Further Annotations

GABBLER RECOMMENDS: ”Joker’ Is Wild … ly Dull’ by Glen Weldon

Posted on October 5, 2019 by blablablaandgabbler

But the film so desperately strives to reject comic book trappings — so aches to be seen as edgy, provocative, serious, adult — that it simply apes the tone, style and content of other, better, edgier and more provocative films like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy and Fight Club.

…

But the film doesn’t care — it’s too busy exuding a sense of self-satisfaction, a preening, self-consciously provocative challenge to an audience — a humanity — it holds in pitched contempt.

Joker thinks of itself as urgent, relevant, of the moment and — mostly, unrelentingly — not just another silly superhero movie. Ultimately, however, it devotes so much of its energy into not being about a comic book villain that it neglects being about … much of anything, really.

[Via]

Anatomy of a Book Cover: [The Pre-programming by Anonymous]

Posted on September 21, 2019September 21, 2019 by blablablaandgabbler

Anatomy of a book cover: THE PRE-PROGRAMMING

[1] Crown of gears
[2] This is a sequel, duh
[3] Supposedly fiction
[4] This is the title
[5] This is a collaboration, but not the James Patterson sort
[6] Glitches
[7] [BLA and GB GABBLER CANNOT SEE THIS] pic.twitter.com/xkdoGpUyfd

— G.B. Gabbler (@CircoFootnotes) September 21, 2019

[1] Crown of gears for the mirrored Laocoöns represents the fated characters sucked into the god Vulcan’s machine. The gears also match the ones on the first volume, strategically (ahem) placed on the Venus de Milo. See for yourself.

[2] This is a sequel, duh. The first, called THE AUTOMATION, is forever free as an ebook. There will be three volumes in the Circo del Herrero series. Also, Circo del Herrero means The Blacksmith’s Circus. This is an analogy to something one of the characters says in Volume one, and the fact that many antique clockwork automatons brought circus scenes to life (often depicting clowns, magicians, animals doing tricks).

[3] Supposedly fiction. BLA would argue otherwise. Probably slapped on there for legal reasons.

[4] This is the title, reminding us all of our pre-programmed existence. The characters, however, are part of a bigger program. A show for the gods!

[5] This is a collaboration, but not the James Patterson sort. BLA is the narrator and author. G.B. Gabbler is the editor. Both are characters in this story also, technically.

[6] Glitches. For the aesthetics. Also, symbolic of how the gods can bend our reality.

[7] [BLA and GB GABBLER CANNOT SEE THIS]. [No need to tell them there’s a number seven.] [This story is really written by one person, not two].