If you're feeling anxious, or if you just want to chat, please please do not come crying to me
Wherein I share a big ol' leaf pile's worth of film, TV, and book recs for you to jump into — with or without a giant sucker
It's fall! I love September for two reasons: It's the start of my favorite season and it's my birthday month. Ever since I was a kid, September 1 has always felt more like the kickoff to a new year than January 1. I blame it on the one-two punch of starting a school year and celebrating the new TV season. Autumn tends to have a fresh start quality that the other seasons lack. Though spring comes closest.
The other day I wrapped up the first act of my contemporary Outlander AU; it's a M/M romance featuring Jamie Fraser and John Grey. It's currently at 73K and will grow when I return to finish it next year. I'm really happy with how it's going! I hate to pause right now, but it's for a good reason.
That reason being that it's time to start writing my annual Christmas AU! This is part of my Holiday Hallmark With Smut series over on Archive Of Our Own. The lucky OTP for this year's installment are Alex Claremont-Diaz and Prince Henry from the movie Red, White, & Royal Blue. Why base it on the flick and not the book? Because while I adore Casey McQuiston's novel (I own two different editions), I've seen the film way more than I've read the book. (Some may say I'm obsessed. They are not wrong.) Regardless, my Alex x Henry Christmas romance will be available on AO3 in December.
If you happen to be in Amsterdam later this month, the Amsterdam New Cinema Film Festival, organized by Film Atelier Association with Checkpoint Charlie as its main partner and sponsor, is hosting a free event on Sept. 25. The festival will present a selection of film, trailers, and clips at 8 p.m. at Café Checkpoint Charlie, Naussaukade 48, 1052 CM.
You can find more information on the festival’s website: www.amsterdamnewcinemafilmfestival.com.
To submit a movie or a script to the festival, you can apply throughout FilmFreeway’s festival page: https://filmfreeway.com/AmsterdamNewCinemaFilmFestival.
Alright. Enough gibber gabber. I've been busy watching and reading (I know, shocker). As a result, I have a bunch of recommendations for ya below.
FILM
It's never easy to move somewhere new. Especially when you're 17 and grieving your mom's death. Not to mention you're moving to a foreign country with your dad, his young wife, and your half-sister, who doesn't speak. When Gretchen (Hunter Schaefer in a dynamic turn) accepts a job from the unnerving Herr Konig (Dan Stevens, happily letting his freak flag fly) in order to escape the stifling confines of her family unit, she tumbles headlong into a odd mystery that tips its hat to David Lynch. Writer-director Tillman Singer imbues the film with a growing sense of dread and a constant state of unease. The sound design is fantastic, leaving you unsettled until the final frame.
Have you ever been obsessed with a TV show? To the point where it becomes your whole reason for being? You find someone who feels the same way as you do about that show. The two of you bond over it; real friendship blooming through a shared obsession. Then, the show is cancelled and your world shifts. For Owen (a sensational Justice Smith), whose life was hard enough already, this is a devastating blow with surreal aftershocks. Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun perfectly captures the otherness of being in this follow-up to their disquieting debut We're All Going to the World's Fair.
AND DON’T FORGET…
Serial killer Josh Hartnett is caught in a Trap while attending a concert with his daughter in M. Night Shyamalan's latest. This highly entertaining thriller features a gleefully Jekyll/Hyde performance by Hartnett and Hayley Mills(!!!) as the profiler on his trail. ... Minari director Lee Isaac Chung enters blockbuster territory with Twisters —set in the same universe as the 1996 original — and hits paydirt. This is an exhilarating tornado flick with a chemistry-laden trio at its center: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos. ... Maidservant Odessa Young spends Mothering Sunday in 1924 with wealthy lover Josh O'Connor. What transpires ripples throughout her life in this sensual, impressionistic adaptation of the Graham Swift novel. The top-notch cast — Colin Firth, Olivia Colman, Emma D'Arcy, Sope Dirisu, Glenda Jackson — lend lovely turns, bolstering the soapy premise. ... Spike Lee's blistering classic Do the Right Thing is just as relevant now as it was in 1989. Over the course of one sweltering summer day in Brooklyn, racial tensions simmer until they reach the boiling point. See it, if you haven't. If you have, revisit it.
TV
This delightful Irish comedy is every bit as good as you've heard. I watched all three series back to back to back and I would happily dive in again for a rewatch. Set in the city of Londonderry, the show follows Saoirse-Monica Jackson's Erin as she and her friends come of age during the 1990s. While there are needle drops and shout outs aplenty, the real focus is on the characters — Erin's family are just as well developed as the teens. Creator-writer Lisa McGee's semiautobiographical comedy manages to ground the show while not shirking on the shenanigans. And while the cast boasts Ian McElhenney and Nicola Coughlan, my absolute favorite is Siobhán McSweeney as Sister Michael, who has zero fucks left and is instantly iconic. All episodes available on Netflix.
I've been getting back into animated shows lately. After wrapping up Netflix's charming Hilda, I chose this hilarious, thrilling, witchy delight as my next watch. To say I wasn't disappointed is an understatement. Human Luz is transported to the Boiling Isles, where she quickly meets a pair of outcasts: witch Eda (voiced by the fabulous Wendie Malick) and demon King. Their found family is the beating heart of this magical series that is beloved for good reason. (I adore King! Also, I wanna be Eda when I grow up.) All the characters are unique and fleshed out; you'll either love them or love to hate them. The Big Bad is the diabolical Emperor Belos (Matthew Rhys, relishing the chance to be evil), whose Machiavellian plot has real stakes for the residents of the Boiling Isles. All episodes available on Disney+.
AND DON’T FORGET…
Edith Wharton’s The Buccaneers gets an anachronistic update in this fun reimagining of the classic novel, complete with a modern soundtrack. The cast mostly works — save for a miscast Alisha Boe as Conchita, who pulls me out of the story whenever the focus swings her way. All episodes available on Apple TV+. Renewed for season two. .... A favorite of mine since it debuted here in the states last year, the final series of the trippy sci-fi treat The Lazarus Project builds on its terrific first year in unexpected ways. It more than delivers on the promise of series one and its a damn shame that its UK home, broadcaster Sky, killed it. All episodes available on TNTdrama.com. ... Little Voice only lasted one season yet it’s still worth your time. This sweet, semiautobiographical music dramedy from singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles features a winning turn from Brittany O’Grady as an aspiring singer/songwriter looking for her big break in NYC. All episodes available on Apple TV+. ... The latest Star Wars series The Acolyte never got the chance it deserved. It stepped outside the box in a number of ways, most notably for being set roughly 100 years before The Phantom Menace. Bonus points for not being connected to the Skywalker saga. While not perfect, the show had a lot going for it — Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, and Manny Jacinto, for starters — and should have been granted a second season. This is one of the few Star Wars series to hold my enthusiasm full stop. All episodes now available on Disney+.
BOOKS
Taking place in the days following civilization's collapse via pandemic, Emily St. John Mandel's novel follows Kristen, a young woman traveling with a group of nomadic actors in a post-pandemic world that crosses paths with a terrifying prophet and his devoted flock. As the theatre troupe makes their way, Kristen finds herself recalling time spent with renowned actor Arthur Leander with whom she appeared in a production of King Lear as a child right before the world ended. The story shifts through time allowing us to get to know Kristen and Arthur, all while showing how interconnected we are despite how big the world may be. Mandel's writing is intimate without being cloying, letting you understand the characters' motivations and mental processes. A beautiful, epic tale that's undeniably human.
I'm a huge Casey McQuiston fan after having read both of their New Adult novels Red, White, & Royal Blue (I may have mentioned it) and One Last Stop. McQuiston dives into the YA pool with her third novel and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, this one didn't grab hold of me emotionally like her previous books. Chloe Green's laser focus on becoming valedictorian is rocked when her main rival Shara Wheeler, the queen bee herself, kisses Chloe and promptly disappears. This leads Chloe down the rabbit hole as she becomes obsessed with Shara's vanishing act. McQuiston is a terrific writer, who knows their way around an engaging story. Chloe's trip through the looking glass in search of Shara opens her up in unexpected ways. Her world and her POV are expanded as a result; making Chloe a richer, fuller character. Most of the characters are well served, save for Shara Wheeler. She remains something of an enigma by the end to her detriment.
The comparisons that have been made to H.P. Lovecraft and the Brontës in regards to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s mesmerizing chiller are more than apt. Set in 1950s Mexico, Noemí Taboada arrives at High Place with the intention of rescuing her beloved cousin from her dastardly husband after receiving a letter from her that paints a terrifying scene. Only now that she and Noemí are face to face, her cousin claims everything is fine despite her clearly being ill. It’s not long before Noemí begins to understand that nothing at this decaying estate is what it seems. Its history as twisted as that of the family her cousin married into. As the tension mounts, Moreno-Garcia makes her readers question everything — even whether or not Noemí is a reliable narrator. Horror and romance fans alike will find plenty to gorge themselves on within the pages of this spellbinding descent into terror.
letterboxd | instagram | twitter | threads | archive of our own
I love Casey McQuiston too! I am rereading and annotating my copy of RWRB, because I love it so much. (Also can’t wait for your Christmas fic for FirstPrince!). I kissed Shara Wheeler is the only one I haven’t gotten to yet, but I’ve bought it and I’m hoping to read it by the end of the year. Have you read The Pairing yet? I preordered it and Casey did not disappoint with it!
I’m also taking this as a sign that I need to pick up Mexican Gothic again (I started it once but had to return it to my library before I finished it). I’ve actually been thinking about it for the past week or so.