Rising Out of Hatred 📢 Book Review

 

Written by Thelonia

Derek Black was raised to be the great white leader of the growing White Supremacist movement in America. Unfortunately for the movement, through exposure and the unflagging efforts of others, Derek eventually dissociated himself with White Supremacy, turning his back on everything he'd ever known. Rising Out of Hatred covers the entirety of that journey from Derek and those who reached out to him's perspectives, creating a multifaceted and moving portrait on compassion, hatred, and how to make actual change in people whose beliefs are supremely opposite to yours.

Be the Cowboy by Mitski 🤠 Song by Song Analysis

            

Written by Tia

I love Mitski—this is no secret. I've loved her previous albums and I'm sure I'll love this one, too. But I haven't listened to her latest album Be the Cowboy yet, so I'll be reacting to each of the songs individually (in order) and offering my initial analyses of the lyrics, sound, and overall quality.

Because that's what review blogs do 😉!

I want this to be a place where people who don't know Mitski can give her music a try, starting with songs they think they'll like best, but also offer some of my more complex thoughts on her music for those who are familiar with it and would like to discuss it more in the comments.

Everyone's thoughts are welcome! Now let's get into it.

Hereditary 😱 Film Review

   

Written by Thelonia

Hereditary was perhaps my most anticipated movie of 2018, and while it didn't scare me in the way I think most people expect, it has haunted me ever since I've seen it.

Bobbie Clearly 🌽 Theatre Review

Written by Thelonia

Bobby killed Casey in a cornfield in Milton, Nebraska ten years ago. Now he's being released, and no one in Milton knows how to feel about - or why he did it in the first place.

A Guide for Murdered Children 👼 Book Review

Written by Thelonia

In Sarah Sparrow's new debut novel, the souls of murdered children possess the bodies of the recently dead to find those who killed them and achieve a 'moment of balance'. But in periods when the children's 'Watcher' gets replaced, there comes a great imbalance which sees all the rules and normal circumstances become topsy-turvy.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 😅 Film Review

Written by Thelonia

Could anyone but Frances McDormand have done this? I think the fuck not.

Synthesis by Evanescence 🤔 Album Review

Written by Thelonia

On the same day as Taylor Swift released her much-anticipated (and dreaded) 5th album, band-I -heavily-associate-with-middle-school Evanescence also released an album (their 4th, and their first album in over six years). If you were in any way the kind of kid who listened to a lot of pretty sounding rock in your life (or has jammed to "Bring Me To Life" at karaoke; don't @ me, it's a good karaoke song), then this might come as both exciting news (new music!) and horrifying (oh god, here come embarrassing teen memories). I am here to tell you that your fears are both completely unfounded and terribly, terribly, real.

Blade Runner 2049 🤔 Film Review

      

Written by Thelonia & Tia

The aesthetic impact of Blade Runner (1982) on science fiction cannot be overstated enough. Though it was met with mixed reviews, almost every major sci-fi film has tried to replicate Blade Runner aesthetically, with its mixture of neo-noir cityscapes that blend technology with automated and multicultural individuals.

The film did however become a quick cult classic, leading to years of rumors about possible sequels (to mixed derision and anticipation). And yet, more than three decades later, here it is: Blade Runner 2049 (2017), taking place, itself, three decades after its predecessor. Does it (and can it) live up to the hype of the original?

What Remains of Edith Finch 😭 Video Game Review

 

Written by Thelonia

There's a curse on the Finches. From mysterious murders to bath-time accidents to strange disappearances, the family is just unlucky in life (and, more often, death). In this 2017 game from developers Giant Sparrow, you play as Edith Finch, a young girl who returns to her childhood home to uncover the secrets of her family - and to maybe understand the family curse once and for all.

A Series of Unfortunate Events 😧 TV Show Review

Written by Thelonia

The books in A Series of Unfortunate Events were published from 1999 to 2006, from when I was 4 to when I was 13. I remember devouring them as they came out, hoping against hope that things would go well for the Baudelaires, perhaps, one day.

That day is not today.

Love, Love, Love 😰 Theatre Review

      

Written by Thelonia

The writing is quick and clean but the characters themselves are messy, sloppy, and often sloppy drunk. Love, Love, Love is a look at a family throughout decades, as baby boomers from the 60s get children and grow and create neurotic, damaged children of their own as we look at the question: how responsible for their children are parents?