List #98: Fourteen Things I Liked in 2021

Reading

1. Thus Was Adonis Murdered, The Shortest Way to Hades, The Sirens Sang of Murder, The Sibyl in Her Grave - by Sarah Caudwell

2. Gourmet Hound (Rec. #894)

3. The Thursday Murder Club (Rec. #898), The Man Who Died Twice - by Richard Osman

4. Moira Donegan on Twitter (@MoiraDonegan)

Watching

5. Kajillionaire (Rec. #891)

6. The Party

7. Good Timing with Jo Firestone

8. Feel Good (Rec. #890)

9. Dog House UK (Rec. #897)

10. Taskmaster NZ (Rec. #900)

11. Pretend It's a City (Rec. #885)

12. Vinny Thomas on Twitter (@vinn_ayy)

Listening

13. Victoriocity

14. Off Menu (Rec. #878)

Also I watched Knives Out for the 5th (?) time.

Rec. #891: Kajillionaire

 

What: A young woman (Evan Rachel Wood) slowly realizes that her parents' (Debra Winger, Richard Jenkins) use of her to run a lifetime of small cons is ... not great. Enter Gina Rodriguez.

I loved this absurdist comedy from writer/director Miranda July.

Representative quote: "I don't have any regrets. You're gonna have regrets, though. Because you're gonna miss sex and dancing and pancakes. I just had that one pancake. So I'm not gonna be sad."

How to get it: Streaming on HBO Max. Or rent from wherever. (Or borrow the DVD for free from your local library, which is what I did! Because the streaming universe is increasingly just trying to recreate the price-gouging user-unfriendliness of cable packages. And libraries are great.)

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #52: Colossal

 

Stream what: It's a monster movie! Kinda. Sort of.

Stream why: It is so smart. Anne Hathaway is truly great. Also, I know everyone's all over Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso right now, but honestly he was born to play entitled brats masquerading as "nice guys," like he does here. 

Stream where: Hulu

Connection to previous Wreckage: Colossal was Rec. #448.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #48: Away We Go

 

Stream what: Soon-to-be new parents Verona (Maya Rudolph) and Burt (John Krasinski) embark on a road trip, looking for somewhere to settle.

Stream why: The cast is bonkers. Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Jim Gaffigan, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Josh Hamilton, Melanie Lynskey, Chris Messina, Paul Schneider, etc. etc.

The performances from Rudolph and Lynskey are particularly jaw-dropping standouts.

Stream where: Peacock (another one, I know -- but it's free)

Connection to previous Wreckage: Away We Go was Rec. #83.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #43: Lady Bird

Stream what: Writer-director Greta Gerwig shows us a year in the life of one high schooler in the early 2000s.

Stream why: Lady Bird manages to be fresh and relatable and authentic and funny and sad all at the same time.

Stream where: Amazon Prime and Kanopy.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Lady Bird was Rec. #673.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #40: Heathers

Stream what: In the cult classic black comedy Heathers, main character Veronica Sawyer notes that "my teen-angst bullshit now has a body count," which is a fairly accurate summary of the whole film.

Stream why: The dialogue is endlessly quotable, and the themes and plot remain relevant in new and horrifying ways.

Stream where: Amazon Prime and Hulu.

Heathers was Rec. #160.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #38: The Big Sick

Stream what: The Big Sick is a based-on-real-life story written by the people who lived it, Emily Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. It's funny and sad and well written and well acted. Plus, Holly Hunter!

Stream why: Did you not see when I said "Holly Hunter!"? Also, the character Emily gets a great, underrated scene where she says, "I love it when men test me on my taste."

Stream where: Amazon Prime

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 5

While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

See Part 1 here.
See Part 2 here.
See Part 3 here.
See Part 4 here.

Item 9: A remake of You Can't Take It With You directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu

The film Birdman had its flaws (I would have appreciated a content warning about the attempted rape scene!), but one thing it did well was show that director Alejandro González Iñárritu would be able to direct farce. People in general aren't good at directing screwball anymore, so that was an exciting discovery!

You Can't Take It With You is just begging for a modern remake. I'm thinking along the lines of Awkwafina, Maria Bamford, Susan Blackwell, Ana de Armas, William Jackson Harper, Aasif Mandvi, Melissa McCarthy, Lee Pace, Maya Rudolph ...

Connections to previous Wreckage: I extolled the wonders of screwball comedy in a three part series.

Item 10: A new book from Kira Henehan

I loved Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles (Rec. #195, QfFC #75). I would very much like another novel by Kira Henehan, please.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #34: Three Identical Strangers

Stream what: Long-lost triplets find one another. Then the mystery begins.

Stream why: It's fascinating. 

Stream where: Hulu

Connections to previous Wreckage: See Rec. #829 and Rec. #864.

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 2

While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

See Part 1 here.

Item 3: An adaptation of To Say Nothing of the Dog by Tarsem Singh

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis, is perhaps my favorite book of all time (Rec. #100). I have hand-picked Tarsem Singh for an adaptation based on his direction of the insanely beautiful and surreal The Fall (Rec. #49).

Someone else might try to make To Say of the Dog twee. It is not twee. It is epic and deserves to be treated as such.

Item 4: New original songs from Nellie McKay

I adore singer-songwriter/activist Nellie McKay (Rec. #608, Rec. #667, Rec. #695, Rec. #777), and I was lucky enough to see her perform last year.

For the past decade or so, she's mainly been doing collections of nostalgic covers, which are great! But I long for the creative highs of her early original albums, like Get Away from Me (Rec. #206), Pretty Little Head (Rec. #320), and Obligatory Villagers. More, please.

List #95: Pop Culture Wish List, part 1

The success of Knives Out means that Rian Johnson is going to make more Benoit Blanc content. This is good! I approve.

Several female writers whose work I follow closely have new books (see List #93). This is also excellent!

Parasite was the surprise winner of the Best Picture award at the Oscars last night. Good job, everyone!


While we're in the zone of fulfilling my pop culture requests, I would like to put forward some additional items for consideration.

This list will likely occupy us for a few weeks, at least.

Item 1: Richard Ayoade and Aisling Bea in a romantic comedy

Last year was a big one for Aisling Bea! She mainstreamed it alongside Paul Rudd in a Netflix series and, more delightfully, created and starred in her own brilliant show (Rec. #831). Richard Ayoade is a perennial favorite of mine (List #63).

They've demonstrated ample chemistry together in an episode of Ayoade's Travel Man series (Rec. #396). More of that, please!

Item 2: Sled Dog stories from Blair Braverman as a series of children's books

The content for this one pretty much already exists as Twitter threads. It just needs a publishing deal!

Dogsledder Blair Braverman is already a published author, and she puts her words to excellent use when sharing tales of puppies learning to run, field trips off the farm, and messages from the pack. See Rec. #609 for direct links to even more examples of Sled Dog Story Time, and get ready to Feel Things.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #32: Some Kind of Wonderful

Stream what: As the movie poster promises, Some Kind of Wonderful is a John Hughes production (although he didn't direct it). It holds up noticeably better than several of the other Hughes movies from the '80s.

Stream why: This take on teen life is told explicitly through the lens of socioeconomic disparity. It also has excellent, excellent quotes (see previous Wreckage).

Stream where: Amazon Prime and Hulu

Connections to previous Wreckage: Some Kind of Wonderful was Rec. #101, and it also brought us Quote for These Times #15.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #30: Hairspray

Stream what: First it was a movie. Then it was a musical. Then it was a movie musical. It's Hairspray!

Stream why: More than a decade after this adaptation, both the power-singing and the social commentary still hold up quite well.

Stream where: Netflix

Connection to previous Wreckage: I mentioned Hairspray as part of List #50.

Rec. #871: The Psychiatrist Is In

What: I love Belle & Sebastian and I love their movie God Help the Girl and I love, love, love this performance of "The Psychiatrist Is In."

Representative lyrics:
Find your space
Are you breathing well?
Do you feel OK?
Are you calm?
Are you comfortable?
Is your heartbeat racing?
Is this your soul you're facing?


Connections to previous Wreckage: The concept album of God Help the Girl was Rec. #361. The film itself was SSoW #15 and appeared on List #47. Another top song from the God Help the Girl project is "Perfection as a Hipster," which was Rec. #439.

How to get it: Watch this clip on YouTube. The full movie is streaming on Kanopy.

Rec. #869: Gosford Park

What: What a good time to revisit Gosford Park, one of director Robert Altman's last films. It has the insane cast, social commentary, and is-it-even-a-murder pivot of the delightful Knives Out.

But the setting is about 90 years earlier.

About that cast ... Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gambon, Ryan Phillippe, Richard E. Grant, Alan Bates, Sophie Thompson, Charles Dance, Jeremy Northam, Stephen Fry, Derek Jacobi, Emily Watson ... the list goes on.

Representative quote: "Aw, it's a pity, really. I thought it was a good idea to have someone in the house who is actually sorry he's dead." -- Constance, Countess of Trentham*

Connections to previous Wreckage: Watch both Dame Eileen Atkins and Dame Maggie Smith chatting it up in Nothing Like a Dame / Tea with the Dames (Rec. #778, Rec. #860). And, if at all possible, do check out The Half (Rec. #178), which is glorious.




* Played by Dame Maggie Smith and the prototype for her later role in Downton Abbey, which was originally envisioned as a Gosford Park spinoff. You can tell that writer Julian Fellowes saw the potential universe expansion for Smith's arch bon mots. One gets the sense that she probably actually watched Gosford Park, though.

List #94: Best of 2019

The Allusionist: Best Language About Language, Rec. #855

The Art of Process: Best Art About Art, Rec. #863

Be Prepared: Best Reason to Stay Indoors, Rec. #851

Come From Away: Best Reminder That Not All of Humanity Is Terrible, Rec. #852

 
David Tennant Does a Podcast With ...: Best Listener, Rec. #847

The Guardian Blind Date: Best Vicarious Dating, Rec. #865

Knives Out: Best Time at the Movie Theater, Rec. #856

Nothing Like a Dame / Tea with the Dames: Best Overheard Conversations, Rec. #860

Alexandra Petri: Best Way to Reflect on the Year, Rec. #866

"Quite Good, Considering [Rosalind's a Nightmare]": Best Earworm, Rec. #858

Russian Doll: Best Worst Day, Rec. #846

Simone (The Good Place): Best Outfit for Any Situation, Rec. #854 

Superstore: Best Season-5-and-Going-Strong, Rec. #848

This Way Up: Best Depictions of Relatable Human Emotions, Rec. #862

Three Identical Strangers: Best Ripped-from-the-Headlines, Rec. #864

Alie Ward: Best Campaign Promise, Rec. #859

Wine Country: Best New Endless Rewatch Potential, Rec. #850

Rec. #864: Best Ripped-from-the-Headlines

Three Identical Strangers starts uncanny, gets strange, takes a detour into farce, swims around in mystery and conspiracy for awhile, and then unexpectedly settles on a contemplation of how our humanity is shaped.

It's a wild (and true) ride.

(Rec. #829)