movies

  • knives out (no, not the new one)
  • white noise (netflix) why did we watch this again?
  • pinocchio (netflix) - very good. would recommend.
  • the menu (on the plane) - very good. would recommend.
  • jurassic world: dominion (amazon prime) - amusing, would not recommend.
  • ticket to paradise (on the plane) - saccharin. would not recommend.
  • patagonia films (on the plane) - i’ve been watching these on flights lately. they really make me feel like i’ve been living my life wrong.
  • vengeance (amazon prime) - you people100%. effectively captures a lot of what society feels like in a weird way.
  • cocaine bear (movie theater) - amusing and dumb. largely as you would expect it to be. can’t honestly recommend that you spend hard earned dollars on this at the theater, but we wanted to get out. wait for it to show up on hulu. be amused.
  • triangule of sadness (hulu) - black comedy brilliance. i’ll be thinking about this movie for a while.
  • knives out, glass onion (netflix) - shrug emoji.
  • i think we’re alone now (hulu) - strangely compelling. it was nice to see a post-apocalyptic movie that was understated in execution and not focused on zombies.
  • the banshees of inishirin (HBO) - i can’t understand any of the motivations and this is as bleak as it gets. that despair factors into the movie is thoroughly unsurprising. pretty amazeballs scenery and a performance from colin farrell that’s really far better than i ever expected.
  • renfield (peacock) - fumb dun.
  • vesper (hulu) - this was an interesting take on biotechnology and sci-fi. their depiction of monsanto seemed pretty dead on to me.
  • oppenheimer (theater) - really good. insert your scientist, moralization, truman was a bigger deal, etc. hobby horse here. i was entertained for 3 hours and feel like it got my money’s worth. q: who knew communists could be so sexy? a: oppie.
  • guardians of the galaxy, vol. 3 (on a plane) - that was dumb. someone explain the appeal of this to me again?
  • the pope’s exorcist (on a plane) - hilarious.
  • cha cha real smooth (apple tv+) - ends better than i thought it would.
  • killing of a sacred deer (netflix) - probably the most disturbing psychological thriller i’ve seen in a while.
  • saltburn (amazon prime video) - dark, really dark. also pretty great. two words. “grave fucking”. so much discomfort.
  • candyman (amazon prime video) - yeah, i’m not saying that 5 times.
  • master gardener (rented via apple tv) - had potential. not good. i kind of want my $5 back.
  • may december (netflix) - there’s a lot to unpack in this movie. there’s some great acting, but i’m not really sure i liked it, or “got” it.

tv

  • the white lotus: season 2 (HBO) - solid.
  • the boys: season 1, 2, 3 (amazon prime) - wow.
  • the last of us (hbo) - great. get HBO(+|max|whatver) for this alone.
  • the mandalorian: season 1, 2 (disney+) - i guess i see the appeal.
  • mark maron: from bleak to dark (HBO) - really enjoyed this.
  • ted lasso: season 3 (apple tv+) - pablum, still one feels like one needs to finish it.
  • succession: season 4 (HBO) - yes, so much this.
  • beef (netflix) - juice. totally worth the squeeze.
  • lucky hank (AMC+) - bought this bob odenkirk series via prime. insert shrug emoji.
  • kaleidoscope (netflix) - i’m a sucker for a good heist flick
  • better call saul (netflix) - waited for the last season to come out on netflix. to be honest, kind of savored watching this …
  • high desert (apple tv+)
  • black mirror: season 6 (netflix) - dark.
  • the righteous gemstones: season 3 (max, or whatever HBO is calling themselves these days) - i’m glad this is on slow drip. the temptation to crank thru is very strong.
    • this is hands down the most amusing steve zahn performance i’ve seen in years. who, working the local angle here, i just discovered is from minnesota.
  • the bear: season 2 (hulu) - the 7 fishes episode might be one of the 10 best episodes of anything, ever. if jamie lee curtis doesn’t get some sort of award for this, it’s rigged. rigged, i say.
  • yellowstone: season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (peacock) - i don’t really get the hype. it’s like low-grade succession with half-assed writing. on a ranch. that said, i loaded up the ipad and watched it on the plane when traveling.
  • killing it: season 1, 2 (peacock) - brilliant. i don’t think i’ve seen a more biting and relatable commentary on the state of life in the united states than this.
  • physical: season 1, 2 (abandoned in season 3) (apple tv+) - more compelling than i was expecting. they’re really nailing the 80s vibe. season 3 became near unwatchable.
  • midnight mass (netflix) - introduction to the flanaverse. a fun take on the whole angel/vampire shtick on a remote island. oh, and priests who sleep with their parisoners … classic.
  • the fall of the house of usher (netflix) - more from the flanaverse. fumb dun. a decidedly amusing and engaging adaptation of edgar allen poe’s work.
  • 30 coins (max nee, HBO) - european catholicism, demons, spanish and subtitles. good fun.
  • monarch: legacy of monsters (apple tv+) - godzilla and shadowy scientific organizations? sure!
  • slow horses: season 3 (apple tv+) - so far, awesome.

podcasts

  • the daily (nyt)
  • the argument (nyt)
  • arms control wonk: worth doing the patreon for the additional content and the slack access.
  • burn the boats
  • the ezra kline show: it’s been a source for more reading additions than i care to admit.
  • the lawfare podcast: see also rational security
  • wedge live: definitely worth the patreon. the best minneapolis local politics coverage. full stop.
  • RIPE labs podcast: solid nerd takes for routing dweebs in the know.
  • FiveThirtyEight politics: honestly, this is just the sportsification of politics and my ability to tolerate them is waning. consistently flirting with swiping this out of overcast.
  • rational security: wonky takes on current events and international politics. can be a slog at times.
  • matter of opinion: ross douthat apologia vehicle.
  • 90 pount rucksack: on the creation of the 10th mountain division and the creation of the modern mountaineering and ski culture. a little long at times and keeping the characters straight is a bit of a challenge, but you get an idea of what an old boys club things were heading in the WWII.
  • cafe: preet bharara and co. worth flinging cash at.
  • blister: blister ski stuff. i’m fascinated by this, but honestly i only get like 40% of this.
  • gear:30: misc. gear wonkery. again, honestly i only get like 40% of this.
  • marginal gains - bike dorkery. leans heavy into micro-optimizations which are lost on this middle-aged dork. i just need to lose those 10 wholly unnecessary pounds.
  • the drive: peter attia, md - totally worth subscribing for. in depth discussion of all sorts of health and longevity related topics.
  • BHA podcast and blast with hal herring - i’m not a hunter, but these are my people. don’t let hal herring’s voice trick you, this podcast is pure gold. one of the best donations i make each year.
  • adventure journal - sense a theme here? i’m going through some sort of slow-speed mid-life crisis.