When I restarted this column last month I felt so good. It was wonderful to have a creative rush and finally get the albatross of a six month writer’s block off my back.
Of course my schedule didn’t allow for much writing — but this week has been a strong one as this is my third piece! That’s right, meat’s back on the menu! (That’s a reference only my fellow Lord of the Rings fans will get. We still exist right?)
I’m excited to share this month’s column because there’s just been so much cool stuff to share with you all. Also, it’s Halloween and I love Halloween. Oh, I do not love horror movies (I can appreciate and enjoy a select few), so you’re not getting any good recs from me there. However, you CAN check out Mutilator 2 — which Pop Break’s Ann Hale produced!
Don’t worry I have one rad pick for Halloweenfor you … and your family. I’m a dad, so it’s my job to find content that’s spooky and fun, but not that scary. So I hope you enjoy these picks and next we see each other in this column, it’ll be time for Christmas!
So, I Read Comics Now: I never thought I’d ever get back into reading comics again, but thanks to the Bill vs. The MCU Podcast, I find myself completely enamored with the world of comics again. It’s also no secret that I am a gigantic fan of Guardians of the Galaxy. The second and third films made me weep like a child and I can watch them over and over without every tiring of them. So obviously, I dove headfirst into the Guardians comics. But without knowing where to start with them, I decided to pick up collections graphic novels that encapsulate major storylines and events. The one I’m going to talk about is written by Donny Cates and it is my favorite type of comic — a big team-up arc littered with a million different characters, brawls across the galaxy and a big dog that came travel thought space and time.
The book is just titled Guardians of the Galaxy encompasses issues 1-12 and the annual of his Guardians’ run. The book takes kicks off at Thanos’ funeral, post Infinity Wars, where his brother Starfox/Eros presents a video address from The Mad Titan which reveals he’s implanted his consciousness into someone allowing him to rise again. Every thing goes sideways and the story deftly bounces around the galaxy to involve Quill and Groot coming to terms with the departures of Rocket and Gamorra and being joined by a host of newcomers including Beta Ray Bill. Somehow Hela, Thanos’ Black Order, Silver Surfer, the Dark Guardians, Lockjaw, Ghost Rider, The Universal Church of Truth (and a host of characters featured below) get involved. It’s a super compelling, action-packed book that’s an easy pick-up for those who are used to the Guardians films, those old heads who have a little knowledge of the Infinity saga in the early ’90s as well as seasoned comic readers. This is a GREAT pick-up.
Oh the Random Things You’ll Hear: This the name of my ever-evolving Spotify playlist that was created back in 2011 (currently at 2,622 songs). Every month I’m going to give you some recent cuts from this list that I’ve added that are in heavy rotation…
*”Magenta Mountain” – King Gizzard & The Lizzard Wizard: One of the best named bands of all-time have created an anthem that really trips into the ether. Part Broken Bells, part Tame Impala, this definitely is left turn from old school King Gizz tracks, but definitely fits in the weird and wonderful music of this band from down under.
*The Other Side – The Sextones: The trend of the soul, funk, R&B and MoTown throwback sound packaged in a big, fun party-type band is one I greatly enjoy. The Nevada-based band has produced an absolutely wild toe-tapper with “The Other Side.” Definitely a great one for a party.
*Bag It Up – Oasis: My Socially Distanced Podcast co-host (sorta) Al Mannarino has extolled the virtues of Oasis to me for as long as I’ve known him. I was a denier of this notion. I was never into them when I heard to them in their prime. However, thanks to the Gallagher brothers’ solo projects, I’ve come become more of a fan of Oasis than when they dominated my airwaves in the ’90s. “Bag It Up” is a pretty deep cut but it’s a wonderful loud, clanging, driving bruiser with wonderful hooks and vocals.
*Stranger Things Theme – Bacao Rhythm & Steel: Thanks to my brother Victor Reyes for this one. He turned me onto Bacao Rhythm & Steel over the summer when we were listening to their various throwback hip-hop covers at a cabin in PA. It’s wild to hear the steel drum versions of Jay-Z’s “P.I.M.P.” but it’s just as wild to hear the Stranger Things set to the king of Caribbean instruments. What makes it even more is the fact this band is GERMANY. Yeah, not the Caribbean, GERMANY.
*Ace of Spades – Eli “Paper Boy” Reed: This is one of the most bat-shit crazy covers ever. Motorhead’s iconic heavy metal anthem is transformed into a gritty, bluesy jam with howling, gospel-like vocals. Upon first listen, it wasn’t apparent this was a Motorhead cover, but it did (lyrically) feel very familiar. Once I discovered it was a cover of the almighty Lemmy’s biggest song, I was absolutely floored. A must, must listen.
Reeeee-Watch: Disney’s Haunted Mansion – I know it’s annoying that a lot of the stuff I talk about on Socially Distanced and Bill vs. The MCU as well as what I write about on the site can be found on Disney+. But, as a dad, it’s the streaming site I find myself on the most whether I want to be there or not (and 99% of the time I want to be there).
However, I’d remiss this Halloween season if I did not put over the Disney’s 2023 version of The Haunted Mansion. This is their second attempt at cinematizing (not a word) the legendary ride — with the first being the 2003 version starring Eddie Murphy. Don’t remember that one? It’s not the best (nor the worst).
This go-around the film is written by Katie Dippold (a fellow Rutgers journalism alum) who penned The Heat with Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy. The cast is filthy boasting LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddison, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jared Leto.
On paper, and even after you watch the trailer, Haunted Mansion looks like an absolute dud of a movie. However, this version of Haunted Mansion has way more heart and emotion than it has any right to have. It deals with the trauma and heartbreak of loss extremely well and grief is the motivation for several characters and the impetus for a huge plot twist. The film is also genuinely spooky and yet still finds a way to retain an air of fun and whimsy. Definitely check this out before Halloween passes us by.
Of Course, Wrestling: Bryan Danielson, Ladies & Gentlemen. I have been watching Bryan Danielson wrestle for 20+ years. I was there at the Murphy Rec Center in South Philly when he wrestled for the original Ring of Honor. I’ve watched him on the first season of NXT, I watched him get the Yes Movement over, and I’ve watched him during his AEW run. He is legitimately one of the best wrestlers in the world — but sometimes we all taken that for granted.
However, in 2023 the man has put on a mind-boggling run of amazing matches. His Iron Man Match with MJF was an all-timer. His match Zack Sabre Jr. and Okada make me yearn for this return to New Japan. Plus, he’s had incredible matches with Swerve Strickland, Andrade, Ricky Starks, Rush, Timothy Thatcher, Bandido and Takeshita. It’s beyond fathomable that a man with all his injuries (including fracturing his arm this year), and all the miles on his wheels can go at a level that is above and beyond what he’s already done in his Hall of Fame career.
However, if I am to recommend a recent one — go watch his match from Collision with Christian Cage for the TNT Title. It’s just an absolutely perfect crystallization of why he (and Cage) are at the top of the wrestling mountain. There’s drama, action, intrigue, and high emotion. WRESTLING!
And Now For Something Completely Different: It’ll be our first-ever full family pop culture Halloween this year as the whole family is dressing up.
I’ll be Peter B. Parker this year and my wife will finally dress up, and with her new haircut she’s going to be Velma (keep your minds out of the gutter). My daughter, after six months of stressing out, finally decided she wanted to be Ahsoka for Halloween. As someone who’s loved Star Wars for most of my life, I am absolutely stoked for this. Sophie does enjoy Star Wars, but it’s usually the rides at Disney or the toys. However, Ahsoka really grabbed her eye. So I figured I’d talk about the series, which I podcasted at length about this fall, because of this. It’s awesome to see my daughter be drawn to this show, not just because it’s fun and cool, but because most of the lead characters are women. Ahsoka, Hera and Sabine all captivate her, and she gets so into watch the showing — the same way she was really into Rey when she was a wee lass and watched The Force Awakens with me.
