#roach reviews

[roachliquid]

Roach Reviews: Some Good Lovecraftian Art: Part 1: Glorious

"Lovecraftian" is such an unhelpful label to put on art at this point. It covers everything from commercially-driven Call of Cthulhu (the story, not the game) knockoffs. to works that have a tangential relationship to the Yog-Sothothery at best. to horror that just happens to be gothic and/or weird. I think a lot of works get labeled as Lovecraftian not out of serious artistic consideration, but because Lovecraft is widely regarded as a "master" (lmfao) and people see comparing other works to his as an easy shorthand compliment. Unfortunately this leads to the term becoming muddied and eventually useless.

That doesn't interest me, though. It's shitty and boring and doesn't help anyone. So instead, I'm going to talk about some original works that I find both truly Lovecraftian - in the sense that they derive from his works in a way that at least somewhat understands their themes - and just plain good.

These are in no particular order, and I make no claims of representing the entire corpus of Lovecraftian art; this is just some shit I really like. And since I'm going to be talking at length about these, this is going to be a series; in this first installment we are covering a recent movie release.

Glorious (2022, dir. Rebekah McKendry)

Did you know that the reason At the Mountains of Madness was deemed "unfilmable" was not because it would be technically challenging or overambitious, but because Hollywood executives couldn't figure out how to market it? One of the biggest problems, apparently, was that the cast didn't have any attractive women in it.

Anyway, Glorious is about a man who is trapped in a restroom where he talks to a glory hole voiced by J.K. Simmons. Since the movie came out fairly recently, you've probably already heard about it, but I'm here to give it my personal stamp of approval. It's hard to say much about this movie without spoiling it, so I'll give it my best shot.

First of all, let's talk about the Lovecraft connection. The character talking through the glory hole is Ghatanothoa, who was first introduced in "Out of the Aeons", a story ghostwritten by Lovecraft for one Hazel Heald. The character would go on to feature in Lin Carter's Xothic legend cycle, published between 1971 and 1981. However, the Ghatanothoa in the movie diverges a bit from both of these sources, having his own unique origin and purpose that drive much of the story.

What is that purpose? Well, that's a huge spoiler, by which I mean less that it's a big reveal in-universe and more that this movie is better watched as blind as possible. So instead, I'm going to attempt to talk about what makes the movie good.

I actually put off watching this movie for several months because I wasn't sure I could actually get through it. Is the story interesting? Is one guy talking to a hole enough to carry a movie and keep my ADHD brain awake from passing out? Turns out the answer is yes. Not only is Ryan Kwanten a fantastic physical actor, playing off the restroom's space with a dynamic energy that is great to watch, the film makes great use of camera angles and some other devious tricks (like gradually revealing aspects of what's going on) to keep things from getting stale.

So, on to the next important question: s it Lovecraftian? You could easily debate that it isn't; after all, it bears no obvious trappings of Gothic fiction, nor does it feature many of the hallmarks most traditionally associated with Lovecraft's best-known work. But if we define the genre as only what is best known, then many of the author's own works wouldn't qualify as Lovecraftian. The guy repeated himself occasionally, but he was far from a one-trick pony.

And ultimately, the story uses several elements that I feel make the cut. It deals with themes of isolation, mental and emotional torment, and grief, in a way that is heavily evocative both of the Gothic genre and of Lovecraft's own personality. The cosmic horror, meanwhile, is here not to represent those personal feelings, but as a potent illustration of the self-centeredness of obsessing over one's own misery - again a very genre-fitting message. I doubt that this vague sort of meta-criticism is intentional - most likely it's just a "if the shoe fits" situation, as Lovecraft was frequently guilty of exhibiting Gothic villain behaviors in real life - but it's certainly interesting.

But I digress. Yes, I would argue, it's Lovecraftian - as an intimate tale of horror that marries personal pain to cosmic terrors, a fresh and inventive yet thematically faithful take on the Mythos. It's also a damn good movie, if my exuberance so far hasn't made it obvious. If you enjoyed 1408, are into Lovecraft deep cuts, or both of those things, this is definitely the movie for you.

[yi3248]

*Snatches your Roach and run away with it*

my emotional support roach... gone...

[stabbingandorbeingstabbed]

i really do think most of my problems would be solved if i could find a reasonably priced reasonably safe and uninfested place in philly so i could catch a train to nyc every 2 weeks to hang out with my friends like it would fix me. fantasizing abt taking bean for little walks in a walkable city.......... it could be a dream

[sucharide]

absolutely obsessed with reading 1 star reviews of fantastic books on Goodreads. they are always just "i didn't like [insert trope that the book is well known for including here]".

[defensefilms]

2019's Bombshell Is A Media Literacy Tool

*This Review Contains Mad Spoilers*

Believe it or not, I used to love movies.

However, in 2024, I literally only pay enough attention to make sure I get the morsels of movies I know will be able to hold my interest, rather than knowing what's being released this week, the next and every other week.

Jay Roach's (director) Bombshell is one such film that does that.

Bombshell is a 2019 flick based on real life events, depicting the reports of a culture of sexual harassment at Fox News under former television executive, Roger Ailes, as portrayed in the film by the legendary John Lithgow.

The film has 3 main protagonists through which the Fox News culture is examined, and each of them has a different relationship with Roger Ailes.

The first is Megyn Kelly portrayed by Charlize Theron, the 2nd is Gretchen Carlson portrayed by Nicole Kidman, and the last is Kayla Pospisil played by Margot Robbie, and they're all at different stages of their careers at the time of the bombshell report.

The one who sets the events in motion, however, is Gretchen Carlson, who was the first to take any kind of legal action against Fox News or Roger Ailes.

Megyn Kelly is the other side of the coin in this news corporation, because whereas Gretchen wants to expose Roger, Megyn is deemed to have played ball and won, and her career was on a high during the time of Trump's first election campaign, thus she didn't have a reason to rock the boat.

It isn't until she realizes how many women had been through the same thing that she talks to Carlson's lawyers.

The thing is, this movie isn't just a movie, it's 2 hours' worth of answers about anything you have ever wondered about the news giant that is Fox News.

This film should be mandatory viewing for people aspiring to do anything in news or entertainment media.

Not only does it shed light on what the experience of these women were, but you learn a lot on how news is disseminated at the conglomerate.

Margot Robbie's character is shocked to learn that the Bill O'Reilly show doesn't require its producers or researchers to fact-check anything, and if you've watched Fox News, you always knew something was off about how news stories are told.

It's the story of a broken news reporting culture that reflects the broken political culture that they are paid to report on.

It is made implicitly clear to Kayla Pospisil that she needs to play to the biases of the audiences and report stories that feed notions that "immigrants are taking the jobs", "black people are criminals" and "the government wants you to be gay", and in short, not to challenge the party line with her sourcing.

It may be the most important dissemination of media culture since 1976's Network, a film that resonates massively even in 2024.

The Donald Trump 2016 election campaign also places this story at a very critical time in American history.

This is the Fox News culture at a time when they are the number one source for Republican news, with a Republican for a president, and are on the verge of having unfettered access to Trump's white house. Something that puts a strain on the way both Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly do their jobs.

An excellent flick that sees a bunch Fox News' on-air personalities portrayed in rather ridiculous fashion, and in particular I found Alanna Ubach's portrayal of Jeanine Pirro, every bit as over the top as I imagine her to be in real life.

To me, this is what film making is missing, stories that talk about things that matter, things that have happened in real life.

The issue with films like this, is that so many people get exposed and made to look bad, that the legal hassles of getting this thing released probably blew the marketing budget, and it probably explains a bit of why I didn't know this movie was a thing until it aired on my television in 2024.

[honey-oak]

I’m so glad airports are super fun and enjoyable to be stranded at!

[twenty-words-or-less]

Sting

Summary: Charlotte (Alyla Browne) finds a spider in her grandmother's flat and decides to keep it as a pet, hidden from mother Michelle (Penelope Mitchell) and stepfather Ethan (Ryan Corr). It doesn't take long for the difficulties of keeping a secret pet to kick in.

Low-concept low-budget '70s B-movie made in 2024 with solid performances and good (largely) practical FX. More like this, please.

Rating: 4.25/5

Photo credit: High on Films

[saltycryptid]

At the strangest, and yet most predictable, point in my timeline. I am now officially a Supernatural Watcher, a Fan even. Y'all got me--y'all GOT me. I made it through the first three seasons and honestly im chewing on the floorboards abt season 4. 💥💥💥 ◉_◉ 💥💥💥

Not enough time to finish my 10,000 wips, yet enough time to dream of new ones with new blorbos. Embarrassing is what this is, embarrassing!

[dee-the-red-witch]

"Are- Are you gonna kill me?"

"No. No. Worse. I'm gonna tell you shit you could never un-know."

The latest Mediavoring column's up for my subscribers. This time, we dive into THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH. https://www.patreon.com/posts/mediavoring-of-85757041

Public access opens up in two days, so go sign up and check it out now.

[balimode]

Law Roach when styling other people is phenomenal. Not really a fan of the full look here, but the layering of the design on the blazer is nice.

[feral-cockroach]

what the fuck did i just watch

[the-everqueen]

hero of the evening is merricat, who caught and killed a roach that got inside when i brought in some packages. all that Worm chasing has made her a formidable foe.

[ooklet]

we've only in-personed three apartments but i already want to lie down and let the tide take me.

[alliluyevas]

why do so many apartment buildings have this weird mix of five and one star reviews

[todayisafridaynight]

Ok but Jiro splurging and getting Ichi a little pocket guide to local bugs ;o; He’d carry it everywhere as a kid and it’d get so bent and dirty but he learns so much. Bringing home bugs to his dad in his lil wire bug trap and rattling off bug facts while some of the girls are screaming for him to take it outside (cute lil Ichi being the one who handles bugs for some of the girls at Shangri-La who are afraid of them)

I’m sorry I dunno why I’m so obsessed with little bug guy Ichiban. Imagine him being young and watching caterpillars grow in class okay ;o; angel!!

oh so we're all on board with Bug Lover Ichi then maybe democracy does exist

[angelofverdum]

The Horror of Dolores Roach

I'm always trying to support latinos, because I have to support my people. Otherwise, I'd not have checked this show.

The show was fine. It was nothing spectacular or awful. Some episodes were repetitive. "Someone went to get a massage, and Dolores killed them for whatever reason"

I love the latino part. The spanglish, the songs, the ambiance. Justina Machado is amazing, as usual. The supporting actors are all incredible.

I didn't like the ending, tbh. I don't know if they are wishing for a second season, and that's why they went for an open ending. I'm usually fine with an open ending, but I didn't like this one.

Also, it's more like a dark comedy, no horror like it was advertised.

It's a quick watch, and It was definitely made to binge. I'll give it a 3 out of 5.