Sunday, July 15, 2012

Consumables #65

Alright alright alright. I say this because Nordic Boy has been saying this phrase a lot lately in a Matthew McConaughey voice and it is the creepiest shit ever. Could you please tell him to stop it? And by him, I mean Matthew McConaughey. Let's just cut it off at the source.

With that, some Consumables.

Tiny Furniture
I am woefully behind in watching "Girls" because I am a cheapass who will not pay for HBO, so instead I got up to speed on what made Dunham Kind of a Big Deal in the first place. I was so fully expecting to hate it, but I didn't at all. I found it interesting and engaging and yes, annoying, but I thought that it was sort of the point to be annoying. I get what people say about her work not being a fair representative of a generation, and I think that's right. I am not of that generation anymore because I am a grannypants, and me and many of my friends did not act like that when we were 22. Many of my friends, I say. But I did have some friends that totally and completely acted like that. Like, compleeeeetly. She captured it, to a tee. Plus all the commentary on representation (both implied in her work as well as about her work) is interesting to me. So to sum up: expected to hate it and did not.

Breaking Pointe
How could I not watch this? Reality tv set in a ballet company? Why Eee Ess. Watch it I did, and all I can say is that I feel deep respect for the art these people create, and also deep embarrassment that they were acting like Lauren Conrad for the cameras when they weren't dancing.

Game of Thrones
Or Game of Boobs, as we call it in our house.

Moonrise Kingdom
I think Wes Anderson is good but I am not as in love with him as the average hipster, so I was surprised at how much I loved this. It was so pretty (expected), and it had a sweet and earnest story (not expected). And so summery. If you go see this, see it during summer.

Benny and Shrimp, by Katarina Mazetti
Translated from the original Swedish- apparently this was a huge-ungus hit over there. It's a modern romance with a classic premise: two people from different worlds are brought together by attraction, then love. Will their relationship survive in spite of their differences? Benny is the owner and sole worker on a small dairy farm, and Shrimp is an intellectual urban professional. The thing I liked best about this was that it described the differences in those two circumstances, sure, but it also showed the commonality in them, and that is lonliness.  There's rural lonliness, and there is urban lonliness, but in the end it's all the same sense of crushing isolation and yearning for connection. Ah, you Swedes, so lighthearted you are. Anyway, (don't worry, no spoilers), I didn't like the ending one little bit. Phooey on you, last part of the book.

The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly
This was everything you want in a book like this, slam dunk. Flawed lawyer trying to do the right thing (well most of the time) in a messed up legal system, gritty crime scenarios, totally creepy evil villain, guilt, innocence, murder, drama.

Zom-B, by Darren Shan
I had the advanced copy of this from the publisher so it didn't have any illustrations in it yet, so I can't tell you about that part, but the story itself was good zombie fare. I liked the racism stuff in there a lot (now that's a weird sentence to say), and it had a good couple of unexpected twists toward the end. If you want to read about some good old fashioned brain eaters, this will quench the brain hunger.

Lastly, let's have a song, shall we? Here's what I've been listening to lately. Bulgarian hip hop dance. It's a good'n'. 

D E N A: Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools

While I'm thinking about it, tell me something. What's your song of the summer this year? Comment! Tell me! Me and my ipod need you.








6 comments:

Unknown said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQ32Bhv308


The Horrible Crowes, Behold the Hurricane. This is my summer song. The whole album is seriously amazing though.

Kate said...

I'm glad you watched Tiny Furniture; Netflix has been bugging me for months about watching that.
Past week or so I've been listening to Fiona Apple's newest album. It's wonderful but perhaps not true summer fare.

Kaijsa said...

I think we share the same opinion on Breaking Pointe, but I want to know if you've watched the Australian teen show Dance Academy? I loved the crap out of that show, which is on Netflix streaming, btw. Now I CAN'T WAIT for season three, which I believe is only just filming or about to film.

Thanks for the Tiny Furniture recommendation. I've been dreading it on the assumption that I, too, will hate it.

Katharine said...

If you like the dancey stuff, Dev's new album is pretty good. Its in my Trunk seems like one that should be turned up loud with the windows open. Felt exactly the same way about Tiny Furniture, much better than I expected. alright alright alright

Valerie said...

I'm loving Everybody Talks, by the Neon Trees. Great album!

cadiz12 said...

as much as people don't want to admit it, song of the summer is "Call me, Maybe."

but i will admit it's dang catchy.