Foz Meadows

the way I can tell I’m about to start work on a manuscript is, my brain suddenly starts pelting me with compelling new ideas for Other Things

hi hello yes, episode 7 of beyond evil is taking me the FUCK OUT

why does every male Republican look like a 50s toupee on a squinty wax mannequinhttps://twitter.com/morninggloria/status/1431713912446091268 …

Anyway the original Jumanji still slaps!

Also love the gentle fun poked at 90s self-actualisation language in a way that helps characterise both Nora and Sarah without actually demeaning or diminishing them, and how trauma is still acknowledged as trauma that the characters have to deal with.

Also loved how the biggest danger in the jungle is a white colonial asshat with a gun, and the real danger to be overcome outside the game are the structures of toxic masculinity, and the need for men to show love to their family members and admit fault??

Even asking him “You’re not a postal worker, are you?” And god, talk about a sign of inflation: in a film set in 1995, Sarah talks about having spent $2000 on years of therapy like it’s an enormous sum, when that would barely cover a few sessions in 2021… I had a Moment.

And!! The fucking commentary on America! Like! The background detail of a predominantly white town where all the white people start looting the second things go to shit, contrasted with the gun store owner’s readiness to illegally sell Van Pelt a fucking sniper rifle!

God, and of course Robin Williams knocks if out of the park. I didn’t appreciate his skill as a kid, but the way he portrays a child’s eyes looking out of a man’s face in this, the way he uses his voice to still *sound* like a kid when he calls for his parents… FUCK.

And the moment when Peter is upset and crying, and Alan defaults to telling him not to cry, to keep his chin up, the crumples and says, “26 years in the deepest, darkest jungle and I still became my father” before apologising and hugging him? Toxic masculinity whomst??

And there’s so many little gracenotes I never noticed as a kid! Like how Alan’s jokes are all 60s references (the Clampetts, the Ringling Bros) and how the hunter, Van Pelt, is played by the same actor as Alan’s dad.

For family movie night, we just watched the original Jumanji - the first time I’d seen it in about 20 years - and goddamn, is it a million times better than the absolute tripe that was Jungle Cruise.

point of curiosity: I’m now on my third Asian police drama (two K-dramas, one c-drama) where it’s a Thing for a cop character to have mysophobia. is this a trope or just a weird coincidence, and if the former, what’s the origin?

ajdhdhdhdh please tell me the fandom people calling themselves “grey antis” didn’t borrow the idea from grey ace, I’m-