Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: August 2024 (Patreon)

Alan:

Hello Heroes!

August. The end. Of Summer. Of Freedom. Of glory. The beginning. Of FOOTBALL SEASON!!!

What I’m reading!

I really couldn’t tell you. I’ve basically been chilling? Just lots of watch time this month, but I’m starting a Chuck Wendig book! Looking forward to not sleeping well for the next week or two.

What I’m watching!

Twisters - I loved this movie. Was it a great movie? No. Was it 11,000 Fun? Yes. I love movies like this, and we don’t get enough of them. Tonally, very similar to Top Gun: Maverick. Just Americans whippin’ ass! I’d happily spend the next 20 years of my career making “light” films like this.

Alien: Romulus - An above-average Alien film? Thank you, I’m in! The first two films are both in my top 20 all-time films (Aliens is in my top 5), and this one was scary, fun, and had a good time with the lore. Didn’t take itself too seriously, but seriously enough? Anyway. If you like scary, gory Alien movies, this one is pretty good!

What I’m playing!

Spider-Man 2 - Finally beat this. What a great game. Solid storytelling alongside the absolutely delightful play loop of swingey-glidey-fightey. Excited for the next one. Now if only someone would make an Iron Man game this good. Or a HULK game. Holy cow, that would be fun. Or a Captain America game like X-Com, tactical shooter-style, but your squad is the Avengers? Why do I have to come up with these ideas? 

Watch Movies! (And television, and read books, and play video games)

Jono:

Hi all! How's it going? August has been such a wild month! I've caught some good movies this month. Harold and the Purple Crayon wasn't groundbreaking, but it was still fun for my whole family. I loved catching Coraline in 3D for its re-release, with the third dimension really making LAIKA's "build-it-for-real" animation pop. Alien: Romulus was terrifying and a very good time! I've also been revisiting Loki, Bridgerton, and Gilmore Girls.This month's book has been Massacre at Mountain Meadows by Glen Leonard, Richard Turley, and Ronald Walker. Printed by Oxford University Press, I find it to be a more level-headed answer to the more-famous Under the Banner of Heaven, which in my opinion took rather extreme liberties with its conclusions.Massacre at Mountain Meadows explores a dark corner of my faith's history, and I like to be informed. It also serves as a larger psychological purpose of uncovering how, exactly, normally-peaceful people can turn to extreme violence. It's a warning to all of us to beware of losing our compassion to fear.

What about you lovely folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?