Holy Crap Guys it's been a month since I posted. My bad. I meant to be more regular with this although - March was not a big media consumption month. A few real gems, but not a huge glut of backlog to talk about.
3.5.22 - Can't Buy Me Love - Jonathan Gould (Book) - If you want to read one book about The Beatles - it's this one. Gould spent years and years writing this book and it shows - this is the book about The Beatles I'd been looking for for years. Of particular note is that this book is a bio of the group in great detail, but also spends a TON of time discussing the social, musical and historical context in which the Beatles entered and proceeded to reign supreme for a decade. There were a couple chapters - in a book about the Beatles - that didn't mention the Beatles at all. I've always wanted to know more about the context surrounding them, and here it is in absolutely terrific detail. Gould also goes into a lot of depth for each song - the sections which go almost track-by-track through the Beatles' albums had me listening while reading in a sort of music-commentary sort of hodge podge that was really enjoyable.
3.5.22 - Tick Tick Boom (Movie) - I'll never be a Rent fan, so by extent the figure and story of composer Jonathan Larsen doesn't hold any real emotional depth for me, but this is still a good movie. Props to Lin Manuel Miranda in his directorial debut for making a fine film. Real props to Andrew Garfield, his performance really sold this movie for me. A lot of the tunes are absolutely forgettable, but a few of them are real gems. Took me 2 weeks to get 30/90 out of my head.
3.8.22 - Breaking Bad Season 1 (TV) - Time to finally begin the rewatch. It's been what, over 7 years since I started this show, and very interesting to step back for a rewatch of what was really my first step into the New Golden Age of 21st Century Television. I remember so much of the show - maybe not the order in which things happen, but almost every scene is a familiar old friend. My measuring stick has certainly changed by all the TV I've watched since then. Season One holds up so well - what a pilot episode, what exquisite world building in these first few episodes - but I'm a little more critical of clunky dialogue or flat acting than I think I was 7-8 years ago. Doesn't make this show any less of a banger. I can't wait for more.
3.11.22 - End of Watch - Stephen King (Book) - Stephen King's first real detective-hero-trilogy comes to an end as we read the final chapter of the Bill Hodges series. This final installment stands on its own but connects so thoroughly to the first book it's remarkable as I think back how much an aberration the second book feels now. Not that the second book was bad it was just totally unconnected to the "main villain" of 1 and 3. I will miss Bill Hodges, he was a great character to ride along with, but I'm pleased to know that his sidekick Holly is getting her own ongoing trilogy/series that I can look forward to reaching before too long.
3.18.22 - Turning Red (Movie) - Pixar makes another great movie. This one - like Encanto but even more so - I can look at and acknowledge as Good Movies, Well Made, and Saying Important Things - but just Things that Do Not Connect With Me Personally On Almost Any Level. So - a good movie, but not that I will be really musing on further.
3.19.22 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Movie) - Tarantino does it again! After waiting for two years I finally get around to this epic. Very enjoyable from start to finish. The various threads all hold great interest, and Leo DiCaprio really surprised me in places with his character. Classic Tarantino to rewrite history at the end re: the Sharon Tate murders (or lack thereof) - I didn't even know he was going full revisionist until we got there and then it was just a wild Act 5 rollercoaster that couldn't have ended any better for me.
3.20.22 - West Side Story (Movie) - Watched this with the family and enjoyed it a great deal. I knew before, but really drove home for me again what a strong nostalgic connection I have to the music of this story after growing up listening to the OBC soundtrack over and over and over. I still say that about 1/3 of the music I just absolutely don't care for, but the pieces that are good are just BANGERS. And what a beautifully shot movie, gorgeous cinematography and Spieilberg really nailed every aspect on this one. A well deserved Oscar win for Ariana Debose as Anita.
3.25.22 - Breaking Bad Season 2 (TV) - Season 2 - immediate hot take - is this the weakest season? We're past the crazy highs of kicking things off, but we're not to full Bad Guy Gangster Walt yet - this season just has SO MUCH family drama and I tire of that sometimes after a while. Jesse's season long arc with Jane is good and necessary but it's far from my favorite arcs of the story. Still a lot of great moments, and the appearances of Gus and Saul lay the foundation for the goodness I know is coming next.
4.2.22 - The Alpinest (Documentary) - A documentary about the alpine climbing of Marc-Andre LeClerc, a mountain climbing wonderchild who made some crazy ascents and built quite a rep in the climbing community in his early 20s. I knew the end of the story in brief, but what a real tragedy in how his story ends, truly bittersweet the filmmakers got the chance to close his story so definitively in the work.
