Media Diet: November and December

A quick look at the movies, television shows, and books that have captured my attention over the past two months.

Shōgun
I have kept a list of my favorite television shows over the years (including shows like The Wire, The Americans, Mad Men, etc.) and I’m ready to add Shōgun to that list. This was a remarkable season of television, with sumptuous sets and gorgeous cinematography and incredible prop design, and quite possibly some of the best costuming I’ve ever seen on the small screen. The story is captivating and unpredictable, the acting is award-worthy (Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada are standout leads, but huge kudos to Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, and Moeka Hoshi for bringing incredible performances to secondary characters), and the music is resonant. This will go in my canon of best television, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes in others’ as well.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Season 6
After the disaster that was the Global All-Stars season, I didn’t think my interest in Drag Race could ever be rekindled. I was wrong. Season 6 of the UK edition was phenomenal, featuring one of the best Snatch Games, Rusicals, and Makeovers I’ve seen in any season. The queens were charismatic and not catty, and there was a genuine love for drag permeating through the whole season. Drag Race is back, in a big way.

Something Rotten, Stratford Festival
This musical is a riot! Positively hilarious with catchy songs and great references to other classic musicals. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll find tons to enjoy here. The Stratford production was fantastic, with some powerhouse performances and a really great set design. The actor that played Shakespeare was a real standout among a strong cast. Glad we were able to catch this before the theater season ended.

The Message
This is a controversial book because of its final essay, but when you take the book as a whole you realize that it is more than just about politics, but instead about the way narrative and storytelling shapes the world around us. Coates’ writing is mesmerizing as usual, and there is an incredible lucidity to his arguments. This book is a deft narrative about the power of narrative.

English Teacher
Exactly what a sitcom should be: hilarious, irreverent, poking fun and popular and political culture, and featuring a crew of likable yet flawed misfits who are always game for a bit of chaotic fun. Had a ton of fun with this one; one of the best comedies I’ve seen all year.

My Old Ass
I think a lot about the passage of time these days, and how the days feel long but fly by in hindsight; how the decisions we made years ago have continuing repercussions on our lives today. I think about what I would tell my younger self, and how it really would matter: the actions I took back then made me into the person I am now. This 90-minute comedy brought all of that to the fore, imbuing what could have been a relatively standard coming-of-age movie with a depth I did not expect. Lots to laugh at, lots to think about, lots to enjoy.

Orbital
Orbital is more than a book; it is a meditation. The plot is unimportant; what’s remarkable about this novel is just how moving it is as it explains the mundanity of the extraordinary. You would think that living in a space station orbiting the earth would be astounding—and it is, at moments in this story—but the real narrative driver here is the interiority of those astronauts, their every-orbit lives that are filled with science and domesticity and so much room to think and reflect. And because of this, the novel forces us to reflect along with them, to grapple with the enormity of our own lives while embracing the everyday mundane. Quite simply one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

The Great Canadian Baking Show, Season 8
There isn’t much to say new about every season of this show: the contestants are wonderful, the hosts are fun, the judges are critical while being kind. If you need to feel better about the world, you watch this show. It will make you incredibly hungry, though.

Somebody Somewhere, Season 3
This is a tender show, heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time, with incredible performances and poignant writing and a softness that is missing in most contemporary media. It took me a while to warm up to this season, but once it got going I was engulfed by its humor, emotion, and kindness. I’m sad it’s ending after the season; it’s a show that has been tragically overlooked despite being among the best on television.

Wicked
Did this movie need to be almost three hours long? Definitely not. Was I entertained every minute it ran? Yes, wholeheartedly. Even if you’re not a fan of the musical, there’s much to love in this screen adaptation—mostly, the sets and staging. The film looks and feels incredible, and John Chu knows how the shoot the heck out of a dance number; it’s easy to get lost in this world and just be enraptured by all the color and music and vibrancy. Erivo and Grande deserve all the accolades coming to them, but the real star is the immersive production design. Gorgeous stuff.

LL Cool J, The FORCE
Sometimes, with his pop culture ubiquitousness, it’s easy to forget that LL Cool J is an excellent rapper. He has a singular flow that is uniquely catchy, and is able to pull together lyrics that are both insightful and edgy and playful at the same time. This album, produced expertly by Q-Tip, shows off LL’s lyrical prowess with Tip’s savvy beats. It reminds me of why I love hip hop.

All of Us Strangers
There is a deep sadness to this film that does not relent; even the moments of uplift are enveloped in melancholy. Hiding in this beautiful sadness is a recognition that there is a porousness in the boundary between life and death, and that it is love and fond memory that bridges that boundary. The performances here are remarkable—some of the best acting I’ve ever seen on screen —and the writing embraces the melancholia without traversing into moroseness. This is a beautiful, sensual, emotional meditation on loss and love.

Didi
Growing up in an immigrant family is tough, but what this movie reminded me that it isn’t just the kid who’s growing up who has it rough, but that the parents have it even harder. Didi shone in the scenes where we see the mother interact with the various parts of he family, and it was those scenes I was hoping would be the building blocks of the film. Watching Chris try to endear himself to everyone around him while losing parts of himself in the process was at times heartwrenching, but watching his mom navigate how to raise a family in a world where she was constantly underappreciated was especially heavy. The latter is the movie I wanted more of.

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