TV: Unreal
So I was prepping to talk about how amazing Unreal is while comparing it to my own personal experience working on The Bachelor and was all, “I was just like the PA with the braids except when the boss yelled I wasn’t all cool and chill, I just cried. A lot.” But then I watched the episode where the PA with the braids blew the boss and… No. Ew. Analogy over.
But seriously, this show is awesome, soapy, addictive good times. I mean, guys, it’s a fictionalized reality TV — all the enjoyment of reality TV with zero of the guilt! Everyone else has caught on; you’re way behind. Go watch it now. K. Bye.
Movie: Mad Max
So. Freaking. Badass. If you haven’t already seen it (and loved it) you’re probably thinking, Kelly? Really? That noisy, all crazy-edited, dirt-filled movie trailer with the people painted like homeless mimes? You want me to watch that? And, okay, Mom, you won’t like it. It’s hella violent. But it’s also brilliant, stunning, intelligent, and — I can’t believe I’m saying this — high-octane fun. And the articles you’ve been ignoring are right, it’s also a feminist masterpiece. The director, George Miller, is such a classy guy he even scrolled all the head Visual Effects Artists names before the actors; can’t say no to that.
Book: High-Rise by J.G. Ballard
Whew. That how I felt when I finished this book. It was a journey and it wasn’t always a comfortable one. But the older I get the more certain books are starting to stick with me — and the more that is becoming the most important part of the experience: what I take away from them. The only book that has stuck with me more than High-Rise this year is J.G. Ballard’s collection of short stories, The Terminal Beach. He captures the sick, visceral, selfish, venereal side of humans and how those traits just might dictate our futures in ways like I’ve never read before. (Just consider this a plug for all his work.) High-Rise is a fascinating take on class war through the lens of humans reverting to their animalistic tendencies while maintaining all the shitty habits they’ve picked up on this road we call evolution. Oh, and there’s a movie adaptation staring Tom Hiddleston coming out in the fall.
Album: Of Monsters and Men, Beneath the Skin
Of Monsters and Men bring their atmospheric indie rock back for a second round and it’s just as good as the first. No, it’s probably not going to change your life or land on any super pretentious lists, but it’s as enjoyable as, say, an impromptu dance party in the middle of an empty street on a warm summer night. And I think we can all agree, life could use more of those.
Podcast: Science US!
Vancouver comedians Peter Carlone and Ivan Decker take on the loftiest of goals, making science funny and accessible. It does, in fact, help that they are not scientists (which they will repeatably mention just in case you’ve tuned in mid-cast with the hopes of catching some real, hard scienterrific facts). They are as funny as they are convincing, which is very, and makes me concerned now for all the tidbits I’ll inevitably share at parties that will oh-so-quickly be shot down for being both wildly speculative and mostly untrue. (Or, maybe, they do know what they talking about and I will impress with both my quick wit and theories on the forthcoming robot apocalypse. How am I supposed to know? I am not a scientist.)
Can We Talk About This, Please?
I’ve now lost several hours of my life to this whole Berenstain/Berenstein Bears controversy. While I am 100% Team E, I am willing to admit that thousands of us must just be misrem — NO. NOPE. PARALLEL UNIVERSES. IT HAS TO BE. (Seriously, if you are between the ages of 23 and 33, do not click unless you are willing to have your day ruined/life changed.)
Kelly Tatham 