Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: September 2022 (Patreon)

Alan:

Hey Heroes!

Just wanted to start things off right. With a bunch of unsurprising stuff! This month I’ve been reading (or listening, I “read” a lot of audiobooks as well, especially when I’m traveling,) a weird range of stuff.

What I’m reading!

• The Pacific War Trilogy by Ian W. Toll - The Pacific Crucible, The Conquering Tide, Twilight of the Gods. My grandfather passed away a little over a year ago, and he was a naval aviator in WWII. He never talked about it. At all. But after Toll completed his trilogy of in-depth history, I decided to read them to learn more about my grandpa. It’s harrowing, sad, but full of stories of heroism and meaningful self-sacrifice from sailors and soldiers on both sides of the conflict. I’m fascinated by the extremes of human stories, and there is little in human history more extreme than the Pacific in WWII.
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I re-read these books every few years. I think this is my 12th reading of them (including 2x in Russian! One with a very mediocre translation, and one with an absolutely incredible translation!) It’s a classic for a reason. The story still holds up, warts and all, but the language is transcendent.
• Skyward & Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. My current favorite fantasy author (and almost neighbor!) writes a sci-fi series about space fighter pilots? I’m in. I’m so in. I’m so far in, I’m actually looking with my lawyer into where the film rights are at, cause I’d love to adapt these to film. They’re extremely cinematic (as Sanderson books tend to be) and they’re really fun. They’re also pretty YA, so it’s not... ya know, LOTR. But they’re really entertaining me!

What I’m watching!

• Megan and I have been watching Abbot Elementary, after it picked up a bunch of (well-deserved) Emmys. It’s great! Megan taught Middle School and High School English for a few years, and she’s very involved at our kids’ Elementary School now, so the show hits close to home. But it’s also really sweet and very funny. Quinta Brunson is a national treasure!
• Re-watched AVATAR (blue people) with a bunch of fans to celebrate 1M subs last week. Holy crap. That movie’s good! (Our producers disagree. Rare point of contention in our taste). I was part of the backlash against it for a long time, but I’ve rewatched it a couple times the last few years, and damn. It’s a finely crafted, beautifully shot, spectacular rendering of a... fairly bla story.

Bonus Content!!!

• I’ve been listening to Marc Streitenfeld’s spectacular score to Prometheus a lot this month while I work on VFX for Moonstruck (my short film). It’s so much better than the movie. Especially the track “Life.” It just feels like the beginning of life on a planet. Which is what’s depicted onscreen. Spellbinding!
• Finally got a PS5 about a month ago, and I’ve been playing through Spider-Man Miles Morales. Fun story. Takes a pretty typical open-world-unlock-towers game and makes it incredibly fun because the swinging and fight mechanics are so good. I love playing games that make me feel like I can do amazing things, and the Insomniac Spider-Man games make me feel like Spider-Man!!! Not the “best” games out there, but for me, maybe the most fun?

And...

Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)!

Jono:

I'm currently reading Knowing Her Intimately: 12 Keys for a Sextraordinary Marriage by Laura Brotherson. I work with all kinds of clients, some of whom come from traditional religious backgrounds where celibacy is practiced before marriage. In these cases, many struggle with transitioning to a mindset (and body...set?) where sex is no longer forbidden and is to be embraced as part of one's emotional and relational health. This book is for those folks, and in that context is very helpful. It isn't for everyone; more sexually-open folks will find it quaint. But it's very sex-positive, encourages healthy relationships and marriages, and for those without much of a sex education it gets the particulars right. If you come from a more traditional background, it's a solid read. If you don't, I'll try to pick something for you next time. :)

As for what I'm watching, right now the missus and I have started Modern Family over from the beginning, because the work we do is often heavy and this show tends to be light, breezy, positive, and funny. It's a perfect bedtime palatte-cleanser. Cam and Mitchell are a riot, Gloria and Jay are great, and we relate a little too well to Claire and Phil. It's on Hulu.

Also recently rewatched Firefly and the follow-up film Serenity to prepare for a CT episode and a FanX: Salt Lake Comic Convention panel on the same. I'm not thrilled with Joss Whedon these days, but I still LOVE this show. It cemented Alan and my friendship all those years ago and the very talented cast, crew, writers, and directors who worked on it put something beautiful and meaningful into the world. If you've not seen it, it's on Hulu and is a short binge. You'll have to rent the film.

What have you been watching and reading this month?