Before I get into the meat of this long-overdue Media Minute, I want to take this space to announce that I now co-host a podcast about movies! My friend Corey and I have launched “And the Award Goes To…”, a podcast that focuses on the Academy Awards. Listen on Spotify or wherever you find your podcasts!
Media Minute – May 2020
Greetings, fellow quarantiners! In this time of self-isolation and separation, one of the biggest things we are collectively turning to is media in all its forms. That’s why so many streaming platforms are (blessedly) giving us free content week in and week out, probably just as a marketing ploy to get us to subscribe (it worked for me, honestly…guess who now has an HBO subscription.) With a TON more content to sift through, I thought I’d shout into the echo chamber some of the stuff I’ve been enjoying while in lockdown.
What I’m Watching:
Succession (HBO, 2 seasons, with season 3 premiering in 2020)
If you take the most dysfunctional Shakespeare family to ever exist, give them each about a billion dollars, and place them in 21st-Century New York City, you get the Roy family from Succession, an oft-overlooked masterpiece from HBO that stands in the shadow of Game of Thrones and Westworld. Loosely based on the Murdoch dynasty and William Shakespeare’s King Lear, Succession follows the ongoing drama of Logan Roy (Brian Cox), a recent octogenarian who grapples with his four children over who will take over the reins of his multi-million-dollar media corporation. It’s half-drama, half-comedy with hints of satire (thanks in part to producer Will Ferrell) which makes for a wild ride and a chaotic glimpse into the world of elite America. It also stars Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen and Nicholas Braun, all of whom bring both a visceral and sympathetic nature to their characters. Braun and Macfadyen, as Cousin Greg and Tom Womsgans, respectively, might have the best chemistry in the entire show, as two relative “outsiders” attempting to claw their way to the top.
Content warning: Succession is rated TV-MA for strong language, strong adult content, mild violence and some sexual situations.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Season 3 (Netflix, 3 seasons available)
It’s been at least a year since I finished season two of Jessica Jones, but now that I have an unholy amount of time on my hands, I figured I might as well bite the bullet and finish the series, even though the last season was a bit disappointing (but not as disappointing as Iron Fist season two. I knew from episode one it was not worth finishing.) Jones definitely lost steam after season one, in my opinion, starting off strong with a terrifying, charismatic villain and downgrading from there to unnecessary family issues and underwhelming supporting characters (season three introduces Benjamin Walker as Erik Gelden, who may be known by tried and true Marvel fans as Mindwave in the comics. To me, he just seems like a guy who gets convenient headaches when baddies are around.) Season three is only slightly better than the yawnfest that was season two, and hardly holds a candle to season one.
Content warning: Jessica Jones is rated TV-MA for violence including depictions of suicide, gore, some language and brief sexual content.
The Rocketeer (Disney Plus)
Both Succession and Jessica Jones are pretty gritty watches, so in the midst of that I found something a little more lighthearted to enjoy in the meantime. The Rocketeer is a live-action Disney classic that got lost in the shuffle amidst the animated Renaissance Disney experienced in the 90s. It tells the story of an ace pilot in the late 1930s who stumbles upon a prototype jetpack, which he uses to (naturally) fight the Nazis who are after the same technology. Think Iron Man, but it’s 1938. Timothy Dalton is a delight as self-obsessed Neville Sinclair, a debonair actor and the epitome of comic-book villain, and Jennifer Connelly is dazzling as Jenny, a wannabe actress.
What I’m Reading:
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Eric Larson
As a true crime junkie, I should have read this a long time ago, and after it was recommended to me several times over, I finally dove in. Eric Larson is a master of writing nonfiction as literature, and his skill is on full display in this equal parts chilling and fascinating tidbit of Chicago history, which melds together the glory (and drama) of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the murder spree of H.H. Holmes, America’s first serial killer, who set up shop just outside the “White City” of the fair and began his killing spree that would shock people for generations. Larson expertly balances stories of Holmes’ rise to notoriety in 1890s Chicago as well as the dazzling spectacle that was the World’s Fair. Rumor has it this book will be getting the Martin Scorcese treatment soon, and I am totally here for that.
What I’m Looking Forward To:
Capone (available on Amazon Prime Video)
Tom Hardy’s Capone promises to be not your average gangster movie. Hardy portrays a 47-year-old Al Capone, now released from prison and slowly dying of syphilis, as he looks back on his bloody, storied career through the lens of dementia. Early critical reviews have been mixed, but I’m constantly impressed by Hardy’s skill and nuance, even when he plays gruff, rough around the edges characters. He’s poised to become the Marlon Brando of our generation (don’t tell me you look at his Capone makeup and prosthetics and not immediately think of Vito Corleone.)
Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell
Confession: I’ve never read a Malcolm Gladwell book, but this title caught my eye. As a communications student in college, I was always fascinated by humanity’s “rules” of communication–and what can go wrong when those rules are broken. Gladwell’s book dives into the art of understanding people we pass on the street, people who move in and out of our lives or with whom we have distant connections. I’m intrigued to dive into his perspectives on interpersonal communication and interaction.
Audrey D. DeBoer 