Notes from the Kraken: May

In All, Notes by David

Welcome again to We Have Always Live 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 month’s posting schedule, but first, here are some thoughts.

The curse of April has passed, and it is finally May. So now is the time for me to offer up a prayer to the movie gods that Detective Pikachu is good. This film kind of sprung up unexpectedly, but it is exactly what we needed, because dear Lord, we need a good video game movie. The history of video game movies is littered with failure after failure after failure. The fact that Prince of Persia, for all its issues could be considered one of the better video game movies is insulting. Hell, Warcraft looks like Citizen Kane compared to virtually every other video game movie, simply because it was competently made. It is ridiculous that the film industry hasn’t figured out how to create even a solid video game movie on a regular basis is simply ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the fact that probably the best video game film ever made is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which is not even a real video game movie.

But let’s get back to Detective Pikachu, which if nothing else proves we have the technology to make a live action Pokémon movie, which is amazing. It has such a low bar to clear in order to be good that if it fails like so many films before it, that will be a monumental disappointment. With all that said, I am mostly optimistic here, because Hollywood proved last year with Tomb Raider they can at least make a decent video game movie, and, well, Detective Pikachu looks like it has loads more potential than Tomb Raider ever did. So please Hollywood, don’t fuck this up.

–David

From the depths of the Kraken, here is what we are bringing you this month.

Life in the Kraken: Westeros Edition Continues

Enjoy Kyu’s thoughts on Avengers: Endgame and the MCU as a whole: We’re in the Endgame Now

Disney released their slate of upcoming movie releases through 2027, an event which we here at the Kraken are referring to as the Disneypocalypse:

Catch of the Week Month:

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 Month.

David: Ummmm, look, it is a rough time for recommendations right now, but sure, let’s try again. The second season of Cloak and Dagger is currently playing on Freeform, and it is quite good. The first season was a revelation in how you would almost forget it was on a network owned by Disney. It had a real sense of style, grittiness, and a willingness to deal with real-world issues that you would not expect from any non-Netflix Marvel show. So take the time to watch the first season, and then jump into watching the second season before it finishes its run, because this show is well worth watching.

Kyu: This month I’m surprised to find myself recommending a teen romance novel. Emergency Contact, by Mary H.K. Choi, is a funny, sweet, highly engaging book about two three-dimensional characters whose perspectives literally collide. The book alternates chapters between each character’s voice, switching back and forth between Penny Lee, a Korean girl just starting at UT Austin, and Sam Becker, who works and lives in a trendy coffee shop near campus. Geographically close but very different in personality, Penny and Sam Meet Cute but spend the next few months as each other’s “emergency contact” in a text-only relationship that is both thrillingly modern and hearkens back to the tradition of 18th century epistolary romances. What makes the book so enjoyable is the way the characters are human, flawed, yet charming and eminently rootable. If this kind of thing is your jam, I definitely recommend it.

That’s it for this month’s notes. Please be aware that there will be biplane dogfights all month in the Sky Chamber. Visitors may place bets on who will be this year’s Ace, or if they are very courageous, volunteer to join the tournament. All resulting injuries, deaths, or shrapnel-related misadventures will be automatically waived on entry.