All the stuff that thrilled me in November.
I am, admittedly, a huge mark for Yorgos Lanthimos's films, but even putting my bias out there ahead of time--Bugonia was just a phenomenal film. In Bugonia, a pair of down-and-outers kidnap a corporate executive because they believe that she is an alien actively working against mankind; their plan, such that it is, is to use her to negotiate with the hidden alien overlords they think are preying on mankind.
The cast features actors who have previously appeared in Lanthimos's movies--such as Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone--but the overall cast is smaller, more intimate--which really adds to the claustrophobic feel of the film. The mix of black comedy, naturalism, and (I would argue) existential horror is pitch perfect.
I really enjoyed the first volume of Stygian Bough, an epic collaboration between funeral doom metallers Bell Witch and the dark folk project Aerial Ruin, but the second helping is even stronger than the first. Amazing, and sometimes melancholy sounding stuff, but it's never ponderous; despite having aspects of drone metal, this one wastes no time getting down to business and tearing into the psyche.
Twisted Metal is such big, dumb fun I almost cannot believe that its being made in 2025. Isn't this sort of thing illegal now?
The first season gave me the kind of trash culture apocalypse I crave, but the second season adds both more over-the-top insanity and more touching emotional moments that contrast nicely with the high-octane madness. The new Raven is a blast in this (love a bratty gothed-out hellbitch with a tragic backstory) and introducing Axel from the video game (a buff angry dude who plugs directly into two giant wheels he uses as his ride) shouldn't work, but somehow did. And Mayhem was exactly the kind of plucky, dumbfuck sidekick the main duo needed. If you're at all a fan of my PLANET MOTHERFUCKER game, you need need need to check out Twisted Metal.
Although the Sex Pistols were my entryway into punk in high school, it was the Ramones that I probably spent the most time listening to. I have extremely vivid memories of having a Ramones tape blaring on my Walkman to drown out the rest of the shit on the bus ride to and from school for a solid year. There was something about the cartoonish hammer-headedness of the band's music that really, really hit me. November found me digging out my Ramones records and yeah man, they're still great. In particular, the first four Ramones are an unimpeachable run--just completely game-changing, right up there with the first batch of Black Sabbath albums as early, genre-defining, won't-ever-be-equaled music.
A new Witcher book brings with it a great deal of excitement (because I love the Witcher series) and a bit of trepidation (what if it doesn't give me what I'm looking for in a Witcher book?). Sapkowski be praised, this one hit the mark easily. Crossroads of Ravens covers Geralt's first season, fresh out of "Witcher school" and walking the path of the monster slayer. Geralt gets a new mentor, makes a great deal of enemies, learns the hard lessons that man is the greatest monster of all and that politics is the vicious playground of the terminally insane, and adds some new tricks to his kit that help him beat ass when needed. It may not be the best thing I read in November, but it was easily the most fun.
Halloween only ends if you let it. I kept the spooktrain a-rollin' into November with this absolutely essential book of Halloween art by Austin Pardun. In the many pages of this book (seriously, this is a THICK tome collecting years and years of artwork), you'll find more than enough skull faces, warty witches, and pumpkin-headed creeps to sate your Samhain cravings. Pardun has an eye for the perfect Halloween color palette, and his tastes run toward the retro; there are plenty of references to VHS fright flicks, pin-up gals, and the toys of yesteryear that you should find thrilling. If you are a Halloweenhead, you owe it to yourself to get this.
Apparently my girlfriend told me to check out this band, I forgot, but then months later someone on my Discord brought them up again and I finally dove in. This heavy psychedelic band is fantastic, melding fuzz-drenched guitars with vocals and performances that have some real fire to them. This kind of inner mind bad trip can be a wandering, aimless affair, but on Great Haunting Earth Tongue keeps the energy high and they never get lost in the haze. I'm really looking forward to their next album in 2026 now.
No comments:
Post a Comment