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buniyaad · 3 hours

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probably the thing i dislike most about comicsharing these days is how insanely disingenuous ppl are about the books they’re sharing. specifically with kon. he was incredibly overexposed during his initial run, and pretty damn popular. his writing relayed the zeitgeist of the 90s with barely any filter, despite being comics code authority approved. it’s ok to admit that contextually speaking, his run (meaning ALL his books from 1993 - 2002) wasn’t THAT crazy compared to others aka miss hal’s menty b and superman literally dying and coming back and suffering ENDLESSLY until the clois marriage healed his heart and psyche. you don’t have to treat his initial writing like it needs to be heat-treated prior to reading.

the fact that ‘fans’ love harping on his early writing like its some kinda radioactive green rock is actually insane! that is LITERALLY the concept work that lasted TEN YEARS across MULTIPLE writers and books. kesel wasn’t the only one clowning. editorial marched to his tune even after superboy 1994’s hands changed. kon dont got a hundred years of history. he’s only got thirty, and a third of that was entirely his creator’s, and you know what? It was GREAT! it was raw and heartbreaking and funny and indicative of how terribly neglectful parents were and how easy it was for kids to get caught up in adult bullshit without being adults. im tired of ppl talking like it’s a diseased run ‘not up for the current times.” it is ABSOLUTELY of the current times.

it was about a partyboy who never got to party for the sake of it, and about CSA without kon knowing he was a victim and survivor of CSA. it was about ppl in positions of authority and power leaving kon to his business bc kon wasn’t theirs to take in, and no one in any position of influence thought to question why a grown ass woman was dating him PUBLICLY. they laughed! kyle and clark and dubbilex and makoa, they did not care! bc kon was supposed to be a way for neglected kids to read about a character who’s making his own way since he’s been emotionally starved of love and affection. he makes his own family, even tho those ppl don’t really SEE him as family! he thinks of a clone handler as his father even tho that handler does the bare minimum! he thinks his agent’s daughter is his sister even tho she’s been lusting and pining after him since the start! he didn’t understand boundaries, didn’t draw them, and didn’t understand that his emulating the people around him was NOT normal!

he’s the one kid in school who thought it was ok for sixteen year olds to attend college parties and sleep with older girls cuz he got his growth spurt early and looks like an adult, even tho he’s not! he’s the kid you grew up with that didn’t have parents, but had random guardians who did a subpar job at taking care of him bc they couldn’t put him in foster care. he was the guy you knew growing up who said the most off-color shit and did the most off-color shit bc he had anger issues and deep-seated resentment and shit tons of sexual trauma and NO friends his age that didn’t wanna fuck him.

kon was THE exploited teen star. his story can STILL resonate today if you stop treating his early writing as icky and focus on the actual fucking themes and purpose of the story. his first real gay friend wasn’t ray, it was hero. he joined yj with a heavy heart. his first love was one of the ppl who destroyed his life the most, and yet he loved tana! knockout gave him sexual trauma so deep, he was still acting out in ttv03. his life’s lack of parental love is WHY the kents taking him in is so moving and important. no, clark not taking him in from the start was not on clark bc KON IS NOT HIS RESPONSIBILITY. kon was the government’s responsibility, and the government did what it does to all kids who don’t have loving parents and guardians - left him to fend for himself.

kon’s initial run isn’t a 90’s shitshow. it’s a legitimately sad tale with multiple moving parts that highlight how much legacy can both destroy and make a person’s spirit. stop treating that shit with kidgloves. commit to the fucking bit. he was never anyone’s prop, and it’s sad how some of y’all act like his only heartbreak is tim getting away with bernard. i don’t know how to tell you this, but tim’s timkonnie feels were wholly a personal problem. focus on the kon. i PROMISE you, you’ll free yourself from chuck dixon’s boogers and geoff’s grimdark teen soap that paled in comparison to the actual teen soap of the era, smallville.

#kon el #superboy #superboy 1994 #clark kent #karl kesel #dc comics #real talk

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1997thebracket · 6 months

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Round 1F

Green Day’s Nimrod: For what it’s worth, it was worth all the while. Nimrod is the fifth studio album by American punk band Green Day. The 1997 album was a departure from the band's earlier punk sound, embracing a more diverse musical style that incorporated elements of pop, surf rock, ska, and folk; this could be seen as a catalyst for further popularizing the blended subgenres of pop-punk and folk-punk/acoustic punk. The album features several hit singles, notably Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) which would become one of Green Day's most recognized songs to this day, and sports one of the more iconic album covers of the 90s. Nimrod explores a range of themes from personal introspection to social commentary, and its stylistic experimentation demonstrated Green Day's evolving artistic maturity; the album's eclecticism paid off in commercial success and earned the band a firm place in mainstream music while retaining some of their alternative roots.

Perfect Blue: Come, stay with me in Mima’s Room. Perfect Blue is a Japanese animated psychological thriller directed by the late Satoshi Kon, released theatrically in 1997. The story revolves around a former pop idol, Mima, who leaves her sugary and girlish pop band CHAM! to transition into a more mature acting career; life soon takes a turn for the surreal as she becomes the target of an obsessive stalker, and begins losing sight of herself in the darkness. As the lines between reality and delusion blur, the plot unravels on itself and weaves through themes of identity, celebrity, and the psychological toll of fame. The critically-acclaimed Perfect Blue is celebrated by its enduring fandom for its mind-bending narrative, striking visuals (one scene, taking place in a submerged bath, was famously rumored to have been purchased for recreation in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream) and its unsettling exploration of the human psyche, placing it squarely at the apex of gut-twisting anime filmmaking.

#green day #nimrod #perfect blue #satoshi kon #1997

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emiarainewrites · 10 months

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Rest In Peace, Julian Sands

The world has lost a phenomenal actor and gentle soul.

Julian Sands went missing in early January whilst going on a hike. His body has only just been found now in late June, 2023. He was 65 years old.

Along with many, many others, I am deeply saddened by his passing. The only positive thing is that his body has been recovered. I’ve been hoping for the last few months that this would be the case. At least his family can have some form of closure now.

This is a terrible tragedy that I truly wish had not happened.

But, to honour Mr. Sands, I thought I’d briefly go over a few of his films that I’ve seen and highlight the amazing range that he had.

Boxing Helena (1993)

I first became aware of Julian Sands a few years ago when I saw this film.

Directed by Jennifer Lynch, Boxing Helena tells that story of Nick (Sands) and his obsession with one-night-stand Helena (Sherilyn Fenn). After an accident makes her dependent on him, we explore Nick’s psyche and how far he’s willing to go to keep Helena with him.

This is a film that will not appeal the everyone unfortunately, but I’d still highly recommend you see it. It’s a brilliant picture with many layers and at the centre is Julian Sands and his amazing performance.

Nick’s character is heads over heals obsessed with Helena, despite her outright stating she has no interest in him. She’s quite cold to Nick for most of the film, and you can understand why. However, for Nick, that coldness is incentive to try harder for her affections. He ensures she has to rely on him for everything because he “loves” her and wants to keep her for himself.

This showcases Julian Sands’ range as an actor. He has done many serious performances throughout his career, but for me this one is special. Nick is kind of a sad person and even a tad pathetic at times. But you never lose track of why he’s like that.

He’s emotional and even intimidating when need be. It’s a comparatively softer character than some of his other work, but Nick still stands out as a sympathetic and sometimes abhorrent character - played to absolute excellence by Julian Sands.

Warlock (1989)

Directed by Steve Miner, Warlock follows Julian Sands as the titular villain who travels from the 17th century to the 20th in order to end the world. As you do. Along the way he is pursued by Redferne (Richard E. Grant), who follows him from the past, & Kassandra (Lori Singer), a modern woman caught up in the dangerous medieval magic.

This is a good film, and it’s one of the biggest things Julian Sands is known for (the others undoubtedly being Room With A View (1985), Gothic (1986) and to a lesser extent Argento’s Phantom of the Opera (1998)) Not without reason, either.

Julian Sands is excellent in this, playing a cold hearted and cruel sadist of a character. The definition of evil. He’s very direct and at times his menacing stare does most of the talking. He brings a presence that few could ever hope to match.

From the first moment you see him, you know he’s bad news. A complete one-eighty to Boxing Helena.

I for one was quite surprised to see him in this role, having known him primarily for that film. He disappears into this terrifying, yet not outright scary, role. Rocking the long-hair-ponytail look, Julian Sands will make you fear magic and what it’s (and, by extension, he’s) really capable of.

Warlock II: The Armageddon (1993)

Directed by Anthony Hickox, the sequel follows the eponymous Warlock (Sands) as he is resurrected into the 90s (oh no!) and once again sets off on a quest to obtain mystical macguffins so he can put an end to the world as we know it. While that’s going on we follow a group of good warlocks that aren’t Julian Sands who must ready for the coming evil.

This film does away with the seriousness of the first and just about loses its damn mind with how crazy it can get. But if you’ve seen Hickox’s other works such as Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) & the Waxwork films (1988 & 1992, respectively), you’ll probably be used to the amount of darkly wacky he puts into his pictures.

The lore is almost completely revamped in terms of the Warlock and he’s after. Plus, the expansion of other magic practitioners is interesting in theory, but the result for the latter is underwhelming.

Julian Sands, however, is magnificent. This is a bit of a lesser product compared to the first, but you can’t tell that from his performance alone. I feel like you get way more of him in this one (kinda rocking his Boxing Helena look a little bit, no surprise considering it was probably filmed around the same time). You follow the Warlock as he interacts with the modern world and it’s inhabitants, tracking down mystical stones that will bring about the end of the world once assembled.

The character feels more accessible too for modern times, in terms of his presentation and demeanour. So this means there’s less medieval speak and more one-liners. Also seems like they ramped up the sexiness too at times.

The movie is much sillier than it’s predecessor, but it’s goofy fun. And you have Julian Sands dispatching people in increasingly gruesome and creative ways. Very Wishmaster (1997), with the vibe of Wishmaster II: Evil Never Dies (1999). His performance remains intimidating and cruel, but all around less cold.

Tale of a Vampire (1992)

Directed by Shimako Sato, Tale of a Vampire follows Alex (Sands) as he finds reprieve from his lonely existence in the form of Anna (Suzanna Hamilton), a kind librarian. However, all is not well as parts of his past, and his bloodlust, come back to haunt him.

This seems to have been released direct to video and, call me crazy, may have been capitalising on another vampire film that came out the exact same year. Even this film’s poster shares some similarities. Although, Julian Sands was apparently in talks to play Lestat instead of Tom Cruise, so there’s another connection. At the moment, you can find this film on YouTube (VHS rip).

Setting that aside, this is an interesting film that I don’t believe gets talked about much. It won’t change your life and I don’t think it quite gets across its ideas perfectly, but Julian Sands’ performance, as ever, is brilliant. You believe he’s been around for ages and has never been able to keep a love for himself. We get flashbacks concerning a previous companion throughout the film as Alex tries to get close to Anna in the present. There is a type of warmth that Julian Sands brings to the role, whilst also maintaining the lonesome chill of a corpse. You get a sense of confliction from him as the film goes on - whether to pursue Anna or leave her be; damn her or let her go.

Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Annabel Lee’ also features in the film, so the idea of youth and love lost are meant to be front and centre.

There is still an element of danger to Julian Sands’ character. The film doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s still undead and thus, must consume fresh blood. ((Special warning to all cat lovers, by the way.)) He even has a brief flash of harming Anna due to his nature and personal feelings towards her.

You feel his pain and it’s a shame that Julian Sands didn’t play more vampires, or had roles like this. Or maybe he did and I just don’t know about them. Either way he was great in this role.

Arachnophobia (1990)

Directed by Frank Marshall, Arachnophobia follows a doctor (Jeff Daniels) and his family who move to a town that is soon besieged by tons of lethal spiders. As the death toll rises, it’s a race against the clock to stop the eight-legged menace from killing everyone there.

Julian Sands has a smaller role here compared to the previous films mentioned, but he is still important and does serve as the catalyst for everything. He plays Dr. James Atherton, who is studying an undiscovered type of spider that, of course, makes it back to a populated area and spawns off a deadly chain of events.

The film itself is fun and Julian Sands is a great, somewhat pompous, doctor who can be very dismissive of those around him. Very British and very passionate about his work.

Though, of course, he does not survive the film. The big hoss spider gets him. Then again, he did declare himself as “supper”. And when you see his body, it’s pretty gnarly. He’s covered in webbing with spiders crawling all over him. Real spiders. No CGI. That alone increased my respect for him one-hundred fold when I saw it.

From unhinged sap to scary villain to lonesome creature to apathetic doctor to even romantic lead, Julian Sands led a varied and fascinating career. He seemed unafraid to attempt any role and did so with impressive commitment and astounding results.

The world has lost a great talent that will never be forgotten.

RIP Julian Sands, we will all miss you dearly.

#julian sands #rest in peace #rip #rip Julian Sands #gone too soon #boxing helena #warlock #warlock 1989 #warlock II #warlock II: the armageddon #tale of a vampire #tale of a vampire 1992 #arachnophobia #arachnophobia 1990 #room with a view #gothic

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dankalbumart · 10 months

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Evergreen by Echo & The Bunnymen London 1997 Alternative Rock / New Wave / Indie Rock / College Rock / Neo-Psychedelia / Jangle Pop

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bowserwife · 9 months

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If I wanted to listen to bull of heaven where would I start?

Bull Of Heaven has just about 650 releases in total so this is a complicated question, & it depends on how much time you're willing to give them and how u already feel about drone and noise music. I'll try to give some varied answers, but I do also think part of the appeal of the band is the treasure hunt thru their massive discography. 025: Tale Of An Earth Man and 028: Even To The Edge Of Doom are two of my favorites in the Bull's "long ambient loop" style. The former is very serene and the latter carries an otherworldly melancholy. 101: Like The First Pine Cone one of my all time fave drone albums... gorgeous, heavenly guitar drones and layered improvs. 111: Superstring Theory Verified, a lo-fi stoner rock romp with totally explosive atmosphere. One of their shorter pieces (just 18 mins!) 284: One Hour Of Fire, And Let All Be Ended! is just some good ass post-apocalyptic drone, it's been compared to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. 299: Self-Traitor, I Do Bring The Spider Love is a big fan favorite, 90 minutes of several different psych jazz rock jams stitched together in a way that makes it kinda proggy. Recommended for fans of Miles Davis's electric period. 301: Weed Problem II-V is, outside of the absurd length pieces they're known for, their magnum opus. It's just over 2 hours but it's incredibly varied (by BoH standards) with at least 15 distinct movements and showcases a lot of their sides: stoner rock jams, massive drone walls, field recordings, cut up vocal samples. Essential.

I think the excerpts of some of the long pieces--namely 118 and 209--are also fantastic. Most of these are youtube links but keep in mind that all of BoH's music is public domain and available from archive.org for free, as well as most of it being on their website. There's so many surprises in their discography that I couldn't get into here without writing a whole damn essay; arm yrself with a random number generator and get exploring!

#bull of heaven #I can definitely. Definitely give you more if you want lmao

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