media journal. this is a place to dump my scattered thoughts on books, comics, graphic novels, movies, and tv shows. most recent on top. here there be spoilers.

nov. – dec. 2024 | 📚 21 ∙ 📽️ 19 ∙ 📺 07 | next ⇢

• 📺 riget ‹ the kingdom ›, season 2 — i only made it through two episodes. i'm throwing in the towel; this show is not for me. season two is absolutely wild in a way i am not enjoying. season one at least had a lot of slow, character-driven moments even if i didn't totally understand what was going on since i know nothing about the danish bureaucracy. this season just feels shocking for the sake of it. like, krogshøj is a zombie now?! everything with the baby is horrifying and i would like to remove it from my mind permanently. the plots with both moesgaards are so fucking stupid i can't stand it when it comes on screen. also, it's just so ugly, especially the toxic yellow that everything is tinted that literally makes me nauseous when combined with all the shaking dutch angles everywhere. i just can't any more. watched dec. 29, 2024
• 📚 ↺ ♡ a christmas carol, charles dickens — annual christmastime re-read. there is something about reading this by the light of the christmas tree that i find really magical. less magical is on a train, but still nice. reread dec. 26 – 27, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ 버닝 ‹ burning › (2018) — i was surprised this was made before the burning sun scandal. this really felt like a commentary on all the shit the young rich dudes are getting away with (present tense) in south korea that was really brought into the public eye by burning sun. and yet, it's somehow very empty. i see a lot of criticism that the female character isn't a person, and i contend that's true for all of the characters—they're just objects within the patriarchal class structure choking them all. i did find myself drifting since it's also 2.5 hours of beautiful cinematography but very little happening with flat characters. sometimes the point can be boring! but still important. also, that cat was, indeed, cute as fuck. rewatched dec. 26, 2024
• 📽️ the people's joker (2022) — this looked fun and meaningful and also melancholic, and it was! but it also felt like one of those sketches you'd see on adult swim well after midnight, except for 92 minutes which is way, way too long for that and started to really get to me. i never enjoyed the "anti-comedy" offerings on adult swim, so this was a lot. i'm also just not online enough to get a lot of the references tbh, so i think some of this was totally lost on me. still, i'm glad trans folks are finding their voices and sharing them with us! watched dec. 26, 2024
• 📽️ 大醉俠 ‹ come drink with me › (1966) — the day after christmas is for laying on the couch and watching movies all day, imo, and this was a fun one to start with. i haven't seen much 武俠 wuxia and the hero being a lady was a nice entry point! too bad the drunk dude wound up overshadowing her, sigh. watched dec. 26, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ top gun: maverick (2022) — the sequel is better than the original, imo! it's more serious, and is that tom cruise admitting he's aging?! great performances all around, and i really liked how openly emotional this was while still being "dudes will do anything to avoid a real conversation about their emotions like getting shot down over enemy territory" which is accurate to american men for sure, lol. this works so well for me, i love an action movie with real heart and a plot that makes sense. rewatched dec. 25, 2024
• 📽️ nosferatu (2024) — exactly what i expected a robert eggers remake of a 1920s silent, german expressionist film to be, tbh. i liked that it added the "is nosferatu real or just the personification of her melancholy/mental illness during a plague?" undertone, though it wasn't explored as much as i i would have liked. solid movie, will probably rewatch someday. watched dec. 25, 2024
• 📚 ↺ cat in a golden garland, carole nelson douglas — this series is so middling but i love it so much. i'm so solidly team max that i re-read this whole book just for the end. it's definitely not a great book; there isn't enough midnight louie and we spend so much time with matt agonizing over familial obligations when family is shitty as a roman catholic which is relatable, but this is more a matt book than anything else and i don't care for him! oh well, merry christmas, temple and max forever. re-read dec. 15 – 24, 2024
• 📽️ scrooged (1988) — a christmas carol is one of my all-time favorites, though i haven't seen many of the screen adaptations. i think this one was just fine. i liked that it didn't follow the typical plot, and the fact that it was a richard donner film really gave it a lot of grace for me. i just don't seem to care for bill murray until his old curmudgeon roles, so him being the lead just fell flat for me. watched dec. 22, 2024
• 📽️ black christmas (1974) — the line from this to scream is so obvious, i really enjoyed it. one of the first slashers and it's a christmas movie and a banger! everyone makes such stupid decisions, like any good slasher. lois lane as an alcoholic made so much sense, or at least more sense than yeeting herself into niagara falls or throwing herself out the window of a skyscraper (lois lane's batshit choices in superman ii live rent free in my head!). watched dec. 21, 2024
• 📚 in any lifetime, marc guggenheim — this read like an '00s action movie where the women only existed to incite the man to do something, eyeroll. and then i looked the author up and he's a screenwriter so i think it really was a script for a mediocre action movie that he couldn't get made. honestly, i would have preferred it as a 90-minute netflix movie a lot more because i could have gotten something else done at the same time. read dec. 15 – 21, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ mean girls (2004) — "boo, you whore" was so completely part of the vernacular at college that i completely forgot it came from this movie. the hold this movie (and lindsay lohan in general) had on us millenial girls in the mid-00s! also i realized while watching this that i hadn't been to a house party in a very long time, and i was almost nostalgic for it until cady threw up in a bedroom. yeah, nevermind. at least it wasn't the one with the coats! rewatched dec. 18, 2024
• 📺 ♡ star trek: lower decks, season 5 — i am really, really going to miss this show. we never found out what the koala was all about! jack quaid can't scream hilariously every week! paramount done f'd up. again. watched oct. 24 – dec. 18, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ national lampoon's christmas vacation (1989) — my strongest memory of this movie is squirming with absolute embarrassment while watching the scenes about the neighbors in their bedroom with my parents as a pre-teen, which is likely the last time i saw this. it's much better as an adult, especially the social commentary on how reaganomics permanently damaged the american middle class. clark griswold is exactly like a lot of white, american men in the suburbs at that time and throughout the '90s, watching a lot of the country's economic and trade policies suck the life out of the expectations they had for the rest of their lives. remember when you were with a single employer for your entire life? i barely do, and this movie captures the change in progress. for a goofy christmas movie with chevy chase of all people, this hits hard now. rewatched dec. 17, 2024
• 📺 what we do in the shadows, season 6 — when the writing points out that the show should have ended the season previous...well, they weren't wrong. i enjoyed the season, but it felt unnecessary except as an epilogue that went on too long. wrapped up on its own terms, at least. watched oct. 24 – dec. 17, 2024
• 📚 ↺ ♡ exhalation: stories, ted chiang — a friend describes chiang as a modern asimov, and i have to agree. all of the stories are lovely and thought-provoking, but "the great silence" gets me every time i read it. "you be good. i love you." instant tears. reread dec. 3 – 14, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ iron man 3 (2013) — pepper potts is the real hero of this franchise. she was also the inspiration for my work fashion when i still worked in an office. those suits! those heels! that red lip! adore her. rewatched dec. 13, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ elf (2003) — i'd say this is a modern classic, but it's now 20 years old so i guess it's just a classic. the hold this had on us in college every holiday season; i think this played in the background of every party in december throughout the mid-00s. i haven't watched it since, and it's still fun if a little side-eye at the purpose of peter dinklage's character. zooey deschanel is both blonde and not a manic pixie dream girl stereotype in this and i absolutely didn't recognize her until i looked it up, wow. rewatched dec. 11, 2024
• 📚 opposites attract, camilla isley — the final freebie i got on a "stuff your kindle" day and i'm very glad it was free. just insufferable all around. i usually read on my kindle to fall asleep, not to become enraged at the terrible main character(s). the teenage daughter was the only one i liked and that tells me something was really off with this book.... read dec. 8 – 11, 2024
• 📚 ↺ ♡ absolution, jeff vandermeer — not surprisingly, i enjoyed this much more after re-reading the first three books. lowry is still terrible but his section is somehow less annoying when reading it in print format, henry is the worst and i hate him so much, and jack is obviously the real villain here. the reveal of who the rogue is blew my mind far more this time. i really love the section about old jim. the mental image of the white rabbits chewing crabs or their burnt compatriots with dead eyes fuckin' haunts my dreams. typical jeff vandermeer. reread nov. 30 – dec. 10
• 📚 極主夫道 ‹ the way of the househusband › vol. 12, おおのこうすけ ‹ kousuke oono › — i really enjoy this series. still, not surprisingly it seems to be running out of ideas twelve volumes in. this one just wasn't as fun and the scenarios didn't make a lot of sense for the characters. read dec. 5 – 8, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ star trek: first contact (1996) — "this is no time to argue about time! we don't have the time!" classic. rewatched dec. 6, 2024
• 📚 love on the scottish summer coast, beatrice bradshaw — another freebie on a "stuff your kindle" day. nice, rather mindless read, which is great right before the holidays with everything else to do. read dec. 1 – 3, 2024
• 📚 even when i'm leaving, s.c. meyer — i already forgot that i read this. at least it was free on one of those "stuff your kindle" days. read nov. 28 – 30, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ jingle all the way (1996) — the older i get, the more i love arnold schwarzenegger movies. this is both nostalgic and only works because arnold is the least average midwestern guy selling furniture ever. by the '90s he really was a good actor, and he works so well in goofy family comedies. plus, it takes place in msp! rewatched nov. 30, 2024
• 📚 fan fiction: a mem-noir, brent spiner — this is just rpf with a '40s detective noir spin written by spiner about his own life though?!?! hilarious to listen to on a boring drive! ofc i appreciated all the star trek: tng cast appearances, and i'm glad they're all still such good friends that they'd turn out to read for the silly versions of themselves in this goofy book. listened nov. 29, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ airplane! (1980) — to me, this is the epitome of boomer humor and it does not age well. each time i watch it, i cringe a little more. rewatched nov. 28, 2024
• 📚 ↺ area x, jeff vandermeer — lowry is, indeed, insufferable! i had forgotten most of this, it turns out, so it was such a pleasure to read again. interesting how with age i like authority more and more. i do look forward to re-reading absolution again. reread nov. 2 – 28, 2024
• 📚 grave talk, nick spalding — another amazon first reads that worked well for me. this really had me all the way through, even if it did tie up neater than i would like given the messiness of grief. read nov. 20 – 28, 2024
• 📚 star wars: brotherhood, mike chen & jonathan davis — i enjoyed the more introspective character components, but the political plot is like the ones in the star wars movies, which isn't a good thing. i have so much trouble with the idea that an entire order of peacekeepers seem to have no understanding of military/war history and psychology like they'd never heard of a war before the clone wars?! and other characters aren't any better. this got frustrating, but honestly some of that may have been the traffic. i really, really like the characters, but usually roll my eyes at the plot: star wars in a nutshell for me. narration was great, though! listened nov. 23 – 27, 2024
• 📚 the sacrificers vol. 1, rick remender & max fiumara — reminded me too much of a recent star trek: strange new worlds episode but somehow doing it worse. i always find rick remender's writing to be derivative and not in a good way, i guess. read nov. 25, 2024
• 📚 nights season 1, part 1, wyatt kennedy & luigi formisano — i liked this way more than i expected! this is one of those comics that is a fun (if bloody) read, but i sort of wish it could have been a tv show... read nov. 24, 2024
• 📚 ♡ 猫暮らしのゲーマーさん ‹ cat + gamer › vol. 1 – 6, 灘谷航 ‹ wataru nadatani › — sometimes you need a cozy manga series about a thirty-year-old woman who adopts a cat for the first time and all of the shenanigans that ensue. i mean, have you seen the art?! look at how cute that cat is! not much plot, but plenty of lighthearted cuteness and i needed it. i'm sad i've run out of english volumes. i need more!! read nov. 19 – 22, 2024
• 📺 futurama, season 6 (or 7 & 8) — revivals are dumb and this is proof of it. it's missing a certain je ne sais quoi, and i think it's mostly that they couldn't decide if fry and leela were together from episode to episode, kif and amy's storylines never made sense and were often upsetting character assassinations, and the end-of-episode reset button was used pretty egregiously. still, good background show while i do other things. i oven-seasoned my cast iron, deep-cleaned my home, and redid my listography while it played, and that's not nothing! watched nov. 8 – 19, 2024
• 📚 i think we've been here before, suzy krause — this is the kind of idea where if it's in the right writer's hands, it would easily win the booker or some other prestigious literary prize (or several). this does not have the right writer for that, so all the emotions and characterizations are a bit more surface level. it never felt like we got deep into these people in the way i wanted. still, it's honestly a fun read considering the topic, and though i don't think it was coherent in its own ideas the whole way through, i really enjoyed the time i spent with this one. sometimes these amazon first reads are not real winners, but still worth the time. read nov. 10 – 17, 2024
• 📺 riget ‹ the kingdom ›, season 1 — i still don't know if i like lars von trier's style. he certainly has a unique vision, that's for sure. this made more sense when i saw a letterboxd review that explained this was a dark comedy about the danish bureaucracy, but that doesn't negate the slowness and the lack of cohesiveness in the ideas. why wasn't the bleach swamp important when the whole intro spends a solid minute talking about it?! how did judith give birth to a grown-ass man without being split open?!?! why was this so engaging despite all of its obvious flaws?!?!? i'm gonna watch part two; i have so many questions. watched nov. 17, 2024
• 📽️ nimic (2019) — i watched this short with c. when she was visiting and she said she's never watching the kind of stuff i watch again lmao. this is unsettling, i agree! that's yorgos, baby! i'm here for the matt dillon renaissance, too. watched nov. 14, 2024
• 📚 the five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable, patrick lencioni — i had to read this for a leadership development program i'm in at work. this was more engrossing than i thought, but really felt more geared toward c-suite than mid-level managers/leaders. i did enjoy the story as a story, but not so much as a guide on how to solve problems in team dynamics. read nov. 8 – 14, 2024
• 📚 ♡ the answer is no, fredrik backman — this was so charming! and silly. there was a bit of a moral to it, but mostly it was just silly fun. i do wish my doctor would prescribe a month-long coma for me! that sounds lovely!! no people, just vibing in some paid-for rental with a stack of books, albums, and movies/tv shows and all the takeout i can stand. here for it!! sometimes these amazon first reads are real winners. i definitely wouldn't have read this were it not "free" with my amazon prime trial, and i'm glad i did. read nov. 9, 2024
• 📽️ humanist vampire seeking consenting suicidal person (2023) — you can practically feel the influence of only lovers left alive oozing off the screen at times. still, i'm gonna enjoy a movie with an overwrought title about a melancholy vampire; it's an elizabeth life rule. watched nov. 9, 2024
• 📚 complete tales and poems, edgar allen poe — thank fuck i'm done with this. not only is this ebook poorly created (the entire novel is listed as a single page!), but it turns out that i think poe is a mediocre writer. the stories he's famous for are good, but my god so much of this is just plain bad. i can accept that the humor/satire falls flat because it's nearly 200 years later, but the digressions within digressions in a short story! my man! get to the point! the novel was one of the worst i've read in a while, like what the hell, just endless nothing happening for most of it and so much detail about boats that means nothing to me. it felt like he wanted to show off his knowledge about sailing, tbh. and the ideas are repetitious after a while. i wanted to get through it and i did, though i skipped the essays because idgaf. read dec. 13, 2023 – nov. 9, 2024
• 📺 futurama, the movies (or season 6) — two pretty good ones with two awful ones. every time this show tries to do anything related to women or gender dynamics it falls hard on its face. also, the plots often seemed disjointed within the same movie?! and made no sense. not worth my time again in the future, except maybe the special that's the half-hour hypnotoad comedy. all glory to the hypnotoad! watched nov. 3 – 8, 2024
• 📺 ↺ futurama, season 5 — i saw more of this when it aired than i thought. it's still enjoyable overall, though parts definitely aged poorly. "jurassic bark" is still a masterpiece of melancholy. anything to do with the robot devil is automatically a winner for me, so it was fun that the series ended on an episode with the robot devil fuckin' shit up. way to end on a high note! rewatched oct. 30 – nov. 3, 2024
• 📽️ sometimes i think about dying (2023) — this worked much better than i expected, though it could have been given more room to breathe in the ending. daisy ridley really is quite good, and i'm pleased to see she is avoiding the lead actor star wars curse and getting interesting projects. watched nov. 3, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ the fall (2006) — i first watched this while pushing daisies was airing because all the heart eyes at lee pace. he really is so good at playing melancholy characters (similar to kirsten dunst), and i think his performance especially with the little girl is what makes this movie work. also, another example of truly beautiful cinematography. this may be the only movie tarsem singh every got fully right, and damn is it good. rewatched nov. 3, 2024
• 📽️ ↺ ♡ moon (2009) — this one is a good rewatch even knowing what's going on the whole time. beautifully shot and really captures the loneliness of sam's life and the crushing isolation of being on the moon, millions of miles from your entire life. sam rockwell is extraordinary in this. rewatched nov. 2, 2024
• 📚 absolution, jeff vandermeer — i'm already haunted by those goddamn bunnies with their thousand-yard stare while munching on live crabs w t f. weird thoreau haunts my dreams again!! i haven't read area x in several years, so i missed a lot. i already planned to reread the trilogy but i'm going to get a hardback copy of this and reread it again too. i still really, really liked this...though lowry is fuckin' insufferable. read oct. 22 – nov. 1, 2024