Deathstroke Inc #10 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

When I looked at the upcoming comic releases for this week and saw that Deathstroke Inc didn't have a Dark Crisis tie-in attached I was a bit confused; here is a character who's playing a huge part in Dark Crisis (those last few pages of the first issue!!!!) and his title doesn't seem to be a part of the event.

When I picked it up, however, all was explained. Whilst Dark Crisis goes on Deathstroke Inc will be going back in time to give us Slade's origin story in his own Year One.

The issue opens with Slade waking up after he's already been the subject of the military experiments that will grant him his enhanced abilities. He's in hospital, disorientated, confused, and unwell. As the story continues Slade is weaker than we've ever seen him, and has to face the fact that he can't carry on being a soldier.

Retreating to civilian life, and spending time with his young family, gives him some kind of purpose; but fails to satisfy him. He even struggles to connect well with his son, Grant. To help with his boredom and feelings of apathy he takes to the streets at night, getting into fights with criminals and thugs.

It's during these fights that Slade comes to realise that he's stronger than ever before, he's faster, and any wounds he receives heal faster. It appears that the experiments weren't the failure that everyone thought. And when he's approached by a mysterious figure who wants to pay Slade $1 million to stop the information to come out he has to make a choice of whether he wants to dedicate himself to his family, or to return to his mercenary ways.

Slade Wilson is a character who's past I've known for a while, how he was experimented on in the military, but I've not really known any details. The smaller, more personal parts of the story. As such, getting to really spend the time going over this, as more than just a small flashback, is something that I've been wanting for a long while.

Slade is a character that a lot of people like, one who despite being a villain people enjoy reading. And over the years we've seen that he isn't just a one dimensional bad guy, but has had more depth to him. This new story arc seems to be trying to explore that, showing us a man who, at this point, is just a soldier trying his best to do right by his family.

This is the most human that we've ever seen the character, he's unsure of himself, he makes mistakes, and he sometimes lacks confidence in himself. It's strange to see him this way, but it's enjoyable to find these new sides to the character.

I like that the story begins with Slade already having gone through the experimentation. It would have been easy to start the story earlier, to see him considering whether or not to go through with it, and how he came to his conclusions. But this would have been a misstep, as we already know he ultimately goes through with it. Skipping that, to focus on the more important instead, helps to keep the story moving. And honestly, I don't really care if he went through a tough time deciding to volunteer or not. So I'm glad that Ed Brisson skipped it all.

Not a huge amount happens in this issue that folks would consider to be 'action', but the time spent with the character was interesting enough, and I'm curious to see how he goes from the man he is here to Deathstroke the Terminator.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

You Are (Not) Deadpool: A Marvel Multiverse Missions Adventure Gamebook by Tim Duopulos - Book Review

 

'Things seem weird, even by Deadpool’s standards, when Matt “Daredevil” Murdock offers him a profitable – nay, straightforward! – contract. No chaos, no unpredictability, no funny business… C’mon, Murdock, that’s just not Deadpool’s style. Sensing something is up, Deadpool grabs an innocent bystander off the street to confuse any semblance of predictability the universe is trying to force on him. Good-hearted mischief spirals into a sinister plot full of impenetrable bank vaults, crime lords stroking their (lack of) moustaches in very evil ways, and an assortment of offensively stylish suits that are begging to be blown up, Deadpool discovers his choices are no longer his own – they’re yours!'

One of my favourite books when I was growing up was Trial of Champions one of the Fighting Fantasy choose-your-own adventure books. I wasn't the best reader growing up, and struggled quite a lot, but the format of the book made it a lot easier for me, and I was sucked in to the idea of getting to shape the story, and to read it multiple times with different outcomes. Sadly, it seems to be a thing that seems to have fallen out of favour somewhat.

Perhaps it's the rise in popularity of board games and tabletop role playing, but there don't seem to be many books made in that style, and those that are being released are re-releases of older books. The Marvel Multiverse Missions Adventure Books are a new series from Aconyte Books that's going to be bringing these adventure books back; and they're bringing some Marvel characters along with them. One of the first of these releases puts you not in control of a costumed hero, but just a regular person living their lives peacefully in New York. However, when Deadpool decides to rope you into helping him out on one of his missions the fun really begins.

One of the things that this book does that's really clever is to not put you in the shoes of the hero. I don't know if this will be the same for the other books in the series (and think that it would be fun to play as She-Hulk in her book), but for this book it makes things all the more enjoyable. Why? Because Deadpool is too weird a character to take control of. He does strange things, he says bizarre stuff, and he acts pretty wild most of the time; and trying to put a regular person into that kind of character feels like a tough sell. Instead, we get to go along as a passenger, perhaps even a glorified sidekick.

So, readers take on the role o a regular person who's job it is is to kind of just point Deadpool in the right direction and hope things go well. To this end you'll get presented with choices about where to go. There's smuggling going on, so you can choose to check out the docks, to search underground, or see if the illegal weapons are being brought in via air. Over the course of the investigation you'll be presented with different leads to follow, different methods to try  and achieve your goals; and depending on the choices you make you can have quite different experiences. I played through the book twice, and ended up sending Deadpool to completely different locations each time.

But this is also a game book, and you will need a pair of six sided dice and a pen and paper in order to keep track of everything. The combat system isn't too difficult, and anyone with experience in complex board games and TTRG's should get on fine with it. There were a few times where it felt like I got a lot of info thrown at me in regards to combat choices and outcomes, but as long as you keep your notes well and stay on top of everything you should be fine. And yes, even on the ebook version it remembers your last entry and you can go back and check out the different options like I know we all did as kids.

I didn't know what to expect from this book, and was excited to see how the team at Aconyte would pull off this challenge. Making any book is hard, but a book that's multiple stories in one and also involves a game system is even harder. So I am absolutely impressed that the book is so well executed, and so much fun. You Are (Not) Deadpool is a book that fans of this format are definitely going to want to check out.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Moon Knight Episodes 5 & 6 - TV Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

So I've come to the end of Moon Knight, the series is done, the character might be gone forever, and that would be all we get of this unusual entry into the MCU. So, what did I think of it? I think it might be one of my favourite shows they've done yet.

But before I get into the series as a whole lets talk about those last two episodes. 

Episode five might be my favourite of the season. I loved that we pretty much took an hour out of the main story to learn more about Mar and Steven. Getting dropped into this tale where we did was great, as we didn't have to do a lot of set-up and could just hit the ground running; but it meant that we were missing a lot of important details. This episode gave us those details.

Mark's history, and the creation of Steven, was absolutely heartbreaking. When I was watching Mark's childhood I could see how he'd end up as an adult with mental health issues, because that was some awful abuse he lived through. I'm shocked at how Marvel didn't really pull any punches, how they made it clear that this grieving child was beaten and abused by hi mother. It's possibly some of the darkest, most upsetting stuff in the MCU, but also some of the most honest and real. It wasn't some big, wild story, it was a very real, very human tragedy.

This episode also gave us some of the best acting from Oscar Isaac. Not just in this show, but some of the best I've ever seen from him. The pain he portrayed, the heartbreak as he lived through those moments, and had to watch them back again, were so phenomenally done. It's amazing the work he's done on this show, on the acting ability he's displayed, that gets overshadowed by people wanting to talk about the action.

I loved that as these two episodes went on you could really see the difference between Mark and Steven in ways that you couldn't before. As soon as the camera cuts to his face you know whether he's Mark or Steven just from the way he holds himself, the types of expression on his face. He didn't even need to open his mouth for you to hear the accents to know who you were looking at in those moments; and it was amazing.

The final episode was much more of what people would expect from this kind of show. We have super powered people fighting across famous landmarks, and there are giant gods battling in the sky. It was a great way for the series to conclude, by embracing the weird and wonderful and just saying'yes, we're going to have a giant alligator woman fight a big bird skeleton man next to the pyramids, so what?'

The effects were top-notch, and didn't feel like they were holding back money or effort just because this was a TV show rather than a movie. the gods all looked great, had their own distinct personalities, and felt like interesting additions to the MCU.

I also liked Layla's costume once she becomes an avatar, and her getting to fly around, beat up henchmen, save civilians, and become the first Egyptian super hero in this universe was a great moment. As much as I'm hoping to see more from Moon Knight, I hope we get more of Layla too.

The end of the season felt like a great end to the character, a really good signing off point where we could end up never seeing Moon Knight again. However, the after credits scene felt like such a good set-up for more stuff to come, that I really do hope that this isn't the end for these characters.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi – Book Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

'Perfect for fans of Stephen King’s IT, a group of friends return to their hometown to confront a nightmare they first stumbled on as teenagers in this mesmerising odyssey of terror.

'For nearly two decades, Jamie Warren has been running from darkness. He's haunted by a traumatic childhood and the guilt at having disappeared from his disabled brother's life. But then a series of unusual events reunites him with his estranged brother and their childhood friends, and none of them can deny the sense of fate that has seemingly drawn them back together.

'Nor can they deny the memories of that summer, so long ago – the strange magic taught to them by an even stranger man, and the terrible act that has followed them all into adulthood. In the light of new danger, they must confront their past by facing their futures, and hunting down a man who may very well be a monster.'

The blurb for Titan Books’ newest release, Black Mouth, says that it’s ‘perfect for fans of Stephen King‘s IT‘, and this might be one of the most accurate book comparisons I’ve ever seen, as Black Mouth gave me a ton of Stephen King vibes whilst reading it.

Black Mouth tells the story of four childhood friends: Mia, Clay, Jamie, and Jamie’s brother Dennis. The story begins in the modern day, with Jamie as a man in his mid thirties who’s just been through ninety days of rehab and is working through his first week of Alcoholics Anonymous. Jamie has been using drink to work through his pain and his demons, but finally feels like perhaps he can put much of that behind him and get on with his life. However, that new start is interrupted when he gets a phone call from the police back in his home town of Suttons Quay. It turns out that his mother has lost her life to suicide, and his younger brother Dennis, who is mentally disabled, was found walking down the highway in his underwear in a daze.

Jamie returns home to help his brother, but the pressure of returning to the place that haunted his dreams for many years pushes him to start drinking again. At the same time, their childhood friend Mia arrives with a photograph of a man she wants them both to look at. It seems like Mia has found a figure from their childhoods, a man called the Magician, who helped to ruin their lives, and believes that they can finally track him down. When it turns out that the man may have had a hand in a series of recent child murders, Clay joins them, and together the four of them set out to put their lifelong demons to rest, and to stop more atrocities from being committed.

Very shortly into Black Mouth it becomes clear why the book is compared to IT. The book is split into multiple narratives. The main one is Jamie in the present. Jamie is our lead character and the one through which we get to experience the book in a first person perspective. We also spend some time with Mia and Clay, as they get to split off and do their own things. But we also jump backwards in time and begin to learn what happened to these four kids in the ’90s. As the story unfolds in the present we get more flashbacks to the past, more pieces of the puzzle, and we occasionally see the two almost bleeding into each other. The structure instantly reminds me of IT, but it isn’t as weighed down as the King book, and moves with a much better pace.

Black Mouth is a chunky book, but it’s not overly long; it doesn’t feel the need to wallow in nostalgia for the past, nor does it go off on long tangents that add little to the story. It does spend time every now and then giving us more information on the characters’ lives, their histories, and how they’ve been shaped into the people we see here, and whilst this does feel like the style King uses it also feels so much more efficient. I never minded spending a few paragraphs learning more about these people because I knew it was going to be interesting and not a handful of pages that meant nothing. So yes, the book is like IT, but I also thought that it was honestly a lot better too.

The book manages to walk a very fine line, where you’re never sure whether or not there’s anything odd happening. Is the Magician, the figure from their childhood that they’re hunting now as adults, more than he appears? Can he actually perform real magic, or was it all tricks? Did Jamie see his face change into that of a monster, or was it a trick in the dark, and Jamie’s fears doing it? The book wants you to wonder about that, to question whether or not you can trust the memories of a child. Even in the present, when Jamie is haunted by the spirits of the past you begin to question if perhaps they’re part of his drunken delusions. The book kept me guessing whether or not we were going to get a big reveal that there were real monsters, or if it would all have been fake, and that ambiguity made it much more interesting than if we’d have been given answers straight away.

The book doesn’t just rely on the mystery to keep you interested though, and the main four characters make for engaging leads. Whilst we spend the most time with Jamie he’s probably the least likeable of the four, and his struggles with his addiction make up a big part of his story here. He makes some mistakes, acts questionably at times, but for the most part you can tell his heart is in the right place. Mia makes for a strong female presence, and has a no-nonsense attitude that I enjoyed.

Clay is the more complex of the four, and it was wonderful to spend time with him in his chapters. A Black man who’s grow up with vitiligo, he has a unique outlook on life, and he has a passion for helping kids that stems from his own experiences. Out of the four of them I’d most like to spend more time with Clay, and would love to see the author write more for him. And then there’s Dennis, who is just the sweetest guy. Dennis is disabled, and is very child-like. He loves the Ninja Turtles, cares deeply for his brother, and is kind and caring to everyone he meets. Dennis is the heart of the group, the one that the others all love, and are loved by, unconditionally, and I’d fight anyone who dared harm Dennis.

There are some warnings that should be given for Black Mouth, as the book deals with some heavy issues. Addiction and alcoholism are a big part of it, as is child death, murder, physical abuse, mental abuse, child abuse, and suicide. Despite this, it never feels too dark, too depressing to prevent you from reading on. But please be aware before picking it up, the book does deal with some tough topics.

Overall I had a lot of enjoyment reading Black Mouth. I think it was a great mystery story with some horror elements that kept you guessing what was real and was was fabricated, with a superb central cast of characters that you come to care a lot about. It’s a book that I’m definitely going to recommend to people, and one that I’m certainly going to be picking up again at some point. And going back to that original quote, I’d say it’s not just for fans of IT, I’d say it’s better than IT.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Moloch – Film Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

Folklore is a rich well for horror story influence. Every culture has their own myths and legends, and even those that are shared across borders will have their own spin on things, making them unique. And there’s something ever so creepy about a small community that practices rites and beliefs that the vast majority would consider relegated to history. Moloch taps into these fears, these legends, and gives audiences an atmospheric and intriguing experience.

Moloch begins far in the past of 1991, where thirty years ago a young girl hides in a cupboard, trying to befriend a small mouse, when there are screams and bangs in the room above her. Something terrible happens upstairs, shaking the wooden roof and walls, and soon a cascade of dust and blood rains down upon the girl. Thirty years later, the young girl is now an adult woman named Betriek (Sallie Harmsen), who still lives in the house where her grandmother was murdered, along with her young daughter, and her parents.

Despite having been in the house when her grandmother was killed, Betriek has a somewhat decent life in her quiet community, though she does occasionally believe herself to be cursed. Her latest worry is her mother’s failing health, as she begins to have seizures and fainting spells. When a local archaeological dig not far from their home find something of interest they hope that it will provide a welcome distraction, and Betriek does find herself attracted to the head scientist, Jonas (Alexandre Willaume). But as the big begins to unearth more bodies of women with their throats slit, strange things start happening, and Betriek begins to think that something terrible is haunting her family.

If you’re looking for a horror film that’s full of jump scares, gore, and things chasing people this isn’t the film for you. Moloch takes a much quieter approach, and will often allow the atmosphere and the slowly unfolding plot unsettle the viewer. There’s a mystery at the heart of this film, information that’s given to you in small pieces over the course of the story that don’t quite make sense at the time. Even the big scene where one of the dig team reads out the local legend, inter-cut with school play where the children act it out, is only a small piece of the puzzle; and despite expectations, doesn’t give you everything you need to understand things.

This doesn’t mean that the film leaves things unexplained, but rather it allows you to make the deductions yourself. Once the film was done and the credits were rolling I understood the vast majority of it, and before the credits had come to an end other pieces had fallen into place as I thought back upon it. The answers are so cleverly done, and the revelations so intriguing that I honestly found myself wanting to go back to watch the movie again with this new perspective. Moloch is the kind of horror film that you can only watch one way once, and that every subsequent viewing will feel very different. And I’m definitely quite excited to go back to it again in the future to see the film with all of this information already known to me.

The film has decent atmosphere, and co-writer/director Nico van der Brink makes good use of the eerie, isolated locations in the film to build a sense of dread and foreboding. During the day you’re treated to views of forests, and still marshland that stretches out into the distance, but once the sun sets the locations take on a much more sinister feeling. It feels oppressive, with the darkness and the fog creeping in to surround the isolated family and their remote home.

The cast do a good job, and Harmsen in particular stands out in the lead role. Her character always feels like she’s on the edge of just breaking down, and there’s a huge sense of frustration and anger simmering just below the surface. A lot of this comes from her feelings of being cursed, and the events from her past still haunting her. As such, when the strange events of the film begin surrounding her family she feels a drive to investigate further, to figure out what’s happening and stop it before it brings further tragedy into her life. Betriek’s emotional journey is one of the central focuses in the film, and makes it more engaging because of it.

Moloch is a decent horror film that takes some simple ideas and takes them in some new and interesting directions. Thanks to a decent script, a good cast, and some tight directing the film never feels dull, and the mystery is engaging right up to the last minute. An impressive first feature length movie from a director that I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Swamp Thing #14 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

The Swamp Thing is a book that I really enjoyed when it first came out. I thought the usage of horror elements was great, and that Ram V was crafting an interesting story; but the longer this series goes on the more it slips from great into just good. I don't know if perhaps this is as a result of the series being extended past its initial planned run, but this issue has some good stuff in it, yet ends up feeling a bit lost.

This issue picks up where the last left off, with Levi having lost his powers to his brother, the Parliament of Gears having consolidated its base, the avatar of radiation making her way across the world, and Levi being roped in to advise Hal Jordan when the world comes under threat from alien plant invasion. There's a lot here.

Over the course of the issue Levi melds with one of the plants, communicates with it, and crashes it to Earth where the various other factions are all meeting so as to get involved in the fight. In the final panel he emerges from the crashed plant matter, now as a Green Lantern Swamp Thing. And that's about it really. Not a huge amount happens here.

A lot of the issue is given over to big, existential questions, discussion about humanity, life, and the symbiosis of human and plant. It's okay stuff, but it really bogs the issue down, takes up a bit too much space for my liking, and really slows the pace. Again, referencing the extension of the series, I don't know if this is being done to fill pages, but it kind of feels like it sometimes.

The story of this series seems to be getting increasingly complex at this point too, and the focus on these big questions and lofty discussions ended up with me unsure what was going on elsewhere. Maybe it was just because I was a bit more tired than usual when I read it, but I'm starting to get a little less out of these issues the longer it goes on. With only two left, and Swamp Thing now being a Green Lantern (if only temporarily), hopefully it will lead to an exciting last few issues.

One area where this issue excels, however, is in the art, and Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer do a great job at making the issue pop. Drawing heroes and villains fighting is one thing, but finding ways to express someone's consciousness merging with an alien plant life form and changing the way it thinks is definitely more of a challenge, yet it's done well here.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Robin #15 - Comic Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

I've really enjoyed the current run on Robin, I've found the blend of teen drama and extreme violence to have been quite fun. But with the first story arc having come to a close, and the crossover of Shadow War having concluded, it now feels like the future of the series is a bit uncertain. And this issue reflects that in the central conflict that Damian has to deal with.

The story sees Talia al Ghul having followed through on her fathers wishes, and has given herself up to authorities. A prisoner of the DEO, Talia is approached for information about her son.

Meanwhile, Damian is fighting one of the seemingly many clown themed gangs inn Gotham. As you'd expect from Damian Wayne, he's beating the crap out of dozens of the costumed thugs. But when the odds start to shift away from his favour his family arrive to help him. After the fight, whilst relaxing with the Bat-Family, Damian and Bruce find out that Talia has escaped custody.

Tracking her down, the two adults get into a fight over Damian, and the best place for him to be. And this is where Damian steps in as the more rational voice of the two of them, and tells them that he's not going to be going with either of them; but finding his own destiny and place in the world.

As Damian returns to Lazarus Island, where his new friend and ally Connor Hawke is waiting for him, a beaten and bloodied Lord Death Man washes up on the beach, telling them that Flatline has gone bezerk.

I was pleasantly surprised when Robin went on to become one of my favourite books each month. The story is fun, it's got a great cast of characters, and the art has been really good. I found that the Shadow War stuff, whilst good, wasn't quite as fun; so now that we're back to the same characters and themes that were introduced in the first arc it feels like the book has gone back up to being excellent again.

I love how Damian begins this issue unsure of himself, trying to be independent in Gotham, yet still spending time with the family he's built there; and it's not until he sees his two parents ready to go to blows over his future that he realises that neither one of their worlds is perfect for him right now. He's growing and maturing as a character, and realising that he doesn't need to let Batman or Talia define him.

The scene with him hanging out with the Bat-Family is quite a nice one though, and has a very different energy to the scenes with him and his new friends. You can tell that there's a level of comfort his family has around him, and that they don't quite see him as a peer because he's the youngest one there. This seems to be something that doesn't happen with the other young fighter on Lazarus Island, who treat him no differently because he's younger. He's done stuff with his friends that has bonded him with them in different ways to his family; and it's giving him a different type of support network.

I love how the issue directly addresses him and Connor being in the DC Pride special too, adding a bit more to their relationship by confirming that Damian does know that Connor is ace, and that they're close enough that Connor would trust him with that. It also means that any folks who aren't happy with the special can't make any kind of claim that it's non-canonical; as it's clearly referenced here.

I'm going to be interested to see what happens next, especially as Flatline was one of my favourite characters from the first story line. I  like her relationship with Damian, and her kind of being his girlfriend despite her literally having killed him. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next with these two.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Tenebrae – UHD Blu-ray Review

 

Originally published on Set The Tape

I first became familiar with Tenebrae when I watched a documentary about the Video Nasties, the seventy two films that were banned in the UK by the BBFC in the 1980s for being too ‘obscene’. Whilst many of the films on the list were low budget slasher films with some pretty shoddy – if bloody – effects, Tenebrae was something a little different: a psychological thriller that sees an author looking into a series of murders in Rome.

Like many of the more famous Giallo movies, Tenebrae was written and directed by Dario Argento, and is actually one of his more celebrated films. It opens with a reading from the book Tenebrae: a novel written by Peter Neal (Anthony Francoisa), that deals with serial murders and deviancy. From here we meet Peter as he boards a plane to Italy to take part in the tour for his book; meanwhile a mysterious figure plants something in his luggage and watches him leave. As Peter flies to Rome, a young woman is caught trying to shoplift a copy of his book, but is let off when she flirts with the store detective. Arriving back at her home, she’s attacked by an assailant armed with a razor, who forces pages of the book into her mouth before cutting her throat.

After arriving in Italy, Peter is approached by the police, who want to get his opinion on the case, and when he is called by someone claiming to be the killer, he ends up becoming involved in the case. As Peter and the police try to piece together who’s behind the crime, more bodies begin to mount as the killer moves from one brutalised victim to another.

Tenebrae is a little different from some of the other work that Argento has produced over the years. Those coming to the film expecting his more supernatural offerings might be left a bit disappointed. There are no witches or ghosts in this film, and Argento has swapped the dark alley and Gothic locations for a bright, modern setting. Despite being set in Rome, the film never makes use of any of the iconic locations the city is known for. There are no shots of the Colosseum, and we don’t get important walk and talks on the Spanish Steps; instead, the film is set in high-rise offices and new apartment buildings. This is the modern Italy of the 1980s, and because of this the film has a style that sets it apart from some of the other work Argento was producing at the time.

That being said, this is still unmistakably an Argento movie, complete with sweeping camerawork and impressive shots. One of the better known moments from the film sees the camera pan around a building, moving from one window, up the wall, across the roof, and down on the other side of the home to look in another window. The shot is long and lingering, and it takes its time to get to where it’s going, with only the electronic rock music from Goblin to engage with. The shot famously took multiple days to shoot, and was something Argento fought to keep in the US cut of the film.

It’s moments like this that make the film stand out as more than just a bloody murder mystery. It’s a film with style, with flair. Argento was not just a good storyteller, but a great filmmaker, someone who understood that you use the camera to tell a story too, and that if you take risks and do what others would consider strange or even bizarre it can lead to a film with an identity all its own. There’s a particular shot at the very end of the film that is so cleverly done and so shocking that I’m surprised it’s not cited as one of the stand-out moments of cinema.

It has been a few years since I’ve watched Tenebrae, and I’d honestly forgotten how the story played out, and who the killer was. It was a genuine delight to watch it through again, this time introducing it to someone new too. It’s a decent, engaging story that keeps you guessing, and has some fantastic twists in the tale. If you’ve ever looked at Argento’s work like Suspiria or Inferno and thought that perhaps they were a bit strange and unusual for you, I’d definitely point you towards Tenebrae, as I think it’s a great gateway movie in the work of this truly superb director.

Alongside this newly restored version of the film from Arrow Video there are a number of extras for fans to enjoy. There are three separate commentaries: one with authors and critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman; another with author and Argento expert Maitland McDonagh; and a third with Argento expert Thomas Rostock. There’s a feature length documentary called ‘Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo’ which covers the history of Giallo and features a number of interviews with experts and figures from the genre, including Argento. And there are several featurettes and archival interviews that offer insight into the actors and the movie. There are a lot of great pieces included in this set, and this might be one of the better versions of the movie – albeit with one issue.

The big issue with this release, and the reason I cannot score it higher, is that there are examples of transphobic language used, and what appears to be transphobic behaviour within the extras. First, some context. One of the actresses in the film, Eva Robin’s (yes, that is the correct spelling), is a trans woman. Her character isn’t trans, and was originally going to be played by a cis woman. Eva transitioned before appearing in the film, and as far as I can tell she just happens to be an actress who is trans. However, she’s not simply allowed to just be a trans actress.

In the ‘Yellow Fever: The Rise and Fall of the Giallo’ documentary (which was not produced by Arrow Video), Maitland McDonagh talks about the film, and Eva, by saying “There are a lot of glittering surfaces, but nothing that’s under those surfaces is what you think it will be, starting with the girl in the red shoes, who of course is not even a girl.” The shot then cuts to footage from Tenebrae, and Eva’s deadname appears – needlessly – on the screen. Considering that Eva never acted under that name, has no credits with it, and has nothing of note under that name, I can’t see why it was included here at all. There is never any reason to use a trans person’s former name. It is something that often causes distress for the person, and is often used intentionally for this purpose (although I cannot know the intentions behind this specific occurrence).

McDonagh also makes some troubling comments about Eva in her commentary. Despite calling Eva a woman earlier in the film, and using she/her pronouns, she goes on to talk about her as an “ambiguous woman, because of course we know she’s not… she’s a trans woman”. She admits that this isn’t a part of the film’s narrative at all, but goes on to say “I think you’re supposed to take her simply as a biological woman, but I don’t really know. But I think most people looking at her have some vague suspicions that she is in fact not a biological woman, and so it adds a particular kind of oddness to the scene with the boys on the beach, which is unsettling.”

The notion that the scene is unsettling because you can tell Eva isn’t a ‘biological woman’ feels absurd and – frankly – bigoted. I’m a trans person. I’m used to seeing all sorts of trans people, and I had no idea that Eva was trans until she was outed in this documentary. McDonagh’s idea that you can tell she’s trans and it’s supposed to unsettle you feels ridiculous, because unless someone told you, you’d never know. The term ‘biological woman’ is often used as a transphobic talking point, as it sounds scientific but is actually a complete nonsense, although, again, I can’t speak to the intention behind the phrase as it is used here.

Sadly, these aren’t the only places where you’ll find transphobia in this set, as it’s also present in the commentary with Alan Jones and Kim Newman. Both of them use the word ‘transsexual’: a term that is often seen as outdated and in some cases offensive. Whilst this can be seen as an innocent mistake from people who aren’t as clued up on the correct terminology, their other behaviour is less excusable. Jones deadnames Eva once again, and Newman uses the abhorrent phrase “chick with a dick”.

I really enjoyed my time with Tenebrae, until I reached the extras. I was shocked and disgusted by the transphobic language and the deadnaming found here. To discover that one of the actresses in the film was trans this way was awful. As a horror fan I come to films like this to get away from the awfulness of the world. Entertainment is supposed to be an escape, so to find transphobic language and comments just casually included here honestly ruined this entire experience for me. This is a great presentation of the movie, but the above mentioned issues drag the whole thing down.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

Moon Knight Episodes 3 & 4 - TV Review

 

Originally published on Patreon

So, another two episodes of Moon Knight down, and I'm really enjoying this show.

Episode three was a lot of fun, it felt like a pretty standard kind of super hero adventure for the most part, even with the personality swapping and visits with God avatars. Much of Mark's journey to try to find the tomb felt like stuff I'd seen before, tracking down leads, fighting henchmen, that kind of thing. The biggest exception is the turning back of the stars, which was just gorgeous from a visual point of view.

The fourth episode is really where these two worked for me. I absolutely love the horror vibe that the show took on once Mark and Layla were inside the tomb. The mummies were genuinely creepy, and the scene where Layla was having to hide behind the altar whilst the mummy priest killed that man was really tense, horrific, and surprising for a Disney show.

I know that we've got Blade coming at some point in the future, and that it'll most likely be a very dark, violent, and horrific show; but I was surprised that Moon Knight seemed to be embracing horror elements too. If you'd have asked me, even before that episode, if I thought Moon Knight was going to veer into horror I'd have said no for sure.

I enjoyed how the fourth episode played with my expectations towards the end too. When Mark was shot and fell into the pool I expected the episode to end. So I was very surprised when things continued on, especially as it seemed the show was trying to pull the 'it was in his head the whole time' trope on us. 

But, it being this show, even this got thrown on its head when Mark discovers Steven in this mental hospital setting, and the two of them get to meet in the flesh. And then they meet a hippo woman. Now that's how you end an episode, leaving your audience confused and desperately wanting to know what the hell is going on.

Moon Knight is one of those shows where I could not tell you what I expect to happen next. This story could go in any direction and I wouldn't be surprised by it anymore. So wherever it's taking us next I'm sure it's going to be good.

This article, and many others, can be read a month early on my Patreon for as little as $3 a month!

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram

The Road to Prey - Predator Stalking Shadows by James A. Moore and Mark Morris

 

'In the aftermath of the events of Predator 2, U.S. Marine Scott Devlin is assigned to the clean-up operation in Los Angeles. He is soon thrust into a world of secretive government agents, highly-advanced technology, and an unstoppable juggernaut lone agent, Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer.

As Devlin rises through the ranks, working in elite counter-terrorist units, he gathers evidence, slowly piecing together the shocking truth of what he saw that night. Fighting for freedom from the jungles of South America to the Scottish Highlands, Devlin learns who the real enemy is, and how to fight for survival.

'He’s not the only one fighting back against the Hunters. Dutch has been working in the shadows ever since his first encounter in Central America, gathering knowledge, weapons, and team mates. Fighting both the Hunters and shadowy government agencies, Dutch and Devlin must team up to take the fight to the aliens – to become the predators.'

The Predator franchise has it's highs and lows, but generally has some very good films. The first three films in the series are all good for various different reasons, and whilst 2018's The Predator was generally seen as a disappointment that's still only one of the four films that's really classed as bad. Over the years the franchise has tried to expand out into different mediums, such as novels, comics, and video games. Whilst it's received acclaim in comics and games, novels tends not to be a medium where people sing its praises as much.

I've found that this can sometimes come down to the fact that it an be hard to capture a lot of the tension and horror that the films have on the written page, and that Predator books can sometimes feel a little flat. This is most certainly not the case with Predator Stalking Shadows, as I found it to not only be incredibly engaging and character driven, but at times was genuinely scary too.

Predator Stalking Shadows doesn't focus on just one event, on a singular predator incursion, and this really works to its advantage. Instead we follow Scott Devlin, a member of the US Marines, over the course of a number of decades as he slowly begins to learn the truth about the existence of these extraterrestrial hunters, and becomes drawn into the fight against them. As such, the book becomes more about him than the titular monsters; and this is such a good thing.

We get to see Scott as a relatively young man, fresh onto a special unit and going out on top secret missions. We get to see him get to know the soldiers around him, and we get to come to care for them the same way that he does. This means that when Scott and his comrades eventually end up in positions where they're going up against the Yautja you are hoping that these people make it through these encounters, and become genuinely heartbroken when some of them don't.

Not only was this so refreshing a development, I genuinely shed a couple of tears during one particularly poignant funeral scene, but I think it's probably the first time that I've ever really cared about a character death in the entire Predator franchise. Yes, it's disappointing when the cool marines die in the first film, and I genuinely hoped that Danny Trejo would have lasted longer in Predators, but this was the first time that I found myself caring about them as people, upset that they were leaving wives and children behind when they passed away.

But this is what the book is really good at. It's not a book about the spectacle of the predators, or the horror of being in their hunting ground, it's a story about the people in these situations. It's one of the most grounded, human stories in the entire franchise.

The book also features the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch, and shows what he's been doing in the years since the first Predator film. He's the character that we occasionally see fighting the predators, and whilst these moments are fairly fleeting they do help to carry the story along, giving readers brief moments of action as the rest of the book works on character and world building. For as many times as we get to see Dutch in action against the creatures we also get second hand stories about what he's been doing and how his mission has been getting on. Rather than feeling cheated by these, hoping for a 'show don't tell' approach instead, they feel a lot more real. We're supposed to be following Scott and his particular journey, so it makes sense to stick with him and instead of seeing Dutch's moments seeing them through Scott's eyes; which is learning about them after the fact.

I don't know much about the game that this is setting up, Predator Hunting Grounds, and imagine that it's more laying some very background framework for the game and explaining why Dutch is still around, as I do know he appears in the game. But I have to be honest, I wouldn't have cared half as much about the game before reading this book. The book makes it feel like there's a more cohesive world inside the Predator franchise, it makes it feel like the films and this new game are connecting in more than just name and IP. And better yet, the book manages to stand on its own and stays a brilliant piece of work without needing to connect into the game.

Predator Stalking Shadows is easily one of the best Predator novels that I've read. It captures the feel and tension of the films without relying on it to make its story. It centres on realistic people, it makes you care about the characters and the world in ways the franchise hasn't before. A masterful piece of fiction.

Support Amy on Patreon

Buy Amy A Coffee

Go to Amy's Blog

Follow Amy on Twitter

Add Amy on Instagram