Chaos Curated - June Pop Culture Review

Everything I consumed this month (do I need to get a life?)

Look at me staying consistent with these reviews for three months in a row! I’m a bit shocked because life has been unsettled lately, with lots of unexpected changes and support I’ve needed to lend to my friends and family. My former writing schedule hasn’t been working out for me, so I’ll need to make a change to stay active here (priority!) and work on my mystery novel (horrifying!).

Let’s get into it.

TELEVISION

As usual, television has dominated my cultural consumption this month. The show everyone hates to watch is back! And Just Like That returned on May 29th just in time to ruin our summers with its terrible costuming, dated humor, and downright boring storylines. As I’m writing this, we’re four episodes in and already Charlotte has a storyline repeat. Like, I get it, she’s working with people in their twenties and can’t keep up. Carrie is more embarassing than usual, letting Aidan get away with what feels like literal murder. Wait for me for five years? Bitch, you better be joking. The only bright spot on this show is Seema (Sarita Choudhury), who is too cool for Carrie but sticks around smoking furiously and turning down men. Speaking of turning men down, Gilded Age is back, and I couldn’t be happier! Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) is back and ready to ruin her daughter’s life — or save her life depending on how you look at it. Larry (Harry Richardson) and Marian (Louisa Jacobson) are tiptoeing around their blossoming romance, and I just know they’re going to keep us wanting more for the entire season. And for the first time ever, we see the West as George (Morgan Spector) heads out to Arizona to steal some mines from some cowboys.

Old faithfuls have returned for easy weeknight watching after work. Big Mouth is in its final season, and the kids have entered high school. I think they’re doing the right thing by ending it here, it’s run its course. We’ve had a good time! But the schtick and novelty of it can only hang on for so long. Our modern-day Murder, She Wrote is back! And yes, I’m talking about Poker Face. The combination of an old format (“crime of the week”) with prestige cinematography and directing is refreshing and fun. Plus, Natasha Lyonne has a special place in my heart. A surprise entry into my watchlist has been Apple TV’s The Studio starring Seth Rogen. I don’t know why more people aren’t watching and talking about this one. It is laugh-out-loud funny (I hate to use an old TV Guide adage, but it’s true), and the episodes are so beautifully shot! All ten episodes are out, so you can binge them now.

REALITY TELEVISION + DOCUMENTARIES

It’s summer, which can only mean one thing -- it’s Love Island season! Now, I’m not quite as in touch as it would seem because I only watch the UK version of this show. My entire Instagram feed is made up of memes from the US show, but I tend to be a purist, and besides, the UK version feels a bit more escapist. Everyone has wild accents, and they have these inside jokes about the different regions they’re from that I don’t understand, and I love the slang. I mean, I REALLY LOVE the slang. If you want to indulge in an excessive amount of trash this summer but maintain some cultural supremacy, I highly recommend the UK version of this show. It’s great because you can be kind of a shitty person but still stick your nose up a little bit into the air.

It wouldn’t be a pop culture round up from me if I weren’t writing about some sort of crime documentary. This month there’s just one. But that’s okay because it HAUNTS ME. I was home alone one week while my husband traveled for work, and I decided to pop on Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story. I was not at all familiar with this case, so to say I was completely floored and disgusted is an understatement. The case is mind-blowing, but this three-part documentary is just okay. They really rely on the shock value of the case and fall short on the investigation. The documentary glosses over the abuse their living children endured, AND most importantly, refuses to recognize the shortcomings of police in preventing over ten murders, including the murder of their eldest daughter. This one isn’t for the weak.

MOVIES

I guess I’m back on my bullshit because I actually had a busy month with movies. I did get to the theaters to see Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning and The Accountant 2. I am pretty worried about the next generation of movie stars if I am still going to the theater to see Tom Cruise and Ben Affleck. I mean, they’re both killing it, especially Tom Cruise, who, despite being a big weirdo, is probably one of our last great movie stars. But are the kids going to catch up to the kind of star power these guys bring to the big screen? The stunts in The Final Reckoning are incredibly cool, as expected. A lot of people loved and raved about the submarine sequence, but personally, I loved the biplanes. Call me old-fashioned! It felt very “spy movie classic”. Also, I’ll fight anyone who doesn’t like The Accountant, and I guess subsequently The Accountant 2. Ben Affleck is having fun (without a Dunkin cup in sight), and I’m having fun. That’s really all I need. I’m not a big fan of sequels, but Jon Berenthal brings good energy to this one that I accept openly. It’ll never have the same effect on me as the first one (it took me by total surprise). A true popcorn movie! I also managed to squeeze in Final Destination: Bloodlines, and my god, what a fun flick. They really grasp what makes these movies so fun and lean into it. It is shocking and jokey and excellent. Obviously, don’t watch it if you’re at all squeamish. Amazing jump scares and an all-around good time.

At home, things took a couple of weird turns. My husband and I are always on the hunt for the next great “bad” movie, but that can lead us to watching just a bunch of crap. It’s an occupational hazard. This month, we struck out a few times. We gathered on the couch to watch Fountain of Youth, Triple Frontier, and Phantoms. Yes - lots of Ben Affleck this month. Don’t ask me why. Fountain of Youth wasn’t ,offensive but it wasn’t good. I’m sorry, but there may never be another good adventure movie after the original The Mummy, and we all have to live with that. Triple Frontier seemed promising, but I got bored about halfway through. Pedro Pascal in a trucker hat was pretty hot, though. Phantoms is well known in some circles because it is SO bad. I guess we didn’t believe everyone and tried it out. It is as bad as everyone says it is. Boring. Strange. Kind of headache inducing.

And finally, my husband had never seen 28 Weeks Later, and in preparation for the release of 28 Years Later (which I will hopefully see in theaters SOON, I’ve been traveling), we popped it on. I had forgotten how much weaker it is than the original. That doesn’t mean it’s Phantoms level bad, but the characters don’t mean as much to me as they should. Although it’s always nice to see Jeremy Renner running around with a big ol’ gun. I miss him.

BOOKS

Big month for books, too! No wonder I never get any writing done I’m watching and reading a lot of shit! But no matter, it makes these monthly posts that much stronger. (Right?) This month, I finished six books. Here are the highlights. I read I Hope This Finds You Well in 36 hours. I found it brilliant, hysterical, and truly unput-downable. Our narrator and protagonist, Jolene, is refreshingly authentic. I am never one to enjoy a workplace story (I get enough of that, you know, at work), but the premise of Jolene gaining access to all her coworkers’ emails and DMs is funny and poignant. It was my first five-star rating of the year on Storygraph. The Crash and Summers at the Saint fulfilled my mystery/thriller category this month. I whipped through The Crash - it’s sort of a modern spin on Misery. My non-fiction read this month was Admissions. As a former boarding school scholarship student, I found Admissions equal parts interesting, as it was painful to read, as it focuses on race and racism at New England boarding schools. Pulling up the rear is American Housewife - I don’t know what compelled me to read this book other than it was free on Kindle. My lowest rating this year at 2 stars; it is uninspired and a bit ridiculous. You can skip it.

MUSIC

This month, I went to THREE concerts in 12 days. If you’re a really cool person, maybe that’s normal for you, but this was a huge feat for me and my millennial friends. We kicked off this series by seeing OK GO! at Brooklyn Steel. They put on a great performance, but I just don’t know their music that well, plus Brooklyn Steel lives up to its name -- the floor is hard as hell and my joints hurt for two days after. Like I said… I’m getting up there in age. Next up was Bloc Party on their 20th anniversary tour of their album Silent Alarm. This show was at the incomparable Forest Hills Stadium on a beautiful night. I just love this venue! The show was high energy, and they played all the hits. Bonus - we had seats here. And finally, we saw Jack’s Mannequin, also on a 20th anniversary tour for the Everything in Transit album, at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. They’re just as good as when I saw them when I was 19, and it made me feel young again. That’s an incredible feeling. I wish I could say the same for our fellow concert goers -- two people passed out on the floor, each time stopping the show! Hey Fillmore! Get some AC?! Still the best of the bunch, though, despite the heat and potential danger of passing out.

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WHEW! I’ve been busy. Maybe next month I'll cool it and work on my writing. (LOL, we know that ain’t happening). Thanks for being here, as always. I’d love to hear all about what you’re into right now. I love to explore!