Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: November 2024
Added 2024-11-27 15:00:17 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hello Heroes!
This has been the craziest professional time of my entire life. On the one hand, I couldn’t be more grateful. On the other hand, for Thanksgiving, I’m literally doing nothing except pies.
What I’m reading!
Making the Cut at Pixar - by Bill Kinder & Bobbie O’Steen. A really interesting deep dive into the editing process at Pixar, and how they utilize the editors to help with developing the story, all the way through post production. This is (hopefully) going to inform how I make movies going forward!
Eisenhorn XENOS - by Dan Abnett. Look, I’ve never read anything in the Warhammer 40k universe (or played or watched anything, except the excellent Astartes series on YouTube) so I thought, why not? And this was really fun! I love a good grim-dark story as much as the next big ol’ nerd, and this was a grim-dark and nerdy as it gets! Was it “good literature"? No. Did it “get me through a long road-trip”? Yes. Job done.
The Bayern Agenda - by Dan Moran. A fun sci-fi potboiler from a tech writer I’ve appreciated for a long time. Characterizations were thin, and the women were underwritten. But it was a fun mystery with some decent action. Not everything has to be Jane Eyre.
What I’m watching!
CyranØ Dailies - I haven’t had a lot of time to watch things for fun. It’s all been prep for upcoming CT shoots or movies for CT Reviews. But I’ve also been watching all the dailies for the movie we shot, and you know what? I really enjoy the process of making movies, so this doesn’t feel entirely like cheating!
What I’m playing!
Nothing this month. It’s been the busiest month of my professional life.
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hey all! Hoping your November has been amazing! This month I loved catching HERETIC, CONCLAVE, WICKED, GLADIATOR 2, and MOANA 2 in theaters! (Check out reviews for all of those on CT Reviews!) Not a bad film in the bunch, and a couple of them were downright great!
At home this month I watched AGATHA ALL ALONG and ARCANE: SEASON 2, both of which I thought were incredibly engrossing with excellent characters and well-written stories.
As for reading, I've been diving into Brene Brown's RISING STRONG, all about finding strength and courage in vulnerability. Honestly, it's a life-changing book.
What about you lovely folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
You both have ELITE taste, per usual. Have either of you ever read The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse?
Alexis Popko
2024-12-09 13:48:29 +0000 UTCI read When the Moon Hatched and was pleasantly surprised that it actually lived up to the hype, while also being absolutely amazed by Sarah Mollo-Christensen’s voice acting for the different characters for the parts I listened to on the audiobook. I also watched Agatha All Along and really enjoyed seeing the whole story come together. My husband found it ‘meh’, but he’s had that reaction with everything Marvel has put out since Endgame (except Wakanda Forever and Deadpool & Wolverine), so I wasn’t all that surprised 😅.
Claire Williams
2024-12-06 16:28:45 +0000 UTCI went ot see Cladiator 2 and it was awesome! I've ben reading romantic books that I will not disclose and finishing the Duology of A Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. aThe final Stormlight archive book is coming soon (Brandon Sanderson) so I'm thinking of rereading that series so I remember stuff.
Almendra Báez Riquelme
2024-12-02 12:04:59 +0000 UTCi LITERALLY cannot stop thinking about arcane. it’s a problem. i might be going insane. /j
Mira Brolin
2024-11-30 22:20:05 +0000 UTCI went to see both Gladiator 2 and Wicked - both were great but wicked… that was something else. I cried and I think part of that was simply because how beautifully made it was. Can’t stop thinking about it. I finished Agatha All Along (loved it) and started watching Dune Prophecy. There’s so much potential in the later, I’m looking forward to seeing more. I haven’t read at all. I’m a third through A Little Life but have not been in the head space to read lately.
Sara Wagiström
2024-11-28 00:39:56 +0000 UTCGoing through some comfort reading at the moment. Recently finished How You Get The Girl by Anita Kelly, and immediately added it to my Favorites shelf. I’m also reading A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera.
Lauren Hubers
2024-11-27 17:07:55 +0000 UTCLoved Agatha All Along! Our family watched, debated, and cheered for all the little comic easter eggs. My reading list includes The Lost Bookshop, The Guest List, and The Underground Library. The titles sound the same, but the books are sooooo different. Also on my to-read is The Breakthrough Years, which makes me wish Jono did book reviews!
Kristin 🦦
2024-11-27 16:58:59 +0000 UTCLet's see, we just finished Agatha All Along. I had been looking forward to watching it and it exceeded my expectations. I'm so glad I binged it, it would have been super annoying to do one episode at a time. I also just finished Evil and now have to watch it again from the beginning to see how different it lands knowing the ending. The hubster and I took the time to sit through Buy Now on Netflix, I can't say that I learned anything new so I was a bit disappointed given how hyped up some of my friends were about it but it is a good reminder about how we are continually f'ing ourselves over with no end in sight. Currently I'm listening to Wilds of Wisteria (book 16 in the Wisteria Witches series) and it's entertaining enough. I'm almost done with with Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow and I just started What Makes You Not a Buddhist which seems promising. Podcast wise, I'm trying to savor the last few episodes of Murder She Rolled because I'm going to miss having those fingees in my brain crevices while ya'll are on break and I alternate MSRed with Midnight Burger, Psychodelic Medicine, and GastroPod.
BJ
2024-11-27 16:15:26 +0000 UTCI’ve been doing comfort reading. I’m on my fifth Miss Silver detective book in Patricia Wentworth’s series. She was a contemporary of Agatha Christie. I did read a book by one of my podcast guests titled, Alpha Bette by Jennifer Manocherian. It’s not often a book has a 95 year old protagonist. I enjoyed the characters and the setting of New York was almost a character too. We’ve been at my sister’s for most of the month, so we’ve been watching Hallmark Christmas movies for the most part, some Secrets of the Dead and Expedition Unknown. Jonathan, I’ve read almost all of Brené Brown’s books. They are all inspirational. You might enjoy, Atlas of the Heart. It gives a definition of the 87 human emotions, most of which we are unaware of. Have a great Thanksgiving with your family and maybe even friends.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
2024-11-27 16:07:44 +0000 UTCOK. Here we go. Watching: Great British Baking Show, Love Alarm (a K-drama which I started out loving, ended up hating and couldn't finish because I felt like the writers veered off of their own message so hard I couldn't stand it), My Demon and Doom at Your Service (K-dramas that renewed my faith in the awesomeness of the genre!), and WICKED (25 out of freaking 10 OMGGG). Your review of Wicked kinda made me giggle because I appreciated the extension of the story so much, I cried twice, and already have plans to see it three more times with various other friends lol. Reading: Ships of Air and Gate of Gods by Martha Wells, which are the last books in the Fall of Ile-Rien series, loved it. Wanted: A Roommate Who Isn't Evil by Jennifer Kropf, I appreciate her style of writing so much, it's ridiculously evocative and very sarcastically funny which is perfect for me. For some easier reading, Into the Fire and Over the Edge by Irene Hannon. I'm pretty far past my Goodreads goal for the year so next year I'll definitely have to set it higher! I'm thinking maybe 140 or 150 since I'm at 111 already...
Lydia Hartzler
2024-11-27 15:38:40 +0000 UTCNovember was a blur! It was such a blast being able to see you guys again this month, and to meet Corrine and The Trevitor! I also got to make many memories with Smidge and Bryt on the Vegas Strip. I would absolutely do it all over again, any day. I'll definitely do my best to make it to any event you guys plan, though I hope you guys will start getting a little bit of rest in 😊. Watching: - New to me and at home: season 8 of 24, season 12 of The Great British Baking Show, A Walk to Remember, Warrior, The Errand of Angels, The Saratov Approach, Music by John Williams, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Belle, Paddington 1 & 2 (I'm now a proud Paddington convert), and all of the Mission: Impossible movies (I'm also now an M:I convert). - New and in theaters: Heretic, Conclave, Wicked, Gladiator II, and Moana 2. - Old: V for Vendetta, Serenity, Firelfly, Clue, Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2, Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog, Moulin Rouge, and The Fall Guy. Reading: I just finished Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown this morning. I loved reading how she breaks down emotions into simpler definitions. As someone who loves words and the meaning behind them, it's such an enjoyable read. I can't wait to work my way through more of her work! Playing: It's kind of game to me now. I've started making it my personal goal to try to see movies in theaters before you guys post your review on them. I've found that it's really fun to have my own opinion and stack it up against yours afterwards 😊.
SaucyJTD
2024-11-27 15:30:13 +0000 UTCWoah! Never thought I'd see a crossover with CT and 40k! I've been in the Warhammer community for almost 15 years now and seeing it be more present in the public eye has been very exciting. I haven't read any of the Eisenhorn books (shame on me, I suppose) so I can't speak to their quality beyond what I've heard from others. If you ever want to give 40k literature/ media another go, I would highly recommend it. The Hours Heresy series is *massive* but it also has some of the best character-focused writing in sci-fi. Either way, so cool to hear that you dipped your toe into a universe I've come to love so much!
Konrad Curze
2024-11-27 15:16:28 +0000 UTC
