I’m not a fan of this jumping from summer to fall and back, then diving straight into winter. The Thanksgiving season was welcome, if busy, this year--with multiple friendsgivings and nonstop gluttony and fellowship. My thoughts have now turned completely to Christmas and the end of the year. There’s much to prepare. But I hope once that’s done I can stop, and be, just for a moment… before the tumult begins again.

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This month’s playlist:

The Fall

I grew up seeing the poster of this movie at every bootleg DVD stall--the dark bandit, the red mask and lips against a blue sky--a mysterious image burned into my memory. Just last year, I finally decided to seek it out. And I couldn’t find it. DVDs were hundreds of dollars on eBay. It was not available digitally to buy, rent, or stream. I resorted to watching a sub-HD file someone uploaded to the Internet Archive (since deleted).

The Fall is a strange, whimsical fairytale. Beautiful in narrative and presentation. Earnest and silly. Mature and childlike. Special. Valuable.

It was a shame it was inaccessible after only a couple decades.

Thankfully, director Tarsem Singh ameliorated the situation. He partnered with Mubi for a 4K restoration and made it available to stream this year. The cherry on top was a limited theatrical re-release. I’m so happy I got to see it properly on the big screen with an audience. To see these magical real-life locations, and extravagant costumes as LARGE as they were meant to be seen. To hear my fellow viewers react, gasp, and laugh. And to share that with a friend where all this was new… what a blessing.

A blu-ray will release next year as well. I hope that also means availability to buy and rent digitally. In the meantime, go stream The Fall on Mubi.

Gris

Gorgeous. Brief. Sweet. Lately, I am craving, more and more, games that are fleeting. I finished Gris in only a few sessions. And over those few hours, I was never bored. I was guided through a succession of beautiful watercolor settings and gradually given progressively more complex gameplay and serenaded by emotional scores so when it ended, I felt inspired and satisfied--instead of relieved. I want more games that feel like reading a book or watching a movie. Not an interminably long, half-baked Netflix series.

#DRCL MIDNIGHT CHILDREN

Remind me not to start manga series that are not complete. It upsets me to wait.

I am riveted by this retelling/remixing of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The clever character changes, the accentuation of themes, the inversion of outdated ideas--all indicate an intimate, intelligent understanding of the source material. And the illustrations--intricate, beautiful, and some frames unquestionably inspired by Ito. This cannot publish quick enough.

Kelly Lee Owens

This artist was recently featured on Perfectly Imperfect and promoted her new album, Dreamstate. I took a listen and was instantly hooked. The main reason being the first track, Dark Angel, conjured visions of--

Eureka Seven

Supercar nudged me toward a rewatch; Dreamstate kicked me over the edge. It’s strange. As I begin the first season, the score and soundtrack sound little like Kelly Lee Owens’ latest album. But when I close my eyes and listen, I see Eureka and Renton falling across the sky. And when I watch these episodes, I see how Owens’ songs would blend harmoniously with these scenes.

I’m glad to be aboard the Gekkostate again, flying with old friends, exploring this strange world, and preparing myself for the heartache ahead.

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This month I also finished transcribing my latest script. The scenes are ordered and printed out. Now I need to read it to see if any of this makes sense.