T.K. Wade -- Author

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: A Christmas Story [Movie Review]

"A Christmas Story" is a movie released in 1983. It is the third film in the Parker Family Saga based off the work of Jean Shepherd. It is clearly the most famous one as well. It is so incredibly famous that most people only think this is the only film and that there is no series. I always found that kind of funny. This movie actually was the reason I found out about Jean Shepherd and made me want to read everything he wrote.

This movie was a huge leap from the first two films. Those movies were TV films that appeared on public broadcasting. "A Christmas Story" was produced by MGM as a major motion picture. It shows. There is a giant leap in quality of content in this one, and it deserves all of the recognition it has gotten over the years. Also, this is flatly a wonderful Christmas movie in general. It may even be the best Christmas movie of all time, but that is a little harder to nail down, so I won't say it.

The reason the movie works so well is because of how honest everything feels. This family is relatable and believable. The perspective of Ralphie as a little kid is given really well through Jean Shepherd's phenomenal narration. I always feel like a little kid whenever I see this film.

The leg lamp makes a comeback in this one. I was surprised that it made its first appearance in the first film "The Phantom of the Open Hearth." I honestly feel that both versions are great. I just haven't been able to pick a winner.

My favorite scene is when Ralph beats the snot out of Scut Farkas, the bully. It is the only fight that always brings tears to my eyes. The emotion happening in this shockingly long scene is so well presented that I can't help but empathize with him. Great work on the part of child actors as well. It isn't just Ralph's anger that gets me; it's the pathetic crying coming from the bully. Brilliantly executed scene and one of the best in film history.

Everybody has seen this movie, so I won't go into all the things that make it good. I had to really search hard to find something I didn't like. It's a nitpick, but I am honestly confused by something. The credits music for this movie is bad. I never noticed it until just now. They put absolutely zero effort into it. They took part of a Christmas tune and looped it over and over (and badly too) until the credits are over, and then finally let it finish. Terrible and baffling decision there that doesn't match the quality of the rest of the film. Did anyone else notice this?!

I absolutely recommend this movie if you haven't seen it. Heck, I recommend it to those who have seen it. A lot of people today dislike the movie because of how it keeps getting pushed on TV every Christmas. I would argue that the reason you keep seeing it is because it is genuinely good. I hope it remains that way, because this movie is a fine and important piece of Americana. I love it.

This blog was written on December 14, 2025.

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Monday, January 26, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Stinky Cheese Man [Book Review]

Full title "The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales" is a book written and illustrated by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith respectively. It was published in 1992.

This is one of those novelty books. Remember back when I was reading those? I had the itch again and went looking for a new one. This book jumped out at me, and I ordered myself a copy.

The idea here is that Jack (the one from "Jack and the Beanstalk") decides to write stupid versions of old fairy tales. The problem is that the book is coming into existence live right in your hands, all the characters are self-aware that they are in a book, and the stories themselves are really terrible... on purpose. Reading this book is like experiencing a train wreck. It all happens at one time, and there is no way to really stop it from happening.

For example, in "Chicken Licken," it isn't the sky that's falling; it's the table of contents that is falling down on top of everyone. Another example is "The Really Ugly Duckling," which is about a duck who is actually an ugly duck. That's it. He's just really ugly and isn't a swan. It's stupid.

The titular character The Stinky Cheese Man was actually a take on "The Gingerbread Man." The main difference here was that he was so stinky, nobody wanted to chase him... so he was just running away for nothing.

Characters in this book are so aware that this is all happening that they often protest that they have to be there at all. Jack is constantly trying to round them up and get them to do what he wants them to do. Sometimes they cooperate, and other times they revolt. The Giant in particular will flat-out not listen, but that makes sense since he is Jack's main antagonist.

All in all, this book is a complete disaster, but it is also really funny. I was impressed with how it utterly destroys the fourth wall. It's also a quick read, being there are only fifty pages and most of them are pictures... or just blank pages that the characters might complain about. It's all over the place.

Either way, I do recommend the book. It's pretty easy to find and would probably make a good book for your coffee table. Check this one out.

This blog was written on December 8, 2025.

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Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Price of Compassion [Short Story Review]

"The Price of Compassion" is a short story by Robert Carter. It is the tenth story in a collection called "Tales of Hayven Celestia," which was published in 2020. As I have already stated, this is a universe created by author Rick Griffin, in which he allowed many other people to write stories in.

This one was about a geroo named Darian who finds a lio refugee on board their ship while the krakun were present. The lio are presently at war with the slaver krakuns, so keeping them safe is a huge crime. Krakuns are also extremely hostile to people who go against them, so one hidden lio could mean 7000 geroo abandoned to the cold of space.

This is a story of one geroo who makes a very simple choice of compassion that very clearly puts his entire people at risk of extermination. He choses to save the life of a lio who just doesn't want to be a slave, but if he is found out, everybody dies and there is no way out. This was a very interesting moral story, because, no matter what he does, every decision is morally questionable.

This was also a good story to learn about the lio. They are kind of like the Klingons of this universe but look like lions. I liked them, and seeing the cultural differences with the kind-hearted and physically weaker geroo race made for some good reading. I recommend the story!

This blog was written on December 7, 2025.

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Monday, January 19, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters [Movie Review]

"The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters" is a movie made by Jean Shepherd. It was released in 1982. It is the second film in the Parker Family Saga, this being the same saga of "A Christmas Story" fame. The only way to see this movie currently is on Archive.org, and it is a pretty decent recording.

I was surprised that a movie set entirely in Indiana opens up in North Carolina, but the theming made sense. Jean was heading to a silly Mexican-themed park called "South of the Border." I've seen this place! He went there to get fireworks, which was a good way to start the movie... which is all about the fourth of July.

This movie collects a few more of his stories in a fun movie format. It went into his time in the marching band, his first blind date (which went horribly), and his father's obsession with fireworks, among other things. These are probably not his greatest stories, but they were still memorable.

There is a part that comes across as a little scary, and that had to do with a neighbor that was having a mental breakdown. He was secretly building his own firework, but it was more of a bomb than a firework. Damn nearly killed everyone when it went off. It was shocking but surprisingly fun in how it was presented.

I liked this movie, although I am still of the opinion that the first one was a little bit better. I still recommend it though, and it's fairly easy to find and watch for free. Jean Shepherd makes just about anything fun and interesting.

This blog was written on December 7, 2025.

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Thursday, January 15, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Zootopia 2 [Movie Review/Rant]

"Zootopia 2" is a movie made by Disney. it was released in 2025.

I have a real beef to deal with here. For the last 10 years, Disney had done nothing but make terrible movies over and over again. It has become pathological at this point. I grew up with their movies and loved them to the point where I would see a movie just because Disney made it. And the majority of the time, I would enjoy them. I also liked the huge back-catalog of movies, and there are still some I haven't seen.

My favorite movie of all time is Disney's "The Black Hole." And although my favorite animated film ("The Mouse and His Child") is not a Disney film, my second favorite ("Fluppy Dogs") actually is a Disney film, although a very obscure one. So I love Disney... but I also hate them. I hate modern Disney.

Almost ten years ago, "Zootopia" came out and genuinely made a lot of people excited. It was a brilliant film with an exciting presentation and premise. It had solid animation, and it was a new IP that really captured the hearts and imagination of everyone. It practically obsoleted "Robin Hood" as their signature "furry" film. When I saw it, I thought that it was going to lead to a new age of Disney, but it didn't. It was the exact opposite, in fact.

For ten horrible years, we got nothing but fake live-action remakes for their old IPs that absolutely trashed them. Nothing that came out of Disney was good. Even "Star Wars" was terrible. By now I had entirely given up, but I did bother going to see "Zootopia 2," and I even went to the theater and paid money to Disney to see it. And after seeing this movie... I hate Disney even more.

I don't hate them because "Zootopia 2" was bad; I hate them because it was one of the best movies I have ever seen and was damn better than the first. I hate Disney even more because this movie proves they could have been doing better the entire time, and just didn't.

This movie took everything that was the first film and built upon it in a way that can only be considered charming. For the first time in ten years, they actually bothered to give us something that we wanted and did a damn fine job of it. Ten years! Ten whole years had to go by before they did this! That's insane! What is wrong with them?!

I hope "Zootopia 2" makes a hell of a lot of money for them so they can finally see what the people actually want... but even if it does... they probably still won't get it. They are never going to get it. "Zootopia 2" is not the beginning of a new hopeful generation of Disney films; it is more likely to be another ten years of creative famine.

Oh, and... I do recommend this movie. I recommend it a lot actually. It was extremely good. I know this has not really been a good review. It was mostly a rant. I guess I can summarize it by saying that it is a very well-made furry cop movie that is more open to lethality than the first film was. It is a hard-hitting narrative with lots of action and comedy. Great callbacks to the original film, while still adding a lot of new content, such as reptiles. I loved it, and because I loved it... I hate Disney more than ever.

This blog was written on December 2, 2025.

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Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Pudd'nhead Wilson [Book Review]

[There may be some spoilers ahead with this review. Be wary.]

"Pudd'inhead Wilson" is a book written by Mark Twain. It was published in 1894.

This book is about a lot of things all at once, but it is a solid story that keeps you interested all the way to the end. The main premise has to do with a black slave, a mother, who switches her child with her master's son. Since she is only 10% black, this actually works. The problem, however, is that her son ends up being a terrible person and is also the main antagonist of the book.

The titular character known as Pudd'nhead Wilson is actually a down-on-his-luck lawyer who is obsessed with finger-printing. It is like a hobby of his, and everyone thinks he is silly for it. The book mainly has to do with him being somewhat ridiculed for his silly ideas, but he was actually really smart, probably the smartest man in town.

This story is complicated and spends most of its time inside the mind of the antagonist, that being Tom the would-be slave as he lives a privileged life in a white family. This was an interesting way to do it. Columbo was good at showing the inner-workings of a villain well too.

What is pretty spectacular about this story is how forensics and fingerprints are used in order to win a murder case. This was extremely new for when the book was published, and that is very cool.

This book was written during Mark Twain's "dark period." It deals with some synical topics and features some of the worst the human race can offer. That said, I do recommend it. It was a great story with a fun and satisfying ending. In many ways, this was similar to his book "The Prince and the Pauper," but with a new and much darker premise. Good stuff.

This blog was written on December 3, 2025.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Phantom of the Open Hearth [Movie Review]

"The Phantom of the Open Hearth" is a movie released in 1976. The screenplay was also released in a book format. Both were written by Jean Shepherd. I am reviewing the film.

This movie is the first of eight movies generally known as the "Parker Family Saga." It is the same series where "A Christmas Story" can be found, although that seems to be the only one anyone remembers. The whole point of the series was to collect various writings by Jean Shepard and convert them into a movie format.

Although the theme of the film has to do with a face one would sometimes see in the open hearth of a steel mill, bringing good or bad luck to those who see her, the movie was actually an adaptation of "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories." In a likewise fashion to "A Christmas Story," it also combined other stories from his various writings into this one in order to get it to full movie length. As usual, the movie was narrated by Jean Shepherd himself, something that will always make a movie worth watching.

For the first movie outing for the Parker Family, this was a solid introduction. It is essentially a prom film that goes kind of badly, but Shepherd stories usually spin bad times as a character-building issue. They are bad, but they teach us lessons. The movie is also just a supreme look into classic Americana, and it does it all very well.

One thing that you may be surprised about is that this story also implements the leg lamp story. The one from "A Christmas Story" was technically the second movie to have that in it. It's hard to judge which movie did it better. I liked them both!

The family was played perfectly. Ralph is a lot older in this one and thinking about girls. His brother, as usual, never seems to grow up. That seems to be a running thing with these stories. The "old man" is his usual firebrand self. And the mother is like everyone's mother. She's great.

I greatly recommend "The Phantom of the Open Hearth," but there is an annoying caveat. The only way to see this movie in 2025 is to watch it on YouTube, and the quality is atrocious. It may be the worst quality of any movie I have seen on the platform. I had to shrink down the video really small just to get the picture to look okay. That said, my eyes did get used to it, and I enjoyed it a whole lot. Yes, it was worth the eye pain to see it.

This blog was written on November 30, 2025.

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