In July I BOUGHT A HOUSE. I think this means I’m actually, officially, really-truly an adult now. *starts to panic*
MOVIES & TV
The Green Knight
This surreal, dream-like film is a gorgeous interpretation of the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. On Christmas day, a supernatural knight arrives in King Arthur’s court and challenges anyone there to land a blow on him with their sword, as long as they agree to let the Green Knight do the same to them a year later. Gawain, nephew to the King, is a man lacking a story; he hasn’t been on a grand quest or faced any foes to prove his honor. So he takes on the challenge and, assuming a death blow would void the agreement, cuts off the knight’s head. Of course, this doesn’t work out how Gawain planned and as the Green Knight gathers his severed head and rides off, he reminds everyone of their bargain. A year later Gawain sets off on a quest to find the Knight, learn to be honorable, and probably get his head cut off.
The Green Knight chronicles this mythological quest through incredible imagery, visceral sound design, moody lighting, and a strong lead performance from Dev Patel. It reminded me a lot of Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain; that same sort of dark claustrophobia and unreality. I’m disappointed that a certain, integral part of the original story was changed for the film, but overall, I love how The Green Knight distills and elaborates on the core moral of the legend.
Be warned though, this movie is weird. I loved it, but the surreal, imagery-heavy nature of The Green Knight definitely won’t be for everyone. If you are interested in seeing it, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the story first, maybe by reading Emily Cheeseman’s beautifully illustrated Gawain and the Green Knight comic.
Ted Lasso
I’m a bit late to the party, but Ted Lasso is charming AF. This Apple TV show is about the titular Ted, an endlessly-optimistic American football coach who gets hired to manage an English soccer team. Fish-out-of-water antics ensue. While the trailer plays up the more awkward bits, what I enjoy so much about Ted Lasso is the balance between humor and sincerity. There are great moments where characters are allowed to be vulnerable and human, especially Ted who at first seems so overly positive as to be cartoonish. I also enjoy that most of the “coach gives inspiring locker-room speech” scenes are played earnestly, instead of just for laughs. It works well. But fear not, there are definitely a lot of laughs as well, including some particularly excellent slapstick gags.
GAMES
Death’s Door
A little like Dark Souls and a little like Legend of Zelda, Death’s Door puts you in the shoes (well, bird feet) of a crow reaper, sent out into the world to collect souls. But the soul you are sent to find disappears, and the little crow has to traverse a number of dangerous dungeons, gathering materials needed to open Death’s Door and figure out why souls are missing. The gameplay of Death’s Door is super fun and occasionally very challenging (looking at you final boss fight that took me two days). The character design is also a highlight, especially the charmingly adorable crows. (Xbox/PC)
BOOKS
Subtle Blood by KJ Charles
Subtle Blood is the third and final book in KJ Charles’ excellent Will Darling Adventures trilogy. Set in post-WWI England, the series follows Will, a former soldier and current restless book shop owner, and Kim, a disgraced aristocrat and occasional spy. Through the first two books the pair grew closer as they worked to disband a nefarious crime organization. Subtle Blood is a fittingly exciting finale, centered around a murder in an exclusive gentleman’s club, with Kim’s brother being the prime suspect. KJ Charles writes such good characters; I always love spending time in her stories. (Historical Romance)
Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
Single mother Rosaline is having trouble making ends meet and decides to enter a reality TV baking competition in hopes of winning the cash prize. On her way to the show, Rosaline has a meet-cute with Alain, an engineer and fellow contestant who seems to be everything she’s looking for in a romantic partner. As the competition (and their relationship) progresses, Rosaline builds friendships with the other bakers, including shy, blue-collar Harry, and begins to question the things she always thought she was supposed to want.
The baking show in Rosaline Palmer is a loving fictionalization of Great British Bake Off, so if you are a fan of the show like I am, you will definitely get a kick out of all the references and nods (there is a particularly funny section involving bread week). The trajectory of this story is unusual for a romance and doesn’t end up quite where you expect at the beginning, which I liked a lot. I also appreciate that Rosaline is a bisexual character in an a way that actually matters to the story. I’ve read a lot of books where characters are canonically bi, but only in a blink-and-you-miss-it mention or throwaway line. So for this to be a frequent, well-formed part of her character is refreshing.
There are some serious topics explored in the book too, including attempted assault and gaslighting, which is handled well. Alexis Hall remains one of my favorite authors and no matter if you are reading one if his spicy romances or his more “general audiences” books like Rosaline Palmer or Boyfriend Material, you are sure to get a story with a charming narrative voice, great humor, and characters to root for. (Contemporary Romance/Fiction)
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert is a sweet love-letter to fan-fiction and chosen Nerd families. Book!AeneasWouldNever and Unapologetic Lavinia Stan are members of an online fan-fiction community, writing stories about popular fantasy TV show Gods of the Gates (basically Game of Thrones). Over the course of two years, BAWN and ULS have become best friends but have never met in real life. When April (Unapologetic Lavinia Stan) posts a cosplay photo on twitter that unexpectedly goes viral, she finds herself in the surreal position of being asked out on a date by the show’s incredibly handsome star Marcus Caster-Rupp. But what starts as a publicity stunt turns into an actual relationship, which is complicated by the fact that Marcus has been secretly writing fan-fiction for years and doesn’t quite know how to tell April he is her online best friend Book!AeneasWouldNever.
Given the general plot of the book, it’s fitting that Spoiler Alert feels so much like fan-fiction itself (in a good way). I smiled a lot while reading it. I occasionally get impatient with the romance trope of “one big secret tears them apart in act 3,” and “big public reconciliation” always makes me cringe, but despite having both of these elements I still enjoyed the book. (Contemporary Romance)
ART
“Phantom of the Paradise”
This new collage, inspired by the film of the same name, is for Gallery1988’s annual Crazy4Cult show, opening August 6 in Los Angeles.