May 2022 Recap : What Did I Read And Watch?
Because I don't have hobbies outside of media consumption.
I was in the process of writing an entirely different newsletter issue that had proven to be more time consuming than anticipated. As May came to a close, I did some reflection on the past month and realized… I have some things to address and comment on that I can’t imagine a better time to than the present.
FAQ : not j*ss?!?! What happened to your book club…???
Last month I announced The Not J*ss Book Club… anyways, that isn’t a thing anymore. I already “announced” this on twitter, but might as well lead with that. I did, however, read Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I do not have an entire page-length review to discuss. I thought it was good. I gave it 4 stars after all (full disclosure, if GoodReads wasn’t like… *gestures hand* that, I would’ve rated it a 3.5). I do quite like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style and how each of the books I’ve read of hers has had a distinct quality to them while still having obvious parallels and similarities (For example : entire characters existing within the same universe, but also just the fascination with celebrity lifestyle). On its own it does hold up, but I’d be lying if I wasn’t considering things I would’ve personally done differently if I had written the book. Character arcs, conflict, plot structure. It was there, but I do think with a different vision in how things were done, it could’ve been peak material and the best of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work yet. Basically, whoever has the rights to the series adaptation right now should just hand them over to me. Trust me, I have plans. I would go into plot details and actual in depth critiques, but you all had your chance to read it. It’s over now.
FAQ : Okay, not j*ss…. What have you been reading?
I’m thrilled you ask, person who frequently asked!
I almost never have time to read anymore, as I am employed. After I finished Malibu Rising I quickly got into Viola Davis’ newly released memoir Finding Me.
(Pictured above : Viola Davis’ Memoir Finding Me)
I am sure you know who Viola Davis is. She is a legend of film, television and stage (she has an Oscar, Emmy and a Tony and will be an EGOT winner soon, I promise you that!) I used to read memoirs frequently, almost too much, but have started to lean way more into fiction exclusively and then happen upon memoirs once in a while when they stand out to me. It deals with some rough topics, but Viola’s perspective and journey is very impactful and I love her so much. I will definitely recommend this and probably rate it highly when I finish.
In June I will be reading The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins because, one thing about me : wherever Rachel Zegler goes, I will be! And besides that I want to consume a lot of media with, by or for queer people.
FAQ : Okay, not j*ss, I don’t read. Obviously. I didn’t participate in your book club. What did you WATCH this month?
Rude, but okay… famously I watched all 21 of Meryl Streep’s Oscar nominations. I made a whole issue on it. It went C-list viral on Twitter! It was a lot of work, and it took up most of what I’ve watched this month because… it took up most of my month! But as a whole, I am happy I did it. I felt so Film Girl Coded after doing it. But also, since I made an entire newsletter on it, I will not be discussing it further right now. Go read it!
Outside of that, I watched a handful of things when I had or made time. Plus One (2019) was a surprisingly cute and lovely romcom for the Summertime and I would fully recommend it to anybody just searching for something that isn’t taxing on their psyche whatsoever. Maya Erskine was lovely, Jack Quaid made points for nepotism.
(Pictured above : Elizabeth Olsen in Doctor Strange 2)
I broke my Meryl binge to see Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022) in theaters. I am sure I don’t need to explain to you what that is. It hasn’t even been a month yet, but I do fear time for discourse and critically discussing it has passed us, and pretty much every opinion has been given… but I thought it was such a fun time in the theater. Structurally I wish it was done differently, actually I just wish the movie in general was done differently, in just about all ways…. But I was in the theater smiling! Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez and Rachel McAdams (who was once again wasted but at least she was in the movie) were just so great and Charlize Theron was in the mid credit scene, so I guess Marvel has me for at least one more Doctor Strange movie… I guess! I assume nobody cares at this point, but I think the movie should’ve moved events around a bit so that they could build up for the Wanda villain reveal to make it, not only more climactic but… so that the movie would have an actual arc to it, but I do quite enjoy the movie as it is. Unhinged Wanda being a superpowered slasher movie villain was a lovely time for me, what can I say. Also Wong is carrying the MCU a bit. A 3 out of 5 star film to me in the truest sense. Quite flawed, but I enjoyed myself.
I watched Senior Year (2022) starring Rebel Wilson on Netflix, the movie about the girl who was in a coma for two decades and woke up as Rebel Wilson who goes back to High School. Okay, you have to walk with me… but I did not hate it. It wasn’t anything… good, but it was such an unapologetic throwback to 2000s chick-flicks (complimentary, not derogatory) and the cast was so fun, that I truly couldn’t bring myself to dislike it. Rebel Wilson won.
Speaking of fun movies for the girls, Chip ‘n Dale : Rescue Rangers (2022) was kind of one of the funniest movies of the year? And Kiki Layne’s Oscar is already engraved, sorry to her competition!
Seeing Top Gun : Maverick (2022) in theaters in a room full of people twice my age was an experience, but it was more of an experience of self control because I had to physically hold myself back from cheering and screaming every time Danny Ramirez showed up on my screen. 10/10 would recommend.
Men was terrible and I think somebody should’ve intervened in its production. I actually quite like Alex Garland as a writer and director, but this was such a misguided film and I just don’t think I liked a single thing about it outside of thinking that if it had been a better film Jessie Buckley’s performance would rank among the masterclass performances in horror that we always discuss (Natalie in Black Swan, Daniel in Get Out, Toni in Hereditary, Lupita in Us, Florence in Midsommar - so on, so forth). I can’t even get involved in the plot or the detailed issues I had with it, because just typing about would be troubling to me. Do NOT engage with it, I swear. Just trust me!!
As for shows I’ve watched this month, I was so ecstatic for The Wilds season 2 to drop! And I was initially severely disappointed.
(Pictured above : My reaction to The Wilds season 2 upon first watch)
The general premise for season 1 was girls crash land on an island. There’s a huge twist at the end of season 1, I won’t spoil it, but season 2 (controversially to stan twitter) added boys who end up on an island, separated from girls. Get it? Got it? Good.
I was excited for season 2 for a number of reasons. I loved season 1! And I wasn’t mad at the inclusion of men because Alex Fitzalan was cast! (... not even going to say anything but… well!) The promo looked promising, and I do fear they had me a little hyped up for season 2… and when I actually got through it and watched it in entirety… it wasn’t all bad. But at first, I was miserable. I thought any scene involving the males were just very awkward and although there were scenes with the girls, they didn’t really have much to do. Even if you haven’t seen The Wilds, chances are you’ve heard about the main plotline involving an assault, which as a survivor, I personally wasn’t a huge fan of how it was done or handled. Unfortunately, it was basically the closest thing to a main plotline of the season. But it was basically just a filler season that is building up to a really good season 3, which I do hope happens. I still love all of the girls. Fatin is my favorite, of course, but I actually loved Leah this season which comes as a surprise to me. I actually like every single one of the girl characters a lot. Shelby and Toni endgame! The boys had moments where they grew on me, but in the end I can’t safely say I liked a single male character. Misandry? Perhaps. The actors were very good though. The actor who played Raf was a standout and of course Alex Fitzalan is so talented but he was playing the worst person in the world so I can’t say my excitement for him amounted to much payoff. I rated this 1.5 out of 5 on Serializd but since I want it to get a season 3, I will give it a 3 out of 5 and a recommendation to every single one of my readers!
I watched The Dropout starring Amanda Seyfried and I am almost done with The Girl From Plainville starring Elle Fanning and I’ve been watching The Staircase starring Toni Collette (all members of the blonde bitch brigade, one of my favorite brigades) weekly but I will not discuss a single thing about any of them here because the aforementioned time consuming newsletter I’m working on involves all three of those and I want to be mysterious and cool for a second. Like a secret project is incoming and you only get these hints as to what it could be.
(Pictured above : Maya Hawke and Natalia Dyer in Stranger Things 4, best girls ever!)
To follow up on shows I can’t discuss yet, I refuse to engage with Stranger Things season 4 in a critical manner until Volume 2 airs, but… I had fun watching Volume 1. I have my doubts in how everything will wrap up considering there’s just so… much there, but I guess I’ll wait and see. Millie Bobby Brown and Sadie Sink are very talented at what they do.
This Is Us’ final season ended in May and it broke me into 1000000 tiny pieces and put me back together again. My life will never be the same. Best show that has graced network television in years. Emmy’s for them all! Speaking of endings, The Flight Attendant season 2 aired, and Kaley Cuoco says she doesn’t see a season 3 happening, so I will count it here. The Flight Attendant is about an alcoholic flight attendant who is caught up in a murder that she did not commit. Both season 1 and season 2 have that general synopsis. I started out watching season 2 weekly but ultimately chose to just binge it when it ended. The characters carried this season, in my opinion. The story was very not serious to me but the character work got me through it all. I do fear that it has “should’ve just been a limited series” syndrome, but if it had to get a season 2…. I think they needed to work on the story on a fundamental level or just leave it as a character driven drama rather than upping the stakes. If it gets a season 3 I will probably watch it, because… Max and Annie are so cute!! I don’t know what to tell you, I love straight people!
I have nothing else to add, nor do I have a point to make. Happy pride month!
(Pictured above : Gay)
you could use storygraph instead of goodreads. it has .25, .5 and .75 star options
“pictured above: gay” love it 😭