media update: June

Asterisks denote something I particularly enjoyed or found especially worthy of my time; double asterisks are reserved for the creme de la creme.  As always, your mileage may vary.

FICTION

1. These Women* by Ivy Pochoda:  In South Los Angeles, five women are unknowingly connected to a serial killer who's starting to murder women again after fifteen years.  It sounds like a thriller, but it's more of a character study, and beautifully written.

2. Pizza Girl* by Jean Kyoung Frazier:  A pregnant teenager becomes obsessed with the woman she delivers pickle-covered pizzas to every week.  Strange and wonderful; I could see this being an excellent movie in the right hands.  (Maybe Greta Gerwig?)

3. Don't Turn Around by Jessica Barry:  Cait volunteers for an organization that helps women in bad situations.  When she picks up a politician's wife, they wind up with a truck on their tail, and the driver doesn't have anything pleasant in mind for them. 

2020 total so far: 21


NONFICTION

1. Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls* by Nina Renata Aron:  A gripping memoir about the author's all-encompassing love affair with an addict she's convinced she can save.

2. Weird But Normal by Mia Mercado:  A collection of humorous essays covering everything from racial identity to the near-orgasmic experience of shopping at Target.

2020 total so far: 8


MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Drawing Power: Women's Stories of Sexual Violence, Harassment, and Survival* (anthology)

2020 total so far: 15 volumes of manga and 6 graphic novels


MOVIES

1. The Death of Stalin:  A farcical look at...well, you can guess!

2. Onward:  After a magical spell to bring their father back to life goes awry, two elf brothers (Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) hit the road to find a solution.  Pretty to look at, but it didn't really emotionally move me until the very end.

3. Terminator: Dark Fate:  An augmented soldier is sent back from the future to protect a woman important to the war against the machines.  Some really fun action sequences that were made all the better by the fact that women were kicking ass about 90% of the time.

4. Extraction:  A mercenary (Chris Hemsworth) is hired to retrieve the kidnapped son of a drug lord.  Lots of nice, bone-crushing action.

5. Guns Akimbo*:  After angering the people who run an underground killing club, Miles (Daniel Radcliffe) has guns bolted to his hands and is forced to fight the reigning champ.  Hyper-violent and a whole lot of fun.

6. The Hunt*:  Rich people gather to hunt "deplorables" for sport, but they aren't counting on one of their would-be victims being extremely smart.  This movie was controversial because Donald Trump decried it, but it skewers both liberals and conservatives in equal measure.  It's much better than expected, largely thanks to some fun surprises and a sharp script by Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse.

7. The Invisible Man*:  Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) escapes her abusive husband Adrian and goes to stay with a friend.  When she learns that Adrian has died by suicide, she thinks she's safe, but weird occurrences lead her to believe that Adrian is somehow still around and out for revenge.  I gave it a star for Moss' acting and a legitimately shocking scene that made me gasp.

2020 total so far: 41