tv and films

The shows and movies I like (or don’t).

Recent Netflix Spooky Shows

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After finishing off Mayfair Witches S1, Interview With the Vampire S1, and A Discovery of Witches S1-3, we decided to stick with the theme and started watching Evil again.

TV show posters for Interview With the Vampire, Mayfair Witches, A Discovery of Witches, and Evil.

Mayfair Witches was a fun way to get back into Anne Rice’s universe. I was pleasantly surprised to see Harry Hamlin, and we’ve consistently enjoyed Alexandra Daddario in everything we’ve seen her in.

I’d seen good things about the new Interview show, but even with that, I was really impressed. I’m really enjoying the way they’ve updated it, keeping the bones of the story while making a lot of fascinating updates…and ditching anything remotely resembling subtext.

A Discovery of Witches we knew nothing about and grabbed on a whim, but it sucked us right in. Fun take on creatures, lots of political maneuvering, and we really liked the magical effects. Good enough that we now have the book trilogy on our to-read shelves.

We’d watched S1 of Evil, but didn’t keep up with it, so decided to just restart from the beginning. This show is a lot of fun, the daughters are so adorable, and Leland is such a great creep. It’s a perfect balance of creepy and really funny.

Carry-On

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🎥 Carry-On (2024): ⭐️⭐️

This really wants to be a modern Die Hard — complete with opening with a shot of a plane landing directly overhead — but having just watched Die Hard (as we do every Christmas Eve), I can safely say this is no Die Hard. It’s paced a bit too slow for an action/suspense film (Die Hard is 15 minutes longer, but this one feels longer), Edgerton only seems to have one expression and doesn’t remotely embody the relatable “everyman” that Willis did, and too much of what happens happens because the plot needs it to happen, not because it makes sense. The most interesting part was a fun action sequence that’s shot entirely from within a car (which doesn’t involve any of the main characters). But at least the TSA gets their “no, really, they’re just good people trying to do their Very Important Jobs” propaganda in for the holidays!

(Spoilers follow…)

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Harm’s Way by David Mack

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74/2024 – ⭐️⭐️

Though officially a TOS adventure, this is really mostly a part of the Vanguard spinoff book series, which I read so long ago as to have forgotten both characters and key points. As a result, it felt like I was reading a mid-series book, and missing much of the necessary context. The primary foe is so overwhelmingly powerful that there’s an extended battle sequence in the latter half of the book that feels very out of place; perhaps it works within the greater Vanguard storyline, but to me, it was just troubling and very un-Trek. Klingon characters include pre-“Day of the Dove” Kang and Mara, which does expand their characters in interesting ways and hints at background motivations for future Federation/Klingon developments, but also doesn’t really mesh with what I remember of Kang and Mara’s actions in the episode (though, admittedly, it’s been a few years since I watched it, and I’m relying partially on Memory Alpha’s plot summary here). All in all, an uneven Trek adventure, and not one of my favorites.

Me holding Harm’s Way

Milkshake Duck Status and Rationales

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For my own purposes, a (not comprehensive) list of currently known milkshake ducks in my media libraries, how I’m treating their work in my own consumption habits, and any rationales or justifications for these decisions. You may not agree with any or all of this, and that’s fine. This is kind of an exercise to help me figure out why I’ve made the decisions I have, and perhaps, whether I should rethink or change those.

This is being actively updated as my mind processes, and likely will continue to be updated as I think and if (or, unfortunately, when) more people out themselves as belonging to this category.

  • Scott Adams: General right-wing buffoonery, including sexism, racism, anti-science views, etc.
    Haven’t really paid much attention to him in years anyway, thanks to his eye-roll inducing rants, but do have the very fancy oversized 10-year anniversary collected Dilbert, which was last taken off the shelf to see if it was the right size to prop up part of our couch (it wasn’t). Will probably offload it at some point.
  • Woody Allen: Sexual abuse
    Not watching any new work or supporting by buying old work. Keeping and will occasionally rewatch old favorite films already in the collection. While I certainly don’t wish death upon him, his eventual passing will mean that I’ll be more easily able to justify finding those of his films that I know I enjoy but won’t purchase now.
  • Piers Anthony: Sexism, misogyny, pedophilic themes
    Any of Anthony’s books I had in my collection got booted years ago, after I started re-reading the Xanth series, got through the first two while getting increasingly uncomfortable, and then doing a little research and discovering just how bad it got. I couldn’t imagine having those on my shelves if any of my niblings ever went looking for something to read.
  • Orson Scott Card: Homophobia
    Not buying any new stuff, though I did pick up used copies of the first few Ender’s Game/Speaker for the Dead sequels and read some of them after reading those two Hugo winners (I think I still have some to go). From what I’ve seen, OSC hasn’t been nearly as vocal or influential as he once was, EG/SftD are too foundational to my early SF reading to write them off, and my re-read for this project confirmed just how good they are — and, interestingly, how drastically their message of inclusion contrasts with OSC’s statements. Unlike Anthony, whose beliefs are very obvious in his work, OSC’s work actually doesn’t hint as his personal beliefs, so it’s much easier for me to justify keeping his books on my shelves.
  • Neil Gaiman: Sexual abuse
    Still adjusting to this one. Won’t be buying, reading, or watching any new projects. Keeping books and films already in the collection, but it’ll probably be a while before I feel like re-reading anything (and just decided to skip his two Hugo award winning novels in my Hugo best novel reading project).
  • J.K. Rowling: Transphobia
    Not buying, reading, watching, or otherwise supporting any projects. Haven’t ditched the Potter books or films already in the collection, but not re-reading the books (and just decided to skip her one Hugo-award winning Potter book in my Hugo best novel reading project) or re-watching the films. Stopped subscribing to HBO’s Max streaming service in part because of their decision to move forward with a new Harry Potter series.
  • Dan Simmons: Islamophobia
    The same basic bucket as OSC: Not reading anything that isn’t already in my collection, but the Hyperion cantos was too mind-blowing to entirely ditch.

Asylum by Una McCormack

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72/2024 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As always, Trek is at its best when it’s looking at modern issues through an SF lens. On the surface, this is about Pike and Number One at Starfleet Academy, paired with a later mission that ties back to those experiences. But when dealing with minority ethnic groups reacting to years of oppression, there’s a lot more there as well. Plus, of course, some very entertaining ties to wider Trek lore.

Me holding Asylum.

Wolfs

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🎥: Wolfs (2024): ⭐️⭐️⭐️

A thoroughly entertaining blend of Heat and Adventures in Babysitting. Clooney and Pitt play really well off each other. A good choice when you’re in the mood for a low-key action comedy.

Living Memory by Christopher L. Bennett

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69/2024 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A mysterious and dangerous astral phenomenon threatens the Earth, and Spock, Uhura, and Chekov must try to solve a mystery that ends up being tied to Uhura’s forgotten past. Meanwhile, Kirk, overseeing Starfleet Academy, has to deal with some problematic new cadets. The Kirk-centric B-blot is okay, mostly interesting for fleshing out more of Kirk’s time between the films. The primary plot is more interesting, especially as it picks up the thread of how Uhura was affected by her loss of memory during the Nomad incident, something never (or very rarely) explored. That part of the story I very much enjoyed.

Me holding Living Memory

Twisters

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🎥 Twisters (2024): ⭐️⭐️

Oh, this was just dumb. Not that I expected much of it, but I was hoping for more enjoyably dumb instead of just…meh. Not so bad as to be a single star, just enough amusing moments for two stars, but definitely not any more than that.

Mad Max 2

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🎥 Mad Max 2 (1981): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While the first now feels like an unnecessary origin story, this is where you can really see the world of the modern Mad Max movies taking shape in Miller’s mind. The homoeroticism and queer coded villains are simultaneously hilarious and cringy, but wow, did this film ever solidify an aesthetic. The car chases and stunts, along with the customized vehicles, really set the stage for what will come along a few decades later. Once again, I have no idea when I last watched this, but I enjoyed watching this one again more than I did the first film.

Deadpool & Wolverine

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🎥 Deadpool & Wolverine (2024): ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is not a good film. It’s two hours of profanity, obscene violence, and ludicrous fan service, with barely enough plot underlying it to string the fight scenes together. Basically, it’s a Marvel Cinematic Universe porno. It’s also rather entertaining, which I feel like I should feel bad about. I’m not disappointed to have watched it, but it’s not one I’ll ever really need to watch again, either.