Monday Media Musings - 8/10/20

What is this? A Monday Media Musings? Why yes, so it is. I keep saying I'm going to start this habit again, and that's never going to happen if I don't write one. I haven't done one of these since March, so I'm not even going to pretend to catch up; instead, I'll just write about the last week or so, and try to pick up from here.

Palm Springs: As many of you know, I'm a real sucker for a time loop movie, so there was never any chance that I wasn't going to watch this. And I quite enjoyed it. ( Some spoilers. )

I've heard a few people suggest that story about living the exact same day over and over is the perfect metaphor for life during this pandemic, and I totally agree. Obviously that's not something that the makers of Palm Springs set out to do, but it works on that level anyway. If you like time loop stories, stories about relationships, and stories about women who open the door for an immature guy to grow up but require him to walk through it under his own power, I recommend it.

Ford v. Ferrari: A sports movie docudrama about Ford's efforts to build a car that could beat Ferrari at Le Mons, a 24-hour stock car racing event in France. Although this movie reviewed very well, because I don't know or care much about cars I didn't really expect it to be my kind of movie. But in many ways it's about the relationships, and good performances by Matt Damon and Christian Bale kept me engaged. And, like Apollo 13, it managed to be one of those films about a historical event that feels suspenseful. In this case I didn't already know the history, but I figured no one would have bothered to make the movie if Ford hadn't won the race. Still, I really found myself wondering at times how it was going to come out, and there were a few real surprises. ( Cut for a spoilery content note. )

The Babysitter's Club: I was just a little too old for these books when they started coming out; I was 13 in 1986, and had already moved on to Sweet Valley High and other books about teenagers. So I wasn't familiar with them, and despite hearing positive buzz wasn't particularly inclined to watch. But then T expressed an interest, and after watching the first episodes on his own talked me and some other friends into giving them a try. After the first three episodes, our friends decided it wasn't for them, but T asked to keep going, and I'm happy to do so. As I mentioned, I never read the originals, but whoever updated them to the modern day did a good job of taking plots and characters from the mid-80s and bringing them into the present. I also really appreciate the diversity -- one of the girls who was white in the books is now mixed race, and I understand an upcoming fifth club member was rewritten from white to Latina. The for-now four friends all have distinct styles and personalities, but you can believe they are all friends and will soon become a close-knit groups. Each episode so far has focused on a different club member, with them narrating their own story, which is a nice way to keep each story fresh. I'm glad T convinced me to watch it, and I look forward to seeing whatever is next.