Week 8 01/11/24 Movie

Brokeback Mountain

I feel as if this movie needs no introduction apart from, if you haven't seen it, go see it. It's an amazing movie starring Heath Ledger and every time I've watched it I have cried. The first time I watched it was actually with my homophobic father (not really but he refuses to acknowledge I'm queer). He sat me down one night to watch a movie with him (I would have been about 14 and so deep in the closet no one knew). He told me it was about cowboys only to be completely SHOCKED with what I was watching, with what my father made me watch and how he said it was a great film. If my father of questionable beliefs thought it was a great film I think anyone would be able to watch it and appreciate it.

You should watch if:

You're queer or not queer because everyone should watch it

You like Heath Ledger

You like westerns and cowboys

You like to cry when watching movies

Week 7 24/10/24 Movie

Venom: The Last Dance

Fun fact: I got to watch this movie before most of the world. I got to see an advance screening yesterday and as I'm in Australia it was ahead of any advance screenings in other countries. I love the venom movies. They are kind of bad and cheesy and definitely not a cinematic masterpeice but it is also why I love them. Watching 2 hours of silly banter between Eddie and Venom was once again great. The whole cinema was laughing. I'm not a fan of the ending because it was not what I wanted from the movie but it is a way to end the franchise so I get why they did it. I am just kind of pissed it was not a happy ending with Venom and Eddie going on a roadtrip together and having a family as alluded to throughout the film.

You should watch if you like:

The other venom movies

B list movies like Sharknado or Mega-Shark vs Giant Octopus

Week 6 16/10/24 Book

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski

Reading this book is like falling down a rabbit hole where you don't realise what has happened until you reach the end. It is a fictional story about a man (Johnny) that finds this notebook kept by a deceased recluse. The notebook is an annotated version of the Navidson record. So as you're reading the book, you are reading the Navidson record, the annotations by the old man as well as comments by Johnny. It's complicated, a difficult read but it all comes together in an exciting and horrifying ending. It blows my mind just thinking of it.

You should read if you like:

Creepy sinister novels

S by J J Adams and Doug Dorst

Things that come together in the end like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Week 5 8/10/24 Movie

Joker: Folie a Deux (2024)

The sequel to the Joker. I had only seen bad reviews of it going in and since, however I personally loved it. A solid 7/10 movie. It's a musical and it really works to display how Arthur retreats to fantasy and how he and the Joker are separate identities (whether the Joker be an alter/dissociated identity or simply an alter ego, that's left up to interpretation). It was a good depiction of how fans of celebrities and the justice system do not care about people with mental illness. Fans only care about this glorified and fantastical version of Arthur, really alienating a lot of "alpha male/incel" fans of the first movie.

You should watch if:

You have media literacy

You are a fan of the first movie

You like the comic versions and takes on Joker and Harley

You like Fight Club, Liza Minnelli and the Chicago musical

Week 4 26/09/24 Book

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

A collection of poems from Ocean Vuong. Many touch on queerness, what it was like to immigrate to the US from Saigon as a refugee in the 80s/90s. Poems that stand out to me in particular are Headfirst, Because It's Summer and Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong.

You should read if:

You are a fan of Richard Siken

You want to read more Vietnamese literature

You want to cry a little bit

Week 3 15/09/24 Movie

Cowboys (2020)

Joe is a Transgender boy who is unhappy living with his mother and begs his father who he sees once a week to take him. It follows their journey together through the Montana wilderness. I did not expect this movie to make me cry but it did.I wouldn't say this movie is the best movie of all time or even award worthy but it has trans masc representation which is few and far between in films and television. It's a solid 8/10 movie.

You should watch if:

You liked Hunt For The Wilder People

You are trans or looking to broaden your views of trans children

You like happy endings

Week 2 04/09/24 Book

The Flowers of Buffoonery by Osamu Dazai

The story follows Yozo Oba in his day to day life in a sanitarium after a failed suicide attempt. I've read a lot of prewar japanese literature and Dazai's other works but this one sticks out to me the most. Often Dazai just inserts himself into the novel and makes comments about it. It also has a light hearted and almost clownish atmosphere throughout despite the dark themes of self-hatred, depression and suicide.

You should read if:

You like Dazai's other works like No Longer Human

You are a fan of experimental literature like Virgina Woolf

You like short novels you can read in a day or two

Best thing about it:

The very last sentence

Week 1 31/08/2024 Movie

The Crow (1994)

The Crow stars Brandon Lee (son of the infamous Bruce Lee) and his performance in the movie is exceptional. Unfortunately, it was both his break through movie and his final performance as he passed away after an accident on set. The Crow tells the story of a couple brutally killed and one brought back to life to set things right by a crow. It's action filled, has a dark gothic atmosphere and makes the audience examine how love, loss of innocence and normalisation of crime plays into the justification of revenge

You should watcch if:

You are goth

Like comic accurate masterpeices

Like action movies

Your favourite Joker is Heath Ledger's from the Dark Knight

Best things about it:

Costume and set design

The soundtrack

The action sequences and choice of camera angles

A well thought out plot that touches on themes many people can relate to and get behind the main characters.