My Musings

reviews of the albums, books, films and shows I like. 21, he/him, london

[byvictorlucas]

Salutations,

Sometimes I love a distraction. Just something that makes me forget about everything else in the world other than this piece of media. For sometimes it’s learning about the rich environment a book or movie may present you. For others, it can be trying to implement the lessons the book tries to teach you. But for me, it’s pop culture. And one of the finest examples is Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. 

Listening to this was such a fun experience and really added to the musical atmosphere of the book. The voice actors all brought their all, but in particular, Daisy’s VO was just top-notch. She brought so many layers and such depth to her voice that I felt like I understood Daisy so much. 

I wish this band was real, so I could hear the songs. Especially Regret Me. I hope the show manages to scratch that itch for me. 

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and Daisies. I thought the ending really took a lot from this book. The revelation of who the narrator was fell very flat for me.

Sincerely,

Victor

3/5

[byvictorlucas]

Hiya,

Sometimes I look around whatever room I’m in and wonder how similar I am to everyone else. Most of the time the answer is ‘not very much’ because when I look around at other people I see them as people. But for myself that doesn’t really click. For some reason, to me I am ‘the other’. And I don’t know if any other book as really captiavted that feeling in me more than Sally Rooney’s Normal People.

I read Normal People, just under a year ago and I still cannot get it out of my head. I made a promise to myself to start reading again last year and Normal People  was one of the first books I read and no book has been like it. I am truly transfixed by the words on the page. Rooney commands my attention due to the ecological validity to what she is saying. This is the book for the current generation of 20somethings dawdling through life. 

Everyone is either a Conell or a Marianne, who knows a Conell or a Marianne. I personally feel I am a Conell. Definetly not due to any of his physical characteristics but due to his personality. His almost inability to shifts perspectives and recognise what the world is. I know I’m talking about myself more than the book but I just feel like so passionately about this book. I know this review didn’t make sense. but it made sense to me. 

please do yourself a favour and watch the show if you haven’t. I’ll end on my favourite quote - ‘I don't know what's wrong with me, says Marianne. I don't know why I can't be like normal people’

By,

Victor Lucas

[byvictorlucas]

Why Sometimes Being Blue Make Me Happy - Why I Love Spider-Man: Blue

Hey,

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever had it taken from you? By your own mistakes, or by theirs? Or just fate saying it’s not your time? If so, you should read Spider Man: Blue. If you haven’t, and just want a glance into that feeling, that’s even more reason to read Spider-Man: Blue.

Every now and then, when I’m not feeling as good as I can be. And I see myself slipping into those bad patterns of staying up too late, eating too much, not leaving my bed, I try and find comfort in the things I love. If you know anything about me, which you don’t, you know I find comfort in uncomfortable things. Hell, even in the name I chose here, it doesn’t portay a good picture for myself. But nevertheless, when I’m down I read Spider-Man: Blue by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale.

This book tells the story of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy falling in love and the tragic end to their relationship. Anyone who knows anything about Gwen Stacy knows she dies but this book isn’t about her death, even the book refuses to show it. It’s about her and Pete, and how they fell in love. It’s dark but its bright, its melancholy but its inspiring, it’s blue but it makes me happy.

Words cannot describe how beautiful this book is. Tim Sale art cannot be described only experienced. But I’ll try. It’s enticing. It’s like the perfume left on your shirt collar after dancing with your crush the whole night. You keeping to get some, so the experiecne never ends, but you don’t want to do it too often because then it will be gone but it’s irrestibele. It’s Tim Sale. It’s Gwen Stacy. It’s Spider-Man: Blue.

I’ll end on my favourite quote - ‘And I remember being foolish enough to think... let's fall in love’

Sincerely,

Victor

5/5

[byvictorlucas]

More Than Perfection - Why I Liked Uncharted

Hey,

If you were to ask me, ‘was Uncharted a good movie ?’, I would answer no. However, if you were to ask me ‘did I enjoy Uncharted ?’, I would say yes. If you were to ask me ‘would I watch a sequel if it came out tomorrow?’, I’d say absolutely before you even got the chance to finish the question. 

Watching Uncharted reminded me of something that I often forget when trying to decide what I want to watch on Netflix. Not everything has to be amazingly good. I don’t always have to obsess over Spike Lee’s Double Dolly Shots or the use of a 5 act structure in The Prestige. Sometimes watching a movie is just about having a good time and,  Uncharted is a good time.

Now it may seem that I am making fun of Uncharted. And, yes, I am a little. But it comes from a real place of love. Uncharted  gives me a feeling ‘great’ or even ‘perfect’ movies do not. My two favourite movies of all time are Lady Bird  and Logan, which both came out in 2017, and I love them both for different reasons.  But they share one thing in common, being that I saw them at the perfect moment in my life. For Lady Bird, I was thinking of moving to university and about how my life would change, how everyone around me would change and I was so full of hope. For Logan, I strongly connected to the idea of an ‘ending’. I was ending my school life, ending everything I have ever known, to move to a city where I didn’t know anyone and clung to the two things I knew very well - superhero and movies. I turned to those two movies when I didn’t know where else to turn and they gave me a feeling of comfortability. They gave me something to admire. I was almost jealous I didn’t write those movies myself. But they don’t give me what Uncharted  gives me. Lady Bird  and Logan, despite being ‘perfect’ are not always a great watch. I could not not just put on Lady Bird on a Wednesday morning and then go about my day.  But, I could watch Uncharted  any time and I would always enjoy it.  The movie has an intrinsic value of enjoyability, which I feel is sometimes ignored in film discourse.

The movie clearly knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s a dumb action movie and with everything going on in the world right now, sometimes what you really need is just a dumb action movie.

Sincerely,

Victor

P.S *spoilers* for Uncharted. The ending action scene includes helicopters chasing each other whilst holding ancient pirate ships with people fighting between them, And then one pirate ship JUMPS over the other. There was no way I was never going to not love this movie.