Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile: Bundy Interview Tapes

As soon as I saw the first image released of Zac Efron portraying serial killer, Ted Bundy, I became invested in this movie. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile was released at the Sundance film festival on January 26th 2019. The reviews of the movie aren’t great due to the tone they decided to portray Bundy. This inspired me to watch The Ted Bundy Interview Tapes documentary on Netflix. If you’re interested in true crime, this is a thrilling show to watch. Be warned, I felt some of the details of his crimes were gruesome, so I only watched an episode a day because I felt it was all I could take.

Trigger Warning: Discussions of killings, rape, sexual violence etc.

Ted Bundy Interview Tapes: Photo owned by Netflix. 

The tapes review Bundy’s life, his romantic relationships and how he escaped from captivity twice. This man is extremely intelligent and was able to evade authorities which allowed him to kill again in Florida. It wasn’t until a day or two before his execution where he finally admitted to his crimes killing over 30 women across 6 states. Many of his victims will never be identified and I feel for their families.

Many of the details of his crimes are revealed as to how he treated these women including different markings on their bodies. What really sticks with me is the rape and bite marks to his victims. Rape and sexual violence is occurring at rapid rates in today’s society and still not being prosecuted like it should. That’s why with most types of media, if rape is included in a graphic manner, it’s extremely difficult for me to watch that media. Not necessarily because I have been assaulted, but it pains me to have to be conscious of my surroundings, so I don’t become a potential victim of sexual violence.

I have been pondering why we have a fascination with serial killers in our culture. I believe it’s the fear of the unknown chemical or nurturing environment that causes someone to commit acts of violence. We don’t have a reason why criminals do the things they do which could be applied to every killer. That scares me. H.P. Lovecraft wrote about fear of the unknown by creating mythical creatures in his stories. However in society, we have Ted Bundy who looks like a typical man, but is capable of so much more.

True crime fanatics will enjoy this documentary. It’s short with only 4 episodes and it tells a concise story about Ted Bundy. It doesn’t answer the question as to why Bundy is the way he is, but at least justice was served to prevent Bundy from killing again. I’m not going to debate the death penalty on this post, but if anyone didn’t deserve to live, it would be him.

 

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Queer Eye – Which One of the Fab 5 is My Soulmate.

In 2003, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy aired on Bravo. I would watch a couple episodes with my mom and the only guy I actively remember was Carson Kressley. My mom liked watching the transformations and seeing them learn to love themselves. Now, Queer Eye has been rebooted on Netflix and I haven’t had time to watch it, until now. This show is more meaningful than giving a makeover, it’s giving someone their confidence back. Before I reveal which one of the Fab 5 is my soulmate (thanks to Buzzfeed), I wanted to share a little bit about the cast.

Image from Netflix (from left to right Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, and Tan France).

Bobby Berk

Bobby is the interior design expert on the team. Some of the apartments he has redone look incredible. One of my favorite episodes is Below Average Joe where Bobby redesigns a basement for a man who still lives with his parents. This basement doesn’t look like a basement, but more like a modern apartment once it’s finished. Bobby has impeccable taste in furniture too. Can he come to my apartment?

Karamo Brown

Karamo is by far the coolest out of the five. He’s the culture expert which I take that as teaching someone how to act, network on social media and be more confident. His connection with Cory in the episode Dega Don’t was a moving episode. Cory’s friend is a police officer who pulls the Fab 5 over as a “joke”. With all of the recent police shootings involving killing unarmed African Americans, this alarms Karamo. Cory and Karamo discuss the political nature of unarmed police shootings and how African Americans are treated by police officers in general. It creates one of the most political episodes in Queer Eye, but I’m glad Karamo and Cory were able to have such a respectful conversation with each other.

Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan is my favorite of the Queer Eye Fab 5. I can’t stop smiling every time Jonathan says “YAAAAASSS QUEEEN.”. If I had all the money in the world, I would hire him to be my daily beauty assistant. He is the hair, skin care and style expert of the group. I’m a fan of his style because he pushes boundaries without giving a flying fuck about what anyone thinks of him. Also he has beautiful hair and I’m jealous.

Antoni Porowski

Antoni is the one I have the biggest crush on because he’s so damn attractive. He has the best smile, great hair and could cook me the most delicious dinner. Being the “foodie” of the group, I would argue his expertise is most important. You can look great, but if you can cook, even better.

Tan France

Tan and Jonathan are the Ying & the Yang. Jonathan is the hair and beauty product expert where Tan is the style icon. I felt the series does a great job at highlighting Tan’s personality. I would say he’s one of the more quiet guys in the group which helps to balance them out.

So who is my soulmate??? Drum roll please…..

 

I’m not mad about this. I’m not going to lie, I was hoping for Antoni, but Tan is a great choice. When I read the description for Tan, this doesn’t sound like my personality. I wouldn’t label myself as direct, although I love going shopping for new clothes to wear.

I cannot recommend Queer Eye enough. The show is lighthearted, while also diving into some tough political topics. Tears have been shed in many of the episodes and I’m surprised at how addicted I became to the show in just watching one episode. I’m not on season #2 yet, but I’m excited to watch more stories unfold in the heart of the deep South.

 

2018 Pop Culture Year in Review

2018 became a memorable year loaded with trips, comic book conventions and everlasting memories. I wanted to write my recap post a little bit earlier before time gets away from me and I forget to publish it. 2018 was a fantastic year.

Movies I saw in Theaters:

Seeing Aquaman early! Picture taken by the boyfriend

• Black Panther *twice*
• Avengers Infinity War 
• Solo: A Star Wars Adventure
• Antman & the Wasp 
• Mission Impossible Fallout 
• The Spy Who Dumped Me 
• Venom 
• Crimes of Grindelwald 
• Robin Hood 
• Aquaman 

My Favorite Movie of 2018: This is a tough call, but I’m going to have to say it’s a tie between Aquaman and Black Panther. Aquaman was a win for DC’s movie universe and Black Panther was representation for the African American community along with the fact it was an amazing movie.

TV Shows I Watched:

Richard Madden ❤ ❤ ❤ Image by BBC

• Riverdale Season #2
• Rewatching Jessica Jones Season #1 
• Jessica Jones Season #2 
• Parks and Recreation 
• Mindhunter 
• Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan 
• Luke Cage Season #2 
• Iron Fist Season #2
• The Bodyguard 
• DC’s Titans 

My Favorite TV Show in 2018: I’m indecisive which led to me picking The Bodyguard and Parks & Recreation. The Bodyguard is only six episodes long which meant I finished it in a day. Richard Madden is an excellent actor and it also helps he’s extremely attractive. Parks & Recreation has easily become one of my all time favorite TV shows which is surprising considering I didn’t think I would like the show initially. Shout out to the boyfriend for convincing me to watch this with him.

 Video Games I Played:

This Spider-Man DLC rocks. Image from Insomniac Games

• Lego Marvel Superheroes 
• Uncharted Drake’s Fortune 
• Uncharted #2 Among Thieves 
• Uncharted #3 Drake’s Deception 
• Marvel’s Spider-Man + the DLC

My Favorite Video Game of 2018: Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best game in 2018. I probably will end up playing through the campaign again in 2019.

2018 Biggest Pop Culture Moments:

• James Gunn’s pedophile Tweets resulting in him being fired by Marvel
• The disgusting Brett Kavanaugh trial.
• Aziz Ansari and the importance of asking for consent prior to engaging in sexual activity

Biggest Pop Culture Moment: The Aziz Ansari story shocked me when it first released online. Reading through the story, Ansari crossed the line. If someone says no about wanting to engage in any sexual activity, that’s a no. It doesn’t give you a free pass to try other activity. I can’t stress enough how important it is to get consent. This incident shows how little people know about what giving consent looks like because it’s not discussed in sex education and that’s a big problem.

Podcast I Couldn’t Stop Listening To:

Anna Faris’s Unqualified Podcast was recommended to me by my best friend. In each episode, Anna interviews a celebrity of sorts and then they take questions from fans. I prefer the questions from fans because it’s interesting hearing their life problems and hearing Anna Faris’s advice. This is the one podcast I will make sure I’m caught up on.

Catchiest Song in 2018:

I Like It by Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin has been on repeat every time I work out. Anytime this song beats through my head phones, I work out harder with whatever I’m doing.

Conventions Attended in 2018:

First Panel at Convergence 2019 

Planet Comic Con: Waiting for Matthew Lewis’s Autograph 

4. (Planet Comicon, Convergence, Spring MSP Comicon and Fall MSP Comicon).

Personal Memories:

Top Three Memories in 2018:

Adopting Athena:

I’m so lucky to have this kitty in my apartment. If you follow me on Instagram, I post a cat picture often. I can’t help it, she’s too adorable. Cats are easy to take care of and it’s nice to come home from work and a have a fur ball waiting for me by the door.

Driving to Boston:

My family has started a tradition of going on one major family vacation every year. This year we drove to Boston. Boston is a city I had always wanted to visit and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s colonial history combined with the East Coast environment led me to falling in love with the city.

Flying to the Big Apple

I will say, Boston has nothing on NYC. New York City was ginormous, but captivating. Central Park was much bigger than I had expected it would be. Getting lost in the subway is something I will never forget, but it taught me how to navigate around. If I were to visit NYC again, I would do a lot better with knowing where to go.

My Resolution for 2019:

Spend lots of money at Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Orlando!

 

 

 

Titans is Surprisingly Decent

This past summer, I wrote a post regarding the new Titans trailer being released on DC Universe. Most of my thoughts were incredibly harsh as I thought this show would be a steaming pile of trash. The boyfriend ended up purchasing a membership to DC Universe, which means we have been watching Titans every Friday. I cannot believe I’m saying this, but this show is actually enjoyable, entertaining and I’m intrigued by the darker nature with the show.

Titans places emphasis on Raven’s back story and how her powers developed. In the pilot, Raven recognizes how destructive her powers can be and the fear toward her family when she displays these mystical abilities. Raven is played wonderfully by Teagan Croft who is a relatively unknown Australian actress. As the episodes air, Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) and Star Fire (Anna Diop) are introduced to help protect Raven while also allowing her the freedom to explore her nature.

My biggest complaint initially was the “Fuck Batman” line from the trailer. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this portrayal of Dick Greyson. Dick Greyson in Titans is lost in his identity. He was raised by Bruce to fight crime, but he feels his Robin persona is consuming him. As a result, there seems to be blame on Bruce for introducing him to this world which allows the”Fuck Batman” line to fit with his persona. Brenton Thwaites brings Dick to life on the TV screen and gives a convincing performance of a confused, guilt-ridden early age Nightwing.

DC is known for it’s grittier comic book adaptations which is fine, but sometimes back fires. I’m happy to say Titans has blown me away from my initial expectations. I was wrong about this show earlier in the year. I highly recommend any DC comics fan to watch this and let’s have a discussion in the comments below.

 

 

 

The Sexiest Political Thriller on Netflix; Bodyguard.

Richard Madden is dreamy *Image from BBC*

I spend more time than I would like to admit on Twitter. Usually, I never have anything clever to say, but I follow quite a few entertainment sites, bloggers and creative minds. Entertainment Weekly is a magazine I used to read, but now I follow them on Twitter. They tweeted about how riveting Bodyguard is which recently dropped on Netflix. The first season is only six episodes long so I figured, what the hell, I need something new to watch.

Starring former Game of Thrones star Richard Madden as David Budd, a war veteran dealing with crippling PTSD from his experiences in Afghanistan. As a police officer, he’s assigned to a protection detail for Julia Montague (played by Keeley Hawes) who is controversial with her political opinions with a reputation for being unfriendly. Their relationship developed as they worked together and as the episodes continue, there’s an underlying conspiracy regarding why Montague is being targeted.

This show was exactly what I needed; it was captivating from the minute I started the first episode. The first twenty minutes shows Budd trying to stop a suicide bomber on a train with his kids a couple carts away. I attempted to predict where the show was going, but I was pleasantly surprised by how wrong I was. I can’t give more details without revealing spoilers, so I will choose to refrain from further details.

While Bodyguard aired on BBC, it drew in 10 million views which is incredible, although season #2 hasn’t been confirmed. Richard Madden is talking with producers to be involved with another season. The earliest it would be released would be 2020 which seems far from now. This is one of the most enticing political thrillers on Netflix currently and it’s a nice break from the other shows I watch. Plus Richard Madden is the perfect eye candy to watch on the small screen.

 

 

Cancellation of Luke Cage & Iron Fist; My Reaction

On my laptop I have a sticky notes app to keep myself organized. It includes my To-Do List, video games I want to play, clothes I’m looking to purchase and all the TV shows I’m behind on. Towards the top of the TV watching list were the Marvel Netflix TV series because I haven’t watched Luke Cage or Iron Fist. Marvel’s Netflix series tackle darker issues plaguing our society where Marvel’s superhero movies are mostly lighthearted. I actually liked the Defenders series even though a lot of fans were disappointed, so it saddens me to hear about the cancellation of both Luke Cage and Iron Fist. I wanted to write my reactions to each series.

In Luke Cage, Luke becomes a celebrity after the events in the Defenders. Mariah Dillard is still a shady politician attempting to do good in Harlem while also abandoning the Dillard family gun business. Misty Knight is recovering from losing her arm while also suffering from Scarfe’s betrayal which means more criminals are hitting the streets. This season shows Mariah’s descent into becoming Harlem’s most dangerous gangster along with Bushmaster, another villain wanting to seek revenge against the Dillard family.

Iron Fist is the underdog of the Marvel universe because I wasn’t expecting much after season #1’s dismal storytelling. Iron Fist shows Danny finally committing to Colleen as they turned her dojo into an apartment. Danny constantly is out late punishing criminals ruthlessly to keep Matt’s promise of keeping NYC safe. Meanwhile, Joy Meachum is up to some shady stuff with Davos, the former K’un-L’un apprentice seeking the Iron Fist. Ward Meachum is still a rich asshole, but he’s somewhat decent this season. Alice Eve does a miraculous job as Typhoid Mary as she adds another layer to the drama of this season. Without revealing any spoilers, the show does a great job with Colleen’s character and she’s probably the character I will miss the most.

Both Luke Cage and Iron Fist had much stronger second seasons which is why I was devastated when I realized both series were cancelled. I’m holding out hope for a Heroes for Hire show combining both Iron Fist and Luke Cage because I found Finn Jones and Mike Coulter were magnetic on screen together. This is incredibly unlikely though according to some gossip I picked up on where Disney’s streaming service is going to be PG.

Another reason why I’m disappointed in the cancellation between both shows is the strong female characters between both series. Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Typhoid Mary and Claire all show up between both shows. Where’s my Misty Knight/Colleen Wing team up show because I would watch the hell out of that.

Although I’m disappointed by the cancellations, I’m hopeful with the renewal with Daredevil and Jessica Jones. If Luke Cage and Iron Fist don’t get added to a Heroes for Hire TV show, they could still appear in the other Netflix shows. I’m interested to here your thoughts about Marvel’s Netflix saga.

 

Forced TV Watching: Why Do We Do It?

I told myself at the beginning of summer I would be all caught up on the Flash and Arrow while also starting Legends of Tomorrow. Unfortunately, this goal was way too ambitious. I had been trying to watch the newest season of the Flash and it’s been rather difficult for me to get through it. It’s not that the season is bad, but I’m just not as enthralled as I was in the prior seasons. Yet, I had been trying to force myself to watch it. This also applies to Arrow as I wasn’t a fan of the whole team splitting up which made me stop watching. Why do we force ourselves to watch TV we aren’t that interested in?

One reason I force myself to watch TV is based on a friend’s recommendation. They say the show is SO GOOD, so you feel obligated to keep watching even though you barely could get past episode #2. This was my exact reaction when I started watching Making a Murderer. I felt the show was too boring for me to keep up with even though everyone became emotionally invested in Stephen Avery’s case.

Another reason I force myself to watch shows is the cast. Stephen Amell who stars in Arrow seems to be a down to earth human being. I have watched how he has raised money for cancer research by selling his collectible tank tops and t-shirts. He is one of the few celebrities who seems to not let fame get to him. He’s also nice to all of his fans he meets. With that being said, I feel bad that I’m not caught up on his show even though I’m not as big of a fan as I once was.

Sometimes it’s overwhelming to get caught up on my shows. I still haven’t watched Luke Cage Season #2 or Iron Fist Season #2 and Daredevil is already releasing it’s third season this month. There’s so much TV and I’m trying to catch up on it all while still maintaining my social life, getting 8 hours of sleep and 5x a week for exercise. One reason why I have been watching less TV is because I have been spending all my time playing Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games. I shouldn’t have to feel bad for watching less TV because I want to devote my time to something else.

Also I find myself re-watching shows I have already seen because I genuinely love them. This summer instead of watching the Flash or Arrow, I re-watched season #1 of the Punisher on Netflix and seasons #1 – #3 of Agents of Shield. It brings back memories especially watching Agents of Shield because me and my college roommate would talk for hours about the plot twists happening in Coulson’s helicarrier.

Eventually I do want to get caught up on the Flash and Arrow, but it has to happen on my own time. If that means I’m not going to be able to watch this current season, that’s fine. Forcing myself to watch TV is more tiring than I want it to be. My goal is to pick what I want to watch regardless of what friend’s think and what new season is airing in Fall. I’m curious if anyone else feels this way. If you do, leave a comment below.