I feel like a leaf blown about by the chill autumn wind. A relentless procession of incidents: work events, birthdays, a wedding, camping, parties, gatherings. Little time left for inessential things like chores or artistic pursuits.
It’s the season to let off the gas. Collect myself and come to a full stop for the end of year holidays. Let’s refocus on the essentials and rest.
This month’s playlist:
Arrival
Two movies made me weep this month for opposing, inextricably linked themes. Killers of the Flower Moon and Arrival. Mankind’s terrible indifference and the Creator’s terrible love.
Arrival is a treasured film of mine. I was worried that it would lose impact on second viewing -- certainly I would receive it differently, much like Alien which I saw again earlier in the month. But Arrival’s themes have only become more potent to me. My eyes were damp throughout.
Chasing a film lauding the value of even the briefest life with the callousness found in Killers of the Flower Moon was catastrophic. I was despondent the rest of the night.
Twin Peaks
Second attempt. Now that I’ve seen more of Lynch, I think I better understand his work. I appreciate the operatic performances more, odd/silly narrative beats (assassinating a bird!?) paired with serious/sinister subject matter, and entertaining dialogue. If a character is sad, Lynch wants them to be grief stricken. If a character is mad, they should be enraged. If they’re jealous, they should be murderous. Emotional maximalism.
Zipper
This is my favorite game on the Playdate. It’s perfect. The art style is impeccable and nostalgic. The gameplay is a joy to discover and master. Captures the feel of samurai films, that power fantasy and vulnerability, and funnels it into turn-based strategy. Infatuated.
This month I also shared some zoo photos (just not here yet), I cracked opened Alan Wake II and can feel it will be my game of the year, and enjoyed Joe Pera’s cozy comedy special.