Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: December 2023 (Patreon)

Alan:

Hello Heroes!

December. It’s not as cold as it should be, and there’s no snow outside. So I stayed in and read books, watched movies, and played video games all month!

What I’m reading!

• Opposable Thumbs by Matt Singer. This is the history of Siskel & Ebert, the most popular movie review show of all time (sorry, CinemaSins. You ain’t it.) I grew up watching them argue about movies, and I never realized until reading this book how deeply our show is informed by their 25-year-long show. And just how much I learned about movies from watching them for 6-7 of the most formative years of my life. I owe those guys a lot, and I’m really bummed that I’ll never be able to tell either of them.
• The Dudes Abide by Alex Belth. Honestly, this felt like a quick cash-grab. Written by a guy who assisted the Coens on The Big Lebowski (hot take, one of my least favorite Coen movies?) it’s not very detailed, and the guy basically ends the book with “Well, I did that, then two other quick editing jobs, then left the movie industry, nearly 30 years ago now. This is what I remember, thanks for your money!” I don’t recommend it.
• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. It’s still fantasy, but it’s definitely outside my normal wheelhouse. And… I didn’t love it. CottageCore to the max. It kinda felt like reading a Hallmark movie as a novel. Very cozy and sorta unsurprising. Maybe I would have liked it more if I had a nice cuppa with a cozy blanket and a warm fire. But tea is hot brown garbage water, so… ;)
• The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. This was exactly in my wheelhouse. I listened to the audiobook read by Wil Wheaton, who is PERFECT to read Scalzi books. Reading this made me feel like how VSSoIW was supposed to make me feel. Just cozy and comfy and happy that there’s a Kaiju earth where billionaires get their comeuppance. I’m a total Scalzi-head at this point.

What I’m watching!

• Godzilla Minus One. What a movie! Probably my favorite Godzilla movie ever, and one of my top Kaiju movies ever (hard to be Pacific Rim though.) Heartfelt, tells a gut-wrenching story, and the smashy-smashy actually MEANS something this time! And it traumatizes people! We’re going to do an episode on this in the future. Too good not to.
• Die Hard. Because of the 35th anniversary re-release, I finally got to see this in theaters. Twice! It’s the greatest Christmas movie of all time, one of my favorite action movies, and one of the most quotable movies ever. And it plays so much better on the big screen! Go to theaters for movies people, please!
• The Abyss! Speaking of movies from my childhood I never got to see in theaters! I love this movie. It’s ever so slightly uneven, though the Director’s Cut improves it pretty significantly, imo. But man, the movie looks incredible, the story is great, the sci-fi is believable and fully realized, and it’s just a good good movie. Seeing it in theaters with my wife and kids was an absolute treat.
• Napoleon. What a weird weird movie. It felt as grand and epic as any of Ridley Scott’s best stuff, but the story between Napoleon and Josephine was just weird and off-putting.

What I’m playing!

• Finished DeathLoop. What a great game! I’m super stoked for Blade when it comes out.
• Okay. Spider-Man 2. I promised I wouldn’t cry! But who am I kidding, no I didn’t. This game is really fun, the story is great, the dual protagonists works better than it has any right to, and I love it. I’m gonna 100% this game, wait 9 months, then 100% it again.

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

Jono:

Hello CT fam! This month I've been reading The Choice by Dr. Edith Eger, who is my new hero. When people ask "what person, living or dead, would you like to have dinner with?" she is my new answer to that question.

She and her sister survived Auschwitz as teenagers. She went on to study with Carl Rogers, befriend Viktor Frankl, and pioneer a style of therapy based on individual accountability (you KNOW I love that!). Her book can be seen as a companion piece to Man's Search for Meaning, and I 100% recommend it to anyone having a hard time.

It reads almost like a novel, it's highly engrossing, and it's packed with uplifting wisdom. There's an amazing miniseries waiting to be made out of this book!

I've been watching Star Wars: The Bad Batch with my kids. Really impactful spinoff of The Clone Wars, with pretty stunning animation and character work. My kids just introduced me to Nimona, which was VERY fun and ultimately quite moving. 

For the holidays this year we're going a bit darker as a family: we're going to watch both Gremlins movies, with White Christmas as a palatte-cleanser to enter Christmas Day feeling all jolly and such.

I've gone to see Die Hard, Godzilla Minus One, The Boy and the Heron, and Wonka in theaters and I've adored every one of them. Really solid lineup of movies in theaters right now!

What about you fine folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?