Alan & Jono's Watching/Reading List: January 2025 (Patreon)

Alan:

Hello Heroes!

New Year. New Resolutions. I’m going to watch more movies this year. Like, classics. I’m also going to make another movie. Might be a short. Might be longer than that…

What I’m reading!

The Power Broker - by Robert A Caro. This biography of Robert Moses won the Pulitzer Prize in the '70s for its shockingly researched portrait of the man most responsible for the physical layout of New York City, and by proxy, most of the United States. Basically, every time you’re stuck in traffic or wonder why nowhere has good public transit, and every American city has expressways running right through the middle of it, Robert Moses is to blame. A monumental book that is jaw-droppingly well-researched. I want a Robert Caro-level biography of everyone ever. Maybe that’s what heaven is, just a library full of books that detailed about everyone who ever lived. It’s also 1,200 pages. So that’s all I got to this month. Oh, did I mention the writing is absolutely stellar as well? Funny, wry, powerful and emotional. Basically, this is the best biography I’ve ever read, and it’s not particularly close.

What I’m watching!

Severance s2 on Apple TV+. The first season is one of my favorite TV seasons ever. And season 2 seems to be picking right back up where the first left off. And good thing too. I had to wait three years for it, because of strikes, and internal, behind-the-scenes conflict with writers and whatnot.

What I’m playing!

Civilization VI. I’m just getting ready for VII to come out later this year, and you know what? Just one more turn, then I’ll go to bed.

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

Jono:

Hey all! This month I've been largely occupied with prepping (and shooting) for the three YouTube channels I'm a part of: Cinema Therapy, Cinema Therapy Reviews, and Mended Light. Between that, travel, and family time my ability to watch/read has been lower than normal, but I've still been enjoying a bit here and there.I've been reading Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson. It's an older book (autism is the preferred term today), but still rich with first-person insights and experience into growing up feeling very different from others. It's a funny, cynical, and compassionate book that I'm enjoying very much.I restarted Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is my second time watching the series through, and even when some aspects have aged or feel dated, the storytelling and characters are as fresh as ever once it finds itself in season 2.I also watched (and loved) Nobody Wants This, with Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. My favorite romance of the past five years. Like Ted Lasso, it finds the drama in people growing and being good to each other. Just a funny, warm, feel-good show.As for new movies, I saw Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Flight Risk, both of which have reviews up on our new Cinema Therapy Reviews YouTube channel if you want Alan and my take. What about you lovely folks? What have you been watching and reading this month?