rose_griffes

It’s been several months since my last movie theater outing. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seemed worth the effort, given that director Ryan Coogler created some excellent visuals (...and a few duds) in the first BP film.

Verdict overall: cluttered and too long. Still an enjoyable film, but it didn’t quite click for me. To my surprise, I would have liked a bit more sexual tension between the lead and the villain. That’s not something I usually go for, but this movie needed something with more zest to it.

Andor’s first season had a bang-up final episode that added a lot of depth to the story themes. If I have time before I switch streaming services, I’ll watch the season again. Episode twelve at the very least. If you’re seeing lots of praise for it, the show merits it.

The one element that really didn’t work for me: ( mild spoilers )

(This review points out that Cassian's story is a mirror of Luke's, which I hadn't considered.)

I started watching Obi-Wan Kenobi, which I’m enjoying very much as the “Obi-Wan runs around having adventures with a spooky ten-year-old Leia” show. Oh, and bonus Indira Varma! And Kumail Nanjiani, who has a really fun turn in the show. (So far, anyway. I’m predicting his bit role will end in a teary-eyed mess, but we’ll see.)

Started season two of The Wilds, that Amazon show with a group of “teenage” (hah!) girls stuck on an isolated island. Given that I barely made it to the end of season one, it’s not a surprise that season two feels like a slog so far. Not sure if I’ll continue. Making it even less appealing: there’s a big group of new cast members, all "teenage" boys, in season two, adding even more mess to a very flawed show. But I really do like scripted survival stories, so…

Happy Halloween, y’all!

Tana French’s first novel, In the Woods, was good almost-Halloween fare. First-person murder mystery novel, told by (surprise, surprise) a detective with childhood trauma. It works, though. I did figure out one key piece before the end, if not all the motivations.

Started but didn’t finish Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me, by Sutanya Dacres. My previous experience with memoir + cookbook left me with little appetite (pun intended) for the genre, so… yeah. Gonna try the apple dessert recipe, though.

Amazon’s Rings of Power had a strong finale–intriguing enough for me to watch season two when it comes out. It still fits in the “good not great” category for me, but it edged a lot higher within that category by the end.

The first two episodes of She-Hulk: Attorney-At-Law were more fun than I expected, although uneven. But it’s hard to go truly astray with Tatiana Maslany as the lead. She’s telegenic and a talented actor.

Having just (re)signed up for Disney Plus, I’ll probably go for some Star Wars shows next: Andor for sure, maybe the Obi-Wan show. The thing is, I’m not sure how interested I am. Or rather, I’m just not as interested as I thought I’d be; not sure how much of that is Disney’s amazing failures with the sequel trilogy, or that I’m just not in much of a drama kind of mood. Hm.

Finished book three of the Wrexford and Sloane murder mystery + slow-build romance. Still enjoying it! On to book four.

Contemporary romance The Stand-In by Lily Chu was a jaunty romp. Very tropey, but written in a (mostly) realistic way.

Watched episode one of the Amazon Rings of Power adaptation, and that was... ok, rough isn't the right work. Clunky, maybe. Chock-full of exposition, yeah. I do plan to give episode two a try for a couple of reasons. One, some people whose taste I sorta trust have said that it gets better and they like it. Two, the second half of the episode worked better than the first half, and the ending was good. I wouldn't say solid - that would require a better foundation than this episode had. But enough to intrigue me.

And that's that!

That health problem is still ongoing, alas. Currently waiting for an appointment to verify that we need to take the next step. Even though nothing has changed since the last appointment. UGH. At least I haven't missed any additional days of work yet.

Anyway. A recommendation! Season one of Abbott Elementary is on Hulu - 13 episodes of charming and gently comical elementary teachers working at an inner city Philly school. There's a built-in problem with two characters - a matter of writers who either didn't know how a specific education thing works, or didn't care. But it's clearly not a deal breaker for me.

Also, writer, show runner and lead actor Quinta Brunson won an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series". Huzzah! Terry Gross interviewed her back in February, and learned that Brunson's appreciation for elementary teachers and love of Philadelphia are deeply rooted in her childhood.

Another cast member won an Emmy for her supporting role; the video of Sheryl Lee Ralph accepting her win is worth watching.



The show returns for season two in late September, with weekly episodes. IMDB indicates that there will be 22 this time? Huh. At any rate, I'll probably binge-watch in the spring, because I'm ready for the hop to the next streaming platform. Probably Apple TV? I've been meaning to try that for months now... better hurry up and finish Only Murders in the Building before I run out of time.

Books! The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley would probably be classified as "chick-lit" - which is to say, there's a romance but there's other stuff. But the romance is a key piece to the tale, which is why the denouement of the romance failing for me meant that the book itself... kinda failed, too. Still enjoyable for the most part, but I wish that element had been handled differently.

Perhaps if Kearsley had stayed with the part of the story set in the 1700s, rather than flitting back and forth from then to now. The characters and storyline in the past were stronger than in the present.

Didn't finish Anne Lee Huber's This Side of Murder. The beginning had so many descriptions of the luxury items that the first two characters wore and drove that I was eventually forced out of the narrative. If you've read it: does that part improve? Should I try again?

TV: I had planned to subscribe to Apple TV+ for a month, but when I read that Only Murders in the Building was already airing season two on Hulu, I chose that instead. First episode of season 2: enjoyable! If a bit... superfluous in feeling. But since the show's main reason for existing seems to be giving Steve Martin and Martin Short an opportunity to act together (with bonus Selena Gomez), I'm just going to enjoy the ride.

I also watched episodes 1 and 2 of Abbott Elementary, a sitcom done mockumentary style. I don't have much patience for most shows set in American public school classrooms, but I'm charmed by this one so far. Perhaps it's the age difference (it's an elementary classroom and I deal with teenagers) that makes this more palatable. And it's easier to be forgiving of a sitcom's missteps than a drama's. But they've also avoided some of the most egregious errors of other shows and films set in public schools. So we'll see.

Got any recs for Hulu? I have just under four weeks left to watch... whatever else.

Books! A Sorcery of Thorns, by Margaret Rogerson, reminds me a bit of Twilight. This is not a negative thing: it's a compelling narrative with a central romance between a young woman who doesn't know her own power and a handsome, mysterious young man who may or may not intend to harm her. (He doesn't. And it's obvious to everyone but her.) Also, there's an impending magical apocalypse--something missing from Twilight, heh. I enjoyed it, and will probably read more by Rogerson at some point. This was a stand-alone story, although the world-building is interesting enough to justify more tales in the same setting. Yay, magic!

Ben Aaronovitch is scheduled to have another book in his Rivers of London series in April. Back to his usual main character, Peter Grant, per the blurb. To repeat: yay, magic!

Still reading a lot of historical romance novels; pandemic stress has evolved rather than disappear, and apparently my brain is still wanting the safety of a fancily-dressed happily-ever-after ending for now.

TV: Hawkeye, on Disney+, ended as it began: in an awkward heap of coincidences. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Was I a bit tired of the suddenly-infinite supply of nameless incompetent goons and hard-to-make trick arrows by the end? Also, yes. Were the actors charismatic and watchable? Also, also, yes. Will I watch more if a second season gets made? Almost certainly, although probably not as it drops.

So how are y'all?

I finished the documentary Val, which is on Amazon Prime. Actor Val Kilmer has kept video logs for decades; they pieced a lot of that footage together and he narrated it. Or rather, his son read most of the words in his place; Kilmer has been battling throat cancer and has a tracheotomy.

It was an interesting view of the movie industry as well as Kilmer's own life story, warts and all.

I finally finished season 1.5 of Lupin on Netflix. I've probably mentioned before that I don't have much sympathy for protracted heist stories; the characters are often so gray (just the nature of a story about people who steal for a living), and the villains so cartoonishly evil that I end up not caring for anyone. Which is why you cast someone like Omar Sy in the leading role, of course. He's charismatic enough to pull it off. Even so... yeah, it took me a while to get through the five episodes. Still: enjoyable enough to make it worthwhile.

My tastes don't usually include audiobooks but I did start listening to Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. She narrated her own memoir / essay collection, and it was compelling while also being infuriating. Most of the essays center around her struggles with mental illnesses, plural, and sometimes her own neuroses get so specific that it feels difficult to relate. It was, hm, instructive? I think? to get a more personal look at some less-explored mental illnesses.

As for book-books: I've been re-reading more of Lois McMaster Bujold's novels in the world of the five gods (often referred to as the Chalion stories, although Chalion is just one country in a larger world). I also re-read Erin Satie's Book of Love, which is still my favorite by her. (I read a two of her other novels recently, and eh... they were ok. Not really worth mentioning here, to be honest.)

Maybe later this month I can do more than just re-read old favorites. Although I am watching season two of The Witcher, so there's something novel. Just not, y'know, an actual novel. Heh.

TV: I’ve seen the first two episodes of Only Murders in the Building. Worth trying out just for the sheer novelty of having Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in the same show. Thankfully it’s compelling for more than just the unusual cast: darkly funny without being TOO dark, and a solid mystery so far.

Movie: This weekend I saw Free Guy, a movie with a serviceable plot and a leading actor (Ryan Reynolds) whose charisma elevates the material enough to make it thoroughly entertaining.

BOOOOOOOOKS: ( several of them )

Roommate H is the one who pays for Disney+ and she's cancelling her subscription. So I have 12 days to watch whatever I'm gonna watch this time around. I still haven't seen season two of The Mandalorian, which should theoretically be a priority, but... honestly? I'd rather rewatch Rogue One. Which I'm definitely going to do.

Anything else I should try before D+ disappears?

(I'll probably re-subscribe again at some point. Hopefully, by then they'll have more servers, or whatever, because D+ is the glitchiest service of all our various subscription TV platforms. Which is part of why H is getting rid of it. That, and she prefers content available on other platforms.)

March! Is almost over! Hurrah! I'm not sure why I'm putting exclamation marks everywhere! Maybe because this school year has been a continual struggle and I'm another month closer to it ending!

Yeah, that's probably it.

Anyway, this month included:

• Spring Break (which was indeed a pleasant break)
• MY FIRST MEAL IN A RESTAURANT IN A WHOLE YEAR! 
• that actually deserves the exclamation mark
• watching the first two episodes of The Falcon and Winter Soldier (more below)
• daffodils blooming from the bulbs I planted last fall
• A SHOW IN A THEATER! (dance students in the school auditorium--they’re quite good, in fact)
• shelled out the money for a pair of Dansko shoes and discovered that they’re worth the price, which is making me want MORE Dansko shoes
• bought a new-to-me Janome sewing machine (that I haven't had time to try yet, woe)

( thoughts on episodes 1-2 of The Falcon and Winter Soldier )