Friday Links 2/2

Let’s just roll right in…

• A super powerful spoken word/poem by singer Halsey about sexual abuse.
• University of Washington says if you swat mosquitoes they may learn to avoid your scent. Can we put that in a perfume, please?
• Casey Affleck pulls out of presenting the best actress Oscar. Probably a good idea.
• But if Gary Oldman wins best actor, will he be the presenter backing out next year?
• There’s going to be a sequel to The Shining.
• “This is not normal.” Nutella riots hit France.
• Ten to watch from Sundance, courtesy of Alicia Malone! I’m super excited for a bunch of the new films. Possible list coming?
• Ignore the clickbait title. Instead: “There are a million ways to say no, and we need to stop ignoring them. We need to make “enthusiastic consent” our mantra and keep it in mind whenever we might have sex.” Read it.
• How Netflix personalizes its services for every person. Pretty intense.
• A great read: The female price of male pleasure.
• Is this going to be the big under the radar horror film of the year?
• There’s going to be a new royal baby (I missed this somehow)! British bookies are taking bets on baby names.
• I’ve been having a bit of imposter syndrome recently, and this piece on the ‘friendship complex’ was a reassuring read.
• Why people are eating tide pods? 1) I’m officially old, now that I’m having to google this kind of internet fad thing. 2) Gen Z is screwed.
• Two fashion industry tops under fire after a racial slur leads to the rediscovery of past homophobic and transphobic comments. Superficial apologies ensue.
• And to wrap up on a lighter note: Four teddy coats to look like a faceable Paddington Bear. As if Paddington wasn’t already incredibly sexy. Mmm, marmalade.

Playlist: Long Sultry Summer

The first of my anemone flowers started blooming yesterday, which means summer is drawing to a close. Or more accurately, that the end of summer is drawing to a beginning.

Summer isn’t really saying goodbye until the asters and goldenrod are in full swing.

My plane tickets have been bought- my ticket, really, because as of yet there is no return trip.  A one way trip to Charles de Gaulle.

And I may have watched the last film that I will watch that takes place in my city- the last one before I go. It was Gone Baby Gone.  I love it when films make detours to my hometown to find unsavory people, murder victims, and other desperate characters. My favorite movie trope.
And I’ve decided that Jared Leto and Casey Affleck share a category in my head- creepy and lanky white boy actors who seem to take themselves too artistically seriously and who I don’t want to meet.  Much as I admire Jared Leto’s ability to wear way too much Gucci at once. And much as I admire Casey Affleck’s… nothing really, never mind.

2017 Films I’m Looking Forward To

I saw The Big Sick the day before yesterday! It was pretty good but not as excellent as I was hoping it would be. It’s hard to get a romcom right- I mean it’s hard to make an intelligent romcom.  Without spoilers, a few of the things I found lacking: a number of the best jokes were used in the trailer, and I found myself wishing I hadn’t seen the trailer so I could appreciate the film more.  Kind of says something negative re: rewatchability.
Also, the movie, despite being a romantic comedy, is too much about the male main character, Kumail Nanjiani. Given that the female protagonist is in a coma for the majority of the film (not a spoiler; that’s the premise), it’s an easy hole to fall into. But even when Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter!) show up to stand in for her, the film still leans into being a coming of age story for Kumail Nanjiani (which, he did do a lot to make this film happen, so I can see how it focuses on his experience).  The romantic plot line and family merging took a backseat to his personal development, to the extent that Emily’s coma feels more like a plot device to trigger Kumail’s transformation, rather than the premise of the film.  And even though she’s based on a real person, Zoe Kazan’s Emily  (through no fault of Zoe Kazan’s, who had to spend most of the film being  coma patient) comes across as more manic-pixie-dreamgirl. Probably as a result of the script more than anything else.
But it was a good movie. It was funny and quick, even if it was not as insightful or deep as I was hoping it would be.

Oscar Winners 2017

Wow. Well, I think we’ll all remember where we were when we saw the Great Oscar Error of 2017.  My love for films was at war with my love of an early bedtime down to the last minutes of the night.
By the time Best Picture rolled around my roommate had joined me and I was ready for the end.  I was spending commercial breaks tidying my room, brushing my teeth, washing my face, feeding my cat, basically throwing in the towel.
So when La La Land ‘inevitably’ won, my roommate left and I shut my laptop in unsurprised disappointment (I had been rooting for Moonlight) without bothering to listen to the speeches.  And then just minutes later my Lily (my roommate) shouted to me from the next room that IT WAS A MISTAKE AND MOONLIGHT WON?!
I think I may have whispered “Holy Shit” to myself  a few times in bed in the dark before drifting off in a deep sleep.

And today I’m reminded of why I don’t usually go to bed the same day I wake up (my eyes are so tired!) but I’m gratified to admit that most of my predictions were on point, and, had I had an office and had my office had a pool, I would have made some bank.
I also correctly guessed that Ruth Negga’s dress was Valentino, but I want to talk about the clothes separately so as to eke out my triumphs and enjoyment of them. 😉
So how did my predictions hold up?

Oscar Nomination Roundup

I know I already did this post, but I think I got a bit ahead of myself. And now Ive at last seen all of the big Oscar films (with a few exceptions, which will be detailed below).

And now, your daily update on my health, because I love sharing. I worked too hard yesterday and I’m feeling it today. My throat is worse and I’ve pain in my sinuses.  It never ends. I probably won’t be able to make it to Senior Masquerade tomorrow, which is a great sadness, because I have a beautiful mask that I rarely get to wear. Few occasions to wear beautiful masks, unfortunately. And I won’t get to see Lily wearing the mask I bought her in Venice, which is another Great Sadness.

Le sigh. I know I’m not a big one for going out and partying these days, but I would appreciate the choice, you know? And an evening inside is not nearly so nice when you’re sick.

Anyway, onto movies. I watched Shyamalan’s Split last night.  Despite the positive reviews I thought it was pretty much poop.  I’ve seen all of the big Oscar films now except Fences (I had to read the play in high school with a not very pleasant teacher and I don’t want to re-experience it) and Silence (because I can’t find it anywhere).

So in pink I’m putting the film I think will win, and in purple, the film(s) I want to win.