I definitely posted my monthly roundup on time and certainly did not sit down to write on the evening of August 3rd and realize I had, in fact, not done so.

Look at this project I shot back in March and likely got COVID over. I worked very hard on the color grade.

The Vampyre; A Tale

1816, the Year without a Summer, gave birth to the iconic Frankenstein (published in 1818) as well as the seed for what would become a whole genre at the same summer retreat. Dracula (1897) is credited with codifying the literary vampire, rightfully so, but John William Polidori’s The Vampyre (1819) began the work of distilling diverse folktales into a cohesive figure.

Did I think it was particularly good? No.
Interesting? Yes.

Though I was far more fascinated to discover that the first vampire story written by an American author, riding the coattails of The Vampyre’s success, had an anti-slavery plot. The Black Vampyre: A Legend of St. Domingo (1819) has gone on the reading list.

Da 5 Bloods

You have not seen the legacy of the Vietnam War portrayed this way and you should watch it.

I hesitate to compare these two because Spike Lee and Quintin Tarantino make very different movies, however, both are masters able to mix contrasting tones, effectively transitioning between comedy, drama, violence, and tenderness. This is on full display here.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Really, a fantastic note to end an incredible trilogy. Even though I found some Batmobile segments annoying (yes, I hear how ridiculous complaining about driving the Batmobile sounds) and some sidequests tedious (I’m not fuc’n going to solve 300+ Riddler puzzles are you insane), this is an impressive game.

I mainly want to give kudos to Rocksteady Studios for the consistent expansion and improvement with each entry in the trilogy while still feeling like a cohesive work. Arkham Asylum established the tone, world, and plainly excellent gameplay (truly, the definitive Batman simulator). Arkham City moved the game to an open world which was dense and detailed, rather than expansive and empty (i.e. boring). Arkham City mostly succeeded in adding the Batmobile while improving on the open-world design. Well done.

I enjoyed all three games, though Arkham Asylum remains my favorite.

One Piece

Starting One Piece is daunting because there are literally 1000 episodes and counting. I didn’t think I’d ever bite the bullet. But Netflix added the first few hundred episodes and decided to take the dive.

The scenarios are often ridiculous and nonsensical, but what One Piece has in spades is endearing characters. What I enjoy about One Piece is it gives the characters time to play without moving the plot forward, something I wish similar anime would do more often. Sometimes you just want to hang out with your imaginary friends.

One Piece has been my go-to show for when I’m cooking and I look forward to the countless adventures to come.

I stan Tony Tony Chopper.

Seen on twitter:
“Just because somebody likes something doesn’t mean… anything really.”