While we do love us some books, believe it not, we do have a life outside of reading. So to highlight our other pop culture interests, on the last Monday of each month, we each will highlight three other “happenings” from the last month. Big events on favorite TV shows, new movies we’ve watched, old movies we’ve “discovered,” etc. Pretty much whatever we found of particular interest outside of the book world during the last month. Share your own favorite things in the comments!
Serena’s Picks
Movie: “Godzilla Minus One”
I’m what you may call a casual fan of big monster movies. I’ve seen a supremely random assortment of Godzilla movies, two or three King Kongs, “Pacific Rim” but not its sequel. All over the place! But I had heard good tings about the latest entry into the Godzilla franchise, a prequel, none the less! And it really lived up to my expectations, with a nice balance of monster action alongside the more poignant tale of a kamikaze pilot who survived WWII and has all the associated survivor’s guilt that one might expect.
Video Game: “Outerwilds”
I’m definitely the bigger video game nerd between my husband and me. I’m the one that already owned a console when we got married and I’m the one usually brainstorming the next game we play together (never mind the ones I play on my own). So I was quite surprised when I found that he had bought and downloaded this one for us to check out! It’s definitely a unique experience, relying primarily on exploration and discovery as you fly through a small solar system and piece together the history of a long-extinct civilization. Oh, you’re also in a “Groundhog’s Day” loop. It’s weird and fun, for sure!
Netflix Show: “The Diplomat”
There’s nothing better to distract oneself from current politics than to watch a show about politics! I’ve re-watched “The West Wing” innumerable times for this very reason! So I was excited to discover this show on Netflix earlier this month. There are only two seasons and both are rather short, so I whipped through this show in only a few sittings. But it was excellent in every way! Superb casting, great writing, and all of the twists and turns that you could ask for! It also ends on a rather big cliffhanger, but it has been renewed for a third season, so at least Netflix didn’t just drop it like they are so want to do.
Kate’s Picks
Netflix Show: “Cobra Kai”
My ultimate comfort show is back, with the second of three drops of final season episodes! I will admit that this show has kind of shifted a bit as time has gone on to be more about the teens than my beloved Johnny Lawrence and all the other older characters, but I am still really enjoying this show and finding it to be a true calming balm for me. The Miyagi-Do Dojo is in Barcelona participating in the international karate tournament the Sekai Taikai, where they are facing VERY tough competition. Including seeing former teammate turned once again rival Tori, who defected back to Cobra Kai after her mother died and Kreese manipulated her to rejoin with him. As Johnny and Daniel try to keep their own frustrations at bay, as well as their rage at Kreese, Miguel, Robby, Sam, and the others are starting to become frustrated with each other as they keep being defeated. This part of the season ended with a legitimately shocking moment which amps me up for the last few episodes. But most importantly, Johnny is still everything I need. Oh, and Chozen finds an unlikely romance which also REALLY worked for me.
HBO Show: “The Penguin”
I really loved the Robert Pattinson “Batman” film, finding it to strike the exact right balance between comic book energy and gritty noir, but I’ll admit that when I heard that Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb (aka The Penguin) was getting his own show I was skeptical. Was he fantastic in the role? Yes, of course. But could he carry his own show as said character? I wasn’t sure. Well shut me up, because “The Penguin” is right up there with “Peacemaker” as one of my favorite modern DC projects, as it feels like a “Batman” villain tale mixed with the likes of “The Sopranos” at its very best. In the aftermath of the events in “The Batman”, with Gotham reeling from the massive flooding and the crime underbelly dealing with the death of crime boss Carmine Falcone, Oz Cobb makes an impulsive move that sends the family into chaos. It could help him consolidate his own power, but Carmine’s daughter Sofia has just returned from Arkham, and is looking to make her own place in the family hierarchy. Colin Farrell is FANTASTIC as Oz, still being fully unrecognizable in his makeup and performance, but also finds so many complex dimensions to a Batman villain who could very easily be a joke. But it’s Cristina Milioti’s Sofia that REALLY sells this show for me, as she is vicious and terrifying, but is also ravaged by PTSD, and the portrayal is simply phenomenal. Just peak DC stuff here.
Film: “Wicked Part One”
Anyone who knew me during my freshman and sophomore years of college can tell you that I basically made my entire special interest/personality the musical “Wicked”. I listened to the music all the time, I saw the show a couple of times, read most of the books of the source material, and my freshman roommate turned dear friend Megan and I saw a lot of ourselves in the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba respectively (I was the dork who wrote her a goodbye letter on moving out day that quoted “For Good”, not realizing that we would still be close friends years later). I knew that I needed to see the movie. I was not ready for it. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande dazzle as Elphaba and Galinda, who we may know as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch thanks to “The Wizard of Oz”. But “Wicked” asks what if that is all propaganda, and the Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch were actually friends while in school? And that the Wicked Witch was actually a revolutionary fighting against a fascist government? Man, what an adaptation. I was weeping on and off, and wholly blown away by Erivo and Grande alike. Now we have to wait for Part 2, and I’m not going to be at all patient about it.
The Library Ladies 