Paying It Forward
If my own experiences and those of everyone I know are anything to go by, 2021 has been a difficult year—albeit not a fruitless one. I started Reading From Top to Bottom in March to platform my musings on film and music. Although it’s been a bumpy ride, I appreciate everyone who’s tagged along to read what I’ve had to say about Taylor Swift and Pedro Almodóvar.
Just as I’ve enjoyed challenging myself and keeping busy with this newsletter, I’ve also read a fair share pop culture analysis and criticism from other talented writers. This Christmas, I thought I’d recommend my readers some of the ones I enjoyed the most; essays and features that are as eloquent as they are thought-provoking. A few are by friends and online acquaintances; others are simply by people whose writing I admire. Feel free to explore the links below, and follow the writers and publications on social media.
Film:
‘Blue Is the Warmest Color:’ Feeling ‘Blue,’ by B. Ruby Rich (@brrich1), for Current.
Candyman: Critiquing the Horrifying History of Monsters, by Ben Elzey (@filmsonthebayou), for Bad Take Central.
Cinematic Nostalgia (on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood), by Shaun Sages (@filmicaddict), for Words On Films.
Fuck You, Spaceman: The Ecstatic Action Cinema of Craig R. Baxley, by Brandon Streussing (@BrndnStrssng), for Secret Handshake.
A Grand Yuletide Theory: ‘A Muppets Christmas Carol’ is the Best Adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol,’ by Ethan Warren (@Ethan_Warren), for Bright Wall/Dark Room.
A Life Fragmented: The Cinnamon Rolls and Mosaiced Pieces of ‘Mank’ and ‘Citizen Kane,’ by Zachary Morgason (@zmorgasboard), for Bad Take Central.
Metamorphosis (on Titane), by Xuanlin Tham (@xuanlintham), for MASSIVE Cinema.
‘Promising Young Woman’ and the Men Who Told Me It Was Bad, by Mel Turnage (@CadenToMyHazel), for Bad Take Central.
There's Nothing to Solve, You Know?: Origin Stories, Easter Eggs and ‘Under the Silver Lake,’ by Brianna Zigler (@justbrizigs), for That’s Weird.
This is a review of ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things.’ Kind of., by Mel Turnage (@CadenToMyHazel), for Bad Take Central.
Music:
A Couple Thousand Words On Charli XCX’s ‘Boys’ Video, by Fran Hoepfner (@franhoepfner), for Bright Wall/Dark Room.
A New Wave of Horror Stories In Pop Music: Parts One, Two and Three, by Claire Davidson (@loneclaire), for Ghouls Magazine.
I Nu What You Listened To Last Summer, by Greg Mucci (@ReelBrew), for Neon Splatter.
Meeting Tracy Chapman In the Spaces Between, by Francesca T. Royster for NPR.
What Happened Between Madonna and David Fincher?, by Sydney Urbanek (@sydurbanek), for Mononym Mythology.
TV:
1985 Is Gone! It’s Over!: ‘The Real Housewives of New York City,’ by Kellie Herson (@kellieherson), for Bright Wall/Dark Room.
Just Fucking Tell Me What to Do, Father: On Fleabag, Sweet Dee and Salvation From Dirtbagdom, by Veronica Phillips (@vnickyy), for Film Cred.
Sociopathy, Justice and the Mob: ‘Black Mirror’ Cracks Us Open, by Geetha Iyer (@Geetha_Iyer), for Bright Wall/Dark Room.
Games:
Looking For the Light: Trauma and Loss In ‘The Last of US - Part II,’ by Aaron Hendrix (@ahendrix9600), for Talk Film Society.
‘The Saboteur’’s Unique Artstyle: Outside the Window, by Mauro Merconchini (@Defenestrum), on YouTube.
Y’all Skate Too? Examining ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’’s Curious Representation, by Amir Muhammad for Film Cred.