Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: October 2022
Added 2022-10-26 16:00:14 +0000 UTCAlan:
Hey Heroes!
It’s been an absolutely insane month, what with a large Cinema Therapy shoot, FanX in SLC, finalizing post on Moonstruck, and doing prep and shooting Body of Work (Sophie’s short that I produced and AD’d.) So yeah, not as long a list this time.
What I’m reading!
- Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson. My current favorite fantasy author (and almost neighbor!) writes a sci-fi series about space fighter pilots? Couldn’t possibly be more happy about it. But I have bad news: It’s not a trilogy, there’s going to be another book at least. And worse!!!The film rights haven’t been available for awhile. Unsurprising, but still kinda sad for me. That being said, reading these has actually pushed me to develop an idea I’ve sort of had in my back pocket for about 15 years, and I think I might have cracked how to make a good story out of it.
- I haven’t had time to read anything else besides script revisions and scheduling/budgeting documents for Body of Work. It’s been a VERY busy time.
What I’m watching!
- Megan and I have been watching Reboot on Hulu. It’s a very inside-baseball show about creating and running a TV sitcom. It actually gets a lot of things pretty right, which is weird to see in a TV show about TV shows. (Most movies about movies sell a fantasy of what movies are.) I’m curious what people would think who aren’t involved in the day-to-day. It’s also pretty raunchy, so fair warning, but the cast is *chef’s kiss*.
- I’ve done my once-every-2-to-3 years rewatch of the Lord of the Rings Appendices. Yeah. The 18-hour-long BTS documentary about making the LotR trilogy. Those documentaries are legitimately what pushed me over the edge into wanting to be a filmmaker. I get the itch to watch them every now and then, mainly for nostalgia at this point. I felt such a sense of discovery when watching them the first time. Now they’re just comfort food.
Bonus Content!!!
- Finally got around to starting Jedi: Fallen Order on PS5. I love the Uncharted games, and since this is basically just Star Wars Uncharted, I’m really enjoying it so far. Still a ways to go, but it’s fun!
And…
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
I'm actually taking the month off of reading to enjoy a vacation with my family, but I have been watching a lot of movies! I rewatched Stargate (1994) for the first time in a long time, but it was a staple of my adolescence and it holds up well. Working my way through the Pirates of the Caribbean films again and watched Halloween (1978) and David Gordon Green's follow-up trilogy for the first time ever. Jaime-Lee Curtis is amazing! Also, 1956 The Mummy with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing is great fun.
What have you been watching and reading this month?
Comments
I love that you watch the Lotr Bts, it was also hugely inspiring to me. Not to direct, but to get into animation! 😊
Yani Dodge
2022-12-01 18:50:33 +0000 UTCI love audiobooks. I'm currently working through a list of books I was assigned in high school and colleges, that I either didn't read (because I like reading for pleasure, not by assignment) or I did read but hated (because it was an assignment.) I know there was a lot of of great literature, but my bitterness at *needing* to read it, I didn't get the beauty. I just finished Animal Farm (which I LOVED), next up is Of Mice and Men. Other titles include such greats as 1984, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Color of Water, Fahrenheit 541, The Great Gatsby, To Kill A Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Scarlet Letter, The Catcher in the Rye, Slaughterhouse 5.
Jennifer Sherman
2022-11-30 18:13:46 +0000 UTCYeah I tend to read multiple books I like to mix it up. I usually always read one art book to expand my art knowledge, two or one fantasy, and maybe 1 real life or different genre haha
KrissyArtist
2022-11-02 19:12:38 +0000 UTCKrissy, if that's crazy, I'm certifiable. I'm currently reading 4 books, and that's pretty normal for me.
Alan Seawright
2022-11-02 18:46:20 +0000 UTCMy partner had me watch Interstellar last night, and I'm still recovering from how heavy it was. I definitely wasn't prepared! I won't watch it again for a long time because its too heavy for my taste, but it written SO WELL. I've been reading a lot of Queer Graphic Novels, and I'm loving it!
Opal Evergreen
2022-10-31 19:53:20 +0000 UTCHi :) I’m re-reading ‘The City, Not Long After’ by Pat Murphy; I’m enjoying it a lot. It was written back in 1989, but is eerily relevant. And I just watched ‘Hi My Name is Doris’ last night? I laughed SO hard. Very relatable 😂
Lucy
2022-10-31 02:14:24 +0000 UTCYeah, that;s true I think. A Quiet Place reminds me of Signs in both tone and in themes, and in the excellence of the supporting cast. Where it becomes next level is in the introduction of near silence as a character, and in the starting point of the film. Most alien films stress the build up to an invasion, not what happens after the aliens have moved into the neighborhood. That seemed very novel and interesting to me. What do you do when "Evil" has already moved in? How do you cope, how do you help those around you cope? How do you hold on to your humanity?
LISAMACnCHEESE
2022-10-30 21:30:16 +0000 UTCHonestly, a lot of my favorite books are technically geared toward a younger audience. But they're just so well written and such good stories! A good story is a good story, and if it's "for" kids, then that just means people of more ages get to enjoy it. :)
Cinema Therapy
2022-10-30 18:19:13 +0000 UTCA Quiet Place really is fantastic. It plays more like a family drama set in a horror movie than a horror movie. I think that's why a lot of people who don't typically like horror still like this one.
Cinema Therapy
2022-10-30 18:16:44 +0000 UTCI love Brandon Sanderson's work, and Stargate! That'd be a neat movie to talk about, since it spawned the forgotten cousin in the Star Trek/Wars debate.
Jessie West
2022-10-29 18:13:53 +0000 UTCI watched A Quiet Place after I saw the Cinema Therapy review. WOW. I don't do horror but this was something else entirely. LOVED the end. Scared to watch the sequel cuz worried it won't be as good.
LISAMACnCHEESE
2022-10-29 02:26:41 +0000 UTCComedic actors can ALWAYS do drama well. Dramatic actors in comedies... Different story.
Cinema Therapy
2022-10-28 21:13:38 +0000 UTCMary Robinette Kowal is legit! Have loved her stuff for years.
Cinema Therapy
2022-10-28 21:13:02 +0000 UTCTypically I watch as much Cosmic horror as I can around October, I recommend The Void: which is classic 80s, campey, gore-y, reality warping, cosmic horror! Lot's of practical effects that were so good but gross so I didn't that but its a part of the story so. The Endless: not nearly as gore-y but definitely reality warping and really neatly done as it was pretty low budget if I recall correctly. Color out of Space: Nic Cage actually works in this film, and its beautiful and disturbing. Really good cosmic horror vibes and Lovecraftian (duh he wrote the short story) and the sense of unable to comprehend what it is and what it wants. In The Mouth of Madness: an old one but so good. Lots of practical effects awesome premise and of course reality warping. One film that doesn't really fit but still liked was Come True, its a weird one that is heavily influenced by Carl Jung's work and is a sci-fi horrorish story. The ending was a choice but still recommend watching. Despite that it still worth watching and it has some really neat effects (the laundromat scene stands out as one of these scenes) and visually awesome.
Aurora Maplefury
2022-10-27 16:00:59 +0000 UTCBeen watching through the anime series My Dress Up Darling and Yu Yu Hakusho and next up on the list is Komi Can’t Communicate. I also have been watching more of Mighty Ducks Game Changers as well as Tales of the Jedi and also watched Black Adam recently As for readings, I will eventually get to reading Visual Storyteling by Morgan Sandler (Fun fact: The author was my instructor for a summer course back when I was in school in ‘15)
Matt
2022-10-26 19:16:52 +0000 UTCHey Gang I am currently reading two books at once right now which I no is crazy. I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker and Fairy Tales by Stephen King both are great so far. I've also been studying and reading books on the human anatomy. I also take figure drawing classes at a studio in utah on Sundays.I've been watching halloween movies of course like Corpse Bride, Hocus Pocus, Pet Semetery, others. Tv wise I've been watching House of the Dragon and The new season of Hell's Kitchen with the parents. Gaming wise I've been playing gears of war with my dad. I am currently waiting for The Witcher 3 4k edition to come out so I can replay that. Jono since your a fan of fantasy I highly recommend thr witcher book series it's fantastic! That's about it with me! Hope everyone is doing well and has a great halloween!
KrissyArtist
2022-10-26 18:03:38 +0000 UTCI haven’t been reading much but I recently watched Punch-Drunk Love and really dug it. It’s weird to take Adam Sandler seriously but he was so good in it! Hoping to watch Blow Out soon since it’s pretty much what lead to John Travolta’s role in Pulp Fiction and his 90s comeback.
Andrew Feistner
2022-10-26 17:33:05 +0000 UTCHey gang! I’m currently still reading Dracula (October has been a slow month for Dracula Daily) I finished Gideon the Ninth and have moved on to Harrow the Ninth, and I am very sad lol I haven’t been watching anything, but I’ve been getting back into Magic the Gathering and Overwatch, which has been fun :)
Steven S
2022-10-26 17:28:54 +0000 UTCI've been reading the Ascendence Series by Jennifer A. Nielsen. It may be for younger readers but I think it's well written and has an awesome plot twist. And as an aspiring filmmaker it's actually become the number one thing I'd like to adapt into a film series.
Kate Larson
2022-10-26 16:46:21 +0000 UTCI’m playing Disneyland Adventures on Xbox. Fallen Order is a GREAT game. Your post now makes me want to consider Uncharted
Lauren Wagstaff
2022-10-26 16:42:03 +0000 UTCI read The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (not my taste, I'm not a space person when it comes to novels, but she's an excellent writer and writing teacher(. Just watched Black Widow over the weekend.
Ayesha Ali
2022-10-26 16:32:53 +0000 UTC
