It’s been a while so I thought I’d do another media round-up. For the uninitiated, rather than tacking on my media consumption and recreational viewing habits to unrelated posts, I just do a sort of catch-all, rounding up all the media I’ve picked up or taken in over a one to two month period. So, let’s begin.
Blu-Ray Purchases
Only one! I showed some restraint (at least in terms of Blu-Rays). I purchased a copy of The Guest. I knew of this film, it had a reputation that preceded it and was popular in the musical “scene” I was adjacent to back in the day, thanks in large part to its Gothic and synth-driven soundtrack, but I had never sat down to watch it. The director had a new film coming out (more on that later) and I was talking about it with a family friend, who was a fan, so he let me borrow his copy of The Guest to watch. I enjoyed it so much, I purchased my own for the collection. Very enjoyable movie, rock-solid music, and just generally a picture that I’d describe as “badass”; it’s an entertaining inversion of the slasher film, melding psychological elements, action elements, and sci-fi allusions into a cohesive outing. Highly recommend, for Dan Stevens’ performance and the music, if absolutely nothing else.
Movies Watched
This is maybe going to get long. I watched a lot of movies both in the theater and at home. In the time since the last media round-up, I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tony, Onslaught, By Any Means, and Primetime in the theater. Not a “bad” film in the bunch but I definitely enjoyed a few of these significantly more than others. I’ll just go in order of what I’ve named here.
I mentioned it at the end of the last Media Round-Up I did because I saw it while I was writing that piece, but I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day. To reiterate, I enjoyed it a lot. You can find holes in the narrative if you look for them but it’s a spectacularly entertaining film and easily one of the most “Spider-Man” films that a Spider-Man film has ever been, plain and simple. The story, the action, the poses, the presentation, it’s all quintessential Spider-Man. It takes very obvious cues from the 80’s all the way through the 2010’s, in terms of the Spider-Man media it draws on. If No Way Home was the big nostalgia spectacle for live-action Spider-Man and maybe hinged too much on those returning heroes and villains, this is going the complete opposite direction, pulling focus exclusively to the MCU and giving Tom Holland the wheel to continue his career-defining stint as the web-slinger. I’ve been openly critical of the MCU and will continue to be as it proceeds to implode under its own crushing weight, but this is the best MCU Spider-Man film by a pretty wide margin. Tom has played Peter Parker/Spider-Man more than anyone in film history and he continues to show us that he was the right choice for the role. I look forward to his continued journey, because after that box office performance, he’s not going anywhere.
The real surprise for me of the films I’m going to talk about here, I saw Tony, and it was terrific. I knew of this film and had been vaguely interested for a while, Anthony Bourdain was a figure that was in the zeitgeist right when I was growing up and his star only rose as both he and I got older. I can’t say I was a fan or avid watcher but he was present, one of these figures that you just see and hear about your entire life. That’s what made me intrigued by Tony, a story taken from an extremely small part of Bourdain’s life, I just didn’t know when it was coming out or if it would even make it to theaters. It snuck up on me a little bit but on a whim after seeing it crop up in my local showtimes, I went and saw it. I arrived to an empty theater, I had the entire room to myself. What followed was just a very good small-scale story, even removed from Bourdain’s name and legacy, this thing is just a very enjoyable film. Lovely execution on almost all fronts, it’s just a cool looking and cool feeling movie. Strong evocation of a time period, a lovely setting, rock-solid performances all around (with Dominic Sessa and Leo Woodall stealing the show). An anti-blockbuster in the best way, Tony is very low key, but it’s exceptionally made and beautifully executed. Highly recommend it.
Onslaught on the other hand, a similar runtime to Tony, but not nearly as good. I had high hopes for this movie after watching The Guest (one of the reasons why I watched it, I knew this film was coming out by the same director). It’s got some cool moments but this film was not very good, not terrible either, just painfully middle of the road. I think I gave it a 2.5 on Letterboxd. It’s got some good ideas, I just kept waiting for it to “hit” and it never gets there. I think it’s a culmination of things. The writing, the direction, it feels half-baked. With more time and some re-tooling, I think there’s a good film somewhere in there, it would just need a lot more work to get there. I don’t think there’s a single likable character in the film and this is a film where you inherently have to root for someone. Then the antagonists, I appreciate that they’re monstrous, but they’re so devoid of personality or character that they simply don’t matter. You can’t even really be afraid of them because they’re such blank slates. Like I said, it’s not bad, but I can’t say it’s good either. I don’t recommend it, generally speaking. If you’re a fan of the director (Adam Wingard), give it a try.
By Any Means is a sort of racial justice/historical crime thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Vaguely based on a true story in which a young Black FBI agent teams up with a notorious New York City mafioso, recruited by the FBI itself, to investigate the murder of a civil rights leader. Definitely enjoyed this movie more than Onslaught, though that bar may sound a bit low. The best way to describe this film is “solid”; I may have enjoyed aspects that others might not. I think some criticism was pointed at Mark Wahlberg for hamming it up with his Pesci-meets-De Niro stylings but that was a highlight for me. Watching an intentionally bloated, prosthetic nose wearing Mark Wahlberg ham it up as mobster and crack some heads, it’s a good time. Meanwhile, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does better dramatic work than I’ve typically seen from him. I’ve seen him act multiple times across multiple projects and have always thought he was painfully average, despite some high profile castings. I’m happy to say he impressed me more in this outing and actually worked well in tandem with Mark. Unfortunately, the film didn’t make much money at the theater. It probably needed to be promoted better because it had a solid cast: Yahya, Mark, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito (who really made the most of his screen time), among others.
Last but not least for this time period was Primetime, a fever dream dramatization of the production involved in To Catch a Predator. While not as good as a lot of critics and the general public might suggest, it was definitely still worth a watch and I certainly enjoyed it. It was good, it was just missing that extra “something” to really put it over the edge to greatness. The film had a strong visual identity, shot in a way that really made 2006 feel like the two decades ago that it was. Performance-wise, everyone did strong work, with Robert Pattinson being the highlight and Skyler Gisondo being the innocent, beating heart of the film. I’ll be the first to tell you that, historically, I haven’t given Pattinson the time of day as an actor. He came up in Harry Potter and Twilight and frankly, I didn’t give a damn back then about those movies and I don’t now either. However, the sea change came when he did The Batman and (begrudgingly) won some good will with me. Since then, he’s seemingly made it his mission to mostly star in off-kilter, left of center, “alternative” films, often to great success. When I saw the trailers for this movie, he seemed to be really acting his ass off and I felt he was having a lot of fun in the role, sometimes that energy comes through in a performance. I wasn’t sure I’d see this one in the theater but I saw the trailers so much that they won me over, I don’t regret it, it was worth watching.
At home, sheesh, I watched more than I can recall I think. I watched Happy Death Day, I watched Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, I watched Freddy VS. Jason (which had been months in the making), I watched The Fantastic Four: First Steps (not by choice really, homework for Doomsday mostly, it was fine), I watched The Guest, I watched You’re Next, and I re-watched Cocktail. Enjoyed all of these to some extent. Happy Death Day I had been meaning to watch for almost 10 years (good lord), so I was happy to knock that out, a solid Groundhog Day infused slasher. Freddy’s Dead and Freddy VS. Jason were part of my Friday The 13th/Nightmare On Elm Street odyssey this year and after many months, I was able to reach the “end”. While there’s still more of those films to watch, I can now watch them when it strikes my fancy. Also looking forward to Crystal Lake, which starts today, as of this writing. Fantastic Four, they’ve always been pretty lame as a team, they lack the timelessness of Spider-Man or The X-Men; so I wasn’t looking forward to seeing their new MCU movie. It was fine, they did what they could with it with the MCU formula. I watched The Guest and You’re Next because they’re Adam Wingard outings and he had Onslaught coming out, like I mentioned, and he considers them all to be narratively connected. While I would argue that connection is tenuous at best, I did thoroughly enjoy both The Guest and You’re Next. Finally, I re-watched Cocktail, which is as good as I remember it; a great slice of life bartender drama with an exceptional cast and soundtrack. More movies like Cocktail, please.
Television Watched
I feel I’m almost certainly going to leave something out here. I know last time I did one of these, I didn’t even mention that I watched the second season of the King Of The Hill revival (which proved to be a marked improvement over the first season). I’ll try and cover everything I can though.
I watched the new season of Reacher, which proved to be one of the best that the show has had to offer up to this point; socio-political intrigue, dry humor, and reliable action continue to buoy the series. I watched Lanterns, which was better than I thought it would be. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre worked well together and successfully brought Green Lantern off the comic book page and on to the (live-action) screen in a way that’s not been done up to this point. The Gunn-Safran DC cinematic universe has been hit or miss and I personally don’t see it continuing for more than a few more years, that said, I appreciate the tonal distinction between this series and the more Gunn-centric material (which I enjoy but all feels the exact same). I watched Chad Powers and while I enjoyed season 1 as sort of dumb fun viewing, season 2 was remarkably better. Not only did it execute on the premise of the show in a stronger fashion, the writing balanced absurdity and sincerity very well, delivering a season with a lot more heart than the first. They get bonus points for using my favorite Springsteen tune, “Tougher Than The Rest”, in the final episode of the season as well. I’ve started AHS 13, the first American Horror Story season I’ve watched in many years, it’s proven familiar but not exceptional (just nice to see Lange and Bassett in the fold again). Thinking back, I’m not sure any of them were exceptional. The series was a big deal at one time but perhaps is better left in the past. There’s been better horror on TV and better drama too, so at that point, what purpose is being served other than continuing the stream of Ryan Murphy-core? Ryan Murphy, whose talents would be better served elsewhere too, for that matter. Last but not least, watched some X-Men: The Animated Series (the original incarnation, not the revival) and Spider-Man: The Animated Series, as good as I remember them being. Both hold up exceptionally well.
Books Bought & Read
I’ve had a hard time finding a novel that clicks with me as well as Tender by Mark Childress did, I’ve attempted two books since I wrapped that one up, neither of them took and I am now making my way through Cold Fire by Dean Koontz. This one has been solid and I’m hoping to see it through to completion, it’s one of many books I’ve had sitting in my collection for multiple years, waiting to be read. In terms of things being bought, no new novels have been picked up (though I did see that Stephen King completed a third book in his “Talisman” line with some posthumous help from Peter Straub, very intriguing this late in the game for something like that to come from King). Instead, I’ve continued grabbing comic book omnibuses that are relevant to my childhood and/or modern interests, such as Spider-Man: The Complete Black Costume Saga, Danny Ketch Ghost Rider, Vol. 1, and X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda. The omnibuses aren’t cheap books so it’s also been about what I can pick up for a reasonable price. During my trip to Arkansas, I actually found two omnibuses out in the wild, second-hand. I bought them both; one was an omnibus I wanted for my personal collection (Road To Onslaught, Vol. 2), the other I bought because I knew I could flip it and turn a profit (I did).
The Last Word
I’ve been back from my brief September vacation for a while now, but I’ve been very listless ever since. This will probably sound more sad than it really is but there was a strong sense of isolation or solitude that fell upon me during that trip. I’m an introvert by nature, I value time spent alone and those periods of time really help me recharge and have the strength to be sociable when I need to be/want to be. That said, ever since, there’s just been this sort of melancholy in the back of my mind. I find it a bit ironic, too, as this recent stretch of time has been my most sociable in many years. I’ve talked with old friends on the phone, met up with friends for a bite to eat, hung out with co-workers after work, done things with family, gone out myself. Yet, there’s still something nagging at me, something missing. Sure, the simple answer could be that I’m single but there’s not really a romantic connotation to what I’m feeling either, more an empty feeling. It’s like I’m searching for something, as I often am, but am maybe realizing that I’m not going to find it. At that point, I suppose it’s time to set your sights elsewhere, isn’t it? I think this extends to the creative side of things as much as it does the personal, for me. I released Aqua Blue and while I’m quite happy with it, that doesn’t change the emptiness I feel after having put it out there. I feel a lot of dissatisfaction with the way the world is now, from both a cultural and creative standpoint, and sadly I’m not sure there’s any quick fix to the issues that I have. I mean, when people are more concerned with jokes made on SNL and whether their favorite artist made the “correct” political statement on stage than anything else, that sort of says it all; a lot of performative outrage, entitlement, hypocrisy, and moral grandstanding, rather than anything actually meaningful.
That isn’t to say it’s all doom and gloom, it never is, life is complex and as I like to say: people make things great and people ruin them, in equal measure. As evidenced here, I’m still taking solace in a lot of art and media. There’s a lot being made that’s worth my time (and worth yours too), it’s been a great year for movies and television. I’ve recently returned to video games in my free time, as well. Been playing a lot of older stuff before bed on a Retroid. Been playing Resident Evil 6 on the ol’ PS3. Recently got a good deal on a PS5, too. Music, not much new stuff being listened to, though I enjoyed the new M83 and War On Drugs singles; I can’t really say as much music has caught my ear as it used to but it’s been trending that way for the last few years. You love music as much as I have in my life, you’ve more or less heard it all, and with the thousands of hours of music produced every week? It’s very easy to say “why bother; the good stuff will find its way to me”, and that’s sort of where I am with music, philosophically speaking. Creatively, it’s similar. If there’s something really wonderful that I’m meant to create and devote time to, I suppose it will happen naturally, won’t it? It shouldn’t be some thing you have to brute force into the world, especially when that world couldn’t care less whether you make it or not. Things simply don’t matter as much as they used to (unfortunately) in a lot of ways, things are more fleeting now. So that inherent value, the meaning has to be found internally rather than externally. Obviously, you hope it finds its way to the people it’s meant to and it has meaning to them, but that’s a long term issue rather than a short term one. The test of time is still the greatest test of them all.
That’ll do it for this round-up. Watch something, read something, play something, listen to something. Maybe go out and enjoy the approaching Autumn (or Indian Summer if it’s unseasonably warm in your neck of the woods). Maybe see a horror movie or watch one at home, in the name of spooky season, too. Until next time.
Thanks for reading.
~ FW.
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