I'm posting this a bit after the end of August because I wanted to end the month with my birthday post. This month has gone extremely quickly. Then again, I do feel like I completely forgot what the start of this month even felt like. I looked at my Letterboxd diary and remembered just how many films I watched this month, ones that I remember watching but felt like I had watched ages ago. I'm not the first to say this but time truly is not real.
It has not been a particularly productive month, though I'm glad of the consistent amount of posting that has been happening on this blog. A lot of research went into my post discussing whether reading classic literature is important for modern readers and I'm glad of how it turned out. I also posted a poem to my blog for the first time. One thing I can say has been my favourite this month is how into writing I've been.
I set up my Ko-fi so that I could maybe feel like this was work and not something I'm wasting my time on. I maybe feel like this could be a career for me. I might even be a bit optimistic.
Music
Around the middle of this month, I watched a film called Thoroughbreds (2017). I thought it was okay but what really struck me was the soundtrack. I love a good movie soundtrack and this one really impacted me.
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| Source: Spotify |
It made the film more tense and whilst I definitely had issues with the film itself, the soundtrack was just so weird and minimalist that moments that would have been cliché felt more realised. I have been listening to it on repeat whilst doing various bits of writing and it has definitely allowed me to focus, if unintentionally making me more anxious.
A playlist made by me that I've been listening to is called 'rave rave rave' and consists of all the dance music I used to listen to when I was younger.
It's like I suddenly remembered that Basshunter existed and from there, a whole flood of other songs came rushing through, evoking car journeys and barbecues of my youth. I feel most people are introduced to seminal artists when they are younger, usually of the rock n' roll genre. But no, my parents introduced me to Scooter and The Prodigy. And I love them for it.
As for playlists by other people, we have a theme this month apparently and that theme is nostalgia, because the playlist I most enjoyed was called 'we're gonna be partying till 7 o'clock' and consisted of every song you would find a Year 6 disco if you grew up in the early 2000s.
And to finish off this section, I have my August faves list over on YouTube.
Films
Yes God Yes (2019)
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| Source: IMDb |
I remember watching a trailer for this film and being really excited. The film looks at sexual freedom, naivete and the repressive tools of religion that are used on young people to shame them out of exploring sexual avenues. And though this description sounds heavy, the film manages not to take itself too seriously, offering a light-hearted tone and respite from heavy topics like shame, with humour. Films that explore young women's sexuality make me nervous because they can so very often border into youth fetishism and exploitation. What I was happy to learn is that this film was directed by a woman, which helped my perception of how this topic was going to be handled. I enjoyed this film a lot, particularly how it took an honest look at how young women observe themselves and those they are attracted to, depicting the exploration of sexuality as frequently as the shame being pushed upon the protagonist.
All Cheerleaders Die (2013)
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| Source: IMDb |
The reality of going to watch this film was that I wasn't expecting much. The poster didn't look great and this was a cheerleader horror film directed by two men. I was expecting too much sex and flat characters that I just wanted to die because of how annoying they were. However, when I watched this film, I found that I really fucking loved it. This film follows Maddy reeling from the guilt of capturing her friend, Alexis, dying in a cheerleading accident on camera. As a result, she seeks refuge on the cheerleading squad. Without spoiling too much, this bond is tested in extreme ways as the four main cheerleaders and their witch friend become more connected that they previously expected and have to use this power to take down the abusive head football player, Terry. By elite filmmaking standards, this film isn't the best. But, it's very campy and I genuinely believe that it has a lot of heart. If you enjoyed Jennifer's Body, you will probably enjoy this film.
Tickled (2016)
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| Source: IMDb |
I'd heard buzz about this film a while ago and whilst I could only expect weirdness from a documentary about tickling, but I did not expect this level of weirdness. This film goes from baffling to horrifying and back to baffling again. I would try to go into this film without any prior knowledge and not looking up anything about it. Just know that tickling isn't going to be the weirdest thing you come across when watching this film.
A film list I would like to recommend this month is one I made about films that allow characters to explore repressed desires, with varying results. It is called 'wouldst thou like to live deliciously?', a reference to the The VVitch (2015). If you've watched the film, you know why this is an apt title.
TV
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| Source: Channel 4 |
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| Source: Radio Times |
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| Source: Goodreads |
