#Partially based off of things Alan has said from the streams

[aradias-crypt]

Black Hat with a Subordinate S/O

You meet during an attack, the perfect interview

It was supposed to be a simple outing. You were out on a little excursion before getting ready to go to work the next day. Now, in a place like Avidité Central where mostly corrupt merchants run the system, you are always watching out for crime. Villains are expected in this county, drug lords work with the top merchants and shady arms dealers are often having meetings in your local cafes. An attack like this was bound to happen with arguments over trade routes at an all time high. But the mastermind behind the sudden turf war was not who you expected, seeing as you live miles from the coast of Hat Island.

You cover your head as you hide behind a stone bench, the sounds of screams filling the air as debris rains down. Yet another attack in only two weeks of semi peace. The Indigos and Silks had been bumping heads for months now, this fight was expected- but in the PARK?! SERIOUSLY?!

An iron arm flies over your head after a blast shakes the ground beneath you, turning back into flesh as it rolls away.

You begin to regret your investment in your apartment.

“Le Mavroir! Le Mavroir!” A soldier yells, his tone full of panic.

The fighting stops.

To your right, you hear the soft tapping of a cane on the cobblestones.

Memories of history lessons flood your thoughts, a timeline of past heroes and villains. Legends and the forgotten.

Le Mavroir.

The Black.

“Well, well, well. I expected a bloodbath, but this, this is absolutely sublime.” His guttural voice echoes from every direction, loud and clear, and demanding attention.

“Andreas Indigo,” the tapping of his cane stops on the other side of the bench. You see the bottom of his trench coat as he sits down. “This fight doesn’t seem to be leaning in your favor.”

A man seethes, “Your so-called advice began this you-“ He stops abruptly when he begins to choke.

Black Hat clicks his tongue, “Don’t test me boy.”

You slowly move away from the bench, silently sliding away towards the stairs to the subway.

The poke of a blade in the middle of your back stops you from moving any further.

Black Hat turns his head, his eye glowing from under the shadow of the brim of his hat. He purrs, “Where do you think you’re going?”

Bravery gets you everywhere and out of there

You clench your fists to try stopping them from shaking.

“I just- I just w-wa...” You suck in a breath, feeling the blade dig into your skin. You push down your fear and bow your head, “Aplires, mos Mavroir.. I wish to leave..if you would allow it.”

The villains in front of him snicker, knowing his bloodlust ran deeper than theirs. There is no escaping him alive.

Slowly but surely the blade stops and sinks back into the ground. He chuckles.

“Trevikla. Very well, little mouse.”

They fall silent. Your eyes widen in awe.

“Run swiftly, before I decide to use you to whet my appetite~.” He grins fiendishly and shoos you away.

He turns around, continuing where he left off.

“Now. Where were we?”

Leaving no time for him to reconsider his decision, you rush underground and cover your ears once more as the screams begin again.

You meet again under slightly better circumstances

You work at a bakery where the owner is less than chivalrous. You pretty much handle the whole thing: prepping, cleaning, baking, paperwork and paying bills. Often waking up at 4 in the morning to prepare for the day. Really the man is there to make sure you don’t touch the money and to occasionally help with the ovens. It sucked, but you liked the patrons.

However, upon arriving to the store that morning, you can tell something is off.

Unlocking the backdoor to the bakery, you flick on the lights and grab your apron from its hook.

“You don’t look like an Avarician.”

You shriek, turning around and whipping out your gun from your jacket pocket. A hand wraps around the barrel.

Black Hat towers over you, his coat covered in blood splatter.

“You don’t act like one either.”

“How do you know if I am or not?”

“A true Avarician would have shot already.”

You look at his hand, “If I were to shoot the Mavroir, the Blackwells would kill me.” You say, referring to the new rulers of the east and west side, after the Indigos and Silks were all slaughtered by the being before you.

“Aufils voudra de tolfier prokaló moi.” He says confidently. His voice is thickly accented, but you still understood the message. No one would go against his wishes.

You frown, “They may not defy you but I am an adeiázo. An empty shell. I have no use to them.” Or to you, you think to yourself.

“Luckily for you, a new position has opened up in my organization~.” He yanks the gun out of your grasp and turns on his heel, heading further into the room. He beckons you over his shoulder.

You reluctantly follow.

On the bright side, he wasn’t here to kill you.

The body of your now ex-boss catches your attention.

His chest was cracked open, its contents oddly missing..

You step around him,”Did you do that..?”

“Unlike you little mouse, he had the guts to to steal from me. But rest assured, I took my time ripping those guts right out.” Fluorescent green drool drips down the side of his mouth.

“O-oh..”

“I suggest you get used to sights such as these.”

Soooo... heard of hat flavored bread?

Black Hat never really visited Avidité Central often, though many of his top clients used it as a clandestine transaction area. Originally he had planned to buy an island to set aside for auctions and whatnot, but now that he has taken control of Avidité’s capital he can arrange it to his liking. It was already structured decently, with a port not far off from the city. And now he had you to manage the coverup.

To civilians, you would be a regular baker: catering to events and keeping up a cafe for everyday life.

To villains, you would be their drop off spot and cover.

And a place to buy Black Hat approved goods.

“The cargo will be shipped at night and will arrive at dawn but I can hold it for you for up to five days.” You take notes as you lean on the counter, talking casually to the villain in front of you. It has only been a few weeks since you’ve been doing this “job”, but after meeting your first few villains, you weren’t as scared anymore.

They nod and hand you a roll of cash. “I will be back to pick it up on Thursday.”

You put the money into your pocket. Normally this would be a big no no, but to reveal where a safe was to a villain was even a bigger no. ”Alright. Would you like to buy anything else before you leave?”

The villain looks at the menu on the counter, lifting a brow at the new item.

“Black bread?”

“Hat flavored.” You shiver, “Its.. okay.”

They chuckle, “I think I will pass for now.”

- -

“The bread is having some mixed reviews.” You roll your neck.

Black Hat counts the stack of bills next to him, quietly muttering to himself.

This has been your nights for a few days now.

A car with flaming exhaust pipes and rides up the the bakery with Black Hat inside. He enters the building and counts his profits, leaving you a portion behind to handle the needs of the shop. Once he gets what he needs he leaves.

“It will catch on,” he stuffs the bills into a suitcase, “If not, start over.”

“Yes, Mavroir.” You respond dutifully before flinching at the abrupt sound of his chair scraping against the floor as he stands up.

He smirks.

“Very funny.” You frown.

“Hilarious.” He says. Handing you a slightly thicker stack of money, Black Hat retrieves his keys before heading to the door. “Don’t disappoint me little mouse.”

You wave as he leaves.

Oddly, you didn't mind his presence like you did before.

Hope you don’t mind constant non-business visits cause you’re getting them anyway

Don’t feel special or anything, he’s only checking in on you to make sure you don’t try stashing away some of his well earned money- and that you haven’t been killed by a villain raging over fees.

“Sir?”

“What is it human.”

“Would you like something to drink while you’re here?”

“I have no need for drink.”

“Oh.. Well I just thought you might want to sample a few packets of blood Ms. Mawrasite brought.”

“...”

“...”

“Bring them over.”

Be prepared to deal with his vanity

Black Hat hates beauty, but takes pleasure in showing off his human forms. Usually they’re pretty normal so he can blend in with crowds, but there’s one he especially enjoys showing off~.

The mornings are always the busiest time for you when it comes to regular people. You figure it’s because of the need for caffeine and whatnot, but in the evenings Black Hat arrives it’s almost completely packed.

Well.. you know exactly why in this case.

“Sir, I think that disguise of yours draws more attention than a disguise is supposed to.” You whisper to him.

Black Hat twirls his cane in his hand as he scans the room. His blue eyes shine with wicked amusement.

When he drove up to the front of the cafe today, you weren’t sure if it was really him. He was in a suit like usual, but his skin was a normal tone unlike its normal dark grey. His voice was smoother but fortunately still had his normal British accent.

“Indeed it does. But, my pet, in cases like these, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” He says as he tips his hat to a woman passing by.

You tilt your head, “Its just ..weird.. seeing you look so human.”

He smirks. His teeth are white and blunt though his incisors remain rather sharp. It’s charming.

And unnerving.

“Do you not enjoy my disguise?”

“You’re intentionality handsome, which makes me a bit uncomfortable.”

Slicking back his jet black hair, Black Hat croons, “Would you rather I change into a more beastly form~?”

You wave him off, “Fáse ó que tu thevu.” Do what you please.

“I will.”

For the rest of the day, he keeps himself busy sending his shadow around to break glasses and trip the patrons ogling at his new form. Though he is occasionally swarmed by groups of women, he does not fail to notice your amused smile at his misfortune.

He’ll remember that, he thinks grumpily.

Work perk

You don’t mind his constant visits at all (besides when he breaks plates and cups). For one, he doesn’t really threaten you. Two, because villains know you work for him you can live without fear. Walking at night has become so much easier!

Mostly anyway.. but rest assured, he takes care of it when you’re not around.

Black Hat slinks down the wall of an alleyway and follows behind a drunken man. His putrid stench pollutes the air around them as he stumbles into walls and laughs under his breath.

The human had been loitering around the shop for quite some time, often leaving empty bottles of alcohol at the entrance. Night “clients” would normally enter from the back, so the man would be of no concern to them. Black Hat did not worry about this thing interfering with his business. Any villain worth their salt would be able to get rid of this human trash.

But his worker was awfully human.

They did not complain about the man, though he was known to scare away patrons of the day cafe. In fact, he only learned of this man when he saw a developing bruise on the arm of his little human.

It was a hand print that encircled their upper arm, and no matter how much they brushed it aside, he knew the human could not have done it to themselves.

Therefore..

Black Hat rolls his neck, his skin shifting into scales as his body contorts. Eyes litter his body and tusks grow between crowded rows of sharp teeth as he walks to the man on four clawed legs.

He would have fun with this one.

He’s surprisingly pretty goofy and a bit childish

It’s not long before you realize how silly he is. He reacts over the smallest of things and if he wasn’t so powerful you’re sure he would’ve died a hundred times over from the shit he pulls.

“Sir!”

“What?!” Black Hat hisses and lifts his hat covering his face. He was relaxing damn it!

You hold up an empty canister for him to see, your eyes full of fear.

“Someone stole the fluoroantimonic acid from the storage area.”

“Oh.” He chuckles and covers his face again, “No need to worry little mouse.”

“Why shouldn’t I be worrying about a superacid?!”

“I drank it.” He says simply.

You slowly lower the canister, “But.. why?”

“Why not?”

You begin to hide your cleaning products from him after that.

- - -

“Bloody hell, human!” Black Hat screeches and stomps his foot on the plush carpet in the foyer of his house.

You come running over with your hands and apron covered in flour. Eyes wild, you scan the room, holding a whisk over your head, “What is it sir!”

He points to the cake on the cart you had just wheeled in from the kitchens.

“What is that?!”

You look to it.

The aggressor is the candied dahlia petals you used for decoration.

“..sir..?”

“How dare you use such bright colors! And they look fresh!” He snarls in disgust.

You deadpan, “I’m going back to the kitchen sir.”

“Get rid of those wretched things first!”

With a sigh, you wheel the cart back into the hall.

He could be such a baby sometimes.

He supposes he’ll let you stick around

After the first year of working for him, Black Hat realizes you’ve managed to become one of his permanent workers. You did what you were told and did satisfactory work, you didn’t complain and you were rather decent company when he required it. You somehow weaseled your way to a spot of importance. And if he was being honest with himself, he enjoyed your existence a bit more than he should. Still, he wouldn’t tell you straight out about any affections he may have developed for you, but he wouldn’t be that subtle about his intentions.

Finally after a long day of work, you close the back door of the shop and lock up for the night.

Despite the rapid changes to your routine in the past year, you can’t help but feel content.Your job was never boring, and you enjoyed hearing the stories of adventures and battles from the villains that come by. 

It felt good to be spoken to like you mattered.

The honking of a car rips you from your thoughts.

Black Hat barks from his seat, “I haven’t got all night!” 

You roll your eyes and join him in the car, sliding into the passenger seat and buckling yourself in.

“You don’t even sleep.”

He starts up the engine, “Why would I sleep when there’s billions of humans waiting to be tormented?”

- -

Arriving at your home in better shape than the dozens of poles and stop signs on the way there, you look back at Black Hat. He looks at you expectantly.

“You know.” You start. “I’ve been working with you for quite some time and you haven’t tormented me yet.”

Black Hat straightens from leaning on the car. “That is because I have something else planned for you.”

“And what would that be?”

Caressing your face, Black Hat whispers in your ear, “I’m going to make you feel one of the seven deadly sins.” He moves away and releases you, leaving you dumbstruck as he enters his car and laughs.

“I’ll let you figure out which one it is~.”

#black hat x reader #blackhat x reader #black hat #Villainous #villainos #villainous x reader #black hat headcanons #Partially based off of things Alan has said from the streams #hat flavored bread makes me doubt my own existence #i just have one question #who would buy that?????? #Black Hat human form is Tom Hiddleston #not me #Alan said it first #im just the dumbass who fully supports that motion

[iamcinema]

IAC Reviews #004: Faces of Death (1978) [Retrospective #1]

Warning: The following film contains (real) graphic violence that might NSFL for some viewers; including that of autopsies, animal cruelty, air and road accidents, and simulated death media. If this seems like something that might offend or upset you, don’t seek it out. This retrospect, however, will discuss the film and these aspects without the usage of stills, and is marked safe. Read forward at your own discretion.

Let’s take things in a slightly different direction this time around, and discuss one of the most infamous pieces of shocking and controversial cinema of all time; John Alan Schwartz’s 1978 shockumentary Faces of Death.

While it doesn’t predate other films of a similar ilk like Mondo Cane (1962), Shocking Asia (1974), or even gory, road safety films like Signal 30 (1959) or Red Asphalt (1960), it could be considered to be the first film of its kind to become a household name - a pretty dark one, and bring the term “shockumentary” to the mainstream. Becoming a cult classic that out performed films like E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) in sales in countries like Japan in the 1980s, the film gained traction for it’s proclamation that it was banned in at least “46 countries” for its raw, graphic depiction of death caught on film in the form of surgical procedures, autopsies, animal cruelty, and news footage or home videos of disasters and accidents caught on film.

Since this year marks the 41st anniversary of the film’s release, why not touch on it again?

Faces of Death in One Gif:

Okay, so shitposting aside, let’s get down to talking about this.

One of the big things that ultimately comes up about the film is a simple one word question.

Why?

What’s so special about this thing that has caused it to remain so relevant and influential that it continued to inspire its own sequels and dwell in the hearts of other mondo/shockumentary based films or series like Banned! in America (1998-2000), Traces of Death (1993 - 2000), or modern day mixtapes like The Most Disturbed Person on Planet Earth (2014-). The film’s connections page alone is impressive, with it being given a nod to in mainstream films and programs like Scream 2 (1997), House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Houses October Built (2014) and Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-). This becomes more apparent when the topic of the authenticity of the footage is brought into question, and it ends up being one of the focal discussions about both this film and the rest of the series as a whole - with roughly 40-70% of the footage being staged or recreated.

To some, they can spot the fakes from a mile away without any hesitation, and some end up being genuinely surprised when they find out certain shots were, in fact, staged. This includes the famous alligator attack, the police shoot-out, the electric chair execution that often graces the cover of posters, and the beheading execution sequence that takes place shortly there after. However, not all the scenes are staged. Well, sort of. Some are in fact, genuine, but have tacked on moments to build tension or to pad them out; such as that of footage of a suicide jumper - which included additional footage of firefighters rushing to the scene and close-ups of the aftermath.

Furthermore, due to the quality of some of the footage, it can often be hard to tell and scenes that look cheap and fake end up turning out to be genuine. The content that’s genuine is often quite brutal, and it can be very in your face about it - giving you a true face to face encounter with what your own death might be.

The most infamous of the more graphic content is the unflinching depiction of animal cruelty in a number of settings and situations; including slaughterhouses, family farms,  or at the hands of hunters, and poachers. In documentaries and interviews about the experiences from the crew during the filming of such scenes, such as the slaughterhouses. In the Fact or Fiction special about the series, the director talked about how they were once up to their hips in blood and entrails while filming at one of these locations. To state that these sequences aren’t graphic or violent would be a bold faced lie, and this chapter isn’t for those who are faint of heart and can be hard to watch.

Two of the more notable sequences that contain real footage include that of unaired news footage from the famous PSA Flight 182 disaster, a deadly plane crash that took place in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, which killed several people on the ground and destroyed several buildings and homes, as well as footage captured by the film crew by pure chance of a drowning victim that washed up on the beach after being reported missing for several days.

“Okay, so it’s not all bullshit. So what? But that still doesn’t answer the question of why it’s so popular though to begin with or why it still is.”

Well, I feel like the controversy speaks for itself and maybe people end up just answering their own question.

While it wasn’t the original mondo film, let alone the first to get international attention, it’s my understanding that it was targeted specifically with Western, theatrical audiences in mind. With the boasted reputation it garnered for being banned in nearly 50 countries and the in your face trailer with its depiction of corpses, religious cults, and general mayhem; it can be enticing to the morbidly curious, especially in the aftermath of the Vietnam war and the waves of anti-war footage and photography that had released in its wake. This inadvertently helped to fuel attention, controversy, and attention for the film, which Schwartz said banning it was the best kind of press it could have been given - proving the point that the more you tell people they can’t have something, the more they’re likely to seek it out . Like other mondo and shockumentary films that would follow in its footsteps, it’s also a time capsule of the period; such as with the aforementioned news footage from the PSA 182 crash that had happened barely two months prior to the theatrical release, and a chapter of the film dedicated to capital punishment, which had only been reinstated in the United States two years prior in 1976 following the Supreme Court’s ruling of the Gregg vs Georgia case.

Faces of Death was a product of its time, but did it age well? From a practical effects standpoint, I’d say not really.

As stated before, many moment come off as fake, and several of the ones that are clearly show to the point of it being almost laughable. The publicity fueled behind it resembles that of Snuff (1976) in some aspects, where the team behind it staged fake protests to get the film more attention and infamy for the iconic ending sequence. With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the production team drew inspiration from that as a way to gain traction or beef it up for the masses. Just like with that film, the scene may have fooled some people back then, but by today’s standards, the effects are quite amateurish in nature and not something you’d get away with if you wanted to trick people. Even going by the level that’s being met for many horror films these days, there’s no competition; even for films in the independent and underground scenes from the last twenty years that had barely a fraction of the budget that went into Faces of Death.

From a cultural and influential standpoint, I’d say it has in a way.

Without Faces of Death, I don’t think we’d fully be where we are now extreme cinema, even for films that wouldn’t necessarily think of themselves as such; like Death Scenes (1989), which is more of a historical piece and A Certain Kind of Death (2003) being just about the process of death and what goes into how it’s managed. It feels like traces of it can be found in a ton of films, unless that’s just a stretch. There’s also the ongoing debate about snuff films as well, as there had been rumors that people were killed to make Faces of Death, and thus, the legend of snuff continues to live on in films like Cannibal Holocaust, (1980), Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985), Man Bites Dog (1992), Niku Daruma (1998), August Underground (2001), and Be My Cat: A Film For Anne (2015).

However, with the advent of the Internet, you can easily find whatever you’re looking for with a quick search with little to no real effort. It’s no longer a serious challenge to find audio recordings from the last moments of mass suicide cults or plane crashes, gruesome crime scene photos, or graphic videos of murders, executions, or animal cruelty. So, why pay (or stream) to see something that’s partially or mostly fake, when you can see something real yourself? With sites that cater to the morbidly curious or the few and far between depraved like Ogrish, Rotten, BloodShows, and BestGore, shockumentaries, even the rawest and unflinching of their kind become outdated and sort of pointless. This also applies to the MDPOPE, which is barely turning five years old as of this being written, which at the end of the day, is a simple mixtape of content you could find online if you’re willing to look hard for it.

Closing Thoughts:

With all of that said, would I recommend watching Faces of Death? In short, yes I would.

To quote Killion over at HNN; “Is the movie entertaining? It isn’t entertaining; it’s a rite of passage.“

Faces of Death is an exploration into death, and since I’ve first seen it roughly 13 years ago, I still see people who come out of it saying that it gave them a new outlook on life or has helped them to cherish their own with whatever time they may have left; which is a similar response I’ve heard from people who gravitate towards sites like BestGore or LiveLeak. If you haven’t seen it or you’re particularly on the squeamish side, I’d say to still give it a fair shot and see how you feel coming out of it.

Rating: 5.7/10

“In a world with no sounds,

Their cries go unheard.

Reality of life becomes totally absurd.

The counting of time is considered a crime,

And the money one earned not worth a bold dime.

So here they will lie for the rest of the night,

Their bodies remain still in darkness and in light.

Don't be afraid for it'll happen to you,

When all stops as your body turns blue...“ - Luther Easton

Closing Theme:

#faces of death #fod #film #horror #documentary #shockumentary #mondo #mondo film #iac reviews #horror review

[nedraggett]

Thoughts on 2018

No need for me to be fancier than that!  And yeah I realize that nobody should be using Tumblr any more but until I figure out a proper revive of my old Wordpress site, this will do for now.

So anyway: I wrote this up for a private email list reflecting on the end of the year in terms of things I especially enjoyed culturally. Well, why not share it?

My year went very well — steady at work and in life, being 47 means more aches and pains but you have to learn to live with it.  The state of the world is something else again of course and we need not spend more time on the blazingly obvious.  That said, the history bug in me has been constantly intrigued by the slow drip of the investigations (and revelations) and were it all fiction, I’d be thoroughly enthralled instead of quietly apprehensive, of course.  November did provide some partial relief on that front so bring on the new year.  In terms of my own written work, nothing quite equalled my heart/soul going into last year’s Algiers feature for NPR, but my two big Quietus pieces this year — on Gary Numan’s Dance  and Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings  — were treats to write, while my presentation on the too-obscure Billy Mackenzie at PopCon was a great experience.

In terms of music this has been one of the most concert-heavy years I’ve spent.  Even having moved to SF in 2015 I only did the occasional show every so often — there was so much going on (even in a local scene lots of long-timers say has been irrevocably changed) that I was almost spoiled for choice, and part of me also just wanted to relax most nights.  But deaths like Prince’s and Bowie’s among many others served as a reminder that there’s no such thing as forever, and you never know what the last chance will be.  More veteran acts than younger ones in the end for me — greatest missed concert regrets this year included serpentwithfeet, Lizzo, Perfume Genius and Emma Ruth Rundle among the younger acts, while being ill when Orbital came through will be a lingering annoyance, still having never seen them live.  But the huge amount of shows I did see outweighed that, ranging from big arena stops like Fleetwood Mac to celebratory open-air free shows like Mexican Institute of Sound to small club sets by folks like Kinski, Six Organs of Admittance, Kimbra and many more, including, for the first time in years, a show in the UK, specifically a great performance by Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera.  If I absolutely had to grade my top picks among shows, Cruel Diagonals, Johnny Marr, Wye Oak, Peter Brotzmann/Keiji Haino, John Zorn/Terry Riley/Laurie Anderson, Laurie Anderson again separately, Nine Inch Nails, VNV Nation, Jarvis Cocker, Beak and, in terms of no real expectations turning into utter delight and thrills, a brilliant set by Lesley Rankine under her Ruby guise, with Martin Atkins on drums.  Best damn combination of righteous ire, hilarious raconteurism and compelling, unique approaches to how performance can work I’d seen in a while.  (As for recorded music in general, uh, endless?)

TV, as ever a bit sporadic, with a few things on my to-do list — still need to catch The Terror for sure, and what I saw of The Alienist looked good; I love both books so I need to see how it all worked out, similarly with the just-dropped version of Watership Down.  Pose I definitely need to catch up with since it sounds like Ryan Murphy stood out of the way to let the best possible team do the business on it, but my real unexpected delight of a show this year was also Murphy-based, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.  While not down the line perfect, it was absolutely more compelling than not, and in fact at its best was a shuddering combination of amazing music cue choices, a reverse structure that helped undercut any attempt at making Cunanan seem sympathetic or an antihero, and, at its considerable best, a ratcheting up of terror and horror that a friend said was almost Kubrickian, and I would have to agree.  And, frankly, Darren Criss really did the business as Cunanan, a controlled and powerful turn. Only a few of us seemed to be following it at the time, but when it scored all those Emmys, then while it was as much a reflection of Murphy’s status, it honestly felt well deserved.  Meantime, you’ll pry my addiction to all the RuPaul’s Drag Race incarnations from my cold dead hands but it’s the amazing online series that Trixie Mattel and Katya do, UNHhhh, which remains my comedy highlight of the year, with at least a few jaw-dropping/seize up laughing every episode. (Kudos as well for Brad Jones’s The Cinema Snob, ten years running online and still funny as fuck while digging up all kinds of cinematic horrors.) Also, tying back into music a bit, late recommendation for something you can only see on UK TV/streaming so far, but get yourself a VPN and seek out Bros: After the Screaming Stops, in which the two brothers in the late-80s monster hit pop band Bros (never had any traction here but pretty much owned the entire Commonwealth and beyond) try for a comeback.  It’s an unintentionally hilarious and harrowing portrait of two twins who have a LOT of issues, have clearly been through a LOT of therapy, but are still…not quite there.  UK friends said it was a combination of Spinal Tap, Alan Partridge and David Brent and they were ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. 

Movies, less specifically to choose from — I remain an essentially sporadic populist when it comes to what I see in theaters, but I can say for sure that Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse is a hell of a thing and will almost certainly prove to be a real year-zero moment down the line.  Possibly the most affecting watch was Bohemian Rhapsody, in that I also saw this in the UK — in Brighton, which besides making me think of the band’s song “Brighton Rock” is also notably the country’s most LGBT-friendly city; those I was with felt the movie’s themes, successes and flaws/elisions deeply, and the constant discussion of it for the next few days was very rewarding. As for books, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, delving into Theranos and the amoral duo behind it, was properly enraging and compelling, while Beth Macy’s Dopesick, if not perfect, nonetheless adds to the good literature on the opioid crisis, while as ever indirectly calling into question who’s getting the focus and care now as opposed to in earlier times and places. My favorite music publications as such probably remain the two I most regularly write for, The Quietus and Daily Bandcamp, while Ugly Things is the print publication that I most look forward to with each issue, and am never disappointed. 

Podcasts now consist of a lot of my regular cultural engagement, kinda obvious but nonetheless true.  Long running faves include My Favorite Murder — Karen and Georgia are an amazing comedy team who have figured out how to reinterpret their anxieties in new ways — The Vanished, which at its best often casts a piercing eye on how official indifference from law enforcement is almost as destructive as their more obvious abuses (recent discovery The Fall Line does this as well, even more explicitly), Karina Longworth’s constantly revelatory Hollywood histories You Must Remember This, Patrick Wyman’s enjoyable history dives on Tides of History, my friend Chris Molanphy’s constantly excellent investigations into music chart history Hit Parade, the great weekly movie chats by MST3K vets Frank Conniff and Trace Beaulieu along with Carolina Hidalgo on Movie Sign With the Mads, and The Age of Napoleon, which really has hit my history wonk sweet spot.  New to me this year was It’s Just a Show,  a really wonderful episode by episode — but not in exact order — deep dive into every episode of MST3K ever, by two fun and thoughtful Canadian folks, Adam Clarke and Beth Martin. (Adam also cohosts a new podcast, A Part of Our Scare-itage, specifically looking at Canadian horror. It’s not just Cronenberg!). Among the excellent one-off series this year: American Fiasco by Men in Blazers’ Roger Bennett on the failed US World Cup attempt in 1998, Dear Franklin Jones, a story about the narrator’s experience growing up in a California cult and how his parents came to be followers in the first place, and the Boston Globe’s Gladiator, their audio accompaniment to their in-depth story of the life and ultimate fate of Aaron Hernandez. Finally, totally new series this year that quickly got added to my regular listening: American Grift, a casual and chatty look at various scams and schemes, overseen by Oriana Schwindt, The Eurowhat?, a running look at the Eurovision competition throughout the year from the perspective of two American fans, and The Ace Records Podcast, an often engaging series of one-off interviews with various musicians, fans and so forth by UK writer Pete Paphides (I highly recommend the interviews with Jon Savage and Sheila B). Hands down my two favorite totally new podcasts of the year were The Dream, a more formal story of American grifting in general hosted by Jane Marie — this first season’s focus was on multilevel marketing, and Marie and company’s careful way of seemingly backing into the larger story makes it all the more compelling and ultimately infuriating, especially in the current political climate — and the hilarious Race Chasers, a RuPaul’s Drag Race-celebrating podcast by two veterans of the show, Alaska and Willam, loaded with all kinds of fun, behind the scenes stuff, guests and an easy casualness from two pros that strikes the perfect balance between going through things and just shooting the shit.  Returning podcast I’m most looking forward to next year: the second season of Cocaine and Rhinestones, hands down.  Check out the first season for sure.

And there ya go!  Keep fighting all your respective good fights.