Media Consumed - September '26
Movies
Tom Hanks Film Festival
A buddy and I started to watch Tom Hanks films from the 80s and 90s, focusing mostly on rom-coms. Starting with Splash, the movie where Tom Hanks falls in love with a mermaid. After that, the ever-polarizing, short and sweet Joe Versus the Volcano. Continued down the Meg Ryan x Tom Hanks path with You've Got Mail, which was a rewatch for me. Not a movie I ever thought I'd rewatch since I didn't love it. Tom's character does get kinda creepy, but for some reason that ending scene is still so lovely to me. Harry Nilsson's cover of Over the Rainbow makes everything better. Hoping to tackle and wrap up this watch party with Sleepless in Seattle, which I have never seen, so I am kind of excited for it..
The Odyssey & IMAX
IMAX has never been something I sought to experience. I'm a casual movie watcher, I'm okay with watching a digitally projected movie at the local theater that has a barely working AC. The Odyssey, being this year's hyped movie of the year, compelled me to check it out. A friend and I decided to both experience IMAX for the first time ever with this movie. We also decided that we would watch it at the legendary TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Gotta start in style.
The movie itself was pretty good. I've never read The Odyssey or read any part of it in school, so the story itself was sort of new. I knew all the monsters and plot points that other media referenced from the story. I kept thinking about ChalkZone during the cyclops scene. A nice visual experience, I understand why people would love it or hate it. A solid 3.5-star movie for me with a bonus half-star for a nice cinematic experience.
The IMAX experience was cool. Digital projection being the prevalent format made me accustomed to it. I did enjoy whenever I noticed film grain on the screen. Like how vinyl and cassette have a bit of hiss to their sound, seeing film grain was fulfilling. I'll probably save my money when the next must-watch IMAX blockbuster comes around. The next Hunger Games movie was filmed for IMAX, so I'll probably check out that horrific bloodbath on a giant screen.
Some Lost Coast: Manchester by the Sea
I'm on a personal quest to watch moody movies set by the coast. Manchester by the Sea is a frequently mentioned movie that fits the bill. All I knew about it beforehand was the short Letterboxd plot summary and that it was notoriously sad. I wasn't ready for the emotional pain that the movie caused me. When I talked to people about the movie, I felt like I was complaining about how sad it was. I enjoyed the movie a lot because of how beautifully sad it was. I enjoy when I'm rooting for the down-on-their-luck main character, and this movie made me cheer Lee on for two hours. I would only recommend this movie to those who sometimes crave a sad movie because they want to feel sad. I see you and feel you. Put this one on with caution.
Some Lost Coast: The Sun Never Sets
Boring movies are back, baby! I've been slowly tackling every film that has Jake Johnson (Nick from New Girl) as a top-billed actor. It's a gateway drug to getting into Joe Swanberg's filmography since they are constant collaborators. Sorry to say, I became an unapologetic fan of Joe's movies that have Jake in them. I even began to dabble in Joe's movies that don't feature Jake, and the mumblecore genre in general.
I caught Swanberg's latest film, The Sun Never Sets, at the indie theater. I hate audience members that audibly react to movies in theaters. I enjoyed the small group of elderly women who kept reacting appropriately to whenever the main characters were being absolute fools. I hope the lady who said "girl, run" is doing well. It's one of those movies that make you wish that you could yell at the screen and wish they could hear you. If you are open to watching a movie about relationships, check out the trailer for this movie. The full movie is as boring as the trailer makes it out to be. Boring, affectionately!
Music
Carly Rae Jepsen "Day and Night"
I've been a Carly Rae Jepsen fan since Kiss, she quickly became one of my main pop girlies. I've come to expect a Side B as soon as a new album is teased, but didn't expect that her latest release, Day and Night, was going to be a 24 track project, which I happily welcomed. Mid and late September was stacked with a couple of anticipated releases for me, and I've yet to tackle anything but Day and Night just because I keep coming back to it. It's a lot to process.
My current thoughts: I see her vision for the most part, side Day being inspired by 70s pop rock, side Night treading more familiar territory with synth pop, which is where she shines the most. It is a massive treat to essentially get two albums from Carly, one where she is allowed to tread new waters with a new sound, and another where she can dabble in her comfort zone. Luckily for me, I think each side is a hit! It's a great sign when my favorite song from the album keeps switching between one side and the other. Habits of Creatures was the first song I kept putting on repeat, it is currently Near or Far. Can't wait to be fully familiar with this album, as I have with her other albums. Then maybe I can listen to something else!
Video Games
Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
I think I love this game? I can't tell sometimes. As someone who did only one route in Three Houses, I thought that game was pretty big for a Fire Emblem game. My experience with Fortune's Weave so far is towering over Three Houses in terms of how much you HAVE to do. It was overwhelming at first, but at some point, the anxiety of "am I playing this game right" dissipated and I started to have fun.
As someone who hated the monastery segments in Three Houses, the segments where you had to traverse Dagsion to do various weekly activities was not welcomed. Once I got a system down pat where I figured out the essential spots, I disliked it a lot less. I have a love-hate relationship with it. I do like world map exploration a lot, but having to disrupt that once Sunday comes around to do everything in Dagsion in one fell swoop is kind of annoying. I gotta remind myself that it does get way easier as I unlock fast travel methods across the map. It becomes muscle memory at some point and I can quickly get over the parts I don't like.
Now let's say something nice. Before Fortune's Weave dropped, I played Engage. Going from Engage's pitiful story to Fortune's Weave story, is a bit of a whiplash. I'm still on my first route and went with Leda and it's getting pretty tense. Fire Emblem stories are usually cookie-cutter, you can predict the end most of the time. Not sure with Fortune's Weave, Leda's got me guessing her next move each and every time, even though I am the one controlling her!
Battles feel fun, and with it being on the Switch 2 exclusively, everything flows so nicely and so fast. When Three Houses originally dropped, I couldn't imagine doing all four routes. Now, I am excited to tackle the next Flame Lord and see what their declining mental health looks like.