Summer '24

A summer of unrest. Social upheaval. Offset by protests. Are you Team Kendrick or Team Drake? 

The season more or less kicked off for me in a theater on the 23rd of May. It was the day of release for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel to the action filled Mad Max: Fury Road. It's less action packed than Fury Road but that isn't it's intention. It's a tale of revenge. Hemsworth gives it his all as the villain Dementus and Anya Taylor Joy is a natural fit to fill the shoes of Charlize Theron. Having recently watched the original Mad Max, watching the trajectory of societal collapse over these films has been...something. 

There's a handful of films I plan to see in the theaters. Longlegs, The Bikeriders, Kinds of Kindness, MaXXXine, Cuckoo, Trap. Then there's the shows. Some new like X-Men '97. Some old like Miami Vice. For the most part, I'll be doing what I normally do. Watching new flicks, rewatching classics. Fitting them into the season accordingly. 

Speed/True Lies

Summer is the season of action and comedy. Event films. Blockbusters. For the year of 2024, I will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of two of the greatest action flicks from the 90s. I have a strong sense of nostalgia with this particular pairing of films which I will disclose later on. 

For now, I ask you to remember two things: 1. Fear is not an option and 2. don't fuck with daddy.

The Bear Season 3

June 27 is my birthday. So I feel doubly excited one of my favorite shows debuts it's new season. Season 2 had a pitch perfect ending leaving me starving for more.  

The Sensual World of Black Emmanuelle

In 2023, the Lords of Sleaze at Severin graced us with the box set of the year. A comprehensive collection of the films of Black Emmanuelle. Lovingly and exquisitely portrayed by Laura Gemser. Globe hopping to exotic locales is a feature of the series and what better way to spend summer than around the world without the pain of buying a plane ticket? 

Stalked By My Doctor

The doctor is in. 

The number of homages and tributes to exploitation nowadays have been dizzying. Lifetime has tapped into exploitation in the truest way. It's not trying to pay tribute. It's the real deal. 

Given it's a Lifetime production, the limitations these productions have to jump through make them more unnerving than if they just showed more explicit content. Eric Roberts' commitment to the role of Dr. Albert Beck is just one more reason why we should give the man every award under the sun. 

If Eric Roberts breaking into someone's house and having sexual fantasies about them is your thing, come right in. If it's not then I know not to invite you to my next party. 

Oh, one other thing

The biggest blind spot from a life of watchingTV has been Columbo. Not a single episode watched. A bigger head scratcher being Spielberg got his directorial start on this show. I got the big box set from Kino Lorber for Christmas and have been setting aside some time to dive in. I've loved Falk from his performances in Mikey and Nicky, the Cassavetes flicks, and particularly The In-Laws. 

Summer is the season of Columbo. 

Watergate

The heat isn't the only thing in the air. Paranoia is too. The Watergate break in was 52 years ago. It shifted the public trust of a President dramatically.  What fascinates me is how the Watergate break in encompasses the the 60s and 70s, the decades I constantly come back to because there is so much going on. You can't talk about Watergate without bringing up Nixon. You can't talk about Nixon;s involvement without bringing up the Pentagon Papers and Daniel Ellsberg. You can't talk about Ellsberg without talking about the Vietnam War. 

I have a few things to keep the topic prescient: Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men, Olive Stone's Nixon and Garrett Graff's recently published Watergate. 

********MY NEW BLOG: THE LONG AND WINDING READ********

The Long and Winding Read will be a new blog focusing on literature and a platform to share short stories I've written or just read you ones I've enjoyed. Sharing my love of books is something I am eager to do to anyone who will listen. As much as I enjoy turning on someone to a new film or discussing film, if I am met with the question "What are you reading?" then you have my heart. 

Summer In the South

To kick off the blog, I'll be tackling one of my favorite literary genres: Southern Gothic. Two authors I'll be focusing on are Flannery O'Conner and William Faulkner and their masterworks Wise Blood and Absalom Absalom. Other SG authors will be covered- Harry Crews, William Gay, Carson McCullers. It's time to don your straw hat and chewing tobacco.