Summah Summah Summatime
Needed respite flavors June's Pretzel bites
It’s been one heck of a Spring. There are times throughout the year when all things in the universe converge in your life at the same time. This Spring was one of those times. Thankfully, the convergence was positive, allowing me to display an abundance of gratitude. Nevertheless… Phew.
I’ll always remember the friends and family that came to support the launch of my second novel Lose Yourself. Throughout this Spring, I’ve had multiple book events. Each time, I’ve had earnest support that has meant the world to me. The promotion grind continues, and I’m excited about future opportunities this Summer. Watch for more.
I’ve also celebrated some milestones this Spring, celebrating 25 years of marriage and my children reaching 21 and 18 (and graduating high school). In honor of all of these events converging, the family decided to take a weeklong vacation. This was a special time. Just the four of us. Enjoy the time you have with loved ones. Cherish the laughs and the eye rolls, the way-too-long bathroom occupations, the walks, the shared experiences and the reminiscing of childhood days. As Darius Rucker sang, “It Won’t Be Like This for Long.”
June Recommendations:
Streaming
Ripley, Neflix. This isn’t your young Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow star vehicle. In this artsy retelling of Patricia Highsmith’s dark tale, Andrew Scott plays the dark and confused Tom Ripley. Whereas the 1999 film showcased the colors of the Italian coast, this series plays like a dark ‘60s Italian film, its harsh black-and-white art direction providng direct contrast to good and evil. We see Ripley go from envious hanger-on to acquaintance-turned-buddy Dicky Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and his girlfriend Marge (Dakota Fanning) to murderous impostor one step ahead of the law. Recommend.
Welcome to Wrexham, Hulu. It’s the third season of Wrexham’s transformation from struggling fourth-tier Welsh football club with a downtrodden community to a destination spot with a club moving up two tiers before our very eyes. The series does a great job of alternating between humanizing these mid-level professional athletes to following the local community supporters whose lives are intertwined with the success and failure of the club, to the celebrity owners and their growing love for the people and the sport. One of the benefits of this show is to watch the drama of European football and its promotion/relegation structure (if you don’t know it, read here). I know it will never happen, but I do wish American sports would adopt a similar structure. Recommend.
HitMan, Netflix. Glen Powell is everywhere. After Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You, he’s making the most of his moment. He co-wrote this with director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Boyhood) and is based on a real person, Gary Johnson, who was a college professor by day, and working as an undercover hit man to catch people in murder-for-hire schemes. The movie works best when Powell is adopting the various personas, but flails a bit in the love story. Recommend for a no-brainer night at home.
Fall Guy, theaters. This was fun. Fall Guy was one of those movies where I said to my wife, “We can see this in the theater.” Remember when that was the only way to see a movie. Now. you have to make a conscious decision to head to the cineplex. For me, it was worth it. Based on the 80s Lee Majors television series, stuntman (Colt Seavers, played by Ryan Gosling) must find the missing star while trying to woo back the love of his life (Emily Blunt. This isn’t Oscar bait (unless there is a category for stunts, which this movie points out), but I had fun with a big screen and a bucket of popcorn.
Books
The Reading List, Sara Nisha Adams. The best book I’ve read this year so far. A snarky teenager and minimum-wage librarian dealing with a depressed mom and an overburdened older brother meets an Indian immigrant widower. The widower returns his deceased wife’s book, but wants new recommendation. The teenager doesn’t have any until she comes across a mysterious reading list that includes To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebecca, Beloved, the Kite Runner and more. Overtime, this unlikely pair bond and unlock a new lease on life. Recommend.
The Winners, Fredrick Backman. Backman brings the Beartown trilogy to a close with this magnificent book. The conflict between Beartown and Hed has never been greater, though the people are not at all different. Yet, we know from the first two books (Beartown and Us Aganst Them) that the only way to peace is through unrelenting hell. At times poignant and heartbreaking, this ultimately is a book about redemption, both personal and a community. Recommend.
90s Flashback:
Father of the Bride. It’s been a while since we watched Father of the Bride with Steve Martin. The man turned 60 at age 30 and has not aged a day since. When this movie first came out, I laughed at Martin Short’s Franc. I still do, but this viewing left me a little more heartbroken. There are moments in a parent’s life when the unrelenting passing of time hits you hard. Whether it’s your little girl getting married, or in my case, graduation and college, you can’t help but realize the finality of your children’s childhood. Recommend but bring a few more tissues this time.
St. Elmo’s Fire. Bring a few tissues here, but you’re crying at the unending pain of watching this movie. We streamed “Brats,” Andrew McCarthy’s documentary about the “Brat Pack,” though it’s more of his own process-as-art to come to grips of a 40-year slight of a New Yorker article that gave that group of young actors that monicker. McCarthy interviews most of the principles and comes off as a little bratty(?) and whiny, but it’s still not as bad as watching St. Elmo’s Fire. The male characters, McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Judd Nelson, come off as self-important, stalker, attention-starved, and man child, respectively. The score and the title song get better marks, but the score gets nauseating as the film drags it down. DON’T DO IT!
Rewatch: Band of Brothers
This year marks the 80-year anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, one of the single-most defining moments of modern history. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be conducting my own rewatch of this Emmy Award-winning series, share my impressions, insights I’ve learned through listening to the Band of Brothers rewatch Podcast with Roger Bennett (produced in 2021), and encourage participation now that it’s available on Netflix.
Episode 8: The Final Patrol
After the horror of Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge, the men of Easy Company are battered, beaten, war weary, and feel that they are on the other side of war. They can see the light at the tunnel, but they still have to survive the last bit. This episode follows Private David Webster, a Harvard English student, who has come back to the squad after being wounded in Holland. Having missed Bastogne, he receives a cold reception, along with new Lieutenant Henry Webster (Colin Hanks), just out of West Point. Jones and Webster join a night raid on a town to capture prisoners for intelligence purposes. After a “successful” raid yields only one casualty and another raid is ordered, Major Winters decides to disobey orders, allowing the men to rest, while saying the raid was conducted without obtaining any live prisoners.
Fresh Face Cameo: Colin Hanks. According to the Band of Brothers podcast, Scott Grimes, who played Sgt. Mularky said Hanks, the son of one of the Executive Producers, dove right into the role and took the light hazing the main cast (who had gone through boot camp together) gave at him, and performed well. Grimes also provided some insights into the broken man Mularky became and how the show provided some emotional closure late in life.
Episode 9: Why We Fight
This is the most gut-wrenching episode, but also the most important of the entire series. As the men are becoming disillusioned at the end of the war and only wanting to get home, Easy Company comes across a Concentration Camp in the heart of Germany. It’s hard to believe now that no one knew at the time that the Nazis had gathered all of the Jews as part of their “Final Solution.” But as the American soldiers discover the camp, they are overwhelmed by the horrors they see. I cried during this episode, my humanity shaken by the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jewish people. And then, when an American doctor says that they cannot release the inhabitants of the camp so that they can be treated medically, my heart breaks again. While we all may debate the need for war in any circumstances, sometimes there is a reason for “Why We Fight.”
Fresh Face Cameo: In this episode, we get two. Michael Fassbender has played a background role in a few episodes, but he gets the most screen time in this one. Also, a skinnier Tom Hardy appears - his first scene enjoying the company of a woman - and also discovers the concentration camp.
Podcast nugget: Episode Writer Jon Orloff shared that in conversations with the real Dick Winters, he was most adamant about this part of Easy Company’s story. At the time (1999), holocaust deniers were gaining traction. He was angry. “I was there!” he told Orloff. “I saw it,” which makes this episode even more important for all of us to watch and contemplate the atrocities perpetuated.
Side of Mustard
This week I had the pleasure of going to the San Francisco Bay Area to promote and sell copies of my latest novel Lose Yourself. I appreciate all of the support from readers and the community. I derive so much pleasure from talking to readers and sharing the book. Thank you!
