Hawaii-Bombay

So I went to Hawai'i for almost a week and now I’ve decided I wanna live there or any of the surrounding islands. It's absolutely stunning. I had never been there and when the opportunity presented itself, I said yes, of course. I may write about that later, but today I'm going to tell you about binge watching movies. On the flight, I discovered there was an array of movies to watch and among those, were some of the movies I liked the most during 2022. What are the odds? 

The flight started with me with my nose in a book, because I get very, very stabby during taking off and landing. There’s something about those moments during a flight that unsettle me. But once we were up there in the sky, I’m ok.  So I decided to put my book away and explore the plane's selection of movies. And I did something that I seldom do: I watched movie after movie after movie for the duration of the flight. And let me tell you, that beautiful island is FAR from Chicago. It’s something that worked for me in this case...

The first movie I watched (re-watched) was Billy Eichner's BROS. I think it's a great rom-com and I love the exploration it does of what masculinity means for gay men. If you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It also gave me a very special feeling: I knew there were people behind me who were clearly able to see that I was watching a movie where the two romantic leads are both men. It felt kind of subversive, watching a movie where men kiss and play around in such an environment. Being queer in public I still requires coming out. Who knew? 

Well, so while were here, let me tell you about the movies that came out last year that I think YOU should see if you have not already:

Well, duh, Skarsgard is half naked most of the movie. But the movie is also an epic narrative, very compelling and totally engrossing. Very Hamlet, and the cast is fantastic. Totally recommend.

I loved this take on Austen. You may already know it because I raved about it here, so yes. One of my favs in 2022. And it stands repeat viewings...

The Menu is a great movie. Is it fun? It depends of your sense of humor. Do you have to think? Yes. You do, or you’ll miss some subtleties that are essential to understand where the director is coming from.  It was also a recommendation made by Dave (you know he pretends to be all grumpy grandpa, but he does have his moments) and I totally agree with him. A must see.

Prey is a prequel to the Predator movies. But it stands all on its own because of the unique point of view: the protagonist manages to be both a Final Girl and a feminist hero. The cherry on top? Comanche representation. If you have not seen it, find yourself someone with a Hulu account and bring the popcorn.

The first time I watched this movie I have just had a gummy bear edible. I tripped hardcore. I watched it again during my flight coming back to Chi from Honolulu and tripped again. The fucking movie is trippy and it keeps your attention, even when on cannabinoids. Highly recommend it. 

An exploration of human nature and Idris Elba shirtless 80% of the time. Do I need say more? Oh, yes, and Tilda Swinton. If you have not seen it, you're missing out. Totes recommend.

Ah, yes. David Cronenberg. Yo've been warned: body horror makes an appearance or five. Also highly recommended, though, if you’re not too squeamish. Humanity can be its own worst enemy but we all know that...

Steven Soderbergh lets you know he's still here and that Nepo baby or not, Zoë can carry a movie. It's also an exploration of the fear of living during these times of online intrusion and pandemic solitude. Eerily prescient in many aspects.

For me, Brendan Fraser was the adventurer in The Mummy or the beautiful man in Gods and Monsters. The Whale shows him in a very unexpected way and even though it sometimes works like a play and that could make it clunky for some, Fraser is fantastic in the role. Yes, it's makeup and yes, he's not queer. Still, very powerful.

So those are actually some of the best movies I saw/watched last year. And I really enjoyed them. Have you seen them? What do you recommend? Come on, let me have it. I still have some clout with some people with actual passwords to streaming services so....

XOXO

P.S. Honorary mentions:

When somebody googles if they can add the basement's basement footage to the total square footage of the house instead of running away screaming...

Friendships. Some people are not born for it. Just like war.

Witty, whacky, wonderful. Stream it. And if you’ve not seen Knives Out, what are you waiting for?

One word: Namor.