Pop Xulture Newsletter # 20 - End of 2023 Favorites

Welcome to Newsletter #20!! Happy end of 2023 and kick off to 2024! I’m doing a different Newsletter format for this end-of-year special. Last year I published a list of my 2022 favorites (which you can read here) and that was Newsletter # 10 so apparently I crank out ten Newsletters a year. Anyway…

Below you’ll find: (1) A list of my 2023 articles, (2) My media favorites consumed this year, (3) Media consumed for my 1983 vs. 2023 article, and finally, (4) some of the cool stuff I’m working on for the new year. Enjoy!

#1 - My 2023 Articles

• 1982 vs. 2022: Greed vs. Giving

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin’s Guiding Voices and the Search for Peace

• 1993 Film Favorites, Part 1: The Technology and Ethics of Jurassic Park

• Yesterday I Had the Blues: Colorful Emotions & The Black Community’s Hopeful Tomorrow

• Wide Awake for Good Night Oppy (website Exclusive)

• The Last of Us: Episode 4’s Pivotal Pistol & Joke Joinery (website Exclusive)

• 1993 Film Favorites, Part 2: Commitment in So I Married an Axe Murderer

• World Gone Cold Shines a Bit of Light: Self-Titled EP Review

• How Homage in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Highlights the Easter Egg Hole in Our Soul (website Exclusive)

• 1993 Film Favorites, Part 3: Responsibility in Schindler’s List

• “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” Goes Hilariously Right (website Exclusive)

• The Slow Burnin’ Faith of Flamin’ Hot

• Tetris: Our Capitalist Hero

• 1993 Film Favorites, Part 4: How Philadelphia Taught Society Compassion

• 1993 Film Favorites, Part 5: Finding Contentment in The Nightmare Before Christmas

• How to Improve Christian Video Media for Artists and Audiences (website Exclusive)

• “1983 vs. 2023: Is Revival Right?” – slated to publish with Christ and Pop Culture early January 2024

#2 - Media Favorites Consumed (But Not Necessarily Created) in 2023

Here’s a smattering of what I consumed (with sporadic commentary):

TV Shows

• The Offer – The true story of the making of The Godfather was probably the best show I watched all year. (Sorry for using “the” four times in one sentence.)

• Silo

• Ted Lasso, Season 3 – A great way to wrap up.

• White House Plumbers - The hilarious story of Nixon’s Watergate agents, who, in this version, are somehow believably both experienced and incompetent.

• Jury Duty – I know, I know, it’s a reality show, and yes, producers orchestrated a lot but it’s as real as you’ll get and funny and incredibly intriguing.

• The Last of Us

• Doctor Who – over a year after bidding ado to Jodie Whittaker, we finally got a three-part storyline celebrating the show’s 60^th anniversary. Excited for Ncuti Gatwa!

TV BONUS: Shows I Started but Haven’t Finished (Yet)

• Monarch

• One Piece

• The Fall of the House of Usher

• The Bear

TV BONUS, BONUS

• IMDb’s 5 Most Memorable TV Moments of 2023

• I stumbled upon 1987’s TV Movie: A Muppet Family Christmas and the video has the original ads! What a treasure. (To clarify NOT The Muppet Christmas Carol, which is excellent too.)

Movies

• Boston Strangler – A great biopic on how Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole fought sexism and discovered the Boston murders were committed by a serial killer.

• Barbie

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

• The Super Mario Bros. Movie

• Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis – riveting documentary about the artists who created some of the ’60s and ’70s most iconic band album images.

• A Haunting in Venice – the enjoyable third film in Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot reboot.

• The Haunted Mansion (2023)

• Dracula (1931)

• Frankenstein (1931)

• Polite Society – a fun story about a wannabe stuntwoman’s battle against a diabolical, matriarchal scheme.

• Fargo (1996)

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

• The Flash

Books

FYI: I read more books than what’s mentioned below, if you want to see my list go to: Chris Fogle’s Goodreads.

• Artemis by Andy Weir

• The Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlyn Schiess

• The Mysteries by Bill Waterson and John Kascht – The Calvin and Hobbes creator disappeared for three decades only to resurface with something completely different.

• Christ and the Culture Wars by Ben Chang

• Seven to Eternity, Vol. 1 by Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña

• Jesus Revolution by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn – the inspiration for the 2023 film.

• Frog and Toad are Doing Their Best by Jennie Egerdie and Ellie Hajdu

Music

• Enter Shikari’s album “A Kiss for the Whole World”

• Project 86’s album “Omni, Part 1” - Same ol’ thought-provoking lyrics but Andrew Schwab changed his vocals and it’s amazing!

• Metallica’s album “72 Seasons”

• DJ Earworm’s “United States of Pop 2023” – the song is okay but I’m always in awe how expertly he mashes up the top 25 pop songs of the year.

• Silent Planet’s album “SUPERBLOOM”

• The Kinks’ song “Father Christmas”

Music BONUS

As I researched 1983 music, I found an interesting dynamic of DJ’s born in 1983 who added the year to their stage names. Jordy Leenaerts known as Timecop1983 released the album “Searching for Tomorrow” this year. And Jan Hejra, known as Marvel83’ has inspirationally fond memories of ’80s films like The Neverending Story and Ghostbusters.

Miscellaneous

• I heard Terry Gross' interview on “Fresh Air” with Tim Alberta. The thrust of the conversation is about Alberta’s book The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, which I haven’t read but the interview gave me a lot to think about.

• I listened to Momentum’s episode “Pushing Back Against the Rise of Christian Nationalism,” where host Charlene Sinclair, Ph.D. interviewed Obery Hendricks, Ph.D. Dr. Hendricks wrote Christians Against Christianity, which I haven’t read, but sounds really intriguing.

#3 – Media Consumed for my 1983 vs. 2023 Article

Here is a lot of the 1983 film, TV shows, books and music I consumed in preparation for my article. There are a few bonuses too!

from Prime

1983 Films

• Wargames (Oscar nominee – currently on Max, Paramount+)

• Videodrome (currently on Peacock)

• The Outsiders (currently on Prime and Apple TV, etc. for rent)

• Tender Mercies (Oscar nominee – currently on Pluto)

• Star 80 (currently on Max)

Film BONUS [Didn’t Get to Watch (although some I’ve seen before)]

• Valley Girl (currently on Prime, Hoopla, Tubi)

• The Dead Zone (currently on Prime, Paramount+)

• Cujo (currently on Max)

• Terms of Endearment (Best Picture Oscar winner - currently on Max)

• The Big Chill (Oscar nominee - currently on Pluto)

• The Dresser (Oscar nominee - currently on Prime)

• The Right Stuff (Oscar nominee – currently on Prime and Apple TV, etc. for rent)

• The Osterman Weekend (currently on Plex)

1983 TV

• The Day After (for purchase only)

• The A-Team (Season 1 for purchase only)

• Made in Britain (currently on Prime for rent)

TV BONUS (Didn’t Get to Watch)

• Armored Trooper VOTOMS (currently on High Drive)

• Fraggle Rock (Season 1 on Apple TV), note: the series was revived as Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.

• The Hitchhiker (for purchase only), note: this is too good an opportunity not to mention 2023’s documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker.

1983 Books

• Neuromancer by William Gibson

• Revival, Gods Way! by Leonard Ravenhill

• The Silent Gondoliers by William Goldman

• From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth A. Tucker

• The Divorcing Christian by Lewis R. Rambo

• The Life of Shenoute by Besa Bell, David N. Bell

1983 Music (I mentioned tons of 1983 music in the article, but some of these didn’t make it in)

• Oingo Boingo’s album “Good for Your Soul”

• Depeche Mode’s album “Construction Time Again”

• The Cure’s compilation album “Japanese Whispers”

• “Green Chri$tma$” - by Stan Freberg, originally released in 1958 saw an uptick in airplay in 1983.

• Big Country’s song “In a Big Country”

• Violent Femmes’ song “Blister in the Sun”

#4 - Upcoming in 2024

This next year is shaping up to be quite different from the past few. First off, I’m working on a script for an audio series. I can’t say any more about it, but I’m super stoked to have my first publishable piece of fiction maybe happening!

Second, also in the fiction realm, I outlined a graphic novel story like ten years ago that I’m interested in resurrecting. I’ve been reading Bea Wolf, the graphic novel by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet and it inspired me to bring this thing to life. Fingers crossed.

In my normal, nonfiction vein, after my 1983 vs. 2023 article comes out with Christ and Pop Culture, I’ll be working on something for them about humanity’s relationship with the mysteries of the universe. As ambiguous and cerebral as that sounds, I’ll try and keep it boring and superficial.

And specific to this website which you’re (hopefully) subscribed to, I’m planning several articles. Chief among them is starting back in on my Creativity series. I’m excited about all of these and glad you’ll be along for the journey. Have a great New Year!

Thanks, in Him,

-Chris (the Bearded Wonder) Fogle