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The Bear and the Nightingale
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.4 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
A dark epic fairytale
This captivating fantasy is set in the frozen north of Russia in the 13th century, and used Russian myths and fairy tales as inspiration.

At the centre of the novel is the family of a local Lord, in particular the headstrong youngest daughter Vasya who is gifted with 'second sight'. The existence of the community is threatened when a dark power in the forests begins to wake up, just as the villagers start to turn away from the household spirits who've protected them, in favour of a charismatic new priest.

The Russian setting adds interest and mystique and the protagonist Vasya is fantastically outspoken and scrappy. The plot is easy to follow despite the odd Russian word. It truly is a compelling read.
  
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Billy Gibbons recommended The Chess Box by Howlin Wolf in Music (curated)

 
The Chess Box by Howlin Wolf
The Chess Box by Howlin Wolf
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Not so much for the guitar work, but what’s represented on this collection is a real tight, small band. Wolf’s nickname was appropriate because he actually sounded like a wild animal when he sang. What an outrageous, maniacal voice! He could’ve been a star of those old Wolfman movies and they wouldn’t have needed any special effects. “He played great harmonica, and he could certainly get with it on the guitar. He had a mystique that came through on record. He could be overwhelming and scary. Not many artists can do that. So I’d call him one of the true originals of the blues. I love this collection. Just to have one big box set that encompasses something like ten different recordings, that’s pretty special."

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Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
1995 | Horror
4
5.5 (17 Ratings)
Movie Rating
To it's credit, this sixth installment in the Halloween franchise is proper batshit. Its out of place quick edits and completely incoherent plot weirdly complement the bizarre performances. At one point, Paul Rudd walks away with a baby in his arms, hunched over like a suspicious child snatcher. Characters inexplicably know where to find eachother without prior contact. Nine of them behave like actual human being. Michaels blood is now green apparently? And they leaned hard into the cult stuff introduced in the previous movie. Its a shame because it eliminates most of Michaels mystique.

Halloween 6 is 100% a bad film, but I automatically rate it more than Halloween 5 just because of how nuts it is. Not quite the worst, miles away from the best.
  
X-Men (2000)
X-Men (2000)
2000 | Action, Sci-Fi
X-Men: first cast
Xmen follows Logan, a violent mutant without a past, eventually being forced back on the road he meets Rogue, a mutant with an unknown power that accidentally killed her boyfriend.
Attacked on the road and rescued by storm & Cyclops, the two quickly (for the plots sake) meet the X-Men, and after 50 no's and a yes, Wolverine reluctantly agrees to be an X-Men.
But with heroes come villains including, Magneto, toad, Sabretooth & mystique (because the studio couldn't afford more characters then either?)


A good movie at the time, which still holds up quite well today, decent graphics, acceptable action scenes and an easy to follow plot with some cheesy jokes.

Starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ian Mckellen, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Ray Park & Tyler Mane.
  
Maleficent (2014)
Maleficent (2014)
2014 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

"The metaphor, man. The fact that they would take this age old, vilified idea of a powerful woman and take away that dark mystique that’s been repeated throughout history and in such a mean way to all women. Like, anytime you see in cartoons, in movies, anything from, like, the ’50s, the ’40s, you would see this dark bitter woman. And you would see her explored in a way where she always represented evil, but never with a sense of justified evil. Rewrote the history books on the vilification of a powerful woman. I thought that was really, really powerful for Disney to do that. It’s like taking an old metaphor that’s been repeated for so many years and putting it on its head. It makes you think twice when you look at a person that’s a “bad guy.” That‘s a powerful message for kids to not be judgmental."

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