February Foreign Films: Pain and Glory

February 2, 2020 Emily

Clearly, I love challenging myself to a good film series.

In the fall, it was 10 Weeks of Spooktober. Then I did 12 Days of Christmas Movies throughout the month of December. Now, I’m back just in time for the tail end of awards season with a new series called February Foreign Films. And with the way February is going, it’s going to be Five February Foreign Films. That’s a lot of F’s.

This is exactly what it sounds like. I will be watching and reviewing buzzy foreign films in the month of February. They must, however, be completely new to me. So, sorry, no Parasite, which I already named my #1 thing of 2019. And no Atlantics, although that is a really good movie, and it’s available on Netflix… so you should watch it right away.

So with all of that out of the way, let’s get into our very first February Foreign Film: Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain & Glory, starring Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas, who is nominated for an Oscar for this role.

The Bachelor S24E4: The Internet Knows Everything

January 30, 2020 Kelli & Emily

It’s time for more drama! More gossip! More lies! And, yes, more pilot puns. Your Bachelor recap starts in 3…2…1…

Emily: We awake at the Bachelor mansion and it’s a new day, and we’re all ready to put the drama behind us. Deandra continues to be the most beautiful girl in the house. Yes, I said what I said. Don’t @ me. Anyway, she’s over the drama, and she’s ready to get to know Peter. Clearly Peter has terrible taste in women because he’s been ignoring all the cool (hot) girls.

Kelli: I agree about Deandra. I only wish I knew literally one single thing about her, but unfortunately Peter would rather focus on women who are either deeply boring (Madison) or deeply annoying and terrible (see: the rest of this episode).

Stories Move in Circles: A Conversation with Author Kim Taylor Blakemore

January 29, 2020 Kelli

The Companion, the latest historical crime novel from Kim Taylor Blakemore, follows Lucy Blunt, a woman in 1855 New Hampshire who is set to hang for a double murder she claims she didn’t commit. As Lucy reflects on the events leading up to her imprisonment, she tests the limits of our trust in her retelling, and the mystery that unfolds is as intoxicating as it is dreadful.

I had the immense pleasure of speaking with author Kim Taylor Blakemore about her interest in historical fiction, her writing process, and how she eventually found her way to The Companion. Plus: Kim’s thoughts on the future of Gothic fiction, an extensive lesbian romance reading list, and, of course, pet talk.

(Some spoilers for The Companion to follow.)

Valley Ghouls: Bodies, Representation, and Humor

January 28, 2020 Mary

Kate Leth has long been one of my favorite comics creators; she’s contributed to titles like Bravest Warriors and Adventure Time, and I know her best from her work on Patsy Walker, AKA Hellcat!, where she helped revive a classic hero with a body positive, super-diverse flair. Leth has also worked on TV shows like Craig of the Creek and My Little Pony: Equestria Girls. Most importantly (to me!), Leth has been creating the comic strip Valley Ghouls for over 150 installments.

YA Book Club: There's Something About Sweetie

January 26, 2020 Mary & Emily

Emily:Okay. So There's Something About Sweetie was my pick for the YA Book Club because I have read and loved Sandhya Menon's books in the past. I especially love When Dimple Met Rishi, and I knew that There's Something About Sweetie was a "sort of" "sequel" to Dimple/Rishi, and that it featured a fat protagonist, so I was ALL IN, and I knew Mary would be too.

Mary: And I was!

The Bachelor S24E3: Do you, like, work? At all?

January 23, 2020 Kelli & Emily

Kelli: Hi! I’m not Susan, but I’m the next best thing, maybe. I’ll be here with Emily for the next two weeks as Susan prepares to walk down the aisle (as they’d probably say on this show). Emily, why don’t you start us off?

Emily: I am SO confused about where we are in time and in the episode because we keep starting in the middle of everything. I feel like the editing so far this season is especially bad, and we can talk more about that later, but just note that’s probably going to be a theme of this season: me talking about how bad the editing is. Anyway, here we are. Everyone’s talking about bullying and the definition of bullying. It’s almost philosophical, but it’s not.

Survivor Season 40 "Winners at War" Preview

January 22, 2020 Todd & Mary

Hello! It is hard to believe, but Survivor is almost back in our lives, and this season seems poised to be one of the best yet. For its 20th season, Survivor brought back some of the best people to ever play the game for Heroes vs. Villains. For its 40th season, the show is bringing back 20 winners (not necessarily the 20 best but we’ll take it), to compete against each other. Because all of these people have played before, this is less a “first impressions” blog and more a chance for us to talk about players we have seen before and for Mary to make snap judgments on those winners who are new to her.

1917 Shines in Small Moments

January 20, 2020 Kelli

If you’ve been following the Oscars race, you’ve no doubt noticed Sam Mendes’ 1917 pushing its way to the front of the pack. Just this past weekend, the film won the top prize at the Producers Guild of America awards, which often indicates what will go on to win big at the Oscars. As usual, the discourse is hostile; while many critics have praised the film’s technical achievements, others insist there is a hollowness at the center of its spectacle. While 1917 is certainly not my personal pick for best film of the year, I would not say that it lacks emotional depth. For me, this film’s best moments are the small ones.

(Spoilers ahead)

YOU Season 2: Am I Hate Watching or Love (Quinn) Watching?

January 17, 2020 Emily

October 2018 was a simpler time. Our president hadn’t yet been impeached. Full House actress Lori Laughlin was still just Aunt Becky. Colton’s season of The Bachelor hadn’t aired yet, which means we had yet to meet Hannah B(east), the most famous Bachelorette of all time and mirror ball winner. We still hadn’t seen the last season of Game of Thrones, which means there was still a chance it wasn’t going to be complete crap. We were full of hope for so many things. Including a little show that had just started airing on Lifetime: You.

Back in October 2018, I wrote a reflection on the brand new show starring Penn Badgley, Elizabeth Lail, and Shay Mitchell. At the time, a lot was still up in the air, and I wasn’t sure if the show I was watching was good terrible or just terrible terrible. Now that it’s 2020, a lot has changed. You has moved to Netflix, and we’ve all binge-watched the most recent season (right? right). So now it’s time to look at where we are. Is this show good, or is it really, really bad? Let’s take a look and find out.

The Bachelor S24E2: I'm Not A Champagne Stealer

January 15, 2020 Susan & Emily

Episode 2 of The Bachelor has arrived! Champagne bottles were popped. Accusations were thrown. Whose team came out on top? Read on to find out!

Emily: We enter this episode where we left off last week, and much like a champagne bottle that’s been left open for an entire week, this drama fizzled out. Hannah B. is still on the couch with Peter, but nothing really comes of it. In fact, after it was all over, I had to turn to Ben and ask if Hannah ever actually said whether she would or wouldn’t come back on the show. Of course, we all knew she would have to say no because (if for no other reason) she is under contract with Dancing with the Stars, and we know she goes on to win the season. But no dramatic declarations? Nothing? I was a little surprised.

Susan: Meanwhile all of Peter’s contestants are hanging out in an empty auditorium writing awkward sex stories. The start of every good date.

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