Man. It’s been a bit since I posted a media update. Of course, I was sick as a dog for one of those weeks, so I didn’t get much done in the “watch or read” area. I was happy just to be staring at the ceiling. But I’ve felt a bit better this last week, so I’ve got more to update now. Here we go:
Television
Oscars–I watched the Oscars! Though sadly, I wasn’t able to have my usual Oscar party. I wasn’t even feeling up to making any Oscar picks ahead of time, if that gives you an idea of just how crummy I’ve been feeling. As far as the broadcast goes, I thought it was pretty decent. O’Brien did a good job as host moving things along, and I enjoyed most of the bits. (The “I’m not going to waste your time” musical number left a good deal to be desired, and I have real concerns for Ariana Grande’s eyebrows. (Like, are they being held hostage somewhere? Because I don’t think the ones she was wearing at the Oscars were real, and she seemed permanently concerned about that.)) As for who won . . . I like it more when the awards get spread around beyond a single movie or two. To me, that just speaks for a film that did a better PR job than the others. You can’t honestly tell me all the best acting and directing happens in the same film. But whatever.
Severance Season 1–Denisa and I rewatched this to prep for the new season, and I’m very glad we did. I remembered a lot of it, but not nearly that much of it. Such a good season. We’re halfway through season 2 at the moment. I’m reserving judgement until it’s done.
Movies
Last Man on Earth–An old Vincent Price adaptation of I Am Legend. The first half of this was super, especially when you look at it from the perspective of what zombie movies were like before there were zombies. Night of the Living Dead came out in 1968, four years after this movie. So in this film, they’re all vampires, and never mind the fact that they’re clearly zombies. Once we pass the middle part of the film, it falls off a cliff in terms of quality, though. Like, Price’s character is such a sexist jerk, it’s hard to get over that. Yes, it’s a product of its time, but still. Ew. Seen on Amazon Prime.
Noises Off–If you haven’t seen this Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Christopher Reeve, John Ritter production, you really ought to. Fast moving and hilarious from start to finish. I’ve seen it multiple times, and it’s on Amazon Prime right now. Watch it!
Books
Color of Magic–I love Terry Pratchett, and I love Discworld, but the first two books of the series are far from representative of the whole. It’s like Pratchett set off just to write a fun, zany book set in a stereotypical fantasy world. Rincewind (the main character) acts as a vehicle for the readers to see as much of Discworld as possible. It’s funny at times, but the plot kind of hops all over the place. I worry many readers might start here and give up on the series, not understanding how much more it’s capable of becoming.
The Light Fantastic–More of the same, sadly. I still liked it, and there was slightly more plot, but if the whole series had stayed like this, it wouldn’t be my favorite at all. Not even close.
Equal Rites–The third book of Discworld is where the series really starts to come into its own. It’s got much more of a concrete plot that makes sense, and it stops being more of a goofy romp through a stereotypical fantasy setting and becomes more of a vehicle to explore concepts. A wizard bestows all his power onto a baby before he realizes that baby is a she, not a he. Only men can be wizards, right? And only women can be witches? Pratchett focuses on that fundamental question, and does it in a fun, fascinating way. Loved it.