10-26-25 — Christina Critiques - Wonderland Nominee, books, and mainstream movies

WONDERLAND NOMINEE

GOD IS WEARING BLACK

By: Kelby Losack

Release: 11/27/23

Page count: 124

KU: No         Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Thirteen stories that will make the reader feel the gritty and raw side of life - whether they want to or not.

First line: “They got this deal at Waffle King where if you get their logo permanently inked in your skin, you can go in and cop a free combo meal as much as once a week.”

Favorite line(s): “I love you, and I’m sorry.”

“The night she came home covered in blood, dragging the severed head of a parade float Santa across the garage floor, I stopped kidding myself.”

“I couldn’t tell if it was the ghost or the wind doing all the howling until another cat smacked against the window.”

“At some point, you learn to live with the things that haunt you.”

Thoughts: WHERE HAS KELBY BEEN HIDING?! What a gotdamn breath of fresh (though grimy) air.

I was talking to my therapist about this collection (yes, I talk about most of you in therapy) and she asked me to describe the writing. “Well, it’s like you are walking down a filthy alleyway in the middle of the night with a light that is almost burnt out, a homeless man to your left passed out from the booze and on the right is a puddle of God only knows what, then you realize you have chewed up bubblegum on the bottom of your favorite shoes.”

It’s real, raw, and will leave you questioning every choice you made up to that exact moment in life. And Gotdammit, that’s what literature should be right now - forcing us to see what’s in the mirror and reconciling it.

Rating: 6/5

Other recommendations: Literally anything with this man’s name as the author

Find it here: https://a.co/d/guOdAwC

BOOKS

OPPOSITE DAY

BY: Kevin Sweeney

Page count: 156

KU: Yes        Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Loony Luna, AKA Harper O’Bannon, just wants to get through her shift at the Big Top. With a bottle of hooch in her… (it rhymes), how bad can Opposite Day be? Right?

First line: “We didn’t realize the existential threat the clown posed until he ate the entire population of India, over a billion people, just scooping them up and chomping them like jelly … and then the diarrhea…”

Favorite line: “This meant his fellow employees hated his fucking guts.”

Thoughts: Oh, buddy is this book offensive. Is there a word that you aren’t exactly fond of? I would almost guarantee it’s in here but the offensiveness somehow adds to it in every way and that’s how Sweeney gets you. Clowns, cooch hooch, a psycho killer, a bunch of Nazis, and the ending NO ONE will see coming? Perfection. (Bonus: this story has a character arc that is loosely based on my favorite literary slasher duology.)

Rating: 4.5/5

Other recommendations: THE ANTI-CHRISTMAS PRESENT, NECRO SUTRA TRILOGY

Find it here: https://a.co/d/6QSioxx

THE HARVEST

By: Ryan Hyatt

Release: 11/1/25

Page count: 23

KU: TBD      Hoopla: TBD

Synopsis: A doctor and soon-to-be mom take a driverless ride, but technology is often unstable at best and today will prove that in the bloodiest of ways.

First line: “She feels woozy.”

Favorite line: “A status update appears on Patient 21’s sign: incapacitated.”

Thoughts: Hyatt couldn’t write a bad story to save his life. The claustrophobia that he causes the reader, on top of poking at the irrational fear some of us have with technology - is perfectly executed. Add on top of that the unnerving unknown and anxiety of being a new mother and the extra stress of a turbulent long distance relationship. Killer story! (Pun intended). Another win from Hyatt.

Rating: 5/5

Other recommendations: LOT LIZARD, THE INITIATE

Find it here: https://a.co/d/jalLzPt

INVINCIBLE, Vol. 1: Family Matters

By: Robert Kirkman

Page count: 123

KU: Yes      Hoopla: No

Synopsis: Mark has found a superhero and boy, is there a lot of things to learn that isn’t just surviving high school.

First line: “Y’know you really ruined my afternoon.”

Favorite line: “You know I’m dating Rex, right?”

Thoughts: There isn’t a lot happening in the first volume because we are meeting the characters and learning their abilities. And you know what, that’s A-OK. There are plenty of deaths to keep our attention as well as wanting to more about individual abilities keep you turning the pages. I have no idea where this series is going but I’m locked in and ready to find out.

Rating: 4.5/5

Other recommendations: I will continue the series.

Find it here: https://a.co/d/46nb9JS

BRAIN DAMAGE

By: Shintaro Rago

Release: 10/25

Page count: 194

KU: No          Hoopla: Yes

Synopsis: Kago gives the reader four stories that explore: obsession, the lengths science can go, senility, and what can hold memories.

First line: “Where?… I …  … This is… It can’t …”

Favorite line: “I don’t look like you! You look like me!”

Thoughts: This was a weird one, I can’t lie. While three of the stories were spectacular, one, “Family Portrait” was just… too pervy even for me. (And let’s be honest, that’s saying something.) I will say, “Blood Harvest”, is one of the most imaginative short stories I have read in a while. If you like super weird, this one is for you.

Rating: 4/5

Other recommendations: DEMENTIA 21

Find it here: https://a.co/d/gt9eZ5q

MAINSTREAM MOVIES

Title: PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Director: John Carpenter

Run Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: A secret brotherhood member dies with a mysterious box on his chest and it sets off a chain of events that could cause the end of the world unless a bunch of college kids can stop it.

Pros: Everything but Brian. But the sense of dread that is continuous throughout the movie because of the background music/sounds is the real star.

Cons: Brian - that creepy bastard. Imagine George from DEMONS but even creepier.

Thoughts: This definitely had the feel of THE THING also by Carpenter and that somehow just works again perfectly. Walter made me want to stab him with his silly one-liners (but the witch/rich doctor joke was a bit redeeming) and Brian made every woman’s vagina dry up like the Sahara. But the special effects were great, especially Kelly and her transformation. A definite must watch for Carpenter’s fans.

Star Rating: 8/10

Title: EVENT HORIZON

Director: Paul Anderson

Run Time: 1 hour, 36 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: A group of rescuers and a secretive ship architect must attempt a rescue that is seven years in the making - because the ship has been MIA for that long. The problem is there’s a big reason why and it’s not going to be easy to stop.

Pros: The acting 100%. I was blown away by the casting and the ability to suck the viewer into a voyeur character. “Hell is only a word - reality is much, much worse.”

Cons: I wish there was more. I could have watched at least another hour of it.

Thoughts: Loved, loved, loved this one. The unknown problem, the slow descent into madness, and the claustrophobic sense even on a ship that huge? Please, give me more. But watching the characters have to face secrets and fears was, at times, heartbreaking.

Side note: There is a new comic series EVENT HORIZON: DARK DESCENT and it’s a prequel to this movie. It’s amazing and I highly recommend it but watch the movie first so it makes a bit more sense.

Star Rating: 9.5/10

Title: FROM BEYOND

Director: Stuart Gordon

Run Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: A scientist and his assistant find a way to stimulate the penal gland and it becomes deadly. Can the assistant rebuild the Resonator in order to show he isn’t crazy or will he end up in the psych ward?

Pros: The special effects in this are absolutely amazing. Honestly, some of the best I have seen.

Cons: The fat lady at the beginning with the dog? Her.

Thoughts: Anytime you have an 80s movie with Peter Combs and it’s Lovecraft, the viewer knows they are in for a treat. And FROM BEYOND is no different. I will admit, watching this and PRINCE OF DARKNESS in a few days can get a bit blurry. But there is no creepy Brian in this one. Just a sexy sex dungeon and a lot of phallic stuff. I loved it no matter. Katherine turned slutty and it was hilarious. “I told you to get dressed!” “I did.”

Star Rating: 8/10

Title: WEAPONS

Director: Zach Creggor

Run Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: A entire class of 3rd grade children go missing but one. The community thinks the teacher knows more than she is saying and the child left behind - Alex - doesn’t have any answers either.

Pros: It’s 100% better than that dumpster fire - BARBARIAN. So really, that’s all the pro you need.

Cons: Aunt Gladys. She will haunt my dreams, ugly ol’ bitch.

Thoughts: Holy shit. Can we say amazing social commentary? School shooting imagery, the inability to get through the headline stories, the ease of deception to school authorities. I mean, the list could go on. I will ignore BARBARIAN and tell everyone that this is Creggor’s first movie because this is what he should be remembered for. The wit and silliness in parts goes back to his WKUK days and it was nostalgic while showing how he has grown as a director and writer. There isn’t anything in this movie that I can complain about. And lord knows I’m great at complaining.

Star Rating: The first one this year - 10/10.