Round Down

Okay, a lot's happening in pop culture, and we've got limited time, so let's get down to business!

If you don't get why I added this, I feel sad for you.

As of earlier this week, it's 42 years of Jaws! Here are some important life lessons to take from the film:

Also, Wonder Woman is kicking ass, both in-universe and at the box office. And no, Gal Gadot, didn't make 1/46th of what Henry Cavill made for playing Superman. Here are more memes!

And lastly (because work starts soon, and I don't want to talk about sad things today) Bruce Campbell turns 59 today! If you haven't, go watch him in everything you can. Trust me, it's worth your time.

The IT Spot: Rereading, part 18

So, we finally see Big Bill rediscover his roots (or at least unearth a few more). This is another situation where the mini-series is 100% wrong, so...

SPOILERS

Bill doesn't even SEE IT, despite calling down into a sewer. He talks to a few kids, and finds/buys his old bike, Silver.

There's a really great segment when Bill is warning a few kids away from the unsafe bits of Derry where a child describes another kid's IT sighting: he saw a gigantic shark fin, 8-9 feet tall, in the local river, and nearly got eaten by a megalodon-sized Jaws.

It's another in the long-line of Universal movie monsters that IT has taken the shape of: We've had Jaws, the mummy, the creature from the black lagoon, and the werewolf. I love that classic and modern horror are embraced by both King and IT.

Bill finding Silver triggers a very important line: "He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts." Bill doesn't yet recall that this phrase was a vocal exercise that he consistently failed, except at one key moment of his childhood.

But more on that later.

SAFE.

Next time, more with Derry's favorite historian, Mike Hanlon.

On a side note, 42 years of Jaws! Hooray! Enjoy this video about all the deaths across the 4 movies:

The IT Spot: Rereading, part 17

So, after a short hiatus, we return to the IT Spot. And what a return it is! It's Ritchie's turn to meet IT.

SPOILERS

In a total departure from the mini-series (remember, they basically stole Ben's plot) Ritchie wanders the town aimlessly for a while. He is still in denial about his first childhood experience with IT, but the river is about to leave Egypt.

In Derry there is a statue of Paul Bunyan. Nevermind that Tall Paul (He's-a my all) is from Michigan, not Maine. We have a similar statue that I spotted while on vacation in Historic Mackinac City:

It's about the right size, but Derry's Paul is standing, and holding a gigantic ax.

You see where this is going.

After nearly getting killed by Henry Bowers and co, Ritchie escapes to Paul's park, daydreaming about a rock-n-roll concert. He 'falls asleep' (no, he doesn't) and sees Paul attack, barely escaping with his life. As an adult, the scenario replays itself, with a gigantic Pennywise speaking to him. Ritchie gets away again, doing an (unfortunately racist) voice until IT resumes the statue form. Once again, IT threatens and cajoles.

Untile the other encounters, IT lands a blow: IT makes Ritchie's eyes hurt, threatening to blind him, give him cancer, etc. There is one telling line, where Ritchie observes IT's finger is 'as big as a beam.'

My fellow Dark Tower fans know Beams are a big deal in King World. IT's main adversary, the Turtle, is a beam guardian, and an influencer of the Losers' club/Ka-Tet. I'm not sure if IT caught Ritchie's thought and put an end to it before the Turtle's specter could be called up, but I wouldn't be surprised.

SAFE

Next time, Bill sees a ghost.

Animanga

So this is a list of the animes and mangas that I enjoy, and recommend. For some I've seen both anime and manga (if both exist) so I'm putting my preferred format. Some of these series I'm still in the middle of, others I've finished.

Just wanted to do a thing and get them all in one place, really.

Manga

• Sailor Moon

• Yu-Gi-Oh
• Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist
• Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z

• Cardcaptor Sakura
• Attack on Titan

• Akira
• Death: At Death's Door

Anime

• Seven Deadly Sins
• Death Note
• One Punch Man
• Soul Eater

• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 

•  Puella Magi Madoka Magica/ Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion
• My Bride is a Mermaid!
• Marvel Disk Wars

I'm currently in the middle of  Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist, Akira, Attack on Titan, Cardcaptor Sakura, My Bride is a Mermaid! and Marvel Disk Wars (more or less). The Animes are hard to find (off netflix, and subbed, not dubbed). Soon I'll start Black Butler, or Ouran Host Club, or one of the other series queued on my netflix.

...I was gone for THREE DAYS internet

So, I was on vacation this last weekend, with no internet access. And in that time, The Babadook became a LGBT icon.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the top-hatted entity, The Babadook is the titular character from an Australian horror film; he moves into the home of a grieving wife and mother, tormenting her and her son. He also may be a physical embodiment of depression. Or not exist at all.

It's a really good, intense horror movie, with pretty much no gay over or undertones that I recall.

So why all of this?

For some reason, Netflix shuffled this into their LGBT category, and the internet ran with it. So, if you see a goth-looking specter at your local pride rally, that's why.

I'm not really sure how to feel about this. I've never seen a horror icon embraced so wholeheartedly by the LGBT community. Not even when Freddy Krueger was in the gayest horror movie of all time.

Seriously, there's a scene in a leather bar,  a guy is whipped to death, Freddy is trying to get into a young man's body, and the lead actress looks like Meryl Streep.

I'm not offended or displeased as a horror fan. My only worry is when people actually go watch the film. They are in for one hell of a shock. The Babadook is REALLY hardcore. It is not a loving, supportive entity. But if you want him for that, hey, more power too you.

Plus, I'd love to go to a rally and get a picture with some cosplayer...

Mini-Trippening

For the next few days I'm heading north with the family. So, enjoy another 'assortment' blog of stuff I like.

The IT Spot: rereading part 16

Bev returns home and almost gets killed, and it is awesome!

SPOILERS

The scene, again, is similar to the mini-series, but with several important differences.

In the novel the old lady doesn't just start to rot: she turns into the witch for Hansel and Gretel as the house around them becomes a candy trap. The process by which Bev becomes aware something is wrong is also much slower, with smaller details changing and her pretending not to notice, thinking she can escape IT if IT doesn't see that she's seen.

When IT starts wearing he father's face, the remarks become...foul. Essentially, IT blurts out Bev's deepest fears and suspicions; that her father wanted her sexually. There will be more of this later (earlier), but it's hardly a surprise by this point.

The other main takeaway is how Bev escapes IT. She says "The grackles know your real name!" and IT recoils. This hearkens back and forth in the novel, where Bev's memories are blocked my images of grackle birds, and she doesn't know why.

Despite the sheer uncomfortable of the section, or perhaps because of it, this is probably my favorite of all the encounters. It's written amazingly, and touches on a story that's universal among the readers, unlike lepers and library demons.

SAFE

Next up, Ritchie plays allllllll the hits.

Scarecrow's Pants

So, in honor of LGBT pride month, Billboard released a list of the top 20 gay anthems. Somewhere over the Rainbow is number #14. Should have been higher in my opinion, but hey, I'm not LBGT.

My letter falls under the Q, or A however.

Something people have also attributed to The Wizard of Oz is Jack Haley's performance playing the Tinman as gay.

Now, if you're less of a Wizard of Oz fan than I (and lets face it, who isn't less of a Wizard of Oz fan than I) you probably haven't heard the interview where Haley says the voice he was using in the movie was the same one he used to read to his kids. I.E. at least not trying for a "gay" voice.

For more info on sounding gay, watch this. Seriously. It's fantastic.

More than that, I'd argue that the Tinman isn't gay because in the movie (unlike the original book or Wicked) he's just a being made of tin. No sexual organs, no sexual feelings, no purpose for the tinsmith to include those as options, if he even had the ability.

We can clearly see the lack of sexual organs here:

The Lion is a biological being, so presumably could be attracted to another lion (or whatever, I'm not here to judge). But of the animated inhumans, the only one you could make an argument for is Scarecrow, since he has pants.

Not that I'm saying he DOES have straw-man-bits. It's merely possible. And I'm sure there are a bunch of X-rated parodies where things go on, but I'm not looking for them, you sickos.

In short: let the Tinman be nothing, because he literally cannot be anything else. Or don't. I'm not the boss of you. But at least look at the logic and facts in this movie about magic shoes taking a small-town girl to a glittering city where she and her three male friends go to the salon.

....I may need to rethink my argument.

The IT Spot: Rereading part 15

Eddie's trip down memory lane (or at least Kossuth lane) is at least as horrifying as Ben's if not moreso. It's another case of visiting a spot where he had some solo joy, only for IT to come by and fuck everything up with lepers and corpses.

SPOILERS

Kossuth lane is home to an old shipping yard where Eddie used to watch older boys play baseball, and sometimes go after fouls. As an adult he sees that the place has been abandoned, by owners and shipping company alike.

IT comes as the leper, as the owner of the business, and as a girl that Eddie sort of knew and fantasized about, all dead and rotting. Unlike Ben's encounter, IT doesn't emphasize that IT will kill Eddie if he tries anything. I'm not sure if this is because IT thinks Eddie can't hurt IT, or because IT knows IT will end up killing Eddie. Spoilers: of the reduced loser's club, Eddie is the only one who dies.

It's another short segment, but a nice jaunt to classic King-style creeps.

SAFE

Next is Bev, who may have my 'favorite' solo encounter.

Stuff I wanted to share

I am having a TIME this weekend, so here's just some stuff I want to share.