Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: October 2023
Added 2023-10-25 15:00:27 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hello Heroes!
October. The spookiest season! I should have watched more horror movies, but David Sant (editor/online editor for CT) and I are hatching a horror plan that may show up in the coming year. Stay tuned!
What I’m reading!
- Red Rising & Golden Son by Pierce Brown. I’ve been hearing about these books from my sci-fi/fantasy nerd friends for quite awhile. And you know what? They’re good. Like, I’m really excited to read (listen to while driving to/from meetings in Los Angeles!) the third one next week! Super fun. Gory. Exciting. And Pierce Brown kills off characters like George R.R. Martin or Joss Whedon! Don’t get attached to anybody, except you can’t help it!
- Starter Villain by John Scalzi. I’ve become a regular ol’ Scalzi-head. I love this man’s writing, and I managed to snag this book like, the day it came out. It’s just as fun and twisty as his usual stuff, but less hard sci-fi, and more James Bond sci-fi, which was a fun departure.
- I really need to read some novels outside my usual sci-fi/fantasy milieu. Please drop suggestions below! I’ll read anything (that isn’t outright porn? I love a good romance, but trashy bodice-rippers are too… whatever for me. Not gonna yuck your yum, if you’re into those, have at it. Just not for me, thanks.)
What I’m watching!
- Alita: Battle Angel. Hadn’t ever seen it. It was a lot of fun! I don’t know that it was an incredible story, or even a particularly compelling or believable world, but it was fun. And that’s great sometimes!
- No One Will Save You. Had a really strong premise, and I really really enjoyed the execution. The trailer sets up the movie to be a different take on Signs (a movie I really love, despite its flaws) but then it delivers all of that promise in the first act! Where it goes from there is surprising, scary, and ultimately a bit weird. But I liked it! I’ll have to re-watch it before I decide whether or not I love it. Anyway, if you like scary things, it's a pretty good scary time.
- The Creator. I actually took a VFX class from Gareth Edwards back right before he made Monsters, so I “know” him (he wouldn’t recognize me) and I’ve been following his career and rooting for him ever since. I really liked The Creator. Gorgeous production, incredible VFX, great sound. The story was interesting. I’m not actually convinced that John David Washington is really a movie star. I’ve seen him in several things now, and I can’t tell if he’s broodingly intense or intensely boring.
- Re-watched The Frighteners. The movie that Peter Jackson made right before he embarked on the seven-year odyssey that would become The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I’ve seen it several times before. I’m actually one of the weirdos who went to see it in theaters during the summer of 1996 (I had to sneak in!). It’s a bit uneven, and it’s a lot weird, but man, it’s super fun. I wish Peter Jackson & co would make more things like this, but… I guess restoring old footage into cool documentaries is also cool?
- The Morning Show S3 is going gangbusters. So much drama, so many poor choices from the characters, nobody to really root for. Why do I watch this trashy soap? Because the cast is brilliant, and I’m a sucker for “fancy”.
What I’m playing!
- Literally nothing. I’m contemplating starting a livestream playthrough of Baldur’s Gate III because I desperately want to play Baldur’s Gate III, and if I livestream it, that can count as work, right?
- Also, really excited to get to Spider-Man 2 over the holidays. I won’t be able to do it before then, but wowee-zowee I love those games!
And…
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hi everyone! What are you pouring into your wonderful minds this month? I've been reading The Anatomy of Peace, which is one of the best books I've ever read. Its narrative format makes the flow of wisdom digestible. Learn about the Middle East conflict AND skills that will help you in every relationship you have. Two friends, a Jew and a Palestinian, teach a group of parents how to make peace in their lives, marriages, families, and businesses. Perspective-taking, accepting influence, and accountability: three of my favorite principles! Of course, I struggle in application same as anyone else. Will definitely read it again.
I've been enjoying Season 1 of Ahsoka and Loki Season 2 on Disney Plus. Star Wars and Marvel have both had their highs and lows, but I'm still loyal to the franchises that have brought me so much joy. I'm digging both series!
I've been doing an '80s family horror-lite marathon with my kids to get ready for Halloween: Gremlins 1&2, Ghostbusters 1&2, and Beetlejuice. This all started a couple of months ago when we watched Ghostbusters: Afterlife (which we loved) while on vacation, leading to my kids wanting to know more about the mythology. Once we're done we'll round it out with the female-led Ghostbusters (2016), which I enjoyed more than many seem to have.
What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
I'm a little late, but OH MY GOSH THE FRIGHTENERS! I'm a big fan of the early experimental Peter Jackson mainly because he was always swinging for the fences. Bad Taste, Dead Alive/Brain Dead... He just put his nerdy little heart fully into it and it finally paid off for him. Good on him for going into nerdy stuff like restoring old footage instead of just pumping out more blockbusters!
Scrappy
2023-12-09 13:03:31 +0000 UTCI really REALLY hope that this is a sign y'all will consider doing a therapy post on Loki. I know and understand why y'all typically reserve your deep dives for movies. But given that each Loki series is only 6 episodes long, I'm REALLY hoping y'all will make an exception. It's SUCH a deeply moving take on Loki's character that it would be a shame not to.
Amy Petty
2023-12-08 01:46:54 +0000 UTCOh yay! It’s so cozy. This should have been a Cinema Therapy Reads book club pick lol
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-12-06 12:05:50 +0000 UTCHad to come back and report: I just finished The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches about a week ago, and absolutely enjoyed it! Charming and cozy and fun! Thanks for the recommendation. Alan started reading it when I finished - we'll see if he gets through it before we have to return it to the library. :) - Megan
Cinema Therapy
2023-12-06 04:35:09 +0000 UTCMy recommendation for books is always The Black Company and the rest of the series, by Glen Cook. The only problem is you really have to read at least the first two to realize what a great author Cook is. As far as playing, Starfield! While there are a lot of complaints, some valid, it has been a heck of a ride so far!
Chris N
2023-11-24 11:36:55 +0000 UTCSo, can we maybe get a Loki Villain Therapy Part 2? maybe, now that I think about it, (BIG SPOILER ALERT! if you haven't watched any of the Loki series) it would be probably a Psychology of a Hero episode to deal with the character's arc in the series... I loved the show! every episode... I'm biased posibly because Tom Hiddlestone might be the best villain actor in the MCU!! but seriously that's some self love journey in Season 1 and then it goes outwards to extend that love and empathy to all eventually... I don't know... there's something there!
Kate Ackerley
2023-11-16 18:43:00 +0000 UTCI enjoyed Mistborn too! I'm thinking of re-reading it sometime since I've only read it once and that was some time ago
a.s.1234
2023-11-04 16:33:40 +0000 UTCI love that series!!
Omen the Black Cat
2023-11-03 20:57:37 +0000 UTCI am currently listening through the Mistborn series by Brian Sanderson. If you haven’t tried it I highly recommend. (Caveat—I haven’t finished the e third book yet!) So far 4/5ths of the way in, not knowing the ending I’d rate highly. Well-written care-for-able characters, compelling setting, and a complex, mostly unpredictable story.
Hannah Vaughn
2023-11-03 09:26:56 +0000 UTCThat Red Rising series is a lot of fun - there's the original trilogy and then like a kind of second trilogy I'm reading. If you want to read some truly fantastic fantasy, I highlight recommend the Broken Earth series by NK Jemison.
Nova Villmark
2023-11-02 01:29:12 +0000 UTCLOVE The Expanse! Read all the books, and watched the show! So so so good. -alan
Cinema Therapy
2023-10-30 18:17:21 +0000 UTCLoving all these recommendations! Keep 'em coming!
Cinema Therapy
2023-10-30 14:32:27 +0000 UTCHi Alan, I'd recommend Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. The series is tied with The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) for my favorite book series, but that's fantasy so not what you are looking for at the moment. Why Outlander: - It is marketed as romance/historical-fiction but this falls short of the mark. It's everything. The character development is fantastic. It's all about relationships, but there is a lot of survival, war, adventure, and even time-travel mixed in. It includes dealing with trauma and heartbreak. It explores the challenges and rewards of love, loyalty, compassion, family, and friendship. - There is a large cast of leading characters throughout the series, and so so many of them are phenomenal examples of healthy masculinity. Why not Outlander: - I will warn you that the individual books are very long. A bit slow and boring in some parts, even for me a huge fan of the series. That said, I cannot recommend this series highly enough.
a.s.1234
2023-10-30 03:43:11 +0000 UTCFor any Science Fiction fans out there, The Expanse series of books (9 novels and about 6 novellas) are some of the best SciFi I have ever read and many would back me up on that. Written by James SA Corey (the pen name of the two actual writers, Daniel Abraham and Ty Frank), it takes place in a believable future of about 200 plus years from now when humans have colonized the asteroid belt and I am saying no more than that because I only hope every Scifi fan has the chance to discover these novels on their own. I have reread most of them several times, they are that good (and, oh yeah, there is a TV series over on Amazon which we fans actually helped save in 2018 because it was so good and I have never done anything like that before or since in my entire life!!)
DrEEsky
2023-10-28 03:01:11 +0000 UTCWhen my son was 2, the two movies he loved the most were Top Gun and Empire Strikes Back. He would even hum the tune to Empire! We graduated to the Disney films and would watch those together (or he would watch early Saturday morning and I would snooze on the couch!, mostly Lion King!) Eventually he and I would see movies together, most notably the Pirates of the Caribbean and HP! Yes, this time will pass and you will miss it a little but mostly you will get more sleep and become great friends! Enjoy!
DrEEsky
2023-10-28 02:54:03 +0000 UTCHuge yes to Alan streaming Baldur!! Yessss please! Would love that so much. Love BGiii. But would also watch Alan live stream pretty much anything ☺️ And, Jono, same: October is always spooky movie marathon month in my house! We have quite a list of classics over the years and add new ones we haven’t seen each year, to try out. My kids saw Rocky Horror, Arsenic and Old Lace, and T2 for the first time this year. T2 isn’t spooky but they saw Terminator for the first time last year. I’ve also got Gremlins in the lineup for them to see :D I also enjoy the 2016 ghostbusters and we watch it along w the OG. Since I work weird hours and have a different sleep schedule, I’ve been pushing myself to watch some true horror after kids are in bed. (Horror has never been my thing. Maybe ppl in mental health just see enough of it irl all the time??) I’ve looked up to find ones made by ppl who are excellent film makers. And that has been so amazing so far. (And deeply, deeply terrifying!) Worst so far (and spectacularly made) was Kairo/Pulse. I’ve put it off for a decade. Ha My 16yo is into horror and I’m trying to “get it” more. (They did NOT watch this w me.) Kairo was a master class in how to terrify ppl using the film medium. So so good! (and horrrrrible) Awesome ppl on the server have suggested some for me, too. :) Turns out, watching the most terrifying things ever in a dark house at night, using headphones to not wake ppl… isn’t the most relaxing experience!! 😌 who could have predicted this??
slothtopus
2023-10-26 21:24:07 +0000 UTCHey Alan, One book I recommend that's actually non-fiction but probably right up your alley is The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara. It's a journalist's journey to find the woman who designed the Gill Man suit used in Creature from the Black Lagoon in a Hollywood era where men were taking all the credit. Would love to hear what you think of it if you read/have read it.
Michael Charboneau
2023-10-26 16:36:47 +0000 UTCI suggest reading a little T J Klune. Under the Whispering Door or The House in the Cerulean Sea. Um, both are fantasies. Try How to Be a Normal Person if you want an unusual romance. There are two books in that series but this one was my favorite.
Nancyjane Bailey
2023-10-25 23:16:39 +0000 UTCUmm, adding Very Secret Society to my TBR list right now! You just described many of my favorite things to read about. - Megan
Cinema Therapy
2023-10-25 23:00:34 +0000 UTCI read The House in the Cerulean Sea earlier this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it! Interesting world, absolutely delightful characters. Definitely recommend! - Megan (writer/producer)
Cinema Therapy
2023-10-25 22:57:48 +0000 UTCI’m watching the Korean series Moving. Loving it so far. Got all the elements: supernatural, suspense, drama, romance, parent-child relationship.
Kriss
2023-10-25 22:42:51 +0000 UTCHey Alan, I'm also listening to Red Rising! It's been on my list to read for so long (I was really into dystopian lit like a decade ago). I finally got around to it after discovering the dramatized adaptation which has a full voice cast and sound effects which is really cool and helps me get immersed in the story.
Emily 📚
2023-10-25 19:41:22 +0000 UTCOh boy, howdy do I have reading suggestions that both you AND Jono could enjoy, Alan. If you've never read anything by Jenny Lawson, I recommend everything she puts out. She is hilarious, and even though it's non-fiction, some of it is so fantastical that you'd swear she made it up. Her stream-of-conscious writing style, and the antics she gets up to are just amazing. She also struggles with mental illness, and is very frank and up front in the way she discusses it. Her first book is "Let's Pretend This Never Happened," and takes you through her experiences growing up in Rural Texas with a taxidermist dad. Then you go from that to "Furiously Happy" where she continues to describe the craziness of her every day life, and jumps headlong into wonderful discussions about what it's like living with Generalized Anxiety (among other things). They're genuine, heartfelt, and really seek to destigmatize honest conversations about mental illness. Laugh out loud funny, combined with impactful, honest vulnerability.
Amy Robinson
2023-10-25 18:01:14 +0000 UTCThere is. Soon, she'll be able to watch things with you! Like, now! Granted, I started training my kids YOUNG to sit through movies. -alan
Cinema Therapy
2023-10-25 17:58:10 +0000 UTCWatched the limited series, Bodies on Netflix and I absolutely loved it even though I’m not generally a sci-fi fan. Been making my flatmate watch a lot of Halloween movies lately
Shani Gribben
2023-10-25 17:43:57 +0000 UTCLoved that show too!
Shani Gribben
2023-10-25 17:42:14 +0000 UTCHubby and I just finished the new Interview With The Vampire series! It's got good old-fashioned blood and gore, but never veers out of territory that makes sense. Hubs' mom was a fan of the books and he read some, and hearing his little asides was fun. He pre-watched it before recommending it to me, and evidently cried HARD about the abusive, manipulative relationship dynamic in it. The Interviewer is a wry, Anthony Bourdain type and I ADORE HIM. And speaking of Peter Jackson, he's promised us a Tintin sequel for over a decade now. Booo. Speaking of my obscure fandoms getting big movies, I also enjoyed a LOT of Battle Angel. They totally messed up Yugo, though. He's supposed to be a starry-eyed little tween/young teen, not a brooding heartthrob. I feel like they thought girls wouldn't watch unless there was a Hot Boy™ to pine over. Bleh. Still a great time, and Christoph Waltz was fantastic as usual.
Smidge
2023-10-25 17:11:39 +0000 UTCI also usually stick to fantasy/sci-fi (huge BrandoSando fan) but I’ve joined 2 book clubs this past year to expand my genres. I highly recommend “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. Beautifully written, compelling, and opens your mind to other perspectives. I also think Jonathon would like it, it’s very family focused and there are a lot of relationships to dissect!
Carissa Cunningham
2023-10-25 16:11:08 +0000 UTCIf you play Baldurs Gate 3 I will watch the crap out of that
Pam Jackson
2023-10-25 16:01:05 +0000 UTCJust finished The fall of the House of Usher and loved it! Going to start another Mike Flanagan series just haven't picked which one yet. Also wanting to start a Baldur's Gate playthrough with my husband, can't wait!
Bridgett Stap
2023-10-25 15:45:41 +0000 UTCAlan doing a playthrough of Baldurs Gate would give me new purpose in life
Leviticus Yeeticus
2023-10-25 15:45:12 +0000 UTCIt is delightful. It's a great book when you want something heartwarming and relaxed.
Reilly Willoughby
2023-10-25 15:43:11 +0000 UTCOne of my favorite high fantasy series of all time is the Green Rider series by Kristin Britain. It’s pretty standard good v. evil/elves, humans, and dark lords world building, BUT the first book came out in 1998 and still has one of the best, most well-rounded, interesting female protagonists I’ve found in fantasy books, there are tons of fun side characters, and as the books have gone on, they’ve dealt with heroes’/chosen ones’ PTSD in a more interesting/believable way than I’ve seen pretty much anywhere else. The 8th book is being released this November too, I think. I’ve also tried to read more diverse (read: non-Eurocentric) fantasy in the last few years and my favorites so far are the Daevabad Trilogy by S.A. Chakrabourty and Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. The former is based in Afghani/Middle Eastern mythology/folklore, and the latter draws on African cultures and storytelling.
Erin Bourneuf
2023-10-25 15:40:41 +0000 UTCOh! Cerulean is on my TBR list
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-10-25 15:24:54 +0000 UTCI’m about to do a reread of Fourth Wing before the sequel comes out. If you like cozy fall books I posted one I just finished.
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-10-25 15:24:27 +0000 UTCHe has spoken
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-10-25 15:23:06 +0000 UTCI’m loving Loki Season 2. OB is just the best. Tom and Owen together are the bromance we all love and need. I read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. If you want a cozy fall book with some witchy women, loveable found family, sweet slow-build romance, and spunky kids set in England in Fall/Winter then this is the book for you. It’s you on a cold night holding a warm cup of tea cozy. Oh! And The Creator was good. I also enjoyed Killers of the Flower Moon. For spooky movies I’m watching oldish stuff: all the Haunted Mansion films (including the Muppets one from last year), Sleepy Hollow, Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and Harry Potters.
Lauren Wagstaff
2023-10-25 15:20:51 +0000 UTCAlso, as a single mom of a 3-year-old, I'm in awe of how much time and energy you both have for watching/reading/playing things! I hit the end of the day and can barely keep my eyes open past 8pm; certainly not enough to thoughtfully absorb most media. If she weren't still taking 2 hour naps on the weekend I'd never watch anything. There is an end in sight for that, right? Like, before she goes to college in 15 years? Right??
Abigail Friedman
2023-10-25 15:19:32 +0000 UTCI LOVED the female Ghostbusters. I thought it was great at turning some tropes on their head (Chris Hemsworth! So delightful). And it really drove home to me in a way I'd never had to unpack because it had been like 30 years since I last saw Ghostbusters how much (hopefully) unconscious sexism is in the original franchise. I thought it had the right touch in terms of nods to the first one, including several great cameos (Dan Akroyd as the true spirit of an old NY cabbie was great) while being definitively it's own thing. The female friendship was strong; the queer undertones were delightful. 10/10 would watch it a thousand more times.
Abigail Friedman
2023-10-25 15:17:52 +0000 UTCLoki is definitely the highlight of Marvel at this point.
Lorenzo Colombani
2023-10-25 15:15:55 +0000 UTCI had a lot of trouble finding a good book this year, besides Fourth Wing. But I finally landed on One Dark Windo and All the Stars and Teeth. Both are fun and intriguing, though they don't suck me in like others do. I so desperately want to watch Loki, but I know it will be emotionally draining for me so I keep putting it off (This is because Loki is so closely me, and his experiences especially in the first Thor movie so closely mirror my own that any time I watch him it simultaneously hurts and feels good).
Ayesha Ali
2023-10-25 15:11:26 +0000 UTCHello Alan! We have similar tastes in books, so I would highly highly recommend anything by Fredrik Backman. Another great one, though definitely fantasy inspired is The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
Reilly Willoughby
2023-10-25 15:11:05 +0000 UTCI personally loved the newer ghost busters movies! Cause it is spooky season I took a break from Stephen Kings Dark Tower series and read a little Poe and also watched Fall of the House of Usher which is fantastic. I love me some Mike Flanagan. I was told to play Baulders Gate as well but I probably will wait until its on sale lol
B
2023-10-25 15:07:50 +0000 UTC
