Severence, Pluribus, Keeper, and art

KEEPER

I've been right into everything I've seen from Oz Perkins. I've been fully on board since The Blackcoat's Daughter. He makes movies that I enjoy engaging with. Some more than others, but still, I'm into everything he does. It works for me. He hasn't let me down yet.

Keeper I wasn't sure about until the end. I spent a good chunk of the movie feeling like we were spinning our wheels a bit. There was a lot of repeating concepts being explored, but once it was over, in retrospect, it kind of all makes sense.

Most of all, we're dealing with a powerhouse acting job from Tatiana Maslany, who is not only delightfully charming in general but also a very good actress. In this, there's a scene where she's very, very good. I hope her performance in this gets recognized by audiences as one of the great Women in Horror performances.

If you've seen any Oz Perkins movie, aside from The Monkey (which was more comedy than anything), then you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting into. It's a slow burn, bizarre nightmare of a movie that I went into completely blind, having not seen any trailers or read any reviews, and that made a difference too. So it's a recommendation from me, with the caveat that if you didn't care for any of Oz's other movies, then it might not be for you.

PLURIBUS

So I was hesitant to start Pluribus. Like Keeper, I went into it knowing nothing more than the creator and star. I knew nothing about the show's premise or even its genre.

I was pleased to discover that, once you get through the first episode, it becomes a very smart, very compelling science fiction show. The kind of thing Rod Serling or Richard Matheson or even that notorious grump Harlan Ellison would have been right into.

Without getting too much into the premise, it's a thoughtful, intelligent exploration about what we're willing (or not) to give up of ourselves for convenience. Is it worth sacrificing what makes you you for the sake of saving the world for humanity?

It's a tricky question to ponder, and these first three episodes have done a fantastic job of working that question through. Or starting to, anyway.

Now, they're only three episodes in, and it could completely crash and burn, but I don't expect it to. I trust Vince Gilligan, and I love what I've seen so far. The first episode does a LOT of setting up without really explaining much, but once you're into the second episode, it's up and running. Highly recommended.

SEVERENCE

So I'm obviously late to the Severence game. I watched the first episode when it came out, and I didn't feel like I had it in me to dive that deeply into my own sense of self. Now that I've started Pluribus and am experiencing the old weekly wait for new episodes, I need something cerebral to fill the gap between Fridays, when new eps drop. So I picked up Severence again, and boy am I glad I did.

It's fantastic. We finished season one and just started season two, and we're fully on board. Among the many positive qualities of this show, my favorite is the utilization of fantastic character actors. Nobody on this show is a leading star, not for lack of charisma, ability, or looks, but because they have such diversity in their portrayals that they naturally fall into those interesting character explorative roles.

It's just a host of interesting faces and voices. I love it.

The ideas behind the show, like Pluribus, are deep, complex, and sometimes difficult to explore — questions about identity, trauma, grief, and how we process pain in our lives. I'm looking forward to finishing this season. I know that Gwendoline Christie is coming up this season, and I'm beyond excited for her to show up, because she's the best.

Art stuff

Been drawing more Cinematic Faces and that's been fun. Added some more to the gallery! Some new, mostly old

I've also got my commissions on sale for $50 if anyone wants a digital portrait! I can draw anyone you like, as long as I have a good reference to work from. That includes celebrities, pets, family... whatever you need, we can make it work!

And if you want a print, we can do that too!

Anyway, that's it for now, talk to you soon!

PS

For those of you who read this in their email and not on the website, I apologize for the spelling errors every week. I end up catching them after I hit post EVERY TIME