Avalon Dispatch

Originally published May 2, 2025 Spoilers ahead. Consider yourself warned and warded. I've always felt myself drawn to the supernatural, strange, and otherworldly in fiction. That which is unknown but passed down through oral tradition and ritual practice. It is unsurprising then that my favourite flavour of horror fiction comes in the shape of Folk Horror, styled in the fashions of the vernacular cultures of its own origins. Stock folk horror "tropes" that are understood commercially include cults, countryside living, ancient rituals, and the like. The archetype example of folk horror cinema is The Wicker Man , however other films like The VVitch , Midsommar , and my personal favourite (until now), The Ritual are among the most popular examples of this sub-genre. The genre has immense potential to push these popular tropes aside and walk in the bones of the genre in new and inspired fashions. Which brings me to Sinners .  Provided you heeded the spoiler warning, you'...

  Originally Published March 31, 2025 My name is not Nick. Everyone calls me Nick. My family does. My friends do. My partner does. My colleagues do. When I act, I'm Nick. When I write for a professor, I'm Nick. When I discuss my research with my supervisor, I'm Nick. When I am talking about everything and nothing with those closest to me, I am Nick.  But I was born Nicholas William Muzychka Gushue.  When I was born, the conclusion was reached that I was a boy. I was named Nicholas by my parents who had not connected that they were going to accidentally name their child after Santa so close to Christmas.  (For what it's worth, If I was not born male, I would have been Natalie, which makes the entire cosmic joke of this birth being a holiday special even funnier.) I don't think I ever considered that my name could be wrong as a kid. It was just an unshakeable truth of the universe that I was Nicholas William Muzychka Gushue. True, everyone called me Nick save for thos...

Originally Published November 26, 2024. Since 2000, our family has been putting together a mix of song themed around Christmas, Holiday, seasonal, New Year's, etc. that has gone from CDs burned on a Macbook to a Spotify playlist. And since 2020 it has become a personal tradition of mine to carry the torch and keep finding 25 songs for everyone to enjoy. This year has been incredibly difficult and I feel that in particular comes through in my choices. So take a listen (with our new and improved embedded code) and read along to find that Holiday spirit this year! "You For Christmas" - Kelly Clarkson Nearly all of the picks for this year have been previous contenders for past Mixes, so it was important to find new songs to avoid just using the same 20 or so albums as last year. And to be frank, a lot of this year's "Christmas Hits" were instant skips. They were sentimental without heart, sugar without sap, and otherwise lacking in a decent beat. Thank God ...