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.
It says Professional and everything. Also, normally I would be bummed about The Walking Dead, but when your image is a troll for your own fans, I am in.
With San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) Badges being sent out to the masses (including yours truly, who received his on Friday), we are now in the heart of con season, which is awesome. These badges also represent SDCC smartly transitioning into dealing with the modern world. For one thing, SDCC has gone full RFID with their badges, which should help with security and badge scalping. Well, it will eventually, considering that at Wondercon the same group gave up after a few hours of dealing with these new measures, and didn’t even bother making sure the badges were working properly. I have a hard time believing this will go any better at the much larger SDCC. That’s fine, though. This process isn’t going to be a quick fix; it’s a long-term transition that will benefit everyone eventually (just look at New York Comic Con, which already switched to RFID badges). A much bigger deal than the badges themselves is the fact that they’re being mailed out this year, as the in-person pick-up process at large cons has always been way more complicated and a hassle than they need to be. At SDCC it was especially cumbersome, as guest badges are attached to a main badge, so if for some reason the non-guest couldn’t go, the guest was basically SOL. Now, though, everyone cane get their badges early, and no longer have to deal with the giant scrum on the first day of the con. Pop culture cons like SDCC have grown bigger and bigger over the years, and so seeing organizations actually adapt to these changes instead of simply pretending they don’t exist is a delight to see. Also welcome: SDCC partnering with Lionsgate to create Comic-Con HQ, which will finally try and bring at least some of the action at SDCC online for the masses to see, instead of hording it unnecessarily because of some desire to make things feel special. (If only studios felt the same… I’m looking at you, 20th Century Fox). What does all this add up to? SDCC is finally stepping into the 21st century. It’s a welcome sight, and I can’t wait to see all the changes that are still to come.
David Robertson
From the depths of the Kraken, here is what we are bringing you this week.
Monday: There’s nothing new today–which is alarming, because that directly contradicts the ancient prophecies. Perhaps further study of the archives will illuminate our fate.
Tuesday: The Loaded Die returns with three games all about the intricate alchemy of partnership. Whether it’s a strained marriage, a shipwrecked crew, or a team of fireworks engineers (just go with it), in these games you either find success together or defeat alone.
Wednesday: A ripple in the time stream has revealed itself! We have no idea what that means, but there’s definitely nothing new today.
Thursday: Every day is a gift, but today’s gift is an empty box. Feel free to give yourself a little something from our archives.
Friday: All Fridays are now Saturdays. Every one of your Fridays are now Saturday. Do not panic.
Saturday:
- It’s time again for another edition of the Life in the Kraken Podcast: Westeros Edition. Join David, Kyu, Sam and special guest Matt Morris as they discuss Season 6, Episode 7, “The Broken Man.”
- David is back with the third part of his Take Me To The Upfronts series. This time he will be covering The DC Superhero Networ–err, I mean, The CW. What does this major(ish) network have to offer? You’ll just have to read to find out (or I guess go to another site, but you don’t want to do that, do you?).
- Baturdays continues through Batman #4 with “Blackbeard’s Crew and the Yacht Society.” Sounds more like an episode of Archer, doesn’t it?
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: This week I’m recommending a classic film I saw for the first time recently, Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon. Quietly one of the best filmmakers of the 20th century, Lumet’s trademark was directing movies with great performances, unobtrusive (but subtly effective) camerawork, and stories that looked at our civic institutions with clarity and empathy. What 12 Angry Men and The Verdict did for the legal system, Dog Day Afternoon does for one long (based on a true story) bank robbery-turned-hostage-situation. What’s unique about the movie is really that point of view. Pacino’s protagonist is not your typical bank robber, but the movie doesn’t idolize him either. The same goes for the cops, who collectively are a source of menace but individually are just trying to do the best they can in a bad situation. The film’s control of tone is remarkable, and that’s why, once the film finishes presenting its portrait of a city and a day and a man whose motivations and capacities are irreducibly complex, it gradually becomes clear that the film cannot end in any way other than the way it does. It’s a really good movie, and I’m glad I finally got around to it.
David: These are strange times, and nothing is stranger than the fact that Lifetime has a really good show on television. That show is Unreal, a delightfully entertaining deconstruction of reality television in a scripted format. Anchored by incredible performances by Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer, this show offers an intimate look behind the scenes of modern reality entertainment, and is all the right levels of meanspiritedness. The second season begins on Monday, and this is the perfect time to jump in on the fun.
That’s it for this week. Note: the ghostly images you may see around the Kraken from time to time are actually ghosts, not holograms, and they ask that you not demand they recite lines from Star Wars.