Daniel Stalter's Blog, page 9
December 30, 2021
FAVORITE MOVIES 2021
I’ve never done a favorite movies list before, but this year I’ve watched more movies than I’ve seen in years. That and I finally started actively tracking what I watched via Letterboxd. I had fun looking back on everything.
Just like with my music and book lists, these are movies I watched this year. I don’t care what year they were released.
10. Fear Street
Technically Fear Street was three movies, but they added up to a movie experience that defied all of my expectations. I also had a lot ...
December 28, 2021
FAVORITE BOOKS 2021
I fell short of my reading goal this year, but I still managed to read some great stuff. Finished an epic trilogy, listened to som great audiobooks, and some excellent horror. Many of these books did not come out this year; my lists are based on when I read them. If I could read faster I’m sure it would be more current.
Follow me on GoodReads (and like my reviews, cause that get me traffic on here).
10. How Fascism Works
by Jason F. Stanley.
This was some really good insight into what fascism...
December 27, 2021
FAVORITE ALBUMS 2021
It ended up being a good year for music. Lots of stuff written in quarantine by artists who couldn’t tour in 2020. Lots of women making bold statements. A typical blend of metal, hard rock, pop, and folk. I included a movie soundtrack for the first time since I started doing these lists on Tumblr way back in 2009.
You can find my Favorite Songs 2021 playlist on Apple and Spotify.
10. Hans Zimmer – Dune
DUne was one of my favorite movies of the year, and it was in no small part due to its ot...
December 21, 2021
CHEERLEADERS: THE NEW EVIL
Cheerleaders: The New Evil
Spoiler-Free Review
I distinctly remember reading The New Evil first as a kid. I saw Santa Clause about to murder a cheerleader at the library and thought “I NEED THIS.” I then went back and read the whole trilogy because, clearly, I loved it. Re-reading 25 years later and… let’s just say that this title does not live up to the glory of my fifth-grade memories. The New Evil is about as unnecessary as sequels come. It delivered a few m...
December 8, 2021
THE CHEATER
Spoiler-Free Review
The Cheater had a really solid beginning but it got lost in the weeds about halfway through. The premise was immediately relatable; the pressure to impress demanding parents can lead a kid to do some reckless shit. I think this might be the first Fear Street book I’ve read in which blackmail was a central part of the story. RL Stine came close to almost saying something profound about class, privilege, and power but never delivered. All of th...
November 22, 2021
THE BEST FRIEND
Spoiler-Free Review
I know that this is the book that RL Stine got hate mail for. It’s also one of the lowest overall ranked Fear Street books on Goodreads. I guess I disagree with the masses because I fucking loved it. This was one of my favorite Fear Street reads so far. It featured two of my favorite literary elements; an unreliable narrator and a villain that literally made my skin crawl. Sure, Becka wasn’t the most likable protagonist. But even at he...
November 15, 2021
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DUMMY II
Goosebumps #31: Night of the Living DummySpoiler-Free Review
Night of the Living Dummy II is a huge improvement on the original book, which is fondly remembered by many as being better than it actually is. This isn’t quite the Terminator 2 or Empire Strikes Back level of the sequel being better than the original, but kudos to Stine for pulling off the rare fete. Unlike its predecessor, Night of the Living Dummy II does not waste a full two-thirds of the book on exhausting fake scares, and it ...
November 4, 2021
NEW YORK COMIC CON 2021
October 7-10 2021
Javits Center
New York, NY
The Ermahgerd NYCC debut.
Overview:
New York Comic Con was my first ever convention back in 2012. It was a constant in my life for eight years until 2020 did its thing. When I saw that NYCC 2021 would be requiring proof of vaccination for entry, I decided to get a Pro Pass. I messed up on my Artist Alley application by spazzing out and submitting it while midway through a sentence. I shrugged it off and took it as a sign that I’...
October 30, 2021
TRICK OR TREAT
Trick or Treatby Richie Tankersley Cusick
Spoiler-Free Review:
Trick or Treat does a lot of things well. I enjoyed the way that Cucsick created a creepy atmosphere and played with the idea of houses holding on to trauma. There was a sense of foreboding from the first page that only built as the story went on. That is exactly the sort of thing I look for in these books. The main character Martha was annoying but in a very believable way. I could see where it would be too much for some people,...
October 25, 2021
99 FEAR STREET: THE THIRD HORROR
The Third Horror
Spoiler-Free Review
The Third Horror was a really interesting way to close out the 99 Fear Street trilogy. The main character this time is Kody, Cally’s twin sister from The First Horror. Kody has returned to 99 Fear Street in order to play her sister in a movie adaptation of what happened to their family. This seems like a really traumatic thing to put herself through, but she made a promise to return for her sister and this seems like...
