Cultrface – a blog dedicated to culture and how it enriches our lives.

Secret Galaxy on The Crow

The Many Tragedies of THE CROW (1994)

Dan Larson explored the tragedies from the making of The Crow, notably Brandon Lee’s accidental death during filming. The 1994 film was based on a comic by James O’Barr about a rock musician brought back from the dead to avenge his death and that of his fiancée.

It’s a film I’ve been meaning to watch (and I have it ready) but never got round to.

Adam Martyn on the 'crazy chaotic' launch of Channel 5

The Crazy Chaotic Launch of Channel 5

In 1997, Channel 5 was launched in the UK. It was the first new terrestrial channel in 25 years and it had a massive marketing campaign headed by The Spice Girls, the biggest girl band at the time. Adam Martyn chronicled the channels origins and why it was almost a financial disaster due to technical constraints—some channels couldn’t tune into it for months and it cost millions to get aerials sorted out.

I wonder who would lead the promo for a proverbial “Channel 6” in 2024. Coldplay? Dua Lipa? Lewis Capaldi? Charli XCX? The Spice Girls again?

Danny Gonzalez on content theft

The King Copycats Of YouTube

I love Danny Gonzalez’s videos but this has to be my favourite as it tackles a notable issue in content creation. He traced the various methods that people follow to copy YouTube, Instagram and TikTok videos and make their own. That includes people stealing videos and just putting their own green screen reactions over the top (aka “reaction” videos), copying thumbnail styles, and literally copying the videos word-for-word or idea-for-idea.

But Danny took it one step further and spent a week copying every video that Brent Rivera made to see if he could get more views. It’s a post-post-postmodernist nightmare but it actually worked in some cases. While Danny focused more on the lack of originality between all these thieves, I think the platforms have a lot to answer for. YouTube bet everything on MrBeast and his style of content creation, to the point where people truly believe that if they don’t do the same things, they won’t be seen. And because the algorithms that determine search and discovery are secret, nobody can definitively prove what works and what doesn’t.

Fabian Williams: the UK’s Black cowboy

In 2022, Victoria Munro wrote about then-18 year old Fabian Williams and his pursuit of becoming an Olympic equestrian

Fabian Williams – an 18-year-old who describes himself as “the UK’s Black cowboy” – is willing to do anything it takes to keep his dream of becoming an Olympic equestrian alive.

Last month that meant filming a viral video riding his horse Apple through the drive-thru at Leytonstone McDonald’s and, before that, working “almost 24 hours a day” to save up the money to buy her.

While now he can be proud of his passion, as a child being teased at school convinced him to give it up for five years, instead becoming someone “no one could make fun of” by getting involved in crime.

While he didn’t make it to Paris 2024, he has made an impression on the likes of James Argent (who UK readers may know as “Arg” in The Only Way Is Essex). And his dream of becoming a 5-time Olympic gold medallist lives on.

A UK Black History Month Post (2024)

It’s been 3 years since I last did a UK Black History Month post.

In 2021, I quoted myself from 2020 and I’m going to continue that tradition:

It’s been tough finding decent BHM content because so much of it is whitewashed or performative. People are retreading the same steps and the same “look at these famous slaves!” lists of influential Black people, often written by white people. Or pledges for more action that were made last year and the year before. I’m also not pleased about a few articles regarding more Black presence in the police force which is the most counterintuitive suggestion to make in any month, let alone Black History Month.

In the same month as Chris Kaba’s killer was acquitted of his murder, I want to focus as much on Black joy as any of the more painful memories and stories that make us who we are as Black British people. So here’s my roundup for this year’s Black History Month.

From the Internet

From the Cultrface archives

Sissy Spacek on her most iconic roles

Sissy Spacek Breaks Down Her Most Iconic Characters | GQ

A friend of mine mentioned Carrie, and it reminded me of how affecting the movie was when I saw it as a teen. Like, it took 2 weeks to get over and, for me, that’s the hallmark of a good horror movie (I can say that now but goddamn did it mess me up).

That’s when I realised that I’d never seen or heard Sissy Spacek in any capacity since that movie so I found this GQ video where she broke down some of her best roles.

Can I also say her outfit is super cool? It’s giving shades of Spike from Cowboy Bebop. She’s awesome.

Michael Keaton answers the Web's most searched questions

'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Star Michael Keaton Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED

Likely to promote Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton joined WIRED to answer the Web’s most searched questions about himself. Of course Batman, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Birdman, and his early stand-up came up amongst other things.

Aissa Dearing discussed the ways Afrofuturism can open doors to new worlds and ways of thinking in these difficult environmental and sociopolitical times: Afrofuturist thinking and practice explore futures where white supremacy holds no power, fashioning worlds based on the possibilities of joy, healing, liberation, invention, and freedom for Black people across the diaspora.

Dini Kodippili's Witch’s Heart cocktail

Since it’s spooky season, why not make a Halloween-themed cocktail for the occasion? Dini Kodippili aka The Flavor Bender has an awesome recipe for a Witch’s Heart cocktail containing vodka, blackberries, and grenadine with some luster dust for that extra sparkle.

Ingredients

  • Vodka
  • Blackberries
  • Purple luster dust or pearl luster dust
  • Simple syrup
  • Apple liqueur (except sour apple)
  • Lemon juice
  • Grenadine

Check out Dini’s full recipe on her website.

And, as always, drink responsibly!

A list of Black movies to watch during Halloween season

Let’s cut to the chase: it’s Black History Month in the UK and it’s also Halloween season. You’ll probably want to “do your part” by watching Black horror movies (mostly American ones though) and look for definitive lists so you don’t miss the best ones. My list is neither definitive nor an “ultimate guide to Black horror”.

The following movies are just good Black horror movies (predominately Black British ones) that you should check out and I’ll be updating them as and when. I won’t have seen all of them myself but I will put films in the list that I know are good based on friends who have otherwise recommended them to me in the past (or if I see my friends on Letterboxd thought they were good).

Get Out

The amazing debut from Jordan Peele sees Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose visit her parents for the weekend but not all is what it seems as the weekend slowly turns more disturbing and puts Chris’s life in danger. I haven’t drunk tea from a china cup since. You’ll see why when you watch it. You can also read a review we published a few years ago.

Nope

Another Jordan Peele-Daniel Kaluuya collab, this time seeing Daniel’s character X and his sister (played by Keke Palmer) try to escape a benevolent being in the sky. I could not look up for 3 days after seeing this movie. Epic and haunting.

Attack the Block

Starring John Boyega, Attack the Block is a sci-fi horror set in a South London housing estate where a teen gang join together with their community to keep the estate safe from aliens.

Funke, Fatima & Madame Bunmi

This isn’t so much a horror movie but it involves a witch doctor and a magic spell that goes wrong so it’s at least supernatural? The short film sees Funke and Fatima visit Madame Bunmi hoping they can get their dream bodies for their 18th birthday party. Of course, it doesn’t go to plan and the girls have to deal with the consequences and discover more about themselves in the process.

Director Christine Ubochi also won The M&M’S Short Film Festival 2024 for the film.

My Zombie Apocalypse Team

Described as a zero-budget proof of concept film set in South East London, My Zombie Apocalypse Team sees Anthony, played by Mzat Indie, find his way through a zombie outbreak to gather a team to take them on. Zombie apocalypse films are far from new but this one has an all-Black cast and, specifically, an all-Black British cast.

The Lies of Our Confines

And another film from the same director as My Zombie Apocalypse Team (Leon Oldstrong), The Lies of Our Confines is features two youth leaders who take a group of young Black men on a trip outside of their community with the hope of improving their outlook on life. Instead, an unfortunate encounter with a corn doll and a benevolent spirit turns everything upside down.

The Serpent and the Rainbow

Bill Pullman plays an anthropologist who goes to Haiti to learn about a mysterious substance that locals claim bring people back from the dead. But wandering through the world of voodoo and zombies lead Pullman’s character down a path he didn’t expect. The film is loosely based on the experiences of Clairvius Narcisse, a Haitian man that allegedly lived as a zombie slave.

Ganja & Hess

Via Black Archives:

The original multihyphenate Bill Gunn directed and wrote this masterful marriage between blaxploitation and horror tropes. “Ganja & Hess” tells the story of an anthropologist (Duane Jones) who is bestowed with the gift of immortality and an indescribable desire for blood.

credit

Tales From The Hood

Thriller

Candyman

Zamacueca: an Afro-Peruvian dance and music

Zamacueca--an Afro-Peruvian music & dance

The Zamacueca is a colonial dance and music that originated in Peru by enslaved people in the 18th century, and influenced by Spanish and Andean rhythms. The dance involves seductive movements with handkerchiefs and represents the courtship of the man and woman as they advance and retreat.

It was so daring that the dance was banned in its native country but found its way to Chile and as far as California during the Gold Rush in the 19th century.

Cat postcards, sexism, and elections years

For JSTOR Daily, Natalie Kinkade traced the history of cats and their involvement in American presidential elections, through a series of sexist political postcards. There’s a lot to go through here but I found this excerpt—from the modern day—interesting in its own way:

When JD Vance questioned why a childless person would want to be a teacher or a leader, infamously calling Kamala Harris and her ilk “miserable” and “childless cat ladies,” he was invoking old, sexist stereotypes. The Harris campaign responded by selling “childless cat lady” merch. This tactic of reclaiming an insult and turning it into a badge of honor also has rich historical precedent.

JD Vance’s rhetoric is disgusting but unsurprising. Kamala Harris’s repackaging of someone else’s work in the form of merch and her own rhetoric (see also: the Brat Summer stuff) is also unsurprising. I just wish cats weren’t used as political pawns in all this mess, and that it wasn’t so historical. Leave those cats in peace!

The unexpected perks of a Japanese Buddhist temple

For Fodor’s Travel, Rosie Bell wrote about her experiences at Sekishoin, a modern Buddhist temple in Kōyasan, Japan:

Was it a Rolex? I couldn’t get close enough to tell what was dangling on the wrist of the 83-year-old monk teaching us. I’m not enough of a timepiece aficionado to make out the brand, but it was bold, gold, and rattled on his wrist as he gesticulated gingerly while talking us through the temple’s 1,100-year evolution.

The octogenarian in question was one of the resident monks at Sekishoin, an unexpectedly modern Shingon Buddhist temple in Koyasan or Mount Kōya, a sacred temple town that became Japan’s 12th World Heritage Site in 2004. Prior to the trip, my supposition about monks was that they eschewed material things, lived chaste lives, were sober in temperament, and worshipped in pared-back shelters.

Not here.

Dressed in a mustard-colored samue–the traditional garb of Buddhist monks–the monk graced us with his presence during an orientation session and over dinner when he regaled us with jokes and frank tales, revealing the intricate hierarchy of the temple where he holds the rank of the eighth oldest.

A monk with gold on his wrist? And beer-stocked vending machines? Maybe I need to get into Buddhism!