Annual Holiday Guest Film Extravaganza
My sister tells you about all the good movies!
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Time for my holdiday tradition of passing the Mondays, Amirite reins to my sister, Marissa.
What better way to heal the wounds of the year and brace yourself for what’s to come than to talk about some great movies and music! Each year, I really look forward to being able to share movies from the past year that you won’t be hearing about during awards season. As I was putting it together I noticed a theme, so I thought it would be fun to do an all comedy slate this year! Here is my full list of faves from 2024 so far if you’re looking for more!
Is this movie less funny if you were not partially raised by a Brit-hating Irish Catholic grandmother? I will never know. Kneecap follows the three scamps, who make up the real life Irish-language rap group of the same name, in a fictionalized version of how they came together. At the heart of the movie is the importance of indigenous languages, but I can not stress how deeply unserious this movie is. It’s gross, profane, and one of the sweetest movies of the year. Available streaming on Kanopy and Netflix.
I’m a huge fan of anything Julio Torres puts out including the best SNL sketch of all time, the shows Fantasmas and Los Espookys, and this year’s Problemista. I love a little magical realism and it’s perfect in a story about trying to make it as an immigrant in NYC. Tilda Swinton gets to be wacky! Isabella Rosselini’s voice provides soothing narration! I’m so happy I don’t have roommates any more! Available to stream on Max.
Does it surprise you that a movie titled Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is French? It’s a silly coming of age story of a vampire teen who is too sympathetic to the human race for her own good, and the suicidal freind she makes, who could potentially solve all her problems. Highly recommend watching with your favorite surly teen so that you can be the coolest adult they know. Available to stream on Mubi (get the free trial if you’ve also been wanting to see equally awesome The Substance or The People’s Joker) and Kanopy.
Do you see the comedies above and think, “these are too high-minded, they have too much dialogue, and no one gets bonked on the head?” You’re in luck because Canada has blessed us with Hundreds of Beavers, two hours of Looney Tunes-style gags that all stick the landing. We join our protagonist, a drunken apple-jack salesman as he suddenly has to become a great fur trapper and defeat, you may have guessed it, hundreds of beavers. Said beavers, along with other wildlife, are played by grown adults in mascot-style costumes, to give you a sense of the tone. Available to stream on Prime and Kanopy.
Note: Kanopy is a service that is free with your library card. Amazing! But because of that the availability of some of these films may be dependent on your library’s collection.
Tunes to start the week with:
While nowhere near being the expert on music that Liz is, my dedication to pop girlies is steadfast. In celebration of 2024, the year of the pop girl, I wanted to provide some recommendations based on your preferred girlie of the year.
If you want to continue Charli XCX’s brat summer into a more lowkey, weirder, but still hyperpop flavored winter, her producer and longtime collaborator A.G. Cook’s Britpop will meet your needs. Charli herself is even featured on the title track.
If Chappell Roan’s Diary of a Midwest Princess was your jam but you wanted 4 more lesbians, but also for them to be spookier and British, listen to The Last Dinner Party’s Prelude to Ecstasy.
If you liked Billie Elish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft listen to Magelenda Bay’s Imaginal Disk and be transported to a world where Bille and Finneas got a synth and cyber sigilism tattoos.
If you were contemplating your love life this year with Taylor Swift’s TTPD, but you’ve turned a new leaf and want to do it in a jazzier way, Laufey’s A Night At the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl, is for you.
xx