I’ve started a new podcast – for real this time – where I will be interviewing emerging artists ranging from musicians to authors as well as interesting people like brewers or comic shop owners. Its name is Internal Review. You can click the above image to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
[spoilers for all of the Harry Potter series, including the new play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to follow]
The Cursed Child is a meandering disappointment that uses one of the series’ least favorite McGuffin – time travel – as a central plot element. By the end of reading the two-part play, I felt bewildered and as if none of it even mattered.
Lives change when five suburban kids discover a dead superhero in the woods outside of their neighborhood. Plutona is a five-issue limited series by Jeff Lemire and newcomer Emi Lenox, who is also the artist. It starts off earnestly: Best friends Mie Diane are often annoyed by Mie’s younger brother Mike. There’s also Ray, the resident badass who grew up with a tough home life. They all come crashing together one afternoon when they come across Teddy as he peers through binoculars ‘capespotting.’
[spoilers for the premiere episodes of Mr. Robot, Stranger Things, and The Night Of to follow]
Summer TV used to be a joke. But now there really isn’t the traditional cycle of television anymore. Sure, there are still the heavy hitters released in the fall, but thanks to streaming services and premium cable, seasons don’t matter anymore. Three terrific shows had premieres this week: the second season of Mr. Robot, the entire first season of Stranger Things, and the miniseries The Night Of. They’re three shows you’re going to have to treat yourself to this summer.
Literature in 2016 has been so high caliber that it was hard to narrow this list down to just five. However, there have been some that I have have been constantly suggesting to friends more than others, and once I realized that creating this list was easier said than done. The novels range from transcendent debuts to gut wrenching looks into the human psyche. They all have one thing in common: poignant prose, intriguing structure, and supreme characters that you won’t soon forget.
Check out the list below:
We’re halfway through 2016 and that means every pop culture site is going to make a “Best of 2016 (So Far)” type of post. I respect them. They help me catch things I may have missed. I also like to do one for my friends to enjoy. However, I never claim my list has the “best” of anything. Just my favorites, because I can admit something that isn’t meant to be a pinnacle of pop culture is my favorite. Like School of Rock being one of my Top 5 Recommended Films and Casablanca isn’t listed. Savvy?
I never knew what the “cool” music was. While boys were jamming to Blink-182, I was bopping to NSYNC. When it seemed like everyone was listening to the hottest rap track, I was into the deep cuts on The Killers’ Hot Fuss (okay, maybe that was cool, but it didn’t seem it at the time). Whenever I tell someone my favorite band is Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s they go, “Never heard of her.” I think I have a couple of mainstream albums that have been my favorite this year though. So that’s new.
Now for the list:
We’re halfway through 2016 and that means every pop culture site is going to make a “Best of 2016 (So Far)” type of post. I respect them. They help me catch things I may have missed. I also like to do one for my friends to enjoy. However, I never claim my list has the “best” of anything. Just my favorites, because I can admit something that isn’t meant to be a pinnacle of pop culture is my favorite. Like School of Rock being one of my Top 5 Recommended Films and Casablanca isn’t listed. Savvy?
This year has seen some of the best television ever in existence: Game of Thrones or Orange is the New Black to name a few. Those aren’t on my list, though. They’re maybe the “best” but my heart belongs elsewhere. Before I get into the list, I want to give a shoutout to the Marnie/Charlie episode of Girls. “A Panic in Central Park” was technically a bottle episode of a love it or hate it type of show, but it was more so an extremely well done short film. If you don’t watch Girls read Wikipedia to learn about the characters and then watch that episode.
Now for the list:
It’s no secret that I love women writers. I’m so happy this list includes five books were written by all females (well, one was co-written by a gay man). This list includes a “young adult” novel – gasp – a beachy-read, and a few high literary hitters every book lover needs add to their list.
My love affair with comics comes and goes. Part of it probably has to do with my lack of ability to commit to anything. But that’s for a different post and a few more hundreds of dollars worth of therapy.
I digress.
The point is that I randomly picked up Brian K. Vaughan’s (aka: the genius who brought the world Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, The Runaways, of course, Saga, and so much more) Paper Girls in a Barnes and Noble in Tucson, Arizona of all places. The vibrant pink and blue illustration on the trade collection (done by Cliff Chiang) caught my eye.
My mom loves Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She just celebrated her 58th birthday and only likes Glee, Criminal Minds, Bones, and White Collar, but watched all of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with me. We started with season one a few months back and she was desperate for a second season. After trying to explain numerous times how Netflix original series release an entire season on one day, we set time aside to watch a few episodes at a time together.
She loves it so much. The slapstick, the goofiness, the singing. She likes it for how simple it is, which is part of the show’s genius. I, on the other hand, like it for… Well, read the title of this post.
ADAM VITCAVAGE 