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
TV Show: “The Gentlemen” Season 2
This fall has been a great time for the return of some favorite shows, and this was one that my husband I jumped at right away! We were a bit late to the game, so we didn’t have quite so long a wait between seasons, but I was still very excited to get to return to the world of gentlemen drug dealers. There were some true high notes (the continued “will they/won’t they” tension between Eddie and Susie and some absolutely brutal action scenes), but there were also a few misses (I get what was being done with “The Godfather” homage, but it did spoil some important beats in the plot). However, I’m excited to see where season 3 takes things, and I hope we get a return of a bit of the humor from season 1 that was missed in this second entry.
Movie: “Obessession”
Hey, look at that! I actually watched a horror movie during October! Full points for me! I’m not sure how my husband and I even found this one, but we’d both heard about it independent of each other and decided why the heck not one night! And yeah, it’s upsetting, but it was also incredibly good. It’s a pretty simple concept and even if you are able to predict some of the major beats and the ultimate outcome, there were also moments of true horror and disgust that definitely had me covering my cat’s my eyes at certain points. If you’re looking for a thrill this October, this is definitely one to consider, even if you’re not a major horror fan on your own.
Kate’s Picks
TV Show: “Carrie”
I will admit that when I initially heard that “Carrie” was getting another adaptation my first thought was ‘why?’ But when I heard that Mike Flanagan was doing it I was definitely more on board because that man doesn’t miss. And then when it dropped I told myself that I would watch the first couple of episodes one night…. and then ended up binging the entire series into the wee hours of the morning. It was that good. It is SO good. It’s an adaptation of “Carrie” for modern sensibilities, and in the expected Flanagan fashion he adapts the story in his own way that holds on to the heart and essence of the source material. Summer H. Howell as Carrie is stupendous, bringing out the naiveté and vulnerability and coating it with earnest kindness that made her that much more tragic. But the show also goes a couple steps further and gives a lot of layers and complexity to usual two dimensional villains Chris, Carrie’s main bully at school who is watching her own life fall apart and looks for a victim to exert control over, and Mrs. White, Carrie’s zealous mother (played by an on point Samantha Sloyan), who isn’t an over the top abuser but is a more quiet fundamentalist who loves her daughter dearly, but who controls and manipulates her and hides her away from the world to keep her grip firm. It is absolutely fabulous AND it goes in a direction that opens up SO many possibilities for an extended King universe. I loved it.
TV Show: “Crystal Lake”
Hoo hoo, another horror classic reboot that brings in depth, complexity, and a hell of an emotional rollercoaster to a classic slasher tale!! Jason Voorhees from “Friday the 13th” has always held a special place in my heart, and the new show “Crystal Lake” decides to dive into his backstory. Well, mostly his mother Pamela’s backstory. The fans of the original franchise know that it is Pamela who is the slasher killer in the original “Friday the 13th”, driven insane by the death of her disabled and bullied son Jason when he drowned after the counselors at the camp she worked at were too busy flirting and fucking to pay him attention. Now we are seeing Linda Cardinelli as Pamela (she’s fantastic), in the depths of grief and falling into madness after her precious son’s death, and killing those she blames for it. This would be great on its own, but the show goes a couple steps further, not only showing us what little kid Jason is like as well as his relationship with Pamela (don’t think I wasn’t sobbing openly as we see the sweet little baby boy be adorable and precious ON TOP of his mother’s raw grief), but also a VERY interesting mystery about how Jason came to be, and secrets Pamela has been hiding even before she goes mad with grief. What a treat for this Jason fan girl.
Joint Pick:
Video Game: “Dressmaker”
Now for something COMPLETELY different. Along with all the usual fun scary spooky horror stuff I like to consume and cram in during October, I also found a new video game which was SO incredibly soothing and cozy that it held my attention in spite of the fact it was not horror related at all. “Dressmaker” is a game where you are, well, a dressmaker! You get commissions and prompts from customers, are given parameters and budgets, and get to design, measure, pattern, and sew dresses for all kinds of occasions! Someone need a dress for a funeral (but doesn’t want it to be black and it has to be OUTLANDISH?)? You can do it! Someone needs a new workwear outfit for doing chores and work around the farm? You are there to help! Someone need a spooky dress for a seance while she also harbors two spirits that have possessed her (and a possible vampire ALSO needs a dress to assist)? You KNOW you can make that work! As someone who used to watch “Project Runway” and currently watches “Drag Race” and could never fathom the concept of designing and sewing a dress, I’ve been having a lot of fun stretching my creativity muscles. I also like seeing storylines between various clients develop. All in all, it was an unexpected hit and I’m glad I stumbled upon it.
Hi, it’s me, Serena, tagging on to Kate’s pick! I actually started up an entry for this very same game before I scrolled down and came across Kate’s already completed portion! And it just goes to show how lovely, cozy, and approachable this game is! Because, like Kate, this isn’t necessarily my typical type of game. I usually go for my typical RPGs, be they action, tactical, what have you. But there was something so wholesome and soothing about this game. It had the perfect mix of opportunities for creativity without becoming overwhelming. And the simple process of constructing dresses was the perfect restful activity to get me through the last few hectic days of school break where my two boys were actively destroying my house. But boys, look at the pretty ballgown I made!!
