(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Picked up four new audio books (free) with my credits. I have two credits remaining, with another coming in a month. I got an email from audible that if I didn't use them soon - they'd expire on me.

The four books?

* Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, Stories from a South African Childhood (Narrated by Trevor Noah)

* Killers of the Flower Moon - The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann, narrated by Will Patton, Anne Marie Lee, and Danny Campbell

* Finding Me - a Memoir by Viola Davis, narrated by Viola Davis

* The Ultimate Horror Collection: 60+ Novels and Stories from H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, M.R. James, Bram Stoker, Henry James, Mary Shelley, and More - narrated by Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble, Malk Williams, Karen Cass.

I can't read for pleasure that well at the moment, so have resorted to audio books. Which is ironic since prior to 2020, I couldn't imagine myself ever being able to make it through an audio book. I am picky about them though - plotty books with a narrator doing multiple voices yet sounding the same are hard for me to follow.

***

Finished watching Lightyear - which is okay. It had a decent twist regarding who Zurg was and why. Also it handled the time travel dilemma better than most. But it was long, and slow in spots, and for a kids animated film too long, too slow, and deep for its own good. Also repetitive. I got bored and started doing something else during it.

Anyhow, I can see why it didn't do well and ended up on streaming rather quickly.

The best thing about it was the plot twist. That was darkly humorous.
I'd tell you, but it would ruin the entire movie - and its really the only thing the movie had going for it.

***

Tried House of the Dragon E1, S1, on HBO Max. And...it's okay. I gave up. I couldn't get into it. I don't care about anyone. The film is dark and hard to see. Everyone has white wigs on. (Or just about everyone).
And it's violent. And I ...have better things to do.

I'm not in the right headspace for it.

This is the third or fourth television thing my co-workers were into that I just can't get into right now. The others were Severance (nope), Squid Game (no), Resident Alien (sci-fi watcher was into it), and now House of Dragon.

Let's face it - I want to watch musicals, romances, fluffy shows, that don't require too much attention. I'm considering buying Baz Lurhamn's Elvis, which is by far the most captivating and haunting film I've seen this year. [Baz Lurham did Strictly Ballroom, Romeo +Juliet, Australia, Moulin Rouge, Great Gatsby, and the television series The Get Down. He's kind of hit or miss for me, I either really love his films, or dislike them. I loved Strictly Ballroom (and got obsessed with ballroom dancing), Romeo + Juliet, and Elvis, disliked Moulin Rouge and Australia, have not seen the Great Gatsby.]

(I've not seen that many films this year.)

The other's I liked were Everywhere, Everything, All at Once, and last year's Spiderman: No Way Home.

I get why people are into Top Gun: Maverick (it's the aerial flight footage and cinematography) but I don't care nor feel the need to watch it in a movie theater right now. From little I saw of it - it made me dizzy. I get motion sickness. It's hot right now though - apparently people like the idea of being a fighter pilot? Another sign that our society is toxic and needs serious help.

***

Mother is out of the hospital. They sent her home with pain meds, meds to help the kidney stone pass, and a call into her urinologist, who she needs to see immediately to determine next steps. Whether the stone needs to be crushed down to size or if it can pass normally. They showed her where it was on the scan, and how big it was.

She got home by 7:30. She didn't tell me she hadn't eaten anything, until I was in mid-sentence on something unrelated. So, I got off the phone.

Told me not to worry about her, she's fine. I'm not really - you can't really die from kidney stones. They are just really painful. And I don't want my mother to be in more pain. She is grieving my father. Seriously, enough already, Universe.

***

Comments

[spiffikins]

I'm glad your mom is home - sucks that she hasn't passed the stone yet, but at least she can sleep in her own bed.

I haven't ever seen the first Top Gun movie - I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise nor do I have any interest in being a fighter pilot, LOL. So the second movie holds no real attraction for me either.

I watched CODA this afternoon - that was good. Because of the subtitles, I actually had to *watch* the movie - I tend to end up doing stuff on the computer while I mostly listen to tv/movies - but there was too much I would miss if I wasn't reading the subtitles :D

Other than that I've been enjoying rewatching Eureka. It made me think about other older shows that I enjoyed - and so I think the next thing I'm going to rewatch is Chuck - I liked that show a lot. And I'm catching up on episodes of The Transplant. Medical drama based in Toronto FTW!

I need to catch up on the marvel streaming stuff - I'm very far behind - I still haven't watched Moon Knight or Ms Marvel.

[shadowkat]

CODA was a good movie. Although I felt it was a bit disjointed - seemed to want to be two different movies? If you get the chance, there's another one out there "The Sound of Metal" (I think) which I liked slightly better - about a musician who is going death and how he deals with it.

I get it about watching television in the background while doing something else. I did that a lot this weekend. I was watching Instant Dream House that way - on Netflix. And The Partner Track.

I remember enjoying Eureka, it's kind of fun, and fluffy. So is Chuck. Haven't seen Transplant.

Ms. Marvel was slightly better than Moon Knight. Although Moon Knight had Oscar Issacs going for it. But I liked the mythos of Ms. Marvel a bit better.

Thanks - regarding my Mom. She's on pain-killers now. And hopefully will be able to get rid of the stone soon, I'm hoping she doesn't have to do surgery.

[spiffikins]

I did kind of feel like the whole background plot of "commercial fishermen band together to sell their own fish" and "deaf family becomes part of the hearing community and everyone learns to communicate better" - were interesting on their own and would have liked to focus more on those and not just as a "and these things are causing conflict with the main character's dreams of going to Berklee"

[shadowkat]

That was sort of my take on it. I was more interested in the deaf family of fishermen story, and less interested in the somewhat cliche singing protegee who wants to pursue her own dreams, and her deaf family is holding her back story which didn't quite work. One movie - the deaf family of fishermen worked rather well, and the father is amazing in this film. The other movie - singing protegee goes off to pursue her dream didn't work as well.

[kaisa]

I think the reason why some people want to be fighter pilots is the same as when people want to drive cars that can accelerate fast. When I was a teen, I totally loved the feeling of acceleration, airplanes were absolutely the best for that. And it's why people like amusement park rides, too.

At least here, most fighter pilots have never killed anyone, or even been in a real combat situation.

[shadowkat]

I don't know if they've killed anyone or not? It's kind of the whole point?

Test pilots don't - but that's a whole other job description.

Acceleration - I'm not much of a fan of. I used to play this game - it was a video game with race cars, but it gave me anxiety. LOL! And the pilot simulations I've done - not my thing.
I get it though. I had a co-worker who loved to build race cars and drive them.

[yourlibrarian]

Ouch, in many ways, about your mom. Hope she gets relief soon.

[shadowkat]

Right now, pain killers are helpful. But also making her groggy.

[slaymesoftly]

I hope your mom is feeling better by now. Those are so painful. Fingers crossed the universe is listening .

I have a hard time joining group chats about TV shows. I hardly ever am watching what everyone else is. I have a lot of friends who just spend a lot more time watching TV than I do, I guess.

[shadowkat]

Sometimes it works for me. I do watch enough television to allow it. But I have varying tastes. They are into House of Dragon right now, for instance, and I couldn't get into it. I've not become passionate about any television shows lately, not quite sure why.

Thanks for your concern on my Mom. She's hanging in there.