WATCHING
The Dead Poet’s Society
Count Me In (Netflix) drumming doc
The White Lotus - v good, great characters that you love to hate
Back to life season 2
Zola - really enjoyed this. More than I thought I would. It felt different and quick - the two main women are cast perfectly, and although it’s overall a very dark story it’s funny and feels light-hearted. There are moments (when Zola is held in the hotel room) that have a very different tone, that bring you back to the reality of it with a grimace. The cinematography is fresh, and the sound of ‘tweets’ punctuates the film nicely (which adds to the ‘brighter’ side of how the story is told). First cinema trip of the month.
The Sopranos (beginning again for The Saint of Newark)
Respect – Jennifer Hudson plays Aretha Franklin, and she’s great – but 3 hours…
The Chair – Very background
Sex Education series 3 – Love all the characters, and the utopian feel. Great cliffhanger to whet the appetite for season 4.
What we do in the shadows series 3
Finished 9 Perfect strangers – This got better, and the ending is sweet if a bit too neat.
The Squid Game – Battle Royale meets Takeshi’s Castle. Got addicted and binged the whole first series in a week. Really good, but WTF was that last episode!? Let it down…
READING
Never Let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro – For some reason, I finished reading it even though I found it really boring.
Who They Was by Gabriel Krauze – Very different from anything I’ve read lately, so I liked that. It was like a sort of cross between Top Boy and Clockwork Orange (but more Top Boy) Very violent and upsetting. Gabriel is the anti-hero (it’s more like an autobiography of a time) and I just kept thinking about how he had so much more privilege than the other characters in the book, but he still chose this life, which made me really not like him, but also curious about why.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid – Halfway through. Easy reading, it’s ok…
The threat from the illiberal left, and Imposing orthodoxy – Economist articles.
‘Milton Friedman once said that the “society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither”.’
Ageism and the Fallacy of Stale Dreams - The story of Kathryn Joosten. – A comforting, refreshing read, in a world of ‘30 under 30’ etc. Shared by the inimitable Cindy Gallop.
LOOKING
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards – I voted for this pigeon. Pigeons never win anything…
FRAME BY FRAME: THE ANIMATED BOOK OF GIF ART – a physical book made by Giphy with lenticular holograms, stickers and image flips. Might have to buy it. It’s a lovely way of showing the time, effort and skill that goes into making a short animation.
Work is a false idol New Yorker essay with cute illustrations by Lisk Feng
An online comic book version of the Surrealist game Exquisite Corpse https://corpsey.trubble.club/ – fun, and great to see where the strips go.
LISTENING
Tirzah – ‘Colourgrade’. I’ve loved Tirzah since I heard the moody ‘Make it Up’ and I’m into her new album, which is much softer/abstract. She’s playing live soon toooooo.
Little Simz - ‘Sometimes I might be an Introvert’. YES! Amazing album! A rap fairytale full of gorgeous tunes (Woman is still a fave) and also love Two Worlds Apart (I can’t place the sample, but I KNOW I Know it!) Lots of smart lyrics, and brass, and big melodies and and…
https://1001albumsgenerator.com/ – what it says on the tin. The ‘best’ 1001 albums ever, to listen to, one by one. Feels like a nice list to go through. My first album served is one I already know (but not that well) Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream.
ENGLISH ECCENTRICS: THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF UK RAP INDIVIDUALISTS:
Alewya - Sweating UH! Sexy bop
Japanese Breakfast - "Glider" dreamy (discovered via webcurios)
OTHER STUFF
Smart glasses - make me feel pretty sick. It’s really scary
A fun time waster – would you rather: https://willyoupressthebutton.com/ and you get to see what everyone else that played said.
