Three recs, hope-y change-y edition
A smart action-y rom com, a creepy investigative podcast, a classic political satire series
I’ve got some killer recs for you this week, so let’s keep this short:
Did anyone else follow the DNC? Lol who am I kidding, we all did. I’m looking at you, too, Brits.
I actually don’t follow US politics that closely anymore. It was a conscious choice a couple years ago, for my mental health, and also because UK politics affects my life more directly now. Also, I got off Twitter (unintentionally, I have to admit – it just became not fun anymore), which was a pretty effective cutting of the cord. So, following the Democratic National Convention this week was a real gear shift. A return to earnestness and big-budget choreography in a way that Britain would (could?) never.
Guys, for the first time in I honestly don’t know how long, I actually enjoyed (?!) thinking about and experiencing American politics. It was fun. It was, dare I say it, hopeful.
You don’t need me to talk about hope. Not only did I do that back in July, but a bunch of this week’s speakers talked about it way more eloquently than I would right now.
No, the one thing I want to say is that the speed at which things changed this last month or so reminded us that anything is possible. We are so used to change being slow, to feeling like the system is designed to grind its gears and maintain some version of the status quo. Sometimes this is a good thing, but it is so important for us to feel like small things can make a difference. Otherwise, we become tired and jaded.
I don’t actually think that Biden stepping off the ticket was done by small actions on the part of everyday people, but that’s another conversation. But the fact that something so big could happen so quickly, that the lay of the land could appear to change so dramatically, that people who were not supposed to be in this situation suddenly are… It shook us up and reminded us that all kinds of things are possible. Honestly, I think the act of the change itself was at least as inspiring as its substance.
Anyway, I’m sure we’ll all go back to feeling anxious and scared next week, but it’s been a really lovely breather.
Rec 1
Hit Man (movie)
I know this Glen Powell-starring Richard Linklater action-thriller-romcom was super buzzy earlier this summer, but I made the mistake of waiting for my husband, which meant that we tried to find time to watch it for a couple months until I inevitably ended up deciding just to watch it without him. (Don’t worry, he gets kudos in the third rec.) But I can now tell you that it was buzzy for good reason and that you, too, should spend a delightful two hours watching Glen Powell as a philosophy/psychology professor pretending to be a hit man even as he gets in way too deep.
You don’t need me to tell you too much about the plot. It’s not a complicated film. I think you know what you’re getting. He’s a nerdy dude who turns out to be really good at pretending to be someone he’s not – and then he starts to fall for a woman who wants to hire him to kill her husband. You can see how it’s going to get complicated and how entertaining hijinks will ensue. It’s a romp, it’s far-fetched, it’s a great time.
The only thing I want to say is that, a while back, I read a review (sorry, don’t remember where) that noted how every director would make this film differently, and this is very much the Linklater version of this film. Having seen it, I love that take. Linklater isn’t going to make a bombastic, in-your-face, action-packed version of this story. As you’d expect, he tells an incredibly human story, where actions have consequences and death means something. He’s looking at what makes humans change and why. He’s exploring morality, ethics, and how no one is all good or all bad. I mean, come on, it’s Linklater.
But it’s also just, like, really fun Linklater. Bonus: Glen Powell is the old school movie star we’ve all been missing.
Where: Netflix
Rec 2
Who Trolled Amber? (pod)
Let’s start with the fact that, unlike most of the internet, I really had no interest in the Amber Heard/Johnny Depp defamation trial that happened in the US a while back. I made a point of trying not to get sucked into it, and I largely got annoyed when people brought it up in conversation. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of celebrity gossip as much as the next person – possibly my favorite thing is gossip about people I don’t know, and yes I do enjoy the podcast Normal Gossip. But the Depp/Heard stuff felt mean and nasty – and also kind of like not my business, and it felt gross how into it people were getting.
So when this longform investigative journalism podcast from UK outfit Tortoise Media (makers of Londongrad, a rec from last year) started in this same place, I was intrigued. The host/journalist, Alexi Mostrous, also didn’t really want to follow the trial. And yet, try as he might, he kept getting fed content about it. Particularly content that was viciously anti-Heard. Which didn’t even match up with his usual social media algorithm, as a vaguely progressive person.
Naturally, as a journalist, he wanted to know what was going on.
This is the jumping-off point for a podcast that leaves behind the Depp/Heard case pretty quickly and digs into a world of bots-for-hire, as well as the weird connections between the real world, international politics, local news, and the weirdness of the internet. It’s got the Saudis, a kid who’s in prison in Florida, Russian/Eastern European oligarchs (you know I love me some Russian oligarchs), and at least one very creepy American. Sure, there’s some Hollywood stuff in there, but the real point of the podcast is that it is disturbingly easy for all of us to be influenced by online bot campaigns. You may not even be aware of how they’re shaping your opinion.
Where: Wherever you listen to podcasts, and also Tortoise Media
Rec 3
Veep (TV)
Okay, look, I know that everyone is already re-watching this classic HBO political satire, thanks to the parallel between how VP Kamala Harris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Selina Meyer each got the opportunity to step up to the top job. But, for the record, I want to say that my husband initiated our watch before Biden announced he was stepping out of the race. So, you know, maybe his interest in the show precipitated all of this?
It’s also worth noting that, while I think we’d both seen episodes before, this was technically our first watch. We’re both longtime fans of The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci’s classic early 2000s BBC political satire, off the back of which he ultimately created an American version in Veep. Obviously, people loved Veep, but I, at least, was skeptical that it could ever live up to the brilliance of The Thick of It. (In case it’s not clear, this is a double rec: You should absolutely watch The Thick of it! It’s apparently a disturbingly accurate portrayal of British politics, according to people who would know.)
All of this is to say that I’m here to issue a mea culpa and admit that Veep is every bit as brilliant as The Thick of It, and Armando Iannucci is a genius and I should never have doubted. JLD herself is predictably pitch-perfect as an insecure, sociopathic politician – while still somehow being charismatic and hilarious. A star-studded supporting and guest cast (Tony Hale/Buster from Arrested Development, Anna Chlumsky/the girl from My Girl, Gary Cole/Diane’s Republican husband on The Good Wife/Fight, a whole host of veteran British comedians and so many more people you’ll recognize) are similarly delightful and endearing as craven, ambitious staffers.
Look, I know that, right now, we’re flirting with hope in American politics, so maybe you don’t want to risk cynicism. But Veep somehow manages to walk the tightrope of being brutal and cynical without being miserable. Is it just that the last 8 years have made us, as Americans, more British, in our ability to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all? Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t care. I just know I loved watching Veep.
Where: NOW (UK), HBO/Max (US)
That’s all for this week! What are you reading/watching/listening to that I should be aware of? Drop me a line (or comment) to let me know if you check out any of my recs and what you think.
Please spread the word and I’ll see you in a couple weeks.
xo
Kate
Did someone share this with you?