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Favorites of 2023

December 31, 2023

Author’s Note

Due to a number of factors I didn’t get to swim in as much media as normal this year, and what I did read, watch or play often wasn’t released in 2023. Consequently, instead of breaking my favorites of the year by medium, I’ll list them all in one post.

Books

BIG SWISS by Jen Beagin

“I will often buy a book solely because of a sharply designed, well-executed cover. Jen Beagin’s BIG SWISS was one of those books. […] I saw the cover, refrained from opening it, balked at reading the inscription in the slipcover and thought to myself: “I don’t know what this book is about, but I know I need it.‘”

And I did and I wrote about it.

IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE: A COMPLETELY AVERAGE RECOVERY STORY by Julia Wertz

IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE — the full title is IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE: A COMPLETELY AVERAGE RECOVERY STORY — is quite the epic as it’s over 300 pages long and spans quite a bit of time and change. It still contains Wertz’s immaculate architectural reproductions, but also retains her expressive cartoon roots. When I was reading it, I’d gawk at the street in one panel, then laugh at the exaggerated simplicity of her comic self throwing her arms up in the air. It’s a perfectly calibrated work.

Impossibly, I wrote about it here.

TV

HARLEY QUINN: THE ANIMATED SERIES Season 4

As I’ve endlessly noted: I will never, ever shut up about Harley Fuckin’ Quinn. While I haven’t posted about the entirety of the fourth season, I did write about the endlessly entertaining and hilariously filthy HARLEY QUINN: A VERY PROBLEMATIC VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL which opened the season:

“This episode is wall-to-wall horny in a celebratory way, in the way that I wish sex was more popularly portrayed. It’s mostly about Harley buying drugs to give Ivy the best orgasm of her life — which leads to one of the best lines of the show: ‘Oh you cannot possibly be mad about me wanting to get you off too good. THAT IS NOT A THING!’”

Season four doubles down on Harley and Ivy’s relationship, as well as the dissonance between their aspiring goals: Harley is part of the Bat-Family and trying to do good in the world, and Ivy is the Legion of Doom’s — as Lex calls her — “She-E-O”. Hijinks and emotional beats ensue.

Thankfully a fifth season is on its way, and it will almost certainly be on next year’s favorites list.

THE BEAR Season Two

I was not as wild about the first season of THE BEAR as others. Instead of repeating myself, see my post about that season here.

The second season maneuvers in a way that is catnip to me. It made sure to properly convey Chicago’s robust food scene, and turned the show into a character drama anthology.

I know everyone loves Honeydew and Fishes and Forks, but my favorite episode is Sundae. Sydney, portrayed by the endlessly curious Ayo Edebiri, is instructing herself through tasting a variety of foods; she’s teaching herself instead of being taught by others like in Honeydew and Forks, and she does so mostly silently by trekking around the city to low-brow and high-brow restaurants and diners.

It’s all show — don’t tell — which for a show that relies on taste, a sense that can’t be easily conveyed through a televisual medium, makes it all the more remarkable, and that it does so in a such a subtle and nuanced way is a stunning achievement.

BOB’S BURGERS Season 14

It’s hard to believe that this scrappy, winsome show has been on-air for twelve years. It’s even harder to believe that each and every season has been a gem, practically flawless and immensely entertaining and endlessly re-watchable.

Of particular note this season is its second episode, The Amazing Rudy, which focuses solely on ‘Regular-sized Rudy’ and his family issues and general insecurities and it’s such a sweet and heartfelt episode, expertly woven.

This show, while yes it’s often puerile but hilariously so, never ceases to surprise me. Every Sunday it’s on is a delight. For the past few years, I’ve indulged in December 26th BOB’S BURGERS marathons to wind down from the holidays, to remind me about family bonds and laugh and chuckle to myself and just feel my body warmed by the Belcher family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQdRPJic2z0

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Season Four

I enjoyed STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS’s second season although I felt a bit let down a few times — that musical episode could have worked more around the characters, for instance — however, it was the LOWER DECKS crossover that made me seek out the animated LOWER DECKS.

LOWER DECKS is perhaps one of the most reverent and spiritually original recipe STAR TREK, moreso than DISCOVERY and STRANGE NEW WORLDS. It’s both about the wonder of space and exploration, but also about being part of the Federation, something grander and being proud of being a part of that, even though it has its drawbacks.

It is also by far the most overtly nerdy STAR TREK show out there as it really, really leans into the lore and history of the series, to a point where I know I’m not even getting a third of the jokes or references, but it’s so finely crafted that it’s still extremely entertaining.

Also: I would have been watching it out of the gate if y’all had just told me it was basically a BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$ reunion.

SUCCESSION Season Four

What can be said about SUCCESSION that hasn’t already been said before? They fucking stuck the landing. The final season is one hell of an emotional rollercoaster from start-to-finish, with pitch-perfect scripting, pacing, claustrophobic camerawork, exquisite costuming, but what I’ll remember most about the series, and especially the fourth season?

Motherfucking Kieran Culkin.

Of everyone in the Roy family, Roman is the most idiosyncratic, the most broken, and this season just heaps more and more shit on him and how he deals — or doesn’t — is a fucking marvel. This is one hell of a performance — in many multi-faceted ways — and so much of the final season hinges on him without calling attention to that fact.

If this is the end of prestige TV — and it certainly seems like it might be — I can’t think of a better show to close the door.

WELCOME TO WREXHAM Season Two

As I wrote in my prior WREXHAM post, I firmly believe this show will be an inflection point for sports documentaries. Everything about it could have gone wrong: the self-insertion, the rich American saviors, the forced attempt at an underdog story, etc. However, WREXHAM manages to acknowledge all of the above and focus on the humanity of what sports do, not just for community economics, not just for townsfolk, but for a greater good.

Everything about this show feels like it comes from the heart, a place of well-wishing. While there is the push-and-pull and tension of budgets and over-spending, this is not an exploitative work. Yes, it does bring up some fundamental questions of capitalism and sportsman-like conduct, but that’s baked in and well-handled.

I can safely say: we’ll never see another documentary like this again. Get in while the gettin’ is good.

Film

BARBIE

This was one of the few first-day blockbuster film viewings for me in 2023, and well, it did not disappoint. (That said, I was hoping for a more energetic audience, but a less exuberant one is probably better than one far too rowdy.) Gerwig deftly threads the needle between American culture and consumerism, nostalgia, social commentary, and gender politics, all while also being endlessly entertaining and a visual starburst.

While Gosling rightly gets many accolades, I feel like Margot Robbie has been unfairly overlooked here, not just for the work she put in to will this into the world, but also her understated and sly performance. While it’s certainly a more subdued and backgrounded performance from her — odd words to type, considering she’s playing the titular role and she’s not exactly quiet — she does a lot with it, and there’s a lot to work with!

(Please note: I mean this in comparison to how broad she could have played it.)

I think most folks knew this would be a fun film going in. I don’t think anyone was prepared for just how smart and subversive it’d be.

It took me back to when I first saw JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS in that it’s so witty and intelligent and so winsome and fun and thoughtful. It makes the most out of what film can do; it’s a visual and aural extravaganza that doesn’t speak down to anyone, but can please just about everyone.

In other words: an absolute triumph of a Hollywood film.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

I am not the right person to discuss this film, but its runtime is supremely justified. Not a moment or exchange is wasted, and all of the money and Scorsese’s humanity is all on the screen. It’s a supremely taut epic, albeit one that I didn’t suspect would be more in the vein of GOODFELLAS than some of his more quietly dramatic works.

That said — and I know the editor and Apple were absolutely against this idea — bring back the intermission. The theater I saw FLOWER MOON at? I needed to use the facilities and because it’s in a strange mostly-deserted urban mall with very meandering stairs, well, I lost a good ~12 minutes and missed at least one key point. Would I know where to even put an intermission in this film? Nope, but between this and watching THE IRISHMAN in the theater, I appreciate Scorsese’s big swings but … give us just a slight bit of respite during the film.

Nonetheless, it’s all the more reason to watch it again.

Live

RATED Q

To repeat myself from prior posts: RATED Q is a monthly screening event at my favorite theater — the Music Box Theatre — helmed by Ramona Slick that features queer and underground films, prefaced by a themed drag show.

They’ve held these events on for at least two years now — I have had a hard time finding a list of prior events — and, despite being queer, I didn’t quite think it was for me.

However, when they announced that they’d be screening a print of BOUND, I knew I had to go, and it was a fucking revelation. It was brazen, it was audacious, it was fun, it was celebratory; it was ecstatic and electric. I couldn’t help but keep coming back. CATS! LEGALLY BLONDE! BRIDE OF CHUCKY! HAIRSPRAY! And the next screening? Motherfucking JAWBREAKER!

I know it’s an unfair favorite to post given how local it is, but seriously, seek it out if you’re ever in Chicago on the second Thursday of the month.

(Also? I accidentally intruded on the above photoshoot. Not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed about that.)

SKINNY PUPPY

This was a reunion show (R.I.P. Dwayne Goettel) — allegedly their final tour — of a classic electro-industrial band that I endlessly listened to in my youth and still listen to, to this very day.

I might be one of the few folks out there who will always go to bat for Last Rights. Scrapyard is probably no one’s favorite song, but it’s my favorite song from that album, perhaps my favorite of theirs overall. That fuckin’ break two-thirds through?! If you know, you know.

I have attended a number of reunion shows. Most of those I have regretted attending as they cast a pall over their works. This one I did not. In fact, it was far better than the majority of shows I’ve seen as of late and made me appreciate their works more than ever.

It was wall-to-wall theatrics; they hit all of the right notes and it had the verve of a far younger band. I never saw them live but had seen taped live performances and it felt like they hadn’t missed a beat.

I walked out feeling exhilarated and very privileged that I managed to see it. (It was a sold-out show but I lucked out and knew someone with tickets who couldn’t attend at the last second. Thanks, Chrystyne! Wish ya coulda been there!)

Videogames

COCOON

COCOON is an absolutely exceptional puzzle work of a game. Immaculately executed, absolutely gorgeous; it’s a game that makes you feel like you’re being taught to walk; your body innately wants to do so, but needs certain soft nudges without feeling pressured.

(Except for the bosses. Yeah, I know; there’s no real fail condition here, but I really hated the bosses. I understand the need — escalating action and resultant relief and all — but geez, I did not enjoy those bouts.)

It’s a tour-de-force of game design, one that has raised the bar. The gorgeous art design and soundtrack is just icing on the cake.

VIDEOVERSE

Still planning on writing more about this, so I’ll try to keep it brief:

VIDEOVERSE from developer Kinmoku — who willed into the world the very necessary work ONE NIGHT STAND — is not just a love letter to the days of internet old, but it scrutinizes when folks realized they could reach out and communicate to strangers and form bonds without exactly having to do so face-to-face.

It’s a merger of talkers and WiiU communities. While the novelty of exploring those communities would be worth the price of admission, the interwoven narratives are extremely effective, as well as the striking throwback interface.

It also has perhaps my biggest endorsement: I burned through my first playthrough on my MacBook Pro in my office on launch day.

I almost never game in my office as I like to keep my professional and recreational lives separate. I might play one PC/macOS-only game a year. This year it was VIDEOVERSE and it was well-worth it.

LOOKINGGLASS ALICE (2022)

December 18, 2023

Author’s Note

This is a post I initially penned last year, but never quite got around to finishing because, well, there was no way anyone could see it as the production had closed and there are usually a number of years between when it’s produced again. However, now you can stream it via the WTTW website!

Those around me know I’m a curmudgeon when it comes to ALICE IN WONDERLAND. It’s not because I believe Lewis Carroll’s story is overrated trash best left in the past. That would be foolish. It is a brilliant foundational text; a complex piece that entertains and enlightens no matter your age.

However, I do feel that referencing ALICE hallmarks are often used as an artistic crutch. Someone slaps a ‘DRINK ME’ tag into a work or mentions ‘rabbit hole’ and it’s meant as a wink and then all of the sudden the work takes on a deeper meaning without having to imbue your own.

So, last year when I read that Chicago’s LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE was reviving their signature take on ALICE IN WONDERLAND — LOOKINGGLASS ALICE — I reluctantly resigned myself to attending, albeit to their final performance on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I was surrounded by painted-up wide-eyed youths and then I remembered that oh, right, ALICE IN WONDERLAND is first and foremost a cautionary tale for youths, one that’s mostly been reappropriated by adults for the reasons listed above.

Like I said: I am a curmudgeon.

If you aren’t familiar with LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE, it’s a relatively small but celebrated Tony-award winning theatre. It can accommodate a few hundred folks and is located in downtown Chicago, in the infamous Chicago Water Tower, part-and-parcel of the legacy of the Great Chicago Fire that razed most of the city. However, the limestone-constructed Water Tower survived.

LOOKINGGLASS is a theater-in-the-round in a maximal way; they don’t constrain themselves to the main floor, but frequently utilize the entire space, weaving their way through the audience to the rafters before sinking into the subterranean basement.

As you might suspect by the name, LOOKINGGLASS ALICE is “one of their signature shows”, and what a show it is. Not only is it extraordinarily physical and features numerous upbeat songs, it is often very melancholy, even when reveling in acrobatics and circus spectacle and elaborate, inventively whimsical costumes.

There’s one scene where Alice ascends before going down the rabbit hole and the actor grabs and grapples through three tiers of rope, all swinging and twisting and twirling and contorting herself while singing at the same time. It is jaw-dropping and intensely emotion and satisfyingly effective.

While the production traffics in a lot of expertly crafted kid-pleasing numbers that some might find abrasive and somewhat puerile — such as ones from TweedleDee/TweedleDumb and The Caterpillar — those numbers serve to heighten the reflective bits.

One personal note: there’s a scene where the White Night is talking to Alice. He removes his elaborate helmet and hands it a front-row audience member. For that final performance, I just happened to be that audience member.

After three months of very sweaty performances, it was very fragrant. Also, it was very warm.

The White Knight exits the scene and doesn’t return for some time and when he does, he climbs onto an extremely tall unicycle, riding around the stage all while talking at Alice.

After holding the helmet for a good ten or fifteen minutes, I wondered whether it was a production error because, again: final performance, Sunday afternoon. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen performers flub a line or miss a mark or be visibly hungover during the last show.

You can find out for yourself whether it was or was not an error, and you don’t even have to visit Chicago or even leave your house to do so! Our local PBS station WTTW aired a finely produced live-with-audience production of LOOKINGGLASS ALICE that was recorded last year. You can stream it at the WTTW site!

SATANIC PANIC FEST (2017-2018)

October 23, 2023

This is a terribly unfair recommendation as there’s no way you can experience — or even watch this — but my blog, my rules.

Chicago-based burlesque performer Red Rum is rather singular in that she marries burlesque with horror. Her acts are often creepy, often unsettling, sometimes bloody, but always enthralling. For example: she once programmed an entire night of performers around TWILIGHT ZONE episodes and it was a twisted blast.

In 2018 I attended the second SATANIC PANIC FESTIVAL, a phantasmagoric horror-centric burlesque gala, wrangled by Red Rum. It took place in Chicago’s School of the Art Institute’s ballroom which is an open two-story space and — as you can see by the photo above — they needed it.

The event was bewildering, all spectacle and darkness and it was spooky and creepy and sexy and it was amazing. The highlight — in more ways than one — was the above. Yes, your eyes do not deceive you: those folks are holding buzzsaws to their metal-ensconced crotches and yes, the sparks flew two stories to the ceiling.

Red Rum only programmed two of these momentous, over-packed events, the first of which I missed — which I regret — but at least I was able to attend this one. I treasure the card pack that was handed to me. It resides on a shelf to the right of me, and I see it every day.

Why am I posting this? Obviously, you have no hope of attending these events as the SATANIC PANIC FEST is no longer.

First and foremost, Red Rum is an amazing performer and she does show up in cities other than Chicago, so keep an eye out for her!

Second, there’s more to enjoying horror than just watching scary movies or TV.

There are so many ways to celebrate confronting the darker sides of humanity than just watching a screen. These events are communal. You intermingle with like-minded individuals and you can simply revel in the experience and know that you are in a safe space where folks want to have fun while acknowledging the terrible potential of human or supernatural or otherworldly behavior.

It’s a way to be thrilled, to be safely scared, to feel like you’re living, and there’s no better way to do so than with others while watching someone living in front of you, writhing and reveling in your reactions. Hopefully you live in an area with folks that provide such an experience and, hell, if no one else is doing it? Do it yourself. Red Rum willed this event into existence. She did it herself. You can too.

PUERTO MUERTO – Drumming for Pistols (2010)

January 24, 2022

During the cruel isolation of both the pandemic and Chicago winter, I’ve been reflecting on some of most memorable live music shows I’ve attended because goddamn I miss live events and thought for a brief moment I’d be able to return to them. I can safely say there aren’t many more memorable than PUERTO MUERTO’s final show.

PUERTO MUERTO was a Chicago-based husband and wife goth/Americana band that released five albums before imploding around 2010. I discovered them via their last album, DRUMMING FOR PISTOLS, then heard about them performing a final live show at the legendary dive venue Empty Bottle, and I was all too happy to attend.

While I had suspected that there was some sort of strife between the two — rarely does a band explicitly declare a final show — their performance was extraordinarily combative. They closed with the titular track of their last album and I exited the club feeling like I’d witnessed the razing of a relationship. I’ve seen a lot of intense shows over the years, but Christa Meyer was so amazingly, brazenly, cathartically angry that her performance still resonates a decade later.

THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW (2011-2018)

March 13, 2021

(HBO MAX/VOD) THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW was a comedy/variety show from UCB comedian and podcaster Chris Gethard (best known for BEAUTIFUL STORIES FROM ANONYMOUS PEOPLE) that started on Manhattan public television, then leapt to Fusion TV, then truTV picked it up and, after a year, they unceremoniously canceled the show.

Gethard spearheaded this anarchic, supremely kindhearted show whose closest comparison is probably PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE because of its endearing cast of wacky characters and overall earnestness.

I came to the show late and never saw any of the public TV eps, but it quickly became appointment television. The best introduction is probably -One Man’s Trash- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwi_kE0gy94 ) which features Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas guessing the content of the show’s dumpster. The reveal is amazing, and by far one of the best moments of TV in the past decade.

I’d be remiss to not mention that Shannon O’Neill is Gethard’s sidekick, and I believe she is legally required to play every non-leading film or TV production role in every TV show, as she’s basically played the same character on DIFFICULT PEOPLE, HIGH MAINTENANCE, UNCLE PECKERHEAD, -and- BLACK BEAR.

You can view the three Fusion/truTV seasons via HBO MAX because apparently there’s no rhyme or reason as to what streams anywhere now, but a bunch of the eps are available via Gethard’s YouTube account as well.