The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
theuglymonster.bsky.social
The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
@theuglymonster.bsky.social
Movies + TV | Gaming | Comic Books | News Media | Other Indecent Pursuits
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"Did you know that the festival employs migrant labour? Maybe you did, or maybe you didn’t. But it does. These are the people which maintain the apparatus which ensure that the festival can even exist."

#FilmFestival #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Palestine, Aliens, The Rock, and Neoliberal Cowardice: My time at the 82nd Venice Film Festival
In the city bathed in the bright light of the Adriatic sea, I glimpsed a shadow
medium.com
Reposted by The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
This is high art
April 6, 2025 at 9:37 PM
"...Wake Up Dead Man is at its best when it hones in on [Rian] Johnson’s mature dialogue, which unpacks every facet of faith and its meaning in our lives."

#spirituality #movies #Medium

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Wake Up Dead Man’ is a Powerful Examination of Faith
Rian Johnson’s latest murder mystery is a surprisingly earnest, mature exploration of the beauty of faith and its hateful applications
medium.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
"The Running Man...tries to be and do so many things that I don’t know what it truly wants to tell me. It wants to run at full speed and walk at the same time."

#movies

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘The Running Man’ (2025) has an Identity Crisis
This fast-paced action/comedy has big ideas and a lot to say. Can ‘The Running Man’ keep up the pace?
medium.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:23 AM
"Couched in clunky monologues and a desperately overlong running time is a film about self-protection and how it supersedes morality every day of the week."

#movies #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘After the Hunt’ — Luca Guadagnino’s Messy, Unfocused Post MeToo Drama
The Italian director’s latest film is bogged down by an indecisive script that fails to illuminate its weighty subject matter
medium.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:04 AM
"All of today’s maladies are mentioned, explored and interlinked throughout the film’s runtime. From incel culture and conspiracy theories to self-care, youth-obsession and the ultimate culprit, capitalism."

#movies #EmmaStone

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Unpacking the Horror of ‘Bugonia’ (2025)
CEOs are beyond comprehension
medium.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:26 AM
"Peak animation, peak music, peak vibe."

#anime #horror

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Perfect Blue’ is Every Celebrity’s Worst Nightmare
Satoshi Kon’s debut psychological thriller still gives audiences chills
medium.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:34 AM
"Driven mad by his ambitions, Victor loses sight of his humanity, ironically becoming the true monster of this tale. It is a moral lesson that [Guillermo] Del Toro, who also wrote the film’s script, is eager to hammer over viewers’ heads."

#horror

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Frankenstein’ Struggles to Find its Identity Amidst Repetitive Visuals and One-Note Characters
Jacob Elordi’s finest performance to date can’t save this hammy misfire from its Gothic aficionado director
medium.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Reposted by The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
6-fold ward against AI-induced psychosis
November 18, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Introduce Yourself in Five #TTRPG Classes. 🎲🎲

- Inksmith (Spire: The City Must Fall)
- Forsaken Gang-Goon (Cy_Borg)
- Neo (DIE: The Roleplaying Game)
- Sorcerer (Daggerheart)
- Magicuser (Freebase)
Introduce Yourself in Five #TTRPG Classes 🎲🎲

- The Caretaker (Wanderhome)
- The Vessel (The Between)
- Malkavian (Vampire the Masquerade)
- Ragabash Glass Walker (Werewolf the Apocalypse)
- The Fae (Urban Shadows)
December 3, 2025 at 3:56 PM
"The question answered:
Yes, things were better back when
we all punched fascists."

#poetry #Marvel #Medium

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Captain America: The Win Some, Lose Lots Issue?
Comic Book Haiku: Captain America — Our Secret Wars Part 4
medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:00 PM
"Sometimes retconning is necessary. But it’s rarely done well."

#movies #JurassicWorld #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
The Consequences of Retconning
Did ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ shoot itself in the foot?
medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:09 PM
"There’s no big shock that a TCG is reliant on a meta, but Pokémon Pocket’s is pretty bad. There seems to be only one or two decks that really work at a time, when usually metas have a little more variety than that."

#gaming

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Pokémon Pocket Is Atrociously Designed
I found something worse than Magic: The Gathering!
medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 5:44 AM
"...scarcity, actual or perceived, can breed bitter people who loathe others like themselves because their mere presence reminds them of everything they want but don’t have."

#Kdrama #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Analyzing the Bully Clique from ‘The Glory’
A cautionary tale of enabled narcissism and mimetic resentment
medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Reposted by The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
EA isn't being sold to a "consortium" of investors, it's being sold to Saudi Arabia, new filings reveal: https://kotaku.com/ea-saudi-arabia-ownership-trump-jared-kushner-2000649726
December 2, 2025 at 11:40 PM
"I was overwhelmed by pages of tiny panels where, in-between the action scenes, we get glimpses of how the news is reporting the events and the public’s reaction to it."

#batman

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Two Batmans, One Author
Comparing Frank Miller’s two different takes on the beloved caped crusader
medium.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
"Game Lamprey provides an elegant answer to the questions, “What do I do with my old D&D books now that there’s a new edition?” and “What do I do with my old D&D books now that I realize D&D is a terrible game?”"

#DungeonsAndDragons #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
This Game Destroys Your D&D Books
‘Game Lamprey’ is about revenge
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:05 PM
"The movie became an instant anime classic and despite coming out in the 90s, it only seems to get more relevant by the year."

#celebrity #movies

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Perfect Blue’ is Every Celebrity’s Worst Nightmare
Satoshi Kon’s debut psychological thriller still gives audiences chills
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Reposted by The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
Did you know that RAI censored a film on it's own platform? And they did that recently? Well you can read my piece on it to find out more.

#censorship #italy #RAI #politics #animation #movies #film #fascism #cinema

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Allegro Non Troppo’ and the Censorship of Italian Film and Television
What happens when you can’t call a fascist a fascist?
medium.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:33 PM
"Even in the most squirm-inducing of gory scenes here, there is a curious beauty on display, enticing you without dulling their brutality..."

#Frankenstein #horror

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Frankenstein’ Struggles to Find its Identity Amidst Repetitive Visuals and One-Note Characters
Jacob Elordi’s finest performance to date can’t save this hammy misfire from its Gothic aficionado director
medium.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:39 AM
"I found this to be an incredibly powerful example of how young boys are often expected to grow up way too fast, and how many eagerly hop on board without regard for their own safety."

#TheLongWalk #movies #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Brutally Beautiful: Brotherhood and ‘The Long Walk’
2025’s Most Important Film and a Must-See for Young Men
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by The Ugly Monster (Oscar)
when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes
November 30, 2025 at 7:48 PM
"...[DIE] probes the importance and dangers of escapism, the difference between passion and obsession, and the nature of chance and fairness. Then it turns these insights into explicit metaphors and beats you over the head with them..."

#comic #gaming

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘DIE’ Maps the Madness of Roleplaying Games
A comic about the unhinged nature of TTRPGs
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:51 AM
"Warmth tumbles out of Almost Famous’ scenes, overflowing from the camaraderie that forms when likeable, flawed characters become part of something bigger than themselves."

#Medium #movies #KateHudson

medium.com/theuglymonst...
‘Almost Famous’ is a Soulful Musing on Easy Love, Constant Thrills and Music Mania
Cameron Crowe’s nostalgic throwback earns its sentimental qualities handsomely
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:44 AM
"Did you know that the festival employs migrant labour? Maybe you did, or maybe you didn’t. But it does. These are the people which maintain the apparatus which ensure that the festival can even exist."

#FilmFestival #GiftArticle

medium.com/theuglymonst...
Palestine, Aliens, The Rock, and Neoliberal Cowardice: My time at the 82nd Venice Film Festival
In the city bathed in the bright light of the Adriatic sea, I glimpsed a shadow
medium.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:34 AM