Books:
Fantasy: Jade City by Fonda Lee
This book has everything one looks for in a gangster movie (great action, complex characters, clan tensions, family tension), except it’s set in a fantasy world where contact with jade enhances people’s abilities, giving rise to the Green Bone warriors. The story follows the Kaul family, who are the leaders of the No Peak clan, as they try to maintain the balance of power between clans and stave off provocations from the rival Mountain clan. Fonda Lee’s imagination and world-building bring the fantasy genre into a more mature, diverse level. It is a masterclass in well-written characters and compelling plots.
Contemporary Fiction: Loudermilk, or the Real Poet, or The Origin of the World by Lucy Ives
In 2003, Troy Augustus Loudermilk, a charismatic, popular young man, and his best friend Harry Rego (who is the opposite), enroll in a prestigious creative writing MFA for poetry. Harry writes the poems, but Loudermilk takes credit for them. The novel is an exploration of contemporary literature and its institutionalization.
Non Fiction: The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House by Audre Lorde
A short collection of essays published in the Penguin Modern series, Lorde should be an integral part of everyone’s political and intellectual journey. Her reflections on systemic oppression and revolution are written clearly and in an accessible language.
Articles:
‘Colonialism is built on the rubble of a false idea of ancient Rome’ by Jamie Mackay
This essay expertly lays out, from a classicists’ point of view, why our very idea of ancient Rome is constructed through the eyes of a Eurocentric, white supremacist culture that sought to justify itself and its own roots.
‘Hollywood Loves Rape-Revenge Plots. But What Story Are They Really Telling?’ by Maddie Oatman
This article explores why Hollywood loves rape-revenge stories, and what is gained and lost in such plots. Can Hollywood truly make a post-MeToo movie? Or is it just throwing us bones we can barely chew?
Movies:
(Action) Justice League -- the Snyder Cut:
It’s nothing like the theatrical version that premiered in 2017. This is a film that, despite its length, manages to make you feel the way you’re supposed to while watching a superhero film. That is: entertained, impressed by the action, and heartwarmed by the wonderful camaraderie between the characters (something that is severely lacking in most superhero offerings due to the formulaic structure of the jokes and the scripts). Snyder’s Justice League was fresh and unexpectedly pleasant to watch, even if it wasn’t a groundbreaking film.
(Drama) Little Women:
Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of the classic novel is everything you want in a film and more. The direction and the production are beautiful and flowing, and the acting is *chef’s kiss*. This film has so much heart it will make you cry, and not just in the moments when tragedy strikes. The emotional maturity and breadth of the characters is uplifting and their characterisation is so genuinely portrayed that it’s impossible not to project onto them. This film is truly a gem. Watch it!
TV Shows:
(Drama) Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung:
This is a K-drama that has everything you want from a drama TV series. It has likeable characters (if a little silly at times), wonderful production, and an organic incorporation of real-world issues that is satisfyingly expressed through the plot. The show’s main theme is truth and knowledge, and it makes good use of its period setting to demonstrate the importance of truth and knowledge to defeat harmful, unjust, and toxic systems that only serve to perpetuate a classist status-quo. Plus, the romance is sweet and genuine without being stifling, particularly in terms of the female protagonist, who manages to end the show with her wishes and her autonomy being fully respected by the other characters, even the male hero. That being such a rare occurrence in most dramas, this show gets extra points!
(Comedy) Harley Quinn - The Animated Series:
This show is an animated feast of millennial and zoomer humour. It is quirky, violent, and wonderfully mature in its approach to it themes and subject matter. It makes excellent use of the well-known world of Gotham and effortlessly pushes many of DC’s cult characters, as well as D-listers, to new heights. This show should be considered one of the best things DC has ever created. It even made the Joker watchable! He is a villain and a horrible person while also being hilarious. Has anyone else ever struck that balance with him? Nope. Even Batman is more likeable in this. But even if you don’t much care for Batman lore, Harley Quinn still has lots to offer in the form of organic commentary on social issues and fresh humour that is not bogged down by stiff and formulaic writing. Definitely a must watch!
Hope you found something interesting here. Maybe some weekend viewing? Enjoy!