Archive 81 is a mess.
I really wanted to like the series. I delight in a horror story in which music plays a role. It has a wonderful and diverse cast. But there are so many problems with the story, both large and small. The plot follows Dan, who restores archival footage and is hired to repair videotapes from a mysterious fire that destroyed the Visser apartment building in 1994. We watch him watching the parallel story of Melody, who moved into the Visser with her camcorder as part of a documentary project and disappeared in the fire, leaving behind the damaged tapes. Melody discovers that her strange neighbors are part of a cult involving human sacrifice. As her situation grows perilous, strange incidents begin plaguing Dan as well. Let’s take a look at how this narrative fails so miserably. Continue reading →
Choosing the most beautiful languages poses a challenge. First of all, “beautiful” is a subjective term. What appeals to one person may not appeal to another. Secondly, the profusion of closely related languages makes it difficult to choose only one representative from a group. Finally, who among us has heard every language on earth to be able to winnow the list down to the top ten? For my list, I picked ten especially melodic languages. I present them alphabetically rather than ranked. Some of these are tonal, where shifts in pitch change the meaning of words and automatically produce a musical shape. Others have evolved especially mellifluous structures and sounds. Obviously, different speakers will have different vocal qualities, so these choices are based on generalizations. My concept of “beautiful” incorporates three qualities: 
Musical gags abound in the 1972 screwball comedy What’s Up, Doc? directed by Peter Bogdanovich and written by Buck Henry, David Newman, and Robert Benton. The American Film Institute lists the movie in the top 100 greatest American comedies. In classic farce fashion, the story involves mistaken identities, mix-ups, and fast-paced action. Over opening credits, Barbra Streisand sings Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top.” The song’s clever turns of phrase and double entendre (“If, baby, I’m the bottom, you’re the top”) perfectly set up the film’s theme. 
In recent years, authors have unleashed a flood of fiction that blends music and horror. I’ve been unable to find a reason to explain it, but given my interests, I’m grateful for it. There have always been such stories, of course–just not quite so many. I’ve written about this intersection in several guest posts for horror review sites. Each article attempts to explore the topic from a different angle. Below you’ll find info about each of these posts.