Welcome again to We Have Always Lived in the Kraken, a pop culture blog transmitted directly to you from the belly of the beast. Here in the Notes we’ll show you this week’s posting schedule, but first, a little Seafood for Thought.
There has been a lot of talk this week about TV networks and cable companies realizing that Netflix and other streaming sites have gotten a bit too popular–to which I have been like, “Well, duh.” Still, it’s an interesting development for Time Warner and others to begin musing that maybe they should hold back popular shows from streaming sites like Netflix for a couple of years after the show airs, a significantly longer period than is current practice (about a year). That level of delay would certainly make it harder for people to cut the cord and go without cable, to the detriment of the streaming sites. (Though I wonder if Hulu would be treated differently, seeing as it is co-owned by three TV networks.) In the short term, I am kind of torn about this. On the one hand, it is another example of cable companies being dicks and taking away things just because the world is shifting away from them; on the other hand, if by doing this cable companies would actually make multiple seasons of shows available to watch On Demand, that would for once actually bring value to cable, after years of that power being stripped away. In the long view, though, cable companies are fighting a losing battle they just don’t understand. People, especially younger generations, just don’t want to be tethered to the classic TV structure anymore, and the more cable companies fight this, the faster they will bring about their own demise. TV networks and cable companies need to be looking to create a new model instead of desperately trying to sustain a broken one–or they are both going to wake up one day to find that someone else did it for them, and that they no longer have any control over the future of TV distribution.
David Robertson
From the depths of the Kraken, here is what we are bringing you this week.
Monday:
- Nothing today. The Kraken took a walk in the Bermuda Triangle and we woke up in an endless Sargasso Sea. Feel free to take a look at our archives while we try to figure out how the hell we’re getting out of here…
Tuesday:
- Now playing in The Screening Room: Ghostbusters 2. Kyu admits it’s the next best thing to Ghostbusters.
Wednesday:
- Nothing But Trash continues as Keskel looks to see if he can find anything good in the world of anime. This week Ted tackles Gate. The concept has a lot of potential, but is that nothing more than a lie to hide the trash within?
Thursday:
- The Anticipated is back as I look at the latest James Bond movie, Spectre. After the success of Skyfall will Daniel Craig’s final(?) turn as Bond deliver, or is it nothing more than a hot mess?
Friday:
- TV Roulette this week returns from the mists of legend with Sleepy Hollow. In another world, I might be reviewing this show week-to-week, so let’s take a peek into what might have been.
Saturday:
- Baturdays continue with Detective Comics #31, the introduction of another villain nobody’s ever heard of, The Mad Monk. Is he insane or just peeved? You be the judge.
Also, your humble hosts are still sporadically attending the AFI film festival in Los Angeles. Keep an eye out for reviews.
Spotlight on Blogs Past:
Another week, another spotlight on a classic movie post. This time it’s Kyu attempting to rehabilitate the image of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, a movie he insists is better the second time. Pshaw, we say. But the review is worth reading anyway.
Catch of the Week:
Each and every week the residents here in the Kraken will offer one recommendation for the week that we think you all would enjoy. It might be a movie. It might be a book. Who knows? This is your… Catch of the Week.
Kyu: As November continues, why not curl up with a good book? This week I’m recommending another old favorite, John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things. Revisionist or postmodern fairy tale treatments are a dime a dozen nowadays, most of them lazy and insipid, children’s stories repackaged without insight or skill. John Connolly broke ranks by crafting a fairy tale story for adults, one that recognizes the way fairy tales are there to help you grow up by delivering harsh lessons. Dark and lyrical and sad, The Book of Lost Things is worth reading. And rereading.
Keskel: This week I’m recommending an anime from a few years ago: Shin Sekai Yori (From the New World), an adaptation of a sci-fi/speculative fiction novel from the mid 2000s. The first two thirds of the show are layered mysteries about every aspect of the world, and it’s a real testament to what anime can be when it is about interesting ideas (many of which couldn’t easily be adapted to any other medium) without any of the contrivances or compromises modern anime makes in order to sell more merchandise. The entire series is available on Crunchyroll.
David: While not perfect, Aziz Ansari’s Master of None is a different type of a comedy and well worth your time. Drawing stylistic inspiration from FX’s Louie, Ansari and Alan Yang created a show that is funny, poignant, and biting all at the same time. This show continues to prove that comedy and drama can coexist in the same show, and it’s something everyone should check out.
That’s it for this week. We hope you continue to find the Kraken to your liking. Be sure to keep your safety harnesses fastened, as we anticipate moderate to heavy thrashing now through Saturday.