collecting: #7
German time travel, new Bleach, Finnish sapphics, and more
DARK (2017-2020)
Oh, this is a special one.
I had this on my watchlist for years, mainly because it’s a German production, and I’ve been meaning to get back into studying the language for a while now. I’d heard nothing but great things from the small cult of followers who love this show, and yet every person I talked to said that it’s a wild ride that will blow your mind and leave you hollow inside.
So naturally, I sat down to binge this while I was sick.
If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a Netflix original from years ago, and it quietly slid under the radar while shows like Stranger Things and The Umbrella Academy became massive hits around that same time. I bring those up because they could be considered comparable shows…but in truth, neither of those shows has the ambition or execution that Dark does. The Duffer Brothers WISH they could be Jantje Friese.
The premise is simple enough: a boy disappears one night in the forest of his small German town. Obviously the story is much bigger than that.
Unfortunately, I can’t say too much because it really is a show you have to uncover on your own. What I can tell you is that it’s sci-fi at its best, a winding road that’s totally worth waiting 26 episodes for the conclusion. The acting is wonderful (you have to watch the German dub, don’t even think about watching it in English), the characters are infuriating and fascinating and yet also endearing, and the plot will make your brain explode.
I watched the final ten episodes almost in one sitting. I could not sleep until I knew how this story ended. And then one of my friends sent me a 12m voice memo explaining a final theory that most die-hard fans consider canon. So basically, I’m stuck brainrotting in this timeloop forever. Yippee!!!!
“Wuthering Heights” (2026)
To be clear, this is not an endorsement for this film. We are merely collecting, and I would like to collect certain elements of this piece.
But most of it is utter garbage, as I’m sure you expected.
For those who are behind the times, Emerald Fennell (Saltburn, Promising Young Woman) produced an “adaptation” of Wuthering Heights. Having not read the book, I cannot speak to its accuracy, but my friend who loves the original text informed me that the film only covers about half of the story. And that doesn’t even mention the plot and character inaccuracies. There’s a reason the film’s title is in quotations in all the marketing materials.
Needless to say, this is a film that thinks it’s kinky and erotic but is actually just trying too hard. It’s like that guy in school who always made crass dirty jokes except instead of doing it for a laugh, Emerald wanted people to take it all seriously. Ha.
I don’t want to waste anyone’s time dissecting all the problems of this film (the lack of chemistry between Elordi and Robbie, the incessant sexualization with zero depth, the bad script, etc) because I did sit and watch the whole thing to see the visuals. (And listen to the soundtrack, but what’s new.)
I was one bad day away from buying tickets to see this at the theater in February because the colors and sets and costumes in the trailer were so stunning. Regardless of the content of the story or the characters, the design for this film is exquisite. It almost calls back to old Hollywood, when sets were real and backgrounds were hand-painted and everything was in technicolor. I don’t know how they managed to build such gorgeous, unique sets or make the most intricate gowns for Cathy, but I loved seeing what they came up with. There’s a montage scene in particular where Cathy is wearing something new every five seconds and the whole thing felt both gaudy and gorgeous. A lot of maximalism that truthfully had no place in this particular story.
I know I already wrote about the album in a different newsletter, but watching the film got me back into Charli’s soundtrack. It works so well for the movie, and sets such a fantastic tone with the visuals. People joke about all the violins, but something about it scratches an itch in my brain. Especially the (deranged) opening scene that’s paired with “House.”
It’s such a shame the whole thing feels so disjointed. Like all this creative vision was lost on something that was poorly written and utterly nonsensical. Trying too hard and yet not enough where it matters. Because maybe if this wasn’t Wuthering Heights, it would be a magnificent piece of art.
But alas. Twas not meant to be.
Homebound by Portia Elan
Let me start this out by saying I struggled through this book. I got an early copy from NetGalley (hooray!) and I picked it up because it sounded similar to Cloud Cuckoo Land. It’s a short book, only about 300 pages, but a lot of it is futuristic sci-fi set during the 2500s, and I think that’s what slowed it down for me. (I’m bad at sci-fi.)
For most of the book, I thought it would turn out to be a solid 3/3.5 stars, something I could not get into or appreciate. But then around the halfway mark something shifted. It’s not a perfect five stars, but I really enjoyed the second-half, and I think it’s a story that will stick with me much longer than I expected.
The original pitch that got me interested in the book is that it’s about a teen lesbian in the 1980s whose beloved uncle died and left her a work-in-progress video game that he wants her to finish. Marketing uses Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow as a comp title — a book I enjoyed but that is now tainted by the fact that it’s been rumored that Gabrielle Zevin is (was?) a Zionist — and while I can see why they might want to compare this book to that one, the only real similarity between the two is video games. As a concept.
In truth, I think Homebound is more successful than Tomorrowx3 because we get to see actual game play in Homebound, whereas Tomorrowx3 is more about the character relationships. I do wish Homebound explored some of the perspectives and characters a bit more, but the themes and ideas really come together towards the end. It’s obvious the author has experience with gaming because she herself coded two games that go with this story. (!!!)
The first one is above, one that is much closer to the actual, in-world game HOMEBOUND that Becks creates with her uncle. The second, below, is a brief continuation of the book’s ending. And that second game actually made the whole book feel worthwhile, in my experience.
everyone for ten minutes by Bleachers
Local Bleachers fan loves new Bleachers album, who’s surprised?
Actually, me. I’m shocked. Mostly because the last two Bleach albums have been…good and bad. Lots of big hits, but equally as many misses that I don’t care for. I love the direction Jack has taken this band in, but it is a bit different than their original sound ten years ago. After the lead singles, I was weary. Not because they were bad, but Jack’s been doing so many love songs in recent years and I just cannot bring myself to care about him and his wife most of the time. (All love to our beloved Margaret!!!)
But when I listened to the album in full for the first time, it felt like a BLEACHERS ALBUM. And I have had it on repeat ever since.
What can I say, I’m a sucker for Jack Antonoff. He’s an interesting character because he’s somehow both mainstream and counter-culture. He works with top 40 artists, he’s shaped the charts and music culture for the last decade, and yet his small band is still putting out records that don’t get mainstream attention in the same way. His band is always channelling the old school vibes of Springsteen and Billy Joel and Elton, and yet they are entirely current, drawing influence and inspiration from Jack’s multitude of personal friends. Bleachers is Jack first and foremost but Bleachers sound has evolved because of the time he’s spent working with people like Lana or Carly Rae or Sabrina or The Chicks or Sam Dew or Taylor or—
And this album is special because Jack has been so focused on living in 2026. He writes about his frustrations, his fears, the things he feels are most important right now. He’s still writing about love and grief and calling out his critics and the industry and shitty fan culture. He’s still writing insanely catchy hooks, writing lyrical callbacks to his past works, referencing his best friends in his songs.
The one thing I keep thinking as I play this album over and over is that I cannot wait to hear it live. Bleachers is (always has been) a LIVE band, one that thrives on stage and writes for the stage more than anything, so like, what was I gonna do, NOT see them on tour again? This will be my sixth show, and I’m going with four of my very best friends, and I cannot wait to put my phone away and just dance and scream for two hours. The joy of getting older and having seen artists more than once is that there comes a point where the show becomes about THE SHOW more than the videos or the photos or being up close. (Or maybe that’s just how I feel about Bleachers at this stage in my life, I don’t know.)
Hard to pick a favorite track at this point. “dirty wedding dress” is still my top played. I LOVE “we should talk” and “take you out tonight” and “upstairs at els” is obviously a perfect song. “the van” and “i’m not joking” have grown on me a lotttt since they dropped as singles. “i can’t believe you’re gone” and “she’s from before” also excellent. Is that the whole album? Almost.
Rites of Spring by Noah Gundersen
I do not know what compelled me to do this, but I bought a ticket to see Noah Gundersen’s album release show last week. I like Noah’s stuff, got into him a few summers ago, and I was really vibing with the lead singles, so I thought it’d be cool to go to the opening night of this new record. I’m a sucker for unique one-off music experiences, I guess. I was hoping he’d play the new album in full so I could hear it live the first time, and HE DID!
Noah’s kind of a Nashville staple, even though he’s from PNW. He’s big with the Christian community (okay wait, don’t go, hold on!) but he writes like he’s a Millenial punk guy who just learned how to play piano and acoustic guitar. His lyrics are fantastic. His subject matter is dark and yet also, full of hope. He’s relatable.
This new record is a perfect portrait of a guy in his late 30s who feels lost and yet also, full of hope. It’s the kind of record that feels timeless, but it could have been made in the early 2000s or the 2010s. I keep falling more and more in love with each track, and I’m really glad I decided to see it live. I think there’s something really special about hearing a track (or an album) for the first time in a live setting because it forces you to focus more on the song at hand. You listen to the lyrics in a way you don’t normally do when you know you can just put it on again in 5 minutes.
Going to the show on Friday, I was present even when I felt a little insane being in the same room with people who clearly lived a different life than I do. (Lots of straight white men with mustaches and their pregnant wives…) I felt lucky to be there, but I didn’t feel this overwhelming desire for the show to save me. It took a lot of the usual concert pressure off, and the evening felt much more casual than my last show (Florence. Sigh.) so I somehow enjoyed it less and appreciated it more.
My favorite single going in was “Circles,” but at the show I fell in love with “Driving With My Eyes Closed” and “Scene by Scene” (and the older song “Exit Signs” from his 2021 record A Pillar of Salt).
Tytöt Tytöt Tytöt (2022)
Trans. Girl Picture, Finnish
Dir. Alli Haapasalo
I found this movie on Kanopy after like fifteen minutes of useless browsing (Why is RENT listed as an LGBTQ comedy?) and thank god I did. It’s a Finnish picture, a coming of age story about three girls (tytöt), told over the course of three Fridays as they fall in love, explore female pleasure, and juggle the horrors of teenagehood. It’s sapphic!!! It features a figure skater!!! It’s kinda all about sex!!! It shares a heart with Booksmart (2019), Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and yes, I think I can safely say Heated Rivalry.
The film itself is just as messy as you’d expect teenage lesbians to be. It’s chaotic and dramatic and ridiculous, but it also feels weirdly real and relatable. I loved the cast, the costuming, the colors and cinematography… while it isn’t a perfect film, I think it’s an important one, and I’m so glad it exists.
And yes, it has an iconic “Slip Away” needle drop much like Booksmart, so let’s celebrate that!!
The real reason I bring it up is because one of the main characters goes through a crisis that is, essentially, an exploration of asexuality. It’s not explicitly stated and there isn’t a concrete conclusion about her identity in the end, but the thoughts and feelings Rönkkö has are almost all feelings that line up with the ace experience. She spends most of the film worried that she isn’t fulfilled by sex, that she’s never really attracted to anyone, that she doesn’t think she’ll find anybody she can love. Most of her experience revolves around practicing sex with multiple different partners, which isn’t how I went about my ace crisis, but it makes complete sense and I think it’s a valid and real look at this kind of identity. It may or may not be the first aspec film I’ve seen.
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
I’ve had this on my watchlist for I don’t know how long, but I’ve put it off for years due to demand avoidance. After I had a long day of work, I sat my ass down to watch this because it’s about queer joy and by the end of the one hour and forty-three minute film, I found that life was worth living again.
This is a film that is about as old as me (hooray 1995!) so it’s a bit dated in terms of its language and representation and stereotypes, but I found that it held up quite well all things considered. It’s a movie about three drag queens who are road-tripping to LA, but end up stuck in a small town when their car breaks down. The queens end up befriending the local townspeople and learning some lessons along the way.
Yes, there are cameos from Ru Paul and Robin Williams. Stockard Channing and Blythe Danner are in it for some reason. Ten out of ten, no notes.
While this film is quotable and hilarious, I think what makes it so meaningful is its heart. It’s about queer joy, but it also does a fine job reflecting on the struggles of queerness, specifically transness and gender-nonconforming gays and queer people who are not white. It’s a simple film really, and it can seem over the top at points, but that is the point.
The cast does a phenomenal job committing to this story and these characters, and I love that we have this film and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to accompany it. This feels a bit daring for the 90s, but somehow it still feels daring for now. We still rarely get films like this even in the 2020s.
