Spare me the gloom. I'm not the one who died.
A bookshop crawl in NYC! Criterion Challenge 2024 update! Movies movies movies!
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Hello! It's officially summer and the weather here can confirm that. The humidity is spiking like it's playing volleyball on the beach. Another reason to stay indoors with the A/C blasting! I'm definitely not a beach person. Too many people, for starters. And the sand, man! It gets everywhere!
Earlier this month, a friend and I did our very own bookshop crawl in NYC. We started in Brooklyn at The Ripped Bodice, which caters exclusively to romance fans. It was love at first sight and I want to go back again soon. Adore a good HEA? Then this is the spot for you.
We headed back into Manhattan afterwards to grab lunch downtown and hit the rest of the stores on our itinerary. No NYC bookshop crawl is complete without a visit to The Strand, so we made sure to pay our respects. Then, we walked down a couple doors to get our geek on at Forbidden Planet with its awesome collection of collectible figures, T-shirts, novels, graphic novels, the latest comics issues, and more.
Our last stop of the day was The Mysterious Bookshop, home to mysteries and thrillers and other stories that encourage nail biting. The interior is reminiscent of a study in an English manor and the books are housed on floor-to-ceiling shelves. There is a leather couch, armchair, and table in the center of the space should you wish to take a moment and soak in the atmosphere. If whodunits and the like are your thing, then stop by on your next trip into NYC.
There also may have been a stop at Urban Dessert Lab for one of their sinfully delicious whipped frozen treats.
With all of this talk of books, it's only natural that the rest of this post will be about movies! I've seen a few new releases that are worth your time.
Also, I've been participating in a Criterion Challenge via Letterboxd this year that has been allowing me to catch up on titles in the Collection that I've been wanting to check out, as well as giving me a chance to discover films I may never have seen otherwise.
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Babes
Pamela Adlon's feature directorial debut, co-written by Ilana Glazer, is a very funny, emotional, honest look at adult female friendship and the complications — motherhood, marriage, family — that come with it. Glazer and Michelle Buteau are sensational as longtime besties Eden and Dawn. While Eden's always done her own thing, Dawn settled down with her husband and became a mom. Not long after Dawn gives birth to her second child, Eden finds out she's pregnant following a one-night stand. Definitely a movie you should watch with your best friend. In fact, make it a double feature with Bridesmaids.
Furiosa
George Miller's electrifying, gorgeous film — a prequel to 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road and the fifth entry in the Mad Max franchise — stands on its own two feet while feeling apiece with Fury Road. Furiosa's origin story is appropriately epic: boasting pulse pounding chases, impressive set pieces, and terrific performances; all playing out against desert locales that are equally terrifying and beautiful. Anya Taylor-Joy seamlessly takes over for Charlize Theron. Before Taylor-Joy appears, however, Alyla Browne captivates as the youngest iteration of the title character. The always welcome Tom Burke (a personal fave) appears as Furiosa's mentor and possible love interest, but it's a barely recognizable Chris Hemsworth who nearly steals the film as the man responsible for ripping Furiosa from her people.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The latest entry in the long-running franchise is tonally consistent with Matt Reeves' previous two installments and a strong film overall. Director Wes Ball picks up the reins and drives the apes' story into a post-Caesar world, starting the film with the late leader's funeral pyre. With Caesar gone, the focus shifts to young Noa (a sympathetic Owen Teague), whose world is imploded upon the arrival of the tyrannical Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand, commanding and captivating). Noa comes across a young human woman named Nova (well played by Freya Allen) while seeking his mother and friends, who were taken by Proximus Caesar. Their uneasy alliance becomes the backbone of the film, adding another welcome layer of tension to the proceedings.
CRITERION CHALLENGE
Total watched so far: 17/52
This is my first year participating. I'm excited to see if I can knock out all the films that I've selected. The premise is this: Pick 52 films from the Criterion Collection and watch them before the end of the year, while keeping track of your progress on Letterboxd. As you can see, I haven't hit the halfway mark with my list. But that's okay because I've already seen a bunch of amazing films that are new-to-me.
Here are some of my favorite new-to-me watches so far:
Clouds of Sils Maria
Olivier Assayas' tale of an actress (a riveting Juliette Binoche) revisiting the play that launched her career deals with ageism, sexism, and feeling obsolete in an industry that is constantly looking for the Next Big Thing. There's also the sizzling chemistry between Binoche and a fantastic Kristen Stewart, who plays her devoted yet increasingly disillusioned assistant.
Jane B. par Agnes V.
In this delightful documentary by Agnes Varda, singer/actress/fashion icon Jane Birkin features in a collection of fantastical vignettes that eschews the traditional biopic revealing the woman within. Birkin and Varda pair beautifully, two artists seeking truth while projecting beauty. Humor mixed in with the otherworldly to captivate and illuminate.
Medicine for Melancholy
A sharp romantic drama, Barry Jenkins' feature debut sets the stage for what the writer/director will achieve narratively less than a decade later starting with the Oscar winning Moonlight. Set over the course of 24 hours, two people (Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins, both well cast) spend the day traversing across San Francisco talking about race and gentrification while wondering if romance is possible.
Original Cast Album: Company
Initially conceived as a pilot for a television series, acclaimed filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker documented the recording of the cast album to Stephen Sondheim's classic in the spring of 1970, right after the show bowed on Broadway. One of my all-time favorite musicals, I loved the fly-on-the-wall experience of seeing the original cast belting out this fabulous score in a recording studio under the legendary Sondheim's supervision.
Persona
Another tale about an actress, only this is a two-hander and the director is the great Ingmar Bergman. Bibi Andersson's nurse Alma is assigned a new patient to look after; Liv Ullman's Elisabet Vogler is the aforementioned actress, who is mute. During their time together, Alma becomes enamoured with Elisabet and becomes convinced their personae are merging. Electrifying performances from Andersson and Ullman, with Bergman at the top of his game.
Have you ever participated in a Criterion Challenge? If so, tell me about the films you discovered as a result.
Feel free to share any films/TV/books/music that's been making you smile.
Gonna go groove to some Kylie Minogue.
I blame The Doctor and Rogue. (In the best way.)
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