State of the Blog – 2nd Half of 2019

Here are the things I have planned for the second half of the year on my blog.

I’ll start doing a bi-weekly short film review roundup on August 17th. I plan to feature quality short films that are available online so that readers can view them. I have the first eight posts planned with three short films on each post. The first post will feature reviews for the short films He Took His Skin Off For Me, Janciza Bravo’s Eat, and Ari Aster’s The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. I’ll be looking at films that come from all corners of media from classic French shorts (Le Jetee) to Adult Swim middle of the night surreality (the works of Alan Resnick).

Instead of doing an update on what books I’ve been reading quarterly I’ve decided to do those posts bi-monthly. I’ve already read over a dozen books in July so the next post will be posted on August 25th.

I’ll be reading and reviewing a lot of contemporary comics and pulling some back issues out to reexamine. Here’s what will be showing up for the remainder of the year:
The Wild Storm, Heroes in Crisis, Alan Moore’s Promethea, Planetary, Spider-Man: Life Story, Frank Miller’s Superman: Year One, The Black Hammer Universe

I was looking back at some television shows that I’ve never really sat down and examined and want to delve into them. The problem is that so many of these shows were produced in the day of 25 episode seasons which make them daunting to take on. Thankfully, these shows are mostly made up of stand-alone episodes. I found multiple lists online of what viewers and critics consider the best episodes narrowed my viewing down to 25-30 episodes for the whole series. I plan on using these landmarks episodes as a way to see what made the series appeal to so many people and if I think it still holds up today. The first two shows I’ll be watching are All in the Family and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

When Watchmen debuts on HBO in October, I plan on doing weekly episode reviews. I am a massive fan of The Leftovers and Lost mainly because of Damon Lindeloff’s creative approach. He’s a very divisive figure, in my opinion unfairly so, and I expect Watchmen will be a fantastic piece of tv.

I do plan to watch and review entire seasons of a few shows that are airing over the late summer/fall or, in one case, just catching up on something that sounds great. I plan on getting DisneyPlus when it debuts so expect reviews for all the marquee content on that platform. Here’s what you can be on the lookout for the rest of the year:
Ducktales (2017) Season 1, Undone Season 1, The Mandalorian Season 1, Divorce Season 1, American Horror Story: 1984

There are a lot of new movies coming on both in the theaters and on DVD that I will be watching and reviewing for the remainder of the year. Here are the ones I already have planned:
The Farewell, Ash is the Purest White, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, An Elephant Sitting Still, The Souvenir, Diane, Birds of Passage, Woman at War, The Nightingale, Hobbes & Shaw, It Chapter Two, The Goldfinch, Ad Astra, Joker, Parasite, Doctor Sleep, The Lodge, Knives Out, Star Wars: Rise of the Skywalker

Here’s what is still to come in my Best of the 2010s posts
August – Favorite Films of 2015
September – Favorite Films of 2016
October – Favorite Films of 2017
Favorite Comics of the 2010s
November – Favorite Films of 2018
December – Favorite Films of 2019
Favorite Television of the 2010s

Hope in the Midst of Darkness Marathon (October)
While the larger world seems to be bathed in darkness these days I decided to do a small marathon at some point this year with films that don’t hide from the bleak parts of life but showcase how hope can emerge from such circumstances. Some of these are films I’ve seen before, some I never have.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Cinema Paradiso
Wings of Desire
My Left Foot
The Thin Red Line
Children of Men

We’d Like For You To Forget That One (November – December)
These movies are the ones that have faded from collective memory, which is what the people involved would probably prefer. Too bad, we’re going to watch and review them. Pray for me on this one.
Disney’s The Kid
Tiptoes
Dragonball Evolution
The Love Guru
Kangaroo Jack
She-Devil
Death Becomes Her
Old Dogs

Burt Lancaster (December – January 2020)
This will be the start of a series of marathons that go through what are considered the best films of an actor or director. I’m starting with Burt Lancaster because his type changed pretty significantly throughout his career, starting out being cast as a tough manly man and eventually was seen as a more contemplative, complex actor.
The Killers
Brute Force
From Here to Eternity
Sweet Smell of Success
Judgment at Nuremberg
The Leopard
The Train
The Swimmer
Atlantic City
Local Hero