What I Watched: The newest season of the Umbrella Academy, sort of – I mostly listened while playing on my tablet. I didn’t love it, because of the upping of the angst quotient (I’m still Team Klaus). Keitel really enjoyed it, and I’m sure that I am an outlier in my opinion. Here’s the Guardian review:
The superhero drama based on a series of comic books written by My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way (and definitely bearing spiritual traces of his emo roots) returns for a fourth and final season. The Hargreeves siblings have lost their superpowers, which inevitably demands a whole new level of cooperation. That isn’t going to be easy given their perpetual bickering but the emergence of a mysterious group called the Keepers is set to focus their minds. Can the family pull together, find their missing father and rise to a final challenge?
What I Read: Assistant to the Villain (book 1) and Apprentice to the Villian (book 2) by Hannah Nicole Maehrer of TikTok fame. @HammerZeitgeist – this is your catnip. I loved this series, and desperately hope for more. They may have caused me to stay up much too late reading.
Amazon blurb, book one: ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem, terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With an ailing family to support, Evie Sage’s employment status isn’t just important, it’s vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat…and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work…and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find.
Amazon blurb book two: NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. —Mgmt
Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.
But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs—Kingsley’s included—point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies…including their nemesis, the king.
Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.
It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.
What I Listened To: Flying Lizards – Money (oldie but goodie); Bulgarian Cartrader – Soul Is The Price (good newish stuff); and Cassia – Gamma Rays (bouncy music @Farscythe):
Thank you for playing Brain Drain! How are you, Darling DeadSplinterites? What’s going on, dearest ones? Please do share with us!
The cast in that lede foto look insufferable.
What I watched:
A Countess from Hong Kong.
I’ve known about this movie for years but I finally tracked down a free copy:
This is a shipboard farce written and directed by Charlie Chaplin, and a total rip-off of Marx Brothers efforts from the 30 years prior. An incredibly hot Marlon Brando is a wealthy diplomat on his way out of Hong Kong. Unbeknownst to him, the most glamorous stowaway to ever stow away, Sophia Loren, is hiding in his stateroom which, to be clear, could comfortably house a family of six. There is a scene where Marlon and Sophia take to the dance floor (the ship is the size of Manhattan) and it’s one of the most smoldering scenes ever filmed. I almost fell off my seat.
You know who else is in it is Tippi Hedren, (relatively) fresh off the physical and psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of Alfred Hitchcock while filming “The Birds.” Tippi is still alive, at 94, and she looks great. Not so much her daughter, Melanie Griffith, who has gone under the knife more times than is advisable and now looks like something from “The Twilight Zone.”
GAH! The movie plays whether you want it to or not! I don’t know why It’s doing this. I can’t seem to delete it from my comment. SORREEEEE!
Oh no. Thanks for the warning, I’m staying clear of that one.
I watched Bone Tomahawk. It’s a western-horror movie starring Kurt Russell as a sherrif who leads a posse after a band of inbred troglodytes who have gone on a rampage through his town.
It’s really good if you like creepy movies, with lots of fun character building.
Hi @elliecoo 👋! You and my Kindle know me too well. It popped up when I finished my latest read. Thanks for the rec. I’m going to borrow it now.
I enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It was four short stories which shared the same location and most of the characters.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44421460-before-the-coffee-gets-cold
I read The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. I was intrigued by the seemingly cozy story. But it was far from cozy. The author threw in domestic violence, domineering male family members and partners, and false imprisonment for drama. Not cool. Also the love interest is a borderline incel. I feel bad for the author. She seems to have lots of internalized misogyny that she is unaware of.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65137920-the-lost-bookshop?ref=nav_sb_ss_3_13
I half enjoyed The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le. It felt like the book was written in two part. The first part was great, exciting, and had clever insights. Bloodcarving is a cool concept especially with the author’s background in biology. The second was boring plot wise and the characters’ relationship development felt forced and false. The world building and politics had so much potential but wasn’t given enough of a chance. I still recommend it. Oh and don’t read up on it or book 2 because there are spoilers everywhere!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122765708-the-last-bloodcarver
When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she’s captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.
…I saw a fairly harmless thing where the badass spy is the girl & capt america is the hapless clingy guy so impressed by their one date he turns up in the middle of a mission & gets mistaken for the spy…chris evans & ana someone…think it was called “ghosted”
…also something called jackpot where awkafina is the lottery winner everyone wants to murder so they can claim the prize…except john cena
…nothing amazing but both pretty fun
…oh & vince vaughan in bad monkey (based on a carl hiaasen book) is good?
I watched Jackpot! Which I totally loved, very funny…
Listening to a great collab. between Half Past Two & Catbite, some of my favorite ladies in the current ska scene…
This is the weekend for our town to shine, we have our yearly festival with fireworks tonight. Last night we had “Drink Down the Cellar” at my neighbors house and tonight is another neighbor party that lives right above where the fireworks are set off so best view in the town. My brain already hurts!
That movie looks like it would be good for my brain fry.
Three episodes into Chimp Crazy on HBOmax and that lady makes the dude from Tiger King look rational and balanced.
She’s from Missouri, which explains a lot.
I also watched a few more episodes of “Murder, She Wrote.” I’m going to be the most eligible man in the nursing home. One that was memorable was Jessica has an old friend who is now a fashion designer in Paris. When they meet up they decide they are hungry so they go to the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. No French person has ever set foot in the Eiffel Tower restaurant in any of its many guises.
Then, later on, they go to a cabaret show where Juliet Prowse sings an English-language version of “La Vie en Rose.” I lost it. “This is one of the most famous French songs ever sung. Edith Piaf must be rolling over in her grave. Who would commit this kind of sacrilege? Might as well concoct an English-language version of “La Marseillaise.” Try singing that after a soccer match…”
Meanwhile, Better Half was singing along. “A life in roses…”
oo cassia goes well with the slightly too warm weather we are having here 🙂
ive been watching exploding kittens
which definitely has its moments..but falls flat often as not for me too (possibly coz sober me is at least 13 and a half instead of 12) (calling this an adult cartoon is really stretching that definition netflix) anyways ymmv….and godcat is pretty funny
aaand listening to jax who snuck in to my recs from somewhere
great voice…staring at me whilst choosing violence is a little unsettling tho
We’re watching Troppo while we’re waiting for some episodes of Slow Horses to build up. Troppo is some Aussie noir about a couple of very damaged detectives. Thomas Jane is in it and it always sounds to me like he’s some European actor trying to do an American accent but he’s actually an American.
It’s a good show but it’s hard to imagine any small local government allowing a murderer and an accused sex offender become private investigators. Hey, it’s a story.