The Cool, Sad & Weird Things I Read/Watched Lately: July Edition (2)
Aging showgirls, Emmys, toxic female friendships, uplifting books, movie magic, giant river otters & more.
Hello! I did a TON of catching up on book reading these past few weeks, and also spent a lot of time thinking about climate change related to all the many floods in the U.S. I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and staying safe.
Some errant thoughts/Internet finds before I dive into this newsletter, which will be the last one before I do some international travel. I’ll be back in August!
Do you know what a double bagel is? No, it’s not having a second breakfast at your favorite bagel shop (something I wish I did back when I lived in the East Village and was surrounded by at least a half-dozen bagel shops within a one-mile radius).
The term refers to a 6-0, 6-0 victory in tennis, which occurred during the recent Wimbledon women’s singles finals when Polish player, Iga Swiatek, took home the trophy after soundly besting her opponent, the American player Amanda Anisimova. The last time a double bagel happened during the Wimbledon finals was more than a century ago in 1912 (frankly, I didn’t know the Wimbledon was even a thing before World War I).
This quiz on defining your personality type by vegetable has to be the most delightful multiple-choice quiz I’ve taken since Buzzfeed’s heyday.
This might be the trippiest artwork I’ve ever seen.
Speaking of artwork, I’m oddly fascinated by this piece of a weasel shrouded in the understory of a dark forest, painted on a folding screen by Japanese artist Katayama Bokuyō in 1928.
A poem on the injustices Samoa endured through colonization.
If you’re interested in well-reported and often bizarre farming-related stories in America, I recommend checking out the Offrange publication/newsletter, helmed by the former editor-in-chief of The Counter. Some recent stories I like:
The Texas farm that once welcomed tens of thousands of Mexican migrant workers with open arms
A good read on the intersection of farmer mental health and the climate crisis
Film & Television
MOVIES
The Last Showgirl (directed by Gia Coppola, written by Kate Gersten) - Between The Substance and The Last Showgirl, Hollywood has been tackling the hard reality of aging in show business as a woman. Pamela Anderson drives a moving performance as Shelly, a dancer in the Razzle Dazzle, which is the last place in Vegas to still feature performers in old costumes with women in bustiers decked with glittering sequins and big feathers.
But the show must come to an end at some point. The Razzle Dazzle is going to close up shop in two weeks, as we learn in the first act. Shelly, who loves her job with all her heart, must reckon with the fact that she may have very little — personally and professionally— to show for her thirty years of devotion to the Razzle Dazzle. There’s some good commentary here on whether pursuing a life as an artist with family obligations is a noble dream or a selfish fantasy. Jamie Lee Curtis also delivers in a great supporting role as Shelly’s cocktail waitress best friend.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (directed and written by Rungano Nyoni) - This A24 movie confused and upset me in all the right ways. The film begins on a lonely nighttime drive in Zambia, when Shula encounters the dead body of her uncle Fred. She seems strangely nonplussed, considering she’s just found her uncle’s corpse.
Her behavior becomes clearer throughout the subsequent funeral for Fred, where a disturbing family secret comes to light after one of Shula’s cousins winds up in the hospital. This movie unveils Shula’s gradual rebellion through “becoming a guinea fowl” and explores how women uphold dominant patriarchal norms that hurt the same family members they love dearly. Warning: this movie may be triggering for victims of sexual violence.
Sorry, Baby (directed and written by Eva Victor) - I’m sure people will be drawn to this dark comedy for the A24 name alone, and I’m glad, because this is one of my favorite fly-under-the-radar movies this year. Sorry, Baby spans four years in the life of Agnes, who has just become a full-time professor of creative writing at some small liberal arts college. She’s hanging with her former grad school classmate/best friend, Lydie, and while they’re clearly having fun, there’s an undercurrent of tension, as Lydie alludes to some dark event that happened in the recent past that’s hanging over Agnes like a damp blanket.
This movie deftly balances deadpan humor/comedy amidst very dark PTSD moments in a way that’s hard to accomplish without being off-putting. I love the relationship between Agnes and Lydie, but my favorite moment is an interaction Agnes has with a stranger who comforts her in just the right way.
Also, if you’ve been in grad school for a creative writing program, this movie will provoke you in all the ways (Petty rivalries! Blowing off your thesis until the last possible moment! Joan Didion!). There’s also a cute cat in this movie. Warning: this movie may be triggering for victims of sexual violence.
Now You See Me (directed by Louis Leterrier, written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie, and Rhett Reese) - When people say “Hollywood doesn’t make movies like they used to!” I suspect this movie would fall into that category. A mostly family-friendly blockbuster that’s heavy on entertainment/suspense and light on substantive character development, that people used to pay money for but now wait until it comes on streaming.
The film centers on a group of magicians — dubbed “The Four Horsemen” — who have pulled off their biggest heist yet: robbing a bank in France while performing a show in the U.S. Their heist draws the attention of FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo), who sets off on a wild goose chase to find the Four Horsemen before their next act. If you loved magic tricks as a kid, I bet you’ll like this movie. This movie does feel a product of its time (2014), though, with some comments on an obviously skinny Hollywood actress being “fat” and some male gaze-y shots, but they’re few in number and mostly don’t detract from the viewing experience, which was largely enjoyable.
I also watched the sequel, Now You See Me 2, which isn’t as good as the original, but it’s still a fun time in case you want to do a double billing of both movies. (Apparently, a third movie, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, is coming out in November? Intriguing…)
28 Days Later - Starring Cillian Murphy in a zombie apocalypse type scenario, 28 Days Later hones in on a group of survivors trying to escape London to a safer military hub as some kind of infection ravages humans in the United Kingdom, turning people into mindless creatures driven only by rage. I rewatched this movie for the first time in a few years, and while I didn’t love it as much as I did the first time, it kickstarted the zombie craze in Hollywood, and I have to give it credit for that. Plus, I actually cared about what happened to the characters, unlike in 28 Years Later (see below).
28 Years Later (directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland) - I’ll admit, I’m a little confused as to why so many people like this movie. I had high hopes for this follow-up in the 28 Days movie franchise, and it disappointed me. It felt emotionally disjointed and lacked stakes. I also maybe feel like I’m not British enough to get this movie, maybe? A lot of references went over my head.
Ultimately, the movie felt like a setup for the subsequent sequel rather than a standalone movie deserving of praise on its own merits. The opening was wild and vicious, though. I’ll give it credit for that. The use of Teletubbies in that way…I almost gasped.
Spirited Away (directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki) - When I was in middle school, my teacher assigned us students to outline the “Hero’s Journey” using an example from fiction in either books or movies. I chose to outline Spirited Away, because I can think of few characters who undergo the dramatic transformation that Chihiro does in Spirited Away. There’s a reason this movie won an Academy Award and is the most critically acclaimed of all of Miyazaki’s movies. It is a masterclass in storytelling.
Spirited Away didn’t used to be my favorite Miyazaki movie, but every year, I grow more appreciative of its visual beauty and emotional resonance. If you’re going through a life transition and feel lost or scared about your next move, I highly recommend watching Spirited Away to give you the cinematic courage you need.
Books
NONFICTION
This Year, You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley - I shared in-depth thoughts on this book in my other newsletter, which you can read here. Even though my feelings on the book have changed over the years, it’s still a good, short resource offering practical advice and hope for new novelists.
Change the Recipe: Because You Can't Build a Better World Without Breaking Some Eggs by José Andrés and Richard Wolffe - I don’t like to put people on pedestals, but if I have any living heroes, José Andrés is definitely in my top five. He’s best known for being an iconic Spanish chef — I walked by his restaurant in DC many times on the way to my book club meeting in Penn Quarter — but I know him best for his humanitarian work feeding people in disaster and war zones through his nonprofit, World Central Kitchen.
This book contains a series of impactful lessons drawn from Andrés’ fascinating life cooking and doing good work around the world. It’s easy and enjoyable to read. I’d especially recommend this book for younger people in their 20s or people who are still searching for their purpose in life (regardless of age).
Time Smart by Ashley Williams - Williams’ central thesis is that most of us are “time poor” — we have too much to do and not enough time to do it. This book offers some exercises on ways to bring time back into your life. I tried to read this book in one sitting, and that’s definitely not the way to do it. If I were to do it again, I’d read it over a longer period so I would have time to do the exercises and incorporate them into my life.
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig - Haig authored a novel I devoured some years ago called The Midnight Library, and I’ve been curious to sample his nonfiction. This short book — I listened to the audiobook while checking my emails this past week — offers a gentle balm for depressed, anxious and weary souls. If your mental health needs some uplift, I suggest checking out this book.
FICTION
Take Me to the Island of Escaped Parrots by Maria Dobjensky- I really enjoyed this flash fiction piece. Most flash fiction (short stories roughly 1000 words or less) don’t really stick in my memory, but this one did. Shout out to places like Electric Lit that publish and pay for high-quality short fiction!
Tell Them You Lied by Laura Leffler - Continuing this month’s trend of books exploring strange female friendships, I read Leffler’s novel. which goes back in time between New York immediately after 9/11 and an art school five years earlier.
Ana, an artist who’s more “by the book,” meets the rebel artist Willow, who’s anything but a rule follower. Their dynamic is one of opposites attract, with Ana both wittingly and unwittingly serving as Willow’s muse, even as their relationship grows increasingly toxic. Cut to five years later in post-9/11 New York, when Willow has gone missing after a prank Ana has planned — and no one’s sure if the prank went horribly wrong, if Willow was in one of the collapsed buildings, or if some even worse fate befell her.
This novel is grippingly written, and it’s a good choice if you’re looking for a beach/vacation read this summer.
Transplants by Daniel Tam-Claiborne - What do you do when you feel like a fish out of water in the country of your birth?
This novel centers on the odd friendship between two “transplants” who meet in China. Lin — a student from rural China – meets Chinese-American Liz while the latter is teaching English class at a university in Qixian. Liz never felt quite at home in the U.S, but she doesn’t know what she’s doing in China, either. Lin feels too outspoken and strange, preferring to bond with her pets rather than with her fellow students. After an incident forces Lin to move to the U.S. to continue higher education, and Liz gets stuck in Shanghai during Covid lockdown, both become transplants making their way in a place not meant for them.
I’m a sucker for a good dual-POV book, and this book made me think complex thoughts about being a third-culture kid, xenophobia, conformist culture and the arrogance of Americans living abroad.
Us: The Complete Annotated Screenplay by Jordan Peele - If you liked the movie Us by Jordan Peele, it’s worth checking out the screenplay book, especially since there are so few screenplay books like this available for purchase nowadays. The book contains both the script for the movie and annotated notes on events and details described in the film.
Wanting by Claire Jia - This book treads thematically similar grounds to Transplants (mentioned above), focusing the first section of the novel on the twisted dynamic between former friends Lian and Wenyu. Lian has always wanted to go abroad to America, but in a twist of fate, Wenyu wound up going to the U.S. instead, and Lian was stuck back home, watching Wenyu become a viral YouTuber from afar.
They reunite in China when Wenyu returns home with her white fiancé to announce her engagement, and the two quickly fall into a routine where they meet up to catch each other up on their emotional and physical affairs while trying to recapture the glory of their childhood friendship. One thing leads to another, culminating in a shocking event at Wenyu’s new mansion in Beijing.
I liked Wenyu and Lian’s sections, but I was pleasantly drawn even more to the second section focusing on the Chinese contractor, Song Chen, who is building Wenyu’s massive mansion. Chen has a troubled relationship with his wife, whom he met while studying in the U.S. There’s a lot of good fodder in here on the failed promises of the American dream and how ego can ruin your relationships even when you’re seemingly a “good husband.”
Journalism/Content
ENTERTAINMENT/MEDIA/CULTURE
Is this the way to save the news business? A local news station opens a coffee shop
Chinese American restaurateurs in LA are doing cool things & I want to eat at all of these places
The comeback of the movie soundtrack
Art events in LA help connect residents to nature
I can’t remember the last time I saw the internet remember a fallen poet with such tenderness as it did this week for Andrea Gibson, who died surrounded by their wife’s four ex-girlfriends, three dogs and their parents. May we all have such love at the end of our life. May they RIP
The snubs and surprises of this year’s Emmys (Somebody, Somewhere should have gotten a nom!)
Why did so many men stop reading novels?
The only journalist being jailed in the US right now could be deported following his coverage of a protest (and despite him having work authorization in the U.S)
A movie in which Lucy Liu portrays a mother dealing with cancer and her son’s schizophrenia seems worth watching
NATURE/ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE
Stat of the week: “But the first large-scale study of post-wildfire water quality has found that pollution created by such a blaze can threaten water supplies for eight years — far longer than previous studies indicated”
Headline of the week: “How to build a thousand-year-old tree” (Link here).
Good news of the week: “About 67% of California’s electricity came from renewables in 2023, data shows. That moves the state closer to its mandated goal of 100% carbon-free energy by 2045.” (From the Bay Area News group newsletter)
Quote of the week: “Real rewilding is about more than simply “putting animals back” and “letting nature take its course”. It is about putting systems back: predators, prey, plants and the processes that connect them.”
Context: Conservationists tried to rewind Ireland by reintroducing golden eagles — but the ecosystem doesn’t have enough prey to support them anymore
As climate change-driven drought upends their farms, women leave rural Mexico for work elsewhere — but at a great personal cost
Fire destroyed a historic lodge on the North Ridge of the Grand Canyon (I’ve been to both the north rim and south rim, and the north rim is less crowded and has a lot of beautiful views - this story made me sad)
Looking toward a greener future in Syria
The state of Michigan finally replaced the majority of lead pipes in Flint — more than a decade after the crisis first began
If you’re planning to buy an electric vehicle, do it before tax credits expire on October 1
Two disabled men perished in the LA fires - after calling 911
Scientists develop cool material inspired by color-changing squid
ICE raids impacted bus ridership rates in LA
Puffins and some 500 other bird species could disappear in the next century
The impact supermarkets are having on the planet (and humanity) is wild
Texas Monthly removed the paywall for coverage of the horrific floods this past month
Giant river otters were reintroduced to Argentina after being considered extinct there. These guys get up to six feet in length!
Getting people to take both personal AND collective action to combat climate change is…really tricky
I try not to bring Trump into this newsletter too much, but the big bill he signed basically gutted any recent gains toward a green energy future
An artist started a mosaic project made from the shards of homes destroyed in the LA fires
Adorable hippo and viral sensation, Moo Deng, celebrated her first birthday
I can’t stop watching this video of a home being swept away by the floods in New Mexico (made worse by a wildfire last year, meaning there wasn’t as much vegetation to slow the progression of floodwater)
A weed killer ingredient banned elsewhere (but used widely in the US) can seriously mess up your gut
Other must-read news/content
A Vox report on a theme park idea that attempted to tackle America’s dark history
A silly but also profound video essay featuring inanimate objects
You will be angry about egg prices after watching this investigative explainer by Johnny Harris on why grocery costs are so high now (TL;DR: consumers got played)
An interstellar object has entered our galactic neighborhood for only the third time in recorded history
What does it even mean to love your country today?