media update: May

This is a shameful media update as far as books go.  I know I keep saying I'll get back on track with my reading, but this month was unusually busy work wise, plus Resident Evil: Requiem and a side project kept me obsessed.  I know nobody is sitting there taking notes of my paltry reading progress to shame me with later, but I still want to get back to it.  Maybe in June?  Guess we'll see!

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

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  6

NONFICTION

Nothing this month.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  2

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS

1. The Way of the Househusband vol. 14 by Kousuke Oono

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  10 volumes of manga

MOVIES

1. Primate:  A chimp named Ben, who was raised by a human family, gets rabies and goes...well...apeshit in this short but nasty flick.

2. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die:  A man (Sam Rockwell, typically excellent) claiming to be from the future recruits a group of diner patrons to help him save humanity.  It falls apart in the last third (if it had lived up to the promise of its opening, it would have been an easy double star), but it's still a wild ride.

3. Send Help*:  Linda (Rachel McAdams) is a mousy woman whose new boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) denies her a promotion she was promised.  When their plane crashes and they're stranded on an island, Bradley discovers Linda is more formidable than expected.  Gory and fun.

4. Shelter:  Michael Mason (Jason Statham) is a gruff, solitary man who lives in an old lighthouse.  When he rescues a teenage girl from a storm, he accidentally reveals his identity and must take her on the run with him.  It's lighter on the action than I wanted from a Jason Statham movie, but it also has him in full protective mode, wearing a fisherman's sweater and a salt and pepper beard, so there was only so irritated I could be.

5. The Roses*:  Theo and Ivy (Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman, bringing their A game as usual) are a married couple who find themselves at each other's throats and willing to do anything to come out on top.  This reimagining of the 80s movie The War of the Roses got mediocre reviews, but man, if you love pitch black comedy that bleeds, ignore that because this is the flick for you.

6. The Housemaid**:  When Millie (Sydney Sweeney) gets a job as a live-in maid for a wealthy couple, she thinks it's the answer to all of her problems.  (Not really a) spoiler: it's just the beginning.  A wild, fun, juicy, pulpy treat that kept me guessing (I didn't read the book) and gave me a renewed appreciation for Amanda Seyfried, who plays the woman of the house and absolutely enjoys the shit out of the role.

Also, can I just give a shout out to director Paul Feig?  His projects don't just pass the Bechdel Test, they're valedictorians.  (Yes, I know that sentence sounded AI in construction, but I swear to you I am not a bot. My back hurts too much to not be human.)

7. We Bury the Dead:  After the US military accidentally sets off a weapon that kills off hundreds of thousands of people in Australia, Ava (Daisy Ridley) volunteers to help with body retrieval.  Some of the dead are still somewhat alive, though, which makes her secret mission all the more dangerous.  

This is one of the rare zombie movies that isn't either funny (like Zombieland) or super scary and gory (like most others).  It's more of a somber movie about finding closure.  I dug it, but like I said, it's more like a drama with a few zombies here and there than a straight up zombie flick.

2026 TOTAL SO FAR:  31