Watched and Read - September 27, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read....

 

MOVIES

Jackass: Best and Last (2026), directed by Jeff Tremaine, is a mix of old and new skits and stunts. I’ve seen all the Jackass movies, and some of the stunts are hard to watch. But I still laughed pretty hard watching the new movie.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), directed by Wes Anderson, might be one of his best. I teach this film for cinematography, especially for its use of multiple aspect ratios. We usually associate widescreen (2.40:1) with spectacles. But it’s the classic film aspect ratio of 1.37:1 where we locate the spectacle of the hotel in the Grand Budapest.

TV

We finished Mr. Inbetween and thought it was amazing. I think it ranks highly among some of the great gangster and crime TV series of the past thirty years. The mixing of episodic and serialized storytelling reminded me of The Sopranos. And much like The Sopranos, you’re always on uneven ground, never knowing if Ray is going to be murdered. I’ll be curious to see what television series Scott Ryan creates next.

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BOOKS

I started reading Tales from the Crypt again for my yearly Halloween reads. I’ve noticed the later issues are a little more graphic. As I was reading them, I kept thinking of the Comics Code Authority seal, which came out of the Senate hearings on graphic imagery in comic books. Check out Stan Lee talking about it with Kevin Smith. 

 

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YOUTUBE

I’ve been a big fan of Quicksand since the beginning and attended one of their first shows back in 1990 at Club Anthrax in Norwalk, CT. This is a good interview. Although I wish Zane had asked questions about their connection to New York City’s hardcore scene. He missed a good opportunity to cover some interesting history, like Walter’s connection to the Straight Edge scene, and how he played bass for Youth of Today and guitar for Gorilla Biscuits. But the interview is worth checking out.

 

 

Watched and Read - September 20, 2026

 Here's what I watched, read and listened to last week...

 

MOVIES

King of New York (1990), Abel Ferrara, is one of his top films. 1990 was a big year for gangster films, such as GoodFellas, Miller’s Crossing, State of Grace, and The Godfather III. Even My Blue Heaven with Steve Martin came out that year! Like many of the movies mentioned, King of New York is a gritty and violent movie about power. The blue motif captures this theme. Who will be the one that holds the blue shield of the law? The gangsters or the police? What I found the most striking about the film is Ferrara’s depiction of drug lord, Frank White, played brilliantly and frighteningly by Christopher Walken, and his surreal demise at the end of the film.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), directed by Robert Wiene, is one of the top films of world cinema, and a key film of German Expressionism. I teach it in my introduction to film course for its atmospheric set designs and creative lighting. It is one of the first films to depict the interior state of a character by deliberate visual distortion. It is a must-see if you are interested in learning about movies, even Portlandia says so! 

  

TV

We watched the first episode of the sixth season of Slow Horses and very much enjoyed it. The setup is really good. It was sometimes hard to recall certain things after a year, such as trying to remember what role Peter Judd plays. But I think this is going to be a good season.

We also watched the first two episodes of Widow’s Bay. I can see why the series won the Emmy this year for Best Comedy. The series has a great mix of comedy and horror. I love the setting and cast of characters. Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root, who both won Emmys, are amazing. This is a new series, so I won’t say anything else. But it is definitely worth checking out.

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BOOKS

Ray Bradbury’s “The Town Where No One Got Off" starts off with a passenger on a train who randomly decides to get off at a town where the train hardly stops. This is an empty town narrative with some good atmospheric tension. The story reminds me of the first story in Now and Forever. See my post. I also watched the episode on The Ray Bradbury Theater on Peacock. The episode lacks some of the tension that’s in the story. But I love the way they depict the town during the fall season. It was also cool to see Jeff Goldblum play the man who visits the town.

 

 

YOUTUBE

Rick Beato recently posted a video about copyright clearance. If you are a content creator, especially for teaching and learning purposes, it is worth checking out.

 Alice in Chains recently posted clips from their 1990 concert at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. “Love, Hate, Love” shows the power, emotion, and amazing vocal range of Layne Staley.

 

MUSIC

I very much enjoyed listening to Anthrax’s new album, Cursum Perficio. Anthrax is one of the Big Four of thrash metal bands I grew up on. I’ve seen them plenty of times when I was in my teens and twenties. Their songwriting has changed and developed over the years, but they still have have a core sound. There are some very good songs on Cursum Perficio. My favorite is “The Edge of Perfection.” Scott Ian is a fan of Deaf Heaven, and you can really hear their influence, especially in Charlie Benante’s blast beats. And Joey Belladonna’s voice still sounds amazing. Time has not impacted his voice. But the band has gotten older, and Scott Ian said it might be their last album.

Watched and Read - September 13, 2026

 

Here’s what I watched, listened to, and read…

MOVIES

Obsession (2026), directed by Curry Baker, is a very good dark comedy horror. I laughed a lot watching this one, although there were some very dark and graphic moments in the film. The film is a take on the short story, The Monkey’s Paw. The main character, Bear, purchases a toy called “One Wish Willow” that allows for one wish. I won’t say much more, especially because it’s a new film. Overall, I thought Baker did a great job of pacing and stretching scenes without becoming boring. There are some good jump scares. I also thought Inde Navarrette’s performance as Nikki was outstanding. I hope she gets nominated.

Ladies and Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains (1982), directed by Lou Adler. I caught this one on the Criterion Channel. A good musical drama, with great performances by the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones and Paul Cook, and The Clash’s Paul Simonon.

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TV

We finished season two of Mr. In Between and thought it was amazing. I can’t believe I had not heard about this series. If you love shows like The Sopranos and Breaking Bad, this is one to definitely check out.

I am halfway through the third season of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. The main characters are fully developed. They have increased the humor and campiness, something I’ve always loved about the series. But you do get the sense that Cordelia is becoming unnecessary baggage. They would create Angel after this season, and it was a smart decision to move her character there. I’m not sure what other storylines they could have come up with for Angel and Cordelia in Buffy.

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AUDIOBOOKS

Horns by Joe Hill. I’ve read the book but wanted to hear the audio version. My drive to work is long and gave me a good opportunity to try it out. It was also my first time listening to an audiobook, which I very much enjoyed. This is a great and gritty book that involves a young man named Ignatius “Ig,” who discovers he has grown devil’s horns. We learn that Ig’s girlfriend, Merrin, had been raped and murdered, and many believe Ig was responsible. But with the mishandling of evidence, Ig was cleared as a suspect. The town of Gideon, however, still thinks he’s killed her. Hill has a great gift for words. Hearing them spoken made that even more evident. My only gripe is that I did not believe Ig’s older brother, Terry, was a trumpeter. Otherwise, an excellent novel by one of our great Gen X horror writers.

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YOUTUBE

I stumbled across a live performance of Mad Season in 1995. I love seeing Mike McCready play metal. He is a metalhead after all! And what a great song written by Layne Staley. It reminds me a little bit of “Angry Chair,” a song he wrote for Alice in Chains on the album Dirt.

 

This is a great interview with legendary jazz bassist Ron Carter. We recently saw him perform Miles Davis songs at the Hollywood Bowl with Herbie Hancock. It was a very memorable performance. 

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PODCASTS

If you love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, check out Fresh Air’s interview with Flea. He recently released a jazz album. Who would have known he could play jazz? They played a few clips during the interview, and they sounded amazing! songs at the Hollywood Bowl with Herbie Hancock. It was a very memorable performance. 

 

  

 

 

Watched and Read - September 6, 2026

 Here's what I watched, read and listened to last week...

 

 

MOVIES

China Girl (1987), directed by Abel Ferrara, reimagines the gangster film through the story of Romeo and Juliet. There’s a gang war between the Italian and Chinese gangs. Tony is from Little Italy and Tye is from Chinatown, and they fall in love. You can probably guess what’s going to happen, but I very much enjoyed the film.

The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), directed by Jon Favreau. I watched the movie with low expectations but wound up really enjoying it. The film had some great surprises, especially in the last half. I also liked that they brought in some characters from The Clone Wars and Rebels. I heard some critics saying that the film is more like television than cinema. I would say it is an intimate and quieter film than the epics we typically associate with the Star Wars universe.

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DOCUMENTARIES

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, a new documentary streaming on Netflix, is a startling and shocking documentary about the corporate brass putting money over the safety of people. This was a frightening one to watch.

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TV

I finished the fourth season of The Wonder Years. There were a lot of great episodes, especially the ones involving Kevin and Winnie. But I also enjoyed many of the episodic ones, such as “The Cost of Living,” “Who’s Aunt Rose?,” and “Separate Rooms.”

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BOOKS

The Children by Melissa Albert. I read almost 300 pages and wasn’t sure what to make of this novel. Stephen King’s quote mentioned that the prose reminded him of Ray Bradbury, which I definitely agree with. But I didn’t find the characters to be likable. However, when I read the last 100 pages, most of my thoughts on the novel changed. I read that this was Albert’s first adult novel. I’d be curious to read her next book.

Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury is a book of two novellas, “Somewhere a Band Is Playing” and “Leviathan ’99.” The first is about reporter who arrives in a mysterious town to learn that the residents never die. The second is Bradbury’s take on Melville’s Moby Dick as a space expedition. Both embody many of Bradbury’s themes. “Somewhere a Band Is Playing” has a nostalgic vibe, one that reminded me of Dandelion Wine. “Leviathan ’99” has a Martian Chronicles feel, especially the part where the crew comes across a moon with an abandoned civilization. I also loved the scene where they make contact with the famous broadcast voices of the past. The story reminded me of Star Trek, given that the crew’s mission is to explore and report their findings.

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PODCASTS

The Kingcast is a podcast I have been listening to since it debuted in 2020. They have had many great guests on talking about Stephen King’s books, including King himself. But the episode they recently did with Sam Weller, who wrote Ray Bradbury’s biography, was one of their best. If you love Bradbury and King, you should definitely check it out.

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YOUTUBE

If you like or even love Pearl Jam, I highly recommend Rick Beato’s interview with Mike McCready and Jeff Ament. Beato asks great questions about their songs and their techniques. I also learned some new history about the band, especially about its formation. It is definitely worth the watch.