Blog Post #5- Some of My Favorite Things
Sometime has passed since my last blog post; I would say that these past couple years have been the hardest of my life. All I can do is move forward and hope for the future. The few things that have kept me sane has been media. So, I’m going to go over a few of my favorite things that have helped me during this trying time. A lot of these are helpful for grief and self-reflection.
Movies
The best movies that came out last year that I loved watching were Inside (2021), The Green Knight (2021), The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021), Spiderman No Way Home (2021), The Suicide Squad (2021), and In the Heights (2021).
Older Films that I just got around to seeing: Promising Young Woman (2020), Possessor (2020), The Handmaiden (2016), The House that Jack Built (2018), Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), The Love Witch (2016), Carol (2015), The Social Network (2010), The Re-Animator (1985), The Bride of the Re-Animator (1989), Us (2019 ), The Invisible Man (2020), Ready or Not (2019), The Howling (1981), and Freaky (2020).
TV Shows
Not all of these shows came out recently, however I found myself looping through some of them over and over again or I put off watching the final season until I had more time.
These shows were Killing Eve, Hannibal, Squid Game, Sweet Home, The Good Place, Santa Clarita Diet, Preacher, The Haunting of Hill House, What We Do in the Shadows, The Great, Pen15, and Dollface.
For anime, One Piece, BNA: Brand New Animal, Higurashi, Fruits Basket, Komi Can’t Communicate, Jujustsu Kaisen, Wonder Egg Priority, and Horimiya.
Music
I’m not a big music buff so this category will be small. I got into Joy Division, The Smiths, The Front Bottoms, and Halsey more. I did get gifted a Halsey and The Killers albums on vinyl to add to my small collection. I still really enjoy mixed hip/hop tunes to study to, though.
Games
I’m not the biggest gamer either. I enjoy story based games and look forward to playing games more in the future, but really Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been stress reliving. One day, I broke down and played Bioshock, which was very cool. I like to watch people play games more so. I really want to play Resident Evil 8 for the aesthetic alone.
Podcasts
Without these podcasts, I would not be able to work through some of the issues I was having over the pandemic. These podcasts were holding a mirror to shine onto issues that deeply struck a cord with me, or were humorous and made me not so scared in the pandemic. These kept me sane and kept me going.
The Worst Bestsellers- These two podcasters review best selling books and discuss the ridiculous nature of some of these books. From the Twilight saga to the personal memoirs of stars like Matthew McConaughey, these ladies review all types of books. At the end of their episodes, they have a cat corner, where one of the podcaster’s cat shares his ideas on the book. Also, at the end of their episodes, they play a game of Rock, Paper, Snikt where they as a guest if the book would be better with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Wolverine would improve the book, or choose to leave the book as is (paper).
Nobel Blood- Dana Scwartz reviews the exciting and mostly bloody lives of Nobel people. It’s a history podcast with a flair of drama and more empathy towards ladies of history than a lot of what I’ve been taught.
This Ends at Prom- These two podcasters focus on teen girl movies that are often regarded as less than important by their male counterparts. I appreciate the deep dives they’re willing to do, the discussion around culture surrounding the movie, and Harmony suggestions of music to listen to at the end of the episodes. I cried a lot at some of these episodes, some of them are very emotionally draining.
Horror Queers- These two podcasters offer their takes on the queer subtext or text in a horror movie. I love horror movies, and I love fans who offer their takes on horror movies. Often they find insider tips about the movie itself.
You’re Wrong About- These two podcasters do a deep dive into the stories that media has covered briefly and left to forget, such as the “Satanic Panic” of American hysteria, the women behind the crimes of men who were used as scapegoats, and the look into starlets’ lives behind the scenes. I appreciate their compassion to those in these historic stories.
You Are Good- Literally, I think I cry every episode I listen to. Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed are pretty much having a group therapy session to unpack trauma while talking about a movie. Every time I listen to an episode, I feel like I learn something more about who I am as a person. Previously, they were called Why are Dads? but changed their name into You Are Good.
Random Number Generator Horror Podcast No. 9- Cecil Baldwin and Jeffery Cranor watch horror movies and talk about them together. Cecil loves horror movies; Jeffery is a bit horror adverse. They’re watching horror movies together with a focus about the movie itself. The energy they bring is giddy and fun. Jeffery does a not so scary story at the end of the episodes which are usually funny.
Welcome to Nightvale- The desert town of Nightvale is described by Cecil, a queer radio host who is bewildered not by the strange goings on in the town, but more so by the handsome scientist Carlos. It’s a surrealist post-apocalyptic American satirical podcast that has horror elements and black humor in it.
Youtubers
These youtubers have brought me comfort in a time where it has been difficult to really think about anything going right. I felt it wouldn’t be right to not describe these channels, as movies and tv shows have trailers, these do not usually. This is really only part of the channels I follow, but these were helpful to cheer me up from 2019 to now. There is something much more authentic for people to actually casually mentioning the pandemic. The only media that really talked about it was Bo Burnham’s Inside, which I highly recommend.
The Watcher- Ryan, Shane, and Steven have their own channel in which they have shows like Puppet History, Too Many Spirits, Ghost Files, and more. Having been a long time fan of Buzzfeed Unsolved, both true crime and paranormal, I really love this channel. Great spooky vibes. https://www.youtube.com/c/watcher
Dead Meat- This youtuber is also a horror lover, he has a regular show of the kill count where he counts the kills in a movie, rating the best kill with a golden chainsaw. His podcast with his co-host Chelsea give pretty great insight into horror movies. Overall, a fun channel for those who love slashers. https://www.youtube.com/c/DeadMeat
Danny Gonzalez- The Spooky Boy who challenges what the Youtube formula usually suggests, from Troom Troom to children’s movies. Him and his nutcracker give way to trying to understand the content around us. https://www.youtube.com/c/Danny100
Drew Gooden- Self proclaimed only Youtuber, Drew is a guy who does small video essays on a variety of topics such as Sequels that are not Sequels, bad Hallmark Christmas movies, and general commentary on the world of tv shows that are coming out now (usually bad ones). https://www.youtube.com/c/DrewGooden1
Kurtis Conner- Canadian comic, mullet wearing, Digimon loving kind of guy. Openly feminist, and overall a goofy guy. He reviews tiktok subcultures, bad CGI movies, and the occasional Canadian gem of a tv show. https://www.youtube.com/user/kurtisconner
Chad Chad- Chad Chad is a youtuber who reviews the strange tiktoks sub cultures, reviews some movies, and general sexist sub cultures of the internet. They’ve dubbed this content as a “Twinge of Cringe.” https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpmvp5czsIrQHsbqya4-6Jw
STRANGE AEONS- Feminist lesbian reviewer of bad content, such as a creep’s books, videos of her cat, cursed furby imagery and tumblr discourse. Overall aesthetic is goth girl, house plants and sphinx cat vibes. https://www.youtube.com/c/STRANGE%C3%86ONS
Nisipian- A recently found gem for me, this smooth voiced youtuber window shops the internet with the eloquence of a 70’s era radio hostess. I love her, she’s tall and pretty and funny. https://www.youtube.com/c/nisipisa
Sarah Schauer- Former viner, Sarah reviews Zillow’s most unhinged ads with Brittany Broski, makes heartful videos that celebrate the idea of divorce, and reacts to service workers having been a server before. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1T0JN1hhHfNsiKtqKn_dEQ
UNHhhh and I like to watch with Katya and Trixie- Drag Queens Katya and Trixie Mattel talk in general about a broad topic, share anecdotes and review Netflix’s newest releases. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9aNE3id6zw&list=PL2NUdoJlP9ZGfUd-W4h55Ryw4FOr22Kc7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNjy2Q_25Lk&list=PLvahqwMqN4M2o2ZzY6Y8a626Lf286LdVl
Unus Anus- Started 2019, Ended 2020. Markiplier, Amy and Crankgameplays created a channel in which a major theme was death, the thought of remembrance of a person once they had passed, and just all the goofy things that you could with your friends. Their goal was in just one year, complete a video challenge of uploading content everyday. The pandemic started a little time into their filming, but they continued to keep making content. I really admire them for completing this as an artist. Though their channel is gone, it has not been forgotten. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hubLaYcjnhs