#its hatters/arts her comics are insane i really love the way you can TELL how big her brain is by when she says shes taking shortcuts but

[lelelego]

had a dream and drew it :o)

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: March 2019

We are 25% through the year!

……….FILM……….

Us (2019) I don’t do well with scary movies; It’s the one genre where I have to know as much as possible before seeing it. With this (and Get Out) I found it thoroughly enjoyable knowing the full plot and so I guess I’m suggesting you see this movie twice? It’s layered and weird and demands suspension of disbelief but that in no way lessens the impact of what’s on screen.  

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part  (2019) I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. I loved the first one, but reviews and theatre attendance seemed to imply that it just wasn’t that good. With that in mind, I think I went into the movie with the same hesitation as the first film and was equally surprised! It would be impossible to surprise you with a twist as big as the first movie, while still being a sequel, and for that I give it some leeway. The jokes were just as funny, the plot was just as sincere and commenting on the nature of play, and the animation was stellar. It’s hard when a sequel is just as good cause I think that feels like a letdown to some, but I was thoroughly satisfied and would highly recommend.

Captain Marvel (2019) Really good! Culturally important and a couple great messages tucked away in there. Carol Danvers seems like a super interesting character and I’m excited for her to shine in future films, but I suppose I’m spoiled by the weirdness of Spider-Verse and Ragnarok now and want all my superhero movies to be over-the-top.

Sorry to Bother You (2018) To say too much is to possibly spoil this movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. I will say that I wish I knew the genre of the film before going into the movie, as I think it would’ve mentally prepared me a little more for some of the bigger plot points. With that said, those same points hit harder BECAUSE I was so unprepared. Did it overwhelm the metaphor with its surprise? Yes. Is it worth a second viewing so I can better appreciate what the movie is trying to do? 100%.

……….TELEVISION……….

The Bachelor (Episode 23.08 to 23.12) Oofadoof. Credit where credit is due: that wall-jump was as good as the season-long tease and rarely does the show deliver like that. With that said, I really think this season was a good example of why the show should integrate therapy a little more. Or simply allow the show to be less extreme. Bachelorette Canada is still one of my favourite seasons of the franchise and it was just a nice person meeting nice people and the natural drama from that environment. Maybe it’s too different of a culture (there weren’t any content creators vying for the Canadian lead’s heart) but I believe it could work. Also Hannah B is bonkers.

Brooklyn Nine Nine (Episode 6.04 to 6.07) It’s sad to see Gina go but her send off was perfect. I just...I just love this show so much.

Umbrella Academy (Episode 1.03 to 1.10) The first few episodes were rocky for me. Not because it’s a bad show, but because the tone was so different from the comic book that it took me a while to adjust. I suppose an adaptation like this couldn’t fully capture the spirit of the source material without breaking the bank, but it does a good job at what it wants to do. While I won’t say one or the other is better (they really are too different to truly compare), I’ll admit that the book has an energy and zaniness that I love and that’s just not what the show is going for.

Queer Eye (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) Finally starting this and it’s been great! The guys are a little...mean...that first episode, but everyone seems to be finding their groove and the overall tone is really settling in to one of positivity and growth.

……….READING……….

The Cthulhu Casebooks - Sherlock Holmes and the Miskatonic Monstrosities by James Lovegrove (Complete) A combination of two of my favourite corners of literature? Sign. Me. Up. It delivers on the promise as well; there’s lots of investigating and Holmesness to the novel (even structured in two parts like the original stories) and the added layer of Lovecraftian horror ratchets everything up a notch! This appears to be book 2 in a trilogy but I didn’t feel like I’d missed anything.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie (Complete) One of my faves and this is a little research for a D&D setting I’m working up that will be set in a version of Neverland!

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 4 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) While I say this after reading each volume, this series continues to impress. It has a great balance of straying from form while never feeling inconsistent. The characters continue to grow and the danger feels real and ever-present. Such a good read.

Alien: The Illustrated Story by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson (Complete) This is a beautiful adaptation of the film! Simonson does a great job at capturing each character’s spirit (not exclusively relying on the actors’ likenesses or stills from the film) and the pacing is strong. The chestburster scene wasn’t what I was expecting, but maybe I’d just built it up too much.

Last Man: The Stranger by Bastien Vivès, Balak, Michaël Sanlaville (Complete) There’s something so refreshing about the art style and I think it’s maybe just that I don’t read enough French comics? It was light and simple is some panels, yet communicates so much and has so much nuance in the characters. The story so far is fun (always love a good fighting competition as a framework for character drama) but I was a little bummed that the collection didn’t really offer a satisfying arch. Maybe it’s meant to be one long read and couldn’t really be naturally broken up into chunks, but it still left me feeling shortchanged.

……….GAMING……….

Katamari Damacy Reroll (Bandai Namco) Loved this the first time around and it’s just as great on Switch. It took a while to get back into the wonky controls but I just love how insane this game is. I know some of the later games weren’t as well-reviewed by I’d love to try them out (for the first time) on this console.

A Red & Pleasant Land (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) The party continues to explore this strange land while waiting to crash the Hatter’s party. They saved a fish priest despite receiving ominous origami telling to beware the fish’s fingers and they even risked death by giant twin babies to do so!

Maze of the Blue Medusa (Satyr Press) The group continues to explore the gardens and have defeated a toad demon, a priest made of mulch, and made a friend of a shambling puppeteer!

Curse of Strahd (Wizards of the Coast) We had our first knockout! To a swarm of beetles! Who knew a bunch of bugs were more lethal that ghasts and cultists. The party is still exploring the mysterious basement to the haunted house and everyone is having a great time!

And that’s it! As always, feel free to send recommendations and happy Sunday!