September Roundup

I'm getting better at this.

Film Bro Corner

I was poorly mistaken... All of the movies I've watched this month were new releases. Honestly some crept up on me. I did not see a trailer until a week or two before they were to release and then I thought 'hmm there's more happening in September than I thought'. Furthermore, with the shortening days I desire to be vertical as soon I come home from work or errands. It is easier to just go to a movie while I'm still out and about. I am not watching for entertainment, I am watching to understand the art form. I don't want to mindlessly consume the image so I defer to podcasts, videos essays, or a few physical book pages that do not require all of my critical senses before bed.

This month's flicks:

Honk for Jesus. Save your Soul. (Probably my most coherent review)
Barbarian
Pearl
The Woman King
See How They Run
Don't Worry Darling
Amsterdam
Bros

There's only one of these films I would not recommend seeing, even to hate watch. Spoiler: It's Don't Worry Darling. Anyway, I'm not usually a horror person because much of American horror consists of gratuitous gore and jump scares. I don't want to be unnecessarily stressed. I definitely prefer psychological thrillers and things with lore and explanations. I've been surprised by the decent horror films that have come out this year. Pearl and Barbarian are such examples. While the former is gory it makes up for it in the acting of the lead and the atmosphere created by the director. The latter, I rather you just see for yourself. Certainly a different approach to horror. I'm not sure I'll reach 200 films this years, but whatever I reach will definitely be more than I've ever watched before and I'm very proud of that. Click here if you want to see what I've watched in the past.

Rémy Reads (& Writes ?)

I actually started many books this month. I visited the Lucy Parson Center, a community led and finished two of the five books I purchased. Additionally, I've been reading for work which in general fuels my skills as an American Studies scholar. I will be releasing short book reviews or annotated bibliographies of them as I write them on paper and then transfer them to the digital space.

Here's some freebies:

Podcast Alley

I listen podcasts while I workout and run errands mostly for education, sometimes entertainment. I was really productive on a day off and listened to some really interesting episodes:

I've recommended this pod some time ago. They goof around(not as much as other pods who make a ton of money), but bring on some great folks and discuss relevant topics.

"Podcaster from Death Panel and co-author of the new book Health communism,Beatrice Adler-Bolton joins us to discuss capitalism's role in HEALTH, disability activism, the healthcare industry and MORE. Also we talk about Biden and trains.

This one below may be a bit radical and covers things very much intentionally outside of the realm of mainstream media. This episode gave a perspective that most media in the United States has not represented.

"Breht is joined by members of the Workers' Front of Ukraine - a Marxist-Leninist organization based in Ukraine. We discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, the impact of the war on Ukrainians, the Maiden Coup of 2014, the size and role of fascist and neo-nazi groups in Ukraine, Zelenskyy and Putin, the economic incentives behind the war, and much more!"

I listened to less intense things, but these were thought-provoking this week.

Salem

This month I made it to Salem, MA for the first time and it was so lovely. Lovely enough to ruminate more about it later and perhaps after I go back in a few days. The history, the trees, the vibes, were great. Going before all the true crime weirdos come through is key though. Here's a perplexing selfie:

Good Vibes

Two Days ago Paramore, band loved by all, especially black people, in a way that specifically lead singer, Hayley Williams, will be spared in the race/class war, released a new single "This is Why" with a music video(peep my love for a long sentence with commas. Arabic is similar when it comes to descriptive sentences and that's why I did so well with that language). It's extremely relatable and fun.

Lizzo got to play a super old flute once owned by James Madison. All presidents are on the spectrum of terrible so good for her. From a shamanic perspective, the essence of James Madison probably isn't upset about this happening, but bigots are despondent and upset about it in an attempt to distract systemically marginalized groups from having fun and living life. She is obviously talented enough to handle an antique and it offers representation. This is cool. So enjoy.

Not me with Benjamin Franklin’s copy of the Constitution 😮 Hi just normalizing Black people in proximity to important American artifacts on a Friday afternoon pic.twitter.com/HKZePOLHJ5
— Jawn Staley 😷🧼🧴💉 (@errinhaines) September 30, 2022

Proud of myself getting this done. If you know someone who may also appreciate this let them know to contact me about it. This site is really bare bones so I'm not publicly promoting it at the moment <_<. However, getting something done. Talk soon.