
weekend watchlist: two tales for Pride Month that cry out for simple human acceptance
Plus grounded human experiences, from escaping a cult to — yes — doing an espionage. (First published June 3rd, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)

Plus grounded human experiences, from escaping a cult to — yes — doing an espionage. (First published June 3rd, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)

Full of honesty and humanity, utterly lacking in shame over a basic human need, the female experience of which is almost universally ignored onscreen. Light, funny, diverting. So why was I bawling?

A book is born; its author dies. Her husband takes up her work in a process of gentle, active mourning. Honest and hopeful, this journey through grief is beautifully structured for maximum poignance.

Mine is, of course, The Princess Bride. It’s sweet, goofy, funny, and endlessly entertaining, no matter how many times I watch it.
It’s not COVID…

Plus grownup romance and a bland dystopia, and more. (First published May 21st, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)

Maybe it’s a film set in the summer, or maybe there’s some other association for you.

The wacky-yet-heartfelt comedy just about works; the gibberish dialogue, not so much. But this could be the makings of a crowdsourced cult fave, if playful viewers end up creating their own subtitles.
Polley makes no bones about what is at play here, and it’s a microcosm for Hollywood in the main. Brutal, and extraordinary.

Plus horrors fantastical, hellish, alien… and all too down to Earth. (First published May 14th, 2022, on Substack and Patreon.)