Alan:
Hello Heroes!
We went on tour! It was short, and it was only the beginning, but still! Tour!
What I’m reading!
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson - I DID IT! I beat you, Sanderson! It may have taken me four months to get through the first 800 pages, but I ripped through the last 200 in about 36 hours! Amazing how a book will hold my attention when things actually happen to the characters… I’m being too mean. Or am I? Still, excited to get into book 3. After a couple month break. I’ve got some film books and other novels to read!
Before & Afters #36 - Toy Story 30th Anniversary. I love this magazine. This issue has lots of lovely behind-the-scenes anecdotes from one of the most important films of my adolescence. It’s great. If there’s any you find interesting, there are digital and print copies available at the website: https://beforesandafters.com/magazine/ or on Amazon. Highly recommend for the big movie nerd in your life.
What I’m watching!
Hamnet - What can I say. Chloe Zhao strikes again. I’ve yet to see a movie of hers that I connected with. She kinda had me for the first 35 minutes of this one, and the last 20 minutes is soul-shredding. But I also fell asleep twice. I’m just not a fan of this type of movie, though she executes it at a very high level. Shrug emoji.
Pirates: Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. I disliked them a lot less this time (third time watching each). There’s a lot to love about those movies. Even if the plots are (still) massively over-stuffed. Man, there’s a lot of great craft, not just in the craft departments, but even in the screenwriting and especially performances and direction. Fun movies.
What I’m playing!
Nuclear Option - This is a flight sim (pretty arcadey) that allows you to drop nukes! Fun! It’s actually really fun and kinda deep, but I don’t really have the rig for it. Still enjoying it though.
Half-Life 2 - This is my third or fourth playthrough. What a great game. Man I wish Valve still made games. They were really good at it. Though I’m glad they made me a Steam Deck. This is basically just a copy-paste of my reminiscence about Portal 2.
Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)
Jono:
Hey all! How's February treating you?!For Valentine's I treated myself to a couple of classic romcoms: Philadelphia Story starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart, as well as It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert (for which the latter won Best Actress at the Oscars). Both witty, banter-filled, well-cast, delightful films, though I give the edge to It Happened One Night. Instantly one of my new favorite romcoms, even 92 years after it came out! So full of life, timeless, and sassy!My local theater has been screening classic movies. Last month I caught all the Hunger Games movies. This month I've been enjoying the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (original three). The first is obviously a masterpiece of popcorn movie-making, but the sequels grow more appealing to me with every rewatch. Still bloated and overindulgent, BUT there's so much to appreciate and enjoy there!On TV I've been catching up on the new season of Bridgerton. Kinda tired of EVERY Bridgerton male being a rake who reforms for the right woman, but otherwise still enjoying the show. So many wonderful characters.I've been reading the Back to the Future Ultimate Visual History and it absolutely delights! So delightful to dive into one of my favorite films. What about all of you? What have you been enjoying?