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
Video Game: “Hades 2”
As promised, here I am back again with the second Hades game! I’m definitely glad I played the first game before this one. Not only is it fun seeing familiar faces once again, but I find that I’m better able to jump straight into enjoying the story and characters now that I’m familiar with the general set up for the game play loop. Of course, this one amps up the entire experience in every way, with a bunch of additional tasks that can be completed at the home base (like brewing potions, growing plants, and recruiting pets as familiars!). I also really enjoyed the new characters and love interests. Icarus is still playing hard to get, so I’m still going strong, even past the True Ending. But Mel needs her romantic happy ending, so we’ll see how long this goes!
TV Show: “Pluribus”
This was kind of a no brainer for my husband and I to watch! We both really enjoyed “Better Call Saul,” so a dystopian/sci-fi featuring the same actress and creator was right up our alley! We did have some debates about the side characters and their behavior, but Carol was excellent in every way. I also thought the entire premise was very creative and surprisingly hilarious, even through some of the darker moments. That said, I’m very displeased with this crazy trend of releasing short season and then taking multiple (MULTIPLE!) years to produce a second, likely also short, season. Yes, this show had excellent production value. But let’s be real here, there’s nothing going on here that justifies wait times like this between seasons, and I truly think that these sorts of delays hurts any momentum a show likes this builds with its first season. Will I check it out? Yes. But will I be as hyped as I would be if I could watch it again next fall? Probably not.
Movie: “The Rip”
Again, on one hand, I’m always a bit skeptical of Netflix’s movies. But on the other hand…Matt Damon. Plus, it’s always fun to see him back working with Ben Affleck. Affleck is clearly talented, though I think he’s better as a director. But there is a weird thing that happens: when he acts across from Damon, he magically becomes more likable. Their chemistry is great, and that was apparent here. Much of the plot of this one is fairly predictable, but the cinematography throughout was excellent and, again, the two leads did a lot of the heavy lifting in making the experience worthwhile. If you want to watch a new action-packed thriller, this one is sure to please!
Kate’s Picks
TV Show: “Ponies”
I’ve been a fan of Emilia Clarke since “Game of Thrones” (man that show did her character dirty, I AM A DAENERYS APOLOGIST, NOT SORRY), and when I saw that she and Haley Lu Richardson were in a new historical fiction thriller show called “Ponies” I decided that I was going to watch. Also the premise sounded good. Two CIA wives at the American Embassy in Moscow in the 1970s are just living their lives supporting their husbands… until their husbands die under incredibly suspicious circumstances in a plane crash. Bea and Twila are then recruited by the CIA to become operatives in hopes of getting more information about what happened to Tom and Chris. And since they are posing as secretaries, the thought is the KGB will never realize that they are agents (and will be ‘PONIes’, persons of no interest). It’s part spy thriller, part buddy comedy, and Clarke and Richardson have great banter and chemistry to help balance out the high spy suspense. I love both Bea and Twila, with Bea being intelligent and genuine and Twila being a sarcastic spitfire. I’m living for them and their hijinks.
TV Show: “RuPaul’s Drag Race”
It’s back! Normally I give myself a little bit of time to warm up to “Drag Race” before highlighting it on the blog, as I’ve been burned before with lackluster seasons (Season 13, anyone?). But at this point in time I am just going to find joy where I can, because being in the Twin Cities right now is a big ol’ ball of terrible and stress due to a violent federal government occupation, and catty drag queens bring me joy. Stand outs for me at this point include Jane Don’t (the Seattle girls always go hard), Athena Dion (though she’s a bit of a diva, but I LOVE her looks), and Myki Meeks (just adorable). I haven’t gotten a REAL feel for the season yet after two really strong seasons that came before it, but hey, an escape is an escape.
Film: “Predator: Badlands”
I love the “Predator” movies. The original “Predator” is quite possibly my favorite Schwarzenegger film (“Running Man” comes close), and I have enjoyed many of the films in the series, even the ones that people don’t really like (I liked “Predators”, thanks!). I unfortunately didn’t get to “Predator: Badlands” in the theater like I had wanted, but I did sit down and watch it this month and I LOVED it. It follows Dek, a Yautja (aka the Predator species) who is determined to prove his might in spite of the fact he’s a runt and scorned by most of his clan. After a heartbreaking confrontation on his home world he is sent to a far off planet in exile, and decides instead to try and get the apex predator the Kalisk to prove his worth (as the Kalisk scares even the most skilled Yautjas). But the planet is hostile, and Dek will need help from an unlikely source: Thia, a broken Synth from Weyland-Yutani that is on a mission there of her own. So yes, this is a “Predator” Sci-Fi action film with lots of great mythos and fantastic action, but honestly? At it’s heart is a cozy found family story as Dek and Thia connect as outsiders and form a bond. I ADORE THIS TROPE and it works so well in this movie.
The Library Ladies 