MyCreativeRambling’s Best of the Decade

2010 feels like a long time ago. In that year, we were all in the cinema watching Inception or Toy Story 3. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe was still in its infancy. Most people still hadn’t heard of Breaking Bad, while Game of Thrones was still a year away.

On top of that, Sad Keanu was breaking our hearts, Michael Cera was skipping, and double rainbows were outstaying their welcome. And that’s just 2010. The decade since has been interesting, to say the least.

What I’m Reading – ‘Seven Cities of Gold’ by David Moles

This book has promise, but just from reading the first page you get the distinct impression that Moles had bitten off more than he could chew. The story claims it is a meditation on 9/11, the War on Terror, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina – as well as being full of “emblematic violence and acute symbolism”.

All this, in just 66 pages.

What I’m Reading – ‘Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne’ by Grant Morrison

Comics are confusing. I’d argue that nothing is quite as confusing as the world of DC comics, particularly the really out-there cosmic stuff. And Grant Morrison is famously bonkers. So the two of them together, in the wake of one of DC’s typically bloated and ridiculous crossover events (penned by the chaos magician himself) in a Batman-meets-Cloud Atlas time-hopping adventure – how confusing could it be?

The Walking Dead – ‘The World Before’ Review

So there we have it, another half-season gone in the blink of an eye. Though this episode didn’t give us an action-packed mid-finale, it did wrap up the themes and ideas that we’ve been seeing for the past eight weeks. This half of the season has been the ‘Cold War’ with the Whisperers, with both sides taking shots and being careful not to overstep. By the end of The World Before, it’s apparent that, going forward, the war will be anything but cold.

The Walking Dead – ‘Open Your Eyes’ Review

I owe some people an apology. Since being introduced, I’ve defended Dante’s wacky antics. People said he was weird, but hey, he was weird in the comics. It’s his shtick. But as it turns out, all those people who said something was ever so slightly off with Dante were 100% correct. In a very surprising moment, one that feels tailor-made to pull the rug out from under the comic readers, Dante kills Siddiq.

I guess it wouldn’t be a season of The Walking Dead if the resident medical professional didn’t get the chop.

The Walking Dead – ‘Bonds’ Review

If you’re not won over by Negan yet, chances are you never will be. This episode sees him learning the ins and outs of the Whisperers as he suffers a trial by fire, courtesy of a jealous Beta. Elsewhere, Daryl and Carol begin what seems like a ill-advised mission into Whisperer territory, but we soon learn that Carol had it all planned out.

The Walking Dead – ‘Silence the Whisperers’ Review

Season 10 of The Walking Dead continues its hot streak with another dynamite episode. Things threaten to come apart in the communities, thanks to a falling tree at Hilltop and Negan at Alexandria. Not to mention the imminent threat of the Whisperers – a problem everyone seems to have a solution to. Where’s diplomatic Sheriff Grimes when you need him?

The Walking Dead – ‘Ghosts’ Review

Let’s not beat around the bush, when you get to your tenth season you’ve got to start mixing things up to avoid the whole thing going stale. And you can’t claim that The Walking Dead hasn’t shaken things up. This episode sees Carol suffering from sleep deprivation and a great turn towards the good side for Negan. Both bold choices, but it makes Ghosts one excellent episode.

The Walking Dead – ‘We Are the End of the World’ Review

We’ve spent half a season now and, although we’ve picked up some clues, we don’t really know a whole lot about The Whisperers. We’ve seen bits of Alpha’s life and can understand why she’s a bit weird but ultimately there’s still that disconnect. These guys wear the skins of the walkers and live out in the woods in their makeshift cult – how exactly do you explain that? This episode goes a long way towards making sense of that.

Joker (2019) Review

Everyone has an opinion on ‘Joker’ – especially those who haven’t seen it. But it’s not the dangerous incel fantasy that some have hailed it as – though it will surely still find an audience with that crowd.

‘Joker’ is gorgeous in it’s own disgusting sort of way. And, going into it, if you consider it as an alternate universe spinoff, or Elseworlds retelling, you’ll have a great time – even if you’ll need a shower afterwards.