Of Switchfoot and movies and books and more...

2023.08.08

Aug 08, 2023

Song of the day:

Gosh, has it really been almost a month since I last posted? I honestly don’t know where the time goes…

Switchfoot, as most of you know, is one of why all-time favorite bands. They recently announced that they were going to re-release their album The Beautiful Letdown, adding the tag “our version”. I’m all for updated versions of songs I love so this was already exciting, but then they announced last Friday that not only are we getting new versions of them performing the songs, but that we’re also getting a bunch of other artists performing the songs. The first one released is today’s song of the day and wow, it’s powerful. I can’t wait to get this whole album!! I mean just look at some of these artists…it’s going to be incredible.

I’ve been to a lot of movies lately, as so many are being released right now. I’ve already talked about Indiana Jones and Mission Impossible so let me talk about what I’ve seen in the last few weeks.

And let’s go ahead and start with Barbie because WOW. This movie was incredible. It was sweet and funny and emotional and powerful and perfect. I’m not going to spoil any of it for those who haven’t found time to see it yet, but suffice it to say, I’ve seen it twice - once with my mom and once my friend Kirsten - and am planning to go again this week. There should be a LOT of award nominations for this movie. I mean A LOT. I’ve also been playing the soundtrack on repeat for well over a week.

My mom and I saw Oppenheimer the same weekend as Barbie - because that was what we were supposed to do, right? - and it was good in a whole different way. The acting was incredible - this will also get a lot of award nominations - and the movie was flat out good. It’s a true story, of course, and was incredibly intense. I learned a lot about what led to the creation of the bomb, but it definitely made me angry at how our government didn’t seem to care about the people living on the land in New Mexico when they tested it. And while I certainly understand that war requires killing machines, it’s still horrifying to think about the damage that bomb did in both New Mexico and at Hiroshima. Still, it effectively ended the war which is what was needed. I don’t need to see this one again.

I went to see Haunted Mansion with pretty low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It’s not going to win any awards, but it was fun and I was entertained, which is the whole point of going to the movies, right? Mostly though, it made me excited to go to Disneyland later this year.

And finally, last night I saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and ya’ll, it’s excellent. The animation is brilliant and the story is great. There is humor, of course, and a lot of action, but there are a few touching moments as well. The voice talent is incredible, and the music is fabulous. I might need this soundtrack as well. Whomever hands out awards for best animated feature is going to have hard choices this year. This will definitely be in the running.

Have y’all seen any of the above movies? If so, what did you think?

Meanwhile, who knows if the movies coming in the fall or later will even be released since the writers and actors are on strike and no one can promote anything. I’m gonna need the studios to get it together and pay people what they’re worth because really. Like Barbie has legit made a BILLION dollars. Pay. The. People. The math is easy on this one. Come on.

Since my last post I’ve read a few books, and most of them have been really good.

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou - This started slow but picked up speed about a third of the way through. I’d still recommend it, but maybe not as strongly as some others.
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Boston - Loved this! There’s time travel and food and a little romance, what could be bad? Fast and fun read. Get it!
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach - This was a hard read. It started slow and pretty much stayed that way. The premise was interesting but I struggled with this one. I can’t recommend it.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert - This was a fast and fun YA read that made me laugh and swoon a little. I would definitely recommend it.
A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales - I loved this book! It grabbed me right from the start and I could hardly put it down. A fun murder mystery that’s a little bit Pride and Prejudice, a little bit Bridgerton, and a little bit Downton Abbey. I highly recommend this one, and suggest you go out and get it immediately.

I’m currently reading Peril at the Exposition by New March, the second Captain Jim and Lady Diana mystery). I’m enjoying it so far, but it’s started slower than I would have liked. I’ll keep you posted…

Other than all of that, I took a short trip to Colorado toward the end of July and now have two whole months with no trips planned. I don’t like it. But it will make my trip to LA and Anaheim at the end of September/beginning of October that much sweeter. I do have a few things going on here - movies, hanging with friends, etc. - and should probably get some things done around my house. We’ll see how that goes…

One final question…did anyone other than me and my mom watch See it Loud: The History of Black Television miniseries on CNN? If you missed it, I highly suggest watching it online. It was excellent!

Anyway, that’s all for now…until next time…

Video of the day:

I mean yeah, she’s still the GOAT.