[Weekly Update] September Horror Movies

It's the end of August. Here in Montreal, the sun is setting sooner, temperature is starting to drop, and horror movies are coming out. And I'm excited for many of them.

We'll talk about some of these movies in the Media Talk section, but first, let's talk about our last video.

CHANNEL UPDATE

The Apothecary Diaries
I hope our video on The Apothecary Diaries was an enjoyable watch. It's a little outside of our wheelhouse, but the comments seem to really like it. Thank you for the support!
There aren't many behind-the-scene details this time around, other than it took way longer to edit than it should. Having to constantly pause the video to explain stuff means the video can get quite boring, so I felt the urge to include all the little zooms and highlights. I'm proud of the final result, even if it's a little shoddily made. As long as the video is good, the effort is worth it, I think.
Anyway, let's address some of the mistakes pointed out by commenters.

Guen's Facial Hair
The reason court physician Guen has facial hair is because he was castrated late in life. This is explained much later in the series. This I did not know.
I spent quite a while trying to search for an answer, but unfortunately there was no discussion on it. And Google AI just stupidly insist that Guen has no facial hair, all because he shaved it later in the story.
Still, court physicians throughout dynastic China did not have to be castrated. That doesn't mean the story is wrong, it just means it is different from its source inspiration. The video is called "nitpick" as a joke, when in reality, I just want to talk about the liberties taken, and also introduce some Chinese cultural tidbits.

Maomao's Kidnapping
It seemed I unintentionally suggested the Palace was kidnapping people. I did know that the Palace merely buys from the kidnappers, who poses as Maomao's family and pockets her salary.
Comments have explained that the Palace was desperate for workers, as there was a servant shortage. This is another detail I did not know. And if that is the case, it would imply the the country is in deep trouble, and the treasury is nearly emptied. The country of Li is not at war from what I know, so that's a bit surprising.
Honestly, even then, I don't think it'd be this easy. In any royal court, servants had to be carefully screen to ensured they are not assassins or spies, had to be examined to ensure they aren't sick, and had to take exams to prove their skill. Maomao could've easily failed any of the exam and be let go immediately.
The only reasonable explanation I can think of is the kidnapping is an inside job and the Palace HR department is pocketing Maomao's salary. This, ironically, means the Palace did yoink her off the street.

The Novel vs. The TV Shows
One interesting comment points out that the original light novel was created in 2011. This means it is unlikely for the novel to have taken inspiration from Chinese Palace Dramas.
It's not entirely impossible. The genre is generally agreed to began with the 2004 Hong Kong TV show War and Beauty, the first Palace Drama to feature not a single well intentioned character. The 2010 series Beauty's Rival in Palace was also an influential TV show, which itself is based on a Chinese novel. But the chances of them affecting the TAD light novel is very low, I'd say. Unless the author is a Chinaboo...
If there is one Chinese medium that may have influenced the novel, it would be the renown Chinese cultural export that is Chinese BL novels, which contain a lot of similar tropes to Palace Dramas. Being a prolific writer, I'm sure the author is at least aware of the genre. But I don't know much about Bl novels, so this is just my speculation.
In truth, both Palace Dramas and TAD are likely to be inspired by actual Chinese history, as sudden infant death and poisoning were so common throughout dynastic China.

It's Not China
Yes, I know it's not China. The video did say "set in a fictional world heavily inspired by dynastic China". Once again, the point of the video, outside of it being a fun exercise, is not to actually make fun of the series, but to see what inspiration is spot on, and what liberties it took.
I do understand why people have this reaction, though. So many Japanese swords and magic anime are set in an Europe-inspired fantasy world, and no one bats an eye. What makes The Apothecary Diaries any different? It's not like it's the only Chinese-inspired world in anime.
The short answer? It's popular. The long answer is that The Apothecary diaries isn't really a fantasy anime. Its story, compare to even other shojo workers, is really grounded in real world logic. This makes its fictional setting seem much more real.
Beside, they play Guqin and Chinese Chess. Just saying "It's not China" doesn't negate the fact that it quacks like one.

MEDIA TALK

Wow, that was a long update. So, here is a shorter media talk about upcoming horror movies that I look forward to, and some that I don't.

Him
Originally called "Goat", producer Jordan Peele clearly thought the name is too easily searchable online, and changed it to Him, to be more in line with his other unsearchable movies like "Us" and "Nope".
That's the weird thing right? Throughout its marketing campaign, it's only ever been referred to as a movie from Jordan Peele. Director Justin Tipping is rarely brought up. The film does seem to have a style heavily inspired by the work of Peele. So, much like Nightmare Before Christmas, it'll likely be remembered for its producer.
Am I excited about the film? Honestly, not really. But that's purely because the hook didn't grab me. Sports movie just aren't that interesting for me. And the concept of selling your soul to the devil is not in itself unique either. So, I'll have to wait till the film come out to decide if I'll see it.

The Long Walk
Now this is a movie I'm excited to see.
Based on a novel by Stephen King, with Ben Wang as one of the primary characters, the trailer had me pretty excited. A couple of teenagers join a death game, in which they must keep walking. Participants must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour. Those who fall behind will be killed. The last one standing is the victor.
King is always so good at coming up with simple but mess up concepts like this. Adding to the appeal is the social and political commentary from the novel, which I'll not spoil it here. In short, it is a film that suits the time.
By the way, in the book it's four miles per hour, which is basically a jog. They slowed it down for the movie.

The Conjuring: Last Rite
The trailer did not inspire confident. Not that Conjuring 3 was all that great. By this point, the series is really sailing on the goodwill provided by the original director James Wan. Crazy how many series the man created: Saw, Conjuring, Insidious, freaking Aquaman. You have to appreciate a man who can make the story of two con artists engaging.
But by now, the goodwill has ran out. Director Michael Chaves has, unfortunately, yet to prove himself a capable director for the genre. And my hope for this tired series is not high.
He did direct La Llorona, which isn't good, but at least has a style. I hope he gets to do something original after.

Predator: Badlands
Pre director Dan Trachtenberg returns for another Predator film, this time flipping the script and placing the Predator as the victim in a survival horror film. The man has directed 4 films so far, started with 10 Cloverfield Lane and the other 3 are all Predator movies. It's a career trajectory that looks nearly identical to Michael Chaves, except Dan has made nothing but hit so far.
For this reason, I'm cautiously optimistic about this film. The flipping of the script is interesting, but the concept just isn't as strong as Prey. It'll be a film all about execution, which Trachtenberg seems pretty good at.
Then again, David Sandberg was also really good with direction, was a 3/3 director up to Shazam. And then he directed Shazam 2 and Until Dawn. Hollywood really grinds your soul away.

Anyway, that was a long update. I hope it was a fun read. Next video will be in about two weeks, so I'll see you in the next update. And if you have access to it, remember to check out our bonus video on The Naked Gun as well!