Quarantine Got You Down? VIVARIUM Won't Help

July 29, 2020 Emily

Hello. We’re four months into the Coronavirus takeover of America. I know a lot of people in this country have decided that “we have to move on with our lives” and that “Coronavirus is here to stay.” So they’ve just been vacationing, going to bars, attending Chainsmokers concerts, and what have you. But that’s not the reality in our household right now. Some days the closest I get to an outing is sitting on my porch and staring at the parking lot. Yeah, it sucks. But this is the reality the other half of Americans who aren’t “moving on with their lives” are going through.

So to spice things up, my husband and I have been having movie nights just to give ourselves something to look forward to. This past week, we watched Vivarium, a 2019 film directed by Lorcan Finnegan, written by Garret Shanley, and starring Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots.

Oh boy. Spoiler-free review to follow.

Othersode #43: Phantom of the Suburbs / Hamilton!

July 27, 2020 The Squad

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Indian Matchmaking, Marriage, and the Isms it Ignores

July 22, 2020 Mary

It’s an open secret that I love trashy reality TV shows, especially things like the Real Housewives franchise and 90 Day Fiancé. These shows require such little brainpower, and they work well as background noise for other activities like cross stitching (my favorite) or making grocery orders. I don’t have to absorb every second of RHONY to know that Tinsley is having another meltdown. Michael and Angela will still be just as problematic if I return from the bathroom after missing their scene. So when I saw that Netflix had released a new reality show titled simply Indian Matchmaking, I knew I had to at least try it.

Cut to three hours later, when Netflix is gently asking me if I’m still watching. You know I am, Netflix. You know I am.

Queer Girl Book Club: In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

July 16, 2020 Kelli & Emily

Emily: Okay hello. Welcome to a new blog series which we have named... what did we name it again?

Kelli: Girl and Girl on Girl on Girl.

Emily: 4G for short.

Kelli: JK I think we’re calling it Queer Girl Book Club.

Emily: We're workshopping this as we go, people.

Kelli: Mostly because I wanted to focus on queer women/NB people, but we'll see what choices we make moving forward!

Emily: Yeah who knows. We might throw some dudes in there. But like... we may never. That's our prerogative. This is our blog.

Kelli: Also, we're girls, so the name still works.

Emily: Anyhow. For our inaugural Queer Girl Book Club blog post, we're talking about Carmen Maria Machado's memoir In The Dream House.

BSG #43: The Tina Fey of The Water Dancer / Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer with Said Medina

July 13, 2020 The Squad

Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!

Say Hello to Your Friends: The Babysitter's Club on Netflix

July 12, 2020 Mary, Jen, and Emily

Jen: Say hello to your friends!

Mary: Yay!

Emily: hiii

Mary: Hello, fellow babysitters.

Just kidding, I have zero babysitting experience.

Jen: We did a summer camp! That kind of counts?

Mary: Oh yeah! I think that counts.

Emily: I've done a ton of babysitting.

Jen: You are our actual babysitting expert!

Last week, Netflix released a reboot of The Babysitters Club, based on the series by Ann M. Martin in the 80s and 90s! It is focused on a group of young girls who decide to start their own babysitting business, but it's also really about the friendships they form along the way!

(Minor spoilers for BSC ahead.)

Todd's Fantasy Series Corner

July 10, 2020 Todd Osborne

Since finishing up grad school last spring, I have been diving into the world of contemporary fantasy. I am mostly a novice to this world, though I have read the entire Wheel of Time series (and classics like LotR and The Chronicles of Narnia). Still, I haven’t read much or really any contemporary fantasy outside of WoT and wanted to dip into it and see if any of it was worthwhile. (Spoiler: yes!) So, here is a rundown of 5 books/book series that I have read, along with a general overview of what to expect and whether or not you should read it!

Disclosure: Trans Lives On Screen is Necessary Viewing

July 7, 2020 Kelli

On June 19th, Netflix released the documentary film Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. Acquired by Netflix just after its premiere at Sundance in January, Disclosure is an in-depth examination of the representation of transgender people in media, specifically on film and TV. All of its interview subjects are trans, nonbinary, and/or queer people in media who reflect candidly on the impact these representations of trans people have had not just on their own lives, but on society’s perception of trans and nonbinary people at large.

This film was released during one of the most difficult Pride Months in recent history, amid a global pandemic that prevented people in the LGBTQ+ community from celebrating their queerness in the streets, and amid another epidemic — the murder of countless Black people, including trans man Tony McDade, by police — which has forced Black people into the streets to defend their right to simply be alive in this country. The film came out just days after author JK Rowling released a firestorm of anti-trans tweets, then published an essay on her website doubling down on her “opinions.” All of this is to say that Disclosure is an incredibly timely and important film, perhaps in more ways than even the filmmakers could have anticipated.

Violence, Ludonarrative Dissonance, and The Last of Us Part II

July 5, 2020 Mary

Like many other avid gamers, I played The Last of Us in 2013, and at the time it felt like a revolutionary game, and a good argument for games to be interpreted just like any other text. The Last of Us puts you in the shoes of Joel, a father who takes in a teenager named Ellie during an apocalyptic event. The pair navigate across America, fighting off hordes of zombies (which are never actually called zombies, but as in The Walking Dead, we know what’s up), as they journey to Salt Lake City so that doctors can examine Ellie’s immunity to the cordyceps infecting the world.

The Last of Us attempted to show players that humans are the villains, not zombies, and that every action—even those made with good intentions—has consequences. The Last of Us Part II picks up where the first left off, following Ellie as she journeys to seek revenge. But what’s shocking is just how much revenge Ellie wants, and what she’ll do do obtain it. Enter: extreme violence.

Some spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II to follow.

YA Book Club: The Kingdom of Back

July 4, 2020 Mary & Emily

Mary: Hello and welcome back to YA Book Club! Today we’re discussing The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. You might remember Marie Lu from another little book we read, Warcross. However, The Kingdom of Back is a completely different sort of story, focusing on historical fiction and fantasy rather than science fiction. In the novel, the young Mozart siblings (yes, THOSE Mozarts) journey back and forth between Europe and The Kingdom of Back, a fantastical fairy land inhabited by the fey-like Hyacinth. As the novel progresses, Nannerl begins to question her role as a sibling and as a woman, all as she fights to save her brother.

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