I’ve had to do a lot of “adulting” (anything that requires stressful planning for the future) so I’ve been mostly watching Rick and Morty and Schitt’s Creek again. And I watched Fight Club one day but that’s muscle memory quoting at this point. But then again, how often do you really sit back and watch your favorite movie? Here’s what I’ve been into lately:
Watching
The Flash – S2. We finished S2 and The Flash has created a Flashpoint (he went to the past and messed up the present) so we are still heavily into S3. School has started so now we just plan to watch in the evening instead of at lunch, which also means I need a new lunch show.
Sandman S1E1 (Netflix) – This is supposed to be my lunch show for like 11 days but I have a feeling it will be my “I stayed up too late to finish this show” show. There were 10 episodes then Netflix dropped a “special episode” to complete the season. I still stand by the belief that it’s better to watch an episode or two at a time cause 1: live tweets are better that way and 2: you actually remember what happens in a series, but Netflix don’t care. (I typed this last night and have since watched 2 more episodes and started a little notes section in my bullet journal from all the googling.)
The Grey Man (2022) (Netflix) – speaking of Netflix don’t care, we watched The Grey Man. I hear they are supposed to be working on another part of this…franchise? Anyway the movie is fine if you recall I have a very low standard for Netflix films. Does it look amazing? Yes, bless the 4K. Do I know the people in it? Yes. Does it entertain me enough for 2 hours? Super. This checks all the boxes. Ryan Gosling maybe says like a paragraph worth of dialog? He’s an ex-criminal working super undercover for the Feds. Rege-Jean is in it and is underutilized but he looks amazing in glasses (and also maybe he just isn’t a great actor) so fine. Chris Evans plays an off-the-books killer looking to take down Ryan Gosling. And Chris is playing it his character Lucas Lee from Scott Pilgrim would play a bad guy. And also Ana de Armas is in it but her and Chris don’t get to do any Knives Out type scenes together.
PValley S2 (Starz) – S2 is done and there is no word on if S3 will be happening but I don’t see why not? This season we got a Megan THEE Stallion appearance and more Lil Murda songs that Brownlee sings as if Lil Murda is an actual artist. It’s just the right amount of soap opera ridiculousness but I give it one more season.
Wedding Season (2022) – Netflix. This is an Indian-American romcom on Netflix so it checks all the boxes except I didn’t know the actors. Netflix has a thing where they promote diversity but all the POC pass the paper bag test. That aside, this movie was cute enough. Asha is fresh off a broken engagement and her parents are trying to fix her up so they fudge her biodata (I am an expert on Indian Matchmaking cause I watched S1 in a day) to get her a mate. Ravi’s parents want him to date Asha. They decide to fake date to get through the summer of Indian weddings they have to go to so their parents will get off their backs. And there is a Bollywood dancing scene obviously.
Bullet Train (2022). I’ve wanted to watch this for a while. Cause Brad Pitt and Bryan Tyree Henry. And I know it’s cheap to critique a movie by comparing it to other movies but I don’t care. A bunch of assassins are on a bullet train for the same briefcase. The recipe to this movie is 2 parts Smokin’ Aces, 1 part Snatch, 1 part Shoot Em Up, and 1 part any KungFu movie, 3 parts every Guy Ritchie movie. Mix well, throw on a speeding train, top with parsley (Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beets, Masi Oka, Karen Fukahara – all were absolutely wasted in this movie). Anyway, all that said it was entertaining if just a little too long. And Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) was actually the most enjoyable thing in it.
Uncoupled S1E1-3 (Netflix) – Neil Patrick Harris’ boyfriend breaks up with him 17 years into their relationship and he has to navigate New York as a slightly older gay man. Tisha Campbell is his real-estate partner. This is a Darren Star production so it is fluff with a lot of sex and the city. See also: Sex and the City, Emily in Paris, 90210, etc. I will finish it but like I’m not in a rush.
Reading
Reese Ryan is a Black romance novelist I’ve been into so while I wait for her new book to come out around Thanksgiving, I’ve been into her back catalog and started the Pleasure Cove series. It’s still rich men and single women hooking up (this is an entire Harlequin series) so I mean yes. Bless the library. I’ve finished Playing with Desire and Playing with Temptation. I’m sure I’ll finish the third later this week.
Exalted – Anna Dorn. This book is very contemporary and the women are almost irredeemable but I was into it and enjoyed it. Emily is an Instagram astrologer and Dawn is an older woman who is a loyal fan of the Exalted IG page.
My friend Abigail wrote a novella The Drowned Woman. I met her when she did her book signing here in town at Brazos Bookstore. Like we’ve been internet friends for a decade so it was only write our first IRL encounter be at the bookstore for her book release. When she was talking about the book she said she was into novellas because she wanted something you can read in a single sitting. The Drowned Woman follows a grad student living a simple life when she meets a well to do TA. I inhaled it in 2 sittings. And I’m jealous I didn’t write some of those lines myself. Here’s the link to her indiepress so you can get your own copy.
Readlist
I typically don’t bother sharing a TBR list because I am a mood reader, I can’t set out what I’m going to read next and actually read it. But lately (always, forever) I have been more into having a giant pile of used notebooks. So that means I need to actually fill up my notebooks. Not in a John Doe from Se7en way, but not unlike it. Except I like fountain pens and Japanese paper. Either way, you get the point. So I’ve decided to add some journals to my TBR. Susan Sontag was mentioned in Exalted and I googled and saw she had like 3 volumes of journals published. David Sedaris has quite a few. And some essays from bell hooks, Joan Didion, and Audre Lorde. The thing about essays and journals is you can pick them up, read an entry, and go back to your Harlequins. repeat.
Watchlist
I must finish Only Murders in the Building (S2 finale is this week) and Loot S1 before I start a new comedy.
- This Fool S1- FX
- The Patient – FX on Huly 8/24
- Paper Girls S1 – Amazon
- Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022). Okay so I’ve only seen ads for this on IG because they know my indie film heart and it looks like Idris Elba is a genie for Tilda Swinton. I…I am probably going straight to Alamo Drafthouse Sunday morning to see this.
- Mo S1 – Netflix 8/24. I saw Mo open for Dave Chappelle and Jon Stewart (I think that was the show) a couple years ago and he’s a local Houston boy and Muslim and they gave him a show and I’m going to watch the hell out of it.
- Bad Sisters – Apple+
- Welcome to Wrexham – FX/Hulu???. Rob McElhenney (Always Sunny, Mythic Quest) and Ryan Reynolds invest in a football club in the UK. And they made a documentary about it. I guess like real life Ted Lasso? I will probably watch 2 episodes and then lose interest because it is not Ted Lasso.
- Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul (2022) – this is a terrible title but the trailer looks fun with Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown PLUS it’s streaming on Peacock (which I already subscribe to) 9/2.
- Mike S1 – Hulu. 8/25. Okay so the thing is I know Mike Tyson was a terrible human. And I know that he was not consulted on the making of this series. But I also know Trevante Rhodes takes his shirt off a lot in this show so………..imma watch it.
Honorable Mention
I know The League of Their Own series is on Amazon Prime and has good reviews and sounds like something I would really super be into but I know I’m not going to watch it even though I love everything about it. I just don’t got it in me.
Best Thing on the Internet
My friend told me about this reading light necklace and holy shit. There’s 3 light strengths and 3 light tones and you don’t have to hook it to your book and it’s bendy ohhh man.
