Subtextual Healing Film Club!
Come join me in an experiment...
Hello!
I’m back and I’m switching things up a bit. I used to write twice a week on this website, but with a full time job and other happenings that is not sustainable right now. So instead I’ll be putting out a weekly Friday newsletter that features television, film, book, podcast and music reviews/recommendations followed by a longer piece of writing. I’ve also got an idea for a six-week series that you can participate in if interested: The Subtextual Healing Film Club! For the rest of July and August I’ll be rewatching a few films that I love (and are all currently streaming on HBO Max). Each Friday I’ll give a short review of the film with interesting notes and tidbits about how the movie got made plus other pieces of trivia, and a consideration of what makes the film great and why it’s worth watching. Whether you have watched any of these films or not, I hope you’ll consider joining along and checking out my writing afterward.
There’s no concrete theme to this series other than this is a selection of movies that I want to revisit and talk about with others. If you would like to “join the club” and participate in watching or rewatching these movies with me, here is the list for the next six weeks with calendar dates for the reviews:
No Country for Old Men (review on Friday, July 22nd)
Promising Young Woman (review on Friday, July 29th)
Casablanca (review on Friday, August 5th)
All the President’s Men (review on Friday, August 12th)
Punch Drunk Love (review on Friday, August 19th)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (review on Friday, August 26th)
Again, please note that all of these movies are currently available if you subscribe to HBO Max. I tried to stick with just one streaming platform for those that already have it or others who want to test it out for a month or two (I know many folks hop around from month to month for various services).
What are the next steps?
(A) Watch these movies, preferably one a week and keeping up with the calendar. We’ll kick things off July 22nd with No Country for Old Men!
(B) Read each Friday film review and join the conversation either on the website or on social media. Feel free to comment, respond, or offer your own insights and reviews for each film.
(C) Share Subtextual Healing with others who might be interested in the film club!
The Bear (Hulu)
I’ll be honest, I’ve got a backlog of shows for this year alone and when I heard about The Bear I initially wanted to ignore it. Even though it has so many things I love that start with the letter C (cooking, chefs, characters, and Chicago), I wanted to keep my focus on the TV queue that I had already built up (there’s just too much good television on right now). But I gave in after hearing and reading so many reviews and I will now simply add to the bandwagon by saying that this is a must watch, folks. With 8 episodes at 30 minutes a pop, it’s actually somewhat of a breeze to get through but I will warn you that there are episodes that are wildly intense. While it’s not for the faint of heart, it will do your heart some good. Also, a wonderful soundtrack with one of the best needle drops in the season finale.
Stranger Things (Netflix)
Who knew that Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” would provide such an apt metaphor for the show’s fourth season? While this outing put forth interesting new characters and provided a few of the original cast with well-developed character arcs, it also felt quite bloated in parts. Getting through the last two episodes that comprised Volume 2 was like running up a hill in of itself. The overly long conversations and extended action scenes could have used tighter editing. Stranger Things is a nostalgia churn, but the thing this show has usually done best is cast and showcase young actors who audiences instantly like or relate to, though sadly a few of the members had very little to do this season (the Mike /Will/Jonathan/Argyle group was a mostly pointless subplot). Overall, it was still a very strong series and I look forward to the fifth and final (and hopefully truncated) season to wrap it all up.
Hustle (Netflix)
Hustle isn’t going to surprise you with its story. It’s fairly conventional and you’ll pretty much be able to predict what will happen in each scene. That said, it’s still an enjoyable movie and Adam Sandler once again impresses with another turn to dramatic acting. This is also the rare basketball movie that portrays the game more accurately and it’s loaded with tons of current and former NBA and international players, which makes for a fun type of easter egg hunting as you watch. And by no means do you need to be a basketball (or sports fan in general) to enjoy this one, it’s basically Rocky with a basketball backdrop instead. You will inevitably root for the underdog!
Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade (Slate Podcasts)
Slate has dug deep into a wide range of intriguing topics with their podcast series, Slow Burn. Past seasons have focused on the historical events and legacies of Watergate, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, Tupac and Biggie, and more. What I have always appreciated about this podcast series is its ability to take subjects that we all are familiar with and think we know well and add so much more context and nuance to them. Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade continues this streak and adds many more moments, layers, and legal history that I wasn’t as knowledgeable of beforehand. It’s a weighty topic and no matter where you fall on the spectrum of the issue, I think it’s worth a listen to hear more stories and perspectives that you may have not interacted with previously.