Reading/Watching Log #75

Somehow this became a month of romantic comedies from the nineties (and one from 1989). What brought this on? Watching Fear Street 1994 for the fourth time? I can’t rightly say, but below the cut are four staples of the genre and I hadn’t even seen most of them (and the two I had were so long ago that I’d forgotten most of the beats).

It was a genre ruled by Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. They found themselves in absurd situations, such as pretending to be a coma patient’s fiancée, or falling in love with a man they’d never met, or working in secret to destroy a wedding, and very much set the tone for all romantic comedies to come. It’s not my favourite genre, but there’s stuff here that’s worth seeing, if not just to get a handle on the influence they had.  

As per my New Year’s Resolution, I’ve been trying to concentrate on reading, having realized that it’s much more conductive to getting my creative juices flowing. Seeing as the library is only admitting people with vaccine passes and that the city council are no longer footing the bill for security guards, there’s plenty of time for reading when you’re on door-duty for hours at a time. *internal screaming*

Review: Fear Street trilogy

Yup, I’m doing it: writing up a list of detailed reasons as to why the Fear Street trilogy was so damn good: harrowing, cathartic, heartfelt, tragic and just what I needed at this specific point in time.

Let’s get some disclaimers down first. It ain’t high art. I’m pretty sure my ecstatically enthusiastic response is at least partly due to the fact that I was not in any way, shape or form expecting this to be good. I was actually looking forward to it being bad in the same way that R.L. Stine’s body of work is generally pretty bad: cheesy, pulpy, gory, lightweight nonsense.  

So imagine my shock when I found myself increasingly engrossed in how this story unfolded. Just keep in mind that I went in with very low expectations, for if you decide to watch on the basis of my recommendation there’s every chance I’ve already overhyped it for you. And that’s assuming you’re into the horror/slasher genre anyway. Not everyone is.

Also, for any long-time fans of Stine’s Fear Street, you may want to keep in mind that this actually has very little to do with the books. It’s set in a town called Shadyside and… that’s about it. No Fear family (certainly no Simon or Angelica), no explanation about why Sarah’s last name is spelt Fier, and (strangest of all) no actual Fear Street. There’s a passing glimpse of a Fier Street, but doesn’t figure into the plot in any way.

I believe the very basic premise of a bus accident leading to a cheerleader uncovering the grave of Sarah Fear and getting possessed is lifted from the Cheerleaders trilogy (though the entire context has been changed) but for the most part, if you’re expecting any recognizable plot-points from the books… don’t.

The thing is though, this trilogy does Fear Street better than Stine. Perhaps that’s hubris to say out loud, but the truth is that Stine’s writing never went within a million miles of things like complex characterization or meaningful themes – they were cheap paperbacks that existed for grisly deaths, red herrings, and at least one big twist. And that’s okay! Fans knew what to expect and loved them for it.

But this trilogy takes the general vibe of Fear Street – teenagers with no parental supervision, high school rivalries, generational secrets, cliffhangers and fake-outs, the seedy side of the American dream – and crafts something vaguely familiar but wholly original out of it. It captures the spirit of the books while staking out its own narrative territory.

Suffice to say: spoilers below the cut. If you’re even vaguely curious about these films, watch them before reading this.

Links and Updates

Not a lot at the moment, but the 2022 season of television is kicking off and there’s plenty to look forward to: Inventing Anna, The Gilded Age, Pam and Tommy, Death Comes As The End, Vikings: Valhalla, The Dropout, Our Flag Means Death, Gaslit... not to mention the next lot of offerings from Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Marvel, which I’ll probably sit out but absorb through cultural osmosis regardless.

Woman of the Month: Nynaeve al'Meara

Nynaeve al'Meara from The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time was a bit of a mixed bag for me, though one thing could not be denied: its array of dynamic female characters with depth, agency and drive. Every time you think the show has reached its surplus, they add five more.

Without knowing hardly anything about the source material, I knew that Nynaeve was the one who was constantly tugging on her braid, a characteristic that drove most book readers up the wall. On screen, she fares much better. Seemingly held up as a foil to the sweeter, more naïve Egwene, with whom she shares a sweet older/younger sister rapport, Nynaeve has a spiky and suspicious personality.

She’s a teacher and a healer to her village (known as the Wisdom) and is initially disqualified from the candidacy of being the Dragon Reborn on account of her age – though it soon becomes clear that there’s something special about her.

After she goes toe-to-toe with a monstrous Trolloc and defeats it with little more than her wits, she’s off on a self-directed journey to track down her friends, believing that they’re in mortal danger. Yes, she goes after them by herself. In a word: tenacious.

I enjoyed that she was neither too trusting nor too hostile toward the likes of Moiraine and Lan, instead refusing to take anything at face value until she had the chance to figure things out at her own pace. She listens and observes, she processes information, and then she draws her conclusions. When you think about it, this type of parsing of intel before the passing of judgement is a rare thing to see in fictional characters. Nynaeve doesn’t necessary always make the right decisions, but it was fascinating to watch her gradually overcome her preconceptions without ever fully letting her guard down.

And in the midst of all this, I only spotted one braid-tug. I’m assuming book readers are relieved.

So I may be on the fence about the show as a whole, but I indisputably enjoyed all of Nynaeve’s material and am looking forward to where she’s headed next.