Tumblr is pretty cool. I never explored it in its heyday. Investigating it now, I appreciate how the service is whatever you want it to be. You can use it like a Twitter, or an Instagram, or journal, or even a personal website.

So far I have a blog to post GIFs of my current hyperfixation, and another that’s essentially my Instagram feed but freed of Insta’s constraints and onerous algorithms. I’ve been having fun :)

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This month’s playlist:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Hideo Kojima knows no subtlety. He paints his symbols large and loud. He tattoos his themes on his characters' faces and etches them in their names. His work is papered with personal fandoms. He grabs at new ideas like so many crayons and scribbles all over the page.

This isn't to say he hasn't anything to say. My point is Kojima isn't coy. Or mysterious. He isn't showing you a puzzle. He's showing you a collage.

All that to say, I am enjoying my first play-through of MGS2. Stunning visuals for a PS2-era game. And there’s some mindfuckery afoot.

Tár

I think this is the first release of 2022 I have seen that is a *film* movie. The craft present is breathtaking. Slick, invisible cinematography. Precise editing. Restrained narrative. Monologues. Performances that snatch your breath away.

I’ll need to catch up on Todd Field’s previous work.

Æon Flux

Thirty years removed from its original air date and this is still some of the most inventive animation I’ve seen in recent memory. Love the non-traditional, avant-garde storytelling.

In the commentary for the pilot, the creative team said when they introduced dialogue in the third season it was important it not supplant the visual narrative, but be another texture, not the driving force.

I often ended an episode with the thought, “Huh?” But always felt I had gained something.

House of the Dragon

Of the five series pitched to succeed Game of Thrones, I was least interested in this one. Felt very much like, “Let’s do Phantom Menace.” Unfortunately, House of the Dragon is great.

It certainly is more Game of Thrones. There is lineage. But it’s paced differently, better. It’s not afraid to let time pass and skip ahead where appropriate.

The characters got their hooks in me — all very good at making me forget their horrible crimes and root for their success. I will be tuning in next season, regrettably.

Also, the dragons are fucking terrifying now.

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This month I also took photos and a little video while on a stroll.