Book Review: Tetra: A Graphic Novel by Malcolm Mc Neill

Tetra: A Graphic Novel by Malcolm Mc Neill

Paperback, 136 pages

Published July 2018 by Stalking Horse Press

"Tetra was a late 70s proto-cyberpunk transreal skin-mag SF epic serialized graphic novel starring a naked woman with no hair and a penchant for running-dialog wisecracks. The art is lovely, and language play of the alien characters is worth the price of admission alone." - Rudy Rucker

My first read of the year down is a lost classic graphic novel that was originally serialized in the post Star Wars late 70's in the adult magazine Gallery. I have only ever heard of Gallery before because I knew Stephen King was somewhat embarrassed in retrospect that so many of his early stories were published there. I was interested because James Reich and his press Stalking Horse has yet to fail me, and it also had the above blurb from Rudy Rucker whose opinion I trust.

I know in the wake of Star Wars and the crazy blockbuster that it was that lots of creative forces were trying to capitalize on the craziness. NBC did Battlestar, and Corman had Battle Beyond the Stars. I shouldn't be surprised that even a skin magazine would want to ride the massive space opera wave at the time.

Enter Malcolm McNeil the talented young artist who had just spent eight years working with genius surrealist William Burroughs (Naked Lunch)on a project. The idea was a space opera comic strip. McNeil just scratched the surface getting canceled after about 70 pages. This book includes a detailed back story, concept art and various promo materials he made.

The art alone is breathtaking when you consider the amount of work he put in, including hand drawing each panel he went as far as to sculpt the aliens. The story is equally bizarro and worth checking out. The inverse of many Campbellian hero's journeys Tetra is a subversive piece of space opera.

The main character is drafted by a living cyrstal starship into chosen one status after being born into a race of "pleasure pets" she has never had clothes or hair for that matter. She has planets to save and adventures to be had. She travels the universe looking for the elusive title object. The thing is she doesn't want to be the chosen one, she just wants to prove she is not the savior.

Look the feminist that I am could have done with the nudity, but hell it is the concept and I just went with it. The sad thing is that the concept got sold short by the short run. It sounds like the demands of the project were brutal for McNeil so he might not have been bummed that it got canceled.

This is a really neat project for bizrro and weird sci-fi readers. It is a really strange and awesome project that should not have been lost to history. In that sense, I gotta thanks Stalking Horse press for saving it. Super worth check it out.

My Favorite Retro Reads of 2019! W/ Podcast episodes

I got a request for this list. Here it is. I am not happy with how little diversity it has. Mostly American white dudes. Anyways I suggest Lisa Yaskek's Future is Female which is all old school but since was a new anthology got released in new releases.

10. Martian Time-Slip: My fellow Dickheads didn't like it as much as I did but I love Martian Time-slip which pairs nicely with James Reich's new novel The Song my Enemies Sing.

9. Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov: Space noir.Part of the charm is the simple premise, but for a novel written in 1954 it has fantastic sci-fi world-building. That is not a surprise for Asimov readers, his world-building has never been a problem. It is at the core of this story because the massive over-populated earth which has turned to crowded domed cities is constantly in conflict with the Spacers, the people spread over 50 worlds with an economy that depends on robot labor. What helps this stand apart from the other books in the Asimov catalog are the characters. That aspect is often a weaker part of Asimov stories. Elijah Baley and R. Daneel Olivaw are both excellent characters and their interplay is very rewarding to follow.

8. The Nine Cloud Dream by Kim Man Jung: oldest school as this was published first 1689. Centuries before Philip K Dick wrote pulp science fiction that poked at our relationship with the concept of reality or Neo pondered taking the Red pill a courtesan in Korean wrote this novel. The Nine Cloud Dream is a Korean Inception written hundreds of years before Christopher Nolan was a thing. Really cool book.

7.Way Station by Clifford Simak:Way Station is a thoughtful and charming piece of midwestern science fiction that doesn't tell a hero's journey in a traditional sense. Enoch Wallace is a man who is over 100 years old, a Vet of the Civil War who returned to Wisconsin and appears to have never aged past his 30's. That is interesting enough of a mystery that gets a great set-up involving military spies, who are a bit underused in the rest of the novel. But it does get political and galactic in scope.

Podcast recorded to be released. Although I was already on Hugos There podcast to talk Way Station and that is available.

6.Dune by Frank Herbert: The skill with which it was written is only outmatched by the impact it has had on the genre as a whole. World Building, adventure, mysticism, environmentalism and politics. The Themes are not over-explained but perfectly woven into the story. Dune does all these elements with skill that has few peers before except Lord of the Rings and maybe The Foundation books. A reader in this day and age might recognize many of the elements here, they may be tropes now, but remember Star Wars and most of the Space Opera you have read in your life came after Dune.

Podcast is recorded To be released.

5. Beyond Apollo by Barry N. Malzberg: BO is like a slightly harder sci-fi take on similar ideas that Lem explored in Solaris. He keeps it in the solar system and takes advantage of early 70's free love attitudes. I mean there is lots of adult language and tons of sex that feels very out of place and a bit awkward. Check out the podcast I did with James Reich on the book:

4.Journals of the Plague Years by Norman Spinrad: A Sci-fi novel was written during the worst days of the AIDS crisis.I can see why many publishers were afraid to touch this. The conclusions and ideas contained in this novel are by their nature confrontational and at times scary and gross. It is in the tradition of political science fiction like the Handmaid's Tale that takes extreme paths of speculation to make a point. It is a pessimistic novel that also sees the drug companies suppressing a cure, and a congressman with a plan to nuke the free-love Bay area. Super proud of the podcast we did about it.

3....And the Angel With Television Eyes by John Shirley: Once it gets weird is when you see why John Shirley is an underrated master. That is when the novel goes from good to great. Max discovers that there are beings that live in the subatomic particles who are struggling to free themselves called plasmagnomes. These creatures are cast-off shed particles of our souls created by our fantasies. The Plasma world is in trouble because the increased technology in the form of electromagnetic energy is disrupting everything.

2. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.: No matter how you slice it this novel is one of the towering achievements of Science Fiction in the 20th century. It is not hyperbole to say this is one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. It is the second-best of the 60’s Hugo winners have read so far. The only one better so far was Stand on Zanzibar. Oh yeah... read that in 2018.

Podcast recorded and soon to be released.

1.The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick: Re-read this one for Dickheads, I consider this to be one of PKD's best novels, but I admit the first time much of it went over my head, not this time. I feel like I understood what was happening much clearer than 15 years ago. The story of a bad acid trip, religious paranoia, and Alien Invasion. Absolute weird masterpiece.

Book Review/Podcast episode: Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

Paperback, 296 pages

Published March 2010 by Harper Voyager (first published 1967)

Hugo Award for Best Novel (1968)

Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (1967)

Let me be straight right off the bat. This book is not for me. I understand that this is a genius work of science fiction but much of it is over my head. I am assuming that if I had a more intense knowledge of eastern religion I would have been blown away by this. I probably would not have finished this book if not for the reason I did. This was the 11th and final book I read for the Dickheads podcast series on the Hugo award-winning novels of the 1960s. So the deal was I had to finish the book, no choice. Eventually, we will be doing an episode about both Zelazny Winners this one and This Immortal which shared the award with Dune.

Lord of Light is the second book in series maybe, I have read conflicting reports. The plot of the novel was really hard for me to follow. The Earth has died and refugees have made it to a colony world, only a few have the technology and they use it to impersonate classic eastern goods, following Buddhist and Hindu traditions. This is a method they use to hold people back from Progressing since they fear a repeat of the disasters that killed the earth. Thematically, of course, this means the novel is like a reverse of A Canticle for Lebowitz.

Unlike that novel, this story didn't work for me. I was bored and confused for most of the pages since I was really lost trying to figure out what was going on. If I knew more about Siddhartha and Mashasamatman and the mythologies I am sure I would be more impressed by what was happening. My problem was that most of this novel relies on parallels with these mythologies and honestly, this stuff bores me. In the small moments when the novel touches on more traditional SF elements, I would get excited but those were very few and far between.

In the last pages when the gods talk about the colony getting a printing press was one of my favorite scenes. I wish the book was more direct like in those moments. I understand that this is probably a masterpiece but it is not for me. I will take A Canticle for Lebowitz any day.

Dickheads episode recording soon featuring Ivan Zoric and Mark Conlan. Will add the link here when it is live.

My Favorite Novels of the Decade!

So I read over 1,000 books in the last decade and I decided to honor the novels, I had two novellas's I considered Honorable mention to Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle, The Warren by Brian Evenson. Here are my top 13 books of the decade. Mostly Science Fiction and horror but those are my favorite novels.

13. Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor is one of the best and strongest voices working in Science Fiction today. Her storytelling skill is top-notch that perfectly balances world building, characters, and plotting, all those elements are woven through her work with great attention to detail. She writes African themed Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy and Magical Realism for both adults and YA readers. This is fantastic Afrocentric space opera. I know it was three novellas but I am cheating and considering them one novel.

12.Birdbox by Josh Malerman

Forget about the movie and the meme that it became. I read this book far before all that. This book is so well written it lives up to the amazing hyperbole, and the first 50 pages have a terror and paranoia that would have been impossible in the film. I have enjoyed all the Malerman books but this was one of the best reading experiences I had of this decade and I feel sorry for the readers who did not have this experience before the movie. The movie is good but the book is a masterpiece.

11.Little Heaven by Nick Cutter

Death cults, monsters and lots of gritty supernatural tone. The Cutter novels always get compared to Stephen King but this novel has more Clive Barker and Robert McCammon in its DNA than King. I would also argue the setting and characters give it more of a Cormac McCarthy feel than King. With the structure and dialogue, an argument could also be made that Tarantino was an influence. I LOVE the monsters in this book that was clearly influenced by the Jim Jones death cult. While the Troop gets all the hype from the Nick Cutter books this is the one that connected with me.

10.Song my Enemies Sing by James Reich

I just had this in my 2019 list but I love Reich's retro Mars world-building and meta look at pulp sci-fi. I think this book has lots of levels that are cat-nip for a sci-fi reader/scholar such as myself. Part of the genius of this novel is Reich doesn't appear to let his 21st-century existence take away from his experience tell a story that is like a bubble out of time. This not the real Mars but the one we remember from the pulps. Genius piece of work.

9. The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts:

I loved Freeze-Frame Revolution in part because of the massive cutting edge mind expanding ideas but also the human core of characters who development is not ignored. Watts has a biting tone and it is clear if you listen to interviews with him he is not in the routine of taking shit. This is a masterpiece of science fiction and the Generation Ship subb-genre. The Freeze-Frame Revolution is a mind bending science fiction novel that packs in more ideas and story into it's 192 pages than some novels three times its length. One of the hardest parts of space based hard sci-fi is for the writer to express the scope and size of the universe. When we look into the universe the distance and amount of years are beyond what most stories can contain. We can talk about distances that stretch thousands of light-years and journeys that would last thousands if not millions of years but it is a different challenge to create a narrative with such scope. That is the cool thing about this novel - it doesn't shy away from this reality.

8.This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

I mean this is a genre book. It is finely written enough to be enjoyed and loved beyond the genre ghetto as say China Mieville or Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow was. Not just as Science Fiction but as literature that said the concept is such that the genre bonfides are undeniable. That concept, by the way, is just the tip of the iceberg of cool gee-whiz ideas. Hemmingway's Iceberg theory of writing is put to amazing use here.

7.Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn:

A murder mystery influenced by Leguin's Dispossessed is a perfect way for Carrie Vaughn to explore issues related to reproductive rights, ecological and social justice issues. First of a series and the second is equally as good. I am way down for this series. It also won the PKD award and thus Carrie was the first interview we did on Dickheads.

6. Unamerica by Cody Goodfellow

Goodfellow can break unwritten rules and get away with it. For example, no one should get away with paragraphs that are basically lists of elements that make up a setting. Goodfellow does this all the time in this novel Hatch’s introduction to Unamerica walking in has a long list of the various things he sees. They generally work. Goodfellow is one of the smartest writers of my generation and it is impossible for me to read his work without marveling at his skill, intelligence, and ability on page after page. Unamerica is the best thing I have read this year and I have read a few masterpieces already. This is a must-read for fans of weird fiction that lives on the border of science fiction and Horror. Goodfellow's most assured work is a dystopia not to miss.

Speaking of Dickheads podcast interviews:

5.The Silence by Tim Lebbon:

It should be noted that I read this book before A Quiet Place or the Netflix film based on this novel. Infact when I saw the trailer for A Quiet Place my first thought was "Wow they nailed The Silence!" I know the movie was not very good but the novel is perfect. It was one of the best edge of my seats reads in this decade. There is part that the movie totally got wrong that just broke my heart when I read this book. My reading experience was very powerful. Simple but perfectly told. It is better than A Quiet Place on many levels.

4.Haunt by Laura Lee Bahr:

Haunt is a strange and beautiful LA noir that feels to me like a lost David Lynch movie with dark supernatural underpinnings. First conceived as a very adult choose your own adventure novel Bahr does amazing things with the plot of this novel using the various choices that you as the reader might consider and showing you the various paths this story takes. This book is pure genius. Wonderland book award winner of 2011.

3. Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson: While scientists and engineers often say that someday we will be able to make these journeys this novel is 466 pages of Robinson calling bullshit on the Generation Ship novel.

These thinkers are just looking at the nuts and bolts of the travel time and propulsion. What Aurora does is look at the science not only of the travel but biological, ecological and sociological. Because that kind of journey will be affected by all those things. Some science fiction readers might find KSR's point of view to be a total downer. A surprise after the uplifting story and message at the heart of 2312. The reality is this novel when you boil it all down is this: Earth is a starship, and it is the only one we as a species can count on. Aurora is an epic Science Fiction novel with a simple message one important enough for me to call it a masterpiece. I was blown away.

2. Immobility by Brian Evenson

This is a strange and unsettling novel, that is so powerfully written it has a spooky feeling throughout. It is all done with a subtle tone, and no wasted words. Evenson is not so in love with his words and never overwrites, he writes with a tight control rarely since in genre work that is also considered “high lit.” It doesn’t remind me of any other book immediately but if pressed to make a comparison I would have to say a cross between Cormac McCarthy’s The Road with a little bit of a THX 1138.

1. A Matter of Blood (Dog Faced Gods book #1) By Sarah Pinborough

(AKA:released in the US as Forgotten Gods)

While Pinborough has gone on to become a bestseller for female focused thrillers like Behind her Eyes (Series coming to Netflix soon)she cut her teeth in horror. This was sold to me as a darker Repairman Jack style series. this novel is set in very dark times a very near future dystopia of future Britain that survives an economic collapse by surrendering to a mysterious cabal known as “The Bank.” The atmosphere of the novel has a dark surreal feel, I pictured everything with a grey filter that made Oregon winters seem like Southern California. Weird crime and Dystopia are the tip of the ice berg here. I love Pinborough thrillers but I love when she does dark world building like Death House or this trilogy.

My Favorite Movies of the Decade 2010-2019

So I had planned a big podcast with Langhorne and Issa of Good Clean Fun debating what we thought were the best movies of the decade. I still think that would be a good podcast. and it might still happen in the meantime here.

Honorable mentions to Book of Eli and Boyhood.

20) I Saw the Devil: Brutal Korean revenge flick meets extreme horror. Not for the faint of heart. Saw it at the Hollywood Theater in Portland with my homey Magik.

19)The Colony: Very bleak post apoc horror film that is really well made despite a lower budget. I watched it at home from red box when that was still a thing.

18)Cloud Atlas: Wachowski siblings were in super awesome form and I don't want to forget Tom Tywker. Excellent cross-cutting between six story lines. Very underrated movie. Laurelhurst Theater in Portland with my Flesh Trade co-author Edward Morris.

17) Take Shelter: Excellent performance from Michael Shannon in a horror film that no one considers a horror film. One of the best movies about Paranoia. Jeff Nichols has yet to make a stinker. Saw this at home.

16)Into the Spider-Verse: Excellent writing, amazing concept, and near flawless execution. Probably the best spiderman movie. Saw it by myself in Bloomington Indiana Showplace East

15) Moonlight: Powerful film, that uses three time-lines and different actors to talk about the black gay experience. I am a super for interweaving timelines. Saw it at home.

14) Dredd: Sure there is a movie on this list with almost the same plot that is better made, but they were made at the same time and an accident. After a few attempts, this stripped to the bone action movie was the best way to do this character. Watched in Eugene with Fn' Dave. He insisted when I admitted I had not seen it.

13) It Comes at Night: This IS a horror movie. I have debated this movie constantly with my Deadite editor Jeff Burk and Who Goes There podcast co-host Matt Smith. It is one of the best paranoid dread filmed horror movies of this period. Great use of a small budget. Saw it at HIFF presented preview screening at Mission Valley AMC in San Diego.

12)Star Wars: The Last Jedi: I think Rian Johnson was the best thing to happen to Disney SW and it is clear that the fans don't deserve him. I think he took a swing and told a bold story that challenged the fans and characters. Saw it at Hazard Center in San Diego with my homey Nate.

11)The Shape of Water: Del Toro's best is still Pan's Labyrinth but I love that a romance with the creature of the Black Lagoon won best picture. Great movie on every level. Love it. Hazard Center by myself.

10) Once Upon a time in Hollywood: You don't have to like QT personally but damn can the guy tell a story. This alternate history of Hollywood is masterful and QT's best movie since Jackie Brown. I say this as someone who likes all his movies Except Death Proof. Hazard Center by myself.

9) Midnight Special: Underrated Sci-fi movie that has a crazy amazing ending. It is part Starman and part Close Encounters but don't let that fool you it is not about what you think it is. I LOVE this movie. Landmark Hillcrest With Cari.

8) Rogue One: I have wanted to see an actual Star War, that felt like a war movie forever. This was up my alley as it was clearly influenced by the same World War Two mission movies as my latest novel Goddamn Killing Machines. This is SW Dirty Dozen and I love every moment. I could watch it over and over. AMC Mission Valley with homey Nate.

7)Parasite: I saw this before the hype, when /Film Podcast was the only place I heard talk about it. I think the hype is hurting this film. If you go into not expecting much you'll get a thrilling multi-layered Korean drama about class warfare. Saw it at home with Cari. 6) Young Detective Dee and the Rise of the Sea Dragon: All the Tusi Hark Dee movies are great but this one is a crazy Chinese Sherlock meets Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth hybrid. Totally insanity. I loved every second. Saw it at Horton Plaza by myself. Last movie I saw at that theater which was the first I ever went to in SD.

5) The Rover: Guy Pierce is my favorite actor and he is amazing in this low budget bleak Aussie end of the world movie. Pierce plays a crazed man who chases thieves across the wasteland to get his car back. Landmark Hillcrest theater by myself.

4)The Raid: Redemption: The most bananas action movie ever made. I watched at home on video after working an overnight shift and didn't fall asleep. I saw the sequel with Magik at the Laurelhurst theater.

3)Blade Runner 2049: Look I do a PKD podcast, I love the original Blade Runner. I think this is a beautiful looking well deserving sequel. If you thought it was boring I question if you really know the 82 film. I think the movie didn't need Harrison Ford honestly, but it also did OK with him. Grossmont center theater with Nate, Anthony, and his homies.

2)Mandy: Dark beauty, crazy performance. A sword-shaped like the Celtic Frost logo. Slow-burn leads to pure film insanity. I think it is amazing this film got made. Streamed at home day of release.

1)Mad Max Fury Road: Yes the action is crazy and unrelenting. I know people who complain there is not a story. That is not true. There is an amazing story that is just told at such a pace that many flat out miss it because they are overwhelmed with the action. I loved every second of it. AMC Mission Valley with Marty and Anthony.

Book Review: The Futurians by Damon Knight

The Futurians by Damon Knight

Hardcover, 276 pages

Published 1977 by John Day Company

This book is only for two narrow groups of people in the world. Absolute and total science fiction golden age fans and the scholars of the field. I consider myself in both camps however it is the later that pushed me to pick up this book. As co-host and resident historian of the Dickheads podcast, I am always researching the writing and editorial process that my man PKD went through with each and every title. Over and over we learned little tid-bits about the influence of his long-time editor (first at Ace and then at DAW) Don Wollheim.

I think Wolheim's influence on PKD's novels and ultimately his career is extremely underrated. From changing almost all his titles to rejecting Man in the High Castle and Martian-time Slip which pushed SMLA to send those novels to a bigger publisher. Recently we got a first-hand account from Barry Malzberg about how mand Wollheim was that PKD won a Hugo for a book he had not even considered Science Fiction. I had become very interested in any detail I could get about Don Wollheim whose lasting impact was mostly hidden as a behind the scenes editor.

While there are bigger more popular figures in the genre in this book from Asimov, Phol and Judith Merrill my interest was mostly in the who sat behind a desk in NYC and bought those early PKD novels. You know the guy who knew Solar Lottery was a better title than Quizmaster Takes All and that there was no way we would have a Mars colony by 1994. That was the reason he turned down one of PKD's most-loved novels Martian Time-Slip.

This book has all kinds of funny and uncomfortable stories about the sci-fi nerds of the 1930s. This is an important history and explains the lineage of the genre as we knew it in the 20th century. As a stand-alone history it misses a lot and is mostly from Knight's POV. I also read Lisa Yazek's Future is Female and Alec N. Lee's Astounding. As a trilogy, they really work. If you want to really understand the whole history of 20the century Sci-fi that is the way to go.

For me it was all about Wollheim, I learned about his earliest zines, and stories. The dramas of the early scene and how he rose to form ACe books and why he left. How he started DAW. Valuable info that will show up in our podcast in the future.

My Favorite Films of 2019

Ad Astra: It has some really stupid moments and everyone saying it is a cross between 2001 and Apocalypse Now. I kinda think 2001 comparisons are a little lazy, much like Interstellar it is far too grounded in my opinion to be compared to 2001. I liked the cosmic tone and the scale of the action. At times I knew too much the BS science. A ship going that fast, for example, is never slowing down for a mayday. Brad Pitt gives a simple but effective performance. The effects are amazing, and James Grey has a brooding cosmic drama that deserves to be experienced on the big screen.

Alita Battle Angel: Considered a domestic flop I hope the fact that it was a huge success overseas is enough to get us more movies. I don't see the problem with this movie. It is a fun popcorn Sci-fi adventure. I admit I stayed away because I am not a big Robert Rodriguez fan. I wish I had heard the interviews when he said he made a James Cameron movie. He certainly did.

Wandering Earth: This a super fun ridiculous movie. The special effects are mostly amazing. The action and drama are so over the top and silly. I loved seeing a huge budget sci-fi film like this coming from China. See it on the big screen if you can I know it is not playing in many theaters in the states but it is making Baaazillions in China. Based on the Cixian Liu (China's answer to Arthur C Clarke) novel they took a pretty insane sci-fi concept and threw as much rubble, earthquakes, giant waves and disaster as they could computer animate.

John Wick 3: I think it was better than chapter 2 but I think the surprise of the first one still leaves that as my favorite. This is the first Hollywood action movie to really get to the level of action that Asian action like Hardboiled, The Raid or The Villainess have reached. The levels of brutality and intensity are of course dialed to 11, the goofy ridiculous mythology is fun even though it gets cornier with each film. I think that is fine.

Doctor Sleep: Loved Doctor Sleep, I think I actually liked it better than the novel. partly because I always thought DS felt like two novels. I feel the film did a better job of smoothing everything into one story. Some of the Dan working at the hospice staff was rushed but holy hell was the casting perfect. Ewan was perfect as Dan Torrance, Rebecca Fergason was amazing as Rose the Hat. There were two incredible scenes that make this worth seeing on the big screen. there is much I want to say but I don't want to spoil. If you are a SK fan or of the movie The Shining you should see this on the big screen.

Shadow: The whole film is shot with blacks and greys giving it a feel like it was drawn. The contrast to the color of the actors remains breathtaking throughout the film. Yimou's use of nature in the form of water and rain is nothing short of Kurasawa like in execution. The story is super melo-dramatic royal court drama that will not hook everyone. It is a good 45 minutes before any really action happens. The last act is a bloodbath with bizarre weapons and it is all fantastically staged. I loved every second of this movie but I suspect it will not be for everyone.

This might be my favorite of the 5 Yimou Wuxia films. and I love four of them. If you like martial arts epics you can't go wrong!

Us: Jordan Peele's second horror film proves that Get Out was not a fluke. I promise I won't spoil any plot points. The movie is an impressive piece of horror that balances suspense, character and creepy tone. What is more impressive than all that is that there is Rod Serling level social-political allegory here. Get Out was about Racism, US is about privilege, the haves and the have nots. It is about the fear of the other coming to get US. A genius piece of work. Was it perfect? No there was at least one scene that I felt totally sucked and took me out of the movie. People who want everything to be explained and make perfect sense will waste their time nitpicking it. I like that some of them are unexplainable. Don't overthink it.

Apollo 11: This is the film made up of restored real-life footage of the mission that first put human beings on the moon. Edited together like a narrative of the 10-day mission is a goosebump-inducing emotional experience that makes you feel like you are part of history. The restored footage looks amazing good. I actually felt emotional during some of the most famous moments. It is a seriously powerful cinematic experience that left us all saying wow over and over. Saw it in the theater it is worth every dime. Last film I saw in the theater with my father.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Once upon a Time in Hollywood could've been called Hollywood Fantasia. I like the weird QT version of Hollywood. While not perfect I found it to be pretty darn close but hard to talk about without major spoilers. One of my favorite things in the film was something that went unanswered 99%.9 of writers would get notes from studios/editors saying that the scene needed to be ended or explained. None the less Leo and Pitt were great on screen together and the tiny details are pretty great for the most part. Lots of great cameos. 5/5 for me. But I am a sucker for QT.

Parasite: The amazing new Joon-Ho Bong movie! His first fully Korean production since Mother. While I liked Snowpiecer and Okja this is an equally bonkers but FAR better movie. It won the big prize at Cannes for good reason. This movie is beautifully filmed and acted but it is the story of classism at the heart that makes this movie so interesting.

(I have yet to see Knives out and The Lighthouse I suspect I will love them both)