JUNE'S ESCAPISM

Welcome back to Emily's monthly media consumption! This month I had eight flights (trips to Christchurch, Hamilton and Melbourne!!) and so had lots of time to watch, read and listen (turns out I am not an environmental warrior, I am a planet killer - speaking of, I should write about the individual vs collective responsibility of emission reduction). Anyway, I'm back to uni now and have started my new role as 'account executive' so working lots more too!! That's all the updates from me, can't really be bothered thinking of anything else that happened to me.

I got through a lot this month so let's get into it!

Movies

1. A Quiet Place: 4.5 Stars: I love this movie. I love John Krasinski. There's not much more to it really. Well, actually, the storyline is interesting, it's the perfect horror movie in my opinion. I am obsessed with the premise, it balances everything I love: incredible concept, brilliant acting, easy-to-follow plot, great tension and it's scary but not terrifying. Also, any movie that is an hour and a half can't really go wrong in my eyes.

2. A Quiet Place II: 3.5/4 Stars: I can't decide on the ranking of this one as of yet. It started off so strong, I loved the flashback scenes but I was hoping for more of them. The storyline was good and continued on from the first movie masterfully. I don't think it is as good as the first, but it's still great.

3. Aquamarine: 4 Stars: Bree has been begging me to watch this for years. Emma and Elise were also perturbed at the fact I had never seen this. So we remedied that, and fuck it was good. One of those perfect so bad it's good movies. I was kicking my feet, giggling and providing extensive commentary. I had a ball, 10 out of 10 recommend it.

4/5/6/7. The Hunger Games: 5 Stars: Sorry I'm feeling lazy and am going to lump all four movies together (even though they all deserve their own in-depth reviews to capture their geniuses and nuance). Okay, so these are perfect and will forever be some of the best movies/series made. Catching Fire is a masterpiece and outsells every time. Mockingjay Part I is a tiny bit of a drag but I cannot complain. P.S. We were assigning everyone characters and I got Effie. It makes sense. Side note, it was very interesting to rewatch these with the context of the prequel. I desperately want to reread these books. I don't really know what else to say because we all know these are so good.

8. After: 1 Star: I can't believe this movie is even here. I have refused to watch this because well I knew it would be torturous. Fun fact about me, I was a Wattpad girl, I was obsessed and I actually read After on there before it was published and adapted into a film. And I hated it, 13 year old me knew it was horrible and the movie is equally bad. Whilst they changed the names and the most problematic aspect of the plot, it's still fucked, bad, awful, terrible. Wish I could gain the hours of my life back spent watching this.

9. Bullet Train: 3.5 Stars: Okay fun!!? This was so entertaining for no reason. I was giggling and laughing; on the edge of my seat. I had fun, this is a fun movie. It was entertaining and I forgot how much I love a good thriller / actiony movie.

Books

1. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: 3.5 Stars: I have many mixed feelings about this book. It was our book club book of the month and I loved it but also disliked a lot about it. Didion is a prolific writer, that much is evident. I also can understand why the prose of this was disjointed and convoluted as it reflected grief itself. However, there were times when I was so bored. I think you have to be in the right mood (sad, introspective, reflective, mourning etc.) to read this book, or in any stage of the grieving process. I do want to read some of her other works. Also, there were so many incredible quotes in this book, I would get 'more than one more day' tattooed on my forehead tbh.

2. King of Wrath by Ana Huang: 3.5 Stars: I can't really remember anything that happened but I know I enjoyed it. That's really all I have to say.

3. King of Pride by Ana Huang: 2 Stars: Again, I can't really remember what happened but I do know I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, and I was bored reading it.

4. What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care by Elizabeth Cripps: 3.5 Stars: This one is hard to rate because I know what the author was trying to do. It's a good book, it's informative and important. But there was something missing, I think it needed more statistics to prove its points. I didn't love the writing style and I don't think the arguments were structured particularly well. However, I learnt a lot and it is a great book for those who want to learn more about the impact of climate change in an easy and accessible way.

5. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: 4 Stars: I'm bumping up the rating of this one because with more time I am realising how fun it is. This was such a fantastic read. I loved the way it was structured, it was told in three different ways which was so cool. I was laughing out loud which never happens! The only flaw is that the romance was a little clunky at times, but overall it was great!

TV Shows

1. Love Island: 4 Stars: I am back on my love island shit. I can't help it, something about it grips me. And after a few dud seasons, it's so fucking good this time. The drama is giving, everyone is serving. Like I love it. It can't be 5 stars because I can't justify that, it's reality TV trash, but it's MY reality TV trash

2. Succession Season One-Two: 3.5 Stars: I am jumping on the bandwagon late because all the hype finally tipped me over the edge and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It is good, and I can see why so many people love it. I think it takes a lot of concentration to watch it, and it's not the show you put on to relax and unwind. But I am slowly going through it, it's a fascinating social commentary and I am excited to see where it goes.

The Recruit: 3.5 Stars: I watched this because well I was told to, and I was in the mood to watch something actiony that was short (only one season)! I liked it, this was fun, I love spy/agent shows. It was a little convoluted and ridiculous at times, but it was a fun watch. And the ending has me curious for the next season so that always helps.

Music

1. Beige - Yoke Lore: I was obsessed with this song a couple years back and I am re-obsessed with it now. It makes me want to cry.

2. Dial Drunk - Noah Kahan: Noah Kahan released the deluxe version of 'Stick Season' and I have not stopped listening to it.

3. Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson: This song made me happy. I would walk to work bopping along to this.

4. Call Your Mom - Noah Kahan: Fuck this one hits. It's potentially my favourite. If you read my mental health post and related to it in any way, listen to this song :((

5. Creepin - Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage: What can I say, it sounds good in my brain.

Right, that's all from me for now. I'm currently preparing for the Barbie/Oppenheimer double feature (so you absolutely will hear about these next month). Emma sent me a list of documentaries so can't wait to watch lots of those in the next couple weeks. I listened to the best podcast yesterday so prepare for that as well. And, the New Zealand International Film Festival hits Wellington in two weeks and I am going to a few films so am very excited to update you all with my thoughts on all of this soon.

Okay love you,

As per, let me know your thoughts on any of these and give me recommendations!!