Hello, friends!

I haven’t really reviewed the content I’ve consumed for the past few months. This is partially because all my days, weeks, and months have bled together. This is also because part of me still thinks we’re in March. And this is also because I have felt too weird lately to do anything but idly consume content.

Because I’ve missed out on these posts, I can’t even remember half the content I’ve consumed lately. So I’ve decided to make a post about all my favorites from the past three months. Let’s dive in.

to read

“Rikki Tikki Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling

In my copy of The Jungle Book, which I mentioned in my February post, there are several short stories by the author, including “Rikki Tikki Tavi.” I’ve never been a huge consumer of short stories, but this one intrigued me because I loved the cartoon short when I was little. Turns out, I love this short story, too! It was just like the cartoon, down to the narration, the dialogue, and the images. I felt like I was watching the cartoon in my head as I was reading. The little bit of nostalgia made me really happy.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

I have been a fan of Susan’s for a long time, specifically since I met her at Dragon*Con in 2016 during a YA writing panel. I’ve followed her social media and newsletter since then, and I recently got the first book in her Witchlands series.

I started this in March, got about halfway through, but got distracted from it by the comforting embrace of television, so I am still not technically finished. But I wanted to mention it because I think it’s awesome.

The worldbuilding in this series is so vast and detailed, from the intricacies of the magic system to the depth of culture in each setting. The story and characters are fascinating, and the writing style is exceptional. It’s easy to read, like YA tends to be, but still has profound moments of beautiful language that punctuate every scene. I will definitely be finishing it soon and continuing the series as I can.

to watch (tv)

Schitt’s Creek

I watched this whole show (at least the seasons available on Netflix) in about two weeks. My girlfriend Ray started watching it while I was in Austin, so by the time I came back, she was already in season 3. I watched seasons 3-5 with her, then went back and watched the first 2 seasons to get context. An unconventional way to watch but still remarkably entertaining.

This show is hilarious and clever and heartwarming. It thrives on absurdity and secondhand embarrassment, but still manages to have beautiful character arcs and relationships. It’s a very quick watch, and one I would highly recommend. I haven’t seen the final season yet, but I just know it’ll be bittersweet to see this show come to an end.

Disney Fairytale Weddings

I watched the most recent season of Disney Fairytale Weddings on Disney+. This show is always a little wild, seeing the extravagance that some couples go to for their weddings. Every wedding is an extreme display of grandiosity with a special surprise (usually a celebrity performer). Still, it’s a fun form of escapism, and it’s nice to dream. Plus, this season featured a lesbian couple that touched my heart.

Peaky Blinders

I finally finished season 4 of Peaky Blinders and watched season 5. This season was much more political than past seasons have been. Also, I think we’re seeing the deterioration of Tommy Shelby in what I expect will be a tragic ending for him by the conclusion of the show. There is scheduled to be 2 more seasons, so I hope they don’t drag out the show longer than it can sustain itself. Regardless, I enjoyed this season and am always ready for more.

Too Hot to Handle

Honestly, I find reality shows like this to be super entertaining. Love Island has been one of my guilty pleasures for over a year now. I watched Too Hot to Handle, 1) because I thought it would be entertaining, and 2) because I actually went to school with one of the contestants. I attended middle and high school with Haley and was really interested to see her role in the show. And what a role it was.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this show. The premise is that the contestants have to make connections without having any form of physical intimacy. Any romantic or sexual action is punished with a deduction to the prize money for the whole group. Because of these stipulations, the show was surprisingly wholesome. The contestants worked on emotional connection and spiritual enrichment instead of immediate physical gratification. So I honestly recommend it!

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Perhaps most importantly, I rewatched one of my favorite series of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender. This was one of my favorite shows as a child and continues to be fantastic. As soon as it came to Netflix, I made Ray watch it with me and we finished it in a couple days.

Avatar stays one of the most diverse, empowering, and enriching stories of all time. Check it out if you’ve never seen it or haven’t watched it in a while. You’ll love it.

to watch (cinema)

The Jungle Book (1967)

After reading the original Mowgli stories by Rudyard Kipling, I wanted to compare them to the movie, which was one of my favorites growing up. Because the original book was just a bunch of short stories featuring the same characters, the movie is obviously different. The movie does use a lot of the same scenes and themes from the original, but strings them together into a coherent plot. As Disney often does, the movie changes characters to fit a certain type (such as making Kaa an adversary of Mowgli’s, rather than a neutral party that allies with him). The movie also focuses almost entirely on Mowgli’s journey to rejoin humanity, whereas the stories see him spending most of his time with humans instead of animals. This makes sense from a storytelling perspective and allows the characters more room for development.

The movie may not be exactly like the original stories, but it’s still a very enjoyable children’s classic. Definitely more accessible to a younger age range than the original.

Frozen 2

As soon as Frozen 2 came to Disney+, I was ready to watch it. I didn’t see it in theaters because money, but I was still excited to watch, especially given all the good reviews I’d heard. I was so impressed with this movie! The songs were even better than the first one, in my opinion, and I felt the storyline was much more compelling. Plus the animation was so beautiful. Tears were shed over this film. Highly recommend.

Booksmart

I’ve talked about this movie before, as I saw it last summer during Pride Month. But when I saw it was available on Hulu, I really wanted to rewatch it. Once again, I was in love with the balance of wit and heart this movie has. It’s definitely one of my favorite coming of age movies, by far.

Sing

Another rewatch, but such a fun, lighthearted film. I think it’s adorable and heartfelt, and the music is great. Plus, Taron Egerton sings “I’m Still Standing” as a preview to his role as Elton John.

Rocketman

And this one has Taron Egerton singing “I’m Still Standing” as Elton John. Rocketman is probably one of my favorite movies, and rewatching it during quarantine really solidified its status. It does a genius job of telling a frame story with chronological flashbacks and integrating Elton John’s music into his life story in a musical fashion that makes sense for his persona and his lifestyle. Taron Egerton is so talented in this role, further exhibiting his range as an actor. I could go on for days about this movie, but suffice it to say it’s fantastic. and I cannot recommend it enough.

to listen

Possession by Joywave

This album is amazing. As a concept, it’s lyrically and thematically profound. The sound and production are immaculate. Give it a listen.

Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa

I was skeptical about this album, because I wasn’t super impressed with all of Dua Lipa’s singles off her first album. But I was too quick in my judgement. This album absolutely bops and has been my go-to album for the past month.

Heartbreak Weather by Niall Horan

I won’t lie, I’m usually not a fan of male pop singers. I think their sound is generic and their lyrics are lacking. But, as a former One Direction stan, I knew I had to give Niall a chance. It’s not my favorite album, by any means, but it’s enjoyable easy-listening, and there area few songs I really like. So Niall, you have my shrugging approval.

anti-favorites

So just for kicks, I wanted to mention some content I consumed that I didn’t love. This post is about the memorable stories from quarantine, and these anti-favorites were pretty memorable, if not the best.

Edge of Seventeen

After some girls sitting next to me on the plane ride back from Austin started watching this movie, I thought it looked funny. And it was funny! But I also found it to be a bit much. It was trying too hard to be edgy and real and lost some of its charm in doing so. Not a film to watch with family either. I will say Woody Harrelson is a delight and frankly carries the comedy on his back. But overall, I was kind of disappointed by this movie. I think Booksmart does a much better job of balancing humor and heart.

Midsommar

I saw so much hype about how cinematic and beautiful Midsommar was, and I was honestly intrigued. But this movie is far too graphic to be enjoyable for me. I just wanted a creepy, culty horror movie, but instead it was overwhelmingly gory. The concept was interesting, the characters were unique, and the story development was impressive. It was probably cinematically astounding, but I really couldn’t tell because I found myself barely able to watch half the film. It was simply too much for me. The flower dress was the only redeemable part.

Snowpiercer

Similar to Midsommar, this movie was too much. I appreciated the class commentary and the cinematic choices, but it was just gratuitously violent at times. I have more respect for this movie, just because of its social awareness, but I would not watch it again.

Tiger King

Maybe this is controversial, but Tiger King is one of my anti-favorites. It isn’t that I didn’t enjoy this show or that I wasn’t one of the many simultaneously fascinated and repelled by the cast. But the fan culture surrounding this show is so weird to me. People think Joe Exotic should be released from prison, when he definitely tried to assassinate a woman. Not only that, but there’s plenty of evidence of mistreatment at his zoo, plus he obviously groomed multiple vulnerable young men into marrying him, creating unhealthy situations from which those men later felt the need to escape.

I also find it shocking that the same people who think Joe Exotic should be released from prison are also convinced Carole Baskin killed her husband. Personally, I don’t think she did, but regardless, I don’t understand how you can watch this show and fixate on and villainize the woman Joe tried to kill. But hey, maybe it’s the misogyny. Like I said, very weird culture surrounding the show.

Glee

I hadn’t watched Glee since high school, so I thought it would be fun to go back through it and see just how bad it was. I’ve never really thought of it as a good show, but I really did not remember how horrible it is. I’ve never done crack but watching this show is what I imagine it feels like. I made up a drinking game where the only rule is you take a sip anytime the show is problematic. And let me tell you, it only takes one episode to get somewhere. I got through season 1 and started season 2 before taking a break. Full of inappropriate humor, painfully dislikeable characters, and plot lines akin to an acid trip, this show is absurd, cringey, and a joyous guilty pleasure.

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As expected, this was a long post. I apologize for not posting about these stories as I enjoyed them (or didn’t), but I finally got it done. This June, I’m concentrating on educating myself on the Black American struggle, so I will post about what I learned next month. Until then, I recommend learning about the ways in which we can create a better future. Here are some resources:

A World Without Police

Defund 12

That’s all for now. If you made it this far, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!