2023 Favorite Things in Books, Movies, TV, Podcasts, and Comics
Quick Links: Books, Comics, Documentaries, Movies, Podcasts, Stand-Up Comedy, TV, YouTube
Rather than include another recap here, if you’re interested in True Crime or even looking for resources about crime, I covered a lot of panels from the 2023 Crime Con.
Books:
Let’s start off with what the two lists that should be taking up most of my non-writing and non-yoga time: Books and Comics. I set my GoodReads Challenge to something reasonable considering I am a slow reader and there are also weeks when I don’t feel like reading at all.
| Title | Author | Publisher | Notes |
| The Haunting of Alejandra | V.Castro | RH/Ballantine, Del Rey | full review + podcast |
| How Not to Kill Yourself | Clancy Martin | Knopf/Pantheon/Vintage | full review |
| We’re All in This Together…so Make Some Room | Tom Papa | St. Martin’s Press | full review |
| Rogue Justice | Stacey Abrams | Doubleday Books | full review |
| Moorewood Family Rules | HelenKay Dimon | Avon and Harper Voyager | full review |
| Varina Palladino’s Jersey Italian Love Story | Terri-Lynne DeFino | HarperCollins/William Morrow | full review and podcast |
| Killer Story | Matt Witten | Oceanview Publishing | full review |
| The Game is A Footnote | Vicki Delany | Crooked Lane Books | full review |
| Better Living Through Birding | Christian Cooper | Random House | full review |
| The Puzzle Master | Danielle Trussoni | Random House | full review |
| The League of Lady Poisoners | Lisa Perrin | Chronicle Books | full review |
| Gentle Writing Advice: How to Be a Writer Without Destroying Yourself | Chuck Wendig | Penguin Random House, Writer’s Digest Books | full review |
| The Drift | C.J. Tudor | Random House/Ballantine | full review |
| The Shadow in Our Lives | Tracey Heisler | full review + podcast | |
| Cemetery Stories | Katherine Ramsland | Dey Street Books | some graphic accounts of the many phases and stations of death and the death industry; for fans of Ask a Mortician. |
| California Bear | Duane Swierczynski | Mulholland Books | full review |
Comics:
I didn’t read nearly as many comics as I wanted to. I’m grateful to still be on some press lists so I can provide these recaps and social media shout-outs.
| Sea Serpent’s Heir vol 1 | Mairghread Scott, Pablo Tunica | Skybound-Image | full review posted; Aella begins as the young, innocent hero without any knowledge of who she truly is other than the daughter of a Pirate Queen, Ryana. A zealot church’s army of knights is destroying all the people like her mother and magical pirate family. As the knights chase down the girl who appeared in a prophecy as the one who contains the demon Xir, the girl must make difficult decisions between the love for her family, her original good nature to avoid killing, and her first romantic love. Aella moves from feeling powerless to being like a god. In her attempt to save everyone, she sees that violence is the only way out and death is the only way to stop people from fighting. If Kylo Ren’s story was about a girl and the sea rather than a boy in space, it would be this beautifully rendered book filled with detailed panels and a select muted palette of greens, blues, and reds |
| Scurry vol 1 | Mac Smith | Skybound-Image | full review posted; Humans set off a nuclear weapon and the animals who were far enough away have survived and gained some skills. Very much like The Secret of NIMH. Beautiful art with attention to making each character unique in appearance which isn’t easy with nests of mice and rats, beavers, packs of wolves and angry cats. The story has a lot of action and tension. There are 3 fox sisters who are oracles to the forest animals. The animals pass down the prophecy that the Guardian won’t return until Erebus the Shadow Wolf dies. Two tiny little young mice heroically suss out betrayals, take epic journeys, make new friends and enemies, and eventually save their colony though after many animal deaths. |
| Sea of Thieves: Origins | Jeremy Whitley, Rhoald Marcellius (a), Sakti Yuwono (c) | Titan Comics | narrative stories of characters from the main title; as standard for Whitley, the women have the strong backbones to try anything the men can do which includes sailing, pirating, and running businesses. Is it anti-union or specifically anti-mob union? |
| I Hate This Place vol 1 | Kyle Starks (w/cocreator), Artyom Topilin (a/cocreator), Lee Loughridge (c), Pat Brosseau (L) | Skybound | a lesbian couple inherits a cattle farm that seems to be equally haunted inside by a poltergeist, haunted by a thousand ghosts outside the house, surrounded by a forest of giant alien spiders, AND there’s an armed man who stole a bunch of money trying to kill them so he can find the money his partners stashed |
| Killadelphia (deluxe Year One, 1-12 plus bonus comic Elysium Gardens) |
Rodney Barnes, Jason Shawn Alexander, Luis NCT, Marshall Dillon
|
historical fiction with vampires | |
| Pretty Little Dead Girl | Mercedes Yardley, Orion Zangara | Kickstarter | mystical and magical |
| Twig 1-4 | Skottie Young, Kyle Strahm, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Nate Piekos | Image | Twig is a small blue fuzzy creature who loves to cook. However when his father died, he had to take over his job as a “placeling” which means he is responsible for placing the last gem. He’s accompanied by a slug like friend, Splat. All because Twig woke up late his day, his entire quest is jeopardized. Each step requires making amends before going on. |
| The Big Adventures of Baby Mouse: Once Upon a Messy Whisker | Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm | RH Children’s Books | Babymouse has messy whiskers that get in her way and get made fun of. She learns about the power of making wishes and getting what you asked for. |
| The Black Ghost: Hard Revolution | Alex Segura, Monica Gallagher (w), George Kambadais (a), Marco Finnegan (layouts), Ellie Wright (c), Taylor Esposito (L & design) |
Comixology Originals
|
a tie-in to Segura’s novel about a woman in the comics industry |
| Ten Thousand Black Feathers | Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Dave Stewart, Steve Wands (L&design), Greg Lockard (ed) | Image | Part of The Bone Orchard mythos; not a one-shot; intriguing story told in like a true crime podcast that sucks you in with baby step reveals. |
| Census #1 | Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman (writers/creators), Sebastián Piriz (art & colors), Bernardo Brice (L), Sarah Litt (ed) | Comixology Originals | Funny sit-com type of story about Liam Malone, a Virgin in NYC who takes a job as a census counter for supernatural beings; day one he ends up in the apartment of a succubus family who want to sacrifice him. |
| Earthdivers vol 1: Kill Columbus | Stephen Graham Jones (w), Davide Gianfelice (a), Joana Lafuente (c), Steve Wands (L), Maggie Howell (ed) | IDW | 4 indigenous people in the year 2112 go to a cave that allows one at a time to travel back in time. Tad goes to the ship Nina in 1492. |
| The Closet | James Tynion IV (w), Gavin Fullerton (a), Chris O’Halloran (c), Tom Napolitano (L), Dylan Todd (design), Greg Lockard (ed) | Image | Thom is a screw up of a dad who keeps ignoring responsibilities to his wife Maggie and son Jamie. Jamie is terrified of a monster who comes out of his closet. Moving across the country doesn’t solve it. The story seems like it’s a sci fi where the monster is real, perhaps and alien. But the origin of the nightmares is from when Thom had an affair and kept a box of its mementos in Jamie’s closet. It feels like there should be a clearer ending other than Thom and Maggie keep fighting and Jamie is still scared to death. |
| A Town Called Terror vol 1 | Steve Niles (w), Szymon Kudranski (a), Scott O. Brown (L), Marshall Dillon (L) | Image | Fantastic art! This would be a fantastic monster horror about a man who is half-demon (Henry) returning to his monster only hometown to save his mother. As he battles his father, Lloyd, who keeps returning from the dead, Henry learns his real father is a priest. But supposedly Henry could come and go through the magical boundary of the town yet after fighting Lloyd, he’s stuck. Unless it’s going to be explained, it’s a bug mistake in the plot. |
| Junk Rabbit | Jimmie Robinson | Image | Detailed art that shows the junk city outside the domes as sepia/brown wash; no sun for years; in the domes in earth and in space, the air is so different and clean presumably that people who are accustomed to living in The Sink (junk city) can’t breathe it and vice versa. The dialog and narration is difficult using speculative slang of the year 2198. Consumerism is all that America understands. People have either been implanted with bio-thlinks to network or they remain offline. The Master of the Dome is one of those offline. His irritating, attention seeking son is murdered so Masters sends Det Chela Omina to solve it. Police wear badges of their corporate sponsors. |
| The Keepsakers | (W) Tayson Martindale (CA) Second Rocket Comics | Invader Comics | OGN b/w; fantastically original story about children and their favorite stuffed animals and what happens when people need them the most. |
| Purr Evil | Mirka Andolfo, Laura Braga | Image | Intriguing issue 1 as readers are shown that there’s some kind of magic and strange links between Rita, her daughter Deb, and a supposedly dead rock star named Angela Starr. |
| Breath of Shadows | Rich Douek, Alex Cormack, Justin Birch | IDW | 1968 British rock band includes a lead singer, an addict, who is set on exploring Mayan region to find something an author wrote about in his last book. |
| Cat Fight | Andrew Wheeler (w), Ilias Kyriazis (a), Auguste (i), Dennis Yatras (c), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (L) | IDW | Thief Felix owes a lot of money; his Nana Kitty formerly Kitty Midnight of NYC, is looking to add Felix to the Kit Kat Crime Syndicate, her gang with morality rules. Villain Schrodinger sets Felix up for murder and tips off the Kit Kat Syndicate. |
| Pink Lemonade OGN | Nick Cagnetti | Oni Press | Sweet and innocent story about someone wanting to be a hero |
| Scrapper 1-4 of 6 | Cliff Bleszinski & Alex de Campi (w), Sandy Jarrell (a), Alex de Campi (L), Ryan Kelly & Jordie Bellaire (I2 art) | Image Comics | I had fallen in love with this book about dogs living in a domed city and governed by an evil powerful tech agency (but for some reason no cats exist?) and then in the inspiring letter from Bleszinski, he quotes Louis fucking abuser with privilege CK. This isn’t a naive person outside pop culture. This is a creator of Gears of War and Fortnite who has Broadway credentials as well. This means he consciously chose to include a LCK quote without concern for what people hurt by abusers in Entertainment have done. Otherwise, it really is a great comic. *sigh* |
| Antarctica 1-3 | Simon Birks (w), Willi Roberts (a), Lyndon White (L) | Image Comics | Crisp art and wonderful balance of limited colors to dark ink per page. excellent lettering- didn’t even have to zoom in. Art comes off more realistic with body styles and uniqueness of each character even the duplicates from a parallel universe. If you don’t have “multiverse fatigue,” you might enjoy this one. |
| Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1 | Horvath, Otsmane-Elhaou | IDW | With a storybook art style that looks suitable for children’s books, comes a story of serial killers hiding amongst the anthropomorphic citizens of a small idyllic town. |
| The Addams Family: The Bodies Issue | Zoë Quinn (w), Philip Murphy (p), Philip Murphy & Maria Keane (i), Valentina Pinto (c), Christa Miesner (L) | IDW | Feels like its identical to the first of the animated movies. |
| Con & On 1&2 | Paul Cornell (w), Marika Cresta (a), Paul Little (c), Rob Steen (L) & more | Ahoy Comics | A narrative based look at the differences a white male aspiring writer and his friend a black female aspiring artist get through the first “major” comic con in the 1990s (where Hollywood first appeared). I get why someone might find this nostalgic look back at the first British creators being famous in the US, but the whole first issue felt bitter in a “get off my lawn” way. |
| Devil Water | Mario Candelaria (w), Silver Ferris (a), Scott Ewen (L), James Ferguson (ed) | Kickstarter | Creepy and horrific story of 2 best friends who are demons; the story flashes between World War II & Prohibition. |
| Project: Cryptid | anthology | Ahoy Comics | I liked the Ballroom of Death by Mark Russell (w), Jordi Perez (a), Madeline Seely (c), and Rob Steen (L) |
| Lycan vol 1&2 | Robinson, Donaire, Dominguez, Saavedra, Crugnola, Gabo, Kompan | Hive Head Studios | An Arabian origin of the first werewolf in 8000 BC |
| Blood Tree | Peter J. Tomasi (w), Maxim Šimić (a), John Kalisz (c), Rob Leigh (L) | Image/Mad Ghost | Serial killer out to end the bloodlines of all murderers because he believes violence is genetic; this killer turns innocent people into “angels” by drugging them and stitching wings to them; some of the art is questionable like where are these sutured wings hiding under clothes? It can’t be explained away as magical/divine. Lettering had an interesting effect in a gun fight where the BLAMs were different colors for the shooters – never saw that before and appreciated it. |
| The Holy Roller #1 | Andy Samberg, Rick Remender, Joe Trohman, Roland Boschi, Moreno Dinisio | Image/Giant Generator | Excellent extended first issue showing the rise of Anti-Semitism in the form of a prodigal son, Levi, returning home to Cleveland to see his dying father, a local bowling champion. |
| Parliament of Rooks #1 | Abigail Jill Harding (w/a), Richard Starkings (L) | Comixology | A Gothic romance fantasy as if you combined Cinderella, The Darkness, and forbidden / star-crossed lovers. |
| Shelley Frankenstein: Cowpiggy | Colleen Madden | TopShelf/IDW | Loved it! |
| Rose Wolves | Natalie Warner | TopShelf/IDW | Beyond LOVED IT, count this as a Don’t Miss pick |
| Dracula (Universal Monsters) 1-3 | Tynion, Simmonds | Image | I’ve been a fan of Martin Simmonds for years. The limited palette, staggering lines, and some collage effects make for wildly dramatic pages. Last issue comes out in January 2024. |
| Haunted Girl #1 | Young high school girl is treated for mental illness because she’s actually fulfilling some kind of prophecy. | ||
| Good Comics for Bad People: an extra fabulous collection | Zach M. Stafford | Image | Quick humor, often crude, surprised there are grammar errors like possessives and contractions. |
| Makhno: Ukrainian Freedom Fighter (originally Le Vent des Libertaires) | Philippe Thirault, Roberto Zaghi (a), Annelise Sauvetre (c), Sebastian Gerard (color pg1), Nanette McGuinness (translator), Mark Waid (publisher) | Life Drawn by Humanoids | Fictionalized biography of Ukrainian peasant Nestor Ivanovych Miknienko, an anarchist who rose and gathered an army to fight the Soviets, Germans, Bolsheviks, and White Cossacks (his army was consider Black Cossacks). He became Makhno while in prison. He freed his town to a communal egalitarian and free Huliaipole. This OGN makes the life of Makhno personal and dramatic taking it from his childhood when his mother has no choice but to allow a higher class woman adopt him & his subsequent escape to his first love, second love (his wife), and women with militia skills he puts in charge of certain regiments. His best friend reunites with him in France sent to assassinate him under threat of his own family being killed by Stalin. Stunning art, colors, and lettering with a story that takes the early 20th c revolution to be more than dry text book reading as our 2022-23 Ukraine fights again. |
| The Deadliest Bouquet | Erica Schultz (w&L), Carola Borelli (a), Gab Contreras (1-3 colors), Tom Chu (4-5 colors), James Emmett (ed) | Image | Three deadly sisters with an unusual upbringing have to solve their mother’s murder. |
| Covid Cop | Dean Haspiel | Kickstarter | Fun and weird. Absolutely love the limited palette of purple, pink, blue, and radioactive green. |
| Black’s Myth: The Key to His Heart | Eric Palicki (w), Wendell Cavalcanti (a), Rob Steen (L) & more | Ahoy | Half-werewolf, half-djinn, and now half-demon. A new character is a key figure who is also self identified as the only black girl in her school – there’s no shading to her skin to indicate that. Main character Strummer is biracial and the covers (in color) give a hint at that. Plus the djinn is middle eastern (described with an accent) and should also be shaded. |
| Swan Songs #1 | W. Maxwell Prince (w), Martin Simmonds (a), Good Old Neon (L) | Image Comics | Mostly told through inner thoughts of Brian who needs to appreciate the small good things left in the world as the Doomsday Clock counts down. His mother is dying from kidney failure and Brian reads to her about flowers, those beautiful earthly treasures that no longer exist. I’m a big fan of Simmonds to begin with and his art works well in this story where there’s an abundance of grime, crime, dystopia, depression, with small smattering of love. |
| Kill Your Darlings 1 | Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan, Bob Quinn, John J. Hill | Image | (Newcomers who haven’t published a comic before and got introduced to the right people). For fans of I Kill Giants or stories where kids live so realistically in their imaginations that there’s little separation. |
| Midlife or How to Hero at Fifty | Brian Buccellato (w), Stefano Simeone (a), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (l) | Image | A new book that I’m enjoying since it’s right in my age bracket. |
Documentaries:
I don’t have a favorite documentary series this time around. The ones about murders tend to be directed and scripted the same way. Learning about the Hillsong Church was revealing because I believe that’s why everyone turned against Chris Pratt in “The Chrises” discussions; but after seeing the special, inclusion and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ is discussed and it’s easy to see how one branch plays off as accepting while the HQ was more fire and brimstone.
| Pennywise: The Story of IT | John Campopiano & Christopher Griffiths | Prime | BTS about the villain of IT and a lot about how the actors, screenplay writer, and effects team worked together for the original miniseries. |
|
American Manhunt: Boston Marathon Bombings
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Floyd Russ | Netflix | a great look at how technology from a ton of sources was pulled together to track the bombers |
| Life with Murder | John Kastner | Prime | Mason Jenkins murders his sister and tries to lie about it; his parents stick by him despite all of it |
| I Just Killed My Dad | Skye Borgman | Netflix | story of 17 year old Anthony who killed his abusive father; turns out there was custody battles across states; Anthony doesn’t even remember his mother and sister. |
| Girl in the Picture | Skye Borgman | Netflix | extremely fucked up cases only solved because an author took interest and began investigating |
| Secrets of Hillsong | Stacey Lee | Hulu | miniseries about the hypocrisy of a global evangelical church |
| Ghislaine Maxwell | Maiken Baird & Lisa Bryant | Netflix | nothing surprising about awful people |
| MH-370: The Plane That Disappeared | Louise Malkinson | Netflix | interesting theories presented on the infamous Malaysian airplane disappearance. |
| The Devil on Trial | Chris Holt | Netflix | documentary about the Glatzel family and the Warrens after they were famous already but then created The Conjuring off their story. After the parents died, one of the sons found his mom’s journal where she said she was putting “medicine” in the rest of the family’s food (it was Sominex). |
| How to Become a Cult Leader | a miniseries about the most infamous cult leaders in history but gives no spotlight to today’s cults like the neo-Nazis, evangelism, Scientology etc. | Netflix | more people should see this but the ones who really need to, won’t. |
Movies:
There were a couple of big surprises in the movies I watched. Renfield!! I never thought I’d watch a hot Renfield movie, but this was hilarious. And thanks to a friend, I learned about the cut musical number which is probably on YouTube.
| The Glass Onion | Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, Edward Norton | Netflix | an interesting follow up to Knives Out |
| Prometheus | Ridley Scott film | Hulu | another WTF was that |
| Vengeance | BJ Novak | Prime | unexpected; dark and depressing |
| Red Dragon | Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins | Netflix | why did I do that? |
| Girl in the Basement | Judd Nelson, Stephanie Scott | Lifetime/Hulu | a story so fucked up you can’t imagine what was wrong with the writer – until you discover it was based a true story which was even worse |
| We Have a Ghost | Anthony Mackie, Jahi Di’Allo Winston, David Harbour | Netflix | entertaining |
| Across the Spiderverse | Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld | Marvel | While I do love the stories of these Miles Morales movies, the animation is so flashy and visually difficult that it could cause headaches or seizures |
| Solace | Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish | Prime | psychic helps on a serial killer case |
| The Ritual Killer | Cole Hauser, Morgan Freeman | Hulu | an African witch doctor is hired by a businessman to get more power. It is not worth your time. |
| Barbie | Margo Robbie, America Ferrera, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu | theatre | definitely an enjoyable watch that will piss off a certain kind of man-child |
| Justice League | Affleck, Gadot, Mamoa, etc. | Prime | Aquaman, much as I love him, does not fit into this story. It would’ve been better with Hawkgirl. once the Atlantean bits are over, there’s nothing water related. Very cool that he air surfed to the ground on a parademon though. I don’t think Barry would be so non-confident (in the cartoon he boomed with confidence at missions and flirting). It’s a shame the real body actor of Steppenwolf was not billed next to the voice actor. I surprisingly liked Affleck. Other nitpicking things. Wish it wasn’t so similar to LOTR in plot. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. No idea which “version” I watched. |
| Captain Phillips | Tom Hanks | Netflix | Yeah, it’s about time. I was impressed with the local, non-Hollywood actors; incredible story. |
| DC League of Super Pets | The Rock, Kevin Hart | Prime | weird but entertaining; not how I would have come up with animal partners for all the JL but at least they had diversity. |
| The Pit and the Pendulum | Vincent Price | Prime | I expected more Pendulum to be honest |
| To Catch a Killer | Shailine Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn | Hulu | not worth it |
| Bullet Train | Brad Pitt, Joey King | Netflix | fucking weird; makes me mad that I like Brad Pitt. |
| Renfield | Nicolas Cage, Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina, Ben Schwartz, Shohreh Aghdashloo | Prime | I never expected to love this movie. I was skeptical at the trailers of a sexy Renfield with super powers, but it’s wonderfully cheezy and over the top like Shaun of the Dead. |
| Midnight in the Switchgrass | Emile Hirsch, Bruce Willis, Megan Fox, Lukas Haas | Prime | serial killer movie; another one you could miss and it wouldn’t matter |
| The Batman | Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, John Turturro | Prime | surpringly liked it (hated that Catwoman ski mask though); didn’t even recognize Colin Farrell. |
| Dracula (1931) | Béla Lugosi | Prime | |
| The Tell Tale Heart | Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corri | Prime | |
| The Mummy 2017 | Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella | Netflix | started being feminist that the princess wanted to be the heir since she was first born but then it was all about her chasing a man for love when he wants someone else. |
| The Wolfman | Benicio del toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt | Netflix | I think I fell asleep with this on. |
| The Suicide Squad | Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, Viola Davis | Netflix | gross, sad, gross, sad |
| Mortal Kombat 2021 | Lewis Tan | Prime | |
| Merry Little Batman | Luke Wilson, Yonab Kibreab, James Cromwell | Prime | cute story that basically copies Home Alone but with Damien, Batman, Alfred, and aged supervillains |
| Everything Everywhere All at Once | Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu | Prime | I have to admit, I did not fall in love with this movie the way everyone else seemed to. I loved the cast, but I felt like only the last 15-20 minutes were great. |
| Inception | Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Elliot Page | Prime | wtf was that? |
| A Simple Favor | Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively | Prime | fantastic story of deception; bad soundtrack though |
| Tangled | Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi | Disney+ | I can see why people love this. |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone | Netflix | Even with good stories and actors and f/x, these seem unnecessary. |
| The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone | Netflix |
Podcasts:
I forget to list My Favorite Murder in here. It’s generally reserved for the long car rides to visit family and their shows are rarely less than an hour.
If you’re a crime fiction writer, there are several good options listed here that might help you with procedural questions.
| Breaking Bread with Tom Papa | Tom Papa | PocketCasts | Tom interviews other standup comedians |
| Casefile | mysteriously unnamed host | PocketCasts | deep dives into some of the most gruesome cases you may never have heard about |
| Cops and Writers | Patrick O’Donnell | PocketCasts | very similar to the Writers’ Detective Bureau; interviews with LEO |
| FBI Retired Case File Review | Jerri Williams | PocketCasts | she interviews agents about cases that have been adjudicated; there’s obvious bias that the FBI comes off perfect, but she gives her own history about being a rare black woman in the bureau |
| MBOm Mastering the Business of Yoga | Amanda Kingsmith | PocketCasts | information for yoga teachers and studio managers |
| Redefining Movement | Lara Heimann | PocketCasts | a yoga podcast that typically covers anatomy and physiology better than others, but occasionally gets into pseudoscience |
| Science Vs. | Wendy Zukerman | PocketCasts | tackling an enormous array of topics to compare facts with incorrect information |
| The Connected Yoga Teacher | Shannon Crow | PocketCasts | information for yoga teachers and studio managers |
| The Deck | Ashley Flowers | Stitcher | Reasonably well-made, but takes a lot of liberties trying to force evidence of the 1980s to fit today’s world; they use actors and sound effects (could do without the police sirens!) to reenact conversations; no one they approached for going on the record was cooperative and they’re even caught recording before asking permission; the premise is that the cold case is still cold. With no new information, why dig up painful memories? They have a petition online to urge the authorities to test evidence which isn’t done because new cases take priority daily. |
| The Writers’ Detectives Bureau | Adam Richardson | PocketCasts | one of the interesting resources for writers to get police and other LEO perspectives authentic in their books |
| Working it Out | Mike Birbiglia | PocketCasts | the premise is that the comedians not only give their biographies, but they also hash through stories and jokes that aren’t quite ready for the stage; I like that each guest is asked to name a favorite charity. |
| Yoga Teacher Resource | Dr. Libby Hinsley | PocketCasts | information for yoga teachers and studio managers |
Stand-Up Comedy:
There are few things that will get me in the car for an hour’s drive, but when tickets are affordable and favorite comedians are actually within driving distances, it’s pretty cool to see them.
| Brian Regan (LIVE) | actually got to see in person in PA! | ||
| Iliza Shlesinger | Hot Forever | Netflix | The set Hot Forever that I got to see live in 2022. |
| Vir Das | all the specials on Netflix | Netflix | history lessons with comedy |
| Maija DiGiorgio | Prime | mixed race and joked about stereotypes | |
| Nate Bargatze | Hello World | Prime | his best show yet |
| Erik Terrell | Prime | opens with a transphobic joke then uses R word multiple times. | |
| Kanan Gill | Prime | ||
| Sorabh Pant | Prime | had a hard time understanding him because he spoke so fast | |
| Andrew Santino | Netflix | Warning: admits how homophobic the Catholic church made him; and does a whole skit about Jesus being gay. it was actually funny. Hates all the presidents. Thinks Kamala should be POTUS. Admits comedians can say whatever they want but that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences (brings up Chapelle). | |
| Kathleen Madigan | Hunting Bigfoot | Prime | one of her best shows tied with Bothering Jesus |
| Jimmy O. Yang | Good Deal | Prime | |
| Brad Williams | Fun Size | Prime | |
| Zane Lamprey | Prime | ||
| Kevin Hart | Laugh at My Pain and other specials | Prime | a little bit of BTS docu with a standup performance |
| Zarna Garg | One in a Billion | Prime | she brings an interesting perspective from India and explains/plays into certain stereotypes |
| Zoltan Kaszas | YouTube | ||
| Dan Levy | Lion | Prime | must be a different Dan Levy because I turned it off for not being funny, but it was him, the guy from Schitt’s Creek |
| Zoe Lyons | Entry Level Human | Prime | could not understand her and she bounced around the stage; had to bail. |
| Celeste Barber | Fine, thanks | Netflix | |
| Dylan Brody | Prime | ||
| Todd Barry | Domestic Shorthair | YouTube | quarantine jokes |
| Amy Schumer | Emergency Contact | Netflix | |
| Christian Finnegan | The Fun Part | Prime | |
| Heather McMahan | Netflix | ||
| Kristin Key | Crafty | Prime | |
| David Nihill | Cultural Appreciation | YouTube | |
| Tom Papa | What a Day! | Netflix | I regularly put his shows on to marathon in an evening to find comfort. |
| Jim Gaffigan | Dark Pale | Prime | Lots of talk about diarrhea |
| Josh Gondelman | Prime | ||
| Philip Kopczynski | Prime | good set; a lot of the specials on Prime and YouTube have bad audio; this one wasn’t the worst – some I have to turn off. | |
| Stephen Michael Quezada | Prime | ||
| Shayne Smith: Dry Bar Comedy Double Feature | Prison for Wizards, Alligator Boys, The Animal | YouTube | one of my favorites |
| Kevin Jordan | Prime | ||
| Lizzy Hoo | Prime | sweet but not funny | |
| Lewis Black | Thanks for Almost Dying | Prime | |
| Tommy Little | Pretty Fly for a Dickhead | Prime | self-deprecating and funny as always; this one has a huge sentimental ending |
| Harith Iskander | Netflix | ||
| Wanda Sykes | I’m an Entertainer | Netflix | one of her best |
| Leanne Morgan | I’m Every Woman | Netflix | watched two of her specials and loved her enough to find tickets for 2024 |
| Matthew Jenkins | I Also Have Merch | Prime | |
| Andy Parsons | Prime | ||
| Jared Freid | Netflix | ||
| Jose Sarduy | Cuban Pilot | Prime | hilarious |
| Moody Molavi | Prime | Iranian-born, Tennessee accent, Baptist | |
| Nimesh Patel | Lucky Lefty and other performances | YouTube | |
| Beth Stelling | If You Didn’t Want Me Then | Netflix | she quietly tells stories about growing up and her weird estranged father who feeds raccoons |
| Tom Papa (LIVE) | live | what a great treat to see Tom Papa live especially after getting to review his latest book! | |
| Pete Holmes | I’m Not for Everyone | Netflix | |
| Ralph Barbosa | Cowabunga | Netflix | |
| Karen Morgan | YouTube | ||
| Nore Davis | You Guys Are Done | Prime | |
| Drew Lynch | YouTube | ||
| Gus Tate | Top Gus | YouTube | |
| Mike Birbiglia | The Old Man and the Pool | Netflix | It’s evident how much Birbig’s performances have evolved from casual small stage shows to Broadway productions. |
| Tom Dobrowski | Don’t Eat the Crayons | YouTube | |
| Ali Siddiq | YouTube | ||
| Zainab Johnson | Prime | ||
| Rahn Hortman | YouTube | the kind of jokes where he has to end with “that’s just a joke” |
TV:
As you may know, I do most of my TV viewing as repeat watching. I find comfort in favorite shows and will put them on as background or when I just need to know what’s going to happen without the tension and anxiety of the unknown. There were some wildly entertaining new shows to watch.
| Abbott Elementary | Quinta Brunson | Hulu | always enjoy watching and rewatching |
| Accused | anthology style single episodes | Hulu | amazing! |
| Criminal Minds | created by Jeff Davis | Hulu | A rewatch. I’m still looking for that spin off. |
| FUBAR | Arnold Schwartzenegger, Fortune Feimster | Netflix | Arnold’s character Luke is inconsistent with his daughter. Within an episode he’ll want her to breakup with her fiance but tell the guy to fight for her. The show is directed in a strange way. It feels like an ending about a quarter way through then kicks into a clear new action which ends in mid scene and that picks up in the next ep. |
| Inside Job | Lizzy Caplan, Clark Duke, Christian Slater | Netflix | created by Shion Takeuchi satire cartoon about a secret cabal running the world. |
| Jack Ryan: Final Season | John Krasinski, Mike Kelly, Michael Pena | Prime | the best season and it’s the last! |
| Law & Order: SVU | Mariska Hargitay | Hulu | Finally getting to this; interesting to see there may be a group of 4-5 cops on a special unit that give a shit about the victims |
| Loki | Tom Hiddleston | Disney+ | all time traveling nonsense ending with Loki forming the Tree of Life instead of being the God of mischief. not a great season. |
| Masters of the Universe: Revelation s1 | Kevin Smith | Netflix | For the most part, I liked it but there was unnecessary sexual innuendo because of course, it’s a Kevin Smith production. |
| The Fall of the House of Usher | Bruce Greenwood, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill | Netflix | Excellent modern take on the classic; another Mike Flanagan blockbuster; Mark Hamill is incredibly brilliant in how he fully possesses his character. |
| The Haunting of Hill House | huge cast, Mike Flanagan | Netflix | very scary and at the heart is a good family drama but it was so goddamn confusing to watch |
| The Indian Detective | Russell Peters | Netflix | love it and wish there were more |
| The Rookie & Feds | Nathan Fillion | Hulu | The Rookie has been solid but The Rookie: Feds hasn’t been as captivating despite a bisexual WoC lead |
| Wednesday | Jenna Ortega | Netflix | a wonderful new take on The Addams Family characters; there are actual magical powers involved |
| What We Do in the Shadows | Jermaine Clement | Hulu | This show is unbelievable in how unique they’ve mashed up different cultures, folklore, and vampires with “reality” TV. The final season is coming. |
| Only Murders in the Building | Martin Short, Steve Martin, Selena Gomez | Hulu | Although the murder of the season is not in the Arconia building, the cast goes through butting heads with each other and reunites to keep their podcast and investigation going. |
YouTube:
As in 2022, I’ve found more fun in watching YouTube this past year. It’s hit-or-miss really especially when it comes to stand-up comedy. There are videos that say “full special” but are clips of performances; some of them even have jokes repeated but in different venues. We do have the paid version of YouTube which makes watching it a lot better. Listed here are channels more like podcasts but with visuals.
- The Grimm Life Collective – and we got to meet Michael & Jessica here in New Jersey!
- Prickly Alpaca – whimsical and magical cosplay/wardrobe making
- Bentley House Minis (dollhouse miniatures with pop culture themes)
- Ace of Clay (sculpting)
- Jazza Studios (there are now 4 Jazza channels)
- North of the Border (kitbashing and builds)
- Kaypea Creations (art dolls)
- Boylei Hobby Time
- Bill Making Stuff (tiny sculptures from reused plastic bits)
- Jackson Galaxy
- Otters! Hana & Kotaro and Ui & Aty
- Caitlin Doughty Ask a Mortician
- Much Props (cosplay)
- SKS Props (cosplay)
- Nerdforge (dioramas and builds)
- Wicked Makers (making things creepier)
- Half Asleep Chris (usually projects that benefit his cats)
- Van Oaks Props (bigger builds for haunted houses, decorating)
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.