Paradox Newsletter

@megacrit.com Please never nerf this. Also please give us an option to retain placeholder art. Thank you for this game.

Slay the Spire 2 cards are so powerful.

Yes, in Baki Doppo Orochi fights the real-life criminal Yuta Saito famous for attempting to kill school children on a public bus in 2010. This is another example of Keisuke Itagaki’s relentless dedication to keeping the world of Baki connected to current events.

Issue #421: Social Justice Convictions Fall Short When Tourette's Is Involved Taking on the latest award show controversy.

John Davidson's Tourette's tic at the BAFTAs caused a social media scandal. What the ensuing dialogue has exposed is pervasive, malicious misunderstanding of Tourette syndrome and its symptoms. I decided to weigh in this week: www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-421-...

Yes, Keisuke Itagaki did write Takeshi Kitano into Baki Hanma (2005).

I was very shocked today that Wuthering Heights has been adapted not just by Emerald Fennell but also Manabu Yamana/Masato Yagi in Dragon Quest VII & Reimagined. The story of Lavender, Dill, and Carraway mirrors Catherine, Edgar, and Heathcliff. DQ7R's Greenthumb Gardens is the best WH this year.

Issue #420: ChatGPT 4o Judges Chris Pratt's Murder Trial Can a Text Prediction Model Learn to Love? No, it cannot. LLMs by way of Mercy (2026) this week.

LLMs function differently from a human’s thought in every measurable facet. Humans do not associate words in concrete probabilistic models of relation and humans react to stimuli and learn in ways LLMs cannot. Humans can speak and write in ways not governed by the strict rules of probability.

I don’t know what cortisol is and at this point I’m too afraid to ask.

Jordan wore these to win his third championship and Finals MVP in 1993. Itagaki must have had the Jordan 8 on the brain when illustrating these chapters, paying tribute to the 2007 re-release. The Jack/Pickle fight appeared in serialization at the same time.

I have written frequently about Keisuke Itagaki's Baki series and illustrated sneakers in Japanese manga. Itagaki continues to be a prolific illustrator of sneakers in Baki Hanma (2005). In the fight between Jack Hanma and the revived prehistoric man, Pickle, Jack wears the Jordan 8s.

Is there anywhere I can buy Kishu Mandarins right now?

Just Added! One of the greatest action films of all time, John Woo’s legendary HARD BOILED is back on the big screen in a brand new 4K digital restoration! HARD BOILED screens Wed, Feb 25 – Sat, Feb 28 at The Brattle. Watch the trailer & get tickets at brattlefilm.org/movies/hard-boiled/

I watch as many no-budget horror films as anyone. I hunt for the most unwatched horror flick on Amazon Prime and press play. It Feeds has a slightly more impressive pedigree. Shawn Ashmore is in it, after all. The movie is imperfect, but it is a polished film that deserves big screen viewing.

In their single release, Over the Line eschews the high-pitched melodic chords that were popular for youth crew during this period and moving into the early 2000s.

This is a must-listen for fans of straight edge hardcore.

Opening seconds of "Speak Your Mind" are very Beyond "Vitality"-esque. The lyrics are also amazing: “So many words go unsaid, too many feelings unexpressed, so many friends never met, too insecure to extend a hand”

Over The Line - demo 1997 in the mid to late 90s some great hardcore demos popped up everywhere. this is one of them!

In the next couple letters, I'll be doing some music-focused segments. Spoiling what's coming, I want to talk about Over The Line's 1997 Demo: youtu.be/KsICXKI6epA?...

This is the platonic ideal of music. Fast, straightforward youth crew hardcore of the straight edge variety.

Issue #418: If I Had a Newsletter I'd Compare Schlock and Art Films Mary Bronstein's film is one of the best of last year.

open.substack.com/pub/miguelri...

Wrote about If I Had Legs I’d Kick You by way of… Basket Case. When it comes to intellectualizing pulp fiction, I will never relent.

This is one of my favorites. Underrated and was a treat to have screened at the Harvard Film Archive a few years back

I’m glad Kurosawa decided to announce his new film in honor of me finishing my article on Cure for a certain academic journal

Took a last min trip to the megaplex to catch The Bone Temple. Wasn’t really prepared for how much it was a continuation of last year’s 28 Years. It’s better in some ways and worse in others but it’s hard to judge them separately — or at least judge The Bone Temple separately.

At @somervilletheatre.bsky.social Movie Trivia last night, @brattletheatre.bsky.social provided what must be the single most valuable bonus question prize: a vintange Inland Empire promotional t-shirt. I've been on the t-shirt beat for a long time, so I have some photos from old online auctions.

Love this piece, Paul. I'd like to nominate the NYC night club in the early bit of Out of the Past. Perhaps it is in the film all too briefly, but the importance thematically and plot wise of the space can't be understated. It left quite an impression on me.

Cathy Rosier, Alain Delon, François Périer, 'Le Samouraï’ (1967).
Here are 11 nightclubs where the shadowy figures of film noir are known to lurk. Click to read.
lalifeanddeath.blogspot.com/2026/01/live...

Issue #415: No Other Choice is the Marxist Fable We've Been Waiting For Everything you wanted to know about Marx but were too afraid to ask Park Chan-wook.

Newsletter is out this week. If you like No Other Choice or Marxism, this is for you. www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-415-...

Check out the FNF TV listings page to see all the noirs playing this month on TCM: bit.ly/4nFOw2D

Kovaak absolutely transcendent during this run

Live it up! 11 essential nightclubs of noir If you want to welcome the new year in style, it would be a good idea to celebrate at these noir nightclubs — too bad none of them really exist.

Karen Morley, 'Scarface' (1932).
Face it, New Year’s Eve is amateurs night. Real partiers inhabit the finest, and not so fine, nightspots. Here are 11 joints where you can order some hootch, cut the rug and live large. Click to read.
lalifeanddeath.blogspot.com/2026/01/live...

Issue #413: Stranger Things and Speedrunning Reporting in from my seat in front of my TV watching AGDQ. Plus, a few words on Stranger Things.

As usual around this time of year, I wrote about
@gamesdonequick.com for the first newsletter of the year. Bringing some Lacanian analysis to @dylcat.bsky.social's JSR run (which was amazing) and thinking about design and design for speedrunning. www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-413-...

Issue #406: One Bait After Another This week, a review of Q-Up (2025), a quick note on Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), and a tribute to Tatsuya Nakadai.

Got something for everyone in this week’s letter. Wrote about Tatsuya Nakadai, the economics of written “bait,” and Everybody House Game’s Q-Up.
www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-406-...

Issue #386: The Case for Tatsuya Nakadai as the GOAT The ultimate samurai actor with unrivaled range had one thematic focus: bushido.

Gutted to learn of Tatsuya Nakadai’s passing. There will never be another like him. I wrote about his career and Sword of Doom (1966) earlier this year and the amazing Kagemusha (1980) back in 2023.
www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-386-...
www.paradoxnewsletter.com/p/issue-283-...