This series of short stories is largely disconnected from the larger Sandman mythos; Morpheus appears in each of them, though often as a glorified cameo. But I think that lets Gaiman be a little freer and looser, and explore other angles of the character. My favorite stories are probably “Three Septembers and a January,” which follows a fictionalized account of Joshua Abraham Norton (the first and only emperor of the United States) and “August,” in which Augustus Caesar disguises himself as a beggar and talks about his dreams for the Roman Empire. However, my absolute favorite is “Ramadan,” the very first Sandman story I bought. Neil Gaiman’s storytelling is beautiful, P. Craig Russell’s artwork is gorgeous, and the story ends on a final twist that makes it all the more poignant.
My Cultural Diet
I’m probably in the minority here, but I actually enjoy 2005’s Constantine, which stars Keanu Reeves as the occultist John Constantine. However, that’s probably because I hadn’t yet read Dangerous Habits, on which the movie is loosely based. Very loosely based. Indeed, our protagonist’s lung cancer aside, they’re basically different stories entirely. And as much as I like Keanu, Dangerous Habits has the better story. There’s something so quintessentially Constantine-esque about seeing him try to con the Lords of Hell only to then wallow in a pit of misery, regret, and self-hatred. By comparison, Constantine’s story about the Devil’s son and the Lance of Longinus is just silly. (I am, of course, still planning to see Constantine 2.)
I don’t make it here very often, which is a shame because they make terrific banh mi sandwiches. The bread is perfectly toasted, the meat is well-seasoned, and the toppings (e.g., cucumbers, carrots, peppers) are both colorful and flavorful. I’m not a big fan of bubble tea but my family assures me that the cafe’s bubble tea is delicious.
We decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day by introducing the kids to this classic. Of course, the danger of watching any classic is that it might not withstand the test of a time. There were certainly some parts that haven’t aged well, namely Phil Connors’ various attempts to seduce women. But overall, Groundhog Day has aged pretty well. The jokes and comedy still land — “Bing!” as Ned Ryerson would say — and it has a charm that feels both timeless and very much of the ’90s. (My wife and I, for instance, got a real nostalgic kick out of the clothing and decor.)
I probably would’ve have dismissed this as a generic CW-ish YA title were it not for the involvement of writer/director Joe Cornish (Attack the Block). While Lockwood & Co. certainly fulfills YA tropes, starting with its angsty young protagonists, it’s more substantial than it looks thanks to some intriguing world building and moments of grim cynicism reminiscent of Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale (a good thing). Other pluses include solid performances from its three leads — Ruby Stokes, in particular, delivers an affecting performance while Ali Hadji-Heshmati channels some Richard Ayoade vibes (another good thing) — and some great soundtrack selections (e.g., The Cure, This Mortal Coil). I didn’t know I needed to see a ghost hunter swordfight set to the strains of “A Forest,” but turns out I did. Given Netflix’s proclivity for cancellations, though, I fear we may not get another season. Which is a shame, because this was a fun watch with plenty of potential.
Although I’ve seen plenty of clips over the years, I’m ashamed to admit that it wasn’t until 2023 that I finally watched the original Godzilla in its entirety. What struck me was how serious, melancholy, and even tragic the film is, with none of the (beloved) camp that has characterized the franchise. Yes, Godzilla is destroying Tokyo and terrifying the world, but only because of mankind’s actions. There are no villains in the film (except for maybe political bureaucracy, natch). Those who want to destroy Godzilla and those who want to study him both make compelling points, and as a result, the film’s inevitable ending is tinged with regret. The Godzilla franchise really did begin on a very strong note.
In some ways, this is the grimmest of the Reckless series so far, as Ethan gets drawn into a woman’s quest for revenge on her abusers, only to fall in love with her — which requires him to sacrifice some ideals and surrender to some of his worst impulses. But like all of the Reckless titles, none of its exploitative or gratuitous. To Brubaker’s credit, the whole affair is tinged with melancholy and regret, given the narrative’s flashback framing device.
I continue to enjoy Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ Reckless series. The series is obviously indebted to Brubaker’s nostalgia from being a Navy brat and drawing from his various experiences. In this case, growing up in California in the ’70s and ’80s during the rise of the Satanic Panic — which is kind of like catnip for me, given my own evangelical background. But this volume also becomes a commentary on the post-hippie disillusionment, and even weaves in some commentary on the experience of Vietnamese refugees. All while being a really good hard-boiled P.I. noir.
This is a relatively new restaurant in Lincoln’s Haymarket; I think they’ve only been around for a few weeks. My friend got the braised short rib, which was pretty impressive-looking. I went with the Fleetwood sandwich, which is essentially their take on a steak sandwich. The meat was prepared to perfection and the charred shishito gremolata gave it a nice zing.
The first volume of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s ’80s-set noir about a former revolutionary/undercover agent turned washed up and cynical P.I. — which is really the best kind of P.I., right? Now, I’m not saying that I want every graphic novel turned into a streaming title, but if Netflix or Amazon Prime ever turned Reckless into a series, then I’d totally watch it — so long as they capture the early ’80s California vibe, which isn’t merely nostalgic in Brubaker’s storytelling, but vibrant and seedy in equal parts.
This feels like the first consistently great Sandman volume, where Gaiman’s writing really hits his stride. The overarching storyline — Morpheus journeys to hell to retrieve a lover whom he condemned there thousands of years ago — plays out in all sorts of fascinating ways, culminating in Lucifer concocting a plan to shut down hell. Lots of fantastic ideas and imagery, and I’m intrigued by how Gaiman weaves his pantheon and theology together (e.g., the relationship between heaven and hell, the purpose of hell, Lucifer’s regrets). While not exactly orthodox, it’s imaginative and thought-provoking nevertheless.
Lean, mean French action movie about a former crook-turned-police mechanic who goes on the run after corrupt cops kill his mentor. The stunts and fight scenes are pretty great, but what’s really impressive is the movie’s storytelling efficiency. There’s almost no filler here and very little exposition, and yet the characters and their relationships still feel fleshed out.
This Amazon/BBC western mini-series tries to pack a lot of storyline into six episodes, maybe too much storyline. It felt like it was missing an episode or two that could’ve helped to flesh things out. (Or maybe that’s just a sign that it left me wanting more, in a good way.) Still, there’s much to like, from the striking visuals and bone-dry sense of humor to the memorable characters and stark observations of the American Old West (and in particular, the treatment of Native Americans).
As witty and charming as you’d expect from Noah. He does a fun variation of his classic “Black Hitler” bit and his final story had me craving Indian food like nobody’s business.
If my reaction to this documentary about the Opportunity Mars rover is any indication, then I guess I’m a sucker for documentaries that anthropomorphize machines. While the sentiment gets laid on a bit thick at times, the rover’s remarkable mission and the stories of the humans behind it are consistently fascinating and inspiring. If you recently finished Andor, then Good Night Oppy will give you another droid to fall in love with.
One of my favorite martial arts movies of all time, and remastered and released on Blu-ray last year. This movie has everything: physics-defying combat, exploding ninjas, existential and melodramatic ruminations on honor and martial arts, and did I mention the exploding ninjas? The last 25 minutes or so are more insane than any ten Hollywood action movies combined.
Zany, over-the-top, hilarious, and heartfelt, or basically, what you’d expect from Philip Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Lego Movie, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
It’s probably been ten years since I saw this in the theater, but this action film about a group of London teens defending their apartment building from an alien invasion was still as enjoyable as ever. It works on several levels (action adventure, social commentary, dark comedy) and John Boyega’s performance as gang leader Moses is so strong, you’ll be mad all over again that the Star Wars sequels obviously didn’t use him to his full potential.
I had some quibbles with this first season, due mainly to its attempts at juggling four different storylines and keeping them balanced and cohesive, dramatically, chronologically, and geographically. (Just how, exactly, did the Númenóreans travel upriver and arrive in Tirharad so quickly?) Also, its efforts to feel appropriately Tolkien-ish (e.g., dropping in references like “always follow your nose”) got a bit ham-handed at times. But the series’ heart is clearly in the right place, there’s lots of heartfelt talk about loyalty, sacrifice, and fellowship (e.g., Elrond and Durin), the steady religiosity was a nice touch, and of course, it looked absolutely fantastic. So yes, bring on Season Two (which has already begun filming).
Some of the best BBQ ribs I’ve had in a long time. We were a little underwhelmed by the brisket (which, though flavorful, was a bit on the dry side), but those ribs were topnotch.