Sometimes, I like to punish myself with very difficult video games. There’s pleasure in the frustration of dying over and over, only to eventually accomplish whatever goal the game aims for. The repetitiveness of retracing one’s steps is meditative. Rage quitting only builds excitement and determination. But none of that is supposed to happen in games about exploration and discovery. Outer Wilds, Mobius Digital’s 2019 game about space exploration at the end of the universe, advertises itself as a self-paced journey about space and new worlds.
The Bachelorette S16E5: His Face Hit My Elbow
It’s time for another episode of The Bachelorette, everyone! After the peaceful transfer of power last week, Tayshia is our new Bachelorette. And she’s ready to have a bomb summer and fall in love, in that order. So let’s start this journey. Again! We never tire of it.
Read moreThe Bachelorette S16E4: Apologize to the Group
Our own positivity about this episode is surprising, even to us. But in a post-Trump world, we’re just breathing a little easier, and maybe a sappy, over-the-top love story was just what we needed while we waited on election results this week. So yeah, we’re pretty much all in on Clare and Dale. Come at us. Let’s see how the teams did this week.
Read moreBSG #47: We're Not Okay / Survivor Song
BSG #47: We’re Not Okay / Survivor Song
Escape the real pandemic with a fictional outbreak as we discuss Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay! We talk about how the novel’s events relate to current events, how the main characters are used to tell the story, and whether or not this is a zombie narrative. Next, we get into some listener feedback on The Vanishing Half and catch up with what’s on the #BookSquadBlog, including Bachelorette recaps and Emily’s Spooktober series. For our next #Othersode on 11/16, we’re covering Lovecraft Country, so catch up on HBO! And read along for our next #Bookpisode on Docile by Kevin Szpara (11/30). Send feedback to thesquad@booksquadgoals.com, and don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe!
Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!
Read moreThe Bachelorette S16E3: The Jonas Brothers Tabernacle Choir
The Bachelorette recap is coming in late this week. Just a quick housekeeping thing: this week and next week Bachelorette recaps will be on Sunday because of election stuff throwing everything off. Sorry about that. But on to the recap. Let us take you back to Tuesday when it was still October and things were just a little bit better. And… go!
Read more10 Weeks of Spooktober: The Craft Legacy (Week 10 of 10)
It’s Halloween, which means it’s time to close out Spooktober for 2020. It also means October is coming to an end, which means I’m about to crawl back into my horror hole where I’ll sit and wait until it’s once again the time of year where we can appropriately love ghosts and monsters and witches and blood and death and all that other fun stuff. R.I.P., October. We barely knew ye.
But before we can say goodbye to October for the rest of 2020, we’ve got one more final horror movie to look at. And then at the end, for no reason whatsoever except for the fun of it, I’m going to look back at the second year of Spooktober to examine how successful this Spooktober season was compared to last season. Prepare yourselves.
Cue the creepy, atmospheric thunder and lightning.
Read more10 Weeks of Spooktober: Bad Hair (Week 9 of 10)
The 9th week of Spooktober is coming in hot and really late. Blame election anxiety, friends. I watched this movie last weekend, and I’m finally getting around to writing my review of it. I’m horrible, and I don’t even care. But what movie are we talking about, you ask? We’re talking about Bad Hair, the latest from director Justin Simien, who also directed Dear White People. Among other things. But you probably know him from Dear White People.
Anyway, Bad Hair is a surreal horror film set in 1989. Our main character is Anna Bludso (played by Elle Lorraine). Anna has dreamed of being a DJ since she was a little girl playing with songs on the radio. Now that we’re at the height of music television in the ‘80s, Anna is climbing her way up the ladder at a Black music channel called Culture. There’s only one thing standing in her way from making it to the top: her hair.
Read moreThe Bachelorette S16E2: Show Some Balls
Photo: ABC
Listen: Clare is 39, she’s been to therapy, and she demands *emotional intelligence* from her men. And because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, there is literally nowhere else for the contestants to go but inside their own hearts (ok, or out of their own shorts). Let the games begin between Emily’s men (Team I Just Met My Husband) and Susan’s men (Team Reckless on Instagram)!
Read moreOthersode #46: Eating Owen's Cake Batter / The Haunting of Bly Manor
Othersode #46: Eating Owen's Cake Batter / The Haunting of Bly Manor
Grab your cake batter and badly-made tea because the Book Squad is discussing The Haunting of Bly Manor. We talk about all of the Henry James literary connections, the (sometimes hidden) ghosts, grief and memory, and of course, love stories. Then we get into some listener feedback about I’m Thinking of Ending Things and catch up with what’s on the #BookSquadBlog, including a new featured bookstore, a spooky series, and Bachelorette recaps! Read along for our next #Bookpisode on Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay on November 2, and watch Lovecraft Country (HBO) for our next #Othersode on November 16.
Click through for summary, table of contents, and show notes!
Read more10 Weeks of Spooktober: Nocturne (Week 8 of 10)
Welcome back Spooktober fans! Did you miss me last week? I hope you don’t mind Mary filling in for me while I took some time off to vote early and celebrate my birthday. By the way, please vote! If you can, vote early! Let’s do this people. I believe in you.
Okay, on to what you’re all here for. Scary movies.
This week, we’re looking at Nocturne, a new move that is part of the Welcome to the Blumhouse Anthology. Currently, this anthology consists of four films, and I chose this particular movie because I had already heard from many reliable sources that Nocturne is the best of the four. On top of that, this movie was compared to Black Swan, Whiplash, and one of the movies I covered for last year’s Spooktober: The Perfection. So yeah, I thought, sign me up.
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