I SAW DEAD CITY: SEASON 3

At first, The Walking Dead: Dead City, Season 3 left me muddled. It didn't seem western-esque like the prior seasons. It felt rather patchworked, in fact, and thus, lacked focus. The idea of letting any outside faction enter Manhattan was too risky for the sake of the calamity it would bring, and once it arrived, it fizzled in the worst, allegorical way. (As far as Maggie's bold invite went, it's as if she'd never heard of that Monroeville Mall incident and the biker army that assaulted it, and well, you get my drift.😉)

Then there was that alternate-reality, Carnival of Souls, dark-Christmas installment, "Genesis." I can't deny that it enthralled me, if only for its uniqueness, and it was even sugared up by Emily Kinney's song-bird Beth, but at the end of the post-apocalyptic day, the insert was too disjointed for the time it lasted. I'm still trying to follow its intent, beyond the reveal that Negan despises pedophiles, and I sure won't fault him for that.  

Things turned around big time, though, in Episode 7: "Hourglass," where Dillard switches from a zombie-lovin' Festus into a take-charge, ex-cop antagonist, intent on killing his once-buddy, Negan and anyone else who got in the way. Man, the standoff proved to be pure Peckinpaugh.

The character interaction no doubt helped Episode 7, 8 and 9's final-blow impact, but in all sincerity, for the sake of the season's entirety, everyone was tiptop, no matter the snags: Raul Castillo's Luis (an honorable, would-be Glenn); Amiee Garcia's Renata (a respectable, Maggie proxy); Logan Kim's Hershel (a decent, lad, if ever there was); Folake Olowfoyeku's Trader (cut straight from the Trash Queen's cloth, though nowhere near as greedy); Jimmi Simpson's aforementioned Dillard (a multi-dimensional Ed Gein: sardonic for the longer haul, but unhinged when it did count; "Tenebrae" displayed it in spades); and it was swell to see Zeljko Ivanek's Croat back (though I'd have liked more of him than the mere, come-and-go shot we got).

Of course, Lauren Cohan's Maggie and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Negan are the glue that kept it all together, whether testing each other's loyalty or conversing like fledgling friends in their "serene," Big Apple reverie. I suppose their strained relationship (even if it's always been hard for me to wrap my head around) hit the offbeat mark enough to make their implausible bond acceptable. 

I should rewatch Season 3, now that I know how it culminates. I bet I'd still find it uneven, but hey, a rousing payoff can make all the difference with any bumpy ride. Dead City's third round more than entrenched it, and I imagine showrunner Seth Hoffman deserves a good chunk of the credit in that respect. Oh, and contrary to all the agitating, know-it-all bull, this may not be the end of Dead City, even if an official renewal has yet to be confirmed. (Perhaps NY's Comic-Con will seal the deal or at least toss fans a promising bone to gnaw on.) 🧟

WISE WORDS:

 

I SAW THE DOG STARS

Director/producer Ridley Scott's The Dog Stars, scripted by Mark L. Smith (with contributions from Christopher Wilkinson), based on Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel, offers a rekindling of the regret, guilt and fear that sprung from our maddening, COVID years, perhaps made more unsettling in light of recent revelations. 

By its nature, such a tale can't be cheerful, and in the case of Dog Stars, it's not, but it's adventurous in a semi-modern-western way, referencing the dismal yet epic ambiance of Ravagers (that wee, underrated, Richard Harris gem), A Boy and his Dog, Damnation Alley, Ark II, Planet Earth, Maggie, The Book of Eli, The Rover and The Postman, with oodles of The Andromeda Strain, 12 Monkeys and Outbreak to stress its backdrop cause and effect.

Leading the tale is a supply-pilot/mechanic named Hig, played by Jacob Elordi, and an ex-Marine named Bangley, played by Josh Brolin. Guy Pearce's Pops, a seasoned rancher, and his medic daughter, Margaret Qualley's Cima, join the starry-eyed cause, helping to track a vague, radio transmission that references a spot called Grand Junction. 

For the record, the movie's title alludes to the dog-themed stars (of which Sirius is the brightest and therefore, the one that implies the most shepherding hope), but the label more so represents the metaphorical Jasper, Hig's dog (enacted by Raksha), who's accompanied his master through a monstrous virus (of unknown origin) that took Hig's wife (Sai Bennett). The steadfast bond between man and dog (met by Hig's allegorical interest in the guiding, heavenly bodies) inspires a sense of purpose, which includes the need to connect with others on a larger, social scale (something the strange signal might deliver). 

Though our protagonists persevere with the best intent, it's the Reapers (Native American-imprinted marauders), who propose a constant threat. (Sounds rather like certain factions that dare to defile our cities today.) Due to the surrounding disarray, the situation could default to an intrinsic quest more than an external one, since traditional escape isn't practical.  

No matter the means or variables, the precious need to survive (in any locale) is Dog Stars' ultimate outcome, along with finding love, which blossoms between Hig and Cima, blanketed as it is by Scott's contemplative style and Erik Messerschmidt's pleasing cinematography. However, it's the characters who make the concept click. 

Abetting the leads are Benedict Wong and Allison Janey, springing from opposite ends of the story's eclectic spectrum. They're nuanced enough so that, if Dog Stars had been an ongoing series, they'd have flavored its bridges, and in compact form, they can't help but excel when their turns emerge, enough to make one yearn for more than is shared. 

From what I've heard, some advance viewers have compared Dog Stars to a Mad Max chapter, but it doesn't strike me that way. It doesn't have Max's fierce, distinguishing fuel (despite a few edgy, action sequences), and that's fine. Star Dogs is meant to be confined and more often than not, relaxed in its entrenched execution. In other words (and for better or worse), Dog Stars' tone is grounded: meaning it holds only minimal levity (often delivered by Bangley), matched by an out-of-left-field, surreal, airport sequence and of course, the aforementioned stars' abstract lure, which depending on how the wind blows, could result in either salvation or a hellish nowhere. (The concept reminds me of Logan's Run's "outside" realm. Few know what it holds, but it draws curiosity.) 

Though it felt a tad too juxtaposed at times, I nevertheless found Dog Stars engaging, even with its too-close-for-comfort, pandemic reminders. It's also far from great. That's fine, too. Not every movie needs to knock it out of the park, and not every post-apocalyptic saga needs to be a redefining classic. Dog Stars falls somewhere in the respectable middle. It's captivating enough to help one pass the time, so even if one skips its scenic, IMAX run, it should in the least prove useful for a homebound, rainy afternoon. 

WISE WORDS:

 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: ELVIS & THE DUKE

 

SO LONG, NEIL SEDAKA

You were an icon of the late 1950s, who plowed through the 1960s to become an icon of the 1970s and thereafter, an emblematic singer/songwriter for all time.  

Your tunes were always catchy and memorable, identifiable and touching: "Laughter in the Rain," "Calendar Girl," "Oh! Carol," "Bad Blood," "Next Door to an Angel," "Happy Birthday Sweet 16," "Stupid Cupid," "La terza luna (Waiting for Never)," "Solitaire" ... and "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" (both versions: one fast, one slow, and each a hit). And let's not forget your collaborations with Howard Greenfield, "Love Will Keep Us Together," which became the big, breakout tune for Captain and Tennille, and the theme for "Where the Boys Are," sung by the incomparable Connie Francis, as well as your sentimental team-up with Carole Bayer, "When Love Comes Knockin' at Your Door," composed for the Monkees. For the record (pun intended), your excellent, piano playing really enlivened good ol' Bobby Darin's pop classic, "Dream Lover." 

You gave us nostalgia, joy and memories to last many lifetimes over and then some, Mr. Sedaka. You were also one of those genuine, down-to-earth guys, which is all part of your humble legend ... a legend that has come to define and uplift so many of us, and for that, how can we not be grateful? 

WISE WORDS:

 

WISE WORDS:

CODEX OF PLEASURE AND PAIN: TALES & MUSIC INSPIRED BY CLIVE BAKER'S HELLRAISER

Raffaele Pezzella's Eighth Tower Publications is about to unleash another Dark Fiction, literary curation, along with an audio counterpart. One is called Codex of Pleasure and Pain: Stories Inspired by Clive Barker's Hellraiser and the other, Codex of Pleasure and Pain: A Sonic Tribute to Clive Barker's Hellraiser. 

The literary volume's in-the-style-of fables are delivered by Eighth Tower's trusty, in-house crew: Chris McCauley (also the anthology's editor), Edwin J. Buja, Michael F. Housel, Nora Peevy, Paolo L. Bandera, RDJ Armstrong, Scott J. Couturier and Simon Bleaken.

Each tale taps an element of Barker's Cenobite eroticism, pushing the boundaries of sanity, while grazing sensuality. There's no question that Barker fans will be tantalized by the inspired results. 

The audio tribute will stimulate in the same impressive manner, rendered by some of the most expressive artists in the business. Their contents are featured below, with the artists listed on the left and their tracks on the right: 

1) SELENI ... Beyond the Veil of Torment

2) Sonologyst + vAaristyma ... Echoes of Ecstatic Pain

3) Phillipe Blanche ... Relevatory Signs from the Underworld

4) Grey Frequency ... Demons to Some, Angels to Others 

5) 400 Lonely Things ... A Score to Settle (For Stephen Thrower)

6) Paolo L. Bandera ... Voce Cenobita Incandescente

7) phoanogramma ... seduction of pain

8) Kokum ... My voice fades away in the mystery cube

9) Mario Lino Stancati ... Circus of Pleasure and Pain

10) Nerthus ... Sweet Flesh

11) vAaristyma ... Lord of Labyrinths 

The Codex of Pleasure and Pain book and sonic salute can be preordered at 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/codex-of-and-to-140259062?utm_campaign=patron_engagement&utm_source=post_link&post_id=140259062&utm_id=f330e0ef-659c-483e-a8a9-93ad39b06fbe&utm_medium=email

Keep in mind: The Codex combo holds a demonic draw that would put any Lament Configuration to shame. You've been warned!