media update: December

Just out of curiosity, I checked this year's numbers against last year's numbers, and they are WAY lower.  Considering we've been in lockdown for the vast majority of the year, I thought that was surprising at first, but after I thought about it more, it made sense.  Libraries were closed, I spent a huge chunk of time preparing for/engaging in/organizing after/recuperating from a major move, and I got a full-time job after almost two years of being unemployed.  Plus, y'know, like everybody else, I spent a lot of time just staring at the ceiling being terrified of the future.  I know the world won't magically get better the second the clock rolls over to 12AM tonight, but I'll still be very happy to watch 2020 end.  Last year sucked too, so here's hoping that 2021 brings happier times, and may everybody get exactly what they deserve in the new year.

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. Little Threats by Emily Schultz: In 1993, Kennedy is arrested for the murder of her best friend, but she can't remember anything that happened, so she reluctantly pleads guilty. After her release from prison 15 years later, she tries to figure out the truth.

2. People Like Her by Ellery Lloyd:  Emmy has made a lot of money by laying her life bare on her Instagram account, but she's attracted the attention of someone with a serious grudge.

3. The Sin Eater* by Megan Campisi:  After stealing a loaf of bread, May is condemned to become a sin eater, which means she consumes food symbolizing the sins of a dying person, thus taking their sins onto herself and letting them die with a clean slate.  While visiting the castle with her mentor, she notices a deer heart on the coffin.  May doesn't know what it means, but her mentor refuses to eat it, leading to a mystery.  I love good historical fiction, and this certainly qualified.

4. The Little Brother by Victoria Patterson:  After his brother Gabe takes part in a gang rape, Even finds himself in possession of a camcorder with footage of the crime and must decide whether to turn his brother in or hide the evidence.

5. Everything and Nothing by Araminta Hall: A frazzled couple hires the perfect nanny, but she has ulterior motives.

2020 total:  44 (last year: 62)

NONFICTION

1. Feast* by Hannah Howard:  A memoir about the author's love-hate relationship with food.  Beautifully written, and not to be read on an empty stomach.

2. Let's Never Talk About This Again* by Sara Faith Alterman:  When the author was a preteen, she discovered that her prudish father, who wouldn't even let his kids say "butt" or "fart", secretly published X-rated joke books and erotica collections.  It was kept a family secret for decades, but when her father developed Alzheimer's, he decided he wanted to revive his writing career again with Sara's help.  It's really funny, except when it's absolutely devastating.

2020 total:  17 (last year: 30)

 

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS 

1. The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes

2. Beauty Bunny vols. 2-3 by Mari Yoshino

3. Secretly, I've Been Suffering About Being Sexless by Togame

2020 total: 26 volumes of manga and 14 graphic novels (last year: 51 and 27)

 

MOVIES

1. The New Mutants:  Dani is sent to a facility where teenagers are taught how to control their mutant powers, but there's a more sinister agenda at play.  I saw the trailer for this much-delayed movie about two years ago, and I thought "Wow, a horror version of the X-Men?  That could be good!"  Dear reader, no.  No, it was not.

2. The Rental:  Two couples rent a gorgeous house by the beach for a weekend getaway that quickly turns sour.

3. Mulan:  In this live action remake of the classic Disney film, Mulan disguises herself as a boy to join the army.  Beautiful to look at, but the story was a bit of a mess and the songs were sorely missed.

4. Unhinged:  Rachel is already having a bad day, but it's made worse after an altercation with another driver (Russell Crowe) who takes her refusal to apologize very badly.  A decent little thriller that did exactly what it set out to do.

5. Soul*:  Joe (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is a band teacher whose true dream is to be a jazz musician.  There's more to it than that, of course, but I'd hate to spoil this lovely movie for anyone, especially since it just came out last week.  Pixar is certainly not infallible, but they can add this gem to their list of winners.

6. Tenet*:  In Christopher Nolan's latest, an unnamed man (John David Washington) is tasked with preventing World War III.  It's a confusing mindfuck, but I gave it a star because of its exciting and innovative action scenes.

7. Wonder Woman 1984:  Diana (Gal Gadot) springs into action when a stone that grants wishes falls into the wrong hands.  I was hoping this would be great, since I loved the first one and I love the eighties, but it wasn't very good.  They made some REALLY weird choices with the plot (too spoilery to explain) and there were no really emotional moments like the battlefield scene in the first one.  Oh well, there's always the next one.

2020 total: 72 (last year: 88)