I love their first album DELETE YOURSELF!. I really do. It’s all hard-hitting gritty hardcore and hip-hop beats and brutal samples and whip-worthy anthems.
“If we don’t turn it on, nobody else will!!”
However, I fucking love their second album 60 SECOND WIPE OUT, solely because of ATARI TEENAGE RIOT II, a revision, a revisitation, of their prior ATARI TEENAGE RIOT anthem.
The first version is a fucking banger, carefully crafted with hardcore pacing and fist-pumping lyricism.
“Stop the riot?!! FUCK YOU!!!”
The second version? It (d)evolves into absolute sheer fucking noise. It is absolutely wild and I can’t help but revel in it.
“But that doesn’t stop me!! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!!”
This is all about progressive noise artist Nic Endo. She’s the driving force here; she fucking escalates aural matters that were already far too heightened. She’s unbridled and drives the track into MERZBOW territory and holy hell is it amazing.
“What did you say?”
I saw them on the 60 Second Wipe Out Tour so many years ago and I was elated to have Nic Endo fucking melt my ears! For all intents and purposes, I met my wife there. (We’d met a few hours prior to the show, but at the show proper? That’s when I feel I met her.)
“What did you say?!”
Despite not knowing each other at all, we both pushed ourselves to the front of the crowd and were spit on by Alec Empire and we locked eyes during this song and, well, ultimately that was that.
“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!”
Pretty fucking dumb, but what’s youth if you aren’t dumb and willing to have fun?
I digress, but the rest is all ancillary I suppose!
I already wrote about G. Willow Wilson’s first bout on POISON IVY and while I loved it, Unethical Consumption takes matters further in a way that has turned me into a ride-or-die fan.
What Wilson gets about IVY is that she is so fucking pissed at the world — rightfully so, as well, we keep mindlessly exploiting all of its resources — but she still has an inexplicable empathetic core for humanity, and others can see the good in her, but she’s also so singularly focused on herself.
However! She’s still willing to murder anyone who gets in her way, and also wants to commit global genocide.
Yes, she is the actual villain in her own story. A complex villain, for sure, but still? Yeah.
While so much is that comes from her trauma, of trusting someone who then abused them and literally tore their humanity away from them — a facet of her character that Wilson doubles-down on and I very much appreciate — she is not what one would call a ‘good person’.
Obviously, this is why she and Harley Fuckin’ Quinn fit so well together. Harley? She’s an anti-villain. Ivy? Anti-hero. They both realize their own faults and they keep each other in-check, and Wilson leans heavily on that here as Harley manages to seek out Ivy on her road trip, then leaves Ivy to do what she needs to do. Harley is Ivy’s anchor, but they’re still independent people.
I especially love this bit of reflection from Ivy on Harley:
“More than anyone I know, you see the world without judgement, without expectations, without fear.
“Things that would drive other people mad, you just … take in your stride.
“Delirium doesn’t scare you.
“You can see the world behind the world.
“And you were right.
“I didn’t need to be so afraid.”
Now that is true appreciation and respect from a devoted partner, and I love to see it.
And then of course Ivy fucks her odd roommate Janet — who I’m sure is far more than the basic person presented — stating:
“Harley would understand.”
It’s clear that this isn’t just a hookup for Ivy; it’s a mistake.
(I’m still not sure whether Harley being poly is canon? I’ve just assumed she was. Is Ivy? I have no fucking idea, but I’m going along with whatever Wilson is sellin’!)
JANET: “Be a monster. Embrace the monster. But be a monster who gets between innocent people and the even bigger monsters.”
I can’t help but think of Carmen Maria Machado’s remarks regarding JENNIFER’S BODY:
“Kiss someone, fuck someone, think about fucking someone while kissing someone else. Let sex be unknowable, warm, thrilling, funny, erotic, terrifying; let sexuality be all strange currents and eddies and unknown vistas and treasures and teeth.”
Carmen Maria Machado
As with the previous volume The Virtuous Cycle, this is an absolutely fucking gorgeous work. Marcio Takara’s intricate pencils and inks are mesmerizing, even if half of it features Ivy puking. (I say that as someone who would like to go one week without reading/watching/playing something that didn’t feature vomit.)
IVY: “I’m pretty good at recognizing things I know I will regret later.
“I’m much less good at stopping myself from doing them.”
Arif Prianto’s colors are so goddamn vibrant and command attention! And Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou? Holy shit, their lettering is so inspired, especially during the drug trip that Ivy and Janet undertake which leads to one hell of an unbridled orgy. (Yes. That is a thing that happens and I do not apologize for spoiling it.)
IVY: “I can’t violate her like that. I know what it feels like, and I can’t.”
JANET: “So we all have to live with the consequences of her bad decision?!”
IVY: “NO. We all have to live with mine.”
This series is an embarrassment of riches, a complex and thorny work, and I am absolutely here for it and I can’t wait for what’s to come.
This post is sexually explicit, but not in a fun way.
LORDS OF ACID are a quintessential late 80s/90s techno-industrial band, all dancehall woman-belting and raw synths and dirty beats, but they were far, far filthier than anything of their time. Hell, even for now.
This is a band whose breakout single — from their debut album titled ‘LUST’ — repeatedly features the refrain “Sit on my face”.
Additional songs from ‘LUST’ include Rough Sex and I Must Increase My Bust which do what they say on the tin. The Most Wonderful Girl? Yeah, that’s all about loving yourself in more than one way.
Their second album ‘VOODOO-U’ featured beautifully eye-searingly neon lurid cover art from hotrod artist COOP which, well, is comprised of a devil orgy and everything is on display, to the point where they had to have both uncensored and censored versions of the cover.
So it should come as no surprise that on ‘VOODOO-U’ they penned an entire song — The Crablouse — about a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
It should also come as no surprise that I fucking love it.
Here’s a message for the girls about vaginas And the consequence of fiddling with a partner Mind your labia they’re never out of danger If you’re gonna go to bed with a stranger
For whatever reason, despite the fallout from Nancy Reagan’s 80s protectiveness and censorship and HIV/AIDS — or perhaps because of it — the 90s musically reveled in sexuality and sensuality, and LORDS OF ACID took that to the extreme. As you can read in the peppered lyrics here, there isn’t a single line here that isn’t either sexually loaded or absolutely explicit.
If you meet a guy who’s scratching at his totem We all know that it’s connected with his scrotum He might tell you that his undie is too tight But you’ll know that it’s the crablouse and you’re right
While some may write The Crablouse off as a song that exists solely for shock value with a fantastic kick — and don’t get me wrong, I love it for that alone — I think it’s not without merit, that it’s sincere and substantial and serves a purpose.
If a crablouse gets mixed up in your saliva Stumbles through your body right into your vulva Then waits patiently until penetration Gets it out of there and right into salvation
STIs are perhaps one of the last taboo topics when it comes to mainstream culture. It’s a stigma, something to be shameful of, perhaps because of puritanism, of the myth that folks are sexless and virginal until they meet the person they’ll die with or whatnot; it’s something not to be talked about out loud but whispered. These are physical matters that only occur to the deviants, societal aberrations, and they’re reaping what they’ve sown.
The little vampire, horny and so greedy It doesn’t care about a penis and it’s envy It’s intelligent, nasty and it’s sick A party animal, a pervert and a pig
Obviously, that’s not the case. Not to get all high-school sex-ed on you but one in five folks in America has or have had one (and that’s just based on reported numbers). Hell, even if one is chaste, they may contract one from the person they marry or permanently partner with. Some may go to their grave without ever knowing that they have an STI.
Now we know the little crablouse is a raver You can’t get rid of it unless you use a razor It’s unbearable, funky and so cool A real smartass and nobody’s fool
With The Crablouse LORDS OF ACID shove this awareness in your face and make you confront the fact that STIs exist and they revel in the fact that this is just a part of enjoying life, that we should be thankful that we have remedies and methods and ways to heal and continue to indulge in desire.
It’s there to stay, sucks all day It’s there to bite, my parasite My love machine, my maddest dream Turns me on, makes me come
This isn’t the purpose of the post — the purpose is to recommend this banger of a song — however? Get tested. Use protection, although that doesn’t 100% guarantee against STIs but it’s the best you can do. (No risk, no reward and all that.) I shouldn’t have to be typing this, but I am anyway because well, I’ve known more than a few folks that knew better not to do so but …didn’t.
Be aware of not just your body, but also your partner or partners. Doesn’t matter your age or disposition. I believe that LORDS OF ACID does an exceptional effort at drawing attention to all of that, without explicitly stating so despite that they’re all about being explicit.
It is a cautionary tale for adults in its twisted way, all accompanied by heavy-hitting beats.
Lastly I’ll note that, shockingly, there is an actual video for the song that — while yes, it traffics in a lot of fetish wear — is surprisingly tame, but still manages to convey the verve and abandon of the song.
15 years of playing as assassins. We’re at the point where Ubisoft’s ASSASSIN’S CREED franchise is old enough that folks who grew up with the series are now the ones designing the series. Perhaps that’s why ASSASSIN’S CREED: MIRAGE (MIRAGE going forth) is such a throwback to the first game.
MIRAGE is more concerned with recreating the past, of hiding in shadows, of killing silently instead of taking on hordes of enemies to the tune of bonus points and combos. In other words: it’s cribbing from ASSASSIN’S CREED 1.
MIRAGE has no interest in the convoluted absurdity of modern technology/game developer company Abstergo. There’s no mention of this being a virtual reality recreation, throwing someone in current times to relive the past. The Abstergo Animus tech never quite appears — except in one clever moment near the end — and you’re simply roaming around Baghdad around the time of the Islamic Golden Age. Yes, The Order — the nefarious group of corrupt individuals whose terrible deeds have persisted throughout the entire series — still exists, as obviously the Hidden Ones (basically: the Assassins), however this is a far more grounded work.
The story is mostly boilerplate, at least until it isn’t: Basim and his bestie Nehal are destitute thieves until Basim finds a higher calling in the Hidden Ones. Basim is haunted in his dreams by a daunting and dark djinni, and hopes that by joining the Hidden Ones he’ll be rid of it. Matters escalate, wildly by the end, tying into some very mythic and outlandish events in the prior game, ASSASSIN’S CREED: VALHALLA.
All of that said, the story is rather banal, especially the yawn-worthy high-concept swings at the end. The gameplay and scenery is paramount here, all sand and stone and beams and air. It’s rather gorgeous, even if it’s not quite what one would call a technical marvel.
However, my favorite part here is the history the game imparts. For a number of years, the ASSASSIN’S CREED franchise has included historic details into their games, even adding educational free modes for schools. Previously, most of them felt facile, even insultingly irreverent. (One game featured a far-too-jovial character who would dictate the history of the era to you, and it felt like a 12-year-old telling you about a book they read that they didn’t quite comprehend.)
That’s not the case with MIRAGE. MIRAGE doesn’t quite put learning as a top priority but they do foreground it. It feels as if you’re reading a history book instead of text in a murder simulation. It quickly became my favorite facet of the game because I’m a big nerd. I do not know much about Baghdad or Middle Eastern history, much less the Islamic Golden Age but I found all of it fascinating and I quickly sought out every historical point I could. That’s what the ASSASSIN’S CREED games excel at: showcasing history, the lands, the environments and, especially, the architecture.
MIRAGE doesn’t come close to the emotionally evocative storied characters of my favorite ASSASSIN’S CREED game, ASSASSIN’S CREED: ORIGINS, but it does feel substantial even if it’s far smaller-scale and less boisterous and less action-oriented than the recent games.
I missed out on a ton of stuff this year because of …reasons. Here are just a few works that I regret falling through the cracks.
TV
THE CURSE
I will watch anything that Nathan Fielder is a part of. One of the best moments of 2017 was seeing a screening of NATHAN FOR YOU’s series finale — Finding Frances — with Fielder for a post-screening Q&A with John Teti and Fielder calling up Teti’s mother.
So, yeah, I feel I let myself down by not watching this as every episode unfolds.
DEAD RINGERS
This is one of those shows that I simply cannot sidewatch, which I quickly found out after starting the first ep. However, I also haven’t been able to find the time and — most importantly — the right mood to singularly focus on the show.
As one might expect given that I love Cronenberg, plus it reminds me quite a bit of Soderbergh’s THE KNICK, I’ll certainly be prioritizing it in 2024.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA_XOruRFfU
DOOM PATROL Season 4
I’m woefully behind on DOOM PATROL — halfway through the second season, sadly — but I have no doubt that if I had been caught up and found the time to watch the fourth and final season that it would have made this list.
HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON Season 3
I did start the third and final season, but quit more than one of the episodes because it was too squicky for me. I’ll return to it, as this show is brilliantly executed, but haven’t watched enough to call it a 2023 favorite.
Videogames
BALDUR’S GATE 3
This one was intentional, as 1) I never got into the prior BALDUR’S GATE games and 2) given the scope of the game, waiting seemed to make sense and 3) I knew I didn’t have the time to invest in it in 2023. Perhaps in 2024, or even 2025 (if the world still exists).
THIRSTY SUITORS
I love me my personal narrative games, and this quirky and extraordinarily stylish one which seems like it’s course-correcting SCOTT PILGRIM — yes, I know the new Netflix series also tackles that, but I haven’t watched it yet — combines facets from every one of my favorite games, from COOKING MAMA to JET SET RADIO. I do not know why I am not playing it right now.
STRAY GODS
…an epic, mythic musical RPG that makes me think of Kieron Gillen’s THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE. Why am I typing these words instead of playing this right. the. fuck. now?
There are far too many others to list, but those are the highlights. So little time, so many works to enjoy. Here’s to diving into them in 2024!
Since my 2023 media diet featured very little in the way of works released in 2023, I figured I’d extoll the works I read, watched and played in 2023 that were released in prior years. Perhaps some of them will be as new to you as they were for me!
Books
HARLEY QUINN: BREAKING GLASS (2019)
This work crystalized to me exactly what Harley can impart on folks. Fundamentally, Harley Quinn is victim of her own circumstance, and BREAKING GLASS showcases her as a youth, shining a light on how she’ll inhabit that space, her space, while still never browbeating her decisions but — Harley being Harley — she’s rarely makes the ‘best’ decision.
It’s a tale of growing, of self-realization, but also realizing you can be drawn into the webs of others and that they may not have your best interests in mind.
Is it labeled for young adults? Yup. Could anyone read and love and empathize with it? Definitely.
It also helps that Steve Pugh’s art is so fucking energetic and the colors are so vibrant and fitting!
Also, my wife found me the All Saints equivalent of her argyle sweater. (They literally label it as Harley Argyle. They knew what the fuck they were doing. And yes, yes I’m fucking rockin’ it.)
LIFE IS STRANGE: STEPH’S STORY (2022)
While doing research for my LIFE IS STRANGE posts, I discovered STEPH’S STORY, a LIFE IS STRANGE: TRUE COLORS tie-in novel by Rosiee Thor which is something I didn’t know I needed, but I desperately did. It’s an intimate character-based queer romantic melodrama that hit me from all sides and I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to revisit it.
Predictably, I wrote about it almost immediately after reading it.
DOOM PATROL: RACHEL POLLACK OMNIBUS (2022)
Have I repeatedly re-read Grant Morosson’s DOOM PATROL iconic run? Yes, yes I have.
However, I was shocked to discover that I’d never read Rachel Pollack’s DOOM PATROL which is ever queerer and just as inventive and far more heartfelt.
I wish I had been prodded to read it earlier — I only found out about it due to her death earlier this year — but better late than never.
As I’ve previously penned, DOOM PATROL is all about the misfits of society, the ostracized, those who have to live on the edges and never feel like they fit in, except in the house that Chief built who — spoiler alert! — not as altruistic as he makes himself out to be.
It is a supremely resonant work, one that cuts to the quick when it comes to coercion and the desperation to want to be seen and accepted. Again, I wish I had found it earlier.
This was the year that I finished reading Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels.
Yes, yes, I realize that these works are frequently lumped in with (apologies in advance for the pejorative term) chick-lit for reasons absolutely unknown to me.
This is a supremely amazing epic of lives lived, of contrasts, of personas pushing-and-pulling, of classism, of intellectualism, of hubris; it is a lot and I fucking loved it and the fact that it isn’t recognized as capital ‘L’ literature reminds me how much women’s stories are so belittled. Ferrante’s prose is so succinct and exacting in a way that makes me so jealous of her skills.
Cinematic comedic horror at its fucking best. While it doesn’t have the visual verve of Sam Raini’s work, it is so clever, so funny, but also features a human core.
I’m not one for making ‘island’ lists, but I could watch WEREWOLVES WITHIN every fucking day of the year. It’s so funny and endearing and thrilling but never traumatizing. It is an astounding work.
(I’ll note that I did finally try to play the game, but it’s VR-only and while I’m sure they make the most of it? Fuck that noise.)
It is a fucking crime that this film is practically impossible to watch without doling out far too much money or catching it on Turner Classic Movies — R.I.P. TCM Underground — which is why I was so delighted that my favorite theater — the Music Box — wrangled a print of it.
While, yes, yes, Russ Meyer mostly wrote films solely so he could stare at busty women but, perhaps accidentally? This is an extraordinarily subversive work, one that has influenced so many others.
This is a ferocious film, one that simmers with anger and frustration, and while it is definitely meant to be titillating, you can feel the resentment against the motherfucking patriarchy.
It’s goddamn thrilling, a film that makes you pump your fists in the air, one that makes you root for fucking awful people throat-punching even worse people, and those doling out the hits? They look amazing while laying louts to the fucking ground.
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974)
Brian De Palma at his campy best. This pre-dates the Webber work by a good decade, and is definitely my favorite take on the work.
(I’ll note: I do need to re-evaluate Wes Craven’s take on it. Also: In high school I had to play the cello part of the theme and for fucks sake, nothing else apart from perhaps Canon in D is a duller work to play.)
Yes, it was only available via NBC’s peacock streaming service, but it was still terribly overlooked. This is one steamy potboiler of a neo-noir thriller that deserved more attention. It has an intensity so many shows which they could aspire to.
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.‘”
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.
“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.
Ready to read about one of the most emotionally devastating Christmas episodes of TV ever? Good.
I’ve previously posted about the Christmas episode of MILLENNIUM, Midnight of the Century, but felt like it needed a deeper look.
A brief summary of the MILLENNIUM series, despite the fact that — like HARLEY QUINN and RATED Q, I will also never, ever shut up about MILLENNIUM — it was a three-season show about intuitive, sensitive FBI profiler Frank Black, embodied by Lance Henrickson’s gruff voice and serious but soulful presence. He has a spiritual sense of premonition, visions, and general human sensitivity and empathy, far beyond most.
In the season that this episode takes place, Frank is no longer with the FBI, but a freelancer. He’s estranged from his wife Catherine and daughter Jordan because of where his abilities have taken him. He’s also disowned his father Henry because he feels that Henry let his wife — Frank’s mother — wither away and die alone.
Similarly, for all intents and purposes, Frank is alone and he’s struggling with that.
This episode — Midnight at the End of the Century — takes place around Christmas. Catherine hands Frank a drawing that their daughter Jordan made. It’s of an angel, and Catherine notes that Jordan said grandma helped her draw it.
Not Catherine’s living mother, but Frank’s dead mother.
This is entirely an episode all about generational and inherited trauma, and the helplessness of the parents who see their brethren walking the same doomed trail as they have, but still wanting and hoping for better. Well-wishing.
Frank: “You know Jordan. She’s just …sensitive.”
Catherine: “Telling me that she colors with her dead grandmother is a little bit more than sensitive.”
Frank: “Come on. You know Jordan. She’s got a gift. You can’t suppress it.”
Catherine: “Your gift gave you a nervous breakdown. This gift makes you see horrible images. It—it’s turned you away from your family, from your daughter. It’s caused you to turn toward the Millennium group.
“Frank, you never even consider that this gift that you have could be lying to you. Because you don’t see yourself withdrawing from your family, hiding behind your… ability.
“If this has happened to you, what is it gonna do to Jordan?
“I want her to have a choice. I want a childhood free from this.
“I want her to know that she has someplace to turn other than within herself…”
Frank: “Like me. Right? It is what it is. There is nothing we can do to fix it.”
Catherine: “… time’s running out.”
All of this provides an impetus for Frank to seek out his estranged father, played by the magnanimous Darin MacGavin (who starred in KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, the series that spurred Chris Carter to create THE X-FILES and MILLENNIUM). Frank is seeking an explanation as to why he believed his father cruelly locked his wife in a second floor bedroom until she died.
As you might suspect, the answer he receives is more complicated than that.
I do not want to spoil matters in the off-hand chance you wrangle a copy of this episode, but I do want to note that there is a significant plot point regarding tiny ceramic angels bestowed by the packaged tea that they routinely buy.
You have to have been a specific age and have a specific sort of parent to have remembered these sort of tea-centric figurines. If you bought a box of Red Rose Tea, you’d receive a Wade Whimsey, a small, themed ceramic figure.
My mother collected them and they stood in a glass cabinet in our dining room, looking over us as we supped. So, yeah, you could say that this episode really hits home for me, and I’ve never seen any other work mention them, much less lean on them as a significant plot point, and definitely not as a Christmas-centric endearment.
This episode has Frank — yet again — wrangling with his past. However, this time it’s a moment of reconciliation, one of understanding, of letting go.
Midnight of the Century is a soulful and emotional episode that leaves the viewer worrying about how inherited traits might complicate their life going ahead, while also mulling over the fallout of said traits, how denial of said traits by the progenitors might affect their brethren, and simply living with one’s self.
Is it Christmas-y? I’d argue it is. What is Christmas if nothing else but acknowledging and living with the fallout and repercussions of Christ being born?
Is it full of cheer? No, not at all, but there is a very specific sort of peace that comes with it, even if it is full of hopeful sorrow.
I’ve previously penned about Whitethorn Games and Gamious’ cozy mailperson game LAKE and, just in time for the holidays, they’ve released the substantial expansion (to use the parlance of the 90s) LAKE: SEASON’S GREETINGS to further the adventures of the Weiss family and their letter-carrying duties.
To quickly summarize LAKE: it’s the late 80s and you play as Meredith Weiss, returning to her hometown of Providence Oaks, Oregon. Her father is the town mailman, but unable to tend to his duties so Meredith takes up his route while trying to suss out what she wants in life.
Interactively it’s very low-stakes, but emotionally it’s high-stakes. Catnip to me.
It’s structured around days that often open and close around phone calls or just winding down, the intermediate time spent running mail-centric errands. Dropping off packages or letters while musing over the future of her life. That’s it. That’s the game. Cozy as fuck, but still supremely narratively substantial.
LAKE: SEASON’S GREETINGS follows the same structure, but instead of playing as Meredith, you’re playing as the original mailman: her father Thomas.
Meredith was supposed to come home for Christmas but she gets stuck debugging the video game she’s working on. Her parents are frustrated but understanding, and they go about their lives.
Similarly, you’re delivering mail to all of the same townfolk as Meredith did — the queer movie nerd, the grouchy general store shopkeep, the wistful bookstore owner while interacting with your slightly sketchy gambling addict co-worker. It just takes place a bit later in life, right around Christmas.
What results is the same gameplay loop as before, but doesn’t feel quite as substantial. While LAKE was a cozy game, there was a sense of tension, of ennui with Meredith. Thomas, on the other hand, is perfectly comfortable just doing the same thing, day after day, letters in mailboxes, packages dropped off, coming home to his loving wife and reading on the couch until he has to wake up and do the same again.
The sole sort of narrative friction is that of folks in the town questioning whether they should stay in Providence Oaks or move along to another phase of life. I admit: few games would even think of considering broaching that subject! (NIGHT IN THE WOODS is one, though.)
This feels more like an afterthought, though. While Thomas’s wife Emily mentions moving elsewhere, it is very much ‘what if?’ speculation. Yes, that fits with the game’s non-confrontational vibe, it lacks the dramatic undercurrent of Meredith’s internal conflict. Thomas is feeling action from others, rather than born from any sort of personal agency.
DLC and expansions are often used as a way to push the boundaries of the pre-existing game — THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: SHIVERING ISLES is a perfect example of this, where it goes from being a relatively grounded medieval fantasy, then dives directly into surrealism — whereas SEASON’S GREETINGS hedges back instead of pushing forward.
I realize I’m grousing a lot and that’s because I loved LAKE so much, and SEASON’S GREETINGS is a very substantial add-on as opposed to just, say, two more hours of mail delivery. It could very well be a separate game and no one would notice if they hadn’t played classic LAKE.
Emotionally, it doesn’t hit me as hard as classic LAKE did.
That’s fine! I loved playing SEASON’S GREETINGS! Right now, all I want to do is play cozy games, and this hits the spot. I loved reuniting with the folks of Providence Oaks. I loved playing matchmaker. I loved caring about how I drove around because I adored the town and the mail van.
As usual, given the fact that it takes place in Oregon, the environment, the locale, and those who inhabit it reminds me of LIFE IS STRANGE and also my home state of Vermont, it — well — it took me back to a younger me. That’s not nothin’.
LAKE: SEASON’S GREETING gives you more of the same, albeit slightly watered down, but that’s perhaps by intent; it’s Christmas, and many of us don’t want more melodrama foisted upon us. Grab a cup of cocoa and tuck in.
![MILLENNIUM S02E10: Midnight of the Century (1997) [REDUX]](https://mediaclature.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/millenium-serie-Lance-Henriksen-1024x576-1.webp)
