February 2025 Reviews
Hey so the The Horrors sure do just keep coming, don’t they? Anyway, welcome to Fake Spring, I’ll Believe It’s Warm When It Stays That Way.
Books
Fellow Travelers, Thomas Mallon—I’ll talk more about the TV adaptation of this show later on; I started reading the book because I was watching the show and was curious as to how it was adapted from the source material. There's an interesting story in here about the political climate of the 50s + religious trauma + forced closeting + internalized homophobia but unfortunately Thomas Mallon did not really tell that story. The tone is very dry, there's never any real sense of danger, and so much just gets skimmed over in favor of long digressions about 1950s Washington DC that do nothing to advance either our characters or the plot. The TV series does a much better job of pulling out what's important about these characters and the time period, making you care about them, and still putting it in context of McCarthy era politics. That said, it sure is an interesting time in history to read a book that essentially pits government workers against one another in forced outings.
Every Duke Has His Day, Suzanne Enoch—Cranky duke meets headstrong woman, shenanigans (and dog-napping) ensue. Cute, fluffy, low stakes romance. It started as my "read a chapter or two before bed" book and then I got engrossed enough that sat down and read at least the last 25% in one go. The plot is silly with a lot of contrived drama but honestly, sometimes you just want to read a funny enemies-to-friends-to-engaged story and not have to think about anything too serious or sad. Michael and Elizabeth were such great balances for the other and I enjoy how they both changed, not because they were forced to but because they were open to growth and seeing the world in a different way. I'd gladly check out any of this author's other works for when I'm needing a distraction.
A Cat Like That, Lester L. Laminack, Nicole Wong (illustrations)—Cute children’s book about the adventures of a roly-poly cat. I thought that Wong’s illustrations were so richly detailed. I especially loved the two-page spread showing the map of all the places the cat visits. I also loved that you could see the cat's two top little teeth poking out all the time. Perfect round cat. The words to the story are a bit repetitive but I know that's a thing that works for very young readers, and I am an old person.
All the World Beside, Garrard Conley—Puritan New England, the fall-out of an ill-fated relationship between a doctor and the town’s reverend. This didn't tell the story that I wanted it to tell, but that's a me problem, not a book problem. I also enjoyed it more than I thought I would, given some reviews I'd read in the media and also from friends. I am a sucker for a doomed gay lovestory set against the backdrop of Puritan America so this should have been catnip to me, but ultimately the focus on the wider world of the Whitfields and the Lymans diluted the focus I wanted to see on Nathaniel and Arthur. We see the aftermath of their love, the push and inevitable pull back together, but I wanted more of why were so drawn together initially. This is less a Lit Fic Doomed Romance and more a Lit Fic Doomed Family System.
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Movies
I’m Still Here (2024)—Brazilian feature about a family whose patriarch is disappeared by the fascist regime that took over the country. A very weird time in our collective history to watch a movie about the slow slide into fascism as people despearately try to maintan some sense of normalcy. Fernanda Torres puts on a powerful performance as the mother trying to keep her family together. One of the most striking things about this movie was the overall look/feel - the clothing, styling, sets, cars, etc., all felt perfect for the tme period the movie is set in. It was hard to beleve at times that I was watching something modern.
Anora (2024)—I feel very much like the outlier from everyone I know for not really loving this one. Mikey Madison’s performance as the titular Anora was great, but despite the movie ostensibly being about her, we spend more time learning about the motivations and inner lives of the male characters around her. Things just keep happening to Anora; she has little agency in her own story. I’m sure that’s part of the point of the story, but if so, I don’t think Sean Baker was the right person to tell that particular story. The last scene is haunting, but that doesn’t make up for two hours of people screaming at each other. I don’t hate that this won the Oscar, particularly over Emilia Perez, but I don’t think it was as deserving as the Academy deemed it.
The Gorge (2025)—Direct-to-streaming sci-fi/thriller/romance??? with Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy. Blends a ton of different genres together and clearly influenced by first-person shooter type video games. I enjoyed this for what it was; if it had been an actual theater release, I would have been disappointed. I also think this would have been better served as a 3-4 episode miniseries so that the many different aspects (budding romance, political thriller, zombie shoot-em-up, etc.) didn’t all have to get shorted to fit in the run time. This was entertaining with some good jump scares and both Miles and Anya looked hot, so I won’t really complain.
Dinner in America (2020)—Dirtbag punk rocker forms unlikely friendship with autistic-coded girl. This movie is resonating with audiences in a way that didn't quite hit for me, and that's okay. Don't get me wrong, I laughed a lot, but it's not going to be something I think of much after this despite being squarely in its target audience. I would have been real into this if it was released in 2005. I liked the rough edges of the movie and its characters (although did we need quite so many slurs in the name of “authenticty”? I think the message of Suburbia Sucks was hit home just well enough without needing white guys to say the n-word, you know?) even if it did make them somewhat unsympathetic. I think the main reason this succeeded at all for me is because of the skill of Kyle Gallner (Simon) and Emily Skeggs (Patty) in their roles. The scene where Simon watches as Patty sings, for example, is incredible.
The Monkey (2025)—I was indifferent about seeing this and mostly was excited that t was finally released so that I didn’t have to see the trailer again before every moderately scary movie that I watched. And then the Music Box held a free advanced screening with a Q&A from Oz Perkins, so I dragged myself out in the cold to go see it. This ended up being so much more enjoyable than I expected. Like, everything about it is absurd and over the top but it's so darkly funny and wild. Watching this with 700-some other people was a blast to get to hear that many reactions to what's happening on screen. Also, I actually enjoyed Theo James in this as he really leans into the absurdity; I don't know that I've ever actually enjoyed him in anything I've seen him in before. You just can't take this movie seriously, it's about a wind-up monkey that causes gruesome deaths. If you try to put logic behind it, you're going to have a bad time. Just enjoy the splatter.
No Other Land (2024)—The fact that no distributor is willing to touch this is both sadly par for the course and an absolute indictment on our willingness to meaningfully engage with the trauma being inflicted on Palestinian people. Thank goodness for independent movie theaters who were willing to show this. This is a relatively straight-forward film about Palestinians living in Masafer Yatta, a collection of villages that are constantly being destroyed by the Israeli army, the reason being that these villages, whch have existed for hundreds of years, sit on land used for IDF training. Filmmaker Basel Adra captures scenes of every-day life, protests, and violence, I don't know how you could watch this and come out thinking what is happening to Palestinians is justified. Horrifying to watch a film and have to search afterwards to see if the filmmakers are even still alive.
A Complete Unknown (2024)—So the thing about making a movie about a guy who is famously inscrutable is that sometimes you end up with a shell of a character/story because there are no answers to the questions you're posing. That was my takeaway here. Great performances from everyone—especially love the notice Monica Barbaro got for her role as Joan Baez—but the end result was something that felt hollow rather than revolutionary. I'd love to know the run time of this movie if you take out all of the songs. You can't have a Dylan movie without music but it seems like the songs were left to do a lot of heavy lifting that the script couldn't, or wouldn't, do.
I enjoy the version of this movie that exists in my head that's just a cut of all the weird (affectionate) sexual tension that Chalamet-as-Dylan has with Holbrook-as-Cash. That was a good movie right there.
Memoir of a Snail (2024)—”Emotionally manipulative claymation trauma porn” is not a sentence I ever thought I’d write but there’s a first time for everything. The fact that this relentlessly depressing and ugly film is rated so high makes me feel like I've actually lost my mind. Slavish devotion to what is becoming a lost art does not make up for making something this viscerally unpleasant. I certainly do not have anything against dark, bleak stories but this just did not do it for me.
Heart Eyes (2025)—Deeply stupid but as someone on record as wishing for more horror movies that didn’t take themselves quite so seriously, I couldn’t find fault with this. It’s a rom com AND a slasher flick! There’s tons of gross kills without also being torture porn! It’s funny and you can zone out and not have to think that hard and it got Josh Ruben some good press. Good job, no notes.
2025 Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts
Magic Candies (2024)—Little boy buys bag of candies that lets him talk to/hear the thoughts of people/things around him. Took me a bit to vibe with it, but overall cute and has a very funny bit with a talking piece of furniture.
In the Shadow of the Cypress (2023)—The eventual Oscar-winner in this category, a haunting work about a woman trying to save a beached whale. This year’s entry in the “oh, this is about Trauma” category.
Yuck! (2024)—Little French kids discover kissing. Cute, with a mainstream animation style, but “kids have feelings about kissing” just didn’t resonate with me.
Wander to Wonder (2023)—Absolutely unhinged stop-motion animation about three little creatures behind the scenes of a kid’s TV show. Wild, gross, and too weird to actually win.
Beautiful Men (2023)—Done in a similar stop-motion style as Wander to Wonder, three brothers go to Turkey to get hair transplants. Slightly weird, a few laughs, probably would resonate more with a man who has feelings about male insecurities.
2025 Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts
A Lien (2023)—Deeply painful, deeply authentic short about a family caught up in a raid at a US immigration office. Thanks to formerly being married to a non-US citizen, I have spent my share of time in immigration offices awaiting interviews, handing over paperwork, answering humiliating questions about our relationship. It's a process seemingly designed to dehumanize everyone who takes part in it, and even sitting in those offices as people who did things "the right way", as certain segments of our population like to say, it's still terrifying to have to present yourself as perfect people, knowing that someone has the power to derail your entire life if you're found lacking in any way.
All that to say: this made me very, very anxious.
Anuja (2024)—Two young sisters scratch out a life together while working in a sweatshop. Touching, wholesome, sad, a reminder of the terrible conditions that people across the world have to endure just to try to scratch out a living. The open ending was somewhat unsatisfying but it does at least make you think about what could happen next to Anuja and her sister.
I’m Not a Robot (2023)—My favorite of the five, and the eventual Oscar-winner. Companion minus most of the gore. Whomst among us hasn’t had the existential crisis or two when they fail to recognize all of the stop lights in a CAPTCHA test?
The Last Ranger (2024)—Beautiful cinematography and loosely based on the true story of the rhinoceros featured in the film. A touch too long, though, and the transition between the two stories didn’t always work for me.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (2024)—Loosely based on a true story, this is relatively straight-forward, but features interesting shift in perspective from the man you expect to be the titular protagonist.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)—Legitimately more enjoyable than at least three of the actual Best Picture nominees. Loved all of the call-backs to older Wallace & Gromit stories, and these are always made with such love. Worth re-watching because of all of the background gags you may miss on the first go-round.
Universal Language (2024)—Like Wes Anderson woke up one day and was actually Iranian-Canadian. Deeply bizarre, not totally even sure how to describe it. Watching it felt like being in a dream-like state. I legitimately want to re-watch this to let it sink in.
2025 Oscar Nominated Documentary Shorts
Death By Numbers (2024)—Based on the writings of a young woman shot during the Parkland school shooting as she goes through the experience of testifying at the killer’s trial. A bit muddled at times, but still powerful, particularly Sam's victim impact statement. Interesting to watch in tandem with "I Am Ready, Warden", one of the other nominated documentary shorts this year.
I Am Ready, Warden (2024)—Tracking the last days of a death row inmate. Messy; the split focus between prisoner, victim, random church woman, and district attorney meant that you never get to dive too much into any one circumstance. I think the focus needed to either be on actually showing how Ramirez has changed, rather than just handwaving it away as "found God", or alternatively I would have wanted to spend more time with Aaron Castro. The moments where he's processing Ramirez's execution - where it's clear that he isn't getting the relief/solace he thought he would - were more powerful than anything else. Also would have loved to know more about the DA who apparently never really thought about the death penalty much before taking office. (??!)
Incident (2023)—Chilling. Uses the body camera footage from a police shooting in Chicago to deconstruct what happened. A powerful film precisely because it lets the body camera/surveillance footage speak for itself. No voiceover, no hypothesizing on what happened, no interviews. Just the clear as day facts.
Instruments of a Beating Heart (2024)—This made me long for an education system that a) still has room for the arts b) challenges students to be better and achieve more and c) makes it clear that you are one part of a whole society and everyone has to pitch in. Cute, mildly stressful, endearing look at a culture that feels so far away from anything we embrace here today.
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)—This wouldn’t have been my pick to win, but it was the safest choice of the five nominees. I did enjoy learning about the first woman member of the New York Philharmonic, and she seems absolutely fascinating, though. But she also didn’t want to be in the spotlight and seemed acutely uncomfortable any time the film got too personal, so we really only got a surface level dive into Orin O’Brien’s life. Felt a bit long, and while it seemed like it was building to this group performance with all of her students, we never actually see the performance?? Why are you holding back on the big big bass group performance??
Paddington (2014)—I felt sincere deja vu while watching this, but I highly doubt that 10-years-ago me was watching this movie. I think it's just because of the clips like "I'm doing a hard stare" that escaped containment and entered popular culture. Anyway, could have done without the bearnapping subplot but still cute. Enjoy how Ben Whishaw's voice brings a level of gravitas to a silly CGI bear.
Emilia Pérez (2024)—I watched this just so I could say I watched all of the Best Picture nominees, but, like, at what cost? I didn't hate this as much as I thought I would but that doesn't mean it was in any way good or enjoyable. In the hands of better storytellers I think there was an interesting, sensitive, bold story in here to tell. Unfortunately, the story was told by a French guy. My meal from Taco Bell is more authentically Mexican than this.
What Else?
I finished watching the television adaptation of Fellow Travelers and it’s a travesty that there’s no physical release of this here in the US because I want to be able to cry about Hawk and Tim whenever I want without having to care about the whims of a streaming service. Seriously, this show is so good. Yes, it’s sad, but I don’t know how you watch a story about gay men in 1950s-1980s America and don’t think it’s going to be sad.
But about that adaptation, though. My gold standard for book-to-TV adaptations wherein a mediocre book is turned into incredible television is The Terror, a perfect study of colonialism and toxic masculinity and a meditation on death against the backdrop of a hostile Arctic that wants them dead. The recent adaptation of Interview with the Vampire is up there, too. Both adaptations take the bones of a good story and elevates it, stripping away the problematic aspects, adding in nuance, giving characters better motivations, making the inherent queerness explicit, meaningful.
I have to add Fellow Travelers to my list of exemplary adaptations now, though. I thought the book itself was dreadfully dry, and while I love a good work of historical fiction, this was like 80% straight historical fiction, 20% ill advised relationship. You never really got the sense that this was such an all-consuming love for Tim because they spend comparatively little time together. Neither character has much depth in the book, and you learn more about Joseph McCarthy than you do about why these two men can’t get out of each other’s lives. The TV adaptation takes some of the best, most stunning and/or chilling moments from the page and ports them over to the screen, but surrounds Hawk and Tim with a much richer supporting cast, more fulfilling storylines, higher stakes, and, more importantly, an actual meaningful end to their story together. You see displayed before you why these men are so bad for one another (or, at least, why Hawk is so bad for Tim) and at the same time you’re rooting for them to be together. Hawk transforms from someone who, in the book, is just flatly cynical and pragmatic, to someone on screen who is, let’s be honest, still cynical and pragmatic and out to save his own skin, but with a real pain behind the decisions he’s forced to make to stay closeted. The ending of the show absolutely undid me. I very much look forward to rewatching this and crying all over again. Kudos to the showrunners, writers, and of course, cast, for taking the source material and elevating it into something meaningful and relevant for today’s America.
The Live Music Playlist has been updated with the acts that I saw live in February: Margaux, Jessica Lea Mayfield (Schubas), Jason Isbell (Auditorium Theatre), and Robe L. Ninho (Old Town School of Folk Music).
At left, the Auditorium Theatre.
I went to grad school at Roosevelt University, the school that shares a building with the theatre, and had I bothered to attend my own graduation, it would have been held in this space.
The theatre was designed by Adler and Sullivan and was completed in 1889. My favorite thing about this room is that if you’re looking for seats, look in the corners of the balconies. The seats are arranged in a wedge-type shape, so in the corners, the last row has one seat, the next to last row has two seats, and so on. If you’re a solo concert-goer (hello!) or just attending with a buddy and don’t want to worry about anyone infringing on your space, absolutely find those little introvert pockets in the corners. The sight lines are such that unless the person in front of you is of wildly above average height, you’ll still get an excellent view of the stage.
What’s Next?
I spent the first week of March recovering from a minor eye surgery, so look forward to a long listing of “what I did to keep myself busy when I didn’t go to work for a week”. I haven’t been able to read much, and I can’t do audiobooks, so look forward to lots of thoughts on TV and podcasts where you don’t actively have to listen to the whole thing.
I do have tickets locked down for a few movies—Novocaine, Black Bag, and Warfare—and definitely will be making time to see Mickey 17. I’m also very excited that One Tail at a Time is expanding into offering adoptions through the Everyday Adoption Center at PetSmart in the South Loop (1101 S Canal), so I’ll be volunteering there from time to time to help out with the cats who are looking for forever homes. You should anticipate lots more cat photos in the future. And! I’m ending the month with a trip to the Shedd Aquarium to meet some belugas! Very excited to touch one of their wobbly little heads or whatever.
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