I See What You Did There - WandaVision (2021)
I can accept change (if you know me at all, please stop laughing as you read this.) But when it comes to narrative, such changes have to be done in a fashion that they fit with the story you want to tell. Or perhaps with the story that wants to be told.
The story that wants to be told in WandaVision, Marvel’s newest comic-book adaptation, is a story of grief and mental health, and how they play in a world of super-heroics. WandaVision brings the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to an episodic TV format, one that will actually be acknowledged on other screens (unlike Agents Of Shield.)
As such, WandaVision is a story that works very well for what feels like seven of the show’s nine episodes, only to dramatically lose such appeal when coming to a close, forgetting any heart and focus it had, moving instead to solely show off its actions and powers.
Tis The Season To Be Happy - Happiest Season (2020)
I have to be honest: I made a face when I got to the end of Happiest Season thanks to some of the issues that I had with this film.
That’s right: it’s only some.
I sort of loved this queer, seasonal romantic comedy for exactly what it was, but I’m also a cynical cranky man who will look at things I didn’t like, wondering what would have made them better for me. With Happiest Season, a huge part of that was wanting an edit of the story, where someone could take the film and go “Yep, there are at least two very different narratives here, and to truly embrace a season that is so happy, you need to pick one. You don’t get to have it both ways.”
Dating And Hating - Dating Amber (2020)
It’s not often that I expect to be writing about queer, Irish content, but I guess that’s what I’m doing after watching Dating Amber, viewable now on Amazon Prime. That’s not to say that queer Irish content doesn’t exist; it’s just that…well, we as a country, we’re not always the most vocal about accepting and embracing all things queer, are we?
Is Two And A Half Years Later Still “New”? - The New Mutants (2020…Kinda)
For a film that was originally due to be released Friday 13th IN APRIL 2018, it feels somewhat painful writing about The New Mutants nearly three years later.
And yeah, I’ve specifically waited until a Friday 13th to write and publish this; it seems kind of right, no?
Do you know what doesn’t seem right for this film though? The absolute clusterfuck that is its release.
Partly due to Covid-19 (booo), partly due to production and branding, I still can’t actually tell if this film has been released properly. Well, it has been released: I made the point of catching it in the cinema in those handful of weeks when the cinemas were open, but I specifically wanted to hold off on writing about it until other people would have watched.
Queer Filthy Horror- The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection (2020)
I started writing this solely as a review of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection, touching on queer imagery (and life) within both the arts and day-to-day life, especially around Halloween. That, however, turned into something a hell of a lot grander. Most of the time when watching anything related to the Boulet Brothers, I find myself inspired, challenged (in the good way) and, above all else, comfortable and safe; this is my people and my world, and I want to support and love them every chance I get.
And so, I warn you now: this is going down a rabbit hole. Things are going to get surprisingly personal, which is not what I was expecting.
shrugs Deal with it, motherfuckers.
Game Of Thrones Minus The Blue Balls - Kingdom, Seasons 1 & 2
A politically heavy Korean narrative that just happens to have zombies in it isn’t quite what I was expecting when I sat down to watch Kingdom on Netflix, but it’s what I got.
And boy, was I happy to get it. Visually stunning, I found it very hard to write about Kingdom and not draw comparisons with Game Of Thrones. So let’s just put my money where my mouth is and say that, yes, it’s fucking better, being nowhere as afraid to embrace its horror/fantasy roots.
In Space, Everyone Hears You Scream - Event Horizon (1997)
The late 90s and early 00s were a different time, okay. We didn’t really have internet back then; no video content, social media was nothing more than a phone call or a text message (that you had to pay for), and there were definitely no opportunities to have opinions.
Plus, I was young, barely a teenager who had bed-times, a limited number of TV stations (even fewer in my own bedroom) and, not to mentions that whole lack of money thing.
In that world, horror (and similar content) was limited; sure, there were the covers of Fangoria that you might see in the newsagents, but I wouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere near them (plus, the music or comic-related content might be cooler.) When I wanted to borrow a VHS tape from Xtra-Vision, it would have to be something that everyone would and could watch. And even if any horror films were going to be shown somewhere that I could watch, was it on at a time I could get near it?
Putting it like that, it’s a wonder I turned out to be me at all.
Nine Killed You, Nine Shall Die - The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971)
As a married man who has gone through his own medical dramas, there’s something about The Abominable Dr. Phibes that sets a particularly high standard for me. After watching this film, I now highly expect that, as and when something ever happens to me, my husband will take on the Vincent Price role and avenge my death.
Them’s the fucking rules, peeps.
Such is the somewhat beautiful premise of this film, a camp and silly story that is very indicative of its age. First released in 1971, the film plays with those elements of camp, keeping its tongue firmly in cheek throughout. Thankfully, it’s coming from a time where that camp wasn’t always screamed at and forced upon its audience, and works poignantly well within this narrative.
The One In Which Oscar Isaac Is God - Ex Machina (2014)
Yeah, sure, I write things from a queer perspective far more often than I intend to. But I can write about other things…right?
You’ll…still read my stuff when I write about other things, right?
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