Movie Moments XXII: February 2020

Eighteen for February.

Jojo Rabbit, 02 February 2020, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
It’s the feel-good Nazi movie of the year? I really wish #JojoRabbit hadn’t plugged in actual Nazi footage set to wacky music in the intro, because I couldn’t quite settle into enjoying everything else for the rest of the time. But it’s cleverly written, gorgeously dressed, and perfectly acted. In the end, a really sharp satire that I wanted to get lost in more. (If it worked for you, great! It was just never going to work for me.)

The Two Popes, 04 February 2020, streamed via Netflix
I imagine this movie would be incredibly uninteresting to anybody who doesn’t dig thinking about theology and doctrine for a while. But it is so fun if you’re into that! And Pryce and Hopkins are pretty great in their face-offs, and the entire shebang is so multilingual. For me, a delight.

I Lost My Body, 05 February 2020, streamed via Netflix
So this Oscar-nominated animated movie starts with flies and dismembered body parts, so. I don’t know, man. Like, it’s about a severed hand trying to get back to its owner, having flashbacks to its owner’s wistfully traumatic life, but also, it’s a dismembered hand strangling a pigeon in a storm gutter in Paris. It was good, I guess? I just cared nothing about it.

Klaus, 06 February 2020, streamed via Netflix
The animation for this movie reminds me of nothing so much as a cross between The Emperor’s New Groove and a space-age Captain Crunch commercial. It’s a pretty standard Doc Hollywood narrative, though: snooty dude gets sent out to a rural area, tries to churn through work so he can escape, and then ends up healing all the rifts in the community. BUT it’s also a Santa origin story? It’s pretty fun.

For Sama, 07 February 2020, streamed via Amazon Prime
So this movie is about a mother making a film for her newborn daughter as the uprising goes on, largely framed by their work in the last hospital standing in Aleppo. It is...oof. Going straight from playing with a baby to seeing the walls of the hospital collapse from a bomb is just...oof. Dead kids and friends getting bombed; this documentary is 100% of the “the least we can do is bear witness” kind.

Honeyland, 07 February 2020, streamed via Hulu
Well, this movie is gorgeous. I really like that there’s no voiceover--we’re just...watching. I have no idea how the filmmakers made this movie, because seriously, a close-up shot of an elderly woman in a hut by candlelight? How? Anyway, by the end of the film, I was so invested I ended up yelling at the neighbors through my TV.

The Edge of Democracy, 07 February 2020, streamed via Netflix
“I feel our democracy was nothing but a short-lived dream.” Nope, no parallels to what’s going on in America AT ALL, like say the impeachment of a president of a corrupt government, thanks, Brazil for the warning. This was pretty interesting as a history, but the voiceover from the filmmaker sort of robbed it of something, though I’m not sure what.

Oscar Shorts: : Live Action, 08 February 2020, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18

• Une Souer
• Brotherhood
• The Neighbors’ Window
• Saria
• Nefta Football Club

Four well-crafted films featuring kidnapping, terrorist families, child murder, and drug-running. One well-crafted and heart-warming comedic film about the ups and downs of life. Yup, this seems like a legit set of Oscar shorts.

Oscar Shorts: Animation, 08 February 2020, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18

• Hair Love
• Dcera (Daughter)
• Sister
• Memorable
• Kitbull

They also included a few “Highly Commended,” which they usually do to fill in some time, for some reason.

• Henrietta Bulkowski
• The Bird and the Whale
• Hors Piste
• Maestro No offense to this one--the animation looked quite good--but I left when this started because I had been in the theatre for four hours and I was done being there.

BUT ALSO. Why are so many animated Oscar shorts about dementia? There are TONS, constantly. There was some fun weird ones, as well--Hair Love is as lovely as everyone says it is, though there’s a weird stutter in the animation midway through--and at least none of these was a leisurely exploration of a narco massacre.

American Factory, 08 February 2020, streamed via Netflix
Car factory student exchange! This was a pretty sweet story if you think about it as making friends from other cultures. It’s a pretty sad story when you think about it as a stark portrayal of decaying American industries. But also, a great watch.

The Cave, 09 February 2020, streamed via Hulu
Not that either of them are unworthy of a nomination, but between this movie, For Sama, and various documentaries, long and short, in the past few years, I feel like we’ve gotten a LOT of films about the Syrian war. They’re always well-done and thought-provoking, but one starts to wonder if those nominating have a bit of an obsession. (There are other humanitarian crises, guys.) It’s also worth noting that both The Cave and For Sama focus on civilian hospitals. The most notable difference in this film, though, is its number of women doctors--I don’t recall seeing any in For Sama. This movie, however, lacks framing, which I think poses a problem for the audience. There’s a lack of specificity that prevents folks from fully grasping the situation.

Before the Flood, 12 February 2020, streamed via Disney+
I showed part of this to one of my classes, as we’re researching climate change. I remain puzzled, however, about the DiCaprio-ness of it.

Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey AKA Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), 14 February 2020, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
How feminist is #HarleyQuinnBirdsofPrey? Mid-fight, Harley gives Canary a frickin' HAIR TIE. This movie is everything a Harley Quinn movie should be: gorgeously choreographed, gratuitously violent, shamelessly cheeky, AND ALSO, not exploitative at all. Like, some of Our Protagonists wear some extremely flattering clothing, but there was not one shot framing anybody’s ass AT ALL. Also, so many brown folks! Montoya, Canary, AND Cassandra! And Helena was delightfully surprisingly awkward, and Chris Messina is blond for some reason, and all the dudes in this movie are TRASH and it’s great.

Last Christmas, 22 February 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
I am so glad Emilia Clarke has this on her reel now, because it’s a pretty perfect anti-Daenerys. BUT ALSO, Michelle Yeoh has a romantic comedy subplot and I love it. ALSO, Henry Golding can stop being charming and tap-dancey ANY SECOND NOW, okay? Anyway, I am somewhat irritated at how charming this movie is. STOP BEING LOVELY, y'goshdarn romantic comedy. I also dig that the story is about a refugee Croatian family, except...most of these actors aren’t Croatian, are they? (A good slice of my extended family is from the former Yugoslavia, so that aspect felt kind of weird.) But Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding are really wonderful, so good work, #LastChristmas, you did the thing you meant to do.

The Good Liar, 22 February 2020, DVD via Redbox
There is a certain charm to watching McKellen and Mirren out-act a bit of a potboiler that is somewhat beneath their talents. Also, the plot twists do not hold up at all. Best to ignore them.

Playing with Fire, 23 February 2020, DVD via Redbox
Sometimes you just need something silly. Sometimes that means you’re watching a Nickelodeon nonsense movie about attractive people doing pratfalls to pop music a lot. (And not for nothing, but I watched this entire thing and didn’t get distracted once; I wandered away from The Good Liar several times.)

21 Bridges, 23 February 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
I remain, and perhaps will always remain, uncomfortable with narratives that glorify he-had-it-coming policing (and I watch a LOT of them, let’s be clear). So this is kind of intriguing, as Boseman’s character is first painted as one of those vigilante cops, but then the circumstances of a robbery, with revelations of police corruption, means that he is ALSO the only cop not trying to kill the perps. There are a few too many complications, but it mostly works.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, 29 February 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
Out of everything else, I was happily rattled that they ensured the show-within-the-movie had the same slightly fuzzled image that I remember from watching when I was a kid. Between Hanks being Hanks, Hanks playing Rogers, and the plot of a cynical journalist slowly understanding how to connect with humans, this movie is a hug filled with sunshine. Also, Matthew Rhys in bunny ears, people.

Could You Repeat That? CLXXIX

Thirty more quotations for you!

Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo
"When everyone thinks you're a monster, you needn't waste time doing every monstrous thing."

Design by lovelyowlsbooks on Teepublic.
Crooked Kingdom, Leigh Bardugo
"Other than Inej making a new pal, what the hell happened out there?"
"Let's see," said Nina. "Inej fell twenty stories."
"We put a serious hole in my father's dining room ceiling," Wylan offered.
"Nina can raise the dead," said Inej.

The Fated Sky, Mary Robinette Kowal
Of all the times to encounter a fan, I had not anticipated it happening at gunpoint.

The Language of Thorns, Leigh Bardugo
This is the problem with making a thing forbidden. It does nothing but build an ache in the heart.

The Demon in the Wood, Leigh Bardugo
He shifted uncomfortably. "I know."
"I know, I know," she mimicked. "You sound like a crow cawing."

Summer Frost, Blake Crouch
"But what if consciousness isn't some gift accidentally bestowed upon humanity through eons of random evolution? What if it's a curse?"

Vicious, VE Schwab
Victor smelled pain the way a wolf smelled blood.

Descendant of the Crane, Joan He
The words came out polished, like bones picked clean by carrion birds. Hesina's voice didn't shake didn't tremble. Anger had cauterized her nerves.

The Diviners, Libba Bray
For once, Evie didn't know what to say. She hadn't really thought of her uncle as very human. He was more like a textbook who occasionally remembered to put on a tie.

Black Perspectives in Writing Program Administration, Staci M Perryman-Clark and Collin Lamont Craig, eds, x2
If you ain't gon bother to see me, you best make sure you don't ever need me.

A Reaper at the Gates, Sabaa Tahir
"You cannot walk in the shadows as long as I have and not become one."

Ghost Girl in the Corner, Daniel Jose Older
"Well, I, for one, am shocked that the white lady doesn't want us to write about any of the ills of gentrification."

The Everlasting Rose, Dhonielle Clayton
"You have my word."
"And it's worth a grain of sand."
"I know, but you have it nonetheless."

Home Fire, Kamila Shamsie
This was not grief. It was rage. It was his rage, the boy who allowed himself every emotion but rage, so it was the unfamiliar part of him, that was all he was allowing her now, it was all she had left of him. She held it to her breast, she fed it, she stroked its mane, she whispered love to it under the starless sky, and sharpened her teeth on its gleaming claws.

Lair of Dreams, Libba Bray
"Can you imagine me as a lawyer?"
"You'd make an awful lawyer. Absolutely terrible."
Henry grinned. "Thank you for your confidence in me."
"Terrible," Ling said again.

Olive, Again, Elizabeth Strout
She sat down across from Andrea, in spite of thinking she saw in the girl's face a wish not to be disturbed. But Olive was old, she had buried two husbands, what did she care; she did not care.

Fleishman is in Trouble, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
What a strange thing, a lack of darkness. What a strange thing, for your job not to stress you out, for good things to make you happy and bad things to make you sad.

Before the Devil Breaks You, Libba Bray
Just because you loved somebody with your entire soul didn't mean they wouldn't break your heart. And just because somebody loved you didn't mean they'd be able to stop themselves from hurting you to get what they wanted.

Your House Will Pay, Steph Cha
He was tired of pretending Ava was a perfect child; he hated that perfection was what the world required to mourn her.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate, Becky Chambers
Nothing was ever enough on Mirabilis. Every discovery made, every hour spent in someone else's sheets, every conversation and collaboration and new vista taken in made me want more, more, more. We were alive on that world. We were kings without enemies, children removed from time. We should've known better, as students of the universe. There's no escaping entropy.

Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Everisto
Amma, on the other hand, has waited three decades before being allowed in through the front door
although she hasn't exactly been hammering on the castle walls for the duration
in truth, girlfriend spent much of her early career slinging rocks at it

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K LeGuin
"The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty: not knowing what comes next."

We Cast a Shadow, Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Africa wasn't home. For better or worse, this vicious hamlet--where I dreamed perchance of a bright future for my son--was home.

Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire
"I know, I know, panic is fun, but sometimes revenge is better," she said. "Choose revenge. Choose better."

The Testaments, Margaret Atwood
Despite what you may have thought, my reader, there was beauty to be had in Gilead. Why would we not have wished for it. We were human after all.
I see I have spoken of us in the past tense.

The Kiss Quotient, Helen Hoang
Yes, she was lonely. Yes, she had a broken heart. But at least she had herself.

Saudade, Suneeta Peres da Costa
That I was not the cause of her disappointment was suddenly apparent to me, but when I turned my head back to see where it may have begun, it was indistinct, there was no clear picture of it.

King of Scars, Leigh Bardugo
"All fuels burn differently. Some faster, some hotter. Hate is one kind of fuel. But hate that began as devotion? That makes for another kind of flame."

White Fragility, Robin DiAngelo
I repeat: stopping our racist patterns must be more important than working to convince others that we don't have them.

Mary Toft; or, The Rabbit Queen, Dexter Palmer
In a man's eyes I am meant for motherhood, and that only; otherwise I may as well be mute. Tongue cut out; lips sewn shut.

And that's it for this batch!

Movie Moments XXI: January 2020

So much Adam Driver this month, y’all.

Frozen II, 01 January 2020, Regal Riverside 16
I have serious concerns about the line of succession in Arendelle.

The Report, 02 January 2020, streamed via Amazon Prime
Okay, guys, like, I think I might like Adam Driver now. How did he make Google searches look intense?

Paddington 2, 03 January 2020, streamed via HBO Now
A movie this perfect should not exist. Also, possibly the best acting Hugh Grant has ever done?

Elektra, 04 January 2020, streamed via HBO Now
I had no idea Will Yun Lee was in this! Egads! Anyway, this movie isn’t great, but Jennifer Garner sure throws herself into it.

Marriage Story, 09 January 2020, streamed via Netflix
Laura Dern always looks like she's twenty-seven feet of legs. Anyway, this is 100% one of those scripts that reads like the writer(s) wrote it for theatre first: all expository monologues punctuated with flashes of absurd reality. (I know it was written as a movie, but the feel is pretty distinct.) It is so theatre-y it makes me want to take up stage managing again.

Abominable, 10 January 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
This is just such a lovely movie--and kind of a nice break from the usual, “Girl feels isolated, girl finds monster, girl helps monster accept itself.” There’s friendship! There’s silliness! There’s gorgeous magical things, and also a critique of capitalism! <3

Away We Go, 10 January 2020, DVD via Netflix
This movie kind of resisted engagement at the beginning, but by the time they got to Montreal, I was pretty into it. Also, Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski, y’all.

Missing Link, 11 January 2020, DVD via Redbox
Holy crap, this was a STOP-MOTION movie? That’s kind of staggering--it’s bright and goofy enough that I totally assumed it was the usual CGI.

Gemini Man, 15 January 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
I prefer Will Smith to pretty much every marquee dude out there, but didn’t Bruce Willis already do this story? I mean, essentially.

The Lion King (2019), 15 January 2020, Blu-ray via Redbox
I mean, this is gorgeous, but why does it exist?

The Lighthouse (2019), 16 January 2020, DVD via Redbox
Real talk: Though I have no beef with the actors, I was 0% interested in #TheLighthouse. It got an Oscar nom for cinematography, though, so I legit watched it with the volume turned WAY down. And it IS well shot, but so much of the imagery is claustrophobic and gross (purposefully), I kind of wish it wasn’t so clear? Anyway, Willem Dafoe is perhaps his Willem Dafoe-iest when filmed in black and white, isn’t he? Sparkly Cedric (I forgot this dude’s name and decided not to look it up) seems to be doing a passable job, but his movie mustache makes him look like he’s an old-timey villain that ties ladies to train tracks.

Knives Out, 17 January 2020, UA Breckenridge 12
I feel like #KnivesOut was specifically constructed to satisfy my inner Chekhov. Seriously, like, every single supposedly offhand remark paid off, as far as I could see.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, 18 January 2020, Hot Springs 8 VIP Cinema
#StarWars IX is some beautiful, beautiful trash that I've decided I will not closely consider for a very long time.

1917, 18 January 2020, Hot Springs 8 VIP Cinema
#1917 is pure, delicious camera flex, and also the most stressful two hours any moviegoer could endure.

Little Women, 19 January 2020, AMC Central City Classic 10
Congratulations to Greta Gerwig for somehow getting Chalamet to mostly sound like he doesn't his spend free time tossing off in an opium haze. ALSO, dang, this was so well done. #LittleWomen 2019 is the closest I've ever been to believing that Friedrich is a legit match for Jo.

The Irishman, 20 January 2020, Streamed via Netflix
Why is this movie 3½ hours long? And seriously, though obviously the movie is remarkably well done, it’s not like the world needed another deep dive into the relationship between the mafia and American labor unions a few decades ago. THAT SAID, yeah, the interplay between Frank and Hoffa is fascinating, and the last hour is pretty great. It just takes forever to get there.

Pain and Glory (Dolor y Gloria), 21 January 2020, DVD via Redbox
Man, maybe my memory is faulty, but grizzled Antonio Banderas is waaaay more interesting than polished young Antonio Banderas. And in an awesome rabbit hole, parts of the film are an actor monologuing from the protag’s memoirs, and the protag is actually a stand-in for the Almodovar, the writer/director, HOW DEEP COULD THIS GO. Spoilers: The flashbacks are a movie the protag wrote! Y’ALL.

Star Trek VIII: First Contact, 24 January 2020, streamed via CBS All Access
So I decided to go on a Borg backstory binge to prep for the new Picard series, and here we are. And lemme tell you, after the Locutus of Borg thing was only two darn episodes, I was THRILLED to see it come up again.

Star Trek: Nemesis, 25 January 2020, streamed via Crackle
Holy crap, the Picard clone is TOM HARDY?!

Parasite, 28 January 2020, streamed via Amazon
About an hour and a half into the movie, I paused to spoil myself so that I could avoid the gory stuff. But up until that point, it’s pretty amazing. I legit want all the fanfic about Ki-jung because I may love her. And kind of SPOILERy thing about #Parasite for horror lightweights like me: The real gore happens the day after the basement flood.


On to February and the Oscar scramble!

2019 by the Numbers

Books Read: 190
Weirdly, Goodreads said I read 200 books, so just as last year, this may remain a mystery.
I'm listing the authors, for a bit of brevity.
Mia Marshall, Charlie N Holmberg, Paul Krueger, Caitlin Doughty, Zoraoida Corova, Nicole Ponseca & Miguel Trinidad, Valeria Luiselli, Kevin Kwan, Robert Jordan, Seanan McGuire, Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Nicola Griffith, Louise Penny, Elaine Castillo, Ling Ma, Ben H Winters, Megan Whalen Turner, Tommy Orange, Robin McKinley, Tana French, Carlo Sernaglia and Julia Turshen, Sarah J Maas, Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber, Malka Older, Anita Lo, George RR Martin, Diane Morgan, Justina Ireland, Nafkote Tamirat, Jenn Lyons, Uzodinma Iweala, Tom Rachman, Anna Burns, Heidi Sopinka, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Esi Edugyan, Richard Powers, Deborah Harkness, Laurie R King, Genevieve Cogman, Emily XR Pan, Tomi Adeyemi, Kelly Thompson, Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett, Malinda Lo, Donna Leon, Curtis C Chen et al, Sarah Perry, Dhonielle Clayton, Hannu Rajaniemi, Zen Cho, Mary Robinette Kowal, Elisabeth Cohen, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Joseph Fink, Marcela Valladolid, Elizabeth George, Jeff Parker, Caitlin Starling, Anissa Helou, Bill Willingham, Elizabeth Acevedo, Yoon Ha Lee, Brian Switek, Faith Erin Hicks, Neil Gaiman, Adam Johnson, G Willow Wilson, Blake Crouch, Holly Black, Christopher Kimball, Elizabeth McCracken, Lonely Planet, Will Hill, Naomi Novik, Sarah Porter, Pat Barker, Daniel Jose Older, Jon Ronson, Thi Bui, NK Jemisin, Fareed Zakaria, Amin Maalouf, Gabriela Camara, Rachel Khoo, SA Chakraborty, Leigh Bardugo, Mira Grant, Elisa Goldstein et al, Fonda Lee, Rachel Caine, Alastair Reynolds, Joakim Pamkvist, VE Schwab, Sarah Gailey, Edna Lewis, Margaret Owen, Erin A Chang, Charles Soule, Struan Stevenson, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Carla Lalli Music, Marie Lu, Susan Meissner, Michelle Ruiz Kell, Lisa A Nichols, Jennifer Nagel, Sady Doyle, Geraldine Brooks, Rebecca Traister, Maggie Stiefvater, Jennifer Givhan, Rakhee Yadav, Alana Kysar, Xuan Juliana Wang, LL McKinney, Philip Pullman, Harriet A Washington, Tom King et al, Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying, Mackenzi Lee, Becky Chambers, Sally Rooney, Namwali Serpell, Joseph Harris, Joel Spring Martin Morales, Neil Gaiman & P Craig Russell, Jenny Linford, VE Schwab, Laila Lalami, RF Kuang, Maria Gainza, Tea Obrecht, Claire Lombardo, Gail Simone, Rebecca Solnit, Paula Volksy, Elvia Wilk, Stacy M Perryman-Clark & Collin Lamont Craig, Sharon Kay Penman, Sally McKenny, Sue Burke, Joel Shepherd, Erik Larson, Anne Griffin, Amanda Cohen, Meghan Scott Molin.

You can read snippets from every book I've read this year here.

Cities Visited: 14
Memphis, TN
Pittsburgh, PA
Nashville, TN
Tampa, FL
East Lansing, MI
Bangkok, Thailand
Hong Kong
Baltimore, MD
Dallas, TX
Kansas City, MO
DeKalb, IL
Houston, TX
Lubbock, TX
Riverside, CA

Concerts/Performances Attended: 11
Kelly Clarkson, with Brynn Cartelli and Kelsea Ballerini supporting
Carrie Underwood, with Runaway Jane and Maddie & Tae supporting
Beale Street Music Festival (Everclear, Rodrigo y Gabriela, 6lack, Cardi B)
Amanda Palmer
Hannah Gadsby (comedy)
Hamilton (theatre)
Carly Rae Jepsen, with Phoebe Ryan supporting
Mary J Blige & Nas
Common, with Mumu Fresh supporting
Trevor Noah (comedy)
Switchfoot

Conferences Attended: 5
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing 2019 in Pittsburgh
Conference on College Composition and Communication 2019 in Pittsburgh
AP Language Reading in Tampa
Computers & Writing in East Lansing
Council of Writing Program Administrators in Baltimore

Festivals/Readings/Lectures: 5
Arkansas Literary Festival (Charles J Shields, Brantley Hargrove, Jericho Brown, Geffrey Davis, Elizabeth Minchilli, Dorie Greenspan, Arkady Martine, Marina Lostetter, Pitchaya Sudbanthad, Maurice Carlos Ruffin)
Thi Bui reading @ HSU
Emily Roberson reading @ Wordsworth Books
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Hillary Clinton & Chelsea Clinton reading @ University of Houston

Movies Watched: 129
Bird Box, Peppermint, Eight Grade, BelCanto, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, Split, Blockers, Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns, Roma, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Vice, On the Basis of Sex, Mary Queen of Scots, Antiquities, The Wife, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Front Runner, At Eternity's Gate, The Hate U Give, Bad Times at the El Royale, Green Book, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Sorry to Bother You, Minding the Gap, Of Fathers and Sons, Nobody's Fool, Shoplifters, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Hale County This Morning This Evening, Robin Hood, Fighting with My Family, What Men Want, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Mortal Engines, Operation Finale, A Private War, Instant Family, Free Solo, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse AU, The Mercy, The Runaways, Second Act, Gloria Bell, Bumblebee, Shazam!, Welcome to Marwen, The Kid Who Would Be King, Glass, Against the Clock, Hellboy, Avengers: Infinity War, Justice League vs the Fatal Five, Avengers: Endgame, The Quake, Miss Bala, Little, Breakthrough, Long Shot, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, Aladdin, Fighting with My Family, Paddington, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Five Feet Apart, Captive State, Late Night, Hotel Mumbai, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Spiderman: Far From Home, Alita Battle Angel, Mission: Impossible, Batman Returns, Twenty-fifth Hour, Grave of the Fireflies, The Best of Enemies, Fantastic Four, Ratatouille, Dreamgirls, Little Woods, Toy Story 4, Men in Black: International, Yesterday, The Farewell, Always Be My Maybe, Tolkien, The Sun is Also a Star, The Hustle, Crazy Rich Asians, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Rocketman, Booksmart, Amazing Grace, The Biggest Little Farm, Dark Phoenix, Hustlers, Ad Astra, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, Shaft, Downton Abbey, Judy, China Love, Varda by Agnes, Well Groomed, Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, Nothing Fancy, Meeting Gorbachev, Pizza A Love Story, Made in Boise, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Terminator: Dark Fate, Harriet, Avengers: Endgame, Brian Banks, Charlie's Angels, Ford v Ferrari, Queen & Slim, Black Panther, Official Secrets, Blinded By the Light, Where'd You Go Bernadette?, The Goldfinch, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Don't Let Go (Relive), Wit, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Topkapi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

You can see all the mini-reviews here.

TV
So I once again forgot to keep count of all the episodes I watched this year, but I CAN tell you which TV shows I binged from beginning to end.

• Game of Thrones (to prep for the last season, SIGH)
• The Magicians
• Criminal Minds and its two spin-offs
• Supernatural

And I'm about four seasons into Cold Case right now. NOTHING CAN STOP ME.

So, those are the numbers for 2019. Here's to 2020!

Movie Moments XX: December 2019

And twelve movies watched in December!

Black Panther, 01 December 2019, streamed via Netflix
Ending the lit class with this movie was a treat, but having students pick up thematic resonances was pretty rough, Mostly folks were like...wait, why is Wakanda isolationist? WTF, Wakanda? Bless.

Official Secrets, 02 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
I legitimately don’t remember a lot about this. Like, there was some sort of newspaper? And then a leak of intelligence? Something spy-like? I mean, Keira Knightley is always great, but I think I might be oversaturated with these cloak-and-dagger journalism bits.

Blinded by the Light, 03 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
This movie works for two audiences: 1) Dudes who really, REALLY love Springsteen, and 2) folks who are cognizant of the intense racism against South Asians than happens in Britain.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette, 03 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
I imagine this was more mysterious in the book, as those of us watching the movie immediately know where Bernadette went. It is a charmer in its own way, though.

The Goldfinch, 05 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
I figured, since I hadn’t read the book, that maybe I would like it more than the world did. I was wrong. There was no story to be had here.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold, 05 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
The tonal dissonance between Dora and the entire rest of the universe in #DoraAndTheLostCityOfGold is pretty amazing. I dig it a lot. Anyway, I 100% believe a RL Dora would be an Instagram superstar. Also, I have been subjecting everyone I know to the poo hole song, and I might be officially shunned soon.

Don’t Let Go (Relive), 05 December 2019, DVD via Redbox
David Oyelowo plays a cop whose niece, brother, and sister-in-law gets murdered, and THEN starts getting phone calls from his niece (Storm Reid) a week ago. As someone who feels pretty close to her own niece, this was pretty heartbreaking for me. And, like, it’s not perfect, but damn if it doesn’t feel like a nice break from the franchises. Plus, these actors, man.

Wit, 05 December 2019, DVD via public library
Emma Thompson just burns everything down in this movie. Lordy.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 10 December 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
This would be neat in a double-feature with #HailCaesar, probably. Otherwise, I pretty much detest Tarantino’s whole schtick. This movie didn’t do anything to change my opinion. (That said, I would have really liked #OnceUponATimeInHollywood if it didn't have that last half hour.)

Topkapi, 20 December 2019, streamed via Google Play
This is a supremely old-fashioned movie--in that it was produced in 1964--but it’s got all the markers of a classic heist movie. If you’re into that kind of thing, you’d probably enjoy this little caper.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 31 December 2019, streamed via Disney+
I will maintain my belief that Finn is a teensy Force-sensitive until the day I die. Also, I would have watched an entire series about Rey and Finn, wide-eyed, galaxy-wandering mechanics.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, 31 December 2019, streamed via Disney+
All the Luke scenes in this movie are pure GOLD. All the complaints about him not being badass are nonsense.


Bring it on, 2020!

Could You Repeat That? CLXXVIII

Wrapping up the year with 29 books!

Rewriting: How to Do Things with Texts, Joseph Harris, x2
To make new knowledge your examples need to raise problems for your theory.

Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality, Joel Spring
Purchase was tantamount to conquest and it was cheaper than a military campaign.

Ceviche: Peruvian Kitchen, Martin Morales
Sitting on the beach with the sun pounding down on me and my mouth alive with the lime and chile kick of ceviche was as exhilirating as riding the tallest wave.

The Problem of Susan and Other Stories (graphic novel), Neil Gaiman & P Craig Russell
She had spent an evening once kissing him in a summer house, though she cannot remember for the life of her in which garden the summer house had belonged.

The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World, Jenny Linford
The human relationship with wild honey is an ancient one, but when or where human beings first started eating wild honey is information lost in time.

The Near Witch, VE Schwab
There are no strangers in the town of Near. I have seen every face a thousand times. But not this one.

The Other Americans, Laila Lalami
Perhaps memory is not merely the preservation of a moment in the mind, but the process of repeatedly returning to it, carefully breaking it up in parts and assembling them again until we can make sense of what we remember.

The Dragon Republic, RF Kuang
"That's a nice ship."
"What do you mean, that's a nice ship?"
"I mean, if that ship were a person, I would fuck that ship," said Baji.
Rin suspected Baji wouldn't be much help until the opium wore off.

Optic Nerve, Maria Gainza
And I cannot tell what I should do with a death as ridiculous as hers, as pointless and hypnotic, nor do I know why I mention it now, though I suppose it's always probably the way: you write one thing in order to talk about something else.

Inland, Tea Obrecht
His God-given eloquence was buttressed on all sides by charms he'd cultivated throughout a long life of asking forgiveness for assorted transgressions about which he was alternately boastful and ashamed.

The Most Fun We Ever Had, Claire Lombardo
Violet had begun to view the world, lately, as a nuanced gradient of the degrees to which she wanted to harm her sister.

Plastic Man (graphic novel), Gail Simone
PADO: Three guys on one, that's just wang. See ya around, Eel O'Brian.
EEL: Wait. Is wang good or bad? DOES IT STILL MEAN PENIS?

Sword and Pen, Rachel Caine
"Alamasi, if I'm burned alive, then all this becomes your problem."
"Sir," she said reproachfully. "That's not the inspirational speech I need."

Whose Story Is This?, Rebecca Solnit
The common denominator of so many of the strange and troubling cultural narratives coming our way is a set of assumptions about who matters, whose story it is, who deserves the pity and the treats and the presumptions of innocence, the kid gloves and the red carpet, and ultimately the kingdom, the power, and the glory. You already know who.

A Dream So Dark, LL McKinney
Today was definitely a Category Five on the You Done Messed Up chart.

Illusion, Paula Volsky
Incredible to imagine, almost unbelievable--that she could actually die, despite her youth, despite even her great eyes and rose-petal complexion.

Oval, Elvia Wilk
"Just come see me," he said. "I miss you."
It was a neon fishhook in the dark, which she bit down upon slowly, feeling it pierce the roof of her mouth.

Black Perspectives in Writing Program Administration, Staci M Perryman-Clark and Collin Lamont Craig, eds.
When whiteness exists as the institutional and administrative norm it also functions as a floating signifier that regulates disciplinarity and department discourses and permits these kinds of bullying to go unchecked.

The Secret Commonwealth, Philip Pullman
Once you've witnessed a murder and decided against telling the police, you're really on your own.

The Queen's Man, Sharon Kay Penman
She was aging as she'd lived, in defiance of all the rules.

Sally's Cookie Addiction, Sally McKenney
The one time I'll tell you to NOT follow a recipe is right here: forget the listed bake time. There, I said it.

Interference, Sue Burke
"I will not live forever, but I can try to live everywhere."

Cruel as the Grave, Sharon Kay Penman
"Admit it, you did not plunge from that window with a hawk's unerring precision. You lost your grip and just happened to fall on him, didn't you?"
Luke regarded him impassively. "Can you prove it?"

Sasha: A Trial of Blood and Steel, Joel Shepherd
"You must make your peace with the gods, for your father's sake!"
Sasha met his stare with an intensity that made the priest's eyes widen. And he blessed himself in recoiling reflex. "Why?" she asked him. "I won't be the one meeting them today."

Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik
"Because my demon told me to" isn't a generally accepted reason, even if you have a crown on your head.

In the Garden of Beasts, Erik Larson
An hour later, the procession halted near a swamp. Goering climbed from his carriage and gave another speech, this on the glories of birds.

When All Is Said, Anne Griffin
"It was simply knowing he was there, that meant the world to me. I didn't need him to do anything other than just be alive. Is it the same for you?"

Dirt Candy, Amanda Cohen
As the X-Men movies taught us, mutants are hated and feared by society. But mutants (like cauliflower, a big knot of mutated floral stem cells) are also delicious when pickled and served with beer.

The Queen Con, Meghan Scott Molin
Surely eating free pizza isn't like signing a contract with the devil, right?


On to 2020!

Movie Moments XIX: July-November 2019

Yeah, I feel way behind.

Spider-man: Far From Home, 03 July 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
NIGHT MONKEY FOREVER, y’all. This entire movie was delightful. The high school shenanigans were pretty much perfect, and Tom Holland STOP BEING SO ADORABLE.

Alita, Battle Angel, 05 July 2019, ANA Airlines
This ended up being less Uncanny Valley than I thought it would be. The commentary on body modification/cyborgification is pretty interesting, though, and late-stage capitalism makes for a realistic apocalypse.

Mission: Impossible, 07 July 2019, Paramount Channel
Y’all, remember when Ethan Hunt was capable of smiling sincerely? It used to be a thing!

Batman Returns, 08 July 2019, WB TV
It turns out I've never seen this movie! It is cheeeeesetastic. But "I want to play an integral part of his degredation" is a killer line. Anyway. This is not my favorite Catwoman, but I salute the attempt.

25th Hour, 09 July 2019, True Film
What...the hell? Was that? It’s like, dude has one day before he goes to jail, so how about we film everything as if the audience has mushroom-induced paranoia?

Spider-man: Far From Home, 10 July 2019, Siam Paragon Cineplex
Still delightful. Fun note: The audience in Thailand did not laugh at any of Fury’s scenes. Apparently Samuel L Jackson’s brand of incredulity doesn’t translate as humor in some cultures!

Grave of the Fireflies, 11 July 2019, Hong Kong Airlines
I am so glad I watched this, and also, I will have nightmares forever. War and children subject to starvation? I...I was not prepared.

The Best of Enemies, 11 July 2019, Hong Kong Airlines
Do you think Ed Norton gets tired of being cast as a white supremacist all the time?

Fantastic Four, 11 July 2019, Hong Kong Airlines
Okay, this was bad, but not as horrific as rumor described it. It does feel very 80s B-movie, though. (Also, Chris Evans as NOT Captain America is disconcerting.)

Ratatouille, 12 July 2019, Hong Kong Airline
I have a lot of questions about how Remy became such a snob. Like, he has a defective nose! Rats are omnivorous! His scent sensitivity means he’s possibly depriving himself of vital nutrients!

Dreamgirls, 12 July 2019, Hong Kong Airlines
Beyonce just walked away with this movie, didn’t she? Jennifer Hudson 100% deserved her accolades, obvs. But for real, y’all.

Little Woods, 12 July 2019, Hong Kong Airlines
I am not entirely sure of what the point of this movie was, but it starred Tessa Thompson and Lily James, so I watched it.

Toy Story 4, 15 July 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
This movie had no real reason to exist, but it was also really excellent. I think my major point of conflict is that the third movie was such a PERFECT ending to the narrative, and the fourth seemed like a nonsense addition. And then the fourth movie was a PERFECT ending to the narrative, but only if the third movie didn’t exist. I have so many feelings, guys.

Men In Black: International, 20 July 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
This was much better than I expected, mostly because I was just involved in spending a couple of hours with Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth Wear Suits. (The plot “twist” was pretty predictable.) I kind of like the idea of the MiB franchise having an extended universe, really--the one portrait of J and K in the hall of fame was really lovely.

Yesterday, 24 July 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
I have so many questions about this universe. So, like, the Beatles doesn’t exist in that world BUT how does that correlate to cigarettes not existing? HOW ARE THESE THINGS RELATED.

The Farewell, 06 August 2019, AMC Town Center 20
This movie was so, so gorgeous. I really appreciated, for one thing, that a hefty chunk of the movie was in different languages/dialects, and dealt with so any intricacies of immigrant families, cultural traditions, and alienation. And so much about saving face! The cast overall was fantastic, but special kudos to Awkwafina for pulling off a pretty complex but non-showy dramatic role.

Always Be My Maybe, 10 August 2019, streamed via Netflix
The scenes of Randall Park and Ali Wong as teenagers were straight nonsense, but this entire movie was very much nonsense, so there is that. Plus, Keanu Reeves just throws himself into it, and it’s breathtaking.

Tolkien, 20 August 2019, DVD via Redbox
This movie is 100% what you would expect of a movie about young literary men in Oxbridge during the middle of the twentieth century. So if that’s your thing...

The Sun is Also a Star, 22 August 2019, DVD via Redbox
The entire premise of the “falling in love in less than a day” thing is so offensive to me, but the stars of this YA romance are pretty darn charming.

The Hustle, 22 August 2019, DVD via Redbox
I really dislike Rebel Wilson’s whole schtick, but I dig Anne Hathaway. And who doesn’t love a story about con artists? So this movie broke even, basically.

Crazy Rich Asians, 24 August 2019, streamed via HBO Now
How is this movie such a delightful romantic comedy? This rewatch was because I made the movie one of the texts in my lit class; I still think it’s got some problems, but it’s an exemplar of the genre.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 30 August 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
How much would I love this series from Godzilla’s point of view? Lots of hibernation, some tiny human pets, and then an intense staredown with Ken Watanabe.

Rocketman, 31 August 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
I mean, who needs a storyline when you’ve got some excellent music to share?

Booksmart, 05 September 2019, DVD via Redbox
I know I'm supposed to be charmed by #Booksmart, but...I just, just could not stand Molly at all, folks. Not at all. It’s a legit good movie, though. I mean, baby lesbians are never not adorable.

Amazing Grace (2019), 06 September 2019, DVD via Redbox
This isn’t so much a documentary as it is two consecutive days of Aretha Franklin singing at a church. But who wouldn’t watch two consecutive days of Aretha Franklin singing at a church?

The Biggest Little Farm, 06 September 2019, DVD via Redbox
A couple decides to try doing “traditional” farming--AKA small farming without a focus on monoculturey stuff--and it feels like it clicks together too well to be entirely true. But it’s a nice fantasy! With enough nitty-gritty farming detail to satisfy one’s curiosity.

Dark Phoenix, 20 September 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox

1. I mean, it’s better than the previous Dark Phoenix movie?
2. They sped into full Dark Phoenix waaaaay too quickly--if you’re going to do a horror movie, do it proper, yo.
3. RAVEN DARKHOLME DON’T GO DOWN LIKE THAT.
4. I really enjoy that the moral of the story for pretty much every session of this X-iteration is, "Charles, you dumbass."
5. (Also, it's FASCINATING that none of the X- or Bat-movies stand up to the storytelling from the 90s cartoons.)

Hustlers, 21 September 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
#Hustlers: An excellent indictment of late-stage capitalism, with lapdances. (It's a great movie about friendship, too.)

Ad Astra, 21 September 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
#AdAstra: Stoic man with father issues goes to space and returns, stoicly. (Also: MOON PIRATES.)

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, 22 September 2019, Hot Springs VIP Cinema
#HobbsAndShaw delivers what every entry into this franchise must: A parody of hyper-masculinity, the ability of anything with an engine to graze the other side of physics, and a heart-warming obsession with family. (Also: HAKA.)

Shaft (2019), 25 September 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
Every actor in this movie is acting in an entirely different movie. It’s legit fun, but also, wow.

Downton Abbey, 28 September 2019, UA Breckenridge Stadium 12
I only watched the first season of the show, so some nuances were lost on me. It’s pretty on brand, though, as far as I can tell. And we’re all in it for Maggie Smith being haughtily sarcastic, anyway.

Judy, 05 October 2019, UA Breckenridge Stadium 12
These fictionalized biography films are so much more intense when you don’t know very much about the subject involved. (I was legit like, “Is Judy Garland dead?”) Renee Zellweger played the hell out of this.

China Love, 20 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
This documentary, an examination of the craaaaazy elaborate and expensive wedding photo industry in China. While there is great fun in the spectacle, there are also some sweet asides--including couples who have been married 50+ years getting to do photoshoots for marriages that government austerity kept plain.

Varda by Agnes, 20 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
This was a neato meta-movie: Filmmaker and artist Agnes Varda filming a documentary about her career, completing (most of it) before she passed away. I wasn’t familiar with her work at all, so this was a lovely little education.

Well Groomed, 20 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
I did not know this intensely decorative dog-grooming was a thing, but it is? And seems like a pretty expensive hobby. And who thought it was a good idea to make their dog into a mural in the first place? Anyway, this was a fun slice-of-life-in-an-unusual-subculture documentary, and as treat, some of the subjects--including the dogs!--were in attendance.

Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, 20 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
This was pretty cool! Two cops in...somewhere...formed a mental health special task force--focusing on de-escalation instead of more aggressive policing. And it seems to be incredibly effective, except that nobody has the budget or the time to do as much work as is needed. Ernie and Joe were also in attendance, which made for an excellent Q&A.

Nothing Fancy, 21 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Diane Kennedy, the Grand Dame of Mexican cooking! She is a sparker, even now, cussing out traffic and wrinkling her nose while she says you should never make guacamole for people who don’t like cilantro. This documentary was SPLENDID, as well as a great biopic set in the evolution of the cookbook “scene.”

Meeting Gorbachev, 24 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Werner Herzog talks about his relationship with Gorbachev. I feel like you need no more information than that.

Pizza, A Love Story, 24 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
There is some serious pizza rivalry happening in New Haven, Connecticut. I am not convinced about the superiority of Yale-local pizza, it was super-fun to watch an intensely local history. But also: I would really love some pizza now.

Made in Boise, 24 October 2019, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Apparently the surrogate birthing industry is hoppin’ in Boise! This entire scene is alien to me, but I appreciated how much they dug into the psychological complexity of all the parties involved. Plus, babies are cute.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, 29 October 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
#MaleficentMistressOfEvil : Wherein Maleficent discovers one cannot trust the work of inclusion to the goodwill of rich white women.

Terminator: Dark Fate, 02 November 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
#TerminatorDarkFate is extremely good, y all. Like, good enough that I am tempted to see it again tomorrow. It delivers on the franchise aesthetic, the action set-pieces are legible, and there’s complex emotional stakes involved. (Also, not for nothing, but I love a narrative wherein white men are largely incidental.)

Harriet, 09 November 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
I watched this entire thing feeling a tiny bit skeptical about historical accuracy, but it was really well done overall, I thought. Great acting all around, gorgeous music, and a tense (and occasionally extremely funny) narrative.

Avengers: Endgame, 13 November 2019, streamed via Google Play
Cry for two hours straight again, even though I know what’s going to happen? Sure, that sounds great. (But it’s really worth it, if only for those two minutes of Scarlet Witch, world-breaker.)

Brian Banks, 17 November 2019, DVD via Redbox
Aldis Hodge, baby. Two whole hours of Aldis Hodge. Also, the prison system is awful and the justice system is rigged. Send some money towards the Innocence Project if you can.

Charlie's Angels, 23 November 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
Between Kristin Stewart being the Kristin Stewartist, nods towards the historical and infrastructural layers of what an Angels organization would require, and an utter disregard for the usefulness of dudes in general, I LOVE THIS MOVIE A LOT.

Ford v Ferrari, 26 November 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
This was a rollicking good story about cars that go really, really fast, and while it isn’t the type of movie you’d think I would enjoy, I do count the Fast/Furious franchise as the soundtrack of my heart.

Queen & Slim, 29 November 2019, Alamo Drafthouse Lubbock
Scholarly blurb ahoy:
#QueenAndSlim is an elegiac modern-day fable that draws you into a Green World where it's possible to escape the carceral state, temporarily, through the sacrifice of your own identity. (Or: It is pretty and sad; go see it.)


See you in a couple of days for the December tally!

Could You Repeat That? CLXXVII

Here are my favorite bits of the books I've read recently. Note: I have to read 30 books before the end of the year to meet my Goodreads challenge.

My Mexico City Kitchen, Gabriela Camara
Once you hold a taco, you must never let go of it until you finish it. That's actually the only legitimate taco rule.

The Little Swedish Kitchen, Rachel Khoo
There are only so many candlelit lunches I can handle, however cosy they might be.

The Unkindest Tide, Seanan McGuire
The only ones who'd made it over the gate were the Cephali, and they were less "fighting" and more "going through the paces of a stage combat improv class."

The City of Brass, SA Chakraborty
"You're some kind of thief, then?"
"That's a very narrow-minded way of looking at it. I prefer to think of myself as a merchant of delicate tasks."

Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo
He had seen a woman, barefoot and unflinching in her doorway, face down a row of bayonets. He knew the look of a man defending his home with nothing but a rock in his hand.

In the Shadow of Spindrift House, Mira Grant
Throat-punching is surprisingly soothing, when done correctly.

The 100 Most Jewish Foods, Elisa Goldstein et al; Alana Newhouse, ed.
Cleanliness might be next to godliness, but using up all the leftovers? Now you're approaching the incontrovertibly holy.

Jade War, Fonda Lee
"I didn't think you believed in the gods," she said when he straightened.
"I don't," Hilo said, "but the feeling's mutual, so maybe they won't hold it against me."

Suffer the Little Children, Donna Leon
Brunetti wondered if the police--city employees, after all--were allowed to strike, and deciding that they were, he went into Rosa Salva for a coffee and then over to Tarantola to see what new books had come in.

Ash and Quill, Rachel Caine
Power holds always the hidden edge of threat.

Permafrost, Alastair Reynolds
After I shot Vikram we put our things in the car and drove to the airstrip.

The Dark Heart, Joakim Palmkvist
Declaring yourself innocent of everything without prompting tends to indicate the opposite.

A Darker Shade of Magic, VE Schwab
"I apologize for anything I might have done. I was not myself."
"I apologize for shooting you in the leg," said Lila. "I was myself entirely."

Magic for Liars, Sarah Gailey
The thing about me is, I let things go. I let people go. I don't know how to hang on to them--I try, but I hold too tight or not tight enough or something in between and they go. They always go.

In Pursuit of Flavor, Edna Lewis
If you transplant a wild plant to the garden it will never taste the same.

The Merciful Crow, Margaret Owen
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you're worried."
"Worried I'll have to hide your body." That was a half-truth.
Tavin forced a crooked smile around clenched teeth. "You're getting sentimental on me."
"Aye, and that sentiment is 'don't leave a trail of bodies,'" she said, grim.

House of Salt and Sorrows, Erin A Chang
"Besides, I can't miss this party! Camille or you might die, and we'll never have another one."
"Mercy!"
She scowled. "What? It might be true."

Oracle Year, Charles Soule
"What if he is, indeed, a messenger from God? What then?" Karmapa Chamdo broke in.
Hosiah folded his hands and looked at the man.
"In that case, my friend, I suspect we're probably screwed."

The Course of History: Ten Meals That Changed the World, Struan Stevenson
It was a deeply emotional moment, spoiled only slightly when the Soviet leader handed the sword to Voroshilov who promptly managed to drop it on his own toes.

Gods of Jade and Shadow, Silvia Moreno-Garcia
"Death speaks all languages," he replied.
"But I am not death."
"You wear me like a jewel upon your finger, Casiopea," he said and offered his arm with a practiced aloofness.

Where Cooking Begins, Carla Lalli Music
I've eaten sauteed greens for breakfast because the bunches of Swiss chard were too big to fit in the fridge or spun the oven dial to a roasting temperature before unpacking so I could simply dispatch the squash I bought instead of parking it on my counter, entered into a monogamous relationship with a single pastry dough that can be folded around any type of fruit, year-round, and become "a galette person," a classic marketer's spin designed to obscure the fact that my pie-crimping skills are crap.

Warcross, Marie Lu
But sometimes, you find yourself standing in exactly the right position, wielding exactly the right weapon to hit back. So I hit.

As Bright as Heaven, Susan Meissner
I don't think the return of your humanity means you forget what broke your heart.

The Girl of His Dreams, Donna Leon
Brunetti lived with a woman whose chief weapons were irony and, when escalation was forced upon her, sarcasm; over the years he had noticed his own increasing tendency to dip into the same arsenal.

Siege and Storm, Leigh Bardugo
The Darkling just stared out into the waves. I considered shoving him over the railing. Sure, he was hundreds of years old, but could he swim?

All of Us with Wings, Michelle Ruiz Kell
"Okay," she said. "I'm having a hard time believing this is an actual problem we need to solve, it seems like I've summoned a pair of otherworldy creatures that are going after people from my past."

The Kingdom of Copper, SA Chakraborty
"By the Most High, could you stop acting so jumpy?"
He stared at her. "Someone tried to murder me a week ago."
Nahri rolled her eyes.

Vessel, Lisa A Nichols
"You made it," he said. "I wondered if you'd change your mind."
"I'm sorry, that's not the correct code phrase. If you're my contact, you should be saying something about the rain in Germany at this time of year."

A Better Man, Louise Penny
"I didn't feel the aimed word hit," Beauvoir said, looking up at the embittered old poet. "And go in like a soft bullet."

Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction, Jennifer Nagel
A lucky guess does not amount to knowledge.

Ruin and Rising, Leigh Bardugo
"What did you whisper?" I asked quietly. "To the King."
She watched the others move up the steps, then said, "Na razrusha'ya. E'ya razrushos." I am not ruined. I am ruination.

A Gathering of Shadows, VE Schwab
"I can't keep atoning," Kell whispered into the king's shoulder. "I gave him my life, but you cannot ask me to stop living."

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers, Sady Doyle
Whether we turn our daughters into vampires, poltergeists, or something else entirely, we persist in finding something corrupt and horrifying and numinous in female puberty. A little girl is less a person than she is a portal. At any moment, she can crack open and something else can come slithering through.

Smoke and Iron, Rachel Caine
"We've opened the gates of hell, you know. And what comes out is our fault."
"Is a fire the fault of the man who drops a match, or the one who spilled the oil all over the floor, knew it, and left it there?"
"Scholar arguments. I'm practical. We started this, and now it's a war."

A Conjuring of Light, VE Schwab
"What are we drinking to?"
"The living," said Rhy.
"The dead," said Alucard and Lila at the same time.
"We're being thorough," added Rhy.

Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, Geraldine Brooks
One of the main objectives of hijab is to make a woman less eye-catching. In London, a chador drew many more stares than a scarf and coat would have. But for Zahra the chador was like a second skin that couldn't be discarded.

The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan, x2
"I'm no hero. I do what I have to do, but I am no hero."
"Most of those we call heroes only did what they had to do. I suppose it will have to be enough."

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger, Rebecca Traister
It is not civil, it is often profane; calls for civility are designed to protect the powerful by casting them as victims. It is a mass fury: occasionally so frenzied that it makes people nervous. Were it any other way, nothing would ever change.

Call Down the Hawk, Maggie Stiefvater
"You don't just talk to me like that."
Hennessy tapped ash onto the floor. "You don't just creep into people's houses like some mission impossible motherfucker either, and yet here we are."

Trinity Sight, Jennifer Givhan
"I'm a scientist too, mujer. I don't understand why you're so dead set that science and belief are incompatible. Our stories are supported by evolutionary theory. Just because it's not written in a book doesn't make it false."

Heavenly Vegan Dals & Curries," Rakhee Yadav
Whenever I came home from school, if the fragrance of yellow lentils floated to my nose as I walked through the door, my day was made.

Aloha Kitchen, Alana Kysar
When you're surrounded by water, you know a thing or two about preparing seafood.

Home Remedies, Xuan Juliana Wang
Love could be a burden, too.

A Blade So Black, LL McKinney
The girl was a bomb-ass Poet, but not in a Still I Rise way.

About Face, Donna Leon
Like the Furies circling the head of a guilt-crazed Orestes, sarcastic responses crowded on to Brunetti's tongue, but he drove them off and said, instead, 'There's no telling how it happened, sir.'

La Belle Sauvage, Philip Pullman
He was liked when noticed, but not noticed much, and that did him no harm either.

A Terrible Thing to Waste, Harriet A Washington
Descriptions of the vulnerable that focus on economics and exclude race are semantic shrouds that are not only euphemistic but inaccurate. Poverty is certainly a risk factor for environmental exposure, but race is a larger and more consistent one.

Batman/Catwoman: The Wedding Album, Deluxe Edition, Tom King et al
CLAIRE: Do you like your life?
BATMAN: It doesn't matter what I like.
CLAIRE: Well, do you like being the kind of person who says things like..."It doesn't matter what I like"?

The Gaijin Cookbook, Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying
As odd as it sounds, the first time I cooked a decent bowl of ramen was at a Passover dinner in Tokyo.

The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky, Mackenzi Lee
My primary contribution to our circles back home had been making everyone else feel grounded and well-behaved in comparison.

Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers
The room fell quiet. Nobody was coming for him.
Nobody was coming for him, and there was nothing more to say.

Normal People, Sally Rooney
Being alone with her is like opening a door away from normal life and then closing it behind him.

The Old Drift, Namwali Serpell
Maybe their love had run all the way through the season allotted to it. Maybe even heartbreak breaks if you give it enough time.


Whew! Now: 30 books in 29 days. Eep.

Movie Moments XVIII: May & June 2019

I continue to attempt to catch up with the movies I watched this year! Here's May and June.

Little, 04 May 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
This movie makes me feel similar to how I feel after Big and Freaky Friday-type movies: The hijinks are fun and all, but WTF I need to know more about this system of magic, because I HAVE QUESTIONS. Great performances from Issa Rae and Marsai Martin. (Marsai’s work on Black-ish is spot-on perfect; I’m not surprised she was able to channel Regina Hall here.)

Breakthrough, 04 May 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
I did not intend to see this movie, but sometimes you watch the movie that’s being showed at the time you have available. In any case, this was pretty well-acted: I dug the spiky chemistry between Chrissy Metz and Topher Grace, and Mike Colter can grace the screen any time he wants. I often have mixed feelings about Christian movies, especially of the “it’s a miracle” type, but this was actually about even-handed as it could be.

Long Shot, 11 May 2019, Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema
This goes pretty much exactly the way a romantic comedy starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen could go. No surprises. HOWEVER, I congratulate the set designers who, in a scene set in a storeroom in a hotel in the Philippines, ensured that a box of Skyflakes was in the frame for the duration.

Pokemon Detective Pikachu, 16 May 2019, Hot Springs VIP Cinema
This movie knew exactly what it wanted to be, and it was very successful at being that. I want to know a lot more about how Pokemon and humans evolved together, though, because this seemed way too harmonious for something otherwise set in the real world.

Aladdin, 25 May 2019, AMC Tyler Galleria 16
Will Smith as Aladdin’s wingman was pretty great, and Jasmine becoming SPOILERS Sultan was a pleasant surprise. So I guess those are the reasons for this movie to exist?

Fighting With My Family, 27 May 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
I LOVE MOVIE.


Paddington, 11 June 2019, DVD via Netflix
Fine, this is as ADORABLE and PERFECT as everyone says it is, but also this is a world with SENTIENT SPEAKING BEARS, and nobody seems thrown by it.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, 11 June 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
Man, Viking society turned all the way the hell around, didn’t it? The weirdest part is how small this universe feels--it’s, like, one village and then a ship of villains. It’s still fun! But at this point, I’m kind of like...where is civilization?

Five Feet Apart, 12 June 2019, DVD via Redbox
I would have murdered these children if I were their parents. STOP EXPOSING YOURSELF TO KILLER BACTERIA. I mean, it’s sweet and all, but I can’t imagine watching it as a health care professional.

Captive State, 13 June 2019, DVD via Redbox
This is the most generic human-resistance-against-occupying-aliens I have ever seen. So, it’s good if you’re into that kind of thing. Just not very unique.

Late Night, 17 June 2019, Cinemark Colonel Glenn 18
I felt this movie so hard: one brown lady in a room full of white dudes who KNOW she’s the, ugh, diversity hire. And she doesn’t care, because she’s doing the work that she wants, and she’s good at it. <3

Hotel Mumbai, 26 June 2019, DVD via Redbox
This is a really great movie, but it’s also way, way uncomfortable to remember that hey, this happened not all that long ago. (Remember: A bunch of fundamentalists go on a shooting spree across Mumbai and don’t get caught for quite a while.) Whenever I remembered that, while watching, I felt pretty...guilty? Like a voyeur. Maybe in another 20 years I’d be cool with watching this again.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 26 June 2019, DVD via Netflix
These movies are so pretty, but also have no good reason to exist.

I'm catching up! Huzzah!

Apple TV+ Thoughts

Apple TV+ Thoughts Let me state, for the record, that I was super-annoyed I couldn't sign up for this before the launch date. Which is a bit of neat psychological marketing: The itch to get it done meant I was thinking about it a lot more. So I've got random spoilery thoughts on the four prestige-y shows they've got, and quick reviews of the other four exclusive shows.

• The Morning Show (three episodes watched)
  Everything about this show sings of the money spent on it. But between the uniformly super cast and then lack of an intrusive score (though, we need to talk about how on-the-nose that torch version of "Creep" was), it's also kind of not like a Sorkin show? And it wants us to think it's a Sorkin show. Except people talk slower. And the women aren't constantly belittled (I mean, they are, but only by the villainous characters).
  
  Crudup is pretty amazingly sharky while being glossily charming. Duplass is pretty amazingly sympathetic while being grumpily grumpy. Carrell is really good at being really awful. (I was legit wondering why they were sticking with a Mitch storyline, but then that scene with Martin Short happened in the third episode, and dang. Yeah, keep running with it, guys.)
  
  Witherspoon is spectacular, but I also have no patience at all for TV characters who are Very Earnest About Being Real Journalists. Because nobody does that, guys. So yeah: Witherspoon is great, but character Bradley makes no sense.
  
  Everyone is talking about how amazing Jennifer Aniston is in this role, and they should. I've always been a fan of hers, but I legit had no idea she could manage the precision she does with this character.
  
  Also: Alex naming Bradley as her new co-host at the end of the second episode is a fucking HBIC power move if I've ever seen one. Damn.
  
  Also also: The opening credits for this make no sense to me, but they also feel a lot like an Apple commercial, so.
  
  
  
• Dickinson (five episodes watched)
  This show doesn't quite know what it wants to be, but there are enough bits that work that I can sometimes ignore the tonal dissonance.
  
  Emily asking Death, in the first episode, when he will come for her, is a pretty bold thesis for a show that's pitching itself as the Amherst version of The OC.
  
  I sort of love how EVERYONE calls Emily out on being a rich white girl who doesn't productively contribute to society. (Look, she is a GENIUS, I love her poetry, but lots of folks can be geniuses AND ALSO wash the dishes once in a while.)
  
  This show is hella clumsy about all things race, ethnicity, and abolition. Henry deserves better than the Dickinson family, particularly.
  
  The random throwing-in of decade-old teen slang is pretty distracting--the casual speech and mannerisms already get the point across. The peppering of nonsense reeks of trying too hard.
  
  I am fascinated by how much this show thinks men are useless in a variety of different ways. Austin is dumb, but apparently extremely good at sexing up his fiancee Sue. George is in ugly Nice Guy territory, but he also seems to be super into supporting Emily's literary ambitions. Father Dickinson is awful and repressive, but also gets all weepy at the idea of his children leaving him. Sigh.
  
  Emily/Sue is a fun, furtive pairing, even though it is really unclear about how they navigate this relationship. But they can kiss alllll they want, and perhaps also dress up in tailored menswear. A lot.
  
  Anyway, Sue can Get It, and I respect the hell out of her. (It is also extremely disturbing and sad at the subtext that Sue is, in part, Getting It because she is destitute and the use of her body is what keeps her both somewhat happy and also fed. Like, she legit seems to enjoy sex with both Austin and Emily, but also, she has no money or place to live. Her Boston situation is straight-up horrifying.) She is bad at setting boundaries, but that seems to be the raison d'etre of Dickinson manor.
  
  In the first episode, goofy suitor George gazes at Emily and muses, "You are so weird. Why am I so attracted to you?" That is basically how I feel about this whole show.
  
  
  
• See (three episodes watched)
  
  
  I was afraid this was going to be super-ableist, with most everyone blind and the two sighted children being "chosen ones" or some such nonsense. And the chosen one nonsense is kind of there, but the show does a lot of work to show how folks have adapted really well. And Jerlamarel (the sighted children's sighted father) is super super super ableist, which is an interesting choice.
  
  This show is shot gorgeously.
  
  Okay, so, like, they give a kind of neat showing of how blind battle happens, BUT. Once battle is joined, how do they tell who they're fighting hand-to-hand? Like, at many points, one of the warriors just straight-up leaps into a group of enemy soldiers, and that way is not the best in terms of making sure you're clubbing the enemy as you move on. ALSO, they shout out strategic warnings to each other, which also doesn't make a ton of sense in terms of surprise attacks.
  
  (Note: The climactic battle in the third episode makes way, way more sense, takes advantage of the scenario, and is way, way cooler. And gory.)
  
  I dig that they rely a lot on "scentiers," ayuras (good hearing), and presages. Folks also are much more attuned to the meanings behind vocal variations.
  
  I dig that writing is once again a form of quipu--it's certainly a more robust form of record than braille.
  
  Baba Voss, punching that bear in the face does NOT make up for the fact that you only barely heard it coming.
  
  WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THE SHADOW? WHY DOES EVERY VILLAGE HAVE A SHADOW? But the way they portray the Shadow is very much like...Ariel in The Tempest, I think. Eerie and graceful and always around, but never fully perceived. (Also, let's take a moment to pour one out for #WaywardSisters of #Supernatural.)
  
  Uh, Gether and his aunt? With the tongue? And the UGH. Those two suuuuuuuck.
  
  I cannot figure out Maghra's relationships. Baba Voss calls her "my love," but treats her mostly like a babymama? And she says Jerlamarel was a stranger to her, but she can totally predict and discern his intentions?
  
  I agree with Paris that the kids deserve the truth, but breaking it to them that they're adopted? Low blow, Paris. Low blow.
  
  Haniwa's growing up into a right snobby sociopath, isn't she? Like, mad with the power. Also, that box of books was not that big. How the hell do they know about the major industries of Pittsburgh?
  
  How is Queen Kane remaining queen? Like, I highly doubt she's maintaining a hydroelectric dam all by herself.
  
  So festivals are just one big fireside orgy? Cool.
  
  I have a lot of skepticism about the world-building here, but I do kind of want to see what happens next.
  
  
• For All Mankind (three episodes watched)
  I know very, very little about astronauts, but thanks to First Man, I at least have the context for the shift in timeline. (The fate of Apollo 1 was pretty much the best part of that movie.) A fear of taking risks makes total sense, but also, yeah, no wonder they didn't make it up faster.
  
  The political maneuvering mostly reminded me how awful behind-the-scenes government machinations were/are: Nixon, Kissinger, Operation Paperclip. Ugh. But also: Are RL congressional hearings ever so dramatic? Yeesh.
  
  "Lunar military outpost" sounds more ludicrous every time it's said aloud.
  
  I respect any woman whose idea of flirting is pretending to crash the biplane she's flying. Tracy is so much cooler than Gordo that it's sort of staggering.
  
  Also, Molly is hotter than the sun, and it's kind of ridiculous that everybody has to pretend she's not. All the fanfic about this show is just going to be Molly topping any and everybody in the program.
  
  "Moon maiden." Sigh. But also, I had no idea this Mercury 13 thing was a thing! WTF, America. Also, Hidden Figures notwithstanding, I feel like we haven't grappled enough with the idea that black women were the ones who did all the math for NASA.
  
  It was manipulative as hell, but I did, in fact, get teary at the women's rights montage.
  
  Anyway, YEAH, ladies in SPACE. And I do hope they get to the moon--even though that still hasn't happened in reality, SIGH.
  

And I figured I might as well take a look at the other exclusive offerings on hand, so:

• Helpsters (one episode watched--episodes are divided into two segments)
  What if you wanted to watch Sesame Street, but it just moved way too slow for you? Helpsters is here to sing you into a practical moral code! (It's been a while since I've watched kids' TV with my niece, but this seems pretty decent.)
  
  
• Ghostwriter (two episodes watched)
  A ghost takes over a bookstore and starts magicking fictional characters to life? This is the kind of show that, even though we watched it as kids, would continue to haunt (heh) us through adulthood. This feels like The Sarah Jane Adventures, actually. I might keep watching this one--and if it doesn't have a full-fledged fandom in a month, I will eat my tablet.
  
  
• Snoopy in Space (one episode watched)
  This feels very much like an extended recruitment video (less than ten minutes an episode) for young astronaut camp or something. In that it is charming, teaches me some astronomy, and leaves me with an intense desire to become an astronaut. Well done, Snoopy!
  
  
• Oprah's Book Club (one episode on offer so far)
  I'm really curious about how this is going to work, cross-platform. Will all the books get featured on Apple TV+, but the discussion with stay within the Oprah-owned kingdom? Will we have author interviews once a month? According to press, it seems like we'll have these every two months or so. It's nice, though: Apple has a store in Carnegie Library (huh) to use as a set, which is neat. In any case, it's a neat way to cap off a book selection by having an in-depth discussion with the author. (This time: Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Water Dancer.)
  

There's a documentary on offer right now--it looks pretty nice, but I figured it didn't count as TV in the same way.

New Fall TV Thoughts

So I watched the pilots of MOST of the new network TV shows (and one Netflix show) and wrote down some quick thoughts. (I skipped the CBS sitcoms because they're pretty much consistently "eh, not bad.") In case anyone's curious:

• Prodigal Son (FOX via Hulu): Son of a serial killer; enjoyable but will get gory in the future; plausibility: eh
  Persistence: I haven't watched anything past the pilot, but fully intend to do some mini-binges in the near future.
  
  
• Bluff City Law (NBC via Hulu): Jimmy Smits and his estranged daughter fight THE MAN as part of a respected but tiny law firm; decent enough for this overpopulated genre; originality: zero
  Persistence: I only watched the pilot. I will probably not watch any other episodes.
  
  
• All Rise (CBS via CBS All Access): A former prosecutor becomes a judge in Los Angeles and struggles with balancing JUSTICE and pragmatism; Simone Missick is really great; Los Angeles accuracy: Look at all the brown folk!
  Persistence: I've been keeping up on a weekly basis and digging it A LOT. Possibly my favorite of the new shows.
  
  
  
• Stumptown (ABC via Hulu) is Cobie Smulders being the Cobie Smulderest, if you're into that kind of thing. (I am very into that kind of thing.)
  Persistence: I have only watched the pilot. Weirdly, despite my Smulders-love, I don't feel strongly compelled to watch more? I'll probably watch a couple more anyway, just to see if I get hooked in a little more.
  
  
• Emergence (ABC via Hulu) is...remember, right after Lost ended, and every other new show was about some sort of mysterious unnameable event that had spooky music and zero explanation? This is that, but with a badass creepy child and a protag who looks and acts like a normal human.
  Persistence: I only watched the pilot. I actually didn't plan on watching any more, but a couple of critics I respect have said good things about the developments, so I'm going to dive back in soon.
  
  
• Evil (CBS via CBS All Access) is a good watch (MIKE COLTER), but folks, do not watch it right before going to bed.
  Persistence: I've been watching every week with trepidation. Overtly religious supernatural stuff creeps me out a lot. But it's such a good show!
  
  
• Mixed-ish (ABC via Hulu) is delightful in the same way Black-ish is delightful, but with bonus Mark-Paul Gosselaar. (Will the kids get tooooo precocious? Possibly. But we shall see.)
  Persistence: I have only watched the pilot, mostly because I'm, like, two seasons behind on Black-ish. I will probably watch this season all in one gulp in the future.
  
  
• Sunnyside (NBC via Hulu) is an old-school sitcom, but with an actual, honest-to-god diverse cast. Kal Penn as a disgraced politician who decides to tutor immigrants for citizenship class! I dig.
  Persistence: I've watched the first two episodes and really liked the characters. (The super-rich twins are DELIGHTFUL.) I haven't been keeping up, but I'll probably keep watching this in batches of two or three.
  
  
• Perfect Harmony is...it stars Bradley Whitford and Anna Camp, and I am going to give it a chance based solely on those strengths. Who knows where this whole "church choir hijinks" premise shall go?
  Persistence: After watching the pilot...I see the last five minutes every week before The Good Place starts. I feel like that's enough.
  
  
• Almost Family (FOX via Hulu): This is the grossest premise (a fertility doctor uses his own sperm and he gets exposed, along with a LOT of half-siblings). I think we're supposed to think this will end up heart-warming? Like, with three half-sisters becoming friends or whatever. Eh.
  Persistence: I watched the pilot. I will probably binge-watch this in the summer.
  
  
• Raising Dion (Netflix): I binged this all in one day. I only meant to watch one episode, but Dion is ADORABLE, and his beleaguered mother is pretty charming. There is a Nice Guy problem, but it's 100% intentional, so I can roll with it. Anyway: TINY SUPERHERO.
  Persistence: This was a one-day binge, but I actually can see myself watching it again, if a second season happens. It's great.
  
  
• Batwoman (CW via the CW App): This is 100% a Batman-ish origin story, but hopefully it will get more complex in the near future. I dig that they incorporated Don't Ask Don't Tell into the story, which is the kind of specificity I'm craving.
  Persistence: I've watched three episodes so far--I'm watching batches every couple of weeks. I like it, but I don't usually feel urgent about CW shows. Except for Legends.
  
  
• Nancy Drew (CW via the CW App): What if Veronica Mars grew up in Riverdale, basically.
  Persistence: I watched the pilot. I'm pretty uninterested in ever watching again, alas.

Did I miss any? Let me know!

Movie Moments XVII: April 2019

I am way, way behind on my movie mini-reviews. So, uh, here's April?

Bumblebee, 02 April 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
Apparently I liked John Cena enough in #Blockers that I actually rented this? Well, at least Hailee Steinfeld got a wardrobe that realistically like a teenage girl who fixes cars, unlike poor Megan Fox. And the reviews are right: This one, at least, has a comprehensible storyline with recognizable character beats.

Shazam!, 09 April 2019, Cinemark Tinseltown USA
I love how much this movie leans into its cheesiness, which makes the intense violence of the demon attack scenes all the more dissonant in comparison. WTF was that board room scene, and did the filmmakers understand how young their audience might be? But for real, I want the movie about the grown-up team, because they were ADORABLE.

Welcome to Marwen, 15 April 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
This movie is so goddamn weird. Also, not enough Janelle Monae. But such is the way of Steve Carell roles meant to be Oscar bait.

The Kid Who Would Be King, 16 April 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
This is just a delightfully old-school movie. British schoolchildren learn how to SWORD FIGHT in the course of one day to defeat ancient immortal enemies? Like, I remember nothing else about it, after watching, but it’s still a decent romp.

Glass, 17 April 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
Well, this is certainly way better than Split. (“Better” = Less cannibalism.) Probably because it leans allllllll the way into the meta. The most charming thing about the series is how SLJ’s character, the titular Glass, is 100% mapping his entire reality onto a comic book by force of will. And it’s kind of a neat ending! Even though, well. It’s nonsense.

Against the Clock, 19 April 2019, DVD via Redbox
There are zero things original about this movie (Limitless crossed with The Bourne Identity crossed with a pseudo-Blade Runner aesthetic), but I have a deep and abiding affection Justin Bartha, okay? It’s not a good movie, really, but it’s the kind of thing you have on while you’re folding laundry.

Hellboy, 20 April 2019, UA Breckenridge Stadium 12
Okay, so:

1. This movie is hella gory.
2. Hellboy has a man bun.
3. Milla Jovovich remains luminous.
4. You make that money, Daniel Dae Kim. MAKE THAT MONEY.

Avengers: Infinity War, 23 April 2019, streamed via Netflix
Still predictable. Still sad as hell.

Justice League vs the Fatal Five, 23 April 2019, DVD via Redbox
I mean, who can’t love a superhero movie where the two protagonists have, respectively, PTSD and schizophrenia? These animated movies aren’t as giddily wonderful as the DC Animated Universe in its heydey, but they’re still a good watch.

Avengers: Endgame, 26 April 2019, Hot Springs VIP Cinema
Knowing about the actors’ contracts really took the mystery out of the outcome, it turns out. (I still cried.) But I seriously loved the interim scenes, where we saw how absolutely the world had shrunk in those five intervening years. Also, the weirdness of Natasha having blonde hair is worth it, for that one stark visual of her hair growing out in its natural color. As I told my sister after seeing that: That is clearly a woman who has stopped giving a fuck about ANYTHING.

The Quake, 26 April 2019, DVD via Redbox
It’s any disaster movie you’ve ever seen, but in Norway. But the huge set-piece where everyone is delicately trying to slide down an entirely tilted restaurant to rescue somebody from crashing off the side of a skyscraper? Pure, terrifying magic.

Miss Bala, 30 April 2019, Blu-ray via Redbox
This happened, I guess. (I want to be more supportive of action movies starring non-white women, but there was not a lot of there here.) One month down!