Medialog

Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop - My best friend, the woman who runs the local used bookstore, gifted me all three books for Christmas because this is her favorite series, but I still have yet to start them!

Bluebeard's Castle by Anna Biller - Did I recently rewatch The Love Witch and want to read Anna Biller's book? Perhabs...

The First Bad Man by Miranda July - And take recommendations from Anna Biller's blog of recently read books? Well........

Amulet by Michael McDowell - Recc'd from Paperbacks From Hell as a southern gothic author.

Still Reading

How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix - Hold on, I'm still reading it... but I like it a lot so far.

Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs - This has not aged well regarding the depiction of African natives. That aside, it is interesting and neatly written, with quite a bit more meat on the bones than the Disney movie had.

Transcendence by Shay Savage - Went looking for a romance novel similar in vibes to Tarzan and was recommended this. Not actually sure if this is what I was looking for, or whether this is doing it for me.

When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom - This book is comprised of two shorter stories. I read the first one, and liked it, even if it didn't quite give me the heebie jeebies, but I've been putting off reading the second one, because the premise alone makes my stomach turn. What better endorsement of horror could you ask for?

Read

You Suck by Christopher Moore - Finished this book and didn't even realize it was the second in a trilogy until after I was done. Does a good job of telling you the relevaqnt information so that reading the first book isn't necessary to enjoy it (though I expect it to be just as delightful). This book had me laughing out loud. It's difficult to write comedy, but this author makes it feel effortless. I now want to read everything else this author has written.

Lute by Jennifer Thorne - I liked the plot but it was a little boring and not particularly original. The beginning was kind of a slog, and I found it difficult to care about the main character's references to her past and emotional baggage. I think this could have been a short story instead.

Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth - Eugh. Gross. I love it. I liked the writing style and I loved how insane the narrator was. I don't have a ton to say but I really liked it. If you like insane women, haunted houses as a metaphor for grief, and storylines involving complex, realistic portrayals of different kinds of child abuse, you should read this one! It's pretty short, too!

The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden - I like domestic thrillers, and as a domestic thriller, this was pretty solid. Was it cheesy and tropey with a bonkers plot twist? Yes, and I wouldn't want it any other way. teeth/10.

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin - I read this because it was popular on Tiktok and free to read with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Opinions seemed to be pretty mixed on it so I thought I wasn't going to like it, but it surprised me! I found the main characters narration of her school experience pretty realistic and real to my own. I used to wear a tiara in high school! Especially that part where, I think it was New Year's or July 4th or something, and she talks about how it suddenly felt like there was an unspoken competition of who was having more fun. I remember that exact feeling. The characters and their problems felt pretty real. The writing felt a little juvenile and cheesy at first but slowly seemed to mature as the character grew up, so that kind of grew on me. That being said, I didn't really like the ending? Knowing the ending up front kind of took a lot of the emotional affect of it away, in my opinion, and then what happened afterwards just felt... bizarre and a bit of a whiplash. 3/5. Overall, I liked it but didn't love it. It was kind of charming with a weird end.

Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix - Wow I was on a Grady Hendrix kick last year. This is definitely my favorite boook of his however! I liked the different representations of how people deal with trauma. I liked all the sly references to classic slasher films. I really related to the main character, as someone who is hypervigilant and prone to paranoia (although obviously not to her extent or with the same reasons as her) and can be so convinced of my own assumptions that I become biased and an unreliable narrator to my own life. Did that make sense? I just found the main character, flaws and all, to be really relatable. This book unlocked a lot of things for me. What's the point of surviving if you refuse to live? But you'll have to experience it to see for yourself, it's not the kind of thing I could easily transfer in a review. I liked that the main character was so judgmental but then bits of information about her were slowly revealed that obviously paint her in a bad light and it's like... girl you are not without sin why are you so eager to cast stones lol. Most of the book really feels like a chase scene in a slasher film; the tension, the heartbeating, the desperation. It really did a good job of replicating the feeling of the meat of those movies in a book form. If you like Hendrix's writing style and slasher movies, I hope you'll love this one as much as I did! 6/7 girls remaining. I think the portrayal of the antagonist's violent, incel-y, gamergate-y style of antifeminism was over the top and corny but I don't even care because I liked the rest of the book too much and, hey, people like that exist and I rarely see fiction touch on them so brazenly, so I can dismiss the unsubtlety. I was also kind of confused by Chrissy, like, in general? Also I can't not point out that they killed off the only black final girl before the story even started :/ TW As always, you can check Storygraph for a list of Trigger Warnings.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - So, I'm noticing a pattern. Grady Hendrix is really fond of Cassandra protagonists; girls who know a truth of grave consequence, but they are doomed to have nobody believe them, which in these cases lead to the protagonist being gaslit or insisted to be crazy. Ggggg it makes me want to rip my hair out. Despite that, I liked this one a lot! It has that kind of vintage housewife aesthetic that is so romanticized, but with all the horrors of actually being an old-timey housewife, and vampires! I never saw the women in Desperate Housewives communally dismember an immortal being in a bathtub and send the pieces of his still-living body to be cremated, where his ashes remain forever still trying to rematerialize, but you'll find that here! One thing I don't like was how this book dips it's toes into racism and then backs out halfway through. Ok the vampire mostly preys on poor, black victims because they're less likely to be looked for if they go missing. That's an interesting concept, can we expand on that? At all? No? Ok. Like all Hendrix books, it's very girl power in a way that is like 80% nice to read and 20% corny, but I can accept it for what it is. Hendrix seems to be a little polarizing, in large part it seems because of his handling of feminist themes. If you liked any of his other books, you'll probably like this one, but if you didn't, I don't think you will. It's my least favorite of his books (that I've read) but I still really liked it so... yeah! TW As always, you can check Storygraph for a list of Trigger Warnings.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix - I'm finally reading Grady Hendrix! I read his nonfiction exploration of 80's pulp horror, Paperbacks From Hell a while ago, and have been antsy to get into his fiction. This book is Jennifer's Body meets Stranger Things. A story of female friendship and one girl's love for her best friend being put to the test by a literal demon, set to rollerskates and hairspray and 80's mixtapes. I was really invested in the events of this book, even if I was sometimes yelling at the main character for not prodding more or asking the right questions or realizing what was wrong. The only complaint I have is that I didn't understand a lot of Hendrix's descriptions (I had to look up what building tabby was, among other things... but that's kind of on me not the author lol). I didn't find much creep factor in this book, and what spooks there were came pretty late in the book. I did however feel an immense amount of frustration as the main character kept asking for help and getting punished for it. Those kinds of gaslighting plots make my skin crawl in an entirely different way. Did I find myself crying during the climax? Yes. I'm a sucker for *that* trope. I thought the ending was a little meh for everything we'd been through, but it was still endearing. I can't wait to read the rest of Grady Hendrix's work :)1988/10. A character-driven, atmospheric horror that understands the power of suffering for your happy ending. This book will hold a place in my heart for a while. TW for... a lot. It's a horror book! You can check out the list of TWs on Storygraph!

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - I picked up this book knowing it was popular but not really knowing what it was. Judging it by it's cover, I assumed it was a Romance. This made my experience for the first 2/3 of this book quite a chore because, right off the bat, I found the initial love interest pathetic and intolerable. Despite not being all that interested in the romance plot, the characters were decently likable and Colleen Hoover's writing is easy to breeze through. It's all action, reaction, dialogue, no chewing the scenery. In fact, Hoover doesn't seem to be big on describing anything that isn't absolutely necessary. I don't mean to complain. I liked the way Ryle was portrayed as a complex but in-the-wrong person, instead of some unexplainable monster. I thought Lilly's mother could have been written better; the scene towards the end with her felt more like her doing a 180 than Lilly having a realization. I found the overall story of this book to be important and empowering, and was left with a feeling of satisfaction once I closed it (even if I wished I got to see more of Lilly's relationship with the true love interest... guess I'll buy the sequel). 3/5. Maybe I would have enjoyed this book more if I knew what it was from the start instead of sitting through what I thought was a unappealing romance. Though, I also don't think I would have liked it as much if I knew what happened beforehand... I just never liked Ryle, even from the beginning, lol. But I still liked this book. TW for abuse.

Circe by Madeline Miller - This book was intoxicating! I'm surprised how much the internet fawns over The Song of Achilles, Miller's other work, yet sleeps on this book! (But not that surprised, we do love queer representation.) It is always nice, almost comforting in it's familiarity, to read about the unique ways that rage and sorrow manifest in women. Also I love Greek mythology and Circe is a character who surprisingly does not see much modern reference outside of her relation to Odysseus. One of my favorites, definitely worth reading if you love Greek Mythology or angry women, but TW for a rape scene in it :(

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - I read this while moving into a house with a slight mildew problem so that was an experience ahaha. This is a wonderful gothic novel! I loved the descriptions in this book, and how surreal some of the scenes were. Mold poisoning being the cause of the standard loss of sanity in Gothic novels was such a fresh concept for the genre! The romance in this book was... well it managed to be adorable despite blooming under quite frightening, and disgusting circumstances. I thought the book slogged a little bit in the middle. It felt a little slow after a while, and then once everything starts to get explained, everything after that happens very fast! I wish there was more pacing, like perhaps if Noemi found more out in her personal investigations, to make the middle more suspenseful instead of atmospheric, and the end less rushed. That's my only complaint and I otherwise thoroughly enjoyed this book! 4/5. Recommend to anyone who loves Gothic fiction and is looking for a fresh (and diverse!) take on the genre while still staying true to many of it's defining traits.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Vintage WLW? Bisexual representation? Golden Age of Hollywood? This book has it all. It was incredibly tender and frustrating the entire time. I binged it in like two days and I was over the moon about it the entire time. I really didn't care for the twist at the ending though. 4/5. Beautiful addition to the queer lit with an aesthetic that I love.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - I'm so sorry, I hated this book. I know it's a booktok darling, but I just did not like it. The characters were flat, the budding romance between two of them was irritating. The plot twist was simultaneously overdone, unsatisfying, and beyond my threshold of suspended disbelief. This book put all of it's eggs in it's plot twist basket, but since it's plot twist flopped for me, I just felt like I was holding an empty basket... After the climax, all I was left with was this feeling that I'd wasted the last few hours. However, I really liked the authors writing style. This book gets a lot of hate for it's choppy, dizzying sentence structure, but I really enjoyed it and thought the author implemented it well. Even though I didn't like the plot, the writing style made sense for it, and honestly made the overall pace of the book very quick, allowing me to breeze through it. Despite my criticism, I do think this would be an appealing book to younger people. The plot twist felt played out to me, but that's because I've seen and read sooo many things. For someone who hasn't been overexposed to that trope, and can farther extend their disbelief, this book might be mindblowing! (Which I think is why it's so popular on Tiktok). If you decide to read it and end up not liking it, hey, at least it's short.

I have a Regal Unlimited pass so I tend to see almost every movie that comes out as it's in theaters. As such, this section will likely be extremely long and boring lol.

Repo the Genetic Opera (2008) - This was a rewatch. The first time I saw this movie, I was 11 and had just moved to a new town less than a week before. My dad took me to some woman's house so he could sleep with her, so I and her two teenaged daughters were sequestered into a room to "hang out." They put this movie on, and, in retrospect, I think they were trying to scare me? But I was ENTRANCED. My mom was goth-adjacent in the 90s, and my own interests always leaned into the weirder, more macabre side of things, even as a kid. This movie singlehandedly kicked off my emo phase in middle school where I was obsessed with Emilie Autumn and Kerli and American McGee's Alice. Also it fucks severely. This movie is objectively bad, but that is part of what makes it so amazing. Certified cult classic. Paris Hiltons face falls off. Not a single line is spoken in this movie but the songs are sooooo good. Zydrate comes in a little glass vial.

Le Bonheur (1965) - You know, I've tried watching multiple French films to like, Get It, you know? And I always thought they were incredibly boring and slow. This was the first one where I was like... ooooh. The pacing actually felt like it was building an atmosphere. This movie feels very similar to Midsommar, to me. Both are "daylight horrors" (even though the horror in this film is quite a bit more subdued) and both sort of lull you into the mindset of the protagonist before jolting you out of that solopsistic view in the end. This movie managed to leave me with a really disturbed and uneasy feeling afterwards despite the fact that it generally carries a lighthearted and romantic facade until the final 10 or so minutes.

Eating Raoul (1982) - Oh man. This was a really solid black comedy. No notes. Has anyone ever made unwanted advances on you? Watch this.

The Bay (2012) - New fucking fear unlocked, I guess. I thought it utilized the found footage aspect decently well. Pretty good movie I'm not gonna lie.

War of The Planet of The Apes (2017) - Franchise Syndrome. Completely lost whatever made the original movie and original reboot interesting or good. You could not pay me to give a shit about this movie.

Dawn of The Planet of The Apes (2014) - Ok... Less cool than Rise. Definitely suffereing from Franchise Syndrome. But, you know, I at least liked the messaging of peace is possible and the people (and monkeys) with a hard-on for war that is driven by fear are in the wrong and only stoking each others flames.

Rise of The Planet of The Apes (2011) - You know what? Sure. It was cool. I liked it.

Planet of The Apes (1968) - Aaah I just watched this for the first time and I really liked it. I looove old 60's sci-fi. I loved how bright and technicolor this movie looked. Even though I knew the Big Reveal beforehand, I was still really engaged with the movie. This movie really hits at the heart of what made so much old sci-fi good, in my opinion. Instead of working backwards from "I have something to say about a current social issue so I'm going to craft a world and story around the commentary I want to make," it's "let's create a wild, fucked up scenario. Ok let's flesh it out. Okay, now, what does our world have to say about itself, and, maybe, about us?"

Pearl (2022) - Well, just more of the same for this franchise, I guess. The horror wasn't scary to me, the characters felt thin, unbelievable, unrelatable, and needlessly cruel. I thought I was going to like this movie after it was making its rounds on what I can only describe as the "mentally ill girl" part of the internet, and I certainly thought that certain scenes, isolated from their movie, were interesting. But when I watched them in the context of the movie they all felt extrmely flat and hamfisted. Oh my god, and that weird editing at the end? Lame as fuck, dude.

X (2022) - Ummm... Before this movie came out I kept seeing trailers for it and thought it looked interesting! And then Pearl, its prequel, came out and blew up on the internet and I thought I'd really like both movies. An erotic slasher with themes of youth and beauty and the fact that everyone (including a woman with an intense need for love) loses them one day? Sign me up! Unfortunately, this movie did not do it for me. The characters were boring and unrelatable. The characters are really my main sticking point. They were all pretty mean and cruel and their motivations and reactions seemed pretty random and hard to swallow or care about. The horror wasn't scary. I find it really hard to believe those old people were physically capable of Doing All That. I dunno, this just did nothing for me.

Lisa Frankenstein (2024) - This felt like a modern day (but set in the 80s obvi) Tim Burton movie to me. It really embraces the gothic romance and teen chick flick genres. This movie is for anyone who had a crush on Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus. Cole Sprout is cute so that also helps. It did feel like, a little cliche or cringe sometimes, and there were definitely scenes that would be over-the-top and ridiculous in other movies, but I feel like this one makes it work by never shying away and fully committing to the premise, following it through to the absolute conclusion, even if that means killing the lead.

Argylle (2024) - When the big twist was revealed I was totally like "immediately no" but gradually I learned to stop worrying and love the genre. Not as good as the Kingsmen series but still pretty good and very much in the same vein. Didn't very much care for the ending or the post credits attempt at franchising this story but I'm open to changing my mind if they're able to make it good. A lot of people didn't like this movie because of the drama surrounding the book and it's "mystery author" and then how it apparently sucked when it came out, but I never really engaged with that so that doesnt impact my experience of the movie. I kind of just assumed that the book was just a promotional tool since the main character's an author haha.

Miller's Girl (2024) - I personally got the impression that the film was framing Cairo as the villain far more than the teacher which is literally insanity to me. Maybe they were trying to make a stance on how when kids (I know she's technically freshly 18) are preyed upon and groomed sometimes that hurt and confusion manifests in them acting out and being mean but like... I feel like Lolita makes the same point but better WITHOUT framing the child as the bad guy? I don't know. GOD and it was so boring sometimes. Why were none of the adults acting reasonable at any time? The wife was like... getting off on making her husband continue Cairo's fanfiction and the other teacher was also encouraging this kind of flirtatious behavior from children instead of firmly stopping it? The character of the wife in general was, jesus, I mean, we were obviously supposed to hate her and think she's a bitch. HOW was this movie written by a woman?

Migration (2024) - It was cute. I liked it.

Mean Girls (2024) - Hrrnng it wasn't that bad, it was actually pretty fun, but it's not the one I grew up withhh. I specifically didn't like how they cut Gretchen and Karen's parts of "Meet the Plastics", changed the entire tone of "Stupid with Love," and made Regina's prom bathroom speech kinder and more girls-supporting-girlsy because that was never the point of that scene or Regina's character and I felt like it only weakened her character tbh. And I didn't love how they changed the "and I never weigh more than 115" line when the calorie bar plotline was still in the movie, like, hello? AND Angourie Rice was really flat with both her singing and acting. fljkbgslfjkb I don't know I didn't feel like most of the changes worked to benefit it! I did think makign Janis actually a lesbian was cool, and the way they incorporated smart phones and social media into this modern retelling I actually felt meshed pretty well (where most other modern remakes really fail in that area specifically). The actress who played Regina fucking CARRIED the ENTIRE movie, and during the Someone Gets Hurt sequence? Literally speechless. Astounding. My jaw was on the floor.

The Book of Clarence (2024) - I think LaKeith Stanfield is a very gorgeous man. I was raised in a cult for 8 years and then had no religious upbringing for the entire rest of my life so I know pretty much nothing about christianity or abrahamic canon in general. I just do not have context for it. It's very funny to me learning things about these beliefs with an already-formed brain and moral compass and belief set. Anyways, this movie was cool and funny. I liked the dig they took at Benedict Cumberbatch's hate-filled White Jeezus. As we were leaving I turned to my partner and said "oooh, so Jesus is kind the humanity's first poor little meow meow?" and they did not have a response for me.

Founders Day (2024) - Black lesbian final girl!!! This was a slasher that understood it's medium is corny but also cared about itself.

Anyone But You (2023) - It was fine. It was really funny and Sydney Sweeney is gorgeous, but it felt kind of flat and rushed towards the end? I don't know. I imagine adapting shakespeare into something modern and palatable isn't like, SUPER easy.

Wonka(2023) - Noodle noodle apple streudel. While no one asked for this character's backstory and I can't STAND that godless twink's voice... Taken as a standalone movie this was super fun and delightful and colorful and the songs were pretty good. They certainly get stuck in my head FREQUENTLY. It's at least leagues better than the weirdly edgy Johnny Depp version, though that's a pretty low bar because jesus how did we as a society allow that movie to happen.

Poor Things (2023) -

The Boy and The Heron (2023) - Mmmmm I'm sorry... I didn't get it and I didn't really get anything from it, emotionally. But that probably is more on me than the movie, I think this one just wasn't for me. That said, it was still beautiful and I enjoyed watching it.

Godzilla Minus One (2023) - I've never seen a Godzilla movie before this one but oh my god it was very good. My heart was wrenched in so many directions and I was fucking ROOTING for him in that plane scene. Oh my god.

Silent Night (2023) - I'm not a big action movie fan but this was pretty solid. I have nothing bad to say about it and enjoyed it.

Dream Scenario (2023) - It was hard for me to sympathize with any of the main characters or really suspend my disbelief? I don't mean with the supernatural elements either. I just do not believe that that is how the public would react with no opposition in this situation. It kind of verged into anti-cancel-culture which was weird and imo not really a comparable situation. The movie was kind of entertaining and pretty unique but also just... incredibly mid?

Napoleon (2023) - I really liked this movie but tbh hearing that sooo much of it was not only like dramatized but completely pulled out of the author's ass really soured the film for me. I 100% believe that with all of the production, skill, and effort that went into this movie, they could have made something equally as amazing that was also based in reality.

American Fiction (2023) - I really liked this movie. Top 10 films of 2023 for me personally. I don't really want to comment on it too much as I am not black but I did like a lot of what it had to say about black experiences. It's definitely a movie version of those books that are labeled "literary fiction" because it feels very like... down to earth and realistic. I thought it was hilarious and engaging but my partner thought that it lulled a bit at times.

The Marvels (2023) - I don't really watch Marvel movies. Um... I liked the cat? When the cat had babies a spanish girl sitting behind me in the theater gasped and said "Goositos!!" and that was kind of the highlight of the film for me.

Thanksgiving (2023) - I like when modern slasher films are aware of the genres inherent campiness but this was just like, a touch too self-aware. You can't ONLY make fun of yourself. You need to take yourself a teeny bit seriously or else why should I care?

Saltburn (2023) - YEEEAAAHHH BABYYYY. I physically cringed so many times. I refuse to engage in the discourse around this movie. How many stories do we have in popular culture where someone's attempt to climb the caste ladder through moral or immoral means only ends with them losing it all again? It almost seems like an unspoken constant in narratives that any attempts at upward mobility, regardless the means, are evil and can only result in total loss. It feels like every story with this kind of plot exists largely to remind the have-nots to know their fucking place and keep their grubby fingers to themselves, BUT NOT THIS TIME! HE FUCKING WON! HE GOT IT ALL! I was filled with SO much dopamine during that ending dance scene that had NOTHING to do with the penis.

Wish (2023) - While I do agree that we need female disney leads that aren't carbon copies of Anna's "adorkable" personality, which Asha very much falls into, and I didn't love how many references to other Disney films were shoehorned in at the end (though I am wanting to be more lenient given it was their hundred year anniversary or whatevs)... with ALL that out of the way, this movie was cute and good! I feel like a lot of the criticism that adults have towards modern Disney is based in this subconcious bias towards the movies they grew up which nothing can ever live up to in their hearts. I don't know, I liked it!

The Holdovers (2023) - This was a solid coming of age movie, teenaged and middle aged. I really liked how the film looked with it's setting and grainy filter. If you told me this movie was filmed in the 80s I'd totally believe you.

Priscilla (2023) - I love Sofia Coppola so much.... but I didn't love this film. It was good! But it wasn't great. Most of the movie felt more like unimportant vignettes than a plot, and maybe that's because it's a biopic and real life doesn't always have a perfect narrative, but both Elvis and Priscilla felt flat and extremely passive. The ending was very anticlimatic. It still had lots of Coppola's aesthetic charm in it.

Divinity (2023) - Hmm... didn't like that.

What Happens Later (2023) - This was pretty cute and heartwarming. I like that it was an almost-rom-com with older leads. That was cool.

The Creator (2023) - I thought this was a pretty solid, fun, sci-fi film. It was kind of mindblowing how much it achieved with a relatively small budget. People were criticizing it as "ai propaganda", and I'm so confused. The advancements in ai technology today, while impressive, are going to have disastrous consequences in all legal and entertainment sectors in the future, don't get me wrong... but that is not the kind of "ai" the movie was talking about.

Freelance (2023) - I talk a lot about how Inuyasha is the perfect blend of shoujo and shounen, and this movie felt like the American film version of that sentiment. You have John Cena, plenty of action, shootouts and explosions, and you also have charismatic, calculating but compassionate, foreign politician whisking the main woman into the adventure while also being a little flirty. I was surprised to see an action movie of this caliber take a stance of like "The U.S. military does some not good shit sometimes!" considering how often action movies are, in fact, bankrolled by that organization to make them look good. 5/5. It was a fun action movie with a solid plot and characters!

Inspector Sun (2023) - I watched this alone in a theater because I had nothing else to do that night. It was cute. Some of the characters were pretty cool. The plot was pretty silly. As a kid's movie it seemed solid. I am curious why they gave the main character an "autism accent," especially since iirc, that is not the voice actors normal voice. Representation?3/5. I am not the target audience.

Five Nights At Freddy's (2023) - As a movie it's alright! Which is more than you can say for most video game movies. I didn't go in with high expectations, I was just elated to see the fnaf animatronics on the big screen and by god that's where they were. It was everything I wanted out of a Fnaf movie and I like how they incorporated a lot of the lore into the movie while still pretty clearly setting it in a different canon. The relationship and arc between the main character and his sister was very remniscent of M3gan. 1987/5.

Dicks: The Musical (2023) - Hmmmmmmmm.... Kinda gross. It made me laugh a lot! We need more weird, campy, quirky, bad-but-watchable movies like this. Megan Thee Stallion? 2 sewer boys/5. Pretty funny!

Killers of The Flower Moon (2023) - For a movie about a Native Tribe being slowly picked off one by one, the Native characters weren't really centered at all!! The plot could have been interesting, and I usually like Martin Scorcese films, but oh my god was this one slow and miserable. Was it asking me to sympathize with the main character at the end?? Everything he did and his wife didn't beat his ass?? Whatever. 1/5 Could have been worse I guess but oh my god.

The Batman (2022) - I've always been more of a fan of the animated movies and series in the Batman franchise than the live action movies. I think Batman stories works best when it has cartoon logic and colorful characters to balance out the seriousness of Batman himself. However I really enjoyed this film! Maybe part of that was due to the fact that it was the first movie I was able to see in theaters in years since the pandemic started, which mirrors perfectly since the last film I saw in theaters was the Joker haha. I think the casting choices were perfect for pretty much every character. I thought the movie's messages about the consequences of influence and idolatry were worth exploring, and found the juxtaposition between the Riddler and Batman intriguing. I actually wish they went further with it! The only difference between Batman and the Riddler was who they chose to target (and I would argue the Riddler's targets being stopped or exposed would do more good to Gotham as a whole) and how far they took it (I'm not defending the Riddler's torture/murders). After establishing the Riddler's motives, and how he was inspired by the Batman, the big terrorist attack at the end almost felt like an out of character copout in order to draw more of a distinction between the two characters, making them just similar enough for Bruce Wayne to question his methods, but not his entire mission. The whole movie drew us in and asked us to think about the parallels between two vigilantes, and then threw most of that introspection away with one last bombastic act of violence that allows us to comfortably dismiss the Riddler as an unjustifiable villain before the movie ends. I also didn't like how Selina and Annika called each other pet names and acted like lovers but, like, didn't actually seem to be lovers? I felt like I was getting queer baited :/ Despite my criticisms I think this is a wonerful addition to the Batman universe! I'm only harsh on it because I love Batman. The movies roughly 3 hours long but fills it with plenty of story, cool cinematography (I mean, it's a DC movie, they have the money to make it look good) and engaging characters + character dynamics. Worth watching if you like Batman, or detectives/thrillers. I think it would make a good entry film to the Batman franchise too, if you're looking to get into it!

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) - I heard the premise of this movie a few years back but hadn't actually watched it until recently. After reading some articles about how Picasso treated the women whom he called his muses, I was reminded of this movie and gave it a watch. It's nearly two and a half hours long, and not a minute feels unecessary. It is engaging, visceral, and really says something about the ways that women are exploited for men's art, and how society is willing to pardon a murderer and crown him a genius if he makes something "good" enough. Truly wonderful movie. Gripping and meaningful. Worth watching if you like thrillers, though the subject material might require the right mindset. TW the usual murder and... unique desecration of corpses.

Currently Watching

VTuber Legend - Ahhh? Pretty funny. I like unapologetically horny girls, especially when they're gay. I love casual yuri. The baby character weirds me out but I think it has more to do with her super straightforward and deadpan demeanor with her gimmick than just her gimmick alone. Overall nothing to write home about

Wonderful Precure (ep 9) - The story so far seems pretty light, and they're certainly shaking up traditions with the team composition (the team is more gradually added to rather than all in the beginning + they're all pretty much duos) and the conflict (no central antagonist afaik and they don't really fight?) These aren't bad things, just different. I do love the designs this season, and I think the transformation sequences are super cute, if a bit too flashy (I can barely see what's happening!) The animation has also seemed pretty consistent so far. I'm not super far into it but I'm really liking it so far!

Hirogaru Sky Precure - I gotta be honest with you guys... I know this season is a fan favorite but... I think their transformation sequences are boring. Their stupid whirly disk transformation items are fucking ugly I hate the gray disk they jump on, and that scene in all of them where it's just five slides on the screen of their outfit? Come on dude. That being said I think the characters and story (so far) is pretty good. I think the baby is cute.

To Watch

Watched

The Apothecary Diaries - Holy shit this anime was so good I can't believe it wasn't more popular? I picked up the manga kind of at random in a bookstore and now it's one of my favorites? The mysteries are so engaging and written with such expertise on the subjects, it really feels clever. This is my Sherlock Holmes, except it's a short autistic girl in historical China who was raised in a brothel and loves poison. The story is smart, the characters are quirky, endearing and do not shy away from complex stories, and the romance feels so real and significant, not relying on fluffy or melodramatic tropes too often, but also not ignoring its progression in the face of the larger story. ALSO I just have to say... that second to last episode? I was sobbing. Holy fuck? Watch this show. I need to read more of the manga now...

Rent-A-Girlfriend - This show sucked so fucking bad. The main character is the definition of thinking with the wrong head. I don't say this lightly, but he is a sexist, selfish, horny pig who literally cannot see women as people. It was so hard watching his arc in S2 of "oooh I'm being so selfless to the woman I love" when everyone knows he would go out of his way to ruin her life if she got a boyfriend. Genuinely the most insufferable, shitheel of a main character in any anime I have ever watched. If Kazuya was a real man I would beat him to death with my bare hands. The best girl in this show is Mami solely because she seems devoted to making him suffer. My partner and I comitted to finishing this show and it got to the point where I would actively dread it and could only watch one episode before getting overwhelmed with anger. Jesus christ.

Dungeon Meshi - This was so worth all of the hype it was getting... I can't wait to read the manga to finish the story oh my god...

Blend-S - Is funny.

16-Bit Sensation - I liked this anime a lot as a big fan of retro VNs, and it's ending sequence is aaaaa gorgeous. Other than that, some of the story in the latter half failed to really grip me and I wasn't too sold on the whole plot and conflict, but, it did convince me to at least start working on my own visual novel instead of just passively hoping to make one one day without putting any effort in, so... thank you.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You - I watched this because Girlfriend, Girlfriend is one of my favorite comedy manga ever (its specific sense of humor and comedic timing just CLICKS in my brain) and this was a pretty similar premise. While they are actually pretty different, this one is still super funny, and the MCs are pretty similar. I like it! I don't know if I'll continue it with the manga because I physically groan every time I see the red-hair scientist one BUT we'll see. It's a super creative premise and I love the other girls.

My Happy Marriage - I really liked the first half of this show... But I feel like after the whole kidnapping and house burning arc, the show stopped focusing so much on the interpersonal drama and nose-dived into supernatural battles which... I could not bring myself to care about. Oh well! I enjoyed the parts that I enjoyed.

Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure - Aaaah it's so colorful and cute!! I love the designs, transformation items and sequences, attacks, villains, setting, story, everything! My only complaints were the middle started to kind of slog and some of the upgrades later on could have been more inspired. Aaaand I did feel like other characters got sidelined to put more focus on Manatsu and Laura. BUT it was still amazingggg!! Did I cry at the ending? Perhaps...

Ladies vs Butlers - Why did I watch this. There are much better ecchi series out there.

My Dress Up Darling - Ok so I watched Oreimo when I was like, 11, and just getting into anime, and I really liked it because of it's portrayal of the anime community, as well as many other aspects of Otaku culture past watching Shounen anime on adult swim on Saturday nights (like cosplay, visual novels, collecting, conventions, etc...). It opened up my eyes to all of that and I really loved it, but I was also pretty innocent and didn't pick up on the blatant incest until the end of season 2 :( Fortunately, My Dress Up Darling has a similar premise and touches on most of those things as well, and doesn't have incest! (The bar is on the floor...) But for real, it was a sweet romcom! Marin is a relateable character in my opinion, and it's nice to see a popular, confident girl x introverted, nerdy guy pairing without her being like, really mean (looking at all the "gyaru" and "teasing" animes that have come out recently). The season finale was a little anticlimatic but I'm excited to watch the next season and/or read the manga! Female Otaku/5. Very cute.

Want to Read

Kumika no Mikaku ~ This keeps showing up on lists of manga similar to Dungeon Meshi and it's by the same author as Mahoako (I think?).

Heterogenia Linguistica ~ Again about it showing up in lists of manga similar to Dungeon Meshi. And it looks cute?

Witch Hat Atelier ~ I read one volume at a bookstore and it looked cool and cute and reminded me of the Owl House.

Hakumei to Mikochi ~ I watched the anime for this a long time ago and adored it. I love Iyashikei animanga, and the concept of tiny people has always intrigued me since I read the Borrowers as a kid.

Golden Kamuy ~ I watched the first ep of the anime when it first came out a long time ago and thought it was really cool but never watched more cuz I struggle to keep up with shows as they're airing. I hear people say it's really good though so I want to read the manga.

Toilet Bound Hanako Kun ~ The art style is really adorable and I want to find out what kind of crack they put in this manga to make all the fans on the internet as insane about it as they are.

The Guy She Was Into Wasn't A Guy At All ~ Yuriiii.

Tomo-chan Is a Girl ~ I keep seeing funny panels of this online and I like 4-koma.

Reading

Dungeon Meshi ~ I can't wait for the anime to come out I'm going to read it.

Gushing Over Magical Girls ~ Ch.33 - I like magical girls and I like bdsm what more does a girl need? On top of that, the story is pretty engaging, the comedic aspect is funny, and I like the characters. The entire character of Neroalice makes me kind of uncomf, but I am choosing to ignore it. At least they don't draw her super fanservicey like the others. I love Nemo and Matama, and I love Utena and Kiwi, and I love Azul just as a character. I'm really loving the "La Verita" arc :3c I just really like it all!! I started reading the manga because I got caught up with the anime and couldn't wait for new episodes hehe.

The Apothecary Diaries ~ Ch.29 - I don't normally go for period pieces but this is really good so far. I love the characters and the budding possible romance so far. I think the stories and twists are super interesting and gripping. It's like Death Note but also not really anything like Death Note at all.

Yuri is My Job ~ Ch.66 - Oh my god it's like a soap opera but with lesbians. I'm foaming at the mouth waiting for more chapters to come out.

I Don't Know Which One Is Love - Same author as Bright and Cheery Amnesia!! I love their yuri. I think all of the main characters are interesting, and I could honestly see myself rooting for the MC to pair up with any of them so far. I also think it's cool how they seem to be based off the 5 senses. I normally don't like reading manga while it's still being published, because I can't wait for it to come out!

To Read

Read

Bright and Cheery Amnesia - OH MY GOD THE FLUFF. Absolutely ADORABLE manga. If you're looking for a wholesome, sweeter-than-sugar yuri manga, with a side of laughs, I cannot reccomend this enough. Have you ever seen that vine of the guy waking up from surgery, VERY out of it, not recognizing his wife and immediately hitting on her? Well this is that, but gay, and 53 chapters long. This manga was originally a 4-koma one-shot before it got serilized, with the premise of a girl, Arisa, who gets amnesia and completely forgot the last few years of her life, which includes her entire relationship with her lover, Mari. Mari is anxious that her girlfriend might not accept her since she has no memory of her, but Arisu immediately falls in love with her again upon waking up, despite having no idea who she is, and is overjoyed to hear that they are already dating. It's sweet, funny, and sometimes sad, and it has a very happy ending! The relationship does have a small age gap and it's implied that Arisu could have been 17 when the two met, while Mari was in her early 20's, so keep that in mind if that's something that makes you uncomfortable. 10/5. I love happy wlw stories.

MAGICAL GIRL RAISING PROJECT BABY I AM AN MGRP STAN. IF MGRP HAS 1000 FANS, I AM ONE OF THEM. IF MGRP HAS 1 FAN, I AM IT. IF MGRP HAS 0 FANS I AM DEAD.

I'm in Love with The Villainess is also pretty cool.

Fields of Mistria - It's hard to talk about this game without comparing it to Stardew Valley. While their gameplay loops are incredibly similar, I personally prefer Fields of Mistria (and I have hundreds of hours on Stardew!) There is a slightly more fantastical setting and more conventional magic elements, the art has a softer, cuter, and more pastel style. The skill tree, while not always containing the most useful progressions, is more varied and engaging than Stardew's. There are quality of life improvements; You can craft, cook, and smelt without having to have the ingredients in your inventory (they can still be used even if they're in a chest on your farm). But the thing that stands out above all else and makes this game shine is its characters. So much thought and love went into making each character have their own interesting personality and story. They really just feel so much more engaging than the roster we have in Stardew, which in hindsight, feels so important in a game centered around community building. I cannot wait for this game to be completed, I am absolutely enamored.

Bloons TD6 - Quick yet consistent dopamine hits keep me from jumping into a freezing river without a floatation device.

Needy Streamer Overload - This is such a cool and unique raising sim. I love the pixel art visuals and the menhera aesthetic and themes. The relatively quick completion time makes hunting for every ending all the more enjoyable. As a former "internet personality", and someone with bpd symptoms... this one definitely hits close to home, lol. She's just like me fr.

I do tend to watch a lot of shows, but I don't tend to update them here.... most shows just don't leave a strong impression on me, I suppose...

Fallout - I loved this show. I've only ever played Fallout 4 so I'm not as deep into the franchise as most fans are but it was something I adored and sunk a lot of hours into when it came out and this show rose above the old, low expectations of "video game adaptations" and was really, really good. Multiple times, my parter and I pointed at something that happened on screen and went "That's Fallout!" because of how much the show didn't just rely on callouts and references but actually really captured the heart and essence of the games. If you like the games you'll like the show. I want a million more seasons.

Beef - I don't have much to say about it but I really liked it. Narrative example of going from 0 to 100.