If you have spoken to me in the last week then you know that all I can talk about is Squid Game. SQUID GAME. It’s all I can think about. If you’ve seen it, you know what I mean. If you haven’t- it’s on my highly recommended list but only if you can watch things with extreme violence and more stress than you have ever experienced in your life. If you can’t, ping me and I will happily tell you the entire story.
The TV and movies coming out of South Korea really cannot be beat. I am so happy that we are finally experiencing the depth, creativity, and sick sick minds of South Korean creatives. But also someone should really check on them. They are not okay.
Also not okay is what the AMPTP is trying to do to the people who actually make movies and TV happen. I am still scarred by the 2007 writer’s strike- some old school binges will never be whole- but I will happily read more books and go on more walks if the IATSE strikes. Imagine coming out of COVID and thinking it’s okay to tell your workers to work more hours for less pay and less healthcare. NOPE. If all of the words I have just said make no sense to you, you can read all about it here.
In things that are okay, BRITNEY IS ALMOST FREE! At least some good is happening in the world.
Other good things include me going on vacation on Monday. Yes, another one. IT’S THE AUTUMN OF GEORGE. I’ll be in Europe for a month so don’t expect a newsletter unless I’m super bored on a long train ride because I’ve listened to all of the Hermione And The Boys audiobooks and I’ve read every Agatha Christie novel that has been downloaded onto my iPad. Yes, I am planning to read Agatha on European trains. I like a sense of poetry in my travel. And also I’ll need to know what to do if someone is murdered and I am called upon to solve the case.
While I am away, here are things to do to occupy your time:
Watch
I already said Squid Game but I’m saying it again. (Netflix)
Love Fraud (Showtime)- Please explain to me why people are still dating. I do not understand. #nomarriagenomurder
Midnight Mass (Netflix)- The Haunting Of guys have done it again! This one is not scary (seriously, not a ghost in sight) but it’s interesting. I can’t tell you what it reminds me of because then I’ll give away the game. It’s a nice darkly quiet binge.
I See You (Prime)- Helen Hunt was in a really good thriller in 2019 that nobody heard about except the critics who loved it and the 6700 people on Amazon who have given it 4 stars. This is a very tight, very interesting, very creepy movie. Perfect for the haunting month.
Listen
The Just Enough Family (podcast)- One of the wealthiest families in America loses everything and then talks about it on a podcast decades later. Also Liz Lange is involved. It’s so good.
Murdaugh Murders (podcast)- You’ve probably been hearing about Alex Murdaugh (that name is not pronounced how you think) and this wild murder saga but you have no idea what’s really going on. This podcast by a local reporter tells a detailed story about the many, many murders that this family is wrapped up in. It will make you want to eat the rich even more than you already do.
Suspect (podcast)- In 2008 a lovely young woman was murdered after a Halloween party in Redmond, Washington. A Black man was convicted, jailed for 9 years, and then released because HE OBVIOUSLY DID NOT DO IT. Seriously, one of the cops on the pod said he was immediately suspicious because he was the only Black person at the party. Proving that he has clearly never been Black in Seattle, where you are always the only Black person at the party. Oh, and there was DNA evidence linking THREE MEN to the crime but of course they chose to convict the Black one. Surprising no one Black who grew up in Seattle. Anyways, so now the case is unsolved and this podcast is telling the story.
Read
The latest in our continuing series “Is all art a scam?”.
Dog The Bounty Hunter does it again.
TODAY IS AMERICA. Because Gen Z has Republicans too.