Oh what a month! The sun is shining, the bees are buzzing, and I’m inside watching Netflix like a chump.
Film:
Mothra (1961)
I want to check out more of the classic Kaiju movies and felt like as good a place as any to begin. Some stuff hasn’t aged super well but the miniatures are fun and the humans that anchor the movie really succeeded at being the heart of the movie.
Television:
The Bachelorette (Episode 14.01 to 14.04)
You know I’m pleasantly surprised by Becca as the lead. She has a lot of personality and charm and isn’t overly polished/reserved in front of the camera. The fact that we didn’t see any of this last season shows just how bland Arie was. Also I’m hoping she ends up with Blake.
The Toys the Made Us (Episode 2.01 to 2.04)
Great second season. I appreciate that these episodes explore more international influences on the North American toy industry (LEGO, Hello Kitty, etc.) It’s a subtle look at how different cultures approach business, play, and how children factor into it all.
Black Mirror (Episode 3.05 to 3.06)
It really took a while for us to come back to the series (I think consuming bleak television is harder when the world around you is all too similar) but I’ll say that the last episode in this season was fantastic. I really appreciate the exploration of an existing genre like a police procedural with the addition of speculative fiction. I really hope season 4 pushes further into other worlds.
Ultraman (Episode 1.01 to 1.03)
Trying to get a little more Kaiju goodness into the month so I figured I’d try the show out. It’s aged surprisingly well for a monster series with a 1960s tv budget. Though I may just be partial to miniatures.
Nailed It! (Episode 1.01 to 1.05)
Solid family viewing and I admit I didn’t like it the first time I watched it. After watching two episodes alone, I couldn’t get into seeing 3 poor people try to do in an hour what a professional likely completed in three. But in a rewatch with family, I realized it was more about the journey and everyone embracing how crazy it is to try to replicate these super intricate desserts.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Episode 5.19 to 5.22)
We couldn’t bear to finish the season until we knew it was getting picked up again and THANK GOODNESS! That finale was great but it would’ve been way too sad if that was it. This show is too good to not exist and I’m glad NBC could see what a treasure it is.
Riverdale (Episode 2.21 to 2.22)
And so another season concludes! The finale wasn’t quite as dramatic but hot damn was I stoked to discover who the Black Hood really was. Great twist and just as silly as I’d hoped. Oh but even sillier was the board meeting of super-villains that happened at the very end. Ugh this show is too good.
One-Punch Man (Episode 1.01 to 1.04)
This is as far as I’ve read in the manga and it’s been a faithful adaptation so far. The show does a great job of capturing the ennui of the comic and adds another layer of humour through sound/voice acting/animation-based gags.
Reading:
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
(Complete)
I have a newfound love of short, concise fantasy! The book is just over 200 pages and covers so much! With that said, this didn’t really connect. The lead character is unlikeable in the first half and then dull in the second. It’s well-written and a super interesting world but it’s just a little too serious for me.
Beauty by Kerascoet & Hubert
(Page 33 of 144)
Just getting started in this reread and hot dang do I love this comic. The artwork is deceptively simple but this is 100% a mature-readers book. A peasant getting the “gift” of the greatest beauty leads to a lot of social commentary on the toxic nature of objectifying and idolizing physical appearance. So good.
Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 2 by Ryōko Kui
(Complete)
This continues to be one of my all time favourite comics. This second volume gets even more creative with each chapter’s “recipe” and its use of monsters and lore are very cool. The character development is strong and there’s a logic to the progress and I really can’t say enough good things about the series.
Audio:
Remain In Light by Talking Heads (1980)
I was listening to an ep of The Ongoing History of New Music and that lead me down a real rabbit hole. So good! I mean I don’t think I really appreciated how Talking Heads approached their sound or how evergreen it really is.
Shawn Mendes by Shawn Mendes (2018)
What a good good Canadian pop boy.
Gaming:
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon (Inti Creates)
This game is better than it ought to be. It was only $10, it was a stretch goal from a Kickstarter project, and it’s clearly a Castlevania knock-off…and it’s a lot of fun! It’s short but offers a lot of replay and the mechanics are simple enough to get the hang of. The boss designs are a little jarring against the gothic setting, but it’s a lot of fun to play.
Fortnite Battle Royale (Epic Games)
I really wanted to like this game but in playing by myself, I would rank better (2nd or 3rd) by hiding than by trying to actually do anything (like engage the other players, try to find weapons, etc.) If that’s what the game’s format rewards then it’s not a game for me.
Dungeons & Dragons Hexcrawl Campaign (Wizards of the Coast)
The party knows they’re about to confront a dragon; they’ve taken a sacred artifact from the temple of dragons AND they’ve been warned. So clearly this leads to an entire session doing everything possible to avoid leaving the dungeon and confronting said dragon. Lesson learned: make the enemy more proactive.
And that’s it! As always, send me any good suggestions you might have for things to read/watch/hear/and play.
Happy Saturday!
Andrew Kolb
Kolbisneat
Illustrator Andrew Kolb first garnered attention with his illustrated version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." Since then, he has created illustrations for clients including ChickaDee Magazine, The Toronto Zoo and Pixar. In 2015, he published his first picture book, Edmund Unravels, with Penguin.