The Most Gut-Wrenching Acknowledgements Page of All Time Is Hiding in the Pages of a Mystery Novel Called The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco

Michelle Chouinard might not have intended to write a tear-jerker with her new mystery novel, The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, but that’s what she ended up doing via the final page in the book: the Acknowledgements. While many readers foolishly choose to skip over this part of a novel, some of the best “tidbits” and nuances can be found within these few (or … Continue reading The Most Gut-Wrenching Acknowledgements Page of All Time Is Hiding in the Pages of a Mystery Novel Called The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco

Genna RivieccioFebruary 10, 2025February 10, 20251 Comment

Essay

Giorni della Merla: An Italian Legend That Not Only Offers a More Folkloric Take on Groundhog Day, But Also Proves January is a Cunt

No one likes January. And if they do, they’re probably a masochist who engages in Albert Fish-esque activities like sticking a thorny rose up their urethra or they’re a person with money who can stay inside and not have to be subjected to the full weight of the cold. At best, they’re someone who lives in a tropical climate or select parts of California. But, … Continue reading Giorni della Merla: An Italian Legend That Not Only Offers a More Folkloric Take on Groundhog Day, But Also Proves January is a Cunt

Genna RivieccioJanuary 31, 2025January 31, 2025Leave a comment

Essay

Between “Color Blind” and “Blinded by Color” by Kasual Tee

The “color blindness” some of my friends of the pale shade proudly vindicate is a mirage. The amygdala (the fear center of the human brain) activates within a fraction of a second when seeing a Black face, even for melanated folk.1 This is to say that the frequently touted trope that “racism is taught”—rather than detected and exploited by the minority in power—is totally false. … Continue reading Between “Color Blind” and “Blinded by Color” by Kasual Tee

Genna RivieccioDecember 29, 2024December 29, 2024Leave a comment

Essay

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” As Inspiration for Big Brother

Perhaps, whether he was aware of it or not, somewhere in the back of George Orwell’s mind, he was definitely borrowing from J. Fred Coots (try not to make the automatic leap to “cooter” with a last name like that) and Haven Gillespie’s lyrics for “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (or, depending on your level of properness, “…Coming to Town”) when he created the … Continue reading “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” As Inspiration for Big Brother

Genna RivieccioDecember 23, 2024Leave a comment

Essay

Home for the Holidays: Whether Told From Chris Radant’s or Claudia Larson’s Perspective, It Remains the Consummate Family-Related Thanksgiving Story

There is a good rule to abide by when it comes to adapting films these days: go with a short story as your source material rather than a novel. Leave the novels instead for a limited TV series (à la Ripley). And that’s part of why the film adaptation of 1995’s Thanksgiving opus, Home for the Holidays, is so perfect. Based on Chris Radler’s short … Continue reading Home for the Holidays: Whether Told From Chris Radant’s or Claudia Larson’s Perspective, It Remains the Consummate Family-Related Thanksgiving Story

Genna RivieccioNovember 28, 2024November 28, 2024Leave a comment

Essay

Martha Revisits Joan Didion’s “Everywoman.com” Essay, Reminds That the Two Are Kindred Perfectionists With a Similarly “Icy” Demeanor

With the renewed interest in Martha Stewart after the release of R.J. Cutler’s aptly titled Martha, there is likely to be some equally renewed interest in an article that Joan Didion wrote about the one-woman brand in question for The New Yorker back in 2000, selections of which are interwoven throughout the documentary via voiceover. Reprinted in 2021’s Let Me Tell You What I Mean … Continue reading Martha Revisits Joan Didion’s “Everywoman.com” Essay, Reminds That the Two Are Kindred Perfectionists With a Similarly “Icy” Demeanor

Genna RivieccioNovember 12, 2024November 12, 20242 Comments

Essay

Collins’ Word of the Year and What It Says About “The Culture”

It might come as a surprise to anyone living under a rock (a.k.a. those with more “pressing” matters in their lives besides pop culture) that “brat” has been deemed the word of the year by Collins English Dictionary. While some snobs might be quick to point out that it’s not like the Oxford English Dictionary declared this, the news of brat’s status as the word … Continue reading Collins’ Word of the Year and What It Says About “The Culture”

Genna RivieccioNovember 2, 2024November 2, 2024Leave a comment

Book Review, Criticism, Essay

Not A Girl, Finally A Woman: MARINA’s Eat the World

Like many pop stars who weren’t yet pop stars in the early 2000s, Britney Spears was both an inspiration and a cautionary tale to someone like MARINA. Her influence undeniable on every millennial from Taylor Swift to Charli XCX. In 2021, MARINA paid homage to that influence in a “justice for Britney” sort of way with the “Purge the Poison” lyrics, “2007/When Size 0 was … Continue reading Not A Girl, Finally A Woman: MARINA’s Eat the World

Genna RivieccioOctober 25, 2024October 25, 20242 Comments

Essay

The Substance and The Picture of Dorian Gray

Although The Substance borrows from many things—particularly Death Becomes Her—when it comes to satirically addressing the subject of female aging in Hollywood, a somewhat surprising nod in Coralie Fargeat’s latest film is the one to Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Granted, if any “old queen” knew a thing or two about the fear of becoming ancient (and the loss of looks that goes … Continue reading The Substance and The Picture of Dorian Gray

Genna RivieccioOctober 10, 2024October 10, 20241 Comment

Essay

The Enduring Cliché That One Must “Look” Like A Writer In Order to Really “Be” One

At the beginning of Only Murders in the Building’s fifth episode in season four, “Adaptation,” Marshall P. Pope (Jin Ha), the screenwriter tasked with adapting the OMITB podcast, declares of Being A Writer, “It starts with the look. A look that says: I’m smart, confident, worldly. Important, but not self-important.” (Riffing on the adage, “Dress for the job you want,” which means most bona fide … Continue reading The Enduring Cliché That One Must “Look” Like A Writer In Order to Really “Be” One

Genna RivieccioSeptember 25, 2024September 25, 2024Leave a comment