Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: May 2024
Added 2024-05-29 15:00:09 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hello Heroes!
May! Sooooo much happened this month! We’re making progress with Ashes to Ashes (CT Studios 2024 film!) and we got to go on a super-secret trip to PIXAR to meet people, have our minds blown, and watch their new movie! It’s really good, surprise.
What I’m reading!
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls - by Peter Biskind. Dude has an axe to grind with blockbuster filmmaking. Like, his conclusion is basically: the '70s were the only good time to make a movie in America, but only if it was an angry, bleak, esoteric look at characters people don’t like. Jaws and Star Wars ruined cinema, and Steven Spielberg is an idiot. So I have a hard time taking the rest of his reporting at his word, since his conclusions are so bonkers. But it’s got loads of fun stories in it!
Dark Age - by Pierce Brown. I thought this series of Roman-Empire-In-Space books was going to wrap up, but it turns out he’s writing at least two more of them. They’re pretty bleak, and this one was a bit of a slog, if I’m honest. I mean, in most stories, especially epic-heroism stories, you need to hurt your characters, but this just felt gratuitous.
What I’m watching!
The Fall Guy. What a fun movie! It had tons of inside jokes for film crews, but (I’m assured by friends who have nothing to do with filmmaking) it was just an approachable action romance if you don’t know all the movie esoterica. But also: MORE Action Romances! Loved it. Wish it made more at the box office so we could get more movies like this.
Furiosa. I went in with high expectations, though not expecting the same level of masterpiece that we got with Mad Max: Fury Road. And you know what… it delivered! It’s not as “good” as Fury Road, but it’s an excellent prequel, which is REALLY hard to do. I hate direct prequels. They almost never add anything or do things well with the characters. This was GREAT. I wish it made more at the box office so we could get more movies like this.
Speed Racer (first time on the big screen) I’ve seen this movie something like 10 times, but I missed it in theaters in 2008, so this was my virgin big-screen experience. It did NOT disappoint! Lots of fans, and some new fans of the movie. We all laughed, cried, and cheered at the correct moments. It’s such a crowd-pleasing film. I LOVED it. Wish it made more at the box office so we could get more movies like this.
Geez, do I just have really weird taste? Or do people like the same things I like, but no one goes to the movies anymore? Is my entire life’s ambition meaningless, because people don’t care about going to the movies, so I should just give up on the entire artform, and make TikTok videos instead? How depressing.
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hey all! How was May for you? With summer movie season kicking off, I've been out to the theater quite a bit. LOVED The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and am super sad it's underperforming, because holy crap is that a perfect date move! The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was a solid continuation of that series, even if it did feel a lot like it was setting the table for an even-better couple of films in a new trilogy.
Alan and I caught Furiosa together, and while it doesn't match Mad Max: Fury Road (and in fairness, is smart enough not to try) it's still very good. It does what a prequel ought to do, which is enrich the film(s) it's setting up even more. I do feel that Fury Road is now an even better film with the context of Furiosa, which is a banger of an action movie in its own right. Anya-Taylor Joy crushes it, and Chris Hemsworth needs to do more villains!
My kids went to see If without me, but they all want to go again, so I'll let you know what I think once that happens.
I'm taking a break from clinical reading to enjoy the original trilogy of Star Wars novels. Super fun to read the original context/backstory George Lucas had in mind and see the ways it's evolved over time.
What about you lovely folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
Thanks for the insight, Alan. I have never watched any of the Mad Max movies because the first one always put me off the franchise. I'm glad to know that I'll be in for an interesting "ride" if I keep at it.
Allie-3-Cinco
2024-06-05 20:35:44 +0000 UTCBased on Alan's recommendation I saw 'Fall Guy' and it was AMAZING!!!!
Jeff Newsome
2024-06-03 14:47:43 +0000 UTCI really enjoyed Fall Guy once the dog got involved. It was good before that, just feels more fun once he got to bite some bad balls. Haven’t seen any other movies in theaters, want to see Furiosa at some point. Read Wildside by Steven Gould again and it was still enjoyable. Been bouncing around books, but mostly been listening to the I Think Not podcast.
Angelina
2024-06-01 05:02:14 +0000 UTCMad Max is the weakest (imo) of the films. Beyond Thunderdome is weird, but I like it for the weirdness. Mad Max II is STILL one of the best action movies ever made, and Fury Road is one of the best FILMS ever made. Love the series as a whole, and there isn't a miss (for me) in any of the individual movies. Absolutely wild time.
Alan Seawright
2024-05-31 14:22:20 +0000 UTCHonestly, at this point, most people's home TVs are big enough that I don't even think about it differently anymore. I just shoot for the cinema, and that's that. I do wonder if people just got trained to stay home more, and aren't venturing out as much? Or if it's a larger cultural shift. Weird, whatever it is.
Alan Seawright
2024-05-31 14:19:39 +0000 UTCDon't get me wrong. I LIKED Dark Age. I just LOVED all the other books in the series. Kind of a lot of table-setting. But it was good!
Alan Seawright
2024-05-31 14:17:17 +0000 UTCIt's TOUGH with little kids. We started taking ours to the theater as 2-3 yr olds, and taught them how to be quiet during a movie (except laughs, shrieks, and cheers, of course). I didn't realize it at the time, but I guess that was work? I'm just weirded out by all their friends now that they're 9-14 yrs old, who don't know how to watch a damn movie.
Alan Seawright
2024-05-31 14:15:55 +0000 UTCI also found "dark age" to be a bit of a slog, took a break from the series, at least for a while. You should check out "The Fifth Season" by NK Jemison. It's not bright and happy but all the hard actually goes somewhere - much closer to the first 3 of Red Rising but also written in several different tenses and stuff which is a good time.
Nova Villmark
2024-05-31 05:03:54 +0000 UTCI am so behind in movie watching right now. I JUST watched Cruella and Hidden Figures (told you I was late). Both good movies, but Hidden Figures was soon gooood! I will have to make my kids watch it with me. I have read 63 books this year (if you include my Anatomy and Physical Therapy textbooks). So I am on a "break" from reading. I did finish Christmasland by Anne Marie Meyers. The are making it into a Hallmark type movie right now and she was on set and posting to her FB, so I had to read the book.
CydneeBee
2024-05-30 13:31:28 +0000 UTCI just watched Dune 1 and 2. I also finished watching Bob❤️Abishola. Currently watching Mad Max, which I have never seen, I'm going to watch the rest of the movies from that franchise just so I can get caught up. So far I'm not impressed with Mad Max though. I read, A Girl Named Samson by Amy Harmon. I'm currently reading The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia. It's a bit depressing so far and I have to take breaks from reading it. I'm also reading Starsight by Brandon Sanderson as a palate cleanser when I take breaks from the other novel. In the nonfiction section I'm reading Brain Power by Dr. Christopher M. Palmer, M.D. he has some interesting theory on how mental illness can possibly be a metabolic disease..
Allie-3-Cinco
2024-05-30 06:06:23 +0000 UTCI’ve been making my way through a book called Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimura for a group at church that’s really good, would like your guys’ opinions on it. Also been starting to read The Silmarillion. With film, I was trying to find inspiration for my own writing of a thing and decided to watch Before Sunrise for the first time time and it was so good! Also watched IF (enjoyed), Ghandi (less enjoyed and more respected), Godzilla x Kong (much dumb fun and I love Dan Stevens who is also great in Abigail), and Legends of the Fall (thematically strong but hard to truly grasp in the moment). Been playing Dragon Age Origins for the first time and doing off and on affair with Helldivers 2 on the side. Someday I’ll actually get to all the games that keep piling on my backlog and just not buy anymore games after this year, which I said last year.
Andrew Feistner
2024-05-29 23:38:08 +0000 UTCOh, I have another suggestion of a movie with Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, and Regé-Jean Page has a small part, Sylvie’s Love from 2020. I thought it was excellent.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
2024-05-29 23:33:05 +0000 UTCI’ve been watching series. I loved Sugar with Colin Farrell. It harkens back to Film Noir with a twist. I hope they do a second season. I just watched Queen Charlotte and loved it. Talk about great fictional relationships! I’m reading a historical/fantasy series based on the ancient Hittite Empire at the time of Ramases II by Judith Starkston. The first one is titled Priestess of Ishana. Oh, and we watched American Fiction. Great movie and performances.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
2024-05-29 22:38:29 +0000 UTCDark age was rough for me too! I loved the original trilogy a lot but I struggled to read this one. However My friends tell me the next book Lightbringer is like a reward for making it through dark age.
Graham Clawson
2024-05-29 18:24:22 +0000 UTCWatched Kung Fu Panda 4 (released later here in the UK.) Which at the time I thought was decent and funny enough, but then I went back and watched the original trilogy again (and then the CTs on them) and it somewhat soured my view. It's still fine enough, but lacks the depth and heart of the first three. Of course, it *did* make enough money at the box office being tied to a franchise, which is a shame compared to the ones you mentioned, Alan. Comparatively, I played and finished Spiderman: Miles Morales which, for what could have been a rushed-out cash-in on the original, was very enjoyable and felt worthy of its own release
MrWishart
2024-05-29 18:06:44 +0000 UTCI haven't been able to consume much media with my schedule lately. That said, seeing Speed Racer again as an adult with way more perspective under my belt at my ripe old age, I appreciated so much *more* about it, and happily walked back several of my gripes. I first saw it at an age where anime was new and niche here, and we fans were protective over it because it was all we had. I came away angry, and with a migraine and nausea. Now, I can pick up so much more nuance and so many more great choices in it. I do still think the physical pacing of some things needs to ironically slow down to impact the viewer more, and some of the art choices were more "What if we made a movie of the Hot Wheels tracks we couldn't afford as kids?" than Speed Racer, but I picked up a lot more moments that were MORE series-accurate than I gave them credit for. The one thing I always defended and still adore is the casting. Spritle was a bit off from his original but otherwise, everyone looked like they came straight from the animated series, and not just from hair and makeup. I've never seen such a perfect cast. And the Mach 5 is still one of the most beautiful cars ever. Period. 🏎️✨
Smidge
2024-05-29 18:03:23 +0000 UTCTo Alan: Everything comes around again. I can see "not going to the movies" as a nonpermanent thing, as humanity figures its manure out and either remembers the good things about BC (before Covid) or revives some of them like fondue parties at some point. I think some eras may be more extroverted and others more introverted, if that makes sense, and people seem to be rethinking an awful lot of the outer-oriented stuff right now -- think baking sourdough and quiet quitting. And in the meantime, "not going to the movies" doesn't mean "not watching movies," it just means creators might need to think in a different aspect ratio for a while. Watercolor and acrylic are both painting, but you do one "backwards" from the other. People can still enjoy the art, as long as it's executed well for what it is. Which yours will be, we have no doubt. :-) I don't have the skill or training to understand what would make a film optimized for home-viewing instead of a screen the size of a tiny home, but YOU might. Dreams are like kids -- you can have ideas for and about them, but if they're healthy they also have ideas about themselves. There are...how many people here and on YT?...who support both you and your life's ambition, even if neither of those turn out quite like you expected.
Cat DeMira
2024-05-29 17:11:07 +0000 UTCI’ve been stress-reading the book for my book circle, as I just started way too late 😅 it’s called ”the last of the wild horses” (by Maja Lunde), but was definitely more about people and humanity than horses (luckily, for me). While it was a lot to take in in a short time, it was very good. I always like a book that makes me hate and love mankind at the same time 🤷🏼♀️ Haven’t watch much tv or movies, but planning to check out the fall guy.
Sara Wagiström
2024-05-29 15:51:23 +0000 UTCI'm in the middle of Iron Gold by Pierce Brown so I'm a little nervous now because Dark Age is next! My nonfiction read is The Religion of American Greatness by Paul Miller, basically a religious/political theory book to dig into why Christian nationalism is so bad. Saw Unfrosted which we thought was very funny - my husband said it knew exactly what it was and leaned in hard. I'm also rewatching Madam Secretary for like the 6th time because I LOVE that show so much.
Lydia Hartzler
2024-05-29 15:28:58 +0000 UTCHaters gonna hate 🤣.
SaucyJTD
2024-05-29 15:23:35 +0000 UTCOh, and how could I forget going through the YouTube archives? There are so many wonderfully cheesy short films and skits to watch 🤣. Jono as Draco killed me the other day hahaha.
SaucyJTD
2024-05-29 15:22:17 +0000 UTCWatching: I saw Fall Guy in theaters, and LOVED it, too! The whole time I watched it, all I could think of was how I couldn't wait to see you guys talk about it. There's no way you won't, after all. Stunts galore, hilarious romance scenes, accountability kinks everywhere, karaoke, and excellent needle drops? Yes, it is an absolutely fantastic movie! I really want more people to watch A friend of mine came to visit, and I finally watched Barbie as well as Saltburn. I enjoyed both for two very different reasons. Barbie was extremely entertaining, and far more a thoughtful movie than I thought it would be. We watched the CT episode on it immediately after watching it. Saltburn is definitely not something that would be covered on the show, though I’ll admit that I enjoyed laughing and cursing my friend loudly for having us watch it. I saw the ending coming from a mile away, but the one-take ending was definitely fantastic. My husband was properly traumatized, and will never trust anything my friend recommends again, and questions everything that we enjoy together now LOL. Reading: I’ll be honest, I’ve slowed down in reading this last month. Still reading through the Zodiac Academy books, but I’m really just doing so because I want to see it end at this point now. I bought Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, so I’ll read through that as a palette cleanser this upcoming month. Love that you guys do these!
SaucyJTD
2024-05-29 15:17:50 +0000 UTCTo be honest Alan, we never go to the movies anymore. I get a lot of movie recomendations from you then wait until the library has it. Maybe we'll get back into theater going when we don't have toddlers...
Sadie
2024-05-29 15:17:13 +0000 UTCI've been reading John Jackson Miller's The Living Force, which is a novel set before Episode I. That's a fun setting to learn more about since the Jedi in that movie especially weren't explored in much depth.
Ben Sheppard
2024-05-29 15:07:51 +0000 UTCSteven Spielberg is an idiot? Error, does not compute…
Lauren Frey
2024-05-29 15:07:11 +0000 UTC
