31 Jan 2024
If I’m being honest, the majority of the reason I’m making this post is so I have an excuse to gush about Hadestown. But once I started thinking about it, 2023 was a real return to form for me for seeing musicals, theater shows, and concerts. So let’s talk about what I managed to experience this year.
I first heard about Hadestown through the excellent Strong Songs podcast. Similar to Kirk’s breakdown of Hamilton’s “Satisfied”, the podcast introduced the musical themes and walked through a key moment of the performance. And the music was… not what I’d expect. The musical opens with a trombone groove; this is not normal. I was very intrigued, but at the time we were in the middle of a pandemic and seeing the show was not an option. As life resumed, the show made its way to Seattle… last year. I saw Hadestown then, loved it, and I saw it again this year. Yep, I liked it that much.
As a kid I was a big Greek mythology nerd. I remember my grandparents using me as a resource to finish their crossword puzzles. So a musical about the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice is thematically in my wheelhouse. Combine that with good music… yes please. It’s also inherently a story about a musician, and this adaptation makes it about writing a song, so the musical trappings are an excellent fit. And the performance leans into that. There’s no pit here; the band is on stage. The actors themselves contribute to the music as well, with Orpheus playing his “lyre” and the fates stalking the stage with violin and accordion.
Last year when I saw this performance, it moved me. It was the first time going to see something in a big theater in years. Seeing it with my family was really special, and really emotional. When considering seeing it a second time (not something I’d generally do)… I thought maybe the impact was just due to that specific moment in time? Well, after bringing more loved ones along and seeing it a second time… nope. This musical still absolutely cuts me deep. I cannot recommend it strongly enough.
I knew nothing about this show going in, other than the title. It’s nice to have no expectations sometimes. Well it turns out it’s about the six wives of Henry the VIII, largely known for their fate in marriage with him (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, and survived). If I hadn’t seen that Tudors show years ago, I would have been lost.
The structure of the show is a competition among the wives for who had it worse, a real expression of their sister wound. Each one is a pop diva, and belts out one persuasive song that tells their story. Here’s the thing… compared to something like Hadestown, this isn’t the music that I’m going to take home with me. These jams are not my jams. But that’s a personal preference, not a judgement of the execution. The performers were talented and varied, the storytelling within the songs was clever.
I like how the tenor of the show changed in the latter half. At some point they realize they’re all cutting each other down and defining themselves by their relationship to one (problematic) man. And they put that down and pull together.
But to me there’s one song that defines this musical, and that’s All You Wanna Do. The song starts out playfully and flirty and ends worn-down, feeling violated, and over it. All within the same song structure; the progression is in the performance. It’s powerful.
This tour was for two bands, unified under their shared singer Ben Gibbard. It was a linear performance of two iconic albums from 20 years ago: Death Cab for Cutie’s Transatlanticism, and Postal Service’s Give Up. These are both albums that have a strong pull on me… and clearly everyone else in the audience. In general, I’m not a fan of people singing along, unless that’s the vibe. In this case, that was that vibe. The crowd wasn’t singing along to their latest crush of a newly released album… this was a battle-tested and established long-term relationship. It was moving for everyone, including the band. Not only had the band created these songs in Seattle not far from where we were, this specific night was the exact 20 year anniversary of Transatlanticism’s release date. Gibbard was visibly moved. It was a special show.
This musical adapts the Baz Luhrmann movie. It’s probably been 20 years since I’ve seen the original film, but it left a pretty strong imprint on me and this stage performance lined up with my memory of it. But woah… it’s a bit much. When they kicked of the performance with “CAN CAN CAN!” I squirmed in my chair against the assault on my eyeballs and my ear holes. Spectacle, indeed. Minimalist, this is not. Other than being perhaps overly stimulating at times, my main complaint is that the performance leaned a bit too hard into its gimmick. Which is a rapid remixing of teasers from modern songs as a way for the characters to communicate emotion. It’s there in the original film, but here it’s turned up to eleven. No, thirteen. This is probably best captured by Elephant Love Medley, which in the movie was 10 songs in 4 minutes but in the musical is 19 songs in 5 minutes. It’s more, but definitely not better. Do you want musical whiplash? I personally tired of the gimmick before the end. Overall, it’s a performance with great vibrant costumes and sets, but I wouldn’t strongly recommend it.
This was billed as a burlesque show. I’ve seen plenty of burlesque in Seattle. This show sparked significant debate in our group about whether it met the definition. What are the essential components of burlesque female empowerment versus just something that’s a classy stripper show? In the spectrum from celebratory fun to creepy, this show trended towards the wrong pole. Why? I started with a bit of “you know it when you see it”, but lots of discussion helped me put my finger on some reasons why.
The performers weren’t introduced or named. No silly burlesque moniker, no persistent identity, no cheering for them. They were treated like sexy interchangeable cogs, with a suspiciously heterogenous body type. Additionally, perhaps leaning into the wrong aspects of the subject matter, a lot of them were literally masked (helmeted)… providing a faceless anonymity. This upped the creep factor and dehumanization. It was getting really awkward until the first Han and Chewie number, which relieved some of the tension from such a sustained male gaze. Those two scoundrels were essential relief, because overall there’s a queerness and fluidity to burlesque that was sorely missing from this show.
There were some amazing moments too. There was nothing sexy about the emperor riding the death star, and it was glorious. The Jabba “Biggie” number was hilarious. There were some amazing sets and lighting tricks (like dancing by saber light). And the dancers were certainly all very talented. But if you’ve become used to the feeling of sex positivity from Seattle’s quirky burlesque scene, you’re not going to see that from this show. Be warned.
01 Jan 2024
I don’t read books quickly. I have a hard time creating large blocks of time for reading, primarily because I have many competing hobbies and media types. The main hack to increase my “reading” has been audio books, as I can fit them alongside a walk or commute. It still means my progress is broken up into ~30 minute increments, so it’s slow going (If you’re looking at a 300+ page 10 hour novel… that’s 20 daily trips to get through, or like 4 weeks). Also there are many times when I can’t focus enough for that (I’ve learned that during my commute home my brain is too crowded to handle an audiobook). But I still make progress.
This year was dominated by one series in particular, because it totally captured me. And that’s the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. I cannot recommend it enough. Some musings on that and other books I “read” this year below.
This is what I would love to see more of in science fiction. It’s optimistic, inclusive, character-focused, and more feminine in its perspective. It’s what I would hope a future could look like, rather than the more common dystopian/apocalyptic/technophile envisioning. This story is more character-driven vignettes than a strong central narrative. The multi-species crew of the Wayfarer goes from point A to point B, and along the way there’s the most delightfully natural world building and character building. The stories are also often distinctly science fiction in that they could foundational not exist in our current reality (as opposed to sci-fi being mere window dressing). But also the stories are all distinctly human-relatable. Plus the audiobook performance is incredible; Rachel Dulude has range. I loved this book so so much.
Listened to on Audible
I didn’t know that the second book in the “Wayfarer series” wasn’t at all about the same characters. I was petulant at first. I wanted more of what the previous book had offered! And, well, this is that, but not in the way I expected. This story explores what would happen if an AI raised a human, and also explores what would happen if a human raised an AI. They’re both interesting to explore, and they intersect in interesting ways. By the end I was in love with these characters too and having a great time.
Listened to on Audible
When the third book opened up to a whole new cast of characters I was more prepared and open minded. After two books of multi-species characters, this one focuses on a human-only story. Specifically the humans that left earth in ships and decided to stay on those ships rather than colonize another planet. It’s a story of that society, from many different angles. Of the series this was perhaps the most detailed in how things might work, what family and government and commerce might look like in an constrained but interconnected social environment.
Listened to on Audible
The final book in the series takes a complete turn from the previous one. Now the cast is completely lacking any human characters, and takes place on just one hunk of rock. It’s a bottle episode, with a diverse set of anatomy and culture involved. It might be recency bias, but I think this one is my favorite. It’s funny. It’s poignant. It’s explores things that don’t actually exist in fascinating detail. I loved every moment of it.
Listened to on Audible
I’ve been a big fan of the Greek myths ever since I was a kid. Circe is a well-crafted story that takes an alternate view on familiar events from those myths. I really enjoy this kind of storytelling, focused on giving you new perspective on something you’re already familiar with and fond of. Or at least when it’s done well (I’ve got my eyes on you, trend of soulless prequel cash grabs). Here it’s done well. The story is one of a woman claiming her own path, making the best of a world that was not receptive of her and her craft. Yes, she spends the majority of the time stranded on island. But, that’s the thing. She makes waves despite so much being outside her control.
Listened to on Audible
This was recommended to me as a way to try on Brandon Sanderson but not sign up for a long series. And I enjoyed it enough that I’d go back to that well for another of his books. Part of the sales pitch also included that this author creates interesting unique systems of magic. Warbreaker definitely delivered there. The system of “breath” was thoroughly explored from enough different angles to make it feel fully realized and grounded. Out of its core concepts we get gods and magical objects and an economy and intrigue and none of it works the way it would in another fantasy novel. And yet it all makes more sense, feeling downright scientific. The characters were distinct and memorable. The plot twists unfold in interesting ways. This was a solid read.
Listened to on Audible
I was sold this book as “queer necromancers in space.” And it is that. But… here’s the thing. The actual story could have entirely dropped the “in space” part with almost zero edits. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this was a last minute re-theme to make the book stand out more. It doesn’t meaningfully factor into the plot (feel free to mentally replace it, it’s not hard). And it’s surprising how much that bothered me… the premise was a lie. The book also made the questionable choice of having its protagonist be silent for a significant portion. She is establishes as a distinct irreverent character (props to the audiobook narrator for delivery of this dialogue)… but then is muzzled. Perhaps most difficult for me was how the book introduces a very large block of characters all at once, each with obscure names and titles, and then overly relies on the reader’s retention of all of that. The author will shorthand “the fifth” as one of two potential people out of about fifteen. Sorry, I have no idea who you’re talking about. For a story that should thematically resonate with me (I did design a game about necromancy, after all) this book really frustrated me. It wasn’t so bad I quit on it, but it also didn’t hold together.
Listened to on Audible
31 Dec 2023
In 2023 apparently all the pent up energy needed to come out and it was time to go to the theater. It looks like I saw ten movies in the theater which is… a lot for me, and certainly coming out of the past few years. Partially I was ready to get out, but also there were just some great movies to go see. I got very tired of that AMC movie quotes intro. Please stop.
Alright, whether in the theater or at home, this is a list of movies that I watched in 2023 that warranted commentary.
Into the Spider-verse set new high standards for animation. It’s sequel somehow meets them. The first 20 minutes, which are all about Gwen Stacy, are perfect. I love the difference in her verse’s visual style (something the movie continues to explore in spades as it moves to other verses). I love the small but poignant story told in this opening section. It left me thinking “what if we just stayed with Gwen for a whole movie?” But Miles is great too, of course. This movie goes so many wild places. It’s so so good.
Watched in the theater, now streaming on Netflix
Hi Barbie! This movie has heart, and pushes buttons. Buttons that need pushing. I saw it in the theater on the same day as Oppenheimer, and being part of the zeitgeist was fun. Everyone should see this movie.
Watched in the theater, now streaming on HBO
This movie is long and we had terrible seats (the cost of deciding last minute to do Barbenheimer). The movie was also so good that these things didn’t bother me. It is incredibly well told story of a time of difficult choices.
Watched in the theater
What an amazing year for animation! I had recently watched Across the Spider-verse which was already a gorgeous accomplishment. Mutant Mayhem then follows it with the most incredible animation style. My eyeballs were so incredibly pleased through the entire runtime. I also like how the story is about flawed teenage characters dealing with appropriate sized conflict; much better than all the overblown over-scaled adventures that have become too commonplace.
Watched in the theater
This movie is dripping with fan service directed right at me. And I am not sad to be catered to in this way. Yes, I did recognize all those little musical nods, thank you for making them. Not just nostalgia, the whole thing does actually hold together as an enjoyable animated romp.
Watched in the theater, now streaming on Netflix
As a player of D&D, I was braced for this movie to be bad. I’m so glad it wasn’t. It had very D&D energy about its stories and characters. Things get silly, stuff happens, don’t overthink it, everyone has a great time. A delightful carefree romp.
Watched in the theater, now streaming on Amazon
Margot Robbie is a treasure. From Harley Quinn to I, Tonya to Amsterdam to Barbie… she clearly has range. Babylon is a film about film-making, specifically the transition from silent films to talkies. It’s wild and colorful and engaging, filled with memorable moments. I found it captivating.
Now streaming on Amazon
I was instructed to know nothing about this movie before seeing it, other than it fit into the horror genre. And that was indeed the best context to see it. I didn’t know where it was going, it delivered real tension, it had moments of shock and violence but they didn’t permeate the experience, and overall I enjoyed it.
Now streaming on HBO
A dishonored knight works with a shapeshifter to overthrow the unethical regime. It’s a stylish animated movie filled with heart and humor. The mashup of medieval knights and technology gives it a distinct setting. I also read the graphic novel, and they certainly diverge but the adaptations are appropriate for making a better (and more complete) story.
Now streaming on Netflix
This movie was recommended to me so many times before I actually acted on it. It’s a story of a musician in a high intensity band (and by “high intensity” we mean verbally and emotionally abusive). It was extremely hard to watch at times. But also excellent. Meticulous. There was actually a scene from the movie that I had seen as a clip before, which I now realize was taken entirely out of context about the role of teachers and pressure. Oh wow does this movie ask you whether the end justifies the means.
Now streaming on Netflix
Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver deliver amazing performances about a couple going through divorce. It gets ugly. It’s emotional. It’s very very good.
Now streaming on Netflix
Thanks to Patrick H Willems for this recommendation (and I recommend his follow-up video about Bollywood. This movie is… over the top. “Man throws a tiger at another man” over the top. It’s also a story of brotherhood and friendship. And there are dance numbers. It has everything. Watching it I realized all the other films I’ve watched have been holding it back. That there is another plane to ascend to. I can’t live there all the time. But it was real nice to visit.
Now streaming on Netflix
And the Rest
Here are some other movies I had thoughts on.
Maybe Yes
- Dunkirk: For a period as well traveled as World War II, I never felt like I had seen this movie before. The mechanism of telling 3 different storylines advancing at different rates (an inevitably combining for the climax) worked really well. Very engaging.
- Three Thousand Years of Longing: dris Elba is a genie in a bottle found by Tilda Swinton. It’s a vibrant movie with Shahrazad vibes of storytelling, magic, and history.
- M3GAN: A horror movie about dolls and technology that’s not terrible explicit on the horror visuals. It worked for me.
- Elemental: I’m not positive the world of elements living together in a city actually makes sense, but that’d be nit picking. It’s a story of immigration and racism, for kids! It’s not going to enter my highest echelon of Pixar movies, but that’s tough company. It was still enjoyable.
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: The movie that needed a content warning about animal violence. Which put a dampener on its otherwise traditionally light comedic action vibe. I of course must praise how the movie featured the Zune far more prominently than anyone could have expected. But overall to me the movie didn’t raise to the level of the previous two.
Maybe
- Nope: I’m in for a mystery and monster movie. And this one was fine, but others seemed to have liked it a lot more than me so I’m not sure what I’m missing.
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: This movie was not the disappointment that Crystal Skull was. The young accomplice was decidedly less annoying. And it’s back to fighting nazis. I didn’t have a bad time with it.
- Hereditary: I needed more of a warning before seeing this movie. I was expecting a spooky horror movie, and instead got real life family trauma. The supernatural happenings that follow can’t compete with that.
- The Marvels: This movie just kind of washed over me as okay and not exceptional in any way. There are funny bits. There are cool bits. But it didn’t have enough of a purpose or point of view to punch through.
- The Little Mermaid (2023): I don’t really want to contribute to these live action remakes continuing to be profitable. But sometimes that’s the movie that’s available when it’s time to watch a movie. And… it was fine. The whole first act where things are underwater is too uncanny valley. Prince Eric gets more of an identity and a reason, so that’s cool. Honestly, I’m too attached to the original to give a fair comparison. It was fine.
- Renfield: Nick Cage chews up all the scenery, and that’s appropriate. It’s campy, there is some comedically gratuitous action violence… but it didn’t really land as all that memorable or interesting.
- Strange World: Some interesting visuals but ultimately forgettable. As in I literally had to watch the trailer to remember what happened. It felt very… well-tread.
Maybe No
- Magic Mike’s Last Dance: The first two Magic Mike movies are excellent. This one is not. It has a completely dissonant romantic relationship and loses all of the positive masculinity of the previous film. There is some good dancing, but not enough to make up for its sins.
- Avatar: The Way of Water: Well that certainly looked expensive. Was the story dumb and lazy? Yep. Were the whales cool? Yep. Did the whole thing overstay its welcome? Yes absolutely.
- Licorice Pizza: This is a movie about nothing. And it knows it’s a movie about nothing. But also I didn’t like the characters. And the vibes didn’t land for me. Can’t recommend.
- Jurassic World Dominion: This movie has no soul. It’s preying on nostalgia, marching beloved characters out to tempt us to watch it. I did, and immediately forgot it.
- Morbius: I expected this movie to be bad. And it was bad. If you needed someone to confirm that for you… I’m here for that.