media update: March

A sparse media update since Yakuza: Like A Dragon has taken over my life!

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. She Is A Haunting* by Trang Thanh Tran:  Jade reluctantly agrees to visit her estranged father in Vietnam in hopes of getting money for college, but the house where she's staying might not let her leave.  Spooky and atmospheric.

2. Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson:  Rich people with problems, some of which are relatable to us poors and some that are not.

3. Lone Women by Victor LaValle:  In 1915, Adelaide flees her home in California to set up a homestead in Montana, bringing only a steamer trunk containing something truly horrifying.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 11

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 1

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. Rain by Joe Hill and David M. Booher

2. My Love Mix-Up! vol. 6 by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko

3. We're New at This vols. 1-2 by Ren Kawahara

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 6 volumes of manga and 2 graphic novels

MOVIES

1. Pinocchio*:  A much darker (as expected from Guillermo del Toro) stop-motion take on the classic fairy tale, in which an enchanted puppet longs to be a real boy.  

2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish:  Puss in Boots learns that he's on his last life and decides to go on a quest to find the Wishing Star.  

3. The Sea Beast*:  A young girl stows away on a ship dedicated to fighting sea monsters.  Along with a sailor (Karl Urban, who must have had a hard time not slipping into Billy Butcher's profanity), she embarks on an adventure. Gorgeous animation and a fun story.

4. Clerks III:  After suffering a massive heart attack, Randall decides to make a movie based on his life at the Quick Stop.  Has its moments but is hampered by some terrible acting and sentimentality (though I will admit to tearing up at one point).

5. Luther: The Fallen Sun*:  Disgraced police detective John Luther (Idris Elba) breaks out of prison to track down an especially nasty serial killer (a supremely creepy Andy Serkis).  Exciting, and it has some Grand Guignol touches that would have fit nicely into the Hannibal TV show.

2023 TOTAL SO FAR: 15