Keeping in mind that if I’d managed to see Little Women before the end of the year that it probably would have topped the list, here are the ten movies I saw last year I enjoyed most:
10. Shazam!: A teen boy is suddenly imbued with powers that include giving him the body — but not the decision-making — of a grown man. But his superhero-loving foster brother warns him that with great power comes great responsibility. The set-up of the villain becoming evil irritates me tremendously, but Zachary Levi is such a favorite that I can overlook that terrible plotting.
9. The Sun Is Also a Star: I loved the y.a. novel, written by Nicola Yoon, so was particularly interested to see how they were going to adapt this modern romance. While they changed some details, losing perhaps the message of how random acts have unintended consequences, both good and bad, it did tighten the focus on illegal immigration and deportation in its current iteration. This is a love letter to New York City, as well as to soul mates.
8. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase: In a modern interpretation of our teen sleuth heroine, skateboarder Nancy and her pals have access to modern tech (Carson has never not texted her at least once a day since her mom died), but still must rely on their wits to solve the case. Linda Lavin has a great role as Nancy’s client.
7. Yesterday: A failing wannabe pop star awakens after a freak accident to discover that no one else remembers The Beatles (among other things, like Coke). He capitalizes on this by recording all their songs, but it’s tough to remember all the lyrics — and why would a modern guy born after the Cold War write about being “Back in the USSR?”
6. Spider-Man: Far from Home: Tom Holland is my favorite Spider-Man. He is goofily earnest as Peter Parker, and it’s great to see an actual teenager in the role. In this post-Avengers story arc, Peter must come to terms with the death of mentor Tony Stark and the interest he has in M.J., while trying to just have a normal school trip in Europe. But when Nick Fury shows up in his hotel room, he’s going to have to make some compromises. Is it possible to walk away from our destiny?
5. Rocketman: This biopic about Elton John acknowledges the pop star’s struggles with addiction and depression, while also elevating his friendship with lyricist Bernie Taupin.
4. Captain Marvel: Vers cannot remember her past before coming to the home planet of the Kree, but when she is kidnapped and then ends up on earth, she meets a young Nick Fury and discovers her past as ace pilot Carol Danvers. Forced to question everything she knows about herself, Carol relies as much on dry humor as superpowers to win the day. Her subsequent demotion to plot device in the final Avengers movie (which you’ll especially enjoy if you’ve been wondering why white dudes don’t get all the superhero roles anymore), was highly disappointing.
3. Knives Out: In this modern whodunnit homage to Agatha Christie and Poirot, a successful mystery writer is found dead, and a super-sleuth is hired anonymously to solve the case. At the center of the tale is a spoiled family and a young personal nurse who had befriended the writer. The story is expertly crafted and remarkably acted, and despite both of those facts, does not take itself overly seriously. This is an entertaining film.
2. It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: Mister Rogers has gotten a lot of well-deserved posthumous fame since 9-11, when his advice about looking for the helpers resurfaced to comfort generations of people exhausted by the constant negativity in the news and the world around us.
In this biopic, a hard-hitting magazine journalist is forced to interview Fred Rogers, whom he is certain cannot possibly be the real deal. But as with everyone else, eventually he, too, is won over.
1. The Farewell: Awkwafina stars as a Chinese-American woman who returns to her Chinese homeland to attend a wedding that has been hastily arranged so her family can surreptitiously say goodbye to her beloved grandmother. Unbeknownst to the old woman, she’s been given a terminal diagnosis, but tradition dictates that she not be informed lest her death be hastened. — “It’s not the cancer that kills … it’s the fear.”
How about you? What were your favorite films you watched in 2019?
A two-for-one bookish meme post in which I announce I’m signing up for Bout of Books 27 (goal this time: read on a majority of days this week).
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, Twitter chats, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 27 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team
I managed a chapter or two of Jennifer Chiaverini’s Christmas Bells on the train amidst my dozing and am continuing to listen to the audiobook of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia.
I’ve set a challenge of reading 52 books for the year, which should be perfectly manageable. I’d like to continue working to make my reading more diverse — both in terms of authors and in terms of topics. The former seems far more likely than the latter, since I just have a hard time forcing myself to sit down and spend time reading things I don’t want to read about.
The Night Country by Melissa Albert (It’s the sequel to The Hazel Wood!)
Kate Milford’s The Thief Knot (This is the next story in The Greenglass House world.)
Yes, No, Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed (Two great YA authors? I mean, obviously!)
Sarah-Jane Stratford’s Red Letter Days (I loved Radio Girls and look forward to another historical fiction from her.)
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn (This is the latest in the Veronica Speedwell series.)
Stamped by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi (I can’t wait to see how this nonfiction adaptation & collaboration turns out!)
Check, Please! Book 2 by Ngozi Ukazu (I’m hoping this graphic novel includes some recipes in the back material, since the first book concentrated on talking hockey.)
Rebecca Stead’s The List of Things That Will Not Change (I love her middle-grade novels.)
Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (I’ve loved every sci fi book they’ve collaborated on, even if this series isn’t as good as The Illuminae Files.)
Elizabeth Acevedo’s Clap When You Land (Everything she’s written has been great, and this looks like it will be too.)
Shuri by Nic Stone (I mean, Nic Stone and the most kick-ass African princess and scientist? Yes, please!)
How about you? Are you joining in the fun of the Bout of Books this time? And what books are you looking forward to being published between now and summertime?
I captured only the low-hanging fruit this weekend. I slept in. I got outside (in a steady drizzle yesterday and the sun today). I went to the library (and the grocery store and the farmers market). I stopped by the garden to take down the last of the vegetable cages and stakes I’d left up in November.
I left a message for my friend. I raced through The Art of Theft. (I now need to track down Sherry Thomas’ The Heart of the Blade series for more of a crossover character.)
Other projects proved more high-jump than hurdle. I thought about doing laundry, but then decided having the drying rack in the shower (where we put it during the Christmas season to avoid giving cats a perch from which to bat at upper-level ornaments) would be inconvenient to my pre-work trip shower. I looked for semolina flour for the shortbread, but didn’t buy any. I’m not sure emptying one bag and vacuuming really constitutes tidying. I took my shawl with me, but didn’t actually sit down to knit. I spent too much time playing on my phone and not enough writing Christmas cards. I read instead of writing that best of 2019 post, which I suppose was a fair trade. And I watched a terrible Christmas-themed sitcom instead of a terrible Christmas-themed movie, which was probably an improvement.
Luckily, as Karen noted in her comment to me, it’s too early in the year to feel guilty over how a weekend is spent (particularly after a month of feeling guilty for not accomplishing more most weekends). Volleyball doesn’t start for another week, so I can spend tomorrow evening finishing my Christmas correspondence. And maybe I can set aside another evening for finishing my shawl. After all, how awesome will it be to have my first finished object of the year so early in January?
A lack of nearby snow means I suddenly have a weekend to myself. Here’s how I’m hoping to fill some of the time (other than eating the rest of our New Year’s cheesy grits, which were delicious after some time under the broiler and registering for a Sunday afternoon bowling league with a friend):
Sleep in. I have an early train to Philadelphia on Monday for a meeting, and working two whole days in a row while still not being fully healthy has been a challenge.
Send out my Christmas cards. Because the twelve days end this weekend and I will not have them lingering past that. But, hey, at least folks will be getting real mail in January as well as December, right?
Finish my shawl. I’d like to start something new, or at the very least, move on to another project, but I’ve sworn that I won’t knit anything else until I kick those final rows that have been hounding me for months now.
Go to the library. I have holds waiting for me.
Read. I have four books in progress.
Do some laundry.
Start some tidying/purging projects.
Write a best books of 2019 post. As per usual, I ran out of steam on the monthly book reports, but I’d like to get the year-end wrap up done sooner rather than later.
Bake. Earlier today, I saw a Mary Berry 5-ingredient shortbread recipe I might like to try.
Phone a friend. She called before the holidays when I was sick and voiceless and I owe her a return call.
Watch some more Christmas movies — the ultra sappy ones that Rudi won’t mind missing. Or maybe take myself out to see Little Women. (I’ve promised to go a second time with Rudi if I opt to do so.)
Spend some time outside. Because fresh air and activity are good for me.
How about you? What’s on your to-do list this first weekend of the year?
1. Sarah, Rudi, and I rang in the New Year the same way we have for years now — at the movies. This year two of us were a bit under the weather and two of us (I am at the center of this particular Venn diagram) spent part of the afternoon at the DMV getting a car registered, so we only caught a double feature. However, both A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Knives Out were quite enjoyable, and I recommend both.
2. Rudi and I also spent part of our New Year’s Day at the cinema, watching Spies in Disguise, which is partially set in D.C. We greatly appreciated the authenticity of their animated city, laughed at the idea of Will Smith’s spy driving in front of the Lincoln Memorial and up the nearby sidewalk, and mulled the plausibility of the CIA having a headquarters located beneath the Reflecting Pool. (Movies love to put intelligence agencies in or near our waterways. Marvel placed theirs on Theodore Roosevelt Island.)
3. One of our local bookstores was having a New Year’s Day sale on everything in the shop, so I took myself off to Petworth after the parade ended to buy a book — The Starless Sea — I’d intended to get back in the fall, when I missed the author’s visit to D.C.
What’s been beautiful in your world lately?
Category: three beautiful things. There is/are Comments Off on holiday tradition, accuracy, and new book.
