I’m the Wolfman and I’m right here! Thank you for reading this blog post, which is now over.

Hahahahah, okay, that was just a goof. Classic Wolfman, always goofin’ around and having a good time. So what the hell is the title of this post about? Let’s start with the first question, “Who is The Wolfman?” Well, he’s a guy who loves talking about movies as often as he can in any format he can. However, he’s also a guy who has car payments and bills and has to pay rent, so he only gets to talk about movies when not working to make money to take care of those things. A little over two years ago, I wrote the post See ya later, Chicago! about how I was moving out of the city I had lived in for the previous eight years to pursue a career that blended my passion for movies and comic books as well as my writing and social media “skills.” That career brought me opportunities and experiences I genuinely never dreamed I’d ever have, but along with it came sacrifices. When you sit at a computer all day for work, you aren’t as excited to sit at a computer to write about movies when you get home, so as some of you might have noticed, my writing has slowed to a glacial pace.

For as much as I enjoyed the job, there was just something about living in Los Angeles that never let me feel like it was home. Despite having as many friends as I had in the city, there was an inescapable “spiritual rot of West Coast scumbaggery,” to borrow a phrase from Alex Ross Perry. Even though there’s probably no better city in the world to live in if you’re a film fan, constantly having to choose between which rare screening to attend every night, there’s a venom and toxicity that take shape in a city filled with people who relocate there in hopes of “proving themselves.” I couldn’t help but get sucked into the feeling of having to prove why my accomplishments were more worthy than those of others, or in some cases, feeling compelled to bash others’ attempts to accomplish things, even when it didn’t have a direct impact on my wellbeing. Especially strange, because my career didn’t exist in a competitive field whatsoever. Remember in Ghostbusters 2 how there was that sludge that ran underneath the city, causing people to be terrible and angry with one another? That’s pretty much how I feel about Los Angeles, and it’s hard not to get sucked into the sludge. Combine this underlying negativity with the sprawling geography of the city, creating far too many obstacles that prevented you from regularly connecting with people that brought me joy, and a festering loneliness, pessimism, and complacency took hold of me.

Wait, what did you really just read that correctly? The Wolfman is a human with thoughts and feelings and emotions? GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE. As hard as it may be to believe, there’s a life outside the internet, and there’s a real (kind of) human behind all the words on this site. When that person got stuck in a rut, he found a new career in a familiar city that he moved to for the woman he loved (love?! Gross, Wolfman!) which is where he now resides. That’s right, folks, The Wolfman is back in the City of Angels, a nickname he gave Chicago because it’s where he first saw his favorite Nic Cage/Meg Ryan joint.

Hopefully that gives you some insight into the personal life of the person who mashes keys to craft these blog posts and also explains a little more about why he hasn’t posted that frequently the past two years. So what does that say about the future? Great question!  I have no idea! Hopefully all these new changes mean I can get back to writing/reviewing things more regularly and supporting more horror events in the Chicago area. Unfortunately, nothing in life is guaranteed, including my current job, so for all you Chicago natives who were excited at the thought of me being around for good, that dream might have to die in two months. Sorry, them’s the breaks!

To recap:

1. Sorry for not posting as much for two years, but I had a damn job to do!
2. I no longer live in L.A.
3. I live in Chicago, because their pizza is better.
4. I hope to write more, because it’s one of the few things that brings me joy.
5. The Wolfman has a hard time picking whether he wants to write in the first, second, or third person.

A few quick thoughts on movies! I did not enjoy The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? I just couldn’t get over how th The filmmaker made himself an integral part of the interviews and narrative despite never really explaining why he was there. Some of the behind-the-scenes footage and concept art was cool, but I couldn’t get over having a person appear on-screen so often without a real explanation why he led the audience through the film’s development. I watched Hot Rod for the first time in eight years, and it’s funny! I used to be annoyed by Samberg but having watched/enjoyed “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” I’ve warmed up to him, and I’ve always thought the supporting cast continues to be fantastic. And lastly, One More Time With Feeling was an inspiring and somber experience. I’m fortunate that I’ve never had to deal with the grief associated with the sudden death of your child, but every viewer can connect with the film by relating it to their own trauma and grief, myself included. The stark black and white cinematography, Nick Cave’s brutally honest thoughts on coping with devastating trauma that you’ll never really let go, and haunting songs from his upcoming album created an insightful and eye-opening experience. Check out  the performance that made me cry below!