Well.
This year was exciting. Last year I said I’d rather not do 2020 again, and yet, here we are. So after taking Christmas off last week, here’s the usual look back at the posts on this blog from this year.
Five Most Popular / Viewed Posts
Oh, we’re starting off with a doozy. I love adventure stories. I loath colonialism. That Shadow of The Tomb Raider makes no attempt to engage with colonial baggage while letting a white woman traipse around a hidden Mayan city is… not great at best. These stories have to do better.
No Time To Die is a spiritual adaptation of the Metal Gear Solid video game series and I will fight you on that.
“Beard After Hours” in Ted Lasso is an excellent adaptation of the chapter “Circe” from Ulysses and I will fight you on that.
Another rant essay about diversity? No good way to sum this one up, really, but it’s one that I like a lot and I’m pretty proud of.
The thing about stories is that everything is a story, and the narrative of the United States is one that loops and echoes into itself. The Jan 6th Insurrection is not an unusual blip, but a culmination events.
Josh’s Pick of Three
I really like Bake Off and I maintain that it’s a radical act of optimism and hope in an otherwise bleak world (see the above entry). The latest season holds true to that ethos and I look forward to the next.
Raya and The Last Dragon is extremely my jam. Its food is very familiar and used with intention. There’s so much resonance in its specificity.
Want to read me ramble about The Lord of The Rings and why Shadow of War misses the point hard? This is the post for you. I adore The Lord of The Rings and Tolkien’s Legendarium, and any chance I get to ramble about it I am very happy.
That’s another year on the books. Let’s make it through the next one, alright?
Essays, Not Rants! 