Saving for later, "Dangerous Sex and Scattered Focus, Fifty Years Apart", an article by American film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum comparing Babardeală cu bucluc sau porno balamuc (directed by Radu Jude) to WR: Mysteries of the Organism (1971) ; both films dealing with the representation of sexuality and politics. I tremendously enjoyed Bad Luck Banging's writing and structure, and the spectacular acting. Also, don't want to spoil the ending, but it's so seriously over the top you will NEVER forget it. WR has been high on my list of must-watch so maybe it's time to give it a chance.
Artistically speaking, would the mid to late '90s be as significant as they were without Dave McKean? Would our favourite Doom Metal or Emo albums look the same without his artful collages and graphical explorations (Duncan Fegredo probably should also receive some extra credit here)? Here's a long, in-depth, retrospective interview with McKean that ran recently in The Comics Journal. On a side note, saving for future Christmases: Thalamus, a two-volume hardcover retrospective published by Dark Horse in late 2023 that will only cost you a meagre $149.99.
My good friends over at ED Distribution are set to release in theaters this wonderful film directed by Mark Jenkin. They were kind enough to send me a preview link and I watched it this morning, absolutely mesmerized from start to finish. I'll definitely go see it in an actual cinema once it's out, if only to pick up more clues and get lost once again in this labyrinthine mental island.
Here's an English translation of my Letterboxd review: "Enys Men offers a unique sensory experience, situated at the outskirts of hauntology, this protean non-genre obsessed with the notion of a present constantly shaped by the ghosts of the past. Far from the clichés of traditional fantasy, here is finally the great intimate feminine horror film that Men by Alex Garland and In the Earth by Ben Wheatley could have been, had they both not chosen the path of grand guignol. In a stripped-down, precise, calculated, and naturalistic cinematic style, Mark Jenkin evokes not only the essence of Folk Horror but also the spirit of Bergman's Hour of the Wolf. His heroine, captive in a House on the Borderland worthy of Hodgson's spatio-temporal nightmares, traverses the epochs and sediments that (de)compose reality; on the other side of the mirror, the secrets of the labyrinthine world she inhabits are revealed to us. Some may get lost in it, while others will see a fascinating representation of the nightmares of immanence. A brilliantly inhabited film, to be seen captive in the theater, to drown in the hypnotic dance of the 16mm grain chosen by its director." And to wrap this post up, I'll direct you to yet another great Guardian article about this wonderful, wonderful movie and the wicked ways of its one-of-a-kind director. "Enys Men", French theatrical release April 10, 2024. If you miss good, clever Pop songs with an extra slice of Brit humor (Scottish, in this case), just like Neil Hannon used to write back in the '90s, you could do far worse than listening to this excellent album released by Hamish Hawk in 2023. I only found out about it recently, thanks to the joys of Year's End Top Ten lists, and have been listening to this album in constant rotation ever since. Infectious melodies that capture the golden essence of Pure Pop!
Let's tak about Marvel Comics, the be-all, end-all of mainstream superhero stories. My relationship with Marvel has been a wild ride. I was fully immersed in their superhero universe growing up, practically living and breathing alongside my favorite characters. I can still vividly recall the sheer joy of returning from vacations to reunite with my beloved stack of '80s X-Men and Avengers comics. The excitement was palpable, and I even longed for them while away. However, my enthusiasm took a hit during my stint at a Comic Book Store in the early '90s, where the scene was dominated by flashy gimmicks like Special Holographic Foil 3D Blood covers. Then came Image Comics, shaking up the industry forever.
The following decades were a mixed bag. While some artists and writers attempted to usher in a new era for superheroes, others got lost in the haze of nostalgia. In the 2010s, I drifted away from Marvel Comics when they stopped making sense, only to rediscover my passion about a decade ago. Recently, I stumbled upon a delightful list compiled by Anne Reads Comics! nestled between two hate posts on X. It's a goldmine of Marvel wonders waiting to be explored, and I'm itching to dive into these unexplored corners of "the House of Ideas" anytime soon.
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