And we’re rolling right along with our “what BSH is watching” series, and now it’s my (Maddie’s) turn! And I’m going to be honest here, I really don’t watch a whole lot of tv normally, and this sudden stoppage of sports has forced me to realize just how much hockey dominates my whole life during the season, and now I have to figure something else out to pass time. So, here goes, these are a couple of things I’ve been watching since hockey died.
The Outsider
I think this one’s been out for a little bit, I know I’ve seen other members of the BSH staff talk about it in our slack chat, and I’d heard positive reviews of the book it’s adapted from (by Stephen King) from a bunch of patrons at the library I work at, so I figured I’d give it a shot, even if I was a little late to the party.
If you’re not familiar with the plot, it starts with this—a gruesome murder and a suspect that’s tied pretty definitely to the scene with witnesses and DNA, and the case should be pretty open and shut, were it not for the fact that the suspect was caught on video at a conference miles and miles away at the time of the crime. How could he have been in two places at once? Well, that’s what we’re trying to find out! It’s a murder mystery mixed with a heaping helping of the supernatural, and it was just compelling enough to keep me engaged all the way through. I didn’t come away from it feeling really wowed, but I think that’s okay! I was satisfied with it, and hey, I blew through the whole series in like a day and a half (can’t do that if it’s bad, right!). So that’s my new thing that I dug into. Now I need to find another. Whomp whomp.
Assorted favorite movies
With that said, this has been a pretty weird and uncertain time, in general, so I’ve found myself falling back on some old favorite movies for a little bit of extra comfort. I’m kind of more of a movie person than a tv person anyway. But here’s a quick highlight reel of my last couple of days. (I’ll drop a link for more detailed descriptions of the plot if you’re not familiar, but mostly I just want to say why I love these movies).
Spotlight: I love, generally speaking, detective stories. If we’re trying to unravel a mystery or a conspiracy, that’s right up my alley. And this has traded detectives for journalists, but it still does the trick. I wouldn’t say that this is a fast paced, action packed type of movie, but it had me on the edge of my seat on the first viewing and somehow it still hasn’t lost that effect on each of the repeat viewings. The story is equally compelling as it is terrible, because it’s based on a true story. It’s interesting and it’s well done, enough that it keeps me coming back, even when I know where the conspiracy ends.
The Princess Bride: God, I just love this movie. I’ve loved it since I was a kid, and it was one of my mom’s favorites as well, so it still holds a really special place in my heart. I actually don’t really have a breakdown on this one beyond that. It’s funny, it’s a little weird, and it’s a lot sweet. And if you haven’t seen it all I have to ask is how?! Just an absolute classic.
10 Things I Hate About You: Kat Stratford is one of my favorite movie characters, and one that I feel like I relate to in a lot of ways (but I wish I was as badass as her). I’ve seen this movie like a hundred times and it never gets old for me. I guess I don’t have much of a breakdown here, either, other than that it’s just a nice, fun, easy movie.
Rear Window: I’m not trying to roll up here like one of those insufferable people who’s Into Classic Movies, but this is a classic movie and I do love it. Like I said, I love detective type stories and murder mysteries, and this is kind of the classic example of that. The story’s compelling and the movie still holds up well. And plus, Grace Kelly is just so lovely in this, in general but specifically her wardrobe (I mean, that black and white dress? Just stunning. I still want one for myself). It’s all great.
Frantz: This one might seem a little out of left field, and if you don’t speak French and/or German or hate reading subtitles, this might not be the one for you. But I speak some French and don’t mind reading subtitles for the German parts, so that’s not an issue. I also love period films and this one is really just kind of quietly stunning. There’s a bit of mystery, a bit of romance, and overall I think the word I would use to describe this is just “lovely.” And, on the purely aesthetic level, I love how color is used in this movie—it’s overwhelmingly in black and white, but we get bits of color throughout and its deployment is just so smart and striking. This is one that I feel, in some ways inexplicably, quite sentimental about. It pulls on the heartstrings. And I’d recommend you give it a shot if you’re looking for something maybe a little different.
Flatten the Curve music classes
And, for the musically inclined, Arkells, one of my favorite bands, has been doing something that I think is pretty cool. Every afternoon, they’ve been getting on Instagram Live to do a tutorial for one set song (for example, yesterday was “People’s Champ,” two days ago was “Years in the Making”) per day, so you can learn how to play it on the guitar, and then they’ll take suggestions for other songs to run through and fiddle around with after that.
Full disclosure: I haven’t watched all of these straight through. But I think it’s a really cool idea, and a fun way to be productive during our social distancing. I don’t play as much guitar as I used to, but it’s nice to know I have this option to break it out and learn something new. And, if I don’t there’s a little bit of live music available to me every afternoon.
If you want to check this out, you can find them on Instagram @arkellsmusic
