November, December, let’s remember

Combo cause was too frantic to get them done separately.

Books:

I read the next two books in the Alex Versus series, ‘Cursed‘ and ‘Taken‘. I’m still not really that into them but I think it’s becoming a bit more interesting. Writing can be a bit repetitive but as far as a pretty low maintenance read that you can knock out in a day goes, you could do worse. I also read ‘Career of Evil‘, the third Cormoran Strike novel. I just really enjoy them, they remind me of why I loved Nancy Drew as a kid. In the interest of getting a bit more on top of things, I’ve also been delving into the more self-help, arm chair psychology side of things. So far I’ve finished ‘Unplugged: The Essential Digital Detox Plan‘ which was more about mindfulness than any really useful insight into the obsession with digital life/social media. Nothing really there that I hadn’t heard before. I also read Marie Kondo’s much lauded book ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up‘. Found this surprisingly insightful and I’ve already tackled my wardrobe using the principle with great results. Major obstacle for me is that it feels very wasteful, but donating as much as I can to charity sort of helps circumvent that. Finally, I read ‘How Trump Thinks: His Tweets and the Birth of a New Political Language‘ by Peter Oborne. It’s basically just a chronicle of Trump’s tweets over his Twitter lifespan and just reinforces how batshit crazy the man is.

Music:

Let’s be real, most of December is dedicated to listening to pop covers of Christmas Carols. But here is a combo list for the two months.

Movies:

Murder on the Orient Express: Love a bit of Agatha Christie and Kenneth Branagh so this was an enjoyable wee adaptation. Nothing revolutionary but inoffensive. Thoroughly enjoyed the costuming.

Justice League: I actually forgot I saw this which should really tell you everything you need to know about it. It wasn’t bad…time passed pretty quickly and as a generic action film it was fine. But it wasn’t good either. DC just haven’t laid the groundwork the way that Marvel have and in the end, you don’t really care about any of these people. Also, Superman has always been problematic in that he’s way to overpowered and it kind of ruins everything? Also Aquaman is a ridiculous hero. But he was pretty funny in this. And the Flash is funny but I just…I don’t care. Marvel is the better franchise. Much like Batman vs Superman, Wonder Woman is the best thing in this. She’s a wonderful character and the only one who feels really fleshed out. They should just cut their losses and only make her films from now on.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Spare me the whining that’s come off the back of this. Aren’t hardcore fans just the absolute pits? Probably a bit long and self-indulgent, but I really enjoyed it. Enjoyed the humour and thought the message it was sending about shades of grey, futility vs hope and the short-sightedness of heroes was very refreshing. Plus the lightsaber duel was epic. Don’t get the fuss about Adam Driver though. Bleh. Hoping to go see it again!

Oh October

Left it a bit late, oops!

Books:

I read a work related book called ‘Superfandom: How Our Obsessions are Changing What We Buy and Who We Are‘ by Zoe Fraade-Blanar and Aaron Glazer. It’s interesting from a marketing point of view but it doesn’t really go into too much depth on the power and motivation of fandom. Interesting to see how fandom works in other contexts but probably not as much detail as I’d like. I also read ‘Fated‘ by Benedict Jacka, the first in a series about an London wizard named Alex Versus. A friend of mine really rates this series so I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. It’s very similar to the Dresden Files (which I got bored of very quickly) and lacks the charm or innovation of the similarly premised Rivers of London series. Would really recommend the latter if you’re looking for some good urban fantasy but I’ve decided to keep going with the Alex Versus series for now to see if it improves. Lord, how I hate a series. Finally, I read ‘Manhood: How to Be a Better Man – or Just Live with One‘ by Terry Crews. I adore Terry (especially in Brooklyn 99) but really knew nothing about him. This was a quick and easy read that certainly revealed a lot about the man and what he’s gone through. Really hated how he referred to women only ever in context of being wives, mothers or sisters, well-meaning though he is. An interesting read and made the bf read it as well.

Music:

Will never get tired of ‘Northern Downpour’. Never.

 

Movies:

My Year With Helen: This documentary follows former NZ PM Helen Clark during her campaign for UN Secretary General. This made me want to do something that actually made a difference in people’s lives. Helen Clark is a national treasure and a bona fide role model. The realities and bureaucracies of politics and government is, as always, soul crushingly disappointing. Would recommend.

Blade Runner 2049: This film is so achingly beautiful to look at. Weta just does such incredible work. Lots of complaints about its length but I thought it was perfectly paced (and I didn’t feel like checking my watch once during it, which is always a good sign in my own opinion.) It felt really true to the original Blade Runner and had the feel of classic films from ye olden times, the type we just don’t get anymore. Both Gosling and Ford delivered great performances. I am so here for it.

Thor: Ragnarok: This film is everything I ever wanted in life. The first Thor has always been my favourite of the Marvel films because it was unexpectedly hilarious and strong ethos. Ragnarok is simply a beautiful build on that. The comedic timing, the characters, the easter eggs, the cinematography, the music…everything is on point here. Taika Waititi is a DELIGHT and if you haven’t seen his other films, get on that asap. Also, Cate Blanchett. Enough said. Sometimes I just think of the scene below and crack up laughing. It’s a serious problem.

Sweet September

Books:

I managed to read two books in September, so that was nice. ‘Obernewtyn‘ by Isobelle Carmody was the first cause, as you should know by now, I love a bit of YA. I’ve been meaning to read this author for years as she’s quite well known in Australia but somehow never got around to it. It’s your basic fantasy YA. Overall, I found it enjoyable enough and a very easy read. I wanted to get to the end to find out what happened, but I’m not really invested in the characters enough to keep reading the series. The second book I read was ‘Purple Hibiscus‘ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is fast becoming one of my favourite contemporary writers. Her writing is thoroughly engaging and her characters are masterfully constructed so you can’t help but be engrossed by their stories. I also find her scene setting really powerful, and I enjoy her characterisation of Nigeria, and Africa. Having grown up in sub-Saharan Africa, I feel a lot of it viscerally, in a way I’ve never experienced before (take for example Alexander McCall Smith’s ‘The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’, which I enjoyed, but it never felt real, not like Adichie’s Africa feels real.) And of course the story itself is powerful, and harrowing, and also inspiring. Definitely reading more Adichie.

Music:

The Demi Lovato track puts me in an ass-kicking mood. And new Sam Smith, finally.

 

Movies:

Kingsman: The Golden Circle: Meh. I wanted to like this. I really enjoyed the first one as a fun spy romp that sort of took the piss out of spy films, and I generally also like Michael Vaughn’s work, but this was suuuuuuch a waste of time. Too long, unnecessary scenes, story decisions that didn’t make much sense, and also drawing something that could have been a fun little joke out for far too long. It just didn’t really make sense and it took the things that really stood out in the first film (i.e. the church fight scene) and tried to re-do it again and again. And sadly it just didn’t have the charm to pull it off. Also why would you have the comedic genius of Channing Tatum in your film and then not use him for most of it? What a waste. Probably just setting up the buddy comedy that will be Kingsman 3. Ugh. Who can be bothered? So yes, ultimately disappointing, you’re better off just watching the first one again.

August, where did you go?

Books:

August was kinda terrible in terms of getting anything done in my free time. I had these grand plans of reading three books while I was in Perth for a week, but I turned out to be too anxious and spent most of the time glued to my phone. So no books were read in August.

Music:

Movies:

Atomic Blonde: I wanted to enjoy this much more than I did. The trailer looked amazing so I was really looking forward to it, but it’s also one of those films where the best bits are in the trailer. It’s still a really solid action flick, and is a nice change of pace from the usual Cold War era spy flicks. Charlize Theron is amazing. AMAZING. Also a solid 80s soundtrack that includes George Michael’s ‘Father Figure’. Oh, and James McAvoy. What’s not to love?

That’s it. Pretty dull. Work was in overdrive with domestic Test season kicking off and Women’s Rugby World Cup in full swing, so I was pretty much wiped out when I got home. C’est la vie.

 

July’s the winter of our discontent

Books:

I read two books in July while off sick. I needed something easy to read, that wouldn’t leave me exhausted, so opted for ‘Landline‘ by Rainbow Rowell. I’d really enjoyed ‘Fangirl’ and ‘Attachments’ previously so thought it would be a good fit…and it was. I read it in a single sitting which is pretty much my ideal way of reading a book. I did struggle a bit with the characters as communication is such an important thing to me, so it was frustrating that they were just so bad at it. I also read ‘Places no one knows‘ by Brenna Yovanoff after the author was recommended to me by a friend. This one didn’t really do it for me. I really liked the main character and the way her detachment was handled, but I struggled with the best friend and the story felt a bit too tediously high school for me. I do enjoy that both novels had a touch of magic/supernatural that’s never explained though – books that are set in the real world but have one random magical element always appeal to me.

Music:

Presented without comment.

Movies:

Wonder Woman: Thoroughly enjoyed this one, it’s basically Thor meets Captain America: The First Avenger. I loved the background of Themyscira and would happily have watched a whole film about Hippolyta and Antiope kicking ass. But nevertheless I really enjoyed Diana’s innocence and hope, neither of which stopped her from getting shit done. And I loved how the overall theme of it was very Dumbledore-esque. I saw this twice and it really struck me on the second viewing how so much of it is about self-belief. It’s when Diana believes in herself that she can be what she needs to be. And I am here for it. Also, the Wrath theme is a thing of beauty and I want it playing in the background whenever I do anything, ever.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: I’m not a huge Spider-Man fan (comics are ok, loathed the Toby Maguire films, Andrew Garfield’s was fun) so I wasn’t tripping over myself to see this, but bf is a big fan so off we went. It was overall pretty enjoyable. The thing I enjoyed most was that Tom Holland is actually believable as a high schooler. He fits that part perfectly. And I liked that Peter was a nerd but it wasn’t that loner sad kind of nerd, he had a kid who bullied him but it wasn’t a jock, and he was just going about his life, being a nerd and not minding it. More of that in films please! It’s not sad being a nerd! Anyway, it was an enjoyable watch. Some funny one liners. Too much Iron Man though.

Baby Driver: Obviously this is a film that revolves around its soundtrack. The music is everything here. And I love good film soundtracks. I thoroughly enjoy Edgar Wright’s films (Scott Pilgrim is one of my all time faves) so I had high hopes for this one. It mostly delivered. Solid car chases. Solid supporting actors – John Hamm is great, and Kevin Spacey is just living his best life. I loved that Baby and Joseph used sign language, and how natural that was – more mainstream films with that sort of thing please. What I didn’t like was that the whole thing kind of fell apart towards the end when Baby could easily have solved all his problems by simply answering a yes/no question honestly. There was no motivation for him to not do so. Also, he goes on like two dates with Debora and then they’re in love and running away together? Uh. Ok then. Overall enjoyable, and well worth a watch.

Dunkirk: Holy CRAP. I do not like war films, I don’t cope well, I get extremely anxious and end up crying because of the waste of human life, so in general I avoid them. But everyone was going on about this and bf wanted to see it so off we went. This film took about 20 years off my life. I’ve never been this stressed in a movie theater. I had my hood up the entire time and had marks on my neck from where I was digging my fingernails into my skin to stop from freaking out. This film is incredible when it comes to recreating the feeling of war. One review described the experience of watching it as being reminiscent of shell shock and that’s certainly how I felt. It is relentless. I’m really sick of non-linear storytelling but I thought the way this was told was actually quite clever, seeing the timeline from different points of view. I really appreciated the minimal dialogue as it felt true to the story being told, and the horror of war doesn’t really require many words. The score was incredibly important in creating the tension and anxiety in the viewer, and it did a damn good job of it. Overall, very effective film, would not say I enjoyed it.

June whatever

Look, I didn’t do much in June. The Lions Series was in full swing and every fibre of my being hated it. So most of my brain power was spent on work and maintaining the will to live. It was tough. I read one book, which was for work and called ‘Architechting Experience‘. I don’t know, it might be useful if you’re into marketing and user journeys and shiz like that. I also only saw one film in Wonder Woman, which I of course saw on opening day. I’ll add my two cents during the July recap – I saw it again this month so it’s technically still true.

Only really bothering to sum up June cause I think my playlist was kinda fly. And we can all agree that Lorde’s Melodrama is a glorious masterpiece, right? It’s the album 24 year old me desperately needed. Also the bass line on Charlie Puth’s ‘Attention’ is out of control. So there is that.

It’s gonna be May

Books:

I haven’t read much as work is insanely busy at the moment (also the reason this is so late, stupid Lions). I read ‘Feminist Fight Club‘ by Jessica Bennett. I’ve read a fair few of these books recently but I still found this interesting as it was mainly focused on the workplace. A quick, easy read with humorous and informative bits. Not world changing, but a good read.

Music:

Thoroughly enjoying the 1D spin offs, good on them all. Harry Styles’ album is pretty sweet listening, highlight is definitely ‘Kiwi’. Also ‘Malibu’ by Miley Cyrus is an absolute tune and was on heavy rotation this month.

Movies:

Didn’t see everything I wanted to but still got through a bit.

Bright Lights: Caught this at the Edge Documentary Film Festival with a friend, and it was thoroughly captivating. This film paints an intimate portrait of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, and also Todd Fisher. It explores their relationship and their eccentricities and it is especially poignant in light of Carrie and Debbie’s passing last year.

Get Out: I don’t actually like horror/thrillers but I had to go see this after the insane rave reviews. I’m glad I did, even if it was mentally scarring. Basic premise: Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. Weird shit goes down. That’s all I’m saying. The cinematography and imagery work double time, and the score is sensational.

A Dog’s Purpose: This film follows a pup trying to discover its purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners. I went to see this with my work wife as we’re both obsessed with dogs. I cried once, laughed multiple times, and got particularly overwhelmed by the cuteness of the corgi. Dogs are the best. We don’t deserve them.

King Arthur: I love a good Guy Ritchie film, judge me all you like, I don’t care. This plays out like a heist film, is a complete bastardisation of Arthurian legend, has Charlie Hunnam  playing cockney Jax Teller and Jude Law hamming it up and I am here for it. Lots of women get fridged, sadly, and there is an all too brief cameo by the delightful Katie McGrath who should just be in all Arthurian things. But I enjoy a bit of popcorn action and this fit the bill, even as I sat there quoting Monty Python to myself.

Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony!

April is the cruelest month

Books:

I read two books in April, yay, go me! The first was ‘Americanah‘ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. I started it last month but had to return it to the library shortly after as someone had reserved it (ugh) and I anxiously waited for its return so I could finish it. I. Loved. This. Book. It is magnificent. Some really powerful commentary in there. It was one of those books that set my soul on fire when I finished it, and made me want to write again and do all these things I’ve always wanted to do. I particularly enjoyed it from the point of view of an ex-pat aching for something but not knowing what it is, and thinking maybe a return to home could fix it. Would recommend every time. The second book I read was ‘The Silkworm‘ by Robert Galbraith, which is the second Cormoran Strike novel. Like the first, I enjoyed it, just really solid detective fiction and great for a Saturday afternoon finish-in-one-sitting type of read. Solid genre fiction and I’m not complaining.

Music:

Kind of a dud month to be honest. Found myself relying more on old favourite albums rather than listening to mixes. New Fall Out Boy song though which is…interesting. I’m not sure it’s for me but I wasn’t really on board with ‘Centuries’ either and ended up loving the album. So who knows.

Movies:

Only two this month, bit sad. But gird your loins as blockbuster season is upon us and it’s the Doc Edge International Documentary Film Festival is in town. See all the things!

Beauty and the Beast: This is my favourite Disney film so I was a bit skeptical about a live-action take on it, but you know what, it was fine. You know the story, was the same deal. Songs were on point, Gaston is amazing (and awful) and I think they actually did a good job explaining some of the things people have always wondered about this story. Like how does an entire village not remember there was a prince in a castle not that far away? Costumes were a delight. Lord how I love good costume design.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: I know I’m in the minority here but I did not rate the first one of these and was expecting more of the same lameness from this one. I actually enjoyed it a lot more, maybe because I knew what I was getting in to. Some really good humour in there and a genuinely touching ending, I’m ashamed to admit that I even got a wee bit teary eyed. Petition to put Nebula in everything though because she was my favourite thing in this #TeamNebula I do wonder though, if you don’t have 80s nostalgia, is this film’s aesthetic any good?

 

March madness

Books:

March was pretty hectic with unexpected moving and whatnot so I unfortunately didn’t have much (see also: any) free time. So I only read one book in March, Tina Fey’s ‘Bossypants‘. I really like Tina so I enjoyed this easy-to-read glimpse into her thoughts. I particularly relate to the whole “blorft” thing, or “completely overwhelmed by proceedings as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the topor of a possum.” Hoping April will be a better month for reading and general R&R.

Music:

Enjoying the return of Lorde 🙌🙌 Also a big fan of the Selena Gomez/Kygo track. Suspect Ed Sheeran’s ‘Dive’ is about Taylor? Discuss.

Movies:

Despite the aforementioned lack of free time this month, still managed to see two films and, of course, attend the Harry Potter Movie Marathon.

Logan:  The X-Men are probably my favourite comic creations so I’m always down for anything related to them. I’m also a huge Hugh Jackman fan so there was no way I wasn’t going to see this asap. It’s a wonderful film, one that really tells a story about regret and struggle and coming to terms with your failing mortality. Hugh Jackman gives a masterful performance that is somehow trumped by Patrick Stewart’s broken portrayal of Professor X. A great example of what can be achieved when the story and characters are put first, rather than the need to set up a bunch of sequels and spin offs. Also a great example of just telling a story and applying a rating that fits (R18 in this case) rather than trying to make a film fit into a specific rating, or just being gory for the sake of it. I did think it was a bit long in the middle, but overall really recommend it and its melancholy soundtrack.

Ghost in the Shell: I’ve never read the manga or saw the original animated film. I had no idea really what it was about it but I like Scarlett Johannsen and spec fic, and it was filmed in Wellington, so I really wanted to see it. I liked it. It was weird, but I liked it. It reminded me a bit of The Matrix, except the action was way slower and it wasn’t as mind-bendy. The story seemed weirdly simplistic, I felt a bit “That’s it?” about it. I guess I was just expecting there to be more philosophical angst over what makes you human, and robot v human existential issues. More Blade Runner, you know? There’s obviously been a lot of criticism about the casting of Johannsen to play a Japanese character, and while I think it would be amazing to see more diversity on screen, in this instance it didn’t feel obtrusive, considering the story centers around body modification and the blurring of artificial and natural states. Regardless of everything, the cinematography is beautiful. Just an incredibly pretty film.

Feb Fallout

Books:

Another three books checked off this month, with a fourth almost finished. The first was ‘The Rest of Us Just Live Here‘ by Patrick Ness. I found it generally enjoyable and easy to read, polishing it off in two burst.I enjoyed the idea of being disaster adjacent, of kids just minding their own business while shit goes down around them. Following this, I finally got round to reading ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling‘ by Robert Galbraith. I  grew up on Nancy Drew books and loved reading mysteries, and this book reminded me why. Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters and I liked that the ending wasn’t really drawn out over multiple chapters. I also read ‘On the Jellicoe Road‘ by Melina Marchetta. I have a friend who always raves about it and I’d read two Marchetta books in high school, so I figured I’d give it a go. It completely destroyed me. I’m not even joking. There were tears. Very Australian, with moments that felt supernatural  and genuinely made me uneasy, and just all-round heartbreaking. Finally, I’m almost finished with ‘Rewire: Change your brain‘ by Richard O’Connor which is fascinating from a psychological point of view, but not really that helpful in a general ‘give me some tips, I need to stop doing this shit’ sense.

Music:

I’ve really been enjoying the return of the Mack. I’m not apologising.

Movies:

Got a lot done this month because my work wife and I were trying to see as many Oscar nominated flicks as we could before the awards.

Jackie: The film takes place immediately following JFK’s assassination and I found it pretty harrowing to see it from Jackie’s perspective. I cannot imagine being in that situation, or how I would act. It felt more realistic to me than a traditional biopic, more psychologically real. Much like the glamour of the Kennedys, the film could easily have fallen into the trap of superficiality, but it maintained a balance and dignity that never felt forced. Like most biopics, I had to resist the urge to google a thousand things while watching it but overall, I thought it was a good little film and Natalie Portman did a phenomenal job of not only capturing Jackie’s mannerisms and quirks, but also capturing a real sense of emotion. The outfits were also on point.

Lion: I know this is based on a real story but I had somehow completely missed the whole media coverage around this and had no idea how it was all going to turn out. Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel were both captivating as Saroo. Nicole Kidman also turned in a great performance. And Dev’s Australian accent was surprisingly good! Loved the use of food as a trigger for memory, very Proustian. It’s a very powerful story that really hits you in the feels.

Moonlight: Maybe it was just because I was tired but this didn’t do anything for me. I’ve read these amazing reviews for it since I saw it and I wish I could have had that experience but for me it felt like the film your friend makes for his final film project that you try to be supportive of but don’t really get. It’s too arty for me, is what I’m saying. I wanted it to be shorter, and quicker paced. I found the camera work jarring and annoying. I also found it really odd that the story starts with an adult basically just taking in a kid he finds loitering around to lunch – just doesn’t seem like a reasonable thing to do when you find a kid somewhere it shouldn’t be. But I completely appreciate what it was trying to do in telling a story about sexuality and masculinity, and I’m 100% for telling more stories about different communities and experiences.

Manchester By The Sea: I didn’t know what this was about when going to see it and if it had been described to me (man has to return to home town after his brother dies to take care of his nephew, also: traumatic past) I probably wouldn’t have gone to see it. But it is by far my favourite out of the four. Just a phenomenal piece of storytelling, perfectly paced and with genuinely funny moments despite quite a bleak outlook. And the main scene with Michelle Williams was devastating. A well-deserved Best Original Screenplay Oscar winner. I loved this so much.