Em Watches Stuff: Sept. 2024
The media I've been consuming and my thoughts on it...
MUSIC:
I don’t have a ton of new music I’ve been listening to, mostly random one-off songs that Spotify has found for me along with one band (Peter Cat Recording Company) that I saw on a whim live in Philly with a friend.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been listening to…
Pink Rose Cadillac by DOPE LEMON
Orange Blossoms by Goldford
can’t slow down by almost monday
Musta Been a Ghost by Próxima Parada
Peter Cat Recording Company
Foolmuse
Memory Box
Soulless Friends
Portrait of a Time
Super sick Peter Cat Recording Company album cover
MOVIES:
Twisters - Alright, I had a free movie ticket that was going to expire, and this seemed like the kind of movie you need movie theater popcorn for. Was it a good movie? No. Was the writing pretty terrible? Yeah. But were those twisters actually kind of terrifying? Oh yeah they were! Honestly, I don’t have much more to say. — 1/5
Society of the Snow - This movie follows the horrific true story of the 1972 Uruguayan flight that crashes in a remote part of the Andes. I had recently heard a podcast about this story (sidenote, this was the first and only podcast I’d listened to that ever made me actually tear up), and I quickly became fascinated with the story. So, I’d actually been anticipating this movie coming out for a few months. The film lived up to my expectations. It missed some of the nuance I enjoyed in the podcast I’d listened to, but still packed the same emotional punch and morbid intrigue. What was most striking about this movie was the way it highlighted these survivors’ humanity. Despite the desperate lengths they had to go to in order to survive, they maintained the utmost care, civility, love, kindness, and humanity. They took care of one another and— as the title days— truly created their own society; a society with order, intention, and empathy for one another. There’s no way you don’t cry watching this film, but it’s absolutely beautiful. — 4/5
P.S. - The film incorporates real photos taken by the survivors of the plane crash. Pretty cool stuff.
Also linking the podcast here:
Zola - Okay, Zola wins for my top movie of this list. It’s a true story and an adaptation of— of all things— a Twitter thread. I can’t say too much about the plot because it’s best you go in knowing very little, but it essentially follows the protagonist, Zola, who is an exotic dancer in Detroit. She becomes fast friends with a fellow dancer named Stefani, who invites Zola on a trip down to Florida. Stefani has a contact who can get the two of them in to a club that pays really well. Things quickly go south from there. This movie is intense, gripping, emotional, and at times hilarious. It’s half road trip movie, half gripping crime thriller— all packaged in a zany, highly-saturated, over-the-top and very glittery A24 aesthetic. — 5/5
Oh btw, don’t watch this movie with your parents or maybe anyone??? It’s pretty graphic and vulgar.
Back to Black - I had already heard this movie was disappointing, but I had 6 hours on a flight and thought I could use the comfort of Amy Winehouse’s music. The movie was not great, obviously. I mean, just look at the casting. Sorry Marisa Abela, but you weren’t giving me Amy Winehouse. You were giving Amy impersonator. My main issue came was with the way they covered Amy Winehouse songs for the soundtracks. I can appreciate making music your own and adding extra runs in the style of Amy, but this soundtrack took it way too far. Not only was it distracting, but it was hard not to feel like the whole thing was a parody of Amy’s music at some points. At the same time, I love everything and anything Amy so I still enjoyed myself. As a huge fan of hers though, I felt the movie included odd details of her life while leaving out others. Maybe if you had never heard of Amy Winehouse before you’d take no issue with it. Either way, I’ve been humming songs like “Mr. Jones” and “F Me Pumps” since I saw it. — 2/5
PODCASTS:
Tripping Past Your Ego with Michael Pollan - What Now? with Trevor Noah
Harris-Trump Debate Debrief with Tressie McMillan Cottom - What Now? with Trevor Noah
Can I Microdose Veganism? - Search Engine
The Jane Collective with Moira Donegan - You’re Wrong About