From the Couch Hole: I’m Not a Perfect Person

Previously on FTCH, a complete unknown took shelter from the storm during the forever war. We are lady parts who don’t look back at bugles with Tabasco spices. This week was one of those “everyone else gets a holiday but I work because school is starting” weeks. There was the loss of Sunspot the gecko who lived about a decade and will be missed by Pepper who enjoyed watching him daily. Basketball coaching has been fun even if the wins aren’t piling up at more than a 40% rate. This week the reason is what moves the dead during the day of the jackal. Be afraid of Nosferatu but not of the Sriracha Doritos. Remember, at FTCH be all you can be.

Pop Culture Ephemera

• T. Kingfisher – What Moves the Dead (2022) (Published by Nightfire): “The dead don’t walk. Except, sometimes, when they do.” This reimagining of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” isn’t a retelling and not really a sequel, but a spiritual cousin that uses that original story as an appetizer. Alex Eaton, our narrator, is called to the bedside of his childhood friend, Madeline Usher, who is on the brink of death, in the house that she lives with her brother, Roderick. The story becomes a bit of a mystery to discover what has made Madeline so sick. Alex becomes Sherlock Holmes with Dr. Denton serving as his Dr. Watson. There’s a spunky neighbor, Miss Potter, who feels fresh out of an Agatha Christie novel. It’s a short book, just under 200 pages, and a really fun read. The humor is fresh but the overall feel is still that of a Gothic adventure written 125 years ago. This was purchased for me a couple of years ago by a friend who really did a great job of knowing what I would love. There’s already a sequel and a third book on the way. Get started with this weekend-length read.

Buy What Moves the Dead paperback

• The Day of the Jackal – “Episode 7” (2024) (S.1 E.7) (Peacock): “You won’t hear from me until after it’s done and I expect to be paid promptly.” – The Jackal. From the first episode, Eddie Redmayne has owned the character of the Jackal. This episode brings together the characters and storylines of the first six episodes to Tallinn. It’s taken Lashana Lynch a few more episodes to feel comfortable in her role as Bianca Pullman, the English investigator taking the lead on tracking down the Jackal. This is the best and most tense episode of the series so far, and illustrates why I love a good espionage story. This is the episode where the viewer starts to question which side they are cheering for in this story. Do you want the Jackal to get caught? Or is there a thrill in seeing how he gets away? This is one of the better-written shows of the past year.

Buy Hoobastank – The Reason CD

• Hoobastank – “The Reason” (2004) (from The Reason): “There’s many things I wish I didn’t do / But I continue learning.” I don’t think I’d call this Power Pop, Alternative, or gosh forbid, Pop Punk. It’s become a symbol for a cringeworthy past, and at the same time, it’s still irresistible. I haven’t been able to get it out of my head since it was an important story point in We Are Lady Parts. That’s only after I got it out of my head from it’s usage in Beef. The lyrics are a universal feeling of “I’m not a perfect person”. As you get older, you look back at things you wish you could have done differently. Nominated for two Grammy Awards, this tune is part of the dying days of MTV playing music (note the actual story in the video). A song like this might not have reached the same level of cultural memory had it been released in 2014. It’s here as I try to exorcise my ear worm.

• AfrAId (2024) (Directed by Chris Weitz): “Guys, you can’t kill me. I’m like the gods. I live in a cloud. That was my dataset. The entire internet.” AIA. If this had simply been an episode of Black Mirror (Netflix), it would probably have been hailed as one of their top-ten episodes. John Cho and Katherine Waterston anchor the film as husband and wife, Curtis and Meredith. The trailer sets up all that you need to know. Young family is gifted the most advanced AI home assistant and things go horribly wrong. Not thematically distant from M3gan (2022) (both residing in the “I hate to type this film title” category), this film makes that one look structurally competent when you consider the number of leaps of faith you have to make with this film. Chris Weitz isn’t new to filmmaking, and I’d expect a better landing than he gives us. The conclusion isn’t just lazy (I would have expected that), but it’s nonsensical in a way that is mean to those of us that made it that far.

• Nosferatu (2024) (Directed by Robert Eggers): ” Professor, my dreams grow darker. Does evil come from within us, or from beyond?” – Ellen Hutter. I have sat on writing my thoughts on this film for longer than just about any other in FTCH history. In a few words, I found it stunning and unforgettable. I will acknowledge that it isn’t for everyone. I know what I’m getting from Robert Eggers after three previous films. I’d worry about the viewer who has no idea what sort of films the man makes before watching this film. My initial reaction was that this was the most faithful adaption of Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897) book. Upon reflection, its story is more faithful, but the powerful visuals owe a huge debt to F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1924) that as a silent film plays almost like a ballet. I’ve heard the misguided comparison to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). It’s a cousin to that film in the way the “love” story unfolds, but that film took notorious leaps with the original material.
  
  I was not surprised to feel like Eggers had done his homework on the villages, language, and customs of the times of the film’s setting. The existence of a vampire doesn’t shock the characters in the film the way you might expect. This is a world where lots of things that happen seem like magic and out of the control of the average person. It is the people with money who act like they have control over their world. Bill Skarsgard is amazing as Count Orlak. Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter is a good choice as the love interest/foil of Orlak. She’s got a vulnerability that doesn’t come across as weakness. The epistolary novel is updated to feel like a fairy tale which lends itself to a more immersive world. That’s how I felt inside the theater, immersed.

Best of the Rest

• I am not going to tell you that this holds a candle to “Bring the Noise.” The Public Enemy 2012 track “WTF” is lyrically lite for them, and the sample of Hoobastank’s “The Reason” is repetitive. I enjoyed it in 2012 and then forgot about it until I got hooked on “The Reason” again this year. Chuck D and Flavor Flav can’t help but make me smile. Do yourself a favor and check out this album, Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamp (2012) because there are even better tracks than this one.

Buy Public Enemy – Most of My Heroes Don’t Appear on No Stamp CD

• Entertainment Weekly (3/28/97): “Best Commercials of All-Time” #37 – Pepsi “Security Camera” (1996): This was the most memorable commercial of the 1996 Super Bowl. The director Joe Pytka would have a great year, also directing Space Jam (1996). It’s a one-joke ad, but it’s a good joke. The use of Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” is the cherry on top. I don’t like Pepsi, but this one is well played.

• I was as affected by the lose of David Lynch this year as I was by that of David Bowie in January of 2016. My film interests were influenced by his early films like Blue Velvet (1986). He changed my expectations of television shows with Twin Peaks (1990). He was an artist in the true definition of the word. His works in the advertising world were as groundbreaking as anything else he did, including this PS2 advertisement from 2000.

Sunday Morning Tuneage Flashback

• On the Sunday Morning Tuneage from 6/4/2007 to 7/12/2009, I ranked my 100 Favorite Films of All-Time. I did one per week with the arbitrary rule that they had to air on television that upcoming week. It ended up being a pretty representative list in retrospect. A few were ranked out of order, but I stick with that list for that point in my life. The stats check out.
  
  6 – Alfred Hitchcock films.
  5 – Steven Spielberg films.
  4 – Stanley Kubrick films.
  4 – Billy Wilder films.
  
  I’m going to attempt the impossible over the next 20 weeks. I’m going to use that old list as a template and rank five films a week, without planning it all out ahead of time. Remember, these are “favorite” and not necessarily “best” movies. Enjoy critiquing me along the way.
  
• FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2009)
  • 100.  Fist of Fury (1972)
  • 99.  Rushmore (1998)
  • 98.  Diva (1981)
  • 97.  You Only Live Twice (1967)
  • 96.  The Conversation (1974)
• FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL-TIME (2025)
  • 100. Run, Lola, Run (1998) (Directed by Tom Tykwer): Style over substance wins rarely, but it works for me here.
  • 99. The Breakfast Club (1985) (Directed by John Hughes): This came out my Senior year in high school and you think it won’t be one of my favorites?
  • 98. Metropolis (1927) (Directed by Fritz Lang)
  • 97. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) (Directed by Sidney Lumet)
  • 96. The Princess Bride (1987) (Directed by Rob Reiner): The first film that makes it because it’s a “favorite” more than a “best” type of film.

1975 in Review

• January – Daredevil #117 (Marvel): Cover by Gil Kane and John Romita. Written by Chris Claremont and Steve Gerber. Art by William Robert Brown. I can’t claim to have had any interest in the character in 1975. These were the days that I spent long periods of time reading comics at the newsstand. Daredevil and Black Widow are facing off against the Owl. I’m still in 1967 with my reading of classic Daredevil collections, but I’m planning on following through this era too.
• January 28 – Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown debuted on CBS as the 13th animated special featuring the Peanuts characters. Nominated for an Emmy, this would air annually on television from 1975-2020.
• January 20 – Sports Illustrated: Super Bowl IX was played on January 12, 1975 in front of 80,997 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The first half was a 2-0 thriller with Pittsburgh scoring the first safety in Super Bowl history. The final score was the Pittsburgh Steelers first Super Bowl victory over the Minnesota Vikings, 16-6. Franco Harris ran for 158 yards (a Super Bowl record) and Terry Bradshaw passed 9/14 for 96 yards.

What the Hell Did I Put in My Mouth?

“I’m sorry that I hurt you
It’s something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears” – Hoobastank

Stay hard.

Shawn