Lucy (2014)

Lucy is about doing a lot of drugs and becoming the singularity; watching it feels like doing it and doing it is what gets it done, so don't skip this late luc besson classic - and also don't mind the haters; they just don't understand his genius. 

lolita (1962)

for any old movie this one's pretty great, in that it's entertaining, provocative, and earns its 2.5 hour runtime - but for a collaboration between nabokov and kubrick, I don't think it really lives up to its potential.

Derry Girls (2018)

From its satisfying accents to its wry wit to its careful portrayal of the Troubles, this is yet another amazing modern TV show that just blew me away.

Book Review: Albion's Seed, by Scott Alexander

This book review of Albion's Seed by David Fischer (which I've also recently read and reviewed) was actually the essay that first introduced me to the book and convinced me to read it, and now, having read the original and then re-read the essay, I can say that I'm very grateful to S.A. for introducing me to the book, but that you really can stick to his essay and skip the thousand-pager, thereby proving the truism that most books ought to be essays (and most essays, tweets).

Saint Jack by Paul Theroux (1973)

After my glowing review of the movie version of this book I of course set out to read the inspiration, and, now that I've read it, I will say that while it's a great book, its inconsistent tone makes this one of those few situations when the movie adaptation is clearly superior.

Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer (1989)

This is a long, interesting, extraordinarily detailed blend of anthropology and history discussing the varied british origins of the US colonies, and I struggled through and ultimately enjoyed it, and definitely learned quite a bit.

death to smoochy (2002)

is it a little corny sure but it's funny, often sharp, amazing to see a young Edward Norton and Jon Stewart, fun to see Robin Williams in a different kind of role than usual, and features one of my favorite character archetypes (overly idealistic Rube who somehow succeeds anyway).

Cécile McLorin Salvant : Womanchild (2013)

This album blew my mind... it's fresh, it's old, it's bewitching, it's chill, it's energetic, it's great, go listen. 

Soul (2020)

there's a lot to unpack here; this struck me as a unique and very psychedelic story, which I appreciated (and of course as a pixar feature it's very entertaining!), but I'm not sure if I trust (trust in a "keep your hands off my brain" kind of sense) the underlying metaphysical assumptions the narrative's plot implied. 

bound (1996)

yes in terms of historical import it's great and hilarious to see the wachowski siblings pre-matrix doing their thing, and yes you can definitely see the influences and it rocks, but also this movie is, on its own merits, a ton of fun!

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

I may not be the most qualified to write this review but I can certainly say that despite this being a bit more dramatic than the kind of entertainment I usually look for, I was hooked from minute 1 and loved every bit of it.

I heart huckabees (2004)

it was clever and different and interesting and weird, and Dustin Hoffman is a national treasure of course, but for some reason it also left me feeling empty and sad so take that as you will. 

ted lasso (2020)

there's something new and different about this show, something to do with the characters' combination of wit and earnestness, that really REALLY worked for me.