Summer recap, reviews & recommendations
While this newsletter's subject line does indeed read "summer recap," which implies that summer is over, I firmly believe we still have a few more weeks of summertime energy ahead of us. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Fall. But I'm a firm believer that we need to appreciate each season as it comes and that means not rushing through the end of summer just because people are back in school, Spirit Halloween is open and I saw some orange leaves yesterday. With the weather being so unpredictable these days, summertime is a state of mind. It ends when you say it does.
In that spirit, before I get to our normal newsletter content, allow me to indulge in some musings about one of my very favorite summertime activities. The pool. (If you want to skip down to the reviews & recommendations section, I won't judge you. I skip the story at the beginning of recipes and scroll straight to the instructions; I get it.) This summer I rediscovered my love for the pool. When I was a kid, I was always at the pool. I have vivid memories of jumping into the water (rain or shine) at what felt like the crack of dawn every morning June through August for swim team. My passion for swimming wasn't just because I had a huge crush on swim coach Steve (that was an added bonus). I loved the entire experience. The feeling of the water, the smell of the chlorine (still one of my favorite scents), the way everything is muffled when you dip below the surface. We would swim lap after lap, until your body was filled with the most satisfying, exhausted feeling. We would lounge on towels and pool chairs during swim meets, snacking on popcorn and nachos from the food stand during breaks. After middle school, I didn't swim much. In fact, I tried to swim laps in a pool a few years ago at the local park district and foolishly thought the "it's just like riding a bike" sentiment applied to all childhood sports. I dipped my head underwater and came bursting back up, sputtering, gasping for breath. I completely forgot the mechanics and every movement felt completely foreign. This summer I made my triumphant return, thanks to the convenience of my apartment's rooftop pool. I struggled at first but it came back to me with practice. I swam laps. I floated around. I looked out at the skyline. I savored the smell, the feeling, the sounds, the feeling of it all. Why am I telling you this? Because it's my newsletter and I can do whatever I want! And because swimming, or whatever your favorite summer activity may be, can stir up the same nostalgia the theme music to your favorite TV show does. A sound. A feeling. An image. All of it can transport you back to another time. That's the power of pop culture and one of the reasons I love it so much.
Barbie (minor spoilers ahead): I feel like I've been putting off writing this newsletter because I'm having a hard time formulating my many thoughts about Barbie. First, I need to explain something to you. I have a problem where I get too excited for things and set my expectations way too high. I absolutely adore Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird and Little Women hold spots five and three, respectively, on my favorite movie list). Then everyone in the cast started talking about how Barbie was the best movie script they've ever read. And then Ryan Gosling started doing the best press tour ever. The excitement and anticipation kept building and building, and as a result, I left the theater after my first Barbie viewing feeling a little let down. And that's the danger of the expectations game, because I really liked Barbie! It's such a fun movie. Margot Robbie's embodies the subtle physical movements of personifying a Barbie and her emotional journey really delivers. This is the role Ryan Gosling was born to play. He's never been better. I could watch clips of his performance (all the dancing scenes, his introduction on the beach, a one word line reading in the third act that had me laughing out loud, "What if there's beach?," Ken discovering the patriarchy) all day. The decision to frame the movie around gender roles within societal constructs is brilliant. The place where I think the movie gets a little off course is the emotional payoff in the third act, specifically any parts featuring America Ferrera and her daughter. Because the movie spent almost no time diving into the specifics of their relationship or their personalities aside from some generic statements, it's hard to become invested in their journeys or their relationship with Barbie, so their integration in the third act didn't land for me. The emotional impact that did work? Barbie's existential crisis and ultimate decision at the end of the movie (paired with a gutting Billie Eilish song). Other parts I loved? The two dance numbers sequences. The depression Barbie ad. A joke involving Duolingo. Kate McKinnon. Will Ferrell. The last line. The set design. The lack of CGI. The soundtrack. Did I mention Ryan Gosling? I've already seen Barbie for a second time and enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than my first viewing!
Oppenheimer: Five days after seeing Barbie, I returned to theaters to see Oppenheimer. And shocking everyone, including myself, I loved it. Oppenheimer has a Sorkin-esque screenplay, which means people are talking for almost the entire three hours. And I'm a sucker for a talky movie, TV show, what have you. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. are incredible, and I really enjoyed the way their relationship is examined throughout the movie, especially the wonderful payoff to Robert Downey Jr.'s paranoia at the end. The timeline is a little confusing at first, I couldn't keep track of anyone's names and I think there are 30-45 minutes from the beginning that could be cut. But Oppenheimer is completely captivating, beautifully shot and delivers a powerful message about unchecked power and consequences.
The Album (Jonas Brothers): I used to be a firm Jonas Brothers hater. And I stand by that as a good 2008 opinion. Those teenage boys could not sing. But now... things have changed. Their music is better. Their voices are stronger. And they've (mostly) stopped attempting to act. They've embraced their true purpose! Strutting around onstage singing about being into their wives. And it's working for them. The Album doesn't have much to say, and in keeping with the album's name, The Album's song titles are as bland as they come. But it sounds like summer! In case that isn't coming across, they did include the word summer in not one but two of the song titles. Am I willing to bet money the Jonas Brothers went to Montana literally once and then wrote Montana Sky? Yup. But who cares? It's fun and perfect for turning on and floating in the pool! My favorite songs are Vacation Eyes (specifically Joe's second verse), Wings and Sail Away. Summer! Vacation! Sailing! Insert generic words here!
Past Lives: Do you want to cry? Question every decision you've ever made? Ponder what it really means to love someone or to love the idea of someone? Examine how some people are meant to be in your life for a moment vs. a lifetime? If you're not ready to dig into those questions, this is **not** the movie for you. Celine Song's directorial debut is absolutely beautiful. She wrote the screenplay and yes, it is based on her life. The mainly three-person case is great, especially Greta Lee, which makes me even more furious that she is wasting away on the stupid Morning Show. Past Lives is awkward, funny, sweet, romantic, sad and has one of the most beautifully complicated movie endings I've ever seen.
More recommendations from this summer: The Summer I Turned Pretty (season two), Outer Banks (binged this very fast, good show to have on while you clean your apartment), While Justice Sleeps & Rogue Justice (two political thriller books from THE Stacey Abrams), Catherine Called Birdy (movie), Olivia Rodrigo's new singles, Speak Now (Taylor's Version), Heartstopper (season two).
