Wow, it's been ages since I wrote anything on my blog. The reason is actually pretty simple: I got a job. I've been working as a teacher for the last year. Indeed, my life has changed such that "northwest generalist" doesn't effectively describe where I am or what I want to write about anymore. So … Continue reading Don’t Worry! I’m Still Alive and Writing
Quarantined Review – The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
I've tried to write this review several times over the year or so since I've started this blog. At first, I wanted to delay the writing it of because if I started by writing a review of my favorite book, then where would I go from there? I figured that I would hold off on … Continue reading Quarantined Review – The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Quarantined Review – Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness
A Note From your Author: Hello! Sorry it's been forever since I wrote anything. Between grad school and the ever present job hunt, I've been busy. I've tried a few times, but nothing ever stuck. Until. Well...this. I have no idea how to begin writing this review. I'll start by saying that I very rarely … Continue reading Quarantined Review – Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness
So, Portland, Why Roses?
Well, it's that time of year again. Between May 24th and June 9th, the city of Portland, Oregon celebrated the annual Portland Rose Festival. Many folks observed the celebration by watching the famously floral Rose Parade, the second largest in the country. Others indulged in concerts, and other events through the two weeks. Come June … Continue reading So, Portland, Why Roses?
Heroes in Crisis – The Act of Talking
Author's Note: I didn't mean for both of my first two comic book pieces to cover the work of Tom King, but here we are I suppose... Event comics are tricky things. In one regard, they're the primordial soup of the modern superhero film. For instance, while most of Avengers: Endgame was an original story, … Continue reading Heroes in Crisis – The Act of Talking
Book Review: Fire and Blood by George RR Martin
"But it worked out all right for you, didn't it? It always does. If you were dice, you'd always roll sixes. Gods help the little people who are around when a big destiny is alive in the world, bending every poor bugger around itself... "- Terry Pratchett (by way of Samuel Vimes)A Song of Ice … Continue reading Book Review: Fire and Blood by George RR Martin
Television Review – Star Wars: Visions (season 2)
A Note from the Author: I'm trying something different here, and doing a running review of this series as I watch through it. May the 4th is unofficially Star Wars Day. Part of that is because of the clever wordplay. "May the Fourth be with you," and "beware the Revenge of the Fifth," sound an … Continue reading Television Review – Star Wars: Visions (season 2)
Movie Review – John Wick 4 (and the entire franchise I guess)
As a teacher who is tentatively inching towards his journeyman years, I'm starting to build up a rolodex of student archetypes. After teaching for a few years you learn to find folks who take on roles like "The Wannabe Class Clown," "The Oddly Sincere Outsider" or simply "Brilliant but Lazy." But one of my favorite … Continue reading Movie Review – John Wick 4 (and the entire franchise I guess)
Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania Review
So Marvel does this thing every January where they release a single one-off issue that serves as like a combination thesis statement and sizzle reel for the upcoming year in comics. This year’s was titled Timeless and it was written by Jed McKay, a rising star at the publisher. The story focuses on an established … Continue reading Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania Review
Department of Truth – Subjective Reality in the Modern Age
An FBI agent attends a Flat Earth Convention. He's a special agent who specializes in online conspiracy theories, so he's morbidly curious. He wants to see his subjects in their element. While he's there, he's spotted and recognized by one of the richest men in America who graciously invites him to a "private event" going … Continue reading Department of Truth – Subjective Reality in the Modern Age
Film Review – Strange World
Author's Note: I thought my next review was going to be of Avatar 2, but come on. You don't need me to tell you about that. King James Cameron is the best in the world at his exact brand of go-for-broke, earnest blockbuster filmmaking. Go see it. I did not see Disney's newest animated feature, … Continue reading Film Review – Strange World
“Remember this: Try” – How Andor Uses Monologues
So how good was Andor right? In a television where all eyes (including mine) were on Amazon's Rings of Power and HBO's House of the Dragon, Andor came out of nowhere. Smartly written, beautifully acted and with production design that deserves all the awards, this show immediately established itself as one of the best, if … Continue reading “Remember this: Try” – How Andor Uses Monologues
Movie Review – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
So I've been reading/listening to this book called Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind. It's a pretty gossipy tell-all piece of nonfiction about the rise of New Hollywood in the late 60s through to the 70s. Listening to that book has certainly been enlightening in some respects. But so far my main takeaway is … Continue reading Movie Review – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Nice House on the Lake – True Millennial Horror
The Theory of Generations is a term coined in a 1928 essay of the same name by Hungarian sociologist Karl Mannheim. The theory, which like any theory in sociology, psychology or...pretty much any social -ology, is limited but in brief it basically describes a "generation" as being a cohort of people who develop relationships and … Continue reading The Nice House on the Lake – True Millennial Horror
Star Wars: Andor – First Impressions
Welcome back to Midlands Generalist, the blog where we talk about currently airing genre TV. That's our brand now. That's what happens here. Oh well, at least it sort of motivates me to get stuff out in a timely manner. Anyway, this week we're talking about Andor, the newest Star Wars streaming series out of … Continue reading Star Wars: Andor – First Impressions
The One Part of the Rings of Power that Bugs Me
So there's this article from a satirical news site called Clickhole. It came out four years ago but it keeps coming up on social media. Like a lot of these joke articles, I get the feeling that very few people have actually read the piece, but the headline is clever enough that the article was … Continue reading The One Part of the Rings of Power that Bugs Me
Midlands Generalist 