Warren Peace, aka Matthew Brady

Blaxploitation Education: Let's Do It Again Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby get up to some more inoffensive comedy shenanigans.

My latest Blaxploitation review covers Let’s Do It Again, which has some pretty funny bits if you can find it in yourself to laugh at Bill Cosby.

Blaxploitation Education: Let's Do It Again open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Search and Destroy, Volume 3: Cyberpunk violence never needs to end Atsushi Kaneko's reimagining of Osamu Tezuka's Dororo concludes in a highly satisfying fashion.

I wrote about the final volume in the manga series Search and Destroy, which was a highly enjoyable example of violent action involving rage against injustice.

Search and Destroy, Volume 3: Cyberpunk violence never needs to end open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Darktown Strutters If you're looking for a slapstick Blaxploitation musical comedy, I would advise you to keep looking, because this one is pretty bad.

My latest Blaxploitation review covers Darktown Strutters, a very strange musical comedy that ended up being pretty bad, even if it did provide some food for thought:

Blaxploitation Education: Darktown Strutters open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Angel Down: Literary gimmickry can sometimes be effective When the writing is good enough, artistic flourishes can enrich the reading experience.

I wrote about Angel Down, a horror novel set during World War I that I found to be a pretty incredible experience.

Angel Down: Literary gimmickry can sometimes be effective open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold Sometimes, Blaxploitation movies were all action and little else of note.

My Blaxploitation review for this week covers the second Cleopatra Jones movie, which is enjoyable in terms of action but offers little else.

Blaxploitation Education: Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

When the Wolf Comes Home: Fear is different for everyone Does a horror novel have to be especially scary to explore fear?

I wrote about the horror novel When the Wolf Comes Home, which I liked quite a bit, even if it wasn’t the scariest thing I’ve ever read.

When the Wolf Comes Home: Fear is different for everyone open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

The Running Man (2025): Schwarzenegger > Wright + Powell, surprisingly I never expected one of today's most talented filmmakers to fall short of the example set by a cheesy 80s action movie.

I reviewed the recent adaptation of The Running Man, and I did not like it very much:

The Running Man (2025): Schwarzenegger > Wright + Powell, surprisingly open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Bucktown Fred Williamson and Pam Grier team up to fight racism both inside and outside the film.

My Blaxploitation review for this week covers Bucktown, a Fred Williamson/Pam Grier joint that’s an unfortunate example of white filmmakers struggling to find the right focus for these types of stories.

Blaxploitation Education: Bucktown open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Network Effect, a Murderbot Novel: Robotic relationships can be confusing Everybody deserves a family, even neurodivergent killing machines.

I’m continuing to work my way through the Murderbot books, and the novel Network Effect is another excellent entry in the series:

Network Effect, a Murderbot Novel: Robotic relationships can be confusing open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: The Candy Tangerine Man Pimpin' ain't easy, especially for a family man.

I forgot to share this yesterday: my latest Blaxploitation review covers the pimp-centric action movie The Candy Tangerine Man:

Blaxploitation Education: The Candy Tangerine Man open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Cooley High The Blaxploitation genre extends to include teen comedy/slice of life.

I’m finally back to writing about Blaxploitation movies, and I’m going to try to pick up the pace. Here’s my look at Cooley High, a teen comedy/drama that has proven to be pretty influential:

Blaxploitation Education: Cooley High open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

King Sorrow: Sometimes, father/son comparisons are unavoidable Joe Hill may never step outside his dad's shadow, but he seems comfortable enough there anyway.

I wrote about Joe Hill’s latest novel, King Sorrow, looking at how his work compares to his father (Stephen King).

King Sorrow: Sometimes, father/son comparisons are unavoidable open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E9 It's the season finale, and it provides a nice capper on the wild journey that Carol Sturka has gone through.

I wrote about the season finale of Pluribus. It was a super-fun show, both in terms of its exploration of a thought provoking concept and the way it gave Rhea Seehorn the opportunity to be awesome. Next season, please!

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E9 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Wake Up Dead Man: Religion is good, actually? I wouldn't go that far, but I do appreciate a serious approach to the problems facing modern Christianity.

I wrote about the movie Wake Up Dead Man, which gave me the opportunity to expound on religion in general and modern American Christianity in particular.

Wake Up Dead Man: Religion is good, actually? open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E7-8 Not too much happens here, but a focus on character keeps it interesting.

My latest TV review covers the last couple of episodes of Pluribus before the season finale. We’ll see if the show can stick the landing, but I expect it will have me wanting to come back for future seasons.

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E7-8 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E3-4 In an insane situation, doing crazy things might seem like the only sane choice.

I wrote about a couple of episodes of Pluribus. I’m several weeks behind on the show, so we’ll have to see if I can catch up.

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E3-4 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

3.102-King of Jazz with Matthew Brady Today’s episode is my conversation about the 1930 film King of Jazz. I’m joined by Matthew Brady from the Warren Peace newsletter and we talk about the use of color in this film that sets it apart for...

I recorded an episode of a podcast looking at the 1930 movie King of Jazz. It was a fun conversation!

open.substack.com/pub/theoscar...

Dungeon Crawler Carl, books 2-4: RPGs can be addictive While this series isn't great literature, it's fun and fast-moving enough to keep me coming back.

I’m continuing to read and enjoy the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. Here’s my look at how the series is like junk food that’s very enjoyable to consume even if it’s not very “nutritious:”

Dungeon Crawler Carl, books 2-4: RPGs can be addictive open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Force Four Cheesy zero-budget martial arts movies are rarely as enjoyably goofy as this.

My Blaxploitation review for this week covers Force Four, a very cheap martial arts movie that is objectively terrible but still fun for sickos like me.

Blaxploitation Education: Force Four open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

The Long Walk: A story that I wish wasn't perpetually timely Nobody wants to recognize their reality in Stephen King novels.

I wrote about the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, which I found to be pretty moving, with some great performances and plenty of horrific moments.

The Long Walk: A story that I wish wasn't perpetually timely open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

The Last Hour Between Worlds: Get ready for some (well-crafted) fantasy nonsense Some fantasy novels barrage readers with wild concepts and force readers to just keep up.

I reviewed The Last Hour Between Worlds, a fantasy novel that was pretty fun, even if its constant stream of fantastical concepts was kind of overwhelming.

The Last Hour Between Worlds: Get ready for some (well-crafted) fantasy nonsense open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E2 The practical details of a world where almost everyone shares a single consciousness begin to become more clear.

I looked at the second episode of Pluribus, which provides some more of an idea about where the series may be going.

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E2 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Eternity: Decisions are tough when they have perpetual implications A movie that's a pleasant romance on its face hides something approaching horror under the surface.

I reviewed the comedy/drama movie Eternity, which I found to be pretty charming, even if it features some ideas that are kind of disturbing in retrospect.

Eternity: Decisions are tough when they have perpetual implications open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Cornbread, Earl and Me More of a straight drama than a Blaxploitation movie, but notable as an example of a movie addressing serious concerns that affect the Black community.

My latest Blaxploitation review covers a movie that features the debut of Laurence Fishburne and provides the opportunity to discuss police violence.

Blaxploitation Education: Cornbread, Earl and Me open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E1 I'm not sure where this is going, but I'm intrigued.

I forgot to share this yesterday, but I wrote about the first episode of Pluribus, and I’ll be covering subsequent episodes on a weekly basis. I thought it was good!

Gettin' My Eps In: Pluribus S1E1 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor: Well, I didn't dislike it THAT much A sci-fi novel that has some good cultural specifics but didn't fully satisfy.

I wrote about Nnedi Okorafor’s metafictional sci-fi novel Death of the Author, which I found to be less than fully satisfying.

Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor: Well, I didn't dislike it THAT much open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Gettin' My Eps In: The Lowdown S1E8 A fitting finale wraps everything up in a way that's especially satisfying.

I reviewed the season finale of The Lowdown, which is one of the best TV shows I’ve watched this year. It was a highly satisfying episode, and I’ll be glad to watch more of it whenever a new season rolls around.

Gettin' My Eps In: The Lowdown S1E8 open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Blaxploitation Education: Dolemite The world needs more movies about rhyming pimp martial arts masters.

My latest Blaxploitation movie review covers Dolemite, which is kind of rough quality-wise but has an incredibly long legacy, introducing Rudy Ray Moore and his rhyming talents to the world.

Blaxploitation Education: Dolemite open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Bugonia: Maybe the green planet isn't worth saving Yorgos Lanthimos delivers a misanthropic masterpiece and yet another movie that fits our current moment.

I reviewed the movie Bugonia, which is part of an interesting trend in which movies are confronting the increasingly fraught times we’re living in.

Bugonia: Maybe the green planet isn't worth saving open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...

Cocoon: It's a bug's life It's cool when a game makes you feel like a genius.

I wrote about the video game Cocoon, which I found to be an engrossing example of nice puzzle design and a weird alien atmosphere.

Cocoon: It's a bug's life open.substack.com/pub/matthewb...