#but what youre not prepared for is characters in the movie tripping out on LSD (yes they do this. ok)

[carcarrot]

I DIDN'T TALK ABOUT WATCHING PART OF THE TINGLER ON SATURDAY

[thebookvortex-blog]

Book Review: Ready Player One

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Released 2011, Sci-fi

Kindle - £3.99 Paperback - £6.47

“I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all my life. Right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realised, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness, because reality is real,”

A blend of the era gone and the era to come.

with spoilers, duh

Dear Reader,

Ready Player One really impressed me; the concept, the dystopian world, the characters and their development. After reading this I’d say it’s one of my new favourites and I’ll explain why in this review. At first the story just seems fun, a bunch of adventures with a truck load of 80’s nostalgia, however the characters become a lot more fleshed out as the situations they find themselves in get a lot more real.

In dystopian future, circa 2045, the world is experiencing an energy crisis and has had to cut back on a lot of things. Humanity has wrecked the climate, famine and poverty are widespread. However, there is the OASIS. An MMORPG, an escape from the horrors of the real world. This is essentially a massive virtual reality utopia, with thousands of themed planets to explore, quests and adventures to take for hours on end. You can live wherever you want and be who you want to be. James Halliday, creator of the OASIS and a multi-billionaire has no heir to his possessions and ownership to the OASIS. When he died he created a quest full of riddles, the one who completes the quest inherits all his money and the OASIS. Wade is just like everyone else on the planet, poor and obsessed with the OASIS. Halliday was obsessed with 80’s pop culture, and the entire quest is based off knowledge from that time. Wade is what’s known as a gunter, one of those who are dedicated to the quest and desperate to win. When he finds the first key he is suddenly up against thousands of competitors. Soon, however, the game takes a deadly turn and he finds himself fighting for the future of the OASIS and his life.

Ready Player One takes place twenty years on from our current society. Inevitably we have run out of oil and although with advanced technology, the world is crippled. To give you an example of how bad things are, main character Wade Watts lives in a trailer… stacked on top of fifteen others… in a trailer park full of hundreds of these stacks. My favourite types of books are dystopia’s, so with this being mentioned at the beginning I was already really interested. You wouldn’t expect a world so corrupt to have something as magical as the OASIS, a place where you can create your own avatar and be whoever you want to be. The OASIS is a place away from the awful reality everyone faces, life sucks in the real world but there are never ending possibilities online. You can be anything and do anything. Although living in a futuristic world, the 80s is what almost everyone is obsessed with. After James Halliday’s death, the more knowledgeable you are about this time period, the better chance you have of winning. One of the things I liked most about this book is the constant switch between these two eras which are sixty years apart. For myself I’m just a bystander, in the middle of these times. If you’re a fan of movies and videogames form thirty years ago, you’ll probably like all the worlds and puzzles included in the story. Maybe you’ll marvel at how they’re constructed. I am glad that I did get some references, Atari games and the Rocky Horror Picture show that I’ve seen mentioned in other books I’ve read. It’s kind of funny how later in the book, Wade spends so much on technology, just to be fuller immersed in what’s essentially an 80s simulation. For most of the book he’s hiding away from the villain of the story, a company called IOI. This company is desperate to inherit to OASIS, to, you know, be evil with it. They bend the rules as much as possible to win. It’s not the type of story where the main character is ahead of the enemy, something bad happens and they fall, then pick themselves up again and win. It’s a constant back and forth between the two, it builds tensions until the end and even though you know what will happen (how often does the main character never win?) I still worried about the outcome. I mean, maybe the author will decide to make the journey of the last three hundred pages for nothing, just to flip off the reader. At first this corporation seems basic, not able to do much but make empty threats while still acting all professional and all. It’s not the best enemy I’ve seen but I wasn’t disappointed with them.

“As the three of us stepped forward, preparing to enter the gate, I heard an ear-splitting boom. It sounded like the entire universe was cracking in half. And then we all died.”

There’s a lot of foreshadowing, maybe I’m just good at picking up on it but personally I found it a bit easy to notice when something seemingly meaningless was said but would prove important later. If you can pick up on it, good for you, it’s satisfying in a way.

The main character, Wade Watts, is well written, at least in my opinion. He starts from humble beginnings, not having enough money to even travel to another planet in the OASIS. When he does earn riches, he becomes obsessed with fame and the new lavish lifestyle he leads, in and out of the OASIS. He becomes a celebrity for being the first person to complete the first gate and can finally have all the fun that he was missing out on, however it distracts him from continuing his quest. He has fun, doing what he’s always wanted.

“I looked like Plastic Man, if he were tripping on LSD. Then everyone else on the dance floor also began to shape-shift, melting into prismatic blobs of light,”

It’s almost depressing when you realise that all he’s experiencing isn’t real, he’s become one of the many who see the OASIS as their true reality. He even proclaims his love for who was a few months ago his enemy, they’ve both been side-tracked by all the fame and forgotten about the quest. When rejected he is hurt, he’s wasted all his time for nothing and takes his anger out on her, angry that she’d turn him down. They’re all just avatars, pretending to be these great people, Wade can no longer see the line between reality and the OASIS. He had become selfish, letting his aunt die and losing his best friend just to continue the fake world he was so unravelled in. I can’t pin losing his friends entirely on Wade, after the first gate and not being able to figure out the next clue they all kind of drifted apart. Instead of being the perfect hero throughout and brought down by other people’s mistakes, he was what held himself back, which doesn’t happen very often. Even in a computer-generated world, Wade is still human and behind his perfect avatar, is still subject to human feelings and thought processes. I was happy when he realised the errors of his ways, after acknowledging his selfishness after what was quite a depressing moment in the book. This realistic downfall, even though it hurt me to read through wishing everything would be normal again, was a good addition and necessary for the story to develop.

“The hour or so after I woke up was my least favourite part of each day, because I spent it in the real world (…) I hated this part of the day because everything about it contradicted my other life. My real life, inside the OASIS. The sight of my one-room apartment, my immersion rig, or my reflection in the mirror – they all served as a harsh reminder that the world I spent my days in was not, in fact, the real one,”

Yes, Ernest Cline did a good job in developing Wade’s character, but there were some things about him that irked me a bit. For one, how is he such a smartass? There’s nothing wrong with intelligence as personality trait, but the part of the book where he sneaks into IOI depending on information that he bought months ago, information that might not even be legitimate, and bases his whole plan and escape off is a bit thinly wound. Also, being able to hack into one of the largest corporations on Earth’s database and accessing highly classified files is a stretch. And the part where figuring out the riddle to the last gate, the one IOI have been stuck on for ages. Even with a team with a wide knowledge of about almost everything that happened in the 80s they couldn’t figure it out, but Wade just thought about it for a few minutes and got it. For such a big part in the journey, it seemed very rushed, I feel like there was potential for a good chapter, racing against IOI to figure it out, but it was just wasted.

Let’s talk about Art3mis (spelled Artemis now because it’s much easier for me), the female lead. She has a pretty cool name, but I’ll admit that I found her a bit annoying. I love a hardcore female character, but it feels like portraying her as badass was very forced and she came off stereotypical. You can awesome and skilled without being rude, constantly having snarky comments isn’t necessary. And of course, she has a hidden soft side, brought out by Wade because he’s so in love with her and wants to know the real her. There’s nothing wrong with this, even though she’s a bit unique I just feel like I’ve seen her before. Don’t get me wrong, I still like her. I do give her credit for being more level headed than Wade, she didn’t get as carried away as he did with all the fame. She didn’t fall in love with something she’s never met and got back onto the quest, her main priority, after leaving him. Artemis didn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself when stuck on what to do after the first gate.

As far as the writing style goes, I really liked it. I feel like this is important to talk about because the way the book flows and how the author tells the story greatly affects what you feel. It’s written in first person past tense, personally my favourite. It doesn’t feel like Wade is talking to me, more like he’s talking to himself, and I’m just witnessing it. It’s not so complex that I have a hard time keeping up and don’t understand some of what’s going on, but also not too basic that I must guess what everything looks like and there’s no emotion.

There are several things I liked about Ready Player One. I’ve already mentioned this, and I don’t really know why, but I loved the constant switch between the 80s and the future. I’ve never seen it before, this earns the book some brownie points. Another thing that was done well was foreshadowing. Even though I found it a bit obvious that some things would be used later, it still made the book seem more dimensional and thought out. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the use of the quarter that Wade got after playing the perfect game of Pacman. I didn’t think too much about it at the time, only until after the bomb went off at the final battle did I remember it when he was still alive. I don’t know why but that pleased me and made me smile. He didn’t spend all that time for nothing.

Another moment I liked is when I started to realise the immensity of Wade’s situation. It starts of as a reality innocent game, I mean yeah, billions of dollars are up for grabs but it’s not life threatening. That is until Wade’s home gets destroyed because he refuses to share information. It’s so absurd that he didn’t think it would happen, he was even mocking the head of IOI.

“I was pulling my gloves back on when I heard the explosion (…) The stack containing my aunt’s trailer had collapsed into a fiery, smoking ruin”

Wade wasn’t close with his aunt but it’s still a bit shocking. What hit me even more later was the death of Daito, the Sixers killing him directly. It’s not a game anymore at this point. The book started off light-hearted but took a dark turn, luring the reader into a false sense of safeness, into a net separating them from things like this. Then slowly cutting the net so you don’t realise you’re falling.

One of the really important things was how Wade was given weakness, a weakness that isn’t a good thing like being too hardworking, but something realistic that everyone can relate to and believe. The other characters also aren’t dependent on him. Sure, you can say that Artemis got the first key because Wade told her to play on the left and he gave away his position to Aech. But they proved they can think for themselves and can be independent later when they got the Jade key. Wade is smart, but so are they and he doesn’t have to carry them. He also isn’t constantly ahead of them on the scoreboard. Other characters are in front of him for large periods of time, even the villain gets ahead of him. It keeps things tense. Wade isn’t better than everyone, he has to fight to remain on top.

Something that did sort of annoy me was the final battle. I found it a bit anti-climactic and rushed. I’ve seen it several times now, where the main characters call on all the other citizens to help them fight and it doesn’t really add much for me. I feel like the author might have spent too long on other details of the book and didn’t leave enough time for what was supposed to be the main event. They charged, beat the boss, went inside. I can understand that it can be hard to write big scenes like these, but there could’ve been a bit more. I did laugh at the bit where it says

“And then we all died,”

That was NOT expected but didn’t ruin the moment. The aftermath of this where Wade survives and finds a way back up was more enjoyable for me than the actual battle. Going through the last gate was a good combination of all the previous challenges but even though Sorrento, leader of IOI, was behind him I didn’t find it that intense.

Every book has its faults, Ready Player One has its own but I still think it’s really entertaining and well written despite them. Of course, there’s a happy ending, I wouldn’t say it’s the greatest one I’ve ever read but it’s satisfying. You don’t have to be completely obsessed with the 80s, the future, or moral questions to enjoy this. It’s a good sci-fi adventure tale with a real and fleshed out protagonist.

This book had me hooked, I just wanted to power through it and get to the parts where everything was happy and dandy for the characters. I don’t want a story where everything is okay all the time. They need down points where there is a struggle, even though I don’t like these times because I’ve become invested in the story and want everything to be okay, they are necessary for a good story and it’s all worth it when everything is over. No matter what type of books you read, you should try this. Whether you want to take a deeper look and analyse what happens or you just want some action, this is a recommended read.

Yours Sincerely, theBookVortex

[dearyallfrommatt]

Fear & Loathing In Gonzo Vision from the BBC television series “Omnibus”, 1978

 Fame may pay the bills, but it is a rotten, cold-hearted bastard that demands far too much. And when that fame comes from being blasted out of your mind, wild and crazy, how else can a man make a living if his living depends on becoming part of the background.

 Long story short, while the a collection of his writing called The Great Shark Hunt was bringing mainstream fame to journalist Hunter S. Thompson in the late 1970s, a BBC crew decided to take a road trip with him and artist Ralph Steadman, whose bizarre, brutal drawings illustrated Thompson’s most well-know work, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. The pair was headed from Aspen to Hollywood to see work on a script based on Thompson’s work that eventually became the 1980 movie Where The Buffalo Roam with Bill Murray and Peter Boyle. It also spotlighted Thompson’s never-ending efforts to get his fiction work The Rum Diary either published or made into a film.

 What’s most interesting about this documentary - apart from showing what sort of massive pain in the ass Hunter could be when you had to deal with him on a daily basis - is how it illustrated just how difficult being the famous Outlaw Journalist had really become. What made Thompson’s work special was his ability to basically blend in with a scene and observe what went on. He wasn’t a detached, disinterested observer like Tom Wolfe or Norman Mailer, but the guy who’d get drunk with press secretaries and the road crew to get the story from that vantage point.

 By the time this documentary was made, Thompson’s fame had grown beyond the “Drug Culture” crowd and Rolling Stone, and he was well on his way to becoming a pop culture icon. With that came recognition, especially that of people waiting to see what the wild King Of Gonzo would do next after getting loaded on LSD.

 Thompson’s ability to insinuate himself into situations - whether it’s on the campaign trail or at Muhammad Ali’s training camp or at a Hell’s Angels party at Bass Lake - and his keen observation skills is what made him an excellent journalist. That’s different from being an excellent writer, which he was. However, his fame from his writing was starting to eclipse his ability to be a journalist, and he wasn’t prepared on how to handle it.

 There’s a scene in the documentary where the director has to coax an irritable Thompson out of hiding because the filming had started to draw a crowd. At one point, the director notes that he never knows if he’s filming Thompson or his alter ego Raoul Duke. Thompson responds that he’s not sure himself anymore, noting that his fame and notoriety was making it difficult to do his job. He was already dealing with the fallout that resulted from Gary Trudeau’s wildcat “Uncle Duke” character in Doonesbury, heavily ripping off based on the Raoul Duke persona from F&LILV.

 At the same time, he had a wife and a young son. He also was past 40, and everyone is going to lose a step when they cross that line. Almost in a state of despair, he later comments on his growing fame that he can either embrace being the caricature or he can drop it all and disappear so he can be the journalist he was. Reading throw his books of collected correspondence, The Proud Highway and Fear & Loathing In America, one thing that really stands out is how much he struggled to make ends meet before the money came in. Leaving a transient existence on loans from family and friends plus whatever he could pry from tight-fisted, two-faced editors and publishers, it paints a stark portrait of just how hard it is to be a writer and be something different.

 It also casts his eventual decision to embrace being the drug-gobbling madman for the public’s amusement in a more understandable and maybe forgivable light. Not long after this, he got paid big time for The Great Shark Hunt, the first book of his that made him money, and Where The Buffalo Roam. Furthermore, it paints a history of getting constantly screwed over by everyone from little rinky-dink magazines to Random House Publishing to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner. If making money required pulling that much teeth, he seems to ask, why bother if the straight world would pay well for the clowning.

 In any event, this is recommended for any fan of the Good Doctor’s work as well as any writer struggling to make money and stay true to themselves. Or, for that matter, fans who feel betrayed by their favorite writer’s “selling out”. It’s a hard nut to crack, the writing business, and one should always be careful of the stones one throws.

 Pride is a mighty fine thing but the rent has to be paid regardless.

[callmehawkeye]

Watched in 2019

Big Little Lies (Season 1): This is such a solid cast and story, albeit predictable. I loved it as a mini-series and do not understand why it needs a second season; but I’ll be watching regardless. 

Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour (2018): IIIIIIIIIII don’t think this setting is the best for Taylor. I go back and forth on her as a person often, but dig over half her catalog. The big theatrical show doesn’t quite suit her particular stage presence. She is great when just talking to the crowd with her guitar or piano. Regardless, she was definitely having fun, it was entertaining enough, and it’s cool she put this up on Netflix so I don’t have to amputate a body part to afford a ticket.

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018): Without a doubt, this is perhaps the most genuine and fulfilling depiction of a (hetero) romantic love story put to film I’ve witnessed in recent memory. The actors and their chemistry were breathtaking. 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): Hands down the best Spider-Man movie to date. Soundtrack was perfection. Story was great. Characters were amazing. I want to protect Miles with my dying breath. Unique animation. Deservedly kicked Disney’s ass this award season.

Bumblebee (2018): Oddly endearing? Easily the best Transformers movie, and the only one I’ll recognize.

A Star is Born (2018): I’m sure I’d like this more if I weren’t a fan of the other 3. Lacked subtlety. Overhyped. It’s fine. The only best part was the rehab scene.

Fyre Fraud (2019): The Hulu documentary about the disastrous Fyre Festival. Superior of the two, in production and scope.

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017): WHAT. THE. FUCK. A must-see for true crime enthusiasts. 

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019): This is more or less the same thing if you have already spent a little more time on this case than the average person. Good content for first-timers.

Girlfriends Day (2017): A nice, fast watch to pass the time.

Fyre Festival (2019): The other Fyre Festival documentary. To me, the lesser because it is produced from people who were on the inside. Which you’d think, “Oh so then they’d know.” But their bias and attempts to scrub themselves from the narrative are obvious.

The Favourite (2018): This made my little queer heart so happy. Great characters. 

Everybody Knows (2019): A little on the nose in the mystery itself (just watch the actors in the background). But the performances were great. Loved the setting. Appropriate ending. Good job.

Isn’t It Romantic (2019): I loved this. I feel like I’ve written something exactly like this before. Very endearing and satisfying to watch.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019): It felt a little long, unsatisfying at some parts and rushed. But it’s a great bookend to a great series.

They Shall Not Grow Old (2019): Very impressive filmmaking and editing. I loved learning how they accomplished it in the featurette at the end of the screening.

Arctic (2019): Now THIS is how you make a survival movie. 90 minutes. No romance. Brutal reality without becoming melodramatic. Mads Mikkelsen cast in the lead...

Don’t Knock Twice (2016): Pleh. I hated the pacing and editing. Called out the “twist” immediately as a joke because I didn’t expect this movie to be that nuanced (magic done without permission, even with the intent to be good, is bad magic).

Captain Marvel (2019): My god this was so much fun and rejuvenated my interest in the MCU. I’m absolutely dreading Endgame and not for the reasons you think.

Greta (2019): Great performances, absolutely tense, very creepy and fun.

1922 (2017): What a great fucking motif.

Climax (2019): This was quite the sit. A literal 90 minute bad LSD trip from an up-close perspective. God I hated it.

Michael Che Matters (2016): I’ve never seen a standup special start so strong and progressively get weaker like this before...

Us (2019): As I said on Twitter --  it seems to me primarily casual or non-horror fans think Us is the greatest horror film of all time and is going to rejuvenate or “save” the genre. Then primarily veteran fans think it’s weak and vague. I think both viewpoints are shortsighted and formed from either category being stuck in their perspectives. For me, the movie was neither. (I loved it).

The Beach Bum (2019): Another movie I can’t believe I sat all the way through.

Leaving Neverland (2019): I stand with Wade and James.

Queer Eye (Season 3): Who needs antidepressants? Not me!

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé (2019): Beychella reigns once again!!

Dancing Queen (Season 1): This was very sweet. I never thought I could sit through anything with insufferable dance moms, but Justin/Alyssa makes it so engaging and watchable. Stupid to end on a cliffhanger, however.

Avengers: Endgame (2019): ..............B+ At least it was a million times better than Infinity War. And I had fun.

Booksmart (2019): This hit so close to home. Sure, the coming of age movie is nothing new. But there was something liberating about the characters in this one that were terribly stereotypical and much more relatable. To me, anyway.

Long Shot (2019): Great music, great relationship, great laughs. This was a fun, solid watch of a romcom.

Hail Satan? (2019): I want to inject this documentary directly into my veins.

Amazing Grace (2019): The live footage of Aretha Franklin recording her Amazing Grace album at the church in Watts.

Meeting Gorbachev (2019): I got to see this documentary at a theater where Wener Herzog himself was hosting a Q&A and introduced this film. Maybe it made me more biased to liking it. But I honestly felt like I learned a lot.

Missing Link (2019): First movie of the year I didn’t complete/walked out of. I let it have an hour. First time I’ve ever been disappointed in Laika. I can’t believe it. It was so dull and I kept waiting for something to happen.

Little (2019): This was sweet. Issa Rae is dipped in gold. BUT it felt like there was an outline, not a script. Lots of dropped threads. And a weirdly out of place, glaring, punching-down trans joke??!

Tolkien (2019): Wow. I really liked this. Great pacing, shifting between time frames. Even better performances and relationships. Made me think of my own fellowship a lot. This is how biopics should be done.

The Biggest Little Farm (2019): WONDERFUL documentary covering the years of building up a sustainable farm from less than scratch.

The Hustle (2019): God, this was a long, humorless sit. At least Anne looked stunning.

The Sun is Also a Star (2019): This isn’t more realistic than romantic comedies, or teen love films. But it’s more enjoyable than most. The leads are great and have electric chemistry. New York is framed beautifully.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019): I am blessed by this Keanu Reevessance.

Fleabag (Season 1): This is probably going to be the best thing I watch this year.

Fleabag (Season 2): Yup. Confirmed. Something very special would need to come along from June to December to change this mindset. I highly recommend this. Watch it. Go in blind. Watch it!!

Pavarotti (2019): I enjoy documentaries where I feel I really learn about the subject. Beautiful music, beautiful memories, beautiful life.

Rocketman (2019): I wish more biopics were like this. It was wonderful and such a grand time.

Lorena (2019): A deep dive into the Bobbitt case, including the woman herself. I have such empathy and love for Lorena. You should watch it and learn about the incident yourself.

The Last Man in San Francisco (2019): Go in blind. Don’t look it up. Just go. it’s the most beautiful film I’ve seen so far this year. I wish there were more male protagonists like this.

Toy Story 4 (2019): I was so skeptical. It more than exceeded my expectations. Just go in prepared to have your heart ripped in two.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019): They’re learning. Out of the newer films, this one has the less amount of people. Now make another film like this, only extend the monster fight scenes. Less. People.

Child’s Play (2019): This was fun. Not much more to say. More Aubrey in things!

Men in Black International (2019): Honestly, this was better than the second or third ones. I legitimately enjoyed myself. It was funny. The cast was charming. The otherworldly aliens were interesting. And I’m so proud of Les Twins.

Grace and Frankie (Season 5) :This is always a good time for me. I love watching this show when I want to take a break from more dedicated watches. I love these actresses with all my heart. June Diane Raphael is goals.

Midsommar (2019): This was such a fun aesthetic to watch. I was so uncomfortable throughout.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (2019): Ugh, my hearrrrrtt.

Maiden (2019): Documentary about the first all-female crew who competed in the 1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race. The woman next to me in the theater was the same age as the women featured in old footage and modern day talking head interviews -- and she was just sobbing by the end. Solidarity.

Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (2019): 30 minutes well spent. Fucking hilarious.

Stranger Things (Season 3): God, what a fun season. I am still Steve.

Queer Eye (Season 4): I need 54 more seasons, kthx.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): My absolute favorite battle sequence in a Marvel movie. Such a good time.

Hobbs & Shaw (2019): My first and last Fast movie. Goddamn I was so bored.

Bring the Soul: The Movie (2019): Wow, this was brutal. I get it wasn’t all of the footage, but they seemed to mostly focus on members being sick and injured and miserable. I didn’t understand the love for this movie when all it did was highlight how exhausted the boys are. I suppose it was meant to be inspiring, but I only felt bad for them. I just ranted about them needing a break and thank god they finally have one -- apt timing!

Burn the Stage: The Movie (2018): I went back to the earlier film with the hopes of... Higher hopes. And they were fulfilled. Such cute and uplifting footage.

Blinded by the Light (2019): God I love Springsteen. This movie is a great homage to his music. It’s not a straight-up musical, and that’s lovingly the point. Some things never change.

It: Chapter Two (2019): This was a slog compared to the first part. Much like the miniseries. Much like the book.

Parasite (2019): I, a college student with very little free time -- let alone free time to go to the movies -- saw this in theaters twice. I tried to go a third time but then finals happened. Go see it. Go see it blind. I'm not really doing end-year lists anymore but this is without a doubt my favorite film from 2019.

BTS World Tour: Love Yourself (2019): Most fun I've had in a theater in some time. I feel like I curled up into the tiniest ball at some point out of pure joy that couldn't be contained.

Frozen II (2019): This was quite plot-heavy for a sequel. I loved how many songs they were. It's an acceptable sequel. A lot of weak themes and choices, however, if you think about it for more than a few minutes. Overall delightful. 

Jojo Rabbit (2019): Speaking of delightful. Taika Waititi continues to be my favorite living writer-director. This is such a solid portrayal of Nazism without glorifying it. Always go the Mel Brooks route and make it a comedy; they can't turn it around and make the imagery propaganda. I have high hopes for Roman Griffin Davis and his future career.

Knives Out (2019): This was quite fun. I love a good mystery with a large ensemble cast like this. It didn't blow my mind of anything -- I saw every turn coming -- but that's just because I credit it to being such a lonely kid who read so many mystery novels.

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