A hybrid Bullmoose/B&N trip this time.
-Lovecraft Country (2016)
-The Destroyer of Worlds:
A Return to Lovecraft Country (2023)
Okay, I said last time I got Frederick Douglass as my racism antidote to the Lovecraft stuff.
Well, high-minded and erudite as that is, I would have preferred Lovecraft have something like "Pym" to go with it.
Turns out it does. These.
And the author of these even has a blurb on the back of the Cthulhu book.
(Peter Venkman in sing-song voice) "Call it faaate! Call it kaaarmaa!".
There's also a TV show of the first book, and I tried to get it, but Bullmoose and B&N both turned up empty. Actually, Bullmoose had it on DVD, but I want Blu-ray. Call me greedy.
So yes, this adds on to the the Machen/Lovecraft/King thing.
Oh! And Machen has his own "Pym" or "Lovecraft Country"!
2013's "Helen's Story". Helen Vaughan from "The Great God Pan" leaves a trail of destruction, and is talked about, but we never see her as a developed character.
So "Helen's Story" is like the "Maleficent" of "Pan".
Totally have to get it. Stay tuned for that.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
I can't believe in all these decades I never got around to getting the first one.
Whelp, part 2 forced the issue.
Got the duology now.
Krull (1983)
Original review here.
Like Beetlejuice 1, couldn't believe I didn't have it.
Remedied that.
And, that's those!
Still got some birthday dough left; stay tuned for part 5.
19 comments:
I'll just put my quickie reviews of Beetlejuice and Krull in here. Beetlejuice 1 still holds up. Loved Beetlejuice 2. It balances the nostalgia and the new stuff as well as "Ghostbusters Afterlife". And its got motherfucking MacArthur Park! Krull is even better than I remembered. I remembered the broad plot strokes, but a lot of odd little moments of adult humor flew over child-me's head.
I'm half way through "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and the racist code couldn't be more blatant. I can't get to "Lovecraft Country" fast enough.
I remember that as being one of his better ones, but don't listen to me. I can't remember what the specific racist subtext of it was but I'm not surprised to learn it was there. Really all the Lovecraft I think I'd really be attached to enough to re-read is "The Call Of Cthulhu" and maybe "At The Mountains Of Madness."
Finished "The Left Hand Of Darkness," I weirdly found the snowbound survival part of the story a more compelling read than the more sci-fi-ish first half of the book, the part with all the nova and worldbuilding and whatnot. I think I'm going to read some of her other stuff and then give TLHOD a third read.
Somebody warned me away from "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and it wasn't that hideous Fanta flavor tie-in. So I never saw it. This whole trend of legacy sequels getting more attention when they're announced than when they're actually released is fucking weird.
I'm okay now, I fortified myself with some philosophy and analogies, and I'm recharged. Yeah, the hybrid-fish-people are clearly meant to represent how icky Lovecraft found race mixing. And the island tribe that killed the original batch left behind stones with swastikas. Swastikas to ward off race mixing? Come on. But, again, I recharged myself, and got over that hump, and got to the good action bits of the guy trying to escape. "The Howling" ripped it off, and just replaced Mer-men with werewolves.
Yeah, TLHOD is a really slow buildup. I felt like "Dispossessed" was all good parts.
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" seems like one of those ones like "The Last Jedi" that you either love or hate. Its got it flaws, but the good bits overpowered the flaws for me.
Oh, and the analogy I finally landed on that got me through "Innsmouth" was Loony Tunes. Some of the old Loony Tunes had jaw-dropping racism, and they don't play those on TV. New Loony Tunes, fine and dandy. Poe, Machen, Verne, Lovecraft, they're old Loony Tunes. King, Johnson, Ruff, Rabinowitz, they're new Loony Tunes. 😉
Reading "The Rats In The Walls" and HPL's favorite cat name has made its appearance. 🙄🤦♂️
I seem to recall thinking that story was one of his dumber ones. I also would certainly prefer watching "Re-Animator" to his original story, which barely amounted to anything at all, and hell, if all the marketing and posters and whatnot for the 1985 movie hadn't had "H. P. Lovecraft's" slapped all over it, I wouldn't have minded.
Here's a more high-minded, artier/more difficult example of one of those Top 100 books lists. There's a Le Guin novel from 1985 at #57 on the list. Have you read it?
https://lettersrepublic.wordpress.com/lm/
Oh yeah, "Always Coming Home". No, I haven't, but it kept popping up all the time in every search of her. I kind of wanted to venture outside of her Earthsea and Hainish stuff, but by the time I was done with it all, I was fried. Maybe someday.
I looked in my college library (the town public library barely has any Le Guin at all) and they had lots of Le Guin books but no Earthsea, "Lathe Of Heaven" or "Dispossessed." They had "Always Coming Home" and it HAD the audiocassette in the back with it! Uh...I don't have a cassette player...
...time to do some Interlibrary Loans, I guess.
When I was a whippersnapper, the library had tape players for the tapes. I'm guessing yours threw theirs out? They aren't boxed up somewhere?
...wait, yes, I DO have a tape player, it's part of my CD player boombox that I've been using for God knows how long. Geez, if this thing dies on me will I be able to replace it? I had a hard enough time getting my mitts on a portable CD player the last time I had one crap out on me. Fuckin' a, I'm like an old man talking to kids about 8-tracks!!!!!
Yeah, I keep trying to remind myself I need to stock up on 2-3 spare Blu-ray players. If I can get 15-20 years out of each one, that'll take me out to death.
I don't know what your stance is on Spinal Tap but that new movie is fairly mediocre. I wouldn't call it painful or anything but it didn't need to happen really. A few chuckles and I guess they don't embarrass themselves TOO badly but that's all. I love the original film, though it took a little while. As far as unnecessary sequels go, it's above "Dumb & Dumber To," a little below "Blade Runner 2049," and far below "T2 Trainspotting." Then again I don't know what you ever thought of "Trainspotting," either.
Mildly curious about Spinal Tap. Enjoy it when it's on basic cable, but never loved it enough to buy. Trainspotting never seemed like my cup of tea. Haven't seen it. Just the cultural parodies of key scenes. Anyway, they're going to reboot "Sleepaway Camp" That....will be interesting...
I'm sort of surprised the "Sleepaway Camp" reboot didn't happen when they were remaking almost literally every other hit horror movie from the 70s or 80s.
I'm sure the remake will revolve around that final scene something fierce. There will probably be no cameo appearances from the original film's miserably untalented cast, which will be a pretty good thing if so.
The original "Sleepaway" had to use a guy's body and a life mask of the lead actress to pull off the end reveal. I betcha they could find a real passing ladyboy this time around. They should keep the creepy pedo cook, but have him have a MAGA hat, and have his bedroom adorned with all Mike Lindell products. That sure would put a big old Joker smile on my face.
By the way, if you decide to sit down and watch "This Is Spinal Tap," make sure you find a DVD version that has the commentary track where the three main actors comment on the film in character as the Spinal Tap guys. It's every bit as funny as the actual movie and it's the best DVD extra of all time.
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