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Books

The Galaxy and the Ground Within

A fantastic final volume in the Wayfarers series. I loved the look at imperialism, racism, and many assumptions we make about each other regularly. This book does a lot with a closed setting, and was a page-turner.

Yokohama Station SF

I guess this is a light novel, which means it lived up to my expectations of being plot and idea-rich, without much character development or interiority. This was made into a manga already, and I’ve heard there could be an anime adaptation, and I think it will work well in that medium. An easy read with some fun scenes.

There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job

A cute, quirky book about taking odd jobs that get odder as time wears-on. My favorite bits could be books of their own—the postering job and bus advert job are standouts. Ultimately, the message that maybe burnout is avoidable if you look for the fun weird parts of work is not so great, but I dug this book overall.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

A fun Faustian bargain hampered slightly by a ho-hum romance. The devil rules.

Cannonball

A bit overwrought, but I dug the art.

Temporary

This reminded me of a much more cohesive Kathy Acker novel, with weird pirate jaunts, assassins, and ghosts. Fun, and fast-moving.

Movies

Unstoppable

Denzel Washington is too old for this shit, but not too old to stop a runaway train. This movie rules.

Sexy Beast

Realized halfway through this is a rewatch, but Winstone and Kingsley are wildly compelling regardless.

I Care a Lot

I love an anti-hero, and pretty much every person in this film is either horrible or an idiot, or all of the above. I also love a lesbian lead. This managed to be twisted and funny, and I really dug it.

Transsiberian

Look I love a train mystery. I remembered halfway through this I’ve seen it before.

The Mosquito Coast

What if dads but too much? This movie reminded me of some of the worst bits of my childhood. At least my dad never made us move to the jungle. They’re remaking this soon with Justin Theroux and I’m super excited to see how he channels the deranged dad energy. ICE IS CIVILIZATION.

Courier

Wow who knew the real story behind the font was this intense!

Nobody

A blast from start to finish. This is the best action comedy since True Lies.

Gone Girl

Imagine if Tyler Perry had played Madea in this movie but with the same character and level of seriousness. I think at a fundamental level a movie that imagines “what if a woman fakes domestic abuse” is dangerous, but otherwise as a film this was solid. Rosamund Pike was great as a nightmarish villain though.

Sorcerer

You’ve seen the Fast & Furious, but what about the Slow & Simmering? For a movie largely about trucks driving below 10mph, this was a thrill ride. I should rewatch Seaquest.

Under the Skin

Haven’t seen this since it came out, but the moody slow build and austere soundtrack are haunting.

Bad Trip

Planes, Trains, and incredibly wild scenes. The restaurant scene was a standout, but so many bits of this movie were amazing.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Explosions, huge monster fights, and a surprisingly great cast having a good time. Ideal summer entertainment. I guess I’ve seen every film in the “monsterverse” now, and this was maybe the most fun? Long live Godzilla, the KoM.

Wet Hot American Summer

A delightful rewatch. I forgot how many amazing actors were in this at the start of their career, with absurdist performances from Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, and David Hyde Pierce. All the little bits, and the kids’ reactions to them are hilarious. A classic. smashing pottery sounds