I’m the sort of guy who likes minimalist covers. A single image, one or three colors, something striking, a bold font. I like seeing those kinds of books. I like buying them. One of the things that hold me off from a lot of Fantasy literature, especially the Pulp kind, is the genre of cover… Read More Cover Aesthetics
I’ve talked about this before, but it’s becoming official. The last free issue of Unnamed Journal has gone live. It’s available on Joomag. We’ve had great fun building and growing the magazine, and now it’s time for the next phase. Our Patreon is going to go live next. The plan is to have Subscribers have… Read More The Old Phase of UJ… Must End
Things I learned today: Roman Polanski experienced the Holocaust to a terrifying degree, losing his mother at Aushwitz, which puts his career as primarily a horror director into perspective (it doesn’t excuse his crimes and the bastard should have gone to jail – Fiat Iustitia, ruat astrum). There’s a whole sub-genre of Nazi horror cinema. I… Read More Nazi Horror
This may sounds like the typical lament of social media, but I got into an argument yesterday that bored me. It was about history, and it involved an alternative history theory I’ve communicated in a number of ways. And I don’t mind the fact that people disputed it. Good points were made. What bothers me… Read More The Only Argument That Matters is Performance
Since we’ve been locked in, I have taken it upon myself to rely a bit yes on the internet for the evenings entertainment, and to tuck into my ancient collecton of DVD’s and Blu-Rays. No chance of a failure of Net Neutrality (*snicker*) to deprive me of a viewing. Here’s what I’ve watched over the… Read More The Discreet Charms of the DVD
Is there anything more modern, and stupider, then arguing over the name of a virus? I try to get into the mindset of someone who hears someone say “Coronavirus” and says “No, it’s COVID-19”. Because all “COVID-19” means is “This particular kind of Coronavirus.” And I know those who have been conditioned so are apt… Read More Blogging in the Time of Coronavirus
An Essay in the form of series. Part 1 and Part 2, and a footnote. The question is, can fanfiction – sub-writings in a fictional universe, by fans – become Canon, i.e. officially a part of the story? I myself would err on the side of “no, not really”, without making a categorical claim on… Read More John C. Wright on the Canon of Fiction
What does it mean when a movie doesn’t do well? It means it didn’t “find an audience” it didn’t appeal to enough people. Not that it doesn’t appeal to anyone. How much is “enough”? To make money. Now, I suppose that Christian Toto is right enough in his overall explanation for why Birds of Prey… Read More Birds of Prey Eats the Seed Corn
Was, whatever. Any perusal of his filmography — especially from the Era of ’68 — could have led me to that conclusion. But reading Godard on Godard, his collection of film criticism I earlier linked to, has rather shoved my nose in it, to a distasteful degree. In his obscure five-run magazine Gazette du Cinema, Godard… Read More Godard is a Godless, Worshipful Communist
I haven’t watched a single thing on my art-house bucket list, but I’ve subscribed to the Criterion Collection subreddit, because displays of aesthetic approval from an institutional source matter more in the Matrix than actually developing aesthetic sense. Which is fine, as most people have no idea what aesthetic sense even is. I include philosophers… Read More Criterion Collection Lust and Other Class Settings
Content Blues 