Tag: movies

Our next episode is right around the corner, so it’s time for a little update on what Pay checked out since the last one. Buckle up!

JK, you don’t need to buckle up.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

So I got ambitious this year and made my Goodreads Reading Challenge 24 books. I was like, “Two books a month? That’s nothing!” Guess what?Turns out it isn’t nothing! For me, at least. Anyway, one of the two books (eek) I’ve managed to finish this year is Crazy Rich Asians. I’m sure you’ve heard of it since the film adaptation was a huge deal last year. I’m often curious about the source material when I find out a movie is an adaptation, so I decided to pick up this one. It’s about a Chinese-American economics professor, Rachel, who accompanies her boyfriend and fellow professor, Nick, back to his native Singapore for the summer. There, she’s surprised to find that his family is stupid rich and none of his snotty relatives think she’s good enough for him.  

I generally liked the book but it wasn’t the page-turner I was hoping for. Kwan includes a lot of helpful cultural context, but those notes could be a tiny bit distracting at times. And there are like, a million characters. At some point I just gave up trying to keep track of who was related to whom, and who had done what to the other, and why this person didn’t want this other person to marry that other person. Having said that, the side characters ended up being more interesting to me than Rachel and Nick – something that was more noticeable in the novel. Also, the novel highlighted just how shitty it was for Nick to not give his girlfriend any warning about his upbringing. It made me hate him a little. Anyway, the book was alright but I don’t think I’ll read the other two in the trilogy. But you better bet I’ll be watching the sequel when that comes out. The first film made me really want to go to Singapore.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Wow, “Fahrenheit” is a hard word to spell. I very rarely pick up a classic, but I’ve always been intrigued by this one. It’s about a dystopian future where books are outlawed and firemen burn books instead of putting out fires. Our main character, Montag, starts questioning his job and embarks on quite a ride because of it. 

It was kind of a slow start, and even though it’s short, it took me a while to get through. But after a certain point, things start to pick up and it ended up being more exciting than I thought it would be. Now I’m curious to check out the HBO movie (staring two different Michaels – B. Jordan and Shannon). I haven’t heard great things about it, but you know what? I’m gonna watch it and form my own opinion, dammit! 

Sorry to Bother You (2018)

I’d been meaning to watch Sorry To Bother You (dir. by Boots Riley) since it came out last year and I just got around to it. I was immediately drawn to this movie thanks to what I thought seemed like a random cast. The most important member of that cast being Steven Yeun, who alone is enough to make me want to see a movie. He has great cheekbones and seems very delightful and if you like to smile, you should watch him go to a Korean spa with Conan. (Actually, anytime he’s on Conan is fun.)

Anyway, the movie. It was… very weird. I think I liked it? It’s a sci-fi comedy about a guy named Cassius (LaKeith Stanfield) who starts to rise in the ranks at a telemarketing company by using his “white voice” (voiced by David Cross). A bunch of stuff happens and then he stumbles upon some truly wild shit that I won’t ruin because really, you should go watch it yourself. It’s not at all what you would imagine. But if you do watch it, and that is what you imagined, let’s talk. Because your brain is just as strange as Boots Riley’s and I’d like to know what other weirdo thoughts you have. 

The movie did have some interesting things to say about race and labor and I liked the use of surrealism and comedy to talk about those things. But when we hit the wild shit I mentioned before, I got a little bit confused by what we were supposed to take away from the movie. When I think about it a little more, I think it still makes sense? But honestly, who knows? Either way, I did enjoy watching the movie and would recommend it. Mostly due to the aforementioned wild shit.

Keep an eye/ear out for our next episode, which drops in August. In the meantime, have you subscribed? Or maybe even suggested a thing? If not, what the heck are you waiting for?!

Next episode is just around the corner, so time for another rundown of Things we’ve gotten to in the meantime. Adri’s taking care of this month’s post, and Pay will take on the next. As per usual with OYTT, spoilers ahead.

Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones

I am still in full Romance novel mode, it seems. I was super stoked about this book. I heard the author on Smart Podcast, Trashy Books where she was discussing queer women relationships in historical romance and the different considerations you have to take into account. She made a lot of interesting points, so knew I had to check out her work. This is a historical romance which has an interesting world of magic that’s tied into Christianity, particularly the role of Saints, which was a cool mix. The writing style is very descriptive and not reliant on dialogue, which goes well with the setting. I can imagine a family gathering around the fireplace in the drawing room and someone reading a chapter aloud for the after-dinner entertainment. The romance aspect is a pretty slow burn and not of the steamy sort. There is plenty of political and personal intrigue here too, not least of which is one of our heroines having a mysterious past she doesn’t know. This is one in a series, and I think I’ll check out the rest when I get a chance.

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas

This is the first in the Wallflowers series. The Wallflowers are four women on the hunt for a husband in 19th-century English society, but for various reasons they’ve been relegated to be wallflowers: too old, too desperate, too shy, too brash/American. The Wallflowers make a pact to help each other find husbands. This first one focuses on Annabelle whose father has died and whose financial situation becomes progressively more dire. In her mid-twenties, she’s practically over-the-hill in terms of courting, so this is her last season to make a match or face ruin. They set up her eventual romance with Simon from the get go, so there’s more of a when-will-they rather than a will-they-won’t-they. Much to my surprise, they get married much sooner than I expected and not really purely for love, which was an interesting change from what I usually read. We actually get to see the post-marriage life and how they come to be partners in love and life once the honeymoon is over. And dang, this. book. gets. sexy. If that’s your kind of thing, this delivers. I’ve already checked out the next one, so I will definitely be reading the whole series.

Point Break

How had I not seen Point Break yet? Well, I guess technically I’d seen the one clip they show in Hot Fuzz. Still, this movie is so iconic it seems crazy I let it slip for so long. Long story short: Heck, yes! I had a real good time watching this movie. Finally hearing Keanu’s “Vaya con Dios” in real time, the multiple skydiving scenes, Patrick Swayze in his most cult leader-like role. And Lori Petty! Why didn’t anyone tell me she was in this? I would’ve watched it ages ago if I knew that. Tank Girl forever! I must admit I was not an ounce sober when I watched this, which definitely enhanced the experience. I will say that my one complaint is that there could’ve been more time spent on the Keanu/Swayze relationship. Their growing bromance is so important in the end but you barely see them interact with each other in the grand scheme. When that scene where Keanu shoots in the air rather than at Swayze came in, it seems out of nowhere and a severe change of heart considering they’ve only hung out a couple times by that point and Keanu didn’t actually see Swayze’s face. As much as I love Lori, they spent too much time on the romantic relationship here. I hear there was a remake, but I doubt they address this issue and instead just added more stunts and sexy lady time. Part of me wishes we’d saved this one for the podcast. Maybe we can revisit it for a special episode…

Grosse Pointe Blank

I’ve gotten to the point where I’ll watch a movie from the ’90s and am the same age as (or older than) the main actor. But there is something about the time period where I still think they look older than me. Part of it I’m guessing is purely psychological, but another part has to be ’90s fashion and styling. It’s not so bad in this movie, but in other its so aging and unflattering. I feel the same way about the ’80s. Anyway, the point is, John Cusack and Minnie Driver look old to me in this movie even though they are clearly young. It’s a weird phenomenon. Also this movie was great. What a sleeper! I went into it completely without context and was not expecting to come out liking it as much as I did. If I’d read the DVD box maybe I wouldn’t have been surprised that Cusack is a hitman who is still in love with his high school sweetheart. Even though some of the plot points were predictable, it was fun to see how everything came together. If I had seen this in high school, I definitely would’ve wanted to be Minnie Driver. Though the whole radio DJ in a display window thing always freaks me out when I see it. During my short radio career, I was more of a basement goblin. Now I’ve upgraded to a dining room/closet goblin. What an upgrade!

Next episode drops in June. Don’t forget to subscribe and we’re always looking for new Things to try. Send those suggestions in!