i’ve been sick on and off since the last week of october. it started when i lost my voice after the dodger world series game one, i got sick, then initially got better, and since, have been sick!
the past week, i looked for a few ways to escape my sickness and the current state of the world. so here’s my rundown of what tv, movies, music, books i enjoyed.
movies
the king of comedy (1982)
directed by martin scorsese and starring his longtime collaborator robert de niro, i had been meaning to watch this for a while. what a wild dissent into stalking and just how far people will go to be famous. america has long been obsessed with celebrity, and this is a fantastic look into that shared compulsion. one of the best pieces of information i learned about production after watching? de niro stalked his real life stalker to prepare for the role. a king.
“better to be king for a night, than schmuck for a lifetime.”
reality+ (2014)
first watch with my mubi trial! this a short by coralie fargeat, the director of the substance (2024). i decided to watch reality+ before her new film, the two are companion pieces — you see the concept for the substance within the short. just like the king of comedy, this is about obsession: our collective obsession with changing our looks and bodies to be more desirable. a fascinating, quick watch.
a real pain (2024)
written and directed by jesse eisenberg, starring himself and kieran culkin as cousins on a trip to poland to honor their grandmother. it’s really fun watching jesse and kieran play off each other, and kieran’s performance is stellar. it was election night avoidance at my local amc.
the substance (2024)
waited to watch this until it was available on streaming — i’m very bad at watching body horror! i knew i needed to be somewhere i could pick up the remote and pause it, walk away, or mute it during a distinctively gross scene. directed by coralie fargeat, the substance was remarkable. the cinematography and production design alone were marvelous. demi moore and margaret qualley were exceptional.
barbie (2023)
ahh yes, one of my favorites films from last year. the morning after the election, i woke up early and put on barbie. i love greta gerwig’s direction throughout and just felt like i needed to watch it in the moment.
cabaret (1972)
the other film i watched wednesday was bob fosse’s cabaret (1972). my sister and i were texting throughout the day and kate said she couldn’t stop thinking about the last number in cabaret…berlin in the 1930s.
conclave (2024)
oscar bait at its finest: based off a prestigious novel, directed by edward berger, starring ralph fiennes, stanley tucci, john lithgow, sergio castellitto, and isabella rossellini. someone on twitter characterized it as “conclave: what if an episode of gossip girl took place entirely at the vatican????” and i couldn’t have said it better myself. such a fun romp.
romancing the stone (1984)
an adventure through the jungle with some romance! directed by robert zemeckis and starring michael douglas and kathleen turner. we had fun throughout our watch, but generally wish it took itself less seriously. some of the line readings towards the end feel like they could’ve been in airplane (1980)!
snow white & the seven dwarfs (1937)
a friend posted original production cels from snow white & the seven dwarfs on a recent visit to the academy museum in los angeles. i started thinking about all the skill and technique put into each colored frame and decided to rewatch. it was fun drinking my tea and humming along to the fairytale. plus, there’s a wonderful moment where the dwarves all smell something decadent in their house and yell “soup!” it is soup season, of course!
tv shows
the righteous gemstones, season 2 (2019-)
i’ve been making my way through the righteous gemstones the last few weeks. it is absurd, it is amazing, and the cast are at the top of their comedy game. i didn’t think it could get funnier, and in the second season, eric andré joined the cast. it’s such a great satire.
archer, season 1 (2009-2023)
archer popped up on my netflix homepage, and i’ve been looking for a new adult animation to watch. it has a great voice cast but i’m slowly getting over hearing h. jon benjamin’s voice as bob belcher.
doctor odyssey (2024-)
i actually cannot believe this show. a new, campy, soapy network drama? absolutelyyyyy, sign me up. my friend nellie sold this show as impressive guest stars (shania twain! margaret cho! laura harrier! amy sedaris and kate berlant!) and bonkers procedures. it started a few weeks ago on abc and was created by ryan murphy, jon robin baitz, and joe baken. if you haven’t started it yet, jump in! the water is just fineeeee.
drag race uk, season 6 (2019-)
mother ru, you’ve done it again! season 6 of drag race uk is a phenomenal cast of 12 queens. i’ve been so sad watching them dwindle weekly! the queens are so impressive, each having such a unique view of drag. they played snatch game last week and did the rusical this week. their rusical was “pop of the tops - live,” and each of the remaining queens played british divas. paired with the runway category for the week: “night of a thousand princess dianas,” this week’s episode was magnificent.
my favorite from the cast this season has been kyran thrax. their drag is so inventive and special, i love watching where their brain goes with each challenge presented to them. but frankly, the entire cast is magical! still remaining in the cast (alongside kyran) is la voix, rileasa slaves, marmalade, charra tea, and lill.
music
while i’ve been a bit all over the place getting myself into fall through my tunes, i have had three consistent sounds over the last week:
lcd soundsystem — i was set to see them live at the hollywood palladium sunday night, but i had to give up my tickets because of my cold! but throughout the week, i did a deeper dive through their discography and enjoyed it wholeheartedly.
tyler the creator’s chromakopia — since it came out two weeks ago, i haven’t been able to stop listening to tyler’s latest album. it’s so personal and remarkable, i keep finding more gems, my current obsession is the track ‘like him.’
my friend amanda’s playlist “october chilly” — the perfect vibes for the season.
reading
stay true by hua hsu (2022)
hua hsu’s memoir stay true hit me like a truck. i had it on my tbr list since it came out and my friend kai recommended it — and i’m so glad i finally read it. he approaches his life story from the very beginning with his upbringing in cupertino, california. his father lived in taiwan and they would fax each other letters, which was one of the most special things to read. he goes on to ruminate on his love of zines, which ultimately pushed him to create his own. he also talks at length about his time at berkeley and his friends, especially the unique connection he had with his friend, ken. his writing is deeply thoughtful, and i’ve found my thoughts continue to linger on the memoir since i finished it.
wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the west by gregory maguire (1995)
i never realized how dark the book for wicked was, that is, until my sister started to read it earlier this fall. it is dark fantasy. as a family, we’re going to see wicked the musical in january, a show we’ve all seen multiple times! so after my sister read, i decided i would too. it was an interesting read, especially getting deeper details for both elphaba and glinda.
well! there’s my rundown of what i consumed last week.
take it easy this week, watch something to escape.
x, your pal al ꩜
I need a media podcast from you for reaaaaal. I have had too much brain rot to consume any media other than reruns of drag race (absolute comfort watch) I need to live vicariously through you.
purrrr. conclave has been OFFICIALLY added to the list. sold on gossip girl at the vatican.
i hope that others too are watching cabaret with a cautious sense of urgency. "life is a cabaret" is a warning to us all, that we must not sit idly by and accept the rise of fascism, we must rage against it. my suggestion to every person on the planet is to watch a copy of the '98 production of cabaret on broadway on youtube (famously with tony winners alan cummings and natasha richardson) for many many MANY reasons but i think we in our moment of life that we are in now also watch specifically natasha's 'cabaret' -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLVayvxquBg. let us feel the urgency NOW, and summon the strength to not accept what is coming but to fight against the evil of the world.