What I’m Consuming This Summer

Songs on Rotation

Vegas – Doja Cat – No, I didn’t watch the Elvis movie from which this song was released. I’m not a huge Elvis fan even though I know a lot of his songs. On the other hand, the trailer for the movie was compelling, and I may check it out at a later date. This song just sounded like a lot of fun and is currently on my driver playlist.

Pretty Girl Rock – Keri Hilson – This is an older song I hated when it was released, but for some reason, Youtube felt the need to rec the video of this song a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it so now this song is on rotation. I thought the video was a lot of fun.

Dance And Shout – Shaggy/Michael Jackson Remix – Both versions of this song are pretty old, but I love the mashup.

Nice For What Remix – Drake /Tupac – I feel like Tupac can be successfully remixed with just about any artist, and I think he probably has!

Meth Lab Zoso Sticker – 7Horse – I think I heard this song in an ad for who knows what, and it just got stuck in my head. I love the beat.

Sailor’s Lament – Audionautix – This is a song I heard in a review of the movie The Banshees of Inisherrin. The movie is deeply melancholy but I liked it. This song is, unfortunately, not in the movie but perfectly fits its mood.

Breathe – Feverkin – There’s a CGI channel on Youtube that sends out challenges for digital visual artists about every six months or so. This is the music from their last challenge which involved some martial arts poses. The goal is for the artists to make their 30-second animation as unique as possible within the parameters set out in the challenge, then the best ones get spliced together in a ten-minute montage. This was the music chosen for this montage and is a deeply relaxing song.

Black Sea by Natasha Blume – This is from the documentary Merpeople airing right now on Netflix.

Books To Be Read

I will watch and read Horror all year round, but this Summer I’m catching up on a special genre that will NEVER appear on anybody’s bestseller list: The SplatterPunk Western. I will probably break that up with the occasional non-fiction, or fantasy book. We’ll see how it goes. Here’s my TBR pile:

The Ghost in Bone by Mike Carey

The Dead Man and Other Horror Stories by Gene Wolfe

13th Koyote/Last of the Ravagers – Splatterpunk Westerns

Honey, I’m Homo by Matt Baume

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

Six Guns Straight From Hell: Horror Western Anthology Series

Bleeding Shadows Anthology by Joe R. Lansdale

Movie Theater Playlist

Barbie – This one is just for me and my niece.

The Blackening – I’m going to ask my niece if she would like to go see this in the theater. If not then I’ll just wait until it comes to digital.

The Flash – My nephew and I have already made plans to see this, and surprisingly, my niece has asked to come along. My nephew pretty much sticks to action, sci-fi, and superhero movies, with the occasional anime thrown in, but my niece has some wider-ranging tastes, it seems, with a combination of superhero films, fluffy girl-related movies, and Horror.

They Cloned Tyrone – This is airing on Netflix, stars some of my favorite actors, and I love a good Horror Comedy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Uh, yeah, this movie is just for me. Anyone is welcome to join me but this movie is mostly for me.

Last Voyage of the Demeter – I won’t take my niece and nephew to see this movie unless they specifically ask to go. My niece does love a good Horror movie (she loved M3gan, and is a huge fan of Stranger Things) so she might ask.

Blue Beetle – This movie is also mostly for me, but my nephew will watch pretty much anything with superheroes in it, so he’s welcome to come along!

And then finally, me and my niece and nephew are gonna end this Fun Movie Summer with me probably going to see The Equalizer 3 all by myself.

On Demand

Ultraman Season Three – I watched the first two seasons of this show because I have fond memories of the original airing on TV on Saturday afternoons as a kid. I was curious about this so I decided to check it out and I kinda liked it. So this is season three airing on Netflix and I think it’s worth a watch. I’m not normally into a whole lot of anime but there is a nostalgia factor involved.

Sakra – This movie starring Donnie Yen is now on demand. I rented it on Amazon for like 4 dollars and it was really worth it. I really enjoyed it although the plot is somewhat convoluted. Its kind of a cross between a superhero movie, a wuxia film, and a little bit of John Wick thrown in for good measure. The action scenes are very satisfying.

Black Mirror Season Six – I more or less enjoyed the other seasons of this show so I’m curious to find out what’s going on in this six-season which is once again airing on Netflix.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds – The first season was a bit hit-and-miss for me but I generally enjoyed it. I definitely loved the characters, which seems to be the strong point of all these latest Star Treks we’ve been getting which is fine with me because it’s the characters that ultimately capture me and keep me coming back for more of a series.

Secret Invasion – I’m of mixed feelings about this series. I don’t watch all the MCU series Disney puts out and I’m not a huge fan of the Secret Invasion storyline from the comic books or the Kree- Skrull War either, so I’m not enthused about this. On the other hand, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Samual L. Jackson in a TV series, so that’s a plus.

Ahsoka – This is a Star Wars series I’m very much looking forward to. I’m a middling Star Wars fan. I’m more into Trek than Wars, but I am an Ahsoka fan, but more importantly, I’m a Rosario Dawson fan, and have been following her career since the 90s. I love to see actors I’m a fan of getting to play Jedis.

What We Do In the Shadows Season Five – This show has done some absolutely crazy stuff, and I love the characters here, almost as much as I love the ones from the original movie. It’s really fun and funny, and I’m eager to see what kind of shenanigans these vampires are going to get up to this Summer.

Ten More Questions No One Asked Me (But Probably Should Have)

I answered ten more of these burning questions as part of my ongoing efforts to bring you guys all that great content you’re supposedly here for. Good luck!

What hobbies do you have?

My hobbies are always artistic in nature. Right now it’s knitting, writing, and baking. I used to draw, and for a while, I was a professional illustrator in the 90s (for about thirty seconds), but I lost interest in that. It seems that I keep picking up hobbies I did as a child. I started crocheting when I was twelve. I stopped for about twenty years, picked it up again, and then segued into knitting. I’ve recently taken up baking again, which is also something I did as a teenager but stopped doing as a hobby for several years, while I did professional baking. My life is a Fibonacci Spiral.

What Music do you like to listen to?

I don’t listen to any one genre of music because I think that’s kind of a boring thing to do. I will and have listened to any genre of music, and will basically listen to anything with a beat though, from Algerian Pop to African drumbeat, to French Electronica, since I choose music based entirely on my mood. Some days I’m in a Hard Rock mood, in which case I’ll put on some Ozzy or Motorhead, but sometimes I’m in an R&B mood, in which case some Braxtons or Michael Jackson is called for.

These days I’m in the mood for lots of upbeat, funky music, like Michael Jackson, Will Smith, and Club Remixes of 90s R&B hits, and a melancholy film music mood, where I listen to sad Pop songs featured in Action movies.

What is your dream job?

When I was a little girl, I saw Leontyne Price on some TV show and thereafter I wanted to become an Opera singer. (I have also wanted to be Ellen Ripley, Michelle Yeoh, Spock, and Grace Jones). I did sing though and have had some training, but I gave up that dream to become a draftsman (someone who draws) after my voice changed when I hit puberty. I set myself towards drawing as a career for ten years, (while dabbling in every other form of art from sculpture to painting) until I decided I no longer wanted to do any of that as a career.

Eventually, I settled into one of my other dream jobs that I wanted as a child: Librarian! This was a job that I worked off and on for several years while pursuing my artistic career, but when that career didn’t happen, and I got laid off from my job at a bakery, my mother suggested that I put in an application at the library since I was always hanging out there, and I’ve worked at the library for almost thirty years.

One thing I’ll never try again…

Rally’s burgers. I have a freakishly good memory for tastes. I can remember the exact tastes of things many many years after I’ve had them. Waaaaay back in the 90s I got a very bad burger at a Rally’s in Columbus Ohio, and I haven’t been back to any Rally’s since! Okay, I know it is unlikely that will ever happen to me again but that burger was soooo bad that I’ve been too terrified to ever try one of their burgers again.

I’m also picky about food based on texture. I will never ever eat another mushroom, I don’t care what people tell me about them. I like looking at them because I think mushrooms are pretty, but I refuse to eat them. I also refuse to eat raw tomatoes. As long as they are pureed into something else I can eat them, but the raw texture is just too much for me.

Do you have a personal Mantra?

Keep Moving Forward

Speaking as someone who has suffered from the mental illness that is depression there were times I definitely had to crawl.

But I didn’t stop moving.

What do you daydream about?

A better world.

To that end, I often dream about living on the Starship Enterprise or just generally in the Star Trek universe. Usually, I daydream about meeting with or talking to my favorite characters. I used to daydream about living in the Buffyverse, but that was mostly because I loved the characters so much. I wanted to be a member of the Scooby Gang from the show. Some of my other favorite shows and movies to daydream about are Star Wars and Supernatural. Basically, a lot of my daydreams involve meeting my favorite characters in the various fictional worlds of the shows and movies I love, and having adventures, kicking ass, or defeating monsters with them. In other words, pure escapism!

What is the unhealthiest thing you do?

Right now the most unhealthy thing I keep doing is buying Twizzlers! I have diabetes so I’m not supposed to be eating these rubbery little strips of artificial flavor, but I can’t stop craving them. I’ve also been craving chocolate chip cookies, honey-covered cashews, and Doritos. I do not buy those though. I just steal them from my niece and nephew.

What is your most embarrassing public moment?

I’m a pretty clumsy person so I’ve had a few such moments, and most of these memories consist of falling down somewhere. Down some stairs, out of chairs, on sidewalks, over my own two feet… fortunately, while doing all of this falling down, I’ve never broken anything other than my dignity.

Do you collect things?

Apparently, I’m collecting different artisan skills. I don’t know why. Perhaps this is in preparation for some future apocalypse, in which case, I’ll be ready.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Bad drivers! This is the only thing that will make me scream at people in my car. I cannot stand people who act a fool on the road by slaloming in and out between the other cars, running through red lights after a slight pause, tailgating, or not using their turn indicators.

Another thing I don’t understand is why these people all seem to drive the same tiny black sports car.

The Dune Trailer (Part 2)

The second part of the Dune trilogy will be released in November. I am very excited about this because the first movie was one of my top favorites of 2021. I’ll have a longer post about this movie later but for now:

The Ten Question Challenge

This was prompted on Medium.com by Roz Warren. In her post, she answered ten questions about herself, and I asked if I could get in on that action and answer ten questions about myself that nobody asked. Here goes:

My Favorite Drink

Tea! Tea all day in every way! Fruit tea, iced tea, tisanes, herbal tea…in fact, I rarely drink anything other than tea, water, and the occasional fruit juice, which I also mix with tea!

My Favorite Color

I don’t usually have one favorite of anything. I usually have multiple favorites of things, as is the case here. I like jewel colors, specifically blue and purple, especially if they’re swirled together. I think because it reminds me of starscapes, and I blame Star Trek.

Favorite Cuisine

Once again, I got multiple favorites: Ice cream, and meatballs, not necessarily together because that sounds horrible. Different flavors of ice cream, and different types of meatballs, although I tend to gravitate towards chocolate ice cream with chunks of sweets in it, and Swedish meatballs.

If I won the Lottery what would be the top three things I would do first?

I’ve given this some thought, which is fun to do, but I don’t play the lottery so it’s not like I sit around waiting for this to happen, or spend money hoping it will.

Contact a lottery banker (apparently there is such a thing). I want to set things up so my money works rather than me. I also don’t want to go broke in a few years.

Set up a college fund for my nieces and nephews.

Travel. This is something I’m planning on doing anyway even if I don’t hit the lottery. I’d just do more of it.

Would you give up social media or your cell phone forever?

I’m already not on social media. I use maybe two or three apps like Medium, here, and Tumblr. I wouldn’t give up my phone since I like to read and listen to audiobooks on my phone, and it has a lot of my favorite music on it!

Three things I’m really good at:

Pattern recognition. It’s what allows me to write such great essays about movies.

Napping. I’m really good at it. I could probably nap for the Olympics and take home the Silver.

Mastering different art forms for fun, like painting, drawing, knitting, etc. I expect to take up the piano before I’m gone.

Dogs Or cats?

I prefer cats, although right now I have a dog. It’s not really my dog. It was my mom’s. I like him okay and we get along fine, but he’s not really mine because I didn’t pick him.

Am I a coffee drinker

I like to consider myself more of a coffee dabbler. I will sometimes drink hot milkshakes from Starbucks, or some espresso/mocha at work, but I mostly avoid coffee, and drink hot chocolate.

What languages do I speak?

I speak American Standard English and AAVE, (yes, that’s an actual dialect of English), and some of the translations in the above image are incorrect!

Can I use chopsticks?

Sure. When my fingers aren’t covered in butter.

View at Medium.com

America Might Have Wanted These Trailers!

Okay, I admit it. I was the one who actually wanted these trailers and I can’t truthfully speak for the rest of America. At the top are a listing of the television shows and a couple of movies I’ll be filling my head with this Summer and Fall, and below that are the movies I definitely have no plans to watch. By “have no plans” to watch I mean I have no intention of spending money to see them. If one of my family members would like to treat me to a movie, I’ll watch just about anything that’s free. I know that sounds like I’m being sarcastic but no, I have no pressing need to see them.

Must Watch TV

American Born Chinese

Well, I see we’re getting the old band back together again. (Speaking of getting the band back together I think it’s time for my annual re-watch of The Blues Brothers!) Coming to Disney this Summer is this series, which I thought seemed rather hastily put together, although maybe it isn’t, starring most of the cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michele Yeoh plays the Goddess Guanyin, and one of my favorite Asian actors Daniel Wu from Into the Badlands is starring as Sun Wukong (The Monkey King). I’m always up for watching Monkey King movies, so why not a TV series? Stephanie Hsu and Ke Huy Quan also star, and I’m here for it. This looks like a lot of fun, the fight scenes look dope, and just I like a good Chinese Action series. I watch Chinese Action films at night for the same reason that most people watch reality TV. I don’t have to think too deeply about the plots and there’s always lots of movement and color, which is about all my brain can handle by 8pm on a work night. Sometimes I do some light reading or some knitting while something like this plays in the background.

I’m also gratified to see that Hollywood has stopped the bizarre hatred of Asian actors it was engaging in for several decades, (along with its bizarre erasure of Black women characters) because I absolutely hated that whole Hollywood trend of hiring famous Asian actors like Jet Li and Jackie Chan to star in vehicles with unknown white teenage boys as the stars, because reasons…and this series kinda feels like what Netflix’s Iron Fist should have been.

Fubar

I’ve been rather enjoying Arnold’s career as a Senior actor. He’s a lot funnier than he was when he was younger and seems a lot more willing to laugh at himself and the ridiculousness of his career. Does anyone else think it’s weird that he was once Governor of California and is now acting in these odd little Action comedies again? I’ did watch the last couple of Movies he’s done like Terminator Dark Fate (where I thought he was hilarious), and Killing Gunther. Anyway, this is only about two hours of my time, so this is going on the list of movies I say I’m going to watch, and then I don’t watch them because I’m asleep!

I am happy and surprised to see how well Arnold does in dramatic roles, as I was one of ten people that seemed to like him in the zombie flick, Maggie. What is it about aging male actors that they all decide to become Action stars in their later years, and seem to be more or less succeeding at it? The man is in his 70s! I’ve never been attracted to Arnold, to be honest, although I think I’ve seen ALL of his movies, but now that he’s gotten older, I find myself drawn to his films for a different reason, and now I think he’s actually handsome/sexy. Maybe it’s the beard! Anyway, he seems to be aging gracefully with a minimum of horrible scandals (compared to some others for example). I can only hope he doesn’t turn into a loudmouth troll like Charlton Heston.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds

It’s almost time for me to sit my butt down in a seat and watch my future ex-husband, Anson Mount smirk and agonize his way through another season of Strange New Worlds. The first season was rather hit or miss for me. The real attraction for me was Mount and a couple of the cast regulars, not the plots, which I found somewhat mediocre. The episodes weren’t bad, but I can think of ways they could have been better, and a couple of them were actually stinkers that I didn’t finish, and I hope the writers have improved on the mistakes of that first season. Anyway, I’m looking forward to this new season! I mean…look at him! The man is gorgeous! I also want to see the new guy they’ve got to play Captain Kirk and check out his interactions, if any, with Spock and Una.

The Muppets Mayhem

I’ve been a long-time Muppets fan since I was a little kid watching the TV series which used to come on in the evenings in the 70s, and I’ve been here for every iteration of The Muppets this franchise has been through. I like that we’re finally getting an Animal-centric show because he’s one of my favorite characters. I’m a little less interested in the band led by the guy I call Dr. Teeth although I don’t know if that is actually his name. I laughed quite a few times during this trailer so I feel confident that this TV series will be fun and funny. I guess this is going to be one of those Disney-centric summers for me. I’m probably going to have to break up all this sweetness with some grit at some point.

Star Wars Visions 2

Here we have yet another Disney series I’m going to be checking out. I talked about this one in one of my previous posts but I didn’t have a full trailer. I think the animation looks awesome.

The Equalizer 3

Okay, here’s that grit I was talking about, but it isn’t released until Fall, and I’m going to need it after all the sweetness and light I consumed all Summer. I watched the previous Equalizer films and more or less enjoyed them, although I think the first one was better because of the novelty. Here we have yet another over-65-year-old man who has decided to become an Action hero, although I think Denzel is still doing dramatic roles from time to time. These Action roles are probably what pays for that other kind.

For some reason, I had the impression I was one of the few people who remember the original television series on which this movie is based. There is also a remake TV series starring, of all people, Queen Latifah! which I still have not watched, but I’ve been told I should check out because it’s really good and I’m a Latifah fan.

I think what we need to do is get all these geriatric men together and make a movie of them blowing up stuff, but maybe we already got that with that Stallone vehicle called The Expendables? I don’t know. I think if we added a few more women like Halle Berry and Helen Mirren, along with Danny Glover and Morgan Freeman, it would make a hilarious little franchise, and they could all crack jokes about being “too old for this shit!” while wielding mobility scooters as weapons.

Young Ip Man

I just finished watching the Donnie Yen franchise of Ip Man, so watching more Ip Man is not out of my wheelhouse. I already watched one version of a young Ip Man earlier this year.

I don’t know about y’all but I’m not getting tired of these Ip Man movies of which there appear to be about fifty a year. I don’t know how many movies they can make about one man’s life. I think at this point Chinese directors are just making up fantastical stories about enemies he defeated at this point, like the Wong Fei Hung movies. If anyone ever decides to get all of these different real-life characters together in one movie (Wong Fei Hung, Wong Kei Ying, Yip Man, Bruce Lee, Huo Yuanjia along with the fictional Chen Zen) we’d have a great movie if it was choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping.

Things I Ain’t Looking At

The Boogeyman

Not that this isn’t interesting, but I feel no urge to watch this.

Fast X

Yayuh…no!

White Men Can’t Jump

And its the big Nope-a-dope for me on this one. Quite frankly, I wasn’t all that hot about the original movie, which starred Wesley Snipes, and my brain keeps comparing this movie to that one, and coming up short.

Hi! In My Life News…

I’m not gone or anything. Just dealing with life as it happens and working on a seriously long form post for my Medium acct. I hope to have the first two parts up by the middle of the month.

I’m working on my Ko-Fi account. I’ll post that up on Medium.com!

I’ve been going to the movies and/or babysitting my new niece every free day I can manage. I took my nephew to see Ant-man a couple weeks back. This weekend he asked to see Dungeons and Dragons, so off we go!

I’ve started baking again. To date I’ve made some blueberry cake, chocolate chocolate chip cookies, and baked apples, and I’ll be making some raspberry cookies for my sister this weekend. So far my little pastries have been well received!

I went to the Dentist. It was weird but not too bad. I got a cavity filled.

I injured my wrist (pulled a muscle somewhere) so it’s been hard to type. Not impossible, just an inconvenient brace wearing situation. I’m gonna be fine! I think I did it while knitting a massive burgundy colored winter scarf which is one of the most beautiful and luxurious things I’ve ever made! It was worth it. Now I’m working on a gray lacey type scarf for Spring.

My weight loss seems to have tapered off or plateaued or something which is cool because I had no idea that weight loss required one to buy new shoes and underwear. My socks and pajamas no longer fit me. I didn’t consider that.

Currently happily gloating over trumps indictment.

Hastily typing this one handed before I leave to go grocery shopping!

Will have some interesting little posts up next week, maybe, but I’m fine. Just being slow.

Black Boy Joy (Black History Month Edition)

To Frolic: To gambol, cavort, caper, romp, kick it up, in an excited and happy manner, usually outdoors, usually in meadows!

In these times it’s so important for us not just to look to our past to remark on our trauma but to look to our past to acknowledge our successes and our present to acknowledge why we fight for equality in the first place. Joy is a way of fighting. In times when we are being inundated with one horrible statistic or image after another, joy is a major act of rebellion against despair.

So hi, I have some Black Boy (Man) Joy for this BHM 2023.

This trend happened a couple of years ago but was recently compiled into this five-minute montage of Black Men out in the world just having the time of their lives and frolicking to the Peanuts theme song! I don’t think you can imagine just how happy this made me, or the big goofy grin on my face while I watched this!

I hope this makes your day as happy as it did mine.

New Year New Baby

I have been thoroughly neglecting this blog but I have a very good reason.

On January 14th, my third niece was brought into the world (via cesarian) at 8 in the evening!

Her name is Tyler Chanel and she weighed 7 lbs/6 oz.

She is already quite vocal in making sure her needs are being met and she doesn’t like having her head touched or her swaddling removed!

I took a little time off to help my little sister prepare for the new baby. There have been all kinds of dramatic things happening in her life, which it’s not my place to mention here, but I’ve been preoccupied with supporting her through these wild events.

Right now she and the baby are doing okay. Momma is tired and a little sore because of the surgery but recovering (and fussing). She and the baby are eating well, resting well, and getting discharged from the hospital today. The brothers have things well in hand while I go to work, and I’ll be visiting the two of them later this week.

Well, that’s the news.

I’ll be back soon enough with plenty of trivia and articles about movies so stay tuned.

New Trailers Dropped For 2023

New trailers just dropped for movies being released next year. Later I’ll post a full list of my most hotly anticipated movies and series for next year.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

I found myself really excited by this video. I checked out of the Transformers franchise after the first two films because they just became increasingly awful to watch. Michael Bay was definitely getting on my nerves, but the franchise regained my attention with Bumblebee, consequently, that’s now my favorite character.

Admittedly, I was not there for the Beast Wars saga, so I don’t know much about it, because I was elsewhere doing other things. I heard about it, though. I know only a handful of characters in this movie (Mirage and Optimus Primal) but not who else. Still, the nostalgia factor is pretty big with this one and it was really nice to see so many grown-ass men being childishly excited about this movie on YouTube! The trailer looks really good. Hopefully, the creators can keep the momentum they began with Bumblebee. Will I go see it in the theater? Idk. It depends on what else is being released that month because June is a lot!

Yeah, Optimus Primal is being voiced by none other than Ron Perlman.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

This movie’s nostalgia factor hit me pretty hard. I probably will not go see this movie, not because I don’t love Indy but because there are three other movies coming out in June I want to see, and this one falls low on that list. I do not have limitless movie theater money, so Indie, I’m afraid, is going to lose. Sorry Indy, I will wait for it to reach streaming services.

This looks really exciting though and if you guys go see it, write something down, tell us all about it.

Guardians of the Galaxy 3

I’m really looking forward to this movie. I enjoyed the last move and the holiday special a lot, and I like spending time with this group of goofballs. There’s not really a nostalgia factor here but it will be interesting to get rocket’s backstory, and it’s nice to see Gamora (or at least an alternate-universe version of her) again. I’m still not a fan of Chris Pratt (he is after all the least likable Chris) but his acting isn’t bad, and he’s not so awful I cannot tolerate him in a film with a bunch of other great and funny characters.

Elemental

I really, really, liked this trailer which is a great introduction to this world and its rules. I’m not really into the forbidden romance angle of the story, but I do like the easy Jazz music of the teaser. Everyone who saw this trailer was quick to point out how she is the only Elemental on the train who is made of fire and noting the different interactions between the Elementals. So the creators have already set up how these characters interact, have both negative and positive effects on each other’s existences, and why the fire elementals might not be included. I’m probably not going to the theater to see this one though because…Summer.

Cocaine Bear

This is one of those ridiculous comedies that get released every few years. This one is about a bear that gets high on a stash of cocaine that some criminals lose in the woods, and I’m not going to see this but Hey, if this is your bag, go for it!

HELLOOOO!!!

Yeah, I’m still here. I’m still writing (some long-form posts) but it is the Holiday season, so you’re probably going to notice some extreme slacking off in the next few weeks. Frankly, all of you should be slacking this season.

When I come back (probably next week) I want to talk about my favorite new series Interview with the Vampire, which did everything right when it came to race-bending and genderswapping characters, and by that time I will have something to say about the new series called Wednesday on Netflix.

I am encouraging as many people as I can reach to watch Interview with the Vampire which is one of the most trashy, campy, beautiful, and sexy shows about vampires I’ve ever seen. It is airing on AMC+. You can pay for the app alone or get it through Amazon Prime for 8.99 a month and I promise it is worth it, (at about 1.25 an episode) just to watch this show (after which you can cancel if you want.) Don’t go into it expecting a retread of the 1994 film, which is still one of my favorite vampire movies, although this series I think, surpasses and deepens the story in a lot of ways.

Coming in December will be my end-of-the-year favorite movies and series list! As far as entertainment, inclusivity, and representation, this was a spectacular year! Also next month, more on my weight loss journey, how much I lost, how it’s going, and what are my goals.

Until then,

Happy Holidays

Halloween Month Starts Saturday!

Okay, you guys all know I’m a huge fan of Horror movies, and that means I’m also a big fan of Halloween, which means the entire month of October gets to be Halloween month. Yep, I’m one of those people who celebrate Halloween all month long, culminating in a big movie blowout on Halloween night (if I don’t fall asleep first – I’m old yall. Whaddaya gonnado?). I have not watched a lot of Horror movies this year because I’ve mostly been unimpressed by what I’ve been offered this year, and I haven’t been in the mood to watch much of it, preferring comedies and anime, but I’m ready to start watching Horror again.

Anyway, I have some really exciting series and movies to look forward to next month and I want to share them with you. Now, some of these have already been released this month and I have trailers for the ones I plan to watch, and some aren’t released until next month, with a mix here of TV series and movies. I don’t know that any of these are any good, but they look interesting, and I’m going to check them out and then talk about them (except for the movies because I most likely will not get to see those in theaters). But hey, there are plenty of TV shows to take up any slack and it’s all Horror all month long.

There is a lot to look forward to. At the top of my list are:

Hellraiser (7 – Hulu)

Here is the first trailer for the new Hellraiser series. For those not in the know, the new Pinhead is being played by an actress, and since this is streaming the creators can get as gory and dreadful as they like. The new Cenobites look awesome and grotesque. Hopefully, this series will be better than Hellraiser 2 and the many mediocre sequels which didn’t seem to understand the point of Barker’s books. I also hope they can bring in elements of the last Hellraiser book The Scarlet Gospels with Harry D’amour.

Interview with the Vampire(2 – AMC)

I just watched an hour-long special on the making of this series which is free on YouTube, and the creators talk about the changes they made and why, and I’m glad they did because there has been a lot of discussion about how old Claudia is in this series. Claudia here is about 14, and there’s a reason why they did it that way.

Anne Rice had a hand in the choosing of this actress so I’m okay with it, and there is no way in hell you’re gonna be able to get any kind of permission to have a five or six-year-old girl (the age she is in the book) to do the things you can get an 11-year-old (the movie version played by Kirsten Dunst) or the older version to do. Due to the nature of the role, and what is required of the actress, she has got to be aged up out of sheer necessity, so I’m not quite sure why people think it’s a bad idea to have her be 14 unless it’s for the usual racist bullshit because the actress is biracial. I don’t think that’s the reason, because I haven’t seen a whole lot of white people acting like damn fools over the casting of these characters (but I no longer have any faith that white people on social media will act sane. At this point in time I expect there to be some assholery!)

But I love that the series is as lushly overdone and over the top as the original books (I expect a certian amount of cringe) and that the creators are going to be using information from all the books because what this is is a kind of forty-year-old sequel to the first book, where Daniel, the interviewer, comes back to question Louis in the present day.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (25 – Netflix)

This is going to be an anthology series of eight stories from famous directories of different Horror movies, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re going to come up with based on the museum-like items that Guillermo owns in his home. Remember he has a book out about all the different oddities he’s collected over the years so that’s worth checking out too.

Halloween Ends (14 – Theaters and Peacock)

Fortunately, this is airing on both streaming and in theaters and I’m ready to see how this all ends. The second movie simply wasn’t as good as the first (although it was a good effort and had some interesting moments). I was a little disappointed that Jamie didn’t have as much to do in the second mvoie which mostly focused on the different townspeople and their reaction to Michael coming back to town. This movie looks like it will focus once again on the matchup between her and Michael.

The Munsters (9/27 – Netflix)

I talked before about how while I am a big Addams Family fan, my first love was The Munsters and this is being released this week to Netflix! It looks like a whole lot of fun, which is the whole point. The focus is on the comedy, not the scares. Think of this as a less dark, more childlike version of The Addams Family. I’ll get back to you about what I think.

Queer for Fear (9/30 – Shudder)

So far, I am really enjoying quite a few of the documentaries about Horror movies that have aired on Shudder, and which seem to be their specialty. Docuseries like Horror Noire and The History of Folk Horror were really informative and well done so I’m eager to see what the Horror community has to say about Queerness in Horror films. This is narrated by Bryan Fuller an out gay creator who is the showrunner of the Hannibal series and the first season of Star Trek Discovery.

Second Tier: These are interesting and most likely will be watched.

Tales From the Walking Dead – I have yet to watch any of these. I’ll have time to do that in October, I hope.

Piggy – This looks really interesting. Its been playing at TIFF and has gotten a few accolades. It’s about a bullied, overweight girl who runs into a serial killer that taking out girls in her town who have been tormenting her and what she might decide to do or not do about that.

Teen Wolf Movie (Paramount) – I had no intention whatsoever of watching this but thought it might be of interest to other people who were really into it when it used to air on MTV.

Pearl – This looks interesting but I’m not spending money to see it. I think this is already out now.

Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey – I talked about this already. I still don’t know wtf to think about this movie!

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (5 – Netflix) – This movie is one of the creepier, but lighter weight stories from Stephen King’s anthology titled Let It Bleed, about a young man receiving phone calls from a dead friend.

Wendell And Wild (28 – Netflix) – This is from the same team that created The Nightmare Before Xmas so I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s about a couple of demons who have to fight a nun or something. I don’t care. It’s on Netflix, Imma watch it.

VHS/99 (20 – Shudder) – I watched all the other films in this series, and they are all hit or miss as far as the stories. I liked the last one okay, so I’ll give this one a try.

Let the Right One In (7 – Showtime) – This week was the first time I heard about this and I really liked the movies (there are two versions, Norwegian and USian). This is about a child who becomes a vampire and how her father deals with that. It appears to be expanded a lot from the movies so I’m interested in what they’ve done with the basic story.

Prey for the Devil (28) – Normally I don’t care for exorcism movies because they all feel like retreads of The Exorcist (which is also set to get another sequel). But this one looks interesting because it’s from the point of view of a woman, a nun who wants to perform the exorcism herself.

Old People (7 – Netflix) – This one reminds me of the movie Parents, where the parents all went insane or contracted a disease or something and tried to kill their kids. So I guess now it’s the parent’s parents trying to kill their grandchildren.

Grimcutty (10 – Hulu)

I got nothing. I didn’t even know this was a thing that was happening. I don’t even know if I will watch it.

Matriarch (21 – Hulu)

This doesn’t look especially interesting to me but might be of interest to others, so I put it in this group. I don’t know if I will watch it.

Everything Else: These mostly seem to involve a whole lot of killing, zombies, and spirits! Some of these are being released later this year.

Curse of Bridge Hollow (14 – Netflix)

Spirit Halloween (11 – VOD)

Werewolf By Night (7 – Disney+)

Reginald the Vampire

The Loneliest Boy in the World

Slayers

Project Legion

Among the Living

Forthcoming Scares

Fall

They Cloned Tyrone

This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen and has three of my top favorite Black actors in it, Teyonah Paris from Wandavision, Jamie Foxx who just starred in Day Shift, and of course, John Boyega who I always wonder what he’s doing when I don’t see him for a while. I’m not into the conspiracy stuff that’s in this but these three appear to be having the time of their lives, and I’m glad to see them working together.

A Knock At the Cabin

This is based on the book by Paul Tremblay called The Cabin At the End of the World, and involves a home invasion that is kind of unique. Dave Bautista is killing it in this role (probably literally!) I don’t want to give away any spoilers but remember the plot from Cabin in the Woods? Think of this as a thematic sequel to that movie.

Bones and All

I got nothing. I never heard of this until I stumbled across the trailer.

Last Voyage of the Demeter

Okay! This is a thing.

2023

Renfield – Nicholas Cage is back at it again.

Evil Dead Rise – A sequel to the Evil Dead remake from a few years ago. I have not seen the remake, so I don’t know about this.

Salem’s Lot – This has been promised to us for a while but they keep moving the date back and we still don’t have a trailer.

The Exorcist (Sequel) – I’m not sure this is a good idea since the original was pretty much as perfectly made as it could be, and every exorcism movie since then has been nothing but tired retreads of it, but I’m going to look at this with an open mind. There have been other sequels, and I watched those, and this may have something to say about the original that wasn’t said in those.

A Quiet Place: Day One – Seems like a good idea I guess. I like the first two movies which are actualyl scary and well acted.

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Most Anticipated – New Trailers This Week

The Little Mermaid

I don’t think you guys understand just how fucking hype Black people are to see this film, how important this film is to marginalized communities, and how much we all love Ariel. We are definitely going to show up and show out for this movie. Not only is it one of the most important films from our youth (including mine) but it stars one of the hottest young singers in R&B today, Halle Bailey (not to be confused with Halle Berry), who is a member of the singing duo of Chloe and Halle. Watching this two-minute snippet gave me chills and I was already in tears by the end, the same effect the original has had on me for over thirty years.

The original Little Mermaid film was released at just the right moment for it to have an outsized influence on the trajectory of my life when I was young enough to be asking myself the kinds of questions Ariel asks in the film. (I was 19). I went to the theater with my best friend (who later came out to me as gay, so I wonder what effect the movie’s message had on him) and I was in the process of deciding to leave Design/Animation school and choose a different profession. Not only did the two of us bawl our eyes out in the theater but in every viewing I’ve ever had. So yeah, in the thirty years since I first saw this movie there’s never been a time when Ariel’s “I Want” song didn’t give me chills.

The I Want/I Wish song is a classic staple of American musical theater which is the background of the song’s writer Howard Ashman. Ashman, along with Alan Menken, wrote all the songs for the movie which was Disney’s first animated fairy tale in over thirty years. The I Want song must be sung by the film’s lead character, lay out the character’s motivation, or goals, and/or illuminate their character in some way. Ashman and Menken wrote the songs for Beauty and the Beast, The Little Shop of Horror, and Aladdin., and the I Want song has been included in every Disney/Pixar movie since.

Having a Black Little Mermaid is so groundbreaking and so important for so many little Black girls. Some parents posted pictures of their daughter’s reactions to the trailer. My favorite one of all of them is the little girl who screams “She’s Black!!!, at the top of her lungs.

It is impossible to look at this kind of pure joy and claim that representation doesn’t matter!

The Peripheral

This is a series that will be streaming on Amazon. I’m probably going to watch this for the trippy visuals and because I like Chloe G Moretz. I’m also a little bit tired of some of the fantasy stuff I’ve been watching and need a break with some scifi. This is from the writers of Westworld and I just started watching the last season that just aired. I like the writers for that series and I have high hopes for this one.

Glass Onion

I was not particularly impressed with Knives Out, although I do like these types of cozy murder mysteries in general. I did watch and enjoy The Orient Express and Death on the Nile, and I’m looking forward to this, Amsterdam, and See How They Run, movies that look a bit more comedic. I’ve heard that Janelle Monae turns in a spectacular performance in this and I’m ready for it. I hope it’s good, but then I always do.

I’ve been really spoiled for TV all year. I’m really loving a lot of the diversity I’ve been seeing in shows and movies to the point where I’ve gotten really picky and not bothering to watch any shows or movies that don’t have any PoC, or LGBTQ rep in them. First, because I really am kinda spoiled now, and I expect it, and second, I simply don’t have the time to watch much else. Hell, I don’t even have time to watch the many diverse series/movies that are out, and I’m only watching a series if it has a fantasy, SciFi, or horror element. I think the whitest thing I watched this year (as far as the cast), was The Northman.

Black Adam (Final Trailer)

I used to read the Justice Society books when I wasn’t reading the Justice League books, so I remember most of the characters here, but since I didn’t read the series with any kind of regularity (and after a while, I stopped reading superhero comics altogether) I completely missed any storylines that featured Black Adam. I know that he is a kind of anti-hero like Wolverine, who is a rival of Shazam/Billy Batson, and Superman.

This was another one of those situations in which I mostly read the series for individual characters like Doctor Fate and Hawkman. I don’t really know a lot about the other members of the Justice Society. I’m excited about this because The Rock/Dwayne Johnson looks incredible, I’ve been waiting to see him in a superhero movie for some time, and I was wondering who he would play. I would not have guessed this character but I’m not surprised. I don’t know how good this is going to be but I remain hopeful, and the trailer looks like a lot of fun, although not as much fun as the last Suicide Squad, or Harley Quinn movie.

Wendell and Wild

This movie is from the writer of Nightmare Before Xmas, which is one of my all-time favorite Holiday films, and Coraline, which is one of the most charmingly terrifying animated movies I’ve ever watched, so I’m really looking forward to this. Like I said, I’ve been getting a little bit spoiled when it comes to Black female representation in my three favorite genres this year. I mean, there isn’t and can never be enough Black female rep to make up for all the decades we’ve been horribly ignored in these types of films, but I’m okay with what I’ve gotten this year, which is kinda awesome, and I’m gonna talk about that soon.

The Mandolorian Season 3

The Mando is one of those shows I’ve been sort of quietly following the entire time. I don’t talk much about it because there’s so much stuff to talk about that a lot of what I watch is going to get lost in the shuffle, but this is a good, solid, adventure series, with characters and plots I can like and understand. It’s not too emotionally taxing or plot-dense and that makes it perfect for watching when I get home from work.

I have been a Boba Fett fan since I was a little girl, but oddly, I didn’t watch The Book of Boba Fett. I skipped that and felt no particular way about it, but I have never skipped an episode of this show, although when I first heard about it I was somewhat indifferent. The show is alright though, and who can resist Baby Yoda. (I know that’s not his name).

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Elvis arrived on HBO Max on September 2 for your streaming pleasure. However, if you’d like insight into some of the music the dubbed “King of Rock ’n Roll” gentrified and did not credit, here are ten biopics about Black musicians that you can stream or rent today. The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)…

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