Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

I read this book when it came out, which means I remember almost nothing of it now. Watching this movie did something rare for me: it made me want to pick up the book and read it again. When I heard it was being made into a film, seemingly so soon after the book’s release I was intrigued, especially with how it would be adapted. Considering how particularly narrative is the nonfiction of author David Grann, it didn’t exactly surprise me that Scorsese was doing it. Unfortunately, since I’m not in the Apple ecosystem, I had to wait a few years for Criterion to put it out. Initially, the runtime scared me, but it never actually felt overly long. It was fascinating to see the very familiar Scorsese crime drama applied to a Western setting. That said, it never achieved the level of gravitas as some of his other period pieces. I still enjoyed it, possibly even more than his last streaming exclusive crime epic, but I still have a hard time fully accepting movies which are intrinsically linked with a streaming service. It’s ridiculous, it’s outdated, but it’s my problem.

A Wave That Will Never Break - WU LYF

Apparently, I missed out on the mythology of WU LYF. A band that unveils little information about themselves, they released one highly regarded album in 2011—perhaps the height of my music discovery phase when I could have found them—they apparently disappeared for a decade and a half before returning now with a new record. I didn’t know any of this until last week, but the story was intriguing enough for me to go digging. I have to say, I haven’t heard a song from this band yet that I haven’t liked, including this newest release. Comfortably in my favorites of the first half of the year, this album is incredibly well put-together. Being only seven tracks, it seems slight, but each song is put together so immaculately in a way that feels sprawling. I look forward to returning to it all year, especially in different seasons.

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This - Omar El Akkad

This was a challenging read in all the ways the book itself warns it will be. As a formal diatribe saying, essentially, “silence is violence,” I felt uncomfortably complicit throughout the book. I am not educated enough about the war in the Middle East nor have I dedicated the time, which speaks precisely to the book’s thesis. It pulls zero punches about the global tragedy, and particularly the luxury and privilege of the Western world to be disconnected from the events. I had some nitpicks about the writing, where some of the parenthetical phrases felt forced and vindictive, but all of that is ultimately inconsequential. It is an impressive book. The family history connection makes the story personal while the journalist background keeps it professional. Sadly, I feel this same book could be written (and probably has) about any number of global issues, and come to the same realization: human nature tends to lean towards self-interest. A solution was not offered—that’s not this book’s responsibility—and that only made for a more devastatingly bleak conclusion.

Triple H vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (WWF, 2/25/2001)

This was a nice take on the two-out-of-three falls format, even if the first two falls were basically indistinguishable from each other, and the cage match came up lacking as a result. Still, the hatred between the two of them was evident. The finish was well-told with both competitors exhausted to the point of passing out, which really sold the intensity of the 35+ minutes of action. Even though the actual resolution may have been corny and unbelievable, it was a protected win for Hunter, overwhelmingly the unpopular choice. But when both are seemingly passed out after the bell, no one actually loses.  

The F1 Movie (2025)

I knew going in, I was predisposed not to like this film. I have an almost active disinterest in auto-racing of any kind, and the triumphant sports movie genre does not generally inspire me. In a bizarre way, I thought this might surprise me, especially since I did actually enjoy Maverick. Instead, it met all of my expectations exactly. The story of aging athlete battling it out with a younger competitor, taking risks, getting beaten back, getting involved in a harmless if ham-fisted love story, fending off a cartoonish business executive. I’m sure it was an expensive movie, but the sponsored payments probably paid off the budget before it left the editing room. There were no less than three ads in every frame. Don’t get me wrong, it looked great on Blu-ray—I have no doubts the IMAX was a looker—and the Hans Zimmer score was as good as usual. But otherwise, it was an empty collection of quotes and tropes, but devoid of risk.