Hello, world. I’m MacDara Conroy, and this is my blog.

Date: April 2019

One could just as easily say the church arsonist was influenced by ‘Hollywood’, seeing as Lords of Chaos just screened in US cinemas. It’s a similarly fatuous claim https://t.co/oOJe2CqUl2 #aside

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I’ve only got one conspiracy theory, and it’s that the Montreal Screwjob was an elaborate work that got worked into a shoot #aside

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Just remembered today that I’m going to a conference type thing on Monday, if you’re wondering where my head is at this week #aside

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Gutted for Marchie Archie #aside

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Now that you bring this up, my money’s on TruTV. I know you all want to stick it to Jamie Kellner (that was 18 years ago, by the way) but come on… https://t.co/ED8hi4mdTg #aside

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Film review — Escape Room

‘The Crystal Maze, but evil’ is a money concept. Treading the same beats at Cube and Saw, but with more noxious moral and ethical politics? Not so much. More…

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TOD always needs to be in some truck stop parking lot, with a few trees for a hint of bucolic atmosphere to contrast the ultraviolence of scary men with thumb tack scars smashing each other with light tubes https://t.co/8iTxpqoVNn #aside

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So Ireland’s turning on immigrants instead of FG, is that right? My blood pressure can’t take that brand of ignorance #aside

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Film review — Twilight Zone: The Movie

Slighter than expected, to tell you the truth. Only Vic Morrow’s racist tirade at the very beginning packs any punch, and that perhaps has more to do with the degradation of contemporary discourse sharpening the cut of those words. More…

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Film review — Studio 54

I’m not going to review the form, here — like virtually all contemporary documentaries, it’s your bog-standard combination of talking head interviews, archival footage and voices over pans of photographs — but on substance, it’s worth the investment, even if its sorely lacking its most crucial voice. More…

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Taka Michinoku makes his long-awaited return to Madison Square Garden! #G1Supercard #aside

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I guess EVIL couldn’t get his scythe and laser fingers through customs #G1Supercard #aside

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There’s far too much Ring of Honor in this New Japan show #G1Supercard #aside

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It’s really odd not hearing the right music for Minoru Suzuki on this NJPW World feed #G1Supercard #aside

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Anyway I just finished watching TakeOver and honestly I slept through the main event ‘cause I’m knackered so now I’m going to make some coffee #aside

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New Japan messed up the times for this show and it actually starts at 11.30pm, right? #G1Supercard #aside

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Why do I always forget the guitarist from Every Time I Die is a pro wrestler? #aside

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My Mania weekend begins now with Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport. I’ll be watching everything I want to see on delay till G1 Supercard tomorrow night #aside

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Patio is a great find here; they hit the right bass-driven post-punk buttons for me (seriously, the bass sound is *chef’s kiss*) https://t.co/mJE7TB3ciJ #aside

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My Letterboxd reviews for December 2018-January 2019

Mostly Netflix originals fare in December and January, and not a standout among them. The best film I saw in this period was, and I’m happy to say this, a new Ben Wheatley film. Because I really didn’t get on with Free Fire, but Happy New Year, Colin Burstead — which screened on the BBC to ring in 2019 — is for me his best since A Field in England. Apparently his next project is a new adaptation of Rebecca, but seeing as the Hitchcock original is unimpeachable, I can’t see what else he can bring to the table. It’s repeating a mantra for many a film fan but still: more original stuff, please. More…

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Come on, people: the only good Stephen King movie is Maximum Overdrive #aside

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WWE Is Trying To Defuse Its Own History With A Storyline

Lots of unpack here in this enlightening essay on the Kofi Kingston storyline headed into WrestleMania 35 this weekend. It highlights one of WWE’s worst aspects, which confirms that while you can take the show out of the carnival, you can’t take the carny out of the show. And to add: Kofi has long been ignored as one of WWE’s biggest assets. He’s a rare commodity in being a natural babyface, an underrated performer, and someone who’s been absolutely over with kids for the last decade. The company massively dropped the ball when he got his last main event push a million years ago; it would add insult to that injury to do the same this time around. #link

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Film review — Mercy Black

Mercy Black’s debt to The Babadook is obvious, but it also nods to Wes Craven’s nightmares as much as the internet creepypasta like Slender Man that inspired its story, lending some depth that belies its meagre resources. More…

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My stress-related binge watch of the week was s02 of Santa Clarita Diet, which is just as good as the first #aside

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This is the ‘John Oliver thing’ I was referring to previously: an acerbic takedown of WWE’s dodgy labour practices for the week that’s in it. #video

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Related to the John Oliver thing: did WWE independent contractors get a day off this week, or is it straight through from last Friday’s house shows to next Tuesday’s SmackDown? #aside

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Quite happy to see Umi Falafel are opening north of the Liffey. Please don’t disappoint me like the new Zaytoon #aside

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Lots of NXT to catch up on ahead of WrestleMania weekend. Trying to get myself in the mood, you know? #aside

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Monthnotes for Q1 2019

So, I dropped the monthnotes ball for a while there, didn’t I? But anyway, what’s to say? Xmas was Xmas. I don’t remember January. February was more fruitful than expected for the month also known as Freelancer’s Bane. March was more of the same. More…

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This is great news; their film section, like Tower's in Dublin, is really well stocked for a main street store https://t.co/Yr2rTR3yi1 #aside

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