anything...I’m a writer” “We will never give you the ending that you want / We’ll see”). The final shot is Jack, dressed in Chuck’s clothes and glasses and using his mannerisms, typing away at a typewriter. He writes “The End” but punctuates it with a question mark instead of a period. His computer screen and our TV screen both go black.

[maandarinee]

what are all the podcasts you listen to?

anon I'm so glad you asked

Since it is a pretty long list including synopses (stolen from the podcast feed or website because I'm Bad at summaries and in some cases it's been a while since I listened) I'm going to put it under a cut.

I've separated the list into "Complete" (either finished or cancelled) and "Ongoing" podcasts. Some have additional comments by me. Current favorites are marked orange. My eternal beloved are Our Fair City and Wolf 359.

Complete

ars PARADOXICA: "When an experiment in a time much like our own goes horribly awry, Dr. Sally Grissom finds herself stranded in the past and entrenched in the activities of a clandestine branch of the US government. Grissom and her team quickly learn that there's no safety net when toying with the fundamental logic of the universe."

Blackwood: "Five years ago, Molly Weaver, Bryan Anderson, and Nathan Howell started a podcast focused on the local legend of a monster called The Blackwood Bugman. Quickly, the investigation grew out of their control, as they discovered that, not only are the legends seemingly true, many people in Blackwood have turned up dead or disappeared without a trace." --> [this feels like the Blair With Project, but as a podcast. Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

Dreamboy: "Dane, a spun-out musician spending the winter in Cleveland, Ohio, has two main goals: keeping his job at the Pepper Heights Zoo and trying not to waste all his time on Grindr. What he doesn’t expect is to get swept into a story about dreams, about forevers, about flickering lights, about unexplained deaths, about relentless change, and about the parts of ourselves that we wish other people knew to look for. Oh, and also a murderous zebra." --> [very NSFW; does cool things with music! Didn't get a second season due to no funding, but it works as a standalone]

King Fall AM: "...centers on a lonely little mountain town's late-night AM talk radio show and its paranormal, peculiar happenings and inhabitants." --> [cancelled after 100 episodes, ends on a huge cliffhanger]

Our Fair City: "A campy, post-apocalyptic audio drama." --> [I know the description sounds like nothing but just trust me, I love it so much]

Steal the Stars: "...is a gripping noir science fiction thriller in 14 episodes: Forbidden love, a crashed UFO, an alien body, and an impossible heist unlike any ever attempted."

Stellar Firma: "...a weekly Science Fiction, Comedy podcast following the misadventures of Stellar Firma Ltd.'s highest born but lowest achieving planetary designer Trexel Geistman and his bewildered clone assistant David 7. Join them each episode as they attempt to take listener submissions and craft them into the galaxy's most luxurious, most expensive and most questionably designed bespoke planets. However, with Trexel's corporate shark of a line manager Hartro Piltz breathing down their necks and I.M.O.G.E.N., the station's omnipresent and omniinvasive stationwide A.I. monitoring those necks to within 3 decimal places, they'll be lucky to make it a week before being slurried and recycled into raw human resources." --> [semi-improvised, I thought I'd have a problem with the improv bit because that's not usually my thing, but no, I absolutely devoured this]

TANIS: "...is a serialized docudrama about a fascinating and surprising mystery: the myth of Tanis. Tanis is an exploration of the nature of truth, conspiracy, and information. Tanis is what happens when the lines of science and fiction start to blur." [+ spinoff The Last Movie] --> [I have no clue what the hell is going on here]

The Black Tapes: "...is a serialized docudrama about one journalist's searc for truth, her enigmatic subject's mysterious past, and the literal and figurative ghosts that haunt them both."

The Magnus Archives: "...is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organisation dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team. Individually, they are unsettling. Together they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying because as they look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back���"

Time:Bombs: "...a new audio drama podcast about the hilarious world of bomb disposal. Ride along with EOD technician Simon Teller on the busiest night of the year for him and his team - when business is, quite literally, booming."

Wolf 359: "Life's not easy for Doug Eiffel, the communications officer for the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station, currently on Day 448 of its orbit around red dwarf star Wolf 359. He's stuck on a scientific survey mission of indeterminate length, 7.8 light years from Earth. His only company on board the station are stern mission chief Minkowski, insane science officer Hilbert, and Hephaestus Station's sentient, often malfunctioning operating system Hera. He doesn't have much to do for his job other than monitoring static and intercepting the occasional decades-old radio broadcast from Earth, so he spends most of his time creating extensive audio logs about the ordinary, day-to-day happenings within the station. But the Hephaestus is an odd place, and life in extremely isolated, zero gravity conditions has a way of doing funny things to people's minds. Even the simplest of tasks can turn into a gargantuan struggle, and the most ordinary-seeming things have a way of turning into anything but that." --> [starts funny, turns very intense]

Ongoing

Alba Salix, Roya Physician (+ The Axe & Crown): "A witch, her apprentice, and her fairy herbalist treat the ills of a fairy-tale kingdom." + "Gubbin the troll tavernkeeper deals with his clueless new landlord, his shady niece, and some new competition."

Archive 81: "A found footage horror podcast about ritual, stories, and sound."

Arden: "A (fictional) true crime podcast about cold cases and the reporter and detective who try to solve them."

Brimstone Valley Mall: "The year is 1999. Lurking somewhere between Hot Topic and the food court, five misfit demons from Hell kill time inciting sin in a suburban shopping mall. When the lead singer of their band goes mysteriously missing, the demons only have two weeks to find him before they play the biggest gig of the millennium - or face the wrath of Satan herself."

CARAVAN: "First rule of Wound Canyon: No one who gets in, ever gets out. So when a brilliant, ghostly specter flies through the sky amid the rain and lightning, Samir stumbles off a steep cliff and into a hidden world, one in which demons, vampires, and all other manner of paranormal creatures take sanctuary." --> [also pretty NSFW and horny in general]

Death by Dying: "The Obituary Writer of Crestfall, Idaho finds himself deeply in over his head as he investigates a series of strange and mysterious deaths… when he is supposed to simply be writing obituaries. Along the way he encounters murderous farmers, man-eating cats, haunted bicycles, and a healthy dose of ominous shadows." --> [I had to stop listening to this in public because it kept making me undignified laugh and snort noises]

Desperado: "Blood magic, Voodoo magic, old gods, new gods: We've got it all! Follow the story of misfits from all over the world, as they try to survive and protect their heritage from modern-day crusaders."

EOS 10: "Doctors in space, a deposed alien prince, a super gay space pirate and a fiery nurse who'll help you win your bar fight."

Girl In Space: "Abandoned on a dying ship in the farthest reaches of known space, a young scientist fights for survival (and patience with the on-board A.I.). Who is she? No one knows. But a lot of dangerous entities really want to find out. Listen as the story unfolds for science, guns, trust, anti-matter, truth, beauty, inner turmoil, and delicious cheeses. It’s all here. In space."

Janus Descending: "...follows the arrival of two xenoarcheologists on a small world orbiting a binary star. But what starts off as an expedition to survey the planet and the remains of a lost alien civilization, turns into a monstrous game of cat and mouse, as the two scientists are left to face the creatures that killed the planet in the first place. Told from two alternating perspectives, Janus Descending is an experience of crossing timelines, as one character describes the nightmare from end to beginning, and the other, from beginning to the end." --> [absolutely harrowing horror]

Love and Luck: "...is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails and set in present day Melbourne, Australia. A slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic, it follows the relationship between two men, Jason and Kane, as their love grows both for each other and their community." --> [soft and gay, feels like a warm hug]

Potterless: "Join Mike Schubert, a grown man reading the Harry Potter series for the first time, as he sits down with HP fanatics to poke fun at plot holes, make painfully incorrect predictions, and bask in the sassiness of the characters." --> [the only non-fiction podcast on the list]

Primordial Deep: "When a long extinct sea creature washes up on the shores of Coney Island, marine biologist Dr. Marella Morgan is contacted by a secret organization to investigate the origins of the creature’s sudden and unnatural resurgence. Soon, she and a team of experts find themselves living on the research station The Tiamat, traveling along the abyssal plains as they search for answers far below the waves. But there are dangers in these ancient waters. Reawakened, prehistoric monsters are rising from the deep -- jaws wide and waiting, and in the darkness, something is stirring."

Red Valley: "No one at Overhead Industries wants to talk about defunct research station Red Valley, and account man Warren Godby is out of his depth. When he meets Gordon Porlock, a disgruntled archivist with a bag of tapes from the station’s last known occupant, they will begin a journey to the limits of experimental science, confront horror and trauma from the past, present and future, and try to remember the cheat codes from Sonic the Hedgehog 2."

Rusty Quill Gaming: "An actual play podcast following a mixed ability group of comedians, improvisers, gamers, and writers as they play through the extended, tabletop roleplaying campaign Erasing the Line, an original game world of the GM’s crafting." --> [took me a while to get into because I have trouble focusing on non-scripted things, but eventually I got really hooked on the plot and attached to the characters. This podcast is really fucked up at times if you think about it]

SAYER: "A narrative fiction podcast set on Earth’s man-made second moon, Typhon. The eponymous SAYER is a highly advanced, self-aware AI created to help acclimate new residents to their new lives, and their new employment with Ærolith Dynamics." --> [feels like Welcome to Night Vale but narrated by GLaDOS from Portal]

StarTripper!!: "Join Feston Pyxis on a road-trip through the cosmos, as he leaves behind his old life in search of the best and wildest experiences the galaxy has to offer!"

The Amelia Project: "...is a secret agency that fakes its clients' deaths, then lets them reappear with a brand new identity! A black comedy full of secrets, twists... and cocoa."

The Big Loop: "...a biweekly anthology series. Each episode is a self-contained narrative exploring the strange, the wonderful, the terrifying, and the heartbreaking. Stories of finite beings in an infinite universe." --> [I don't like anthologies, except this one]

The Bright Sessions: "Dr. Bright provides therapy for the strange and unusual; their sessions have been recorded for research purposes." --> [think X-Men, but with therapy instead of a school]

The Deca Tapes: "Recordings have surfaced of ten people that are locked into the same space together. We don’t know where they are, or if they'll get out. But the answers must be somewhere on these tapes."

The Silt Verses: "Carpenter and Faulkner, two worshippers of an outlawed god, travel up the length of their deity’s great black river, searching for holy revelations. As their pilgrimage lengthens and the river’s mysteries deepen, the two acolytes find themselves under threat from a police manhunt, but also come into conflict with the weirder gods that have flourished in these forgotten rural territories."

The White Vault: "Follow the collected records of a repair team sent to Outpost Fristed in the vast white wastes of Svalbard and unravel what lies waiting in the ice below."

Tides: "...is the story of Dr. Winifred Eurus, a xenobiologist trapped on an unfamiliar planet with hostile tidal forces. She must use her wits, sarcasm and intellectual curiosity to survive long enough to be rescued. But there might be more to life on this planet than she expected." --> [think The Martian, but on a water planet]

Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery: "Lillian Harper moves to the small town of Mt. Absalom, Ohio, to care for her estranged mother Dorothy after an injury. Living in the town's boarding house which has been run by her family for generations, she discovers conspiracies, ghosts, and a new family in the house's strange assortment of residents."

VAST Horizon: "Nolira is an agronomist tasked with establishing agriculture in a new solar system, but when she wakes up on a now- empty colony ship, the whole of her plan disappears. The ship has been set adrift, with numerous mission-critical problems requiring immediate attendance outside of her area of expertise. Nolira is aided by the ship’s malfunctioning AI, which acts as her confidant and companion during the fight for survival."

Victoriocity: "Even Greater London, 1887. In this vast metropolis, Inspector Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle investigate a murder, only to find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy of impossible proportions."

We Fix Space Junk: "...follows seasoned smuggler Kilner and reluctant fugitive Samantha as they travel the galaxy, dodging bullets and meeting strange and wonderful beings as they carry out odd jobs on the fringes of the law."

Welcome to Night Vale: "Twice-monthly community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true. Turn on your radio and hide."

Within the Wires: "Stories told through found audio from an alternate universe."

Wooden Overcoats: "Rudyard Funn and his equally miserable sister Antigone run their family's failing funeral parlour, where they get the body in the coffin in the ground on time. But one day they find everyone enjoying themselves at the funerals of a new competitor - the impossibly perfect Eric Chapman! With their dogsbody Georgie, and a mouse called Madeleine, the Funns are taking drastic steps to stay in the business…" --> [one of THE funniest podcasts I have ever listened to]

[nochiquinn]

campaign 3 episode 7: ceaseless walltcher

sam ran off so many advertisers they're resorting to basic podcast sponsors

"I've lost control"

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM"

my kid is just starting to get old enough/good enough at reading we can do shit like munchkin and I'm excited to try when we can get a set

I Would Like To Read The Book

Christmas is coming up, I'm just saying

vexnvax

I almost never like the art prints but I love this one

"this is going in my HOUSE. not the NERD OFFICE, my HOUSE"

....christmas is coming up. just saying.

TWINCEMBER

INTRO

LET'S GOOOO

oh no I'm gay

have to play this for my kid tomorrow, she loved Your Turn to Roll

ROBBIE CREDITS

HELP I'm GAY

no you can't roll into the episode after that, I need a minute

my hands are literally shaking what the fuck

"and nothing bad happens"

I just realized that prerecording potentially means no laura ditching the game awards early for dungeons and dragons

taliesin is travis' new character

("nochi will anyone even get that" only if they've put up with me for two campaigns now!)

fantasy backstage pass

please picture orym's feet dangling as he pulls himself up to look over the balcony

lauDNA

mods are asleep post fires

"fractured tailbone" "end the game"

fcg's dedication to consent makes me so happy

maybe this is just because I've been in psychonauts hell recently but. donnatella aquato vibes.

("have you ever NOT been in psychonauts hell" you shut up back there)

laudna and orym. friends.

imogen's messages having dueling banjos playing in the background

I love imogen's "don't think about pink elephants" skill

s a m

is it normal that I STILL have adrenaline tingles from the intro

"to kill a god: scanlan shorthalt one-man show"

why is this tma vibes suddenly

this bitch: you look patchwork imogen: excuse u we prefer DIVERSE

"gorgeous" "rotting" "beautiful" "has a rat"

BORYM

"I leave my headshot on the way out"

matt: remove us from this as soon as possible

matt says no unnecessary gender divisions in my fantasy world

"it's not like we want to decide you smell bad" oooooh

"he always seemed like a nice guy, too bad he ate the neighbors"

I fucking love laudna

"macveth" "I ATTACK"

"gently injure the table"

SAM

LAURA

this is just a cats movie roast session

"don't touch that table"

"a punch of sephora"

[psychonauts hell] bonita soleil

is this the brothel matron from arcane

oh I am Uncomfortable

matt you cannot use the word "aroused" in this situation

I'm laura hiding behind her notebook

this is anti-marion

laura you cannot use the word "probe" in this situation

fearne

"everyone think randy thoughts" "PLEASE DON'T"

"we have to find the bone zone"

"cast blacklight" "do NOT do that"

oh no

laudna no

Limbs in Places

DEEP CUT

who let these two go off by themselves

orym climbing up there just to keep an eye on imogen ;-;

gay

"without laudna" lesbian behavior

this alley is an scp

rooftop gays

so no orym princess carry??

the static is travis' character

"an eye" ceaseless watcher

"the fuck??"

matthew they are children

matt asks "wanna see a flesh building monster" and doesn't wait for an answer

whorym

"where's the gnome" don't you manifest that

c h r i s t

they have laudna can we just GO

lesbian behavior

(I still don't know if I ship it, I'm just weak)

oop, we have marisha perch

YEET THE BEAST

stonky has failed us

YEET THE SEED

"occasionally emerges and screams" me

"next enemy is the ground"

"all I wanna do is go help orym but I CAN'T 'cause I'm FUCKED"

"are you alive?" that's a loaded question for laudna

please just run

share travis' texts

I would watch the travis commentary track

"I'm heRE"

you leave her ALONE

we've gotten both marisha chair perch and marisha journal hat, shit's bad

YE

thank GOD

hdywtdt machine robbie daymond

"it's the wailing wall" sam

Patron Gobbler

"we broke the fourth wall" "how DARE YOU"

"poke it, I'm pretty sure it's dead but there's only one way to tell"

ashton

"don't do that" "dOn'T dO tHaT"

"wardens if you wouldn't mind fucking off"

fantasy acab

fcg segway

please heal my boy

they will never come back for that contract

"a crime scene that I MADE"

kjdfsl he hasn't has to shush them in a while

"keep taunting the dm, motherfucker"

YEEEEEEE

HE BACK

oh god

travis you cannot possibly

you cannot be the veth of this campaign

mental mind bullets

"I'm short, motherfucker" me

"you're in MY head, I should insight check YOU, INSIGHT CHECK"

"travis is like a drummer for spinal tap!"

[jkottke]

My Recent Media Diet, the Fully Vaccinated Edition

Every few months for the past couple of years, I've shared the movies, books, music, TV, and podcasts I've enjoyed (or not) recently. Here's everything I've "consumed" since early February, accompanied by a mini review.

How To with John Wilson. What happens near the end of the risotto episode got all the attention, but I'm all about the bag of chips saga. (B+)

Black Art: In the Absence of Light. I can listen to artists and critics talk about art all day long. Also? Everyone in this has impeccable eyewear. (A)

Spirited Away. A masterpiece. (A)

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine (BNT162b2). Possibly the best experience of the past 5 years. (A+++++)

Casino Royale. The best of the Daniel Craig Bonds IMO. (B+)

The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante. Another marvelously constructed world with vibrant characters by Ferrante. (A)

Wandavision. A love letter to television. Watched this with the kids and we all loved it. (A)

Looper. This is perhaps my favorite type of movie: clever sci-fi with a creative director and good actors that give a shit. (A-)

Sonic the Hedgehog. Jim Carrey is the highlight here and not much else. (C+)

The Remains of the Day. One of my favorite movies. I've watched this every few years since 1993 and what I get out of it changes every time. Great book too. (A+)

Judas and the Black Messiah. Fantastic performances by Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield. (A)

Zack Snyder's Justice League. Way too long and nearly pointless. This is what happens when you start treating the director of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole like an auteur. (B-)

A Promised Land by Barack Obama. I recommend the audiobook version of this. You can really tell the bits of the book he cares about and the stuff he phones in a little bit more. The tone of his voice when he talks about Michelle -- that love is real. (B+)

Making Sense -- The Boundaries of Self. I listened to this conversation with the poet David Whyte at the beginning of March and it was exactly what I needed to hear at that time. I must have listened to his short essay on Friendship about 5 times. (A)

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. About the invention of the wireless telegraph and the beginning of our abundantly connected world. (B+)

Still Processing - The N Word. The way that Morris and, particularly, Wortham use inclusive language is fascinating. They invite people into the conversation without any loss of insight or critical capability. A bracing rebuttal to the idea that using so-called "woke" language is hamstringing discourse in America. (A-)

Matilda by Roald Dahl. Read this aloud to the kids and was told my rendition was not nearly as good as Kate Winslet's. (B+)

You're Wrong About (The continuing OJ saga). This has become the show's version of Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine, with entire episodes dedicated to explaining mere minutes of the trial. I am here for it. (A)

Godzilla vs. Kong. I watched this after eating an edible and I think that's the perfect way to do it. Monsters, roar! (B)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. One of my favorite Trek movies. (A-)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Less popular with me and the kids than Wandavision. Occasionally fun but also kind of a mess, especially when it comes to the "moral of the story". (B)

The Talk Show with Craig Mod. Every single second of this 2.5-hour-long conversation between Craig Mod and John Gruber felt like it was created specifically for me. (A-)

Rough Translation - Liberté, Égalité, French Fries... And Couscous. A follow-up to a classic episode about a French McDonald's that was commandeered by its employees. (B+)

Unstoppable. The perfect movie. I wouldn't change a thing. (A)

Pac-Man 99. A nice update to this venerable game. The kids dismissed it as "too hectic". (B+)

Fortnite. The perfect game for introverts -- you can actually win by cleverly avoiding crowds and then dealing with a much more manageable 1-on-1 situation. But also I am old and there are too many buttons on this controller. (B+)

Croupier. Young Clive Owen, wow. (B+)

HazeOver. Recommended to me by Mike Davidson, this macOS app dims background windows to help you focus on your work. (B+)

Titanic. Had to rewatch after Evan Puschak's video about it. Still an amazingly effective blockbuster movie. (A)

For All Mankind (Season One). So many people have recommended this to me over the past year and I finally got around to watching it. I was hooked within the first 5 minutes. (A)

The Mitchells vs. The Machines. Entertaining and stylistically interesting. (B+)

NYC. So much to say about this city and the resilience of the people who call it home. Still undefeated. (A)

Throughline -- The Real Black Panthers. Great podcast on the political agenda and strategy of the Black Panther Party. A natural companion to Judas and The Black Messiah. (A)

Frick Madison. They have like 10% of the world's Vermeers in just one room! (B+)

The Whitney. Great to be back here to see the work of Dawoud Bey and Julie Mehretu. (A)

The outdoor dining situation in NYC. The city has to keep this and the pandemic pedestrian areas reclaimed from cars. More room for people, less room for cars. (A)

Fairfax. This is the sister restaurant to my two favorite places in NYC, both of which closed permanently because of the pandemic, and the first restaurant I've been to since March 2020. We ate outside, I had too many cocktails, and it was perfect. (A+)

Past installments of my media diet are available here.

[mindctrlaltdel]

Random Reviews: Mulholland Drive

This movie is BASIC INSTINCT, written and directed by Salvador Dali.

***

Recently, I watched MULHOLLAND DRIVE for the first time for my friend Shawn Eastridge's podcast, MISSING FRAMES (www.thenerdparty.com/missingframes/episode-103-mulholland-drive).

As I watched this odd, funny, disturbing, interesting flick, I took the following notes. Is it, as some critics say, the BEST FILM OF THE 21ST CENTURY? Here's an inside look at my viewing experience as I mulled over MULHOLLAND DRIVE...

[PRESS PLAY]

I love how the first five minutes is basically a bad late 90's Gap commercial, all swing dancing, no point...

The Mulholland Drive sign is calling to us. The street, Mulholland Drive, is Bali Hai for perverts.

Justin Theroux gets top billing over Naomi Watts??

I gotta admit, I saw one of the movie's original posters and thought "Naomi Watts AND the lady from the first MEN IN BLACK is in this? It's the triumphant return of Linda Fiorentino." When I DIDN'T see her name in the opening credits, I was disappointed. She's NO Linda Fiorentino... for this role, she's even better. AND she's a countess (seriously, look it up). Oh, and Robert Forster shows up for 10 minutes.

Not-Linda Fiorentino has some hustle in her for someone who just survived a horrible head on collision.

I like how the street signs kind of tell us where we are and what kind of world we're in. It's like a surreal, dramatic version of that Californians SNL sketch.

You mean to tell me that the red-headed older woman didn't see not-Linda Fiorentino under her kitchen table? UnbeLIEVable.

Holy crap, the wide-eyed guy in Winky's - he plays Jimmy Barrett, the comedian in MAD MEN... and MAD MEN is an interesting connection here, because everyone talks in this measured, paced deliberate way throughout that series, kind of similar to how the characters usually speak in the David Lynch productions I've seen... When I started watching MAD MEN, I thought the actors were purposely directed to speak that way, so everything to seem more "real" as opposed to that fast-talking, old-Hollywood style that you'd expect to see from outspoken, big idea-types. I imagined that Matt Weiner wanted people to seem - at least to modern audiences - the way people actually were - particularly, the inhabitants of the intelligent and cerebral world of ad men, working behind the scenes, on the fringes of show business. But then Jimmy Barrett, an old-timey comedian ALSO spoke that way. And it just didn't seem authentic to me. Anyway, back to THIS movie...

OH and that dingy woman behind the dumpster! She's like if Captain Howdy moved out West and got all LA on us. Is that Cloris Leachman covered in mud? And the music... for some reason, there's nothing scarier than the sound of an HVAC vent on full blast. (According to this article, www.vulture.com/2014/10/mulholland-drives-evil-hobo-breaks-her-silencio.html,the actress who played Evil Hobo #1 said of her audition process: "I don’t mean to brag, but David Lynch said he was looking for the most incredible face he could find. I actually met him at a Twin Peaks party, and he was like, 'Look at that face!'")

I love the X-Files-style synth strings that play over Naomi Watts (Betty) and gram-gram (Irene) as they walk through the hotel, I mean the airport... Aw, these two old people love Betty. What a different life she's living than that countess who's not Linda Fiorentino who's squatting in that redhead's apartment that Betty's about to move into.

Even then, Naomi had a good American accent. (Although I learned she's technically British but split her time between England and Australia), those Australians are great at spitting out neutral American sounds. But once I learned that Betty is supposed to be Canadian, I was very disappointed. It's not THAT authentic. Where are her "Aboots"? And she didn't put maple syrup on anything in this whole movie.

Oh my God, are Irene and her husband, riding in this towncar, ALSO going to get held up, like not-Linda Fiorentino at the beginning of the movie? Oh okay, they're not. We just followed them for no reason other than to see that they look happier than an old couple in a Cialis commercial. I guess meeting Betty really improved their sex life or something.

Coco - of course she's a fading hollywood starlet... AHHH, Coco is played by Ann Miller - good for her. She's basically that kooky old landlady from SEINFELD, the one who worked with the Three Stooges that Kramer met when he went to LA. Look at all these connections!

"Prize-fighting kangaroo who shits all over the courtyard" - do you think Naomi Watts is going to come out and say, "as an Australian, I was actually offended by this line, but I was scared into silence by that power-hungry monster, David Lynch."

The countess - who now goes by "Rita" - does kind of look like Rita Hayworth. I like the connections to old Hollywood and to noirs and how it's all wrapped together. Rita Hayworth is also a redhead, like Betty's aunt. She's of Spanish descent as well... and the actress playing Rita in this movie is of Mexican descent... Connections, connections.

I love that this casting session is basically run by a deep state shadow organization with a weird waiter in a red blazer... This is how Disney cast WandaVision.

HAHAHAH "That is one of the finest espressos in the world sir!" - this is DEFINITELY how Disney casts their movies. And Justin Theroux is the only man with integrity in this room! Does anyone have any class in this town!? They don't even validate his parking.

This is my favorite movie about making movies since BOWFINGER. And I may not be lying. And somehow less weird than THE ARTIST.

Is everyone gonna start killing each other over Ed's famous black book? This is oddly funny.

"Something bit me bad!" This incredibly long fight scene between the blond guy and secretary... it reminds me of the Uma Thurman/Daryl Hannah trailer fight in KILL BILL VOL. 2 but with less snakes.

These closeups of lingering looks on Rita's cash-filled purse are great... She's pulling wads of cash out of that purse one at a time, like Leslie Nielsen pulling eggs out of that blond lady in AIRPLANE!

I want to know what direction David Lynch gave that braless woman who's following the blond assassin around. It's like she's doing an acting exercise... like you know, when you're told to fill the space... "walk around the room, and clear your head. And now you're walking really fast. And now you're slow. NOW, imagine what it would be like to walk with your nose as the furthest point in front of you. Lead with your nose..." And David Lynch did that and told the braless woman to lead with her chest.

Justin Theroux is basically Robert Downey Jr.'s character from BOWFINGER, except NOW, he's the protagonist.

Betty is loving Rita's amnesia a bit too much. If this were my life, Rita would be the most interesting thing to happen to me too. Hell, if I was from Ontario, getting off at LAX would rock my world.

When Justin Theroux enters his glass-walled home to find his wife with another man, well... Justin Theroux may never star in something like HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, but I can definitely picture him in YUPPIE WITH A GOLF CLUB.

That slinky theme song playing in Justin Theroux's/Laraine's house is a song that I actually listen to in my tiki, lounge playlist - to give you a hint of my music tastes. What I listen to for fun, Billy Ray Cyrus puts on to drown out his love-making.

By the way, BILLY RAY CYRUS!!! WHAT? Is this how Miley was conceived??? I think yes.

Pink paint in a jewelry box! This is much better than the usual throwing-all-his-belongings-out-a-second-story-apartment-window-scene that happens in every other movie.

I wouldn't be THAT excited if I learned MY name was Diane Selwin. BUT the sexxxual tension with the waitress Diane at the diner is palpable!

So, not-Linda Fiorentino has amnesia. How does she know that answering machine is NOT her voice!?

Justin Theroux/Adam Kesher's wife is very aggressive with the large man who's so dedicated to finding Adam Kesher that he keeps calling Adam's name in vain like the secretary in my doctor's office.

I watched this movie in pieces, the first half late at night. The second half the next morning. In between, while sleeping, I had a dream where Betty and Rita were looking over a map and any time one of their hands brushed over another, their hands would turn gold. As if this was a stylistic choice made by the filmmaker directing my dream to show that there's some kind of deeper relationship between these two women. So I've started dreaming in Lynch.

I like how this film is so utterly connected to not only Lynch's subconscious, but the audience's as well. Lynch is TAPPED IN. I don't always love when a film goes all in with a surreal style, because sometimes that's just a cover for something lacking in the storytelling department. But I do feel there's more to it here, in MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

The hooded woman, Louise... I feel like I've run into her on the streets of New York. A Louise will ALWAYS find a way to give you a portent of doom that ruins your day. Friggin’ Louise.

This movie is so moody, you really have to be in the mood to watch it.

There's something magical and prophetic about the cowboy, like he's the seer that the old general sees on the eve of battle... Also, I love how the lead female role in Justin Theroux's movie is his sword of destiny. There's a glitz and gleam and nostalgia to Old Hollywood that naturally gives this movie, set in "modern" Hollywood," a total fantasy vibe.

Hahaha that "You're still here?" scene rehearsal between Betty and Rita is an excellent transition.

James Karen - the real estate guy from POLTERGEIST - is handling casting! "He moved the headshots but he didn't cast the bodies!!"

The casting direction: "Don't play it for real until it gets real." It's interesting how the characters, who work in the "business," seem to control their reality. Betty seems unsure of where the scene is going, then she gets into it. And it really speaks to her conversion from a bright-eyed new arrival to someone who surrenders to the darker impulses of the city.

HEAVY BREATHING.

Ugh friggin' Bob...

I love how Lynnie, the casting director, pulls the rug out from under that scene. There's always a jaded casting person who totally wrecks any good feelings about every audition. It's a thing.

David Lynch uses nostalgia and a latent love for Hollywood to draw the characters (and us) into his world and then subverts our expectations. A lot.

Why is the screen test just a lip-synching contest? ...I think it feeds into the nostalgia element for the movie at large but it seems like a waste of studio resources here. Early-aughties Hollywood spending, amirite?

Rita's reaction to finding the body is played very much like the reaction a character would have in an older film... The horror! The fear! The silent gaping terror while possessed with the inability to scream. I was watching the original KING KONG before this (which is may be a sign from the universe that I had to watch this Naomi Watts vehicle, as she starred in the remake), and specifically remember the scene where the director Carl Denham is coaching Ann Darrow/Fay Wray on how to act in a horror film - "now look up, and you see it, you see it in all its horror. And your jaw drops and you try to scream but you're so frozen in terror that you can't!" - I imagine that's what Lynch is doing to not-Linda Fiorentino off-camera as they filmed this scene.

Uh-oh, Rita is single-white femal'ing Betty now... She doesn't have a personality of her own, so she's going to take Betty's.... And now we're just getting NUDE with each other. This erotic thriller immediately turned from skintillating to Skinemax.

"I'm in love with you" - is Betty just saying that to convince herself? It feels more lusty than real. Betty's so bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Rita is gonna chew her up and spit her out!

I like the shot when they're sleeping together and, as they rest, their faces overlap thanks to the perspective of the framing. How much of the same person are they becoming? Where does one personality start and the other end?

The weird 2am theater. How'd Rita and Betty find this place? I love how this pop-up slam-poetry reading in this opera house is as terrifying to Rita and Betty as finding the dead body.

So Betty starts convulsing in her seat and then the poet disappears in a kind of old-style, cinematic I'm disappearing effect. I dig it.

Wait... is this a mysterious, magical show that just appears in LA, like Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, that town in THE MUMMY that only shows up at sunrise on the third day or something like that? Or is this just a poorly attended Spanish-language talent show that could only afford to book this theater at 2am on a Thursday?

I love that Betty and Rita are tearing up over Rebekah Del Rio's performance (Rebekah Del Rio is a real person, by the way). Then, Rebekah faints as her voice keeps singing - is NOTHING real? Has Betty totally given into this weird world to the point that she doesn't really know what's authentic and what's fake anymore OR was Betty fake before she got to LA so it was easy for her to get acclimated.

This movie is like THE MATRIX, from the perspective of characters who only took the blue pill and didn't look back.

OOOH, Betty has the box and Rita has the key! But the box is empty except maybe its the Gom Jabbar pain-box from DUNE. Is David Lynch using MULHOLLAND DRIVE as an excuse to make good on his promise to produce a good version of DUNE.

WAIT A SECOND, the cowboy knows the dead girl? Does this even matter?

Now, wait ANOTHER second. Is Betty performing or DREAMING when she's Diane or is something else going one??

What's the BLUE KEY doing there?

"Two Detectives"??? Is she talking about Betty and Rita OR Robert Forster and the pudgy guy? OR someone else entirely - the two guy's from Winky's???

The movie became more interesting the moment the perspective shifted to "Diane" and "Camilla." When that happened, Naomi Watts really amped up her performance... reaching a level of intensity we hadn't seen since Betty's audition... it does take 2 hours to reach that point.... But then, when Betty and Rita are topless on the couch, I couldn't tell who they were supposed to be until Rita/Camilla called her "Diane."

Wait, now Rita's acting?? OH, so Rita was an actress? And Diane wasn't? Or Betty looks exactly like Diane?

The weird shifts in focus. The sad masturbating. This is the most depressing soft-core ever made!

Did Betty get killed and have amnesia too?

They take a shortcut to Eddie's house which looks EXACTLY like where Rita/Camilla was taken at the beginning of the movie by the hitmen in the towncar before that wild accident with those teenagers made her life weirder... OR less weird. You be the judge.

IS this a flashback or the future. Eddie and Camilla are having an affair?

MY MOTHER? COCO - what's real and what isn't????

The jitterbug competition.... Diane/Naomi wanted the lead so bad, Camilla got the part but in Mulholland Drive, Naomi is the star.

Then, Camilla is kissing that other blond actress who Betty watched screen test...

MULHOLLAND DRIVE is just David Lynch telling us that LA is a place for lust and jealousy and no matter what, purity gets ruined.

WHAT, the blond waitress is BETTY? And Diane hires the blond guy, who's officially labeled as a hitman.

Diane is also from Canada...

Are Diane and Betty just different versions of the same people in nearby parallel universes? I certainly HOPE so. This is too much insanity for ONE universe to handle.

The blue key will be found where the blond guy told Diane. Okay, that makes sense. But if this were to mirror real life, the key was in her hand the WHOLE time!

OH, and hobo-Cloris Leachman comes back... AND she's holding the blue box/Gom Jabbar... WHY the hell did those two old people wander out of that paper bag??? Do they represent longstanding guilt? Seems like it. Because they've just crept into Diane's apartment.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE is almost silly to the point of pretentiousness at points - at least with the last word to be uttered on screen - "silencio." That said, it does evoke the HAMLET line: "And the rest is silence," so THAT's poetic.

Sadly, Robert Forster was barely in this movie...

Oh, and Lee Grant played Louise - the old-Hollywood connections keep coming!

I can't believe this movie was intended to be a pilot?

***

Now, some final notes:

On the swapping of characters and relationships in the last 30 minutes -- my first thought was that Betty/Diane and Rita/Camilla look similar and/or they're connected by a parallel universe, and the diner is like the central hub between worlds, and hobo-Cloris Leachman is the gatekeeper between the two worlds... I buy the "dream world" explanation that some critics espouse, that's something I considered myself as I watched. But I'm not sure I believed Betty is Diane's dream version of herself. Also, I think David Lynch has a feeling about how everything fits together, yet I don't know if he's even settled on an explanation for everything. He just trusted his subconscious and he's so confident in his latent abilities, that we trust him to show us everything we need to see and take us everywhere we need to go.

I enjoy how it's a surrealist answer to SUNSET BOULEVARD. I hope in 2050, someone makes "The 405" really tying all these movies and Los Angeles roads together.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE is weird but good. Still, I don't know if, to me, it's more weird than good. It's also funny. But is it funny because it's weird or because it's actually, genuinely funny? Are these questions David Lynch actually wants me to ask or does he make it weird on impulse to cover for the fact that the film is simply just weird and based entirely on impulse? MULHOLLAND DRIVE is almost like a parody of a film noir, made by an inter-dimensional alien life-form who studied a bunch of movies from the 40's through the 90's but doesn't have a full grasp on human behavior, and DESPITE THAT, it's more of an emotional experience than a logical one. It's somewhere in between. It's self-indulgent in a way but also very giving. It's a paradox wrapped in an oxymoron wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a coffee-stained napkin covered in cigarette ash locked in a small, blue box.

***

Summing it up: I don't think there's a world where this movie would get a perfect score from me. Because ultimately, for all it's interesting and exciting moments, it's more of a passion project for David Lynch than a piece of entertainment for the audience, no matter how entertaining it may be. To me, it's a vision board more than it is a complete film. And yet, it IS a complete EXPERIENCE. And there's nothing wrong with that.

All of that said, I know David Lynch doesn't really like to give viewers a clear cut, traditional narrative. So, I had a feeling the mystery was just that, a mystery. Or even moreso, the FEELING of a mystery. It's not about where we're going, it's about the journey to the destination. And while the general atmosphere is moody and evocative and often powerful, MULHOLLAND DRIVE plays more like a 2.5 hour piece of music than a cohesive narrative. Maybe that's the best thing about it.

In the distant future, when our way of speaking has become as archaic as the words of Shakespeare are to us, it's the feeling and emotions and images of movies like MULHOLLAND DRIVE that will still have a timeless impact on the future audiences who view them.

[cushfuddled]

YO WASSSUUUUP!

1. I don’t actually have anything against the concept of friendship solving every problem! I know it can harm your story’s stakes after a while if you do it too often (like how by the end of MLP and Steven Universe you could just assume the next bad guy would be won over by the power of love and friendship) but like...I don’t think it’s a bad trope. On the contrary, it’s a very sweet and positive message! Sometimes I worry about extreme situations like with the SU diamonds, where the bad guys were clearly dictators with huge body counts and were forgiven with like, not even a nod to their past actions...but Steven Universe strikes me as an exception rather than a rule? I haven’t watched enough kids shows to be sure (let me know whether this is more of a trend), but it seems to me that when a kids show tries to redeem a villain they usually make sure the villain hasn’t like...killed hundreds of people lol.

The reason I pushed “realism” so hard with She-Ra is because the creative team made the decision to tackle a very complex real-world issue (abuse) as one of their core themes. Abuse is the kind of delicate topic you want to tackle with care and (at least some amount of) honesty. Saying you can “solve” abuse with friendship all the time isn’t necessarily a harmful message, but it’s definitely not a true one, you know? So while I don’t want a show about talking pegasi and princesses with runestone superpowers and time-traveling old ladies to be the pinnacle of realism or whatever, I feel like the show would be stronger (and more meaningful) as a whole if the creators managed to resolve that abuse narrative without fixing EVERYTHING with love and friendship. It would honestly be enough for me if they just...never forgave Shadow Weaver.

2. As for Kylo Ren: I haven’t actually seen the third new Star Wars movie! But I know what happens to him from a bunch of YouTube reviews lol. I love that you mentioned Lotor, because yeah! It’s a very similar situation of like, these characters who were abused as children becoming power-hungry villains. As a storyteller I don’t think you want to say there’s no hope for those characters, because uh...they’re abuse survivors. And I feel like there are way too many stories out there already about how abuse survivors are “destined to become monsters” and have to be “put down” for their own good or whatever. It’s honestly a horrible message.

So like. With Kylo, I’m pretty sure the trilogy literally opens with him ordering the slaughter of a whole village—? If the plan was to redeem him the whole time, I would either A. make him a lower-ranking soldier so he’s not actually giving the orders, or B. dedicate a fuck-ton of time to everyone holding Kylo accountable for his actions. The Penumbra Podcast recently proved to me that you can successfully redeem a character who’s senselessly murdered people. You just have to give them the time and attention they need to acknowledge their actions...enough that the audience understands the character hasn’t been FORGIVEN (and the narrative isn’t condoning or hand-waving their actions) but they’re still choosing to DO GOOD.

Even if Star Wars approached Kylo’s redemption with that kind of care, though, it always would’ve been a controversial decision. Because no matter how carefully the creators approached that sort of situation, or how much time they devoted to Kylo’s transformation, or how long the characters argued over the morality of accepting Kylo’s help and companionship, there would alllllways be people who still felt like Kylo didn’t deserve to be redeemed. And honestly, I think that’s okay! It could’ve been a sign of a good, complex narrative, for there to be a huge argument about whether Kylo should’ve been redeemed—and for both sides to be right! As it is, you could argue that Kylo “should’ve” been redeemed purely because it’s a worse message to say he was unsalvageable...but I don’t think there’s much of an argument to be made as to whether his redemption was given enough screen time. That arc just wasn’t given the time and attention it needed for Kylo’s redemption to feel earned. 

[creepykingdom]

“Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark” Review

By Kayla Caldwell

To preface this review, let me just tell you I had high hopes for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I have fond memories from childhood of being at slumber parties with friends, sitting in a circle, holding a flashlight, and taking turns reading scary stories from the Alvin Schwartz book, literally in the dark.

The Stephen Gammell images - which were removed in re-releases for being too scary - were haunting. So haunting, in fact, that when I recorded a recent episode of my podcast, High Crime, two of my friends recalled the terrifying visage of the woman from a story called “The Haunted House,” nearly 20 years later.

Any time Hollywood takes on a beloved story from childhood, it’s hard not to become a little nervous that they’re going to ruin it. (Looking at you, The Golden Compass). But I’m here to say - they did Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark right.

It’s not exactly surprising, seeing as Guillermo del Toro wrote the screenplay and acted as a producer for the film. The man knows how to make a good monster. And lucky me, del Toro even stopped by the screening, along with director André Øvredal, to introduce the film.

He called Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark a “gateway movie” for those who are not quite horror buffs, “like us.” And, he noted, laughing and gesturing to director Øvredal, “It’s creepy, because Norwegians are creepy.” Øvredal kept it short and sweet, saying that he hoped everyone saw the film as a “horror movie that has a heart and a sense of fun.” And I believe it did.

Now, let’s get into the story. It takes place in Mill Valley, Pennsylvania in 1968. The protagonist is a shy, aspiring writer named Stella (Zoe Margaret Colleti), who has a flair for the macabre. On Halloween, she and her friends - nerd, Auggie (Gabriel Rush), and goofball Chuck (Austin Zajur) - invited town newcomer Ramón (Michael Garza) to check out a local haunted house.

Not haunted house in the theme park attraction, clowns holding chainsaws, Universal Studios way - but an old, abandoned house that had its own local legend. See, the once beautiful manor was home to the Bellows family, who started the paper mill that brought the town to life, and filled their pockets with money.

But the family had a nasty secret: their unwanted daughter Sarah. Rumor had it that there was something wrong with Sarah, something that made the family want to keep her hidden in the basement where no one would ever lay eyes on her. But, as they say, curiosity kills - and so the children of the town would come to the house to hear Sarah tell scary stories through the wall… and then they would never be heard from again. * Spoiler alert ahead *

But those were just stories, right? I mean, how could Sarah have killed anyone when she was trapped behind those walls? The group was about to find out, because, in their exploration of the house, Stella and Ramón stumbled upon Sarah’s old bedroom, and her book of stories. Auggie and Chuck - who was so spot-on as the smart aleck sidekick that if this had been filmed in the 80s, he would have been played by Corey Feldman - warned Stella not to touch the book, but it was all for naught.

Not only did Stella touch the book, but she opened it, ran her fingers along the pages, and as if summoning her by some unknown spell, softly spoke the words, “Sarah Bellows, tell me a story.” In a move very reminiscent of Labyrinth, the words held more power than Stella realized. The book came to life and brought Sarah’s evil spirit with it. It wouldn’t be long before children would start disappearing as their stories were scrawled on the old tome’s pages in blood.

This movie was a lot darker than I thought it’d be. For some reason, I didn’t imagine anyone would actually die, since it was being marketed as sort of a “kid’s movie.” But I was wrong. Town delinquent Tommy goes down in spectacular fashion, with a pitchfork to the gut that turned him, gasping and gagging, into his own grotesque scarecrow.

And there were some real jump scares. I found myself hesitantly averting my eyes here and there, bracing for the moment of terror, while I noticed the woman in the seat next to me jumped at least three times. Of course, as a bit of an arachnophobic myself, I found “The Red Spot” to be the most horrific part of the film. Watching the one twitching leg poke out of pore Ruth’s (Natalie Ganzhorn) face was not only painful, but a little traumatizing, too, as I inadvertently spent the rest of the movie swiping imaginary spiders off of my legs and arms.

But Ruth wasn’t the only one to get the Scary Stories treatment. Tapping into everyone’s childhood fear of a bogeyman under the bed, Auggie got dragged away, leaving cringe-inducing scratch marks along the floor.

And Chuck, well, Chuck’s disappearance was troubling. He was captured by the “pale lady,” an impeccable recreation of the haunting Stephen Gammell image from the book’s tale, “The Dream.” This strange and unsettling monster seemingly hugged Chuck to death, pulling him into her grotesque form until he disappeared.

But by far, the most generally scary monster, reminiscent of something you’d see in typical horror fare, was “the Jangly man.” Now, having just re-read all three of the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books, I can tell you that there is no story dedicated to him. He appears to be a combination of “What Do You Come For?” - which is about a lonely, old woman whose wish for some company was nefariously answered in the form of rotted body parts falling down her chimney and putting themselves together to form a “great, gangling man” who danced about her living room - and “Me Tie Dough-ty Walker!”

It’s interesting, because that was always one of my least favorite stories, because it’s completely nonsensical, with a disembodied head yelling gibberish at a scared, young boy for no apparent reason. But in this iteration, it definitely has the capacity to haunt your nightmares.

This might be a strange thing to notice, but the font in the Sarah Bellow’s book was perfect. An eerily beautiful script, it was still legible enough to creep you out on those close-up shots of the pages.

Sarah’s favorite song was “The Hearse Song,” a ghostly number with lyrics like, “Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by / For you may be the next one to die… The worms crawl in / the worms crawl out / The worms play pinochle on your snout.” It played throughout the movie, but especially when something bad was about to happen. It’s amazingly unsettling, like a dark lullaby.

Much like The Ring, and other such horror films, there’s a dark story behind Sarah’s madness. But I won’t spoil it for you, as it’s almost certainly not what you’re expecting.

But Sarah was not the only weaver of tales in this flick, as there was an offhand comment about one of Stella’s works, which involved a boy named Sam, whose new dog turned out to be sewer rat - not unlike, “Sam’s New Pet,” from the third installment of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Then again, Stella is just another “lonely girl who’s good at telling scary stories.”

Though the setting is the late 60s, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark gave me all the 90s nostalgia vibes, conjuring memories of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? marathons. And, it doesn’t end there. Guillermo del Toro himself said he’d be happy to make all three films, and the conclusion of this movie definitely set up a sequel.

As Stella, her father (Dean Norris), and Ruth drove off, the former repeated the phrase from the beginning, “Stories hurt. Stories heal,” before promising to never stop looking for her missing friends, Chuck and Auggie.

Time will tell which stories del Toro and Øvredal choose to bring to life next - if any. But I do know one thing: if they’re anything like what I just saw on the big screen, I’ll surely be there to watch.

IMAGES: CBS FILMS

[esonetwork]

Blade Runner (The Final Cut)| Episode 403

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/blade-runner/

Blade Runner (The Final Cut)| Episode 403

Mark Maddox joins us for an in-depth discussion about Ridley Scott’s 1982 Sci-Fi Classic “Blade Runner,” starring Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, M Emmett Walsh, Edward James Olmos, Darryl Hannah, William Sanderson and Joanna Cassidy. A former cop (Ford) is forced to hunt down four “replicants” who have returned illegally to Earth. During the investigation, he finds himself having feelings for another replicant which complicates things a great deal. Find out more on this episode of MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies.

[brokehorrorfan]

Event Report: NorthEast Comic Con (Winter 2018)

NorthEast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza’s Winter 2018 edition took place this past weekend, November 23-25, at the Regency Hotel in Boxboro, MA. While much of the world was sleeping off a Thanksgiving-fueled food hangover or scouring for Black Friday deals, the convention served as a great way to get a jump-start on geeky holiday shopping with dozens of vendors, plus celebrities, comedians, bands, and more. I attended on Saturday, which was a blast.

NorthEast Comic Con marked original Godzilla star Akira Takarada's only US appearance of 2018. He even brought over some Gojira collectibles from Japan (including a Godzilla humidifier!) that fans could purchase. The 84-year-old actor came off as sweet, funny, and genuine during his panel early Saturday afternoon, which ran over its hour-long slot as he wanted to continue answering audience questions. He spoke in English for his introduction - during which he congratulated us on the Red Sox winning the World Series - and then used an interpreter to answer questions.

Takarada shared a humorous anecdote about how a security guard and a cheap pair of swim trunks led to his job at Toho and, ultimately, his role in Godzilla. A memorable moment came when he explained that he called Invasion of Astro-Monster star Nick Adams "Mr. Horny," because the American actor was always asking him to introduce him to Japanese women. He later remarked that Cesar Romero (with whom he worked on Latitude Zero) was even more horny than Adams. He discussed shooting a cameo as an immigration officer for Godzilla (2014) in secrecy, only to have it cut from the final film. He understood the situation and hopes to appear in future Godzilla movies.

While it was largely lighthearted, the conversation became heavy when Takarada spoke about the impact that the atomic bomb had on Japan and how it birthed Godzilla. He compared the film’s American re-edit, Godzilla, King of the Monsters, to a "badly made quilt," as it cuts the social commentary. He also shared a harrowing story of being shot as a civilian by a Soviet soldier during World War II, which required a local doctor to remove the bullet with a pair of household scissors and no medication or stitches. Finally, when asked what Godzilla means to him, Takarada responded, "He's my classmate," before expressing his gratitude to the fans as the original film approaches its 65th anniversary next year.

Having met Kevin Eastman at Rhode Island Comic Con just a few weeks prior, I was excited to see the other creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Peter Laird, as a late addition to the NorthEast ComicCon guest list. He graciously signed up to three items for free; like Eastman, each autograph is accompanied by a quick Ninja Turtle sketch. Laird was joined by fellow Mirage Studios alumnus and longtime TMNT artist Steve Lavigne, who was equally pleasant.

Other guests included decorated voice actor Billy West (Futurama, Doug, The Ren & Stimpy Show), author and Squirrel Girl co-creator Will Murray, actor Jerome St. John Blake (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace), actor/comedian Frank Santorelli (The Sopranos), actor/comedian Jimmy Dunn (The McCarthys), Emmy Award-winning puppeteer Bill Diamond (Little Shop of Horrors), Disney animator Philo Barnhart (The Little Mermaid, The Smurfs), and "Queen of the Paranormal" Kadrolsha Ona Carole, among others.

An unexpected highlight of the event was a performance by Gwell-o, a Gwar-inspired band featuring members of the comedy rock act Green Jelly. Like Gwar, the musicians dress as intergalactic monsters with painted-on abs and battle other creatures during the show, but Gwell-o's homemade suits are built out of cardboard and duct tape. The lineup includes performers that do not play instruments but rather keep busy singing backups, dancing, fighting, and engaging in dart gun wars with the audience.

A fun mix of heavy metal, monster movies, and pro wrestling, Gwell-o offers the melee of Gwar without the blood and bodily fluids, thereby making it more accessible to a convention audience. In addition to original songs and their renditions of Gwar and Green Jelly favorites, Gwell-o covered Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla" (dedicated to Takarada, who watched on with a smile plastered across his face), "I Need Mo' Allowance" from the cartoon Doug (in tribute to Billy West, who was in the audience), and Judas Priest's "Night Crawler." While some audience members may have approached the performance with curious confusion, everyone left the hour-long set entertained.

Saturday evening concluded with a live recording of The McCue Report podcast in which host Jim McCue interviewed several cast and crew members from Sweeney Killing Sweeney, including actors/comedians Frank Santorelli (The Sopranos) and Tony V. (Seinfeld). Director Lisa Aimola detailed their attempts to make the comedy film for nine years before deciding to do it independently, shooting it in two and a half weeks with a local cast and crew on a $100,000 budget. The half-hour chat made me eager to see the film, in which comedian Steve Sweeney's standup characters come to life. Limited edition DVDs were available exclusively at the event; otherwise the film is expected to be released digitally in 2019.

NorthEast Comic Con also included more panels, live concerts, standup comedy, podcasts recordings, cosplay activities and contest, a room full of exhibitors, a gaming area, kids crafts and activities, and more. With Rhode Island Comic Con fresh in my mind (and Rock and Shock not too long before that), NorthEast Comic Con served as a strong reminder of how fun a more intimate convention can be. The atmosphere is inviting, and the smaller setting allows for a more creative and unique environment than the huge pop-culture shows. With weekend passes running a mere $20, NorthEast Comic Con is as affordable as it is enjoyable.

Click here to see all of my NorthEast Comic Con Winter 2018 photos.

[recentanimenews]

Heeding the Call: Cthulhu and Japan

Depending on your interests, the name Cthulhu may stir feelings of some strange familiarity, or an excited, nearly existential sense of horror to come. Despite the fiction that birthed much of the “Cthulhu Mythos” being moderately popular, the cosmic horrors introduced by H.P. Lovecraft have morphed into a life of their own thanks to the work of his protege, August Derleth, leaving future generations to encounter the unknowable in various forms spanning video games, tv shows, movies, and perhaps the most popular forms, table-top roleplaying and board game experiences. Perhaps less well known, though, is the fact that the Cthulhu Mythos is exceedingly popular in Japan, and has a wide and exciting history of adaptations, works, and impact upon many of the genres we love in Japan to this day. Today, we’ll be taking a look and exploring that history!

The history of Cthulhu in Japan is a bit more diverse than you might initially think, and isn’t as unified as it might seem! The first bits of spreading horror came from translations of H.P. Lovecraft’s original works into Japanese in the 1940s, appearing in the horror publication Hakaba (or Graveyard) Magazine, translated by Nishio Tadashi. These early translations would prove vastly popular, and over the years ended up leading to numerous Japanese adaptations and inspirations based on Lovecraft’s original works.

Anime and manga fans are likely somewhat familiar with Kaoru Kurimoto, creator of Guin Saga, Hideyuki Kikuchi, creator of Vampire Hunter D, fan favorite horror author Junji Ito, and legendary mangaka Shigeru Mizuki, who all claimed Lovecraft as a direct influence on their works at some point. That existential, cosmic, unknowable horror is certainly present in Ito’s works like Uzumaki, and Mizuki’s interest in folklore and yokai make an attraction to the Cthulu Mythos a lot more understandable. Mizuki actually drew an adaptation of the classic story The Dunwich Horror under the title Chitei no Ashioto, simply moving the story and characters to Mizuki’s beloved setting of rural Japan.

Perhaps one of the most influential Lovecraft inspired creators in anime though is Chiaki J. Konaka, likely best known to many for his work on series like Serial Experiments Lain, Digimon Tamers, and Big O, as well as other series like Armitage III (which takes its name from a Lovecraft character!), RaXephon and Texnolyze among many others. Konaka’s career extends into the Tokusatsu side of things as well, having worked on numerous Ultraman series ranging from Tiga, Gaia, Max, and more, as well as many other series. Konaka worked in references to the Cthulhu Mythos into many of his projects, and even wrote his own short fiction; one of them, Terror Rate, was even published in English, and was even a guest of honor at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival in 2018!

Much of the spread and popularity of Cthulhu fiction in Japan is owed to a few people, one of the most notable being Ken Asamatsu. Asamatsu has spent much of his career translating and spreading Lovecraft’s works in Japan, running fanzines and other publications in order to spread his love of the existential dread universe. While Asamatsu has worked on a few manga himself, he isn’t exactly an anime or manga creator, but without his input and dedication, it is unlikely that these works would ever be as popular as they are today!

Existential, creeping, unknowable horror translates well to other mediums as well, so it should come as little surprise that video games share various callbacks and influences from the Cthulhu Mythos as well. Atlus’s Shin Megami Tensei series and its many spin-offs feature numerous callbacks to Cthulhu Mythos characters and creatures, with some of the most obvious being Nyarlathotep’s direct role in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona and Persona 2. Many of the other titles reference things like the Necronomicon, with that same text being the initial persona of Persona 5’s Futaba Sakura.

        Aside from Shin Megami Tensei, there are less obvious, but somewhat hard to miss, references to many of the tropes and unique style of horror in the Cthulhu Mythos in From Software’s Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and most directly Bloodborne games. Demon’s Souls in particular draws heavily on the existential, unknowable horror that is descending upon the kingdom of Boletaria and the secrets behind its true collapse, and the Dark Souls games similarly feature somewhat Lovecraftian ideas and monsters. Of the three, Bloodborne is the most direct with its inspirations, with characters routinely discussing the fact that seeing more of the truth may drive one mad, cosmic entities controlling, mutating, and destroying humanity, fish people (a staple of Lovecraft’s works), and humongous, tentacle-faced monsters (here known as Amygdala).

        Ironically, however, there is actually another reason for the popularity of Cthulhu Mythos in Japanese media that helped spread its flavorful influence amongst various genres, and it actually has little to do with Lovecraft’s actual writings themselves. Instead, many Japanese fans encounter Lovecraft’s elder gods through the table-top role-playing game Call of Cthulhu, first published in Japan 1986, and the explosion in popularity was not only a staggering success, but it continues to this day! Although many Western fans might assume that TTRPG games like Dungeons and Dragons are popular in Japan due to some of their influences in fantasy anime, Call of Cthulhu reigns supreme as the most popular TTRPG in Japan, and its popularity likely helped introduce many Japanese to the TTRPG genre in the first place!

Call of Cthulhu is, essentially, a group mystery adventure game, and that seems to have really hit big with Japanese audiences far and wide, because the game has remained in print since its initial introduction in the nineties, and has fans of all ages and genders playing in groups, to the point that some places will find their rooms for group meetings rented out to play games of Call of Cthulhu! Recently, the game even got some favorable air time in an NHK news segment, talking about the game itself and the fun that can be had with it! With this popularity came the growth of a somewhat unique phenomenon: Replays, essentially narrative, semi-novelized versions of Call of Cthulhu campaigns collected and printed for other people to read, similar to today’s popular “actual play” podcasts and videos such as Critical Role or The Adventure Zone. Even today, Call of Cthulhu replays are extremely popular, with new versions being printed all the time, sometimes even adorned with amazing, cute anime styled art and other interesting little design choices, like semi-doujinshi level works featuring Touhou characters, and more! These Replays became so popular that they soon spread to other types of TTRPGs, and are the inspiration behind anime such as Record of Lodoss War, Slayers, and many others!

    If one were to search Cthulhu on Amazon.jp, you’d actually find that most of the results are these colorful and interesting Replay books, almost more so than you’d even find the original novels and stories by Lovecraft himself! There are many other fascinating fan inspired books about the Cthulhu Mythos, including a personal favorite of Cthulhu monsters arranged in a book similar to those of Kaiju and Tokusatsu stylings (even featuring a cartoon Lovecraft on the cover doing the famous Ultraman pose). There are other small Cthulhu publications in Japanese, include a manga anthology called Zone of Cthulhu and numerous adaptations, and Gou Tanabe’s versions are even being translated into English, with The Hound and Other Stories already available, and At the Mountains of Madness coming later this year.

Of course the Cthulhu love isn’t limited to just print media; many anime have featured some nods and callbacks to the mythos, such as in the visual novel and anime of the same name Demonbane, which is even set in Lovecraft’s beloved Arkham. Main character Kuro Daijuji works with Al Azif, the living personification of the Necronomicon, to defeat the nefarious Black Lodge (a very probable nod to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks here). As mentioned above, numerous works by Chiaki J. Konaka draw from the Cthulhu Mythos, but Digimon Tamers might be the most surprising, with callbacks to Miskatonic University and Shaggai, as well as a computer AI that seems to have more in common with the Great Old Ones than it does Skynet! Another example is a fairly popular series, Bungo Stray Dogs, where one of the characters... is actually named Lovecraft! But that's not all! His "The Great Old Ones" ability is a reference to Cthulhu's origins. Probably one of the most famous examples is Nyaruko: Another Crawling Chaos, where the monsters of Lovecraft’s works are revealed to actually be aliens, but still very weird! The anime is a comedy featuring numerous Mythos characters repurposed or slightly renamed, such as Nyarlathotep as Nyaruko, the Yellow King Hastur, and more. The series of novels proved popular enough to spawn 3 anime seasons and other spin offs, proving that even if you take the horror out of the Mythos, people will still find it entertaining and… cute?

Speaking of cute, this brings us to a few interesting final tidbits about the Cthulhu Mythos and Japan. Aside from the direct popularity, the language change and differences have led to a few running gags in Japan about the series, one of which has to do with the somewhat infamous Cthulhu cultist chant, “Ia Ia Cthulhu Ftaghn,” with “Ia Ia” being pronounced very similar to the Japanese expression “iya iya”, which has a few various uses in casual Japanese, either meaning something similar to “um” or “no” depending on how and where it is used. The second comes from the fact that Japanese, being a syllabic language, actually has an easier time pronouncing the supposedly “unpronouncable” names of the Cthulu Mythos creatures, with Cthulhu being translated as クトゥルフ, or “Kutourufu”, which is not only a lot easier to actually say, but sounds oddly cute for the sinister elder god!

Cthulhu mania seems as popular as ever both outside and inside of Japan, with new games, movies, comics, and more drawing inspiration from the titles. Although Lovecraft’s own works are less popular than when the fascination started, the current passion for his ideas stems from the attractive allure of the unknown, the potential darkness lingering in shadows and dark pools of water. Whatever the reason people flock to the Cthulhu Mythos, it seems like we can look forward to numerous adaptations, inspirations, and callbacks for years to come… until perhaps even Cthulhu awakens! Until then, it’s best to keep your wits about you and stock up on your esoteric lore… You never know where the elder gods might pop up next during your next anime, manga, or video game binge!

Have any secret and mysterious ancient Cthulhu influences we didn’t mention? Know of any other influences on Japan you’d like us to cover? Let us know in the comments!

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Nicole is a features and a social video script writer for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[tomorrowedblog]

Friday Releases for July 29

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for July 29 include Vengeance, Resurrection, Paper Girls, and more.

Vengeance

Vengeance, the new movie from B.J. Novak, is out today.

VENGEANCE, the directorial debut from writer and star B.J. Novak (“The Office”), is a darkly comic thriller about Ben Manalowitz, a journalist and podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was hooking up with.

Resurrection

Resurrection, the new movie from Andrew Semans, is out today.

A woman’s carefully constructed life is upended when an unwelcome shadow from her past returns, forcing her to confront the monster she’s evaded for two decades.

League Of Super-Pets

League Of Super-Pets, the new movie from Jared Stern and Sam Levine, is out today.

In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.

Not Okay

Not Okay, the new movie from Quinn Shephard, is out today.

Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), an aimless aspiring writer with no friends, no romantic prospects and — worst of all — no followers, fakes an Instagram-friendly trip to Paris in the hopes of boosting her social media clout. When a terrifying incident strikes the City of Lights, Danni unwittingly falls into a lie bigger than she ever imagined. She “returns” a hero, even striking up an unlikely friendship with Rowan (Mia Isaac), a real trauma survivor dedicated to societal change, and scooping up the man of her dreams Colin (Dylan O'Brien). As an influencer and advocate, Danni finally has the life and audience she always wanted. But it’s only a matter of time before the façade cracks, and she learns the hard way that the Internet loves a takedown.

Sharp Stick

Sharp Stick, the new movie from Lena Dunham, is out today.

Sarah Jo is a naive 26-year-old living on the fringes of Hollywood with her mother and sister. She just longs to be seen. When she begins an affair with her older employer, she is thrust into an education on sexuality, loss and power.

Medusa

Medusa, the new movie from Anita Rocha da Silveira, is out today.

Mari and her friends broadcast their spiritual devotion through pastel pinks and catchy evangelical songs about purity and perfection, but underneath it all they harbor a deep rage. By day they hide behind their manicured facade, and by night they form a masked, vigilante girl gang, prowling the streets in search of sinners who have deviated from the rightful path. After an attack goes wrong, leaving Mari scarred and unemployed, her view of community, religion, and her peers begin to shift.

Honor Society

Honor Society, the new movie from Oran Zegman, is out today.

Honor is an ambitious high school senior whose sole focus is getting into an Ivy League college… assuming she can first score the coveted recommendation from her guidance counselor, Mr. Calvin. Willing to do whatever it takes, Honor concocts a Machiavellian-like plan to take down her top three student competitors, until things take a turn when she unexpectedly falls for her biggest competition, Michael.

A Love Song

A Love Song, the new movie from Max Walker-Silverman, is out today.

At a campground in the rural West, a woman waits alone for an old flame from her past to arrive, uncertain of his intentions while bashful about her own.

Paradise Highway

Paradise Highway, the new movie from Anna Gutto, is out today.

Academy Award winners Juliette Binoche and Morgan Freeman lead this riveting thriller set in the trucking industry and its seamy underbelly of human trafficking. When her brother’s life is threatened, Sally (Binoche), a truck driver, reluctantly agrees to smuggle illicit cargo: a girl named Leila (Hala Finley). As Sally and Leila begin a danger-fraught journey across state lines, a dogged FBI operative (Freeman) sets out on their trail, determined to do whatever it takes to terminate a human-trafficking operation — and bring Sally and Leila to safety.

Paper Girls

Paper Girls, the new TV series from Stephany Folsom, is out today.

It’s the day after Halloween in 1988 when four young friends accidentally stumble into an intense time war and find themselves inexplicably transported to the year 2019. When they come face-to-face with their adult selves, each girl discovers her own strengths as together they try to find a way back to the past while saving the world of the future.

Surface

Surface, the new TV series from Veronica West, is out today.

Set in high-end San Francisco, Surface, stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“The Morning Show”) who also executive produces, as Sophie, a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury that has left her with extreme memory loss. As Sophie embarks on a quest to put the pieces of her life back together with the help of her husband and friends, she begins to question whether or not the truth she is told is in fact the truth she has lived. Through twists and turns and an unexpected love triangle, this sexy, elevated thriller asks: What if you woke up one day and didn’t know your own secrets?

Fanático

Fanático, the new TV series from Yago de Torres Peño, Dani del Águila, and Federico Maniá Sibona, is out today.

When a trap artist’s biggest fan tries to take over his idol’s persona, he finds out that being a superstar isn’t as easy as it looks.

City On A Hill S3

The third season of City On A Hill, the TV series from Chuck MacLean, is out today.

Season three of CITY ON A HILL brings us to Boston’s high society Beacon Hill. Having left the FBI and thrown his badge into Boston Harbor, Jackie Rohr (Bacon) lands a lavish new gig running security for a wealthy family. Life is good until secrets begin to unravel. When an investigation opens, ADA Decourcy Ward (Hodge) sees an opportunity to finally rip out the machinery perpetuating a broken criminal justice system. Siobhan Quays (Banks), representing a construction worker who was severely injured on the Big Dig, encounters the city’s corruption firsthand, all while coping with the traumatic events of her past year. As Jenny Rohr (Hennessy) can attest, given her history with her father, some experiences will haunt you beyond your breaking point.

[amplesalty]

Halloween 2021 - Day 3 - Minotaur (2006)

You mess with the bull, you get the horns!

So, full disclosure, this movie’s place on this marathon only exists because of the vast amounts of time I’ve spent playing Hades ever since it popped up on Gamepass a few months back. I’ve tried a couple of rogue likes before but never ever truly stuck. Spelunky I think I did a handle of attempts, Rogue Legacy had a few, Dungeons of Dredmor I played a little bit years ago. FTL is the one I was most into, even managed to be it albeit on the easiest setting. I think being turned based probably helped out a lot since I could use it as a secondary thing I was doing whilst I was watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts. It’s kinda easier to split your focus when you’re not needing to use your reflexes to handle platforming and action combat whilst you’re trying to absorb something audibly.

Hades shares that same sort of addictive ‘one more go’ quality that I suppose is reflected in all rogue likes. That frustration of failing in a run but feeling the inspiration to go again straight away because you got so close and maybe things would have gone better if I’d taken this route or picked up this power up. It does poke at something I like in games, being able to incrementally improve your character so even if you are failing, you know that behind the scenes you are getting better in a pure numbers sense whilst also learning more on the mechanics and the levels of the game itself to help you become a better player. Hades is also wrapped up in a Greek mythology bow so you have something of a basic knowledge going into it from things you’ve picked up in school or general pop culture so it’s cool when you come across the likes of Zeus, Poseidon, Cerberus or Sisyphus.

Even leaning into the ‘horror adjacent’ nature of these moviefests I felt it was something of a stretch to try and shoehorn Jason and the Argonauts or Wrath of the Titans in here. Yeah, they might have stuff like the Kraken, Hydra or those cool stop motion skeletons but it’s more of a fantasy/adventure type thing. Luckily, I learnt that this movie existed and it’s listed as a horror movie. Plus it has Tom Hardy and Tony Todd, sold!

Their participation is probably the only things this movie has going for it so purely on that novelty factor maybe it’s worth checking out? I imagine it has a place as one of those movies that people check out in a ‘before they were famous’ sort of way. One of the top Google results for it is a review by Lindsay Ellis on themarysue.com. The mid 00’s I’d say is right before Hardy really started breaking out. Which isn’t to say he wasn’t in notable things before, to have your first film credit be Black Hawk Down is pretty good and I had no idea he was the Picard clone in Star Trek: Nemesis. But the late 00’s, early 10’s is when you truly start to get those bigger names: Bronson, Inception and, of course, The Dark Knight Rises. I wouldn’t say he did a bad job here or anything, he doesn’t really do anything to stand out but it’s a fairly non-descript movie so you can’t really blame him. He’s not a patch on the Theseus in Hades though. Kind annoying to fight with that spear he throws at you but he’s very theatrical and over the top in the way he greets you upon your entry into the battlefield. I don’t think I’ve ever really seen too much of Hardy’s work but presumably he gets better from here. I mean, everyone raves that Mad Max is the greatest thing since sliced bread, really should check that out sometime. And, tenuous link between him and Tony Todd, Hardy is obviously Venom in the Sony universe but apparently Todd is going to voice him in that Spiderman sequel on PlayStation. That’s going to be awesome.

Todd gives some socks as King Deucalion, a very authoritarian ruler that arranges for the abduction of eight youths from the Village of Thena every three years as a form of revenge for one of their people killing a royal Prince. Well, as youthful as a near 30 year old Tom Hardy can be. From there they are given as tribute to the titular Minotaur who roams in his labyrinth beneath the palace. It’s here that Hardy as Theo is set on going as a local witch type lady tells him that his lost love was not killed during her abduction some years ago and that he is to go the labyrinth to save her.  Fair play to you if you manage to not only outwit the great beast but survive down there for so long.

Deucalion kinda has a vibe to him similar to King Xerxes in 300, both bald and showing a lot of skin. Has his own pit he likes to send people down too, though I suppose it was Leonidas’ pit in 300. Both Xerxes and Deucalion seem to be depicted as having hair and beards in historical paintings of them so not sure where this bald look comes from, maybe someone has an agenda in Hollywood to try and portray bald men as powerful in order to gloss over the stigma of losing ones hair.

The depiction of the Minotaur too seems a little off, spending all of it’s time on all fours. The Minotaur is generally depicted as bipedal, right? Like it walks around and it’s usually carrying some form of weapon like a hammer or polearm? Suppose with the Minotaur they follow the path of the standard horror movie monster by holding off on showing him until relatively late on, not that he’s much to look at with the time period, low budget CGI. Think they have some puppet work going on for the close ups though so that’s a bonus.

Budget clearly didn’t stretch to editing out the wires when people try climbing out of the pit.

The Minotaur doesn’t make for the most interesting or varied of killers though, just gores everyone the entire time and most of them are off camera. Either you just get the shot of the blood splatter on the wall or you hear someone’s screams of agony echo throughout the chambers of the labyrinth. I assume it’s blood anyway, maybe the Minotaur just stepped on a ketchup bottle.

They do kinda blow their load straight away though with one of the first kills where you this one girl talking to the group and all of a sudden she’s impaled through the back of her head and out through her mouth. Nasty!

Almost as nasty as some of the things going on in the bedroom in this universe. Aside from the incestuous relationship of King Deucalion and Queen Raphaella, you also have the origin story of the Minotaur which kinda doesn’t make sense. Like, the intro talks about how the people grew tired of worshipping a stone God and demanded a living one and wanted their Queen to offer herself to the Bull so that they could create the meeting of man and God. And we see her disrobe in front of one of the statues so...did the bull God manifest itself as a living being to impregnate her or did she fuck the statue? I mean, I guess it is a God so it can do what it wants so if it wants to make a statue capable of reproducing it can but how does that work? I know in the actual story it was a live bull that Poseidon used to punish Minos by having his wife fall in love with and mate with it. I don’t know why I’m dedicating this much thought to this debauchery. Feckin’ Greeks, they invented gayness.

[bringinbackpod]

Interview with Prema777

We had the pleasure of interviewing Prema777 over Zoom video! 

Staten Island, NY’s Prema777 released her new single "Workin" last month and is taken from her debut album Take Flight that will be re-released early 2021 on iNTeLLectual Entertainment (2nd Generation WU, GFTD) via Dock Street Records.  “Take Flight is my go where golden age hip hop boom-bap meets vibrancy, still hitting with pure lyrics as an emcee,” she says.  “The album was custom-tailored by building the entire sound from start to finish in the House of Dreams studio on Staten Island with my producer J. Glaze" (Cappadonna, Inspectah Deck, Lil Jon, A Tribe Called Quest, Kurupt, Chasing Banksy movie score). 

Featuring Brooklyn emcee Nitty Scott, who was known for her hit 'Monster', Prema777 feels the synergy between the two brought out her best. “’Workin’ was built with Nitty in mind," she explains.  "I was gearing towards a tribal and fun sound with an empowering vibe to showcase our shine together as both being raw and pure emcees.”  Blending the essence of 90's boom-bap and modern soul, Prema777 discovered R&B and hip hop artists TLC (especially Left Eye), SWV, Missy Elliot, and Aaliyah, while her older brothers introduced her to golden age hip hop artists Eric B. & Rakim, Slick Rick, Gangstarr, and Wu-Tang Clan.  A wordsmith in the tradition of MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, or Ladybug Mecca from Digable Planets, her musical talents also embrace the current realm of artists like Tierra Whack and Princess Nokia.

“Unlike most kids, I enjoyed time on my own and used it to explore creative outlets like music and writing,” she says of her upbringing.  Growing up in Middletown, NJ with her mother until she was 12 years old, Prema777 moved in with her father and two older brothers on Staten Island for her teen years.  Reflecting her struggles as a teenager growing up on her own in New York City after her father passed away, her raw sonics and poetic lyricism is drawn from negative experiences and emotions and leans toward finding beauty in the dark.

Often joking that the healthy spitting of bars between them was what brought them together initially as a couple and then a family, the first time she and her husband iNTeLL (2nd Generation WU and GFTD and mastermind behind iNTeLLectual Entertainment) collaborated musically was on a couple of the tracks from Take Flight.  During the making of Take Flight, Prema777 found out she was pregnant but instead of halting all progress on the recording, she made it a point to go to the studio every day to complete the album.  Prema777 delivered Take Flight and her son on the same day, proof of her dedication to creating a path for other female artists to feel comfortable and confident as she strives for success, progress, and musical and personal growth. 

"Workin" by Prema777 is out now via iNTeLLectualEntertainment and Dock Street Records distributed by Tommy Boy Entertainment.

We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com.

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[pachathegreat]

Day 8: Dracula (1931)

Ah, the children of the night, what music they make!

Welcome to our week long entry of horror movies From Hell They Came (Famous Monsters) which looks at classic horror movie. Most of them are Universal films.

Tonight’s entry is the classic Dracula. Everyone knows the story of Dracula, So I don’t have to go into detail about. Hopefully the rest of week plays out like this. 

This one follows more along the lines of the 1922 play based on Bram Stroker’s novel. It also came along the rise of talkies becoming more of the norm in films. Th movies kicks off immediately after the credits roll (a staple of Old Hollywood films). The actors are expressive and close ups are made to extenuate what they’re conveying in a way that reminds me of Chaplin films. 

There aren’t any effects in the movie, not anything that one would consider much now. We’ve got lots of mist, some big bats on strings, and nice use of lighting.   

Since this is the first horror hit of Universals during the 1930′s I’m going to assume the following weeks films would follow similar pacing. Y’know to be honest I think I’ve only seen one other Dracula movie (2 if you count Nosferatu) and that’s Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stroker’s Dracula which is a adaptation of the book itself. I guess. That movie’s weird. 

So the power’s Dracula possess aren’t as vampiric as you would think. Since he can shapeshift in a werewolf, mist, and turn people insane like Renfield. I just thought it was interesting. There are the things that make Dracula a vampire: the two neck bits, becoming a bat, craving blood, super strength, an aversion to sunlight. But I feel this is may be more of a adaptation of how vampires were initially conceived in Eastern Europe. Being an urban legend for hundreds of years tends to give you a shit load of powers that don’t make sense. I think if anyone is interested in the lore and background of vampires they should checkout Lore, a bi-weel;y podcast dedicated to the myths and legends that envelope our pop culture. 

Two stand out characters in the movie are Renfield and Van Helsing. Helsing  has already garnered a bit of rep among Dracula lore fans. When they first meet in the film is actually pretty tense and cool to see someone stare Dracula down and not blink. Renfield is a weird character, he initially starts off as a sane but kinda dumb guy who goes to Transylvania, ignores everyone warning that Dracula is a monster and goes insane somehow? It’s literally overnight and not well explained in the movie. I liked this version more than the Coppola one. He also had this creepy laugh and his whole demeanor reminded me of Mark Hamill’s version of The Joker to a point. 

Now let’s get to Bela Lugosi. Pretty good. I can see why he’s the template. He has a powerful stare and composure when he walks around in the film. He also plays Dracula as a romantic, which is something that I still see in interpretations today. 

Overall I enjoyed the movie. It is really short. A little over an hour. The third act drags a little, also amazed at how easily Dracula dies in this. They just catch the dude sleeping. Like that’s it. They don’t show it explicitly, but you hear a death scream which in 1931 must’ve been pretty intense.

Tomorrow we endeavor to become the Modern Prometheus by watching the 1931 Universal classic FRANKENSTEIN