This is not the continuation of When Worlds Collide and a Pair of Striped Tights - I might pop that up at the weekend. At some point. Maybe?
No, this is the third quarter's worth of stuff I've read, watched and listened to.
Strap in!
Read
∘ Some more of Little, Big, by John Crowley - No, I still haven't finished it. I'm convinced pages, nay, entire chapters get added when I'm not looking!
∘ A Prayer for the Crown-Shy (A Monk and Robot Book, vol. 2), by Becky Chambers - Just lovely and warm and thoughtful and wonderful. A tonic for these trying times.
∘ The Guncle, by Steven Rowley - as recommended by The Very Mistress.
Re-Read
∘ Beyond Uhura, Nichelle Nichols - The great lady's 1994 biography (more from her later).
Watched
∘ Ghosts, S4 (BBC iPlayer) - Best thing on TV (even better than Star Trek)! This clever, funny, heartwarming - and also quite sad in some places - sitcom about a young couple sharing a house with a load of bickering, but mostly well-meaning ghosts, has cemented itself in my heart since I discovered it at the start of this year.
∘ Star Trek: Lower Decks, S3 eps 1 - 6 (Amazon Prime) - My favourite Trek show is just getting better and better!
∘ Moonfall (Amazon Prime) - I'm still not convinced that this wasn't a cheese dream.
∘ Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) - All I could have hoped for (except for the final episode, which I didn't care for at all, really), with lashings and lashings of Anson Mount's Captain Pike. Mmmmmmm...
∘ Star Trek: Prodigy, Season 1 Part 1 (Paramount+) - Star Trek for kids, but still rather entertaining.
∘ Phwooooarrr! Love an- Um, I mean, Thor: Love and Thunder (Cromer cinema, and then on Disney+ at my sister, Inexcuseable's) - I couldn't care less about the storyline/acting/costumes etc. it's the specific lack of a costume in a certain scene that makes this worth watching!
∘ Everything Everywhere All At Once (Amazon Prime) - Just don't turn it off when the credits start to roll...
∘ The Planets (BBC iPlayer) - More Professor Brian Cox? Yes, please, Mary!
∘ Plaire, aimer et courir vite [Sorry Angel] (BBC iPlayer) - A rather sad French film set in 1993 depicting the psychological effects of AIDS in a burgeoning relationship. Still, Pierre Deladonchamps is a total fox!
∘ Cunk on Britain and Cunk on Earth (BBC iPlayer) - "Titan 1C: The worlds first single-use submarine." Bwah hah hah hah haaaaa!!!
∘ Queen Elizabeth II's funeral (BBC) - I can't believe this is a thing that I have seen and have typed?! The very idea still seems preposterous.
Rewatched
∘ Space Station 76 (DVD) - The 70s in space, complete with repressed homosexuality, a female captain, a robot doctor, and as much Valium as you like. Amazing! (Except for all the gerbil deaths... [even though I suspect they're actually hamsters])
∘ Edward Scissorhands (DVD) - Shut up! I'm not crying, you are!
∘ One Hour Photo (DVD) - Robin Williams at his most creepy.
∘ Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (DVD) - What an absolute crock! I can't believe I used to like this, and that Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman agreed to be in it?!
∘ Green Wing (DVD) - I don't remember seeing the ending the first time around (I can't have watched it), so this was a nice surprise. Although, it'd've been even nicer if she'd've married the other one and let Sue White get her claws into that smarmy tosser!
∘ Ghosts, S1 - 3 (BBC iPlayer) - getting ready for the fourth series!
* Post title from "He Came!", series 3's Christmas Special
∘ Star Trek: Lower Decks, S1 & 2 (Amazon Prime) - getting ready for the third season!
∘ Donnie Darko (DVD) - Ahhhh... Jake Gyllenhaal when he was young (which is okay because I was young-ish when this came out, too).
∘ The League of Gentlemen, S1 - 3 (DVD) - "This is a local shop for local people, there's nothing for you here!"
∘ Galaxy Quest (DVD) - One of my favourite Star Trek films!
∘ Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (DVD) - "I'm the Mary." "No, I'm the Mary!"
New Music
∘ "Holiday" Confidence Man - Thank you, Jon - I'm just about used to her voice, now.
∘ "Hypnotized" Sophie Ellis Bextor x @Wuh Oh - First featured here when I was caught in the throes of a frisson!
∘ mascara streakz AlteRed ImAges (I've written it like this because that's how it appears on the album cover) - Yes, I only went and bought the album! All thanks to Jon when he featured the titular song. "Glitterball" can be found here, and this is "Beautiful Thing" (another favourite):
∘ "Heart Attack" Editors - again, thanks to Jon because he featured "Kiss" which led me to this one
Old Favourites
∘ "Duel" Propaganda (last heard here)
∘ "The Visitors" and "Cassandra" ABBA (last heard here and here)
∘ "Tokyo" White Lies (last heard here)
∘ "Hey Boy" Nichelle Nichols
That's it for September. We'll see you Over the Cusp in a couple of days or so...
My! You have been busy!
ReplyDeleteI've not watched/read most of it, of course - except for HM The Queen's magnificent and very sad funeral, and Thor's bum. Jx
Clearly not busy enough in other areas, though. Including Thor's bum!
DeleteI must watch Ghosts, I watched the first series and then I forgot to watch it when it came back.
ReplyDeleteI saw Galaxy Quest a few weeks ago, I’d forgotten how good that was. And One Hour Photo is superb.
Sx
I can't recommend Ghosts enough, Ms Scarlet. Let me know if you do revisit it.
DeleteI'm pleased that you enjoyed "The Guncle." It does have a certain cheering quality, and we can all use some of that right now.
ReplyDeleteThat was me, above.
DeleteAh, Very Mistress! Many thanks for the recommendation. I loved "The Guncle" - I did see some of my relationship with my nieces & nephew in Patrick's with Maisie & Grant. This will certainly get a re-read, and I might even give another of Steven Rowley's books a go!
DeleteI'm still waiting for Ghosts to be available for US audience. At least I can see the trailer and YouTube clips! As you'll see on my page, I had a Netflix recommendation for you all, but apparently YouTube won't even let you watch the trailer. Hrmpf! It was primarily filmed is London and some in Tokyo. It must be a conspiracy! I do hope you'll get to watch it. We can all fall in love with the beautiful mess that is Rodney, and Kenzo, and also Yuto, and Taki, and Sarah together. The whole thing is excellent but episode 4 will blow you away and then the final episode has this lovely expressive dance moment that takes place. Normally experimental dance would not be my thing, but you can't help but feel attached to these characters and their interactions with each other.
ReplyDeleteAh, I've just come from yours and seen a Giri/Haji clip on YouTube (from the BBC back in 2019, no less, although it's not on the Beeb now). Thrillers/crime dramas are not my thing, but some of the descriptions of its "arty" and "bewitching but slightly bonkers" parts have me intrigued.
DeleteAs for Ghosts, I'm glad you can see the trailer & clips, and I hope you do get to see the whole thing at some point. There is an American version (which is currently on Season 2, I believe), but I've seen clips and it seems too clean and sanitised and artificial. Maybe they were just terrible clips and the rest is good?
It's a drama, but not a thriller and the crime is only the inciting incident to bring the characters together. It has a quiet humor that I appreciate, not like something that is trying to hard. I think the trailers are trying to keep it intriguing without giving too much away. We really did not expect to like it as much as we did. The trailers almost do it a disservice with such a montage of cut-scenes.
DeleteWe also like Everything Everywhere all at once.
Season 3 of Locke & Key and Umbrella Academy (both on Netflix) have been disappointing. I feel like the writers of the shows must be burnt out and uninterested in keeping the series going.
Ah, then if Giri/Haji comes back to the Beeb I'll give it a go!
DeleteWhile I had Netflix, I kept pondering Locke & Key but never actually got around to starting it. I enjoyed UA3, but agree that it wasn't as good as the first two (but the dance scene in Diego's head was just wonderful and hilarious).
I really do live on an outer planet...we're STILL having re-runs of ancient sit-coms.
ReplyDeleteBrush Strokes?
DeleteOn the Buses? Jx
DeleteThat's My Boy?
DeleteDear John?
DeleteQueenie's Castle?
DeleteFor the Love of Ada?
DeleteAre You Being Served?
DeleteThe Rag Trade?
DeleteAnother forgotten gem of ABBAs My Mama Said, shame about their new album being a big crappy.
ReplyDeleteLove Ghosts
I binge watched Conk on Earth during the week, very entertaining, my maid of all work Carmen took it all seriously.
Fuck With You is the only Sophie Ellis-Bextor song I have.
I must admit, I haven't heard anything off ABBA's latest except those two that you and Jon featured a while back. And I definitely haven't heard that particular ditty from Ms Ellis-Bextor...
Delete* googles furiously *
Oh my gods it's a real thing!
They used to play that song upon my entrance in Lovers bar, Benidorm, I would sit on a tall bar stool next to the entrance that led to the dark room, groping hands and other appendages would poke through the beaded curtain and I would slap them away saying 'one at a time boys, I'm not a slag'. Now sadly closed for good due to the pandemic and the 'unbridled enthusiasm' of its customers.
ReplyDeleteWhat's closed, Mitzi? The Lovers Bar or you?
DeleteMy home planet is probably in a totally different solar system! I recall Brush Strokes, vaguely. Are you Being Served...not a fave, though did have some amusing moments.Rag Trade!!!Dear gods, we are turning back the clock! I have a memory of Miriam K. and her damned superstitions .No, what we seem to be spoon-fed in this outpost of Empire are New Tricks. Time Goes By. Something about people constantly being murdered on a Caribbean island . And Michael Patillo chuffing about on various trains. In short...not much telly Chez Dinahmow.Mostly jazz on the radio.
ReplyDeleteI can only think that either Jessica Fletcher, Miss Marple, Inspector Bergerac, or Hercule Poirot decided to take a holiday in the Caribbean and the inevitable happened.
DeleteMim had agreed to meet for coffee and suddenly realised it was a Friday 13. "I don't even get out of bed on that day!" I said "Mim, that's a silly superstition put about by Christians! You're Jewish!" She snapped right back with :"I'm more superstitious than Jewish!"
ReplyDeleteOoh, being in bed is not the safest place to be: one could get tangled up in the sheets, smothered by the duvet, hi-jacked by Eglantine Price...
Delete