Recommendation

Captain America: Civil War REVIEW

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This review is an emotional outpouring, so there will DEFINITELY be spoilers. If you want to go into Civil War with an empty mind, kindly wait to read this until after you go to the theater. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

#TeamCap

This movie was advertised as #TeamCap vs. #TeamIronMan, and from the beginning I knew which side I would be on. Even though Captain America was the world’s most boring superhero to me for much of Marvel’s first movies, he is now nearest and dearest to my heart. This is 100% because of CA: Winter Soldier, and in particular, the scene in which his rousing speech encourages Nameless Tech Guy to do The Right Thing despite having a gun to his head. His loyalty and optimism are MY JAM, and I will follow him to the end of the line.

The weird thing is, I don’t think the movie wants us to root for Iron Man. Tony Stark becomes increasingly paranoid and emotionally compromised throughout the film, and whatever good motives he had in the beginning quickly reveal themselves to be based in fear and anger. Plus it’s never a good sign when the people you’re aligning yourself with frequently refer to people as weapons (as the Secretary of State What’s His Name does about Scarlet Witch, the Hulk, AND Thor).  Gross.

Steve Rogers never forgets that people are people. I am in love with his ideology that commits to trusting in the best of people – even if he is let down by a person here or there (even to catastrophic results), he refuses to give up on believing that people are capable of change and of good. OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN.

The friend I went with is #TeamIronMan, and she joked that I was only on Cap’s side because he is hot. This is a ridiculous accusation, because absolutely everyone in this movie is hot, which brings me to…

Hot People!   Continue reading →

Game Rec: The Beginner’s Guide

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The Beginner’s Guide is a uniquely simple and emotional story-driven game about depression, anxiety, and the diseases of external validation and the impulse to “fix.”

Created By:  Davey Wreden
Initial release date: October 1, 2015
Platforms: Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Time to Complete:  about 1.5 hours
Cost:  $9.99

What begins as a game that traps you inside the twin feelings of depression and anxiety, inviting you to empathy and concern, ends with the realization that perhaps these emotions do not need to be fixed.  In the fictional world of The Beginner’s Guide, “Coda” invites “Davey” to play his impossible games – prisons without exits, mazes without solutions, codes that cannot be broken.  Davey keeps offering us solutions where none exist, and the twist that sets this game apart is his eventually realization that this is wrong.  Coda is not sharing the games (his pain, his creativity, his soul) in order to be fixed.  Coda just wants Davey to share in these experiences alongside him.   Continue reading →

Netflix Rec: What I Watched in April

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Netflix
Season 2

Honestly, this new season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the entire reason I renewed my subscription to Netflix.  The first season is one of my go-to feel-good TV shows, and its absurd humor is exactly tailored to mine.  I was mildly disappointed with the first half of season two, which felt disjointed and purposeless, but when the second half kicked in, I was hooked again!

This seasons’s strength is in its continued analysis of Kimmy’s traumatic life spending 15 years in a bunker with a deranged cult leader/probably rapist.  The fact that this show can make her PTSD (nervous burps, unintended violence when in intimate situations) funny without minimizing her pain is, quite frankly, astounding.  Massive shout out to Tina Fey for playing an incredibly insightful if wildly inappropriate boozy psychologist.

And while we’re on the topic of guest stars…Jeff Goldblum!  I have SUCH a massive crush on this stuttering giant of a man, so imagine my ecstatic delight when he showed up as a day time talk show psychologist who tries to pit Kimmy against fellow Indiana Mole Woman.  He is perfect in everything, THANK YOU for giving me more of him.

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And Jon Hamm!  While he wasn’t in this season quite as much as the last, that teaser at the end!!  I assume it’s promising us a lot more of him in the future.  And Lisa Kudrow as Kimmy’s mom!  I would never have thought to cast her, but they are undeniably mother/daughter in all the right weird and tragic ways.

I cannot talk about Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt without discussing Titus Andromedon, everybody’s favorite fierce gay black man.  He has an astounding ability to be hilarious through words, actions, and expressions.  This season he actually manages to mature a little without losing any of his distinctly Titus flavor.

Netflix Rec: What I Watched in March

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What’s Your Number?
2011
Rated R

Anna Faris and Chris Pratt are a celebrity dream couple (and their few scenes together in this movie are hilarious), but I’ve been largely unfamiliar with Faris’s movies.  I’m so glad I gave What’s Your Number? a try!  It’s relatable (am I too old to find someone? too slutty? too picky?) and genuinely affirming.  Instead of being a romantic comedy that preaches the misleading promise that you should find someone you “deserve” who will make you the Best You….it teaches a really heartwarming lesson that you should be with someone who loves you for who you are, weird art habits and impulsive trespassing included.  And if that person just so happens to be Chris Evans…?  So much the better!

BONUS:  Because Faris is going through her list of ex’s, we get some really phenomenal cameos with famous Hollywood hunks, like Zachary Quinto, Joel McHale, Anthony Mackie, Martin Freeman, Andy Samberg, and the aforementioned Chris Pratt.

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The Road to El Dorado  
2000
Rated PG Continue reading →

A Cliff’s Note Version of Hamilton the Musical

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Even though Entertainment Weekly has called Hamilton “the biggest cultural smash on Broadway this decade” it can be hard to convince people to give the two and half hour, 46-song musical soundtrack a shot.  For the sake of the joy and inspiration everyone is guaranteed to find in the story of Alexander Hamilton as told by Lin-Manuel Miranda, I’ve created a Cliff Note’s version of the musical’s story, links to key songs included.

[Side note:  You won’t see the actors while listening to the cast album, but I think it is extremely important to note that the majority of the actors and actresses are people of color.  Miranda himself is Puerto Rican, and the men who play Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson are black.  Hamilton’s wife and her sister are played by a biracial Asian woman and a black woman respectively.  I am so in love with Miranda’s goal of telling the story of America’s past with the voices of America’s present.]

Alexander Hamilton was born on a Caribbean island, the bastard son of a Scotsman and a prostitute.  He becomes an orphan when his dad skips out and his mother dies, and the cousin who takes him in winds up committing suicide.  When he was a teenager, a hurricane devastated his hometown, and after writing about his experience, a fund was collected to send him to America.  Dude has a serious chip on his shoulder, and he is determined to prove his worth by demanding everyone’s attention and hiding his self-doubts (“Alexander Hamilton“).   Continue reading →

The Hamilton Musical Is AMAZING

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I’ve seen a lot about Hamilton, the hit Broadway musical, on the Internet.  As more and more people I trust fell under its sway, I side-eyed their good taste.  Before I listened to it, my reservations were mostly: how can a musical about a founding father possibly be interesting? So I watched the video below, and the idea that hip hop is the language of a revolution intrigued me enough to give it a go.

Within the first 30 seconds of the first song, I thought, “Oh no.  This is the beginning of an obsession.”  Within the first few songs, I raced home because I knew I wanted to document my reactions (which were mostly dancing in my driver’s seat and then screaming “AHHH!!!” at the end of the song because I had so many unnameable emotions).

I’m throwing my opinion in with the rest and highly recommending Hamilton.  Buy it on iTunes, Amazon, or listen for free on Spotify, just LISTEN TO IT oh my gosh.  And if you need further convincing, here is me fangirling over every single song and displaying some of the incredible lyrics (songs I especially liked are bolded).   Continue reading →

Netflix Rec: What I Watched in October

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Jane the Virgin
CW
2014 – current
1 Season on Netflix (22 episodes)

Jane is a 23-year-old virgin, determined to save sex for marriage.  When her gynecologist accidentally inseminates her with the sperm of an attractive hotel owner that she works for (and that she kissed five years ago) who cannot have any other children because of cancer, how will she break the news to her fiancee?  And that’s just, like, the first ten minutes of the first episode.

I am forever indebted to my new Memphis friend Jenna for introducing me to Jane the Virgin.  It is over-the-top dramatic in the best way possible.  Based on a telenovela, everyone’s relationships are convoluted and the plot twists are ridiculous.  But the narrator’s voice breaks the tension with snide remarks that allow you to feel above the drama even though you’re totally digging the hilarious twists and turns.

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Netflix
2015
1 Season on Netflix (13 episodes)

Kimmy Schmidt is one of four Indiana Mole Women who were kidnapped by a cult preacher and grew up in an underground bunker to wait out the apocalypse until they were rescued and realized their whole life was a lie.  Kimmy vows to start over in New York City, making absurd friends and empowering people to live fabulous and free lives.

The theme song is one of the best in existence (“Unbreakable! They alive, damnit! Females are strong as hell.”) and the show boasts some of the quickest jokes in existence.  Titus Andromedon is a true comedic talent who will make you cry with laughter (“But I’ve already done something today!”)  This is definitely for fans of absurdist comedies like 30 Rock, and everyone else will think it’s super weird.  Which it is, but that’s what makes it awesome.

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The Great British Bake Off
BBC Two
2010-current
1 Season on Netflix (10 episodes)

Ten contestants compete in a series of baking competitions to discover who is Britain’s best amateur baker.  I’m not usually much of a cooking show fan, but I loved this show!  After some self-reflection, I came up with three reasons.  One, it’s British, and everyone has British accents: automatic plus.  Two, the people in the show are normal-looking people.  Even the hostesses where schlumpy jeans, and the contestants look like average people from real towns.  It’s so refreshing!  Three, for a reality show, it is decidedly straightforward.  There isn’t annoying recaps of what you’ve been watching before and after commercial breaks, and they announce the winner and loser without reliving the previous 45 minutes and with very little fanfare.  I would watch so much more reality TV if this were always the case!

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Human Planet
BBC
2011
1 Season on Netflix (8 episodes)

Made by the people who created Planet Earth, this show focuses on the various people groups who live on our beautiful planet.  Like it’s nature-based predecessor, each episode focuses on a different climate (desert, arctic, mountain, etc) and the people who live there.  It’s a fascinating look at the ways people adapt to their surroundings and create really stunning things despite limited technology (the 30-foot tall treehouses in the Jungles episode is especially impressive).

That’s what I watched on Netflix in October!  What about you?  Leave a comment and give me some recommendations!

TV Rec: Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris

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New this fall, I have already watched the first two episodes of Best Time Ever twice over.  I figured that this talk show/game show/variety show would be good, because NPH has a golden touch of awesome.  I was so right!  While most shows put forth some mildly interesting things before building to a climax, I get the sense that while planning each show segment, NPH and staff decided to make each event THE BEST EVER.  Their commitment to over-the-top pranks, stunts, music, and showmanship makes every second really enjoyable.  I started watching Best Time Ever like I do most shows – while getting ready in the morning.  I couldn’t do it!  I kept drifting to my computer screen, forgetting about the straightener in my hand.

There are around ten celebrity guest stars in every episode, and it’s so fun to see them doing something outside of their norm (like Reese Witherspoon trash talking NPH before ziplining down 15 stories).  The show opens with a ridiculously pre-planned and elaborate surprise for an audience member.  The first had my jaw dropping, and the second made me cry.  Who knows what extreme emotion tonight’s episode will cause!  The End of the Show Show is truly spectacular.  You just get the sense that everyone participating is having such a good time, which, in turn, makes it fun to watch.  I’m hooked.

Watch it now on Hulu (or your preferred TV viewing platform)!  I think the ratings are already awesome, but let’s make them phenomenal, so that we’ll definitely get a renewal after the planned eight episodes.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/844578#i0,p0,d0

(Photo from NBC.com)

Internet Rec: Book Blogs

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You know you’re a fanatical reader when you read blogs about reading in your spare time (from reading).  In all honesty, though, reading is such a weird phenomenon.  You get intimately involved in a story…by yourself.  It can be incredibly comforting to find book soul mates who share a passion for the written word.  And if you read a lot, like I do, it can be hard to find people in your sphere of friends who read the same amount of the same type of book.  With all things, when real life doesn’t meet your needs…go online!  Below are seven of my favorite book blogs:   Continue reading →

TV Rec: The Mole

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I’m not very interested in reality TV.  I have gotten intensely involved in So You Think You Can Dance, and one summer I cared deeply about who would win The Bachelorette.  But most of the time, I find reality TV repetitive and needlessly dramatic.  Plus, I’ve never found anything that can live up to The Mole.

The Mole was, on the surface, a typical mission-based travel game show.  Contestants had to perform challenges to add money to a group pot, and the winner of the show would take it all home.  Part of the fun of the show came from the varied nature of the challenges, which included bull fights, laser tag, art shows, and jewelry appraisal.  What elevated The Mole above similar shows, however, was the twist its name implies.  Amongst the 10 contestants was one mole–a man or woman whose purpose was to sabotage the games and keep the winnings as low as possible.  At the end of each episode, everyone took a quiz to identify the mole (which often included absurdly detailed questions like “At the start of the “Crusoe” mission, was the Mole wearing a hat?”  The person who scored the lowest was eliminated, and the show went on.   Continue reading →