The 2014 Collective

Two girls blog about their year. What could possibly go wrong.

[yearofstuff]

Master of None (2015) 

Goddamn. What an amazing show. I’ve loved Aziz’s work for a while now, but this is beyond and more profound than anything he’s done before. Each episode got down to the root of different problems that any person could have, with an ethnic main character. What the show was trying to do was pretty obvious, but that was the point; issues related to racism and sexism should be pointed out and deeply analyzed, especially in media. I dig it. A lot. 

[yearofstuff]

Drag // Day Wave

You say that I’m too hard to find And I don’t make time And I’m just like that

[yearofstuff]

Unstoppable // Lianne La Havas

I was like a satellite spinning away Almost lost forever and leaving no trace Floating through the darkest reaches of space To another galaxy Our polarity shifted around There is nothing else left holding us down

[yearofstuff]

Neptune // Sleeping at Last

I don’t know how I wanna love you but I don’t know how

[yearofstuff]

Peaches // In the Valley Below

We won't live too long So let's love for one song The lion won't lay down When the holy man's in town

[yearofstuff]

Saving Face

THIS MOVIE WAS SO AMAZING HOLY SHIT

Pros - “Does she know we’re having sex?!” “No, she thinks we’re conjugating Latin verbs.” “... Really?”

ASIAN ROMCOM LESBIANS AT ITS FINEST HOLY SHIT THIS IS EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER FUCKING WANTED IN A MOVIE??????

I love love love the way they dealt with Asian attitudes and ideals. So, so realistic and so relatable. Also, LOVED how they incorporated the language of Mandarin into the movie.

Also sorry for spoilers but! no!! tragic!!! ending!!!!! for the lesbians!!!!!!!!

Loved the use of space and camera angles, especially the end scene between Wil and Vivian, with all the people slowly moving out of shot in conjunction with the music. Ugh. Beautiful.

Cons - Absolutely none, this is seriously one of my favorite movies now

[yearofstuff]

Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman

I am... once again so impressed? With how Neil Gaiman manages to impress me with everything he writes. I’ve never had an author where I loved every single thing I read by them like this.

My favorite thing about this book is how effortlessly he’s able to transition between different voices. Also this book is essentially a story about stories, which is pretty amazing.

I don’t know what else to say. I’ve sold my soul to Gaiman. that’s about it.

[yearofstuff]

Lucas Bros. Moving Co. (2013)

When I saw that it was the twins from 22 Jump Street, I knew I had to give it a shot. Best word I could use to describe it is chiiiiiiill. Even a bunch of crazy shit is going on, it still all feels pretty chiiiiiiill.

[yearofstuff]

Noroi: The Curse (2005)

Damn son. So this is a first-person movie, where a guy and his cameraman are investigating ghost stories from around Japan. At first, it was (almost ridiculously) lighthearted, with the video tapes from the game shows and talk shows. Eventually, it became slightly creepy and by the end, it was completely horrifying. Lots of connections from the very beginning to the very end.

I only wish that the movie didn’t hold our hand; after something significant happened, the movie went back, zoomed in on what happened, and replayed it in slow-motion. I’d like to think the audience is a little smarter than that. Otherwise, fantastic movie.

[yearofstuff]

The Babadook (2014) 

Best horror movie I’ve seen in a while (possibly ever). Fantastic movie with a clear plot and great cinematography. (Also no jump scares, which is a huge plus for me.) I’d recommend it to everyone, even if they don’t like horror movies. 

[yearofstuff]

Rick and Morty

An animated show with almost no limits and a fantastic cast. My kind of show.

[yearofstuff]

The Maze Runner (2014) 

Though I haven’t read the book, I have a feeling it’s better than the movie. Felt very rushed.

[yearofstuff]

The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro

I hate that I found myself comparing this book to Ishiguro’s previous ones, but it’s kind of difficult not to, when his previous books are so wonderful.

I think this book is very well thought out and incredibly deliberate. Every word seems intentional, as it does in all of this author’s books. I have also found that his endings tend to really punch you in the gut, out of nowhere, and this story is no exception.

Having said that, I can’t say my enjoyment for this book is anything more than casual. I think some of the things that he did in it were interesting, particularly how he played with memory and skipping around in time even confined by the story’s chronological format, but the book didn’t really get compelling for me until the very end.

I think the problem is that this is supposed to be a fantasy book. I feel like one of the more important elements of fantasy is the richness of the setting. And yet, even though he clearly drew on English mythology and history, it really felt lacking in this department.

I think Ishiguro is very good at emotional reality. He is, in fact, one of the very best at it. But what I found compelling about his previous world-building [particularly in NLMG], the subtlety of it, the circumvention around the topic, works against him in this book. Other fantasy authors have proven you can world-build without outright describing these elements - I’m thinking of Neil Gaiman, here - but in this book it’s just not as refined as it could be.

Regardless, I still enjoyed reading this book. Ishiguro’s writing style is hard to beat.

[yearofstuff]

Etta and Otto and James and Russell - Emma Hooper

This is, first and foremost, a gorgeously written book.

I read the interview that comes after the story, and the author mentioned that she was a musician. Honestly that’s no surprise to me. There is undoubtedly a musical quality to her writing, in the rhythm and the carefully placed words, that evokes a feeling of poetry while still maintaining the breadth of prose. This is one of the book’s greatest strengths, since the style of writing itself is kind of the impetus for everything else. It carries the story, elevates it to a new level, sweeps you away with how effortless it feels to read it.

Before I purchased the book, I did peruse through a few reviews to make sure that this was a purchase worth my time [in the past, when I neglected to do this I have sometimes bought books that I actually regret buying]. There were a few that mentioned the premise of the book is hard to swallow. I had no such trouble believing in the story. I think it’s pretty obvious from the beginning, from the writing and the hazy setting, that this is not supposed to be a book that is grounded entirely in reality. And I think that’s the beauty of it, how reading the book feels like a dream.

I don’t have any major criticisms. I do think the book lacked a concrete ending, but then again it’s the kind of story that demands a conclusion that is open to interpretation. Overall, a beautiful book, and one I will probably return to in the future.

[yearofstuff]

Bojack Horseman

I was... legitimately surprised??? By how much I really enjoyed this show.

I think it’s very subversive for the adult cartoon genre. Like, yeah, it has tons of crude inappropriate humor, but what I find really refreshing is that the main protag has to deal with his mistakes and poor choices and flaws and general shittiness in a very real way. His development arc throughout the show is honestly immensely satisfying.

Also, the female characters are incredibly well-developed and the most likeable of the whole cast. I love Diane so much. No. I’m not biased. Not at all.

And also the credits song is catchy af.

[yearofstuff]

Annie

Strengths - SO CUTE AND WHOLESOME AND HEARTWARMING!!!

Weaknesses - capitalism and also requires as much suspension of disbelief as my tiny body can hold

[yearofstuff]

Toes // Glass Animals

I'm a man, I'm a twisted fool My hands are twisted too