It’s straight up bad journalism if you’re talking about important events that happened in 2023 without mentioning the ongoing genocide against Palestinians. As of writing this, over 30,000 have been killed since October seventh, many being women and children, and 1.9 million displaced. With the existence of influencers and celebrities having tons and tons of followers, we’ve lost sight of how big those numbers truly are. So, let me reiterate: 30,000 have been killed and 1.9 million have been displaced. Over 64,000 have been injured and there are no hospitals left in Gaza. If you are on the fence about the issue, you’re on the side of the oppressor. If you’re coming to Israel’s defense, I implore—no, demand—that you seek out reliable news sources to educate yourself. In fact, even if you are pro-Palestine, you should keep learning as much as you can. Teach the people around you. Talk and talk and talk about it. If you’re not the Instagram story type, there are still things you can do. The app 5 Calls allows you to call your representatives to demand the United States’ accountability for its involvement as well as calling for ceasefire. You can click this link if you prefer to email. Do it. Do it. Then do it again for good measure. If you care about human rights, then you cannot be inactive.
Okay, now onto the futile bs.
Ins and outs:
OUT
Big life moment:
ED recovery
I started my year with an Intensive Outpatient program for my eating disorder, which I've struggled with on and off for years. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I still can’t believe I did it. Not in a WOOHOO way—I just figured I would be doomed to become an Almond Mom.
I hate that group therapy is a significant aspect of more intensive therapy programs. I liked and connected with this group, thank God, but I will never do that shit again. I had no clue it was possible to be bored and triggered at the same time.
Also, I hate sincerely telling someone they’re valid. I’m sorry. It’s just so corny. Your feelings are valid, but you will never hear me say that in a non-joking matter. I will find absolutely any other wording imaginable. It was so hard for me to say it to people and not laugh. I once was in an IOP group (not this one) and there was a person who admitted to having abused ALL their previous partners, and we had to be like, “that’s so valid, queen!”
My one regret from this program was having a lesbian dietitian and not making a joke about eating box. I wasn’t sure if we were close like that or not.
Purchases:
Kindle
I’ve said so much about my Kindle on here, so I’ll shut up. Just one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
iPhone 12
This was the first phone I ever paid for myself. It felt like a prank. I was so expecting my parents to pop out of nowhere and pay for it. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to upgrade, but the employee said “yeesh” when I told him I had an iPhone 11. I think they’re on the 15 now, so even my newbie is elderly in phone years. It’s cool. I rock with the elderly.
This may have been my worst buy of the year. I got it because without my iPad (I sat on it), I had no way of doing digital art. I went with a super nice model that my younger self would have never imagined I'd be able to get. I then had to spend an extra hundred dollars on adapters and a new pen since I lost the original almost immediately. I told myself I’d get every penny back in commissions, and that hasn’t come close to happening. I can’t tell if I like it.
Fiorucci jacket
This was another purchase that “healed my inner child” as they say. In Kindergarten, I had a pink trench coat that I was in love with. I remember wearing it on a field trip to a farm and being grossed out by everything, terrified of getting anything on my precious coat. We were supposed to feed the goats, and I gave someone else the goat food so I could stand far away from the animal snot and muddy ground.
Outgrowing that coat devastated me. So, when I saw this pink trench coat, I knew I had to buy it. I mean, without the childhood memory, it would still be worth the buy. The print is insane, and I routinely find new details. It even says “celebrity” on it—so me!
I fell in love with Fiorucci when its Creative Director, Daniel W. Fletcher, appeared in the premiere season of Netflix’s Next in Fashion. The talent he displays on the show is unbelievable. I’m not going to say if we won or not, but I will say he’s who I was rooting for. Anyway, yeah, love the jacket, Daniel!
House of Sunny pullover
I hate that designer clothing genuinely is better in quality. Capitalism sucks. Luckily, I have an honorary PhD in Depop shopping. I am a whiz at finding rich girls just trying to get rid of stuff in their closet. This piece had only been worn once and was listed for $30.
The pullover is so thick. I adore the corduroy accents and the pockets are lowkey huge. I don’t get as much wear out of it as I thought I would, but it’s impeccable, and still looks brand new after multiple washes.
Revlon Colorstay lip products (Satin Ink in 019 My Own Boss and Matte Lite Crayon in 012 On Cloud Wine)
Walgreens deadass scammed me. I was picking up my prescription and figured I’d feed two birds with one scone* and buy the lip products I needed for my Halloween costumes. When the cashier told me the total, I said, “I thought there was a discount.” He told me that was the discounted price.
They ended up being completely worth it. Bright red lipstick looks clownish on me, so using the purple crayon as a lip liner makes the vibrant shade look gorgeous on my skin. Plus, that color really does stay. On the Saturday of Halloweekend, I put on the lip at noon before going out at around 1:30 PM. I got back to my friends’ place, puked my guts out, and passed out for four hours. The lip was still vibrant. I gave myself a touch up and headed out again at like 10 that night. It stayed until I washed it off before bed (6 AM). My lips were still slightly tinted the following day. That’s wild.
Benefit 24 Hour Brow Setter and Precisely, My Brow pencil
There are dupes for almost everything when it comes to makeup. Not these. There are no other brow products like Benefit’s. The brow gel has the most unique wand I’ve ever seen. It’s not a spoolie—it's so much better. The center is flat, allowing the user to swipe across the brows. Either side has fine bristles, with one being shorter and the other longer; the long side is perfect for the sparse hairs in the arches of my eyebrows. Revolutionary. The pencil has the finest tip out of any brow tool I’ve ever used, even more so than the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. I will recommend these until I die.
(Edit: Just found out Anastasia Beverly Hills recently dropped their Brow Freeze, which has an identical wand. Whoops.)
Pretty much every e.l.f product goes viral at this point. This one was particularly buzzy, since it postures itself as a dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter. E.l.f has some serious hits, even besting its luxury peers, and this is no exception. A lot of this product’s critics claim that it’s not for people with acne or oily skin, and though I don’t get acne, I am oily as hell. I think the glowy finish is gorgeous even on oil-prone skin. Setting it with powders is the key to getting a good balance.
I’ve swatched the Flawless Filter, and no, they’re not the same. I personally prefer the Halo Glow! It offers just a bit more coverage and is closer to a tinted moisturizer than an illuminator. Wow. I’m just realizing that talking about makeup is so fucking boring.
Pat McGrath MatteTrance lipstick in McMenamy
Aaaaand I’m still talking about makeup. This lipstick is $39. I thought I’d preface with that before you got too excited until checking the website and nearly fainting at the price tag. I was able to snag this for $12 during the holiday sale, luckily scoring the shade in the limited-edition packaging before it sold out. Shopping is a sport. I know every play.
I’ve never seen a more perfect, deep burgundy lip product. The color is stunning in every meaning of the word. It’s perfect for a vampy makeup look. My one complaint is that it transfers like crazy. After hours of wear, I’m still having to apologize for leaving red stains on a sexy stranger’s vape. For that reason, I don’t wear it as often as I’d like, which is a little disappointing for a luxury product. Still 100% worth it.
Pop culture moments:
Barbenheimer
Barbenheimer day was the defining pop culture moment of 2023. I’m not plagiarizing that, but I can guarantee that exact sentence is in every other end-of-year list.
Both films are the kind of movies that are the best things ever when you’re watching it in theaters, until you go home and reflect on how flawed they are. Especially Barbie. The takes on womanhood feel like outdated 2016 Buzzfeed feminism, delivered in the most on-the-nose fashion possible. The plot seems like it was written as they went along, because a lot of the scenes that take place in the real world feel entirely pointless. And I hate that Dua Lipa song that’s in the movie.
Oppenheimer is a bonafide four out of five stars. Some of my other four out of five Letterboxd reviews are the result of me either being generous to a three-star movie or being mean to a five-star one. Oppenheimer is exactly four stars. Amazing, but still makes Oppenheimer look too good for my liking. After watching it, I was so excited to get to see it again, yet I still haven’t had the urge to revisit it.
Ultimately, the quality of the films doesn’t matter, because I got to wear two very cute outfits and drink enough Diet Coke to hospitalize someone.
Twitter’s downfall
As someone who once loved Twitter, I’m beyond hurt by what Elon Musk has done to it. I gave Twitter chance after chance and stayed each time, no matter how aware I was of how miserable it made me. I had to cut things off for good once Musk changed the font. I deleted the app. It's sad. It hurt at first, but then I felt free. I still revisit it whenever there’s a new episode of Drag Race, though.
GMA hosts cheating scandal/Ariana Grande and SpongeBob
2022 and 2023 were big years for cheating. The pairings are two sides of the same evil coin. TJ Holmes and Amy Robach are the couple that everyone envies; Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater are the couple that everyone flames in the group chat.
I was shocked at how mad the public was with both these and the scandals of the previous year (Adam Levine, Ned Fulmer). Do we really care? Cheating is bad, but with celebrities being outed as abusers day after day, it’s pretty chill in comparison. Can’t wait for Ari’s next album.
Celebrity memoirs
I’m nosy—I love a celeb memoir. And they popped off this year!
Prince Harry, or rather his ghost writer, came out with the book, Spare. I just started it and am pleasantly surprised about how good it is. I’m only about 100 pages in, but I really didn’t think I would be as into British royal lore as I am. It’s good!
Julia Fox’s Down the Drain is insane. If you have any interest in this enigma of a woman, read this ASAP. No matter how wild you think the stories may be, I can guarantee they’re crazier. I was also thoroughly impressed with her writing, and it is her writing, which a lot of celebrities who “write” books can’t say (shoutout Millie Bobby Brown). There’s talks of it being adapted into a miniseries and I am teeming with excitement.
I’m literally obsessed with the fact that she called it a masterpiece before she’d even started writing it.
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears is such an important book. Her and her ghostwriter’s style is a bit simple and repetitive, but a mirror needs to be held to the public, allowing us to look into ourselves and ask why we treat women this way, and this novel does it to great success. It’s a quick read and quite the page turner—easy to consume in one sitting. I definitely recommend.
And now, the creme de la creme of celebrity memoirs, Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died. If you read one, make it this one. It’s so heartbreaking and well-written that I would honestly put it on a syllabus if I were teaching a course on creative nonfiction. It’s required reading if you care about pop culture or have any sort of nostalgia for her era of Nickelodeon shows. McCurdy’s voice in her writing is perfection and even better when listening to her narrate the audiobook. There are even parts where she gets choked up that are left in the recording.
I would proceed with caution if you’ve suffered with eating disorders. This is graphic. Seriously. Far more graphic than any depiction of eating disorders I’ve seen or read in media. I’m sensitive to those type of things, but I still think you should read it.
Colleen Ballinger
Fuck this lady. She’s out of her mind. Grooming children is already unforgivable, but rubbing salt in the wound with a ukulele borderline diss track is insane. Then, she squirted lemon juice into said wound by returning to daily vlogging in order to make her Vlogmas coin. I pray for her children.
Terri Joe/Gen Z satire
I’m tired of fake laughing at Terri Joe. I couldn’t be less impressed his humor. The bit is that he’s a Black, queer man pretending to be a Christian, conservative white woman. The satire just isn’t effective to me. He’s not saying anything about this type of person, nor is he doing it in an over-the-top way. I think that type of white lady is already so over-the-top that the joke doesn’t work. People actually act like that. It’s like how Trump impersonations aren’t funny.
I’ve never met a nigga who was like, “ay, man, you gotta check out this new Terri Joe.” It seems like it’s just for white people to laugh at offensive jokes, getting a pass to do so because they’re coming from someone who’s marginalized. Dare I say...the person behind the Terri Joe character is a coon LMAO. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went the Dave Chappelle route, taking a major hiatus after realizing white people aren’t laughing with him.
Maybe it’s me. Not everything has to be deep or meaningful, Jackson. I just don’t think his content should exist LOL.
White Women
The Terri Joe stuff reminded me of this. Big year for white ladies. I mean, Taylor Swift took over the world. Barbie-core was everywhere. Even the Karjenners swapped their cultural appropriation for a significantly whiter aesthetic.
I hate that I’m defending white women here, but I need to speak my truth. A lot of criticism against them is simply criticism against women with the word “white” slapped on so they can get away with it. Ugh, I hate white women so much. With their feelings and vapidness and their boobies and their existence. White chicks, amiright? And honestly, If a man has strong negative opinions against Taylor Swift, Barbiecore, and the Karjenners, I can guarantee he hates all women. So please, let’s put an end to this so I never have to come to their defense again.
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Selina Estitties telling co-host Ross Matthews to “EAT [HER] ASS, [F SLUR]!”
Quite possibly my favorite pop culture moment of the whole year. This really won her over in my mind after a whole season of her being on my every last nerve. She should’ve made merch out of it.
Lana Del Rey working at Waffle House
I’ve already discussed this madness. I only have one more thing to add to my stance. I wish she worked at a more ghetto Waffle House. I want to see her in a fist fight.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance
The people who complained about her performance are haters at a level that not even I could aspire to. She was pregnant, okay! Seeing Rihanna at the Super Bowl was enough for me.
Recently, my youngest brother told me he hadn’t heard of Rihanna until the Super Bowl happened, and it was so hard to pretend like my heart wasn’t shattered into a million pieces.
The SAG-AFTRA strike
Due to labor disputes, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on a much-needed strike. Lasting from July to November, this makes it the longest strike in Hollywood history.
Everyone involved in the arts deserves better. People tend to undervalue it despite how much of a role things like film and television play into our lives. Because of the strike, actors’ pay was raised by 7%, with added bonuses for those whose work is on streaming services. I’m so happy these talented people are finally getting what they deserve.
Snoop Dogg quitting weed and taking it back right away
Obsessed. When he first announced his quitting, it had me rethinking everything. If Snoop Dogg doesn’t smoke, then what is the purpose of man? Each of us is an invisible speck if you zoom out and see the whole globe, and imperceptible looking at a view of the entire galaxy. Maybe everything is pointless and absurd. Maybe I should read more Camus. Maybe I should go to bed.
Then, he took it back, and balance was restored.
Ayo Edebiri’s takeover
This was such a good year for Ayo Edebiri. I fell in love with her from the second she pretended to be Jenny the donkey from The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). Her comedic timing is superb. And the red carpet moments? Chewing. Nom nom nom nom.
If you liked Bottoms (2023), she and her co-star, Rachel Sennott, also starred in several Comedy Central shorts together, which I also frickin’ love.
Ice Spice’s takeover
My best-case scenario is that Ice Spice is a social experiment meant to see how far pretty privilege can go. Once you ignore the branding and her perfect booty, you’re left with a limited and subpar discography. Spotify ranks her as the 199th most popular artist in the world. What has society come to?
I think she reached her level of fame way too quickly. Typically, artists spend years perfecting their craft before they get mainstream success. Doja Cat went to a performing arts high school, Tyler, the Creator’s played piano his whole life and was rapping since he was a teenager, and Ariana Grande got her start as an ensemble member in 13: the Musical on Broadway. And those were just the examples off the top of my head. Ice Spice needs more time to cook. I beg. I can’t bear to hear “bars” such as, “You think you the shit, bitch? / You not even the fart.” I understand that it’s a joke, but I’m not laughing.
Maybe I’m just bitter because one time at work, I was talking to these blond-haired, blue-eyed teen girls (my first mistake), and I was shocked when they said they hated Taylor Swift. Unfortunately, my shock made me look like a total Swiftie, but I was just surprised that they’re Taylor’s target audience and still felt negatively about her. Like, do you hate your reflection too? Then…the kicker…they told me, “We like rap. Like Ice Spice!” Anyone who says children are the future owes me $20.
Fashion:
Barbie pink
Though I’m tired of it now, Barbie pink had a stellar year (for obvious reasons). I wonder what the color of 2024 will be, since it’s clear no one is stoked about “peach fuzz” being Pantone’s color of the year. I doubt there will be one that will come close to the heights of Barbie pink.
The Schiaparelli Dante’s Inferno collection
I’m sorry to the animal lovers of the world. This was sick. Also sorry to the Kardashian haters of the world, but Kylie Jenner wearing a look from the runway during the show is iconic.
Shortly after the show made headlines, my coworkers were having a conversation about it, talking about how they didn’t get it. I admittedly was a little too eager to explain Daniel Roseberry’s Dante’s Inferno-inspired vision. I could see the look in their faces that they did not want to open that industrial-sized can of worms. They were just like, oh, okay...
This might be one of my favorite runways of the year. Collaborations in the fashion world were huge in 2022, and DuaTella (Dua and Donatella Versace) kept that tradition going. The black, flowy fabrics and butterfly appliques are simply to die for. It even made me change my anti-polka dot stance. Oh, and those pink and blue ensembles? Come on!
Another notable collaboration was that of Pharrell Williams and French fashion house, Louis Vuitton. It was butt ugly, but still important in the grand scheme of things. The losses of Virgil Abloh and Andre Leon Talley left massive holes in the world of Black fashion, and it seems Pharell is trying to fill that space. He needs to get it together, though. The pixelated, Minecraftian prints and muddy colors disturbed me in my spirit.
Jeremy Scott stepping down
I’m devastated. Jeremy Scott’s designs for Moschino were what got me into fashion. It’s still my favorite fashion house. I’m trying to keep an open heart, but his work is what revived the Moschino magic after years of dullness. I’m hopeful for the future of his career, though. I’ll likely still flock to whatever he does.
Music:
Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd? by Lana Del Rey
I already raved about this in my Lana essay, so I’ll keep it brief. Incredible album. It came at the perfect time in my life and will forever be engraved in my heart. I’m also grateful that whenever someone says a long sentence, you can be like, “that sounds like a Lana Del Rey album title.” Always kills.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale by Tyler, the Creator
Tyler routinely releases an album every other year. I’m still in denial that he didn’t drop one in 2023. Obviously, it’ll come out on the 648th day of 2023!
At least the songs from this deluxe version of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST are phenomenal. It’s disappointing that some of these didn’t make the initial release—I would’ve loved to see cuts like “STUNTMAN” and “DOGTOOTH” live.
Speaking of: “STUNTMAN” is undeniably top five Tyler. I love it when Vince Staples features on other tracks because his own beats are often meh. The second verse is Tyler’s best, full stop. If you don’t believe me, read it and weep.
The song and accompanying music video for “SORRY NOT SORRY” are insane. It’s the perfect homage to Tyler’s previous eras in a way that’s so exciting to see as someone who’s followed his career for years. When I played the video for my dad, he said he was the most excited he’s been about a new song since “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar.
Let Her Burn by Rebecca Black
Rebecca Black may not be a household name, but she certainly has a household song in the infamous “Friday.” She’s saved her career and I still feel bad for her. I can’t imagine being the face of the then-most disliked video on YouTube and making headlines for having such a terrible song...at thirteen!
A decade after her viral flop, she released her debut album, Let Her Burn. Though the LP isn’t perfect, it’s rare that you see such a career glow up like this. Her sound is an exact fusion of King Princess and Charli XCX, with its perfect combination of Sapphic ballads and hyper-pop dance tracks. Some favorite tracks of mine include “Misery Loves Company”, “Crumbs”, “Sick to My Stomach”, and “Cry Hard Enough.”
Also, her live performances look sick. I know that concert would go hard. Her live singing sounds identical to the recorded tracks, and the stage presence is there, mama. She has a bedazzled chainsaw microphone. That says it all.
JAGUAR II by Victoria Monet
Victoria Monet could be one of the most popular artists in the world if she had a better marketing team. I’m serious. I hate that I have to say, “she wrote songs for Ariana Grande,” if I’m explaining her to someone who’s unfamiliar. She is a superstar on her own.
JAGUAR II is phenomenal front to back. Clocking in at 35 and a half minutes, it’s perfect for listening while getting ready or tidying. It’s hard for me to recommend certain songs over others, so I’ll just talk about the album’s main course: “Hollywood (feat. Earth, Wind & Fire + Hazel Monet).” An Earth, Wind & Fire feature is a big freakin’ deal. It’s smooth, it’s old school, it’s amazing. Great job, Ms. Monet.
The record by boygenius
They better sweep at the Grammys. I would feel that way regardless of how good the album is. It’s excellent if you want to be sad!
I’ve personally fallen out of love with boygenius and its members simply because I’m doing better mentally and don’t want to wallow around listening to sad music all the time. Now, I wallow around and listen to oontz oontz music. I’ll still always root for them, though.
Midnights/Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)/1989 (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
Though Midnights came out in 2022, 2023 was the year of its awards show takeover. BOOOOO! Its on-the-nose lyricism and generic instrumentation make it largely unlistenable to me. “Lavender Haze,” “Bejeweled,” and “Snow on the Beach (feat. More Lana Del Rey)” are the only salvageable cuts; only the lattermost song has made my playlist, and I still skip it every time it comes on shuffle. Her producer, Jack Antonoff, is at his Jack Antonoff-est, with each song’s production feeling like he copied and pasted his usual production and made it blander. He rides such a fine line with the pop girlies he produces for. Folklore, Norman F*cking Rockwell!, and Melodrama are masterpieces, while Midnights, Chemtrails Over the Country Club, and Solar Power are monotonous and unremarkable. I once saw a video on Twitter where a guy would play every song on Taylor’s most recent albums and guess if they were produced by Antonoff within seconds. I could probably do the same. I like him, I’m just itching for a switch up.
Swift released two more Taylor’s Version LPs, the first being Speak Now. I didn’t have a choice in being brought up in a predominantly white area, therefore I didn’t have a choice in whether I’d have nostalgia for this album. I didn’t know how to put music on my iPod, so I had a friend’s mom do it for me, and pretty much exclusively put Taylor Swift on there. I want to give this album a 0/10 simply because I prefer the original, more misogynistic lyrics to “Better Than Revenge.” Besides that, the only flaw I can think of is the fact that these were probably my least favorite “From the Vault” tracks, even the one featuring Paramore frontwoman and Black icon, Hayley Williams.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) was her other major rerelease, and...oh, God...I’m sorry, Taylor, but you got a lot of money—I think you’ll be okay if I listen to the original. The mixing is atrocious. Her vocals consistently sound washed out, and the once powerful progressions are neutered into what sounds like DJ Department Store remixes. It’s so odd considering the other TV albums are nearly identical to their predecessors. Hopefully that issue doesn’t happen with Reputation (Taylor’s Version), because I know that’s gonna shake shit up when it drops. Bring back the Kanye and Gaylor drama! I want to see internet messiness!
REVAMPED by Demi Lovato
This has the same issue as 1989 (Taylor’s Version), only far, far worse. I first heard the updated iteration of “Heart Attack” long after its release, playing in the restaurant I worked at. It ruined my already sour mood. The production was so bad I was concerned about my hearing. I’m not kidding. Anxiety’s a bitch. I went to listen to it as soon as I went home to see if I was hard of hearing. If only.
REVAMPED sees Lovato’s mostly-Disney-era hits reimagined—or revamped, rather—as rock versions. I guess the producers had narrow imaginations. They sound like the original tracks with rock guitars and drums slapped over top of them; they’re essentially the same pop songs but with a filter. Also, this was totally unnecessary. “Heart Attack” makes sense to adapt into a rock version, but “Cool for the Summer” is pop perfection that is not to be tampered with. I would even dare to put it in my top 100 pop songs of all time. It just seems to me like Lovato’s pockets were running dry, so she decided to rip a page from Taylor Swift’s book to make a quick buck.
Something to Give Each Other by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan’s 2023 resurgence made teenagers on TikTok accuse him of being an industry plant. I then spent an hour looking in the mirror for wrinkles. Y’all weren’t there when the Blue Neighborhood music video trilogy dropped. Y’all weren’t there making Tumblr pastel grunge edits of “Happy Little Pill” lyrics your phone wallpaper. Y’all weren’t dropping everything to watch the YouTube collabs he did with Tyler Oakley. You just weren’t!
Because of my bias and excitement for a new full-length Troye project, I dismissed all the haters who said Something to Give Each Other was generic, with deep cuts that don’t live up to the singles. Now, having had time to reflect on it, I both agree and disagree. Apart from the singles, I only find myself revisiting “What’s the Time Where You Are?” and “Silly.” The rest do tend to camouflage themselves within his discography. Regardless, those tracks are so strong that I don’t even mind. Troye knows how to make an oontz oontz banger. If only he could’ve stuck with that for the entire album.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan
I felt the anticipation for this album in my bones. I’m unsure of critic’s thoughts, but I know in my circle of pop music enthusiasts, we were antsy. I nibbled eagerly on singles “Pink Pony Club” and “Naked in Manhattan” for what felt like ages before the feast that was this full-length project.
Roan did not disappoint in the slightest. One of the most enjoyable first listens of the year. Her queer, upbeat anthems never fail to put me in a good mood. It’s hard to narrow down my favorite tracks, but some unskippable cuts include “Femininomenon,” “Red Wine Supernova,” “After Midnight,” “Casual,” “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” “HOT TO GO!,” and “Guilty Pleasure.” Basically, the whole thing. At the moment, “Femininomenon” is my top track. Its driving, dance-demanding beat is infectious. It’s perfect “dance in the mirror while you get ready” music. I’m also obsessed with the, “Um, can you play a song with a fucking beat?” spoken line that precedes the chorus. And the theme of “men don’t do it for me like girls do” is heavily relatable.
It’s quite impressive to me that Roan manages to stand out from her peers that all make incredibly comparable music. Rina Sawayama, MUNA, Japanese Breakfast, The Greeting Committee, and Remi Wolf all make similarly upbeat pop bangers, yet there’s something about Chappell Roan that is so uniquely her.
Recently, a video popped up in my YouTube recommended about how pop music is dead. I think that’s a wild, under-researched claim. Sure, mainstream pop has taken a hit. A lot of the biggest pop songs of the Now are pop-rap. But that’s mainstream pop. The artists I just mentioned, along with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Renee Rapp, Tate McCrae, and Charli XCX are thriving. And they’re all worth listening to! (Except Tate McCrae.)
UTOPIA by Travis Scott
I’m getting too old to listen to records as soon as they drop right at midnight. This, however, was one I was sure to check out right away.
People that posture themselves as “real fans” because they think this is trash compared to his earlier work drive me insane. I love it, I don’t care. Maybe even as much as ASTROWORLD. I can’t even describe the songs themselves. It’s just a great Travis Scott album. He, as usual, has excellent beats and excellent features. It’s all so good. Some personal highlights include “HYAENA,” “THANK GOD,” “GOD’S COUNTRY,” “MELTDOWN (feat. Drake),” “I KNOW ?,” “TOPIA TWINS (feat. Rob49 & 21 Savage),” and “CIRCUS MAXIMUS (feat. The Weeknd & Swae Lee).”
Lady Gaga’s ARTPOP turned 10
Time is wild. I can’t remember the last time an album’s anniversary made this much noise. The gays were abuzz. (Tangent: One time my home girl told me the pride playlist they were playing at her job reminded her of me because I have the music taste of a gay man.)
As I was fortunately in Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta’s top Spotify listeners, I got early access to preorder the special anniversary merch. I had no choice but to cop. It’s one of my favorite items in my wardrobe, though its bright hues make it incredibly hard to style.
Anyway, “G.U.Y” is top three Gaga.
The Loveliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
HEAR ME OUT, Y’ALL. I know “Call Me Maybe” and “I Really Like You” are annoying to most people. I implore you to keep an open heart and look into the rest of her discography. Okay, fine. I admit you have to be really into pop to like her. Very stereotypical, poppy sound.
This acts as a sister album to the one she released a year prior, The Loneliest Time. Those titles are annoyingly close. Literally a frickin’ letter apart. I tend to mix up which songs are on which. That’s a minor gripe. The Loveliest Time is the prettier sister, hands down. The catchy choruses on the Quinn to The Loneliest Time’s Daria stuck with me far more.
In typical Jepsen fashion, the production is immaculate. I adore the groovier beats. The perfect listening scenario is while sitting in a shady spot on a summer’s day, bopping in a teeny crop top while sketching trees and birds. Or while driving on the way to thrift and get iced coffee.
The record’s latter half takes a slight dip compared to the highs of the first six songs. Even still, the “worse” cuts are still fantastic. The best ones are “Anything to Be With You,” “Kamikaze,” “Aeroplanes,” “Shy Boy,” “Kollage,” “So Right,” and “Come Over.”
Books:
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
I read my first CoHo novel. It made me want to break into my old high school to use the chemistry classrooms’ eye wash stations. There’s incest in this book. Whatever, I don’t care if I’m spoiling it. Don’t read this.
Despite my hatred, disgust, and overall lack of confidence in Hoover’s ability to write even a to-do list, I get the appeal. I could not put this down no matter how terrible it was. I wanted to be put down.
Rapid fire criticisms: the main character has no personality; the love interest is terrible; the story is predictable; half of the characters have the same job which tells me she was too lazy to research other careers; there are sincere homophobic “jokes”; an old man pisses himself for no reason and it’s played for laughs; the book switches points of view between the protagonist in present day and the love interest six years prior, with his parts being aligned to center with no details, just thoughts. As pretentious as this is, it felt like an amateur, fanfiction writer move; the siblings call each other “bro” and “sis.” My brothers and I call each other fat, ugly niggers; I didn’t believe a single thing that was happening; it has the energy of a straight-to-Amazon e-Book written by a hobbyist as opposed to a full-time author; and yes, she yet again romanticizes abuse. I hate this lady down.
Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke
The single best book I read this year. Heather Radke made this for me specifically. A non-fiction book about history, anthropology, pop culture, race, and asses? With a punny title and clever cover? This is some heat.
I’m sure you can infer from the title that this is about all things booty. It begins by detailing why human butts are this way, delving into the evolutionary science of why our derrieres are proportionately the largest out of any species. Then, it spends a good amount of time talking about both the sexualization and demonization of Black women’s curves. After that, we get into the pop culture of it all, discussing the exercise mania of the 1980s, Sir Mix-A-Lot's “Baby Got Back,” J-Lo, Kim Kardashian, and more. One of the most interesting texts I could ever recommend. I like to listen to audiobooks in the shower, and this made me want to stay in there until even my nipples pruned. The only draw to it is that it’s incredibly awkward to hear the narrator recite rap lyrics in the driest way imaginable.
Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
I deserve a gold star for not abandoning this book.
There was so much buzz about this, with blue-check-mark internet people praising it as a real, nuanced take on gender. Is the nuance in the room with us now? Give me the definition of nuance, since everybody wanna be Miriam-Webster all of a sudden.
Peters’ debut novel follows Reese, a trans woman, who’s approached by her ex, Ames (formerly Amy), asking her to help co-parent his future child alongside him and his babymama who happens to be his boss. He asks because he knows she wants to be a mom from when they were together, and he has no faith in his ability to be a good dad after spending so long identifying as a trans woman that he’s unsure what manhood even means to him. Damn. That’s crazy. If I had an ex ask me to help raise a kid with their current boo, oh wow, you guys would see some wild headlines about me. Whatever the allegations, I did it. This is such a sitcom-y concept that I’m confused as to why Peters wrote a book instead of a screenplay. I wasn’t able to suspend disbelief during any part of this.
I’m so over the unlikeable character trend. Just because a character is a cunt, doesn’t mean the creator is necessarily making them complicated, nuanced, or real. Reese is complicated, but her bitchiness is over the top and never truly gets resolved. There’s a point in the book wherein Boss Baby(mama), Katrina, empathizes with Reese over not relating to images of motherhood; although Katrina is cisgender, she’s also half-Chinese, separated from the ideals of white motherhood. Reese gets mad that Katrina would have the nerve to compare their struggles, and though Katrina calls her out, the narrative doesn’t depict her as being in the wrong. It doesn’t need to be super explicit. Main characters in books are allowed to have controversial opinions, but it’s up to the author to show their wrongness. Peters failed at that.
Another thing that makes Reese a horrible person is how she treats Ames. She constantly refers to him by his old name, not believing that he’s truly a man. It’s weird as hell. It’s unfortunate that her perspective on Ames’ identity takes the forefront, when his life was the most intriguing part of the whole story.
As someone who once identified as transgender, the one thing Detransition, Baby gets right is that even after re-identifying with one’s assigned sex, there’s still a part of you that will always be trans. I know that sounds contradictory to my last paragraph. Ames is still a man, but he also has a connection to transness. Plus, I know from experience, detransition is a transition in itself.
While Torrey Peters managed to make a thought-provoking novel that brought the idea of detransition to the cultural discourse at the time of its release, it’s one you should skip.
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
I tried so hard to like Manhunt. Abandoning books is so not my jam, but it took too much out of me.
Firstly, the cover is amazing. It’s a welcome, refreshing change from the same-y designs on most contemporary works. It’s like a horror twist on one of my favorites of all time, Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl (the book itself is a little disappointing).
The concept for Manhunt is elite. It takes place in a dystopian United States, after a virus breaks out, turning all that were assigned male at birth into monsters. The main cast is a group of trans people trying to survive. To get the estrogen needed to prevent the trans women from getting effected, they must kill the cisgender men to harvest the hormones stored in their testicles; the trans man hides to keep from getting killed by people assuming he’s cis. As if this weren’t enough, they all have to avoid being hunted by TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists).
Manhunt’s humor is an acquired taste. I thought it was a bit cringeworthy initially, until something clicked, and I just got it. It’s queer gen-z Twitter humor that’s not for everyone but got a few chuckles out of me. Felker-Martin's voice is excellent, and is amplified further by the audiobook’s narrator, Katherine Pucciariello. The horror elements are also great—I got sincerely grossed out.
Those are my only positives. The plot and characters are where this book falls flat. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve read a book before, so I’m sure you know that...plot and characters are, like, almost all of what a book is. This is once again a novel with an unlikeable cast, only this time, they’re banging the whole time. The relationship drama is redundant and annoying, and I wasn’t invested in any of their dynamics. It’s wild that a literal apocalypse took a backseat to sucking dick and cock.
It started to feel like nothing was happening. Sorry to the trans community, but I had to abandon this one.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
This book is emotional to the point of indescribability. It’s a heartbreaking page-turner with prose that you feel in your chest. I will absolutely be checking out the author’s other work.
Inspired by Vuong’s own life, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a collection of letters the main character, Little Dog, has written to his mother who cannot read. There’s so much depth to that summary in itself. He’s writing confessions he always wanted to tell her, but kind of hopes she’ll never understand. He writes about life as an immigrant and translator for his her, discovering his sexuality, addiction, and how his mother was abusive toward him. Real lighthearted read (sarcasm).
I can’t say any more about this because I want you to read it. I finished it in two days it was so good.
Tampa by Alissa Nutting
The reviews for this novel are understandably mixed. It is disgusting, and not for the faint of heart or stomach. It’s in a good, can’t-put-it-down way.
Based on a true story, Tampa’s lead, Celeste Price, is a gorgeous woman with a gorgeous, rich husband. She’s also a pedophile. A hebephile to be exact, lusting after the fourteen-year-old boys; her favorite pornography is boy band music videos. After starting a job at a new school, she develops a crush on a shy student named Jack.
I’ve never been more grossed out by a book. Any literature enthusiast will immediately draw parallels to Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. Lolita is not nearly as bad. At least the prose gives you more to chew on and parse, allowing the modern reader to almost get distracted by the big words. Tampa was rough because I was like oh no, I know these words.
This book never once frames this as a romance, thank God. Nutting (I can’t believe that’s really her last name) will not let you forget that this lady is revolting. Every other line is like “I can’t wait to bang this little boy”. It makes for a great companion piece to May December (2023).
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Calling Open Water a romance is selling it short. It’s about love, it’s about Black masculinity, it’s about intimacy. My mind was completely changed on how I thought about second-person point of view in books, but this made it feel immensely personal. It’s a quick read, too. Read it!!!!!
Television:
The Idol
Don’t shame me for having watched this. I couldn’t resist a chance to dunk on Sam Levinson. And, you can’t not say you were curious about this show, even if you haven’t seen it. It’s Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye’s acting debut, Sam Levinson’s first series since Euphoria, so there was going to be buzz regardless of whether it was good. (It wasn’t!)
The show’s controversy stems from Tesfaye and Levinson firing co-creator and director, Amy Seimetz, for inserting too much of the “female perspective.” Even worse, they did this after most of the show was filmed. The leaked photos from deleted scenes make me so emo over how we could’ve had something memorable in a good way.
Positives first:
It’s no surprise that The Idol looks gorgeous. Cinematographer and long-time collaborator with Levinson, Marcell Rev, is up to his usual genius. Like the second season of Euphoria, the miniseries was shot on film. Each shot is dessert for the eyes. It doesn’t hurt that the mansion most of the show takes place in is one of the most stunning homes I’ve ever seen. The sole draw to the cinematography is how little it says about the story. There’s no symbolism—it just looks cool. I almost don’t mind it. There are so many terrible things about the show that it gets a pass.
The Idol’s soundtrack orchestrated by Tesfaye, featuring many of the singing characters, is bomb. I’m sorry. That’s from the perspective of someone who had him as their fourth most listened to artist of 2023, though. A lot of the lyrics suck, but I can’t help but love a good synthesizer. Its title theme, “The Lure,” is otherworldly. I can’t describe it. The moody, orchestral instrumentation is heaven, the universe, whatever you believe in. It makes you all the more disappointed with how bad the show is, because that song alone sets the tone for exactly what the show was going for yet failed to do.
Assisting in the music’s appeal, every singer in this show is next level. Moses Sumney has the smoothest, butteriest voice, and I’m so glad this put him on the map. Susanna Son is another previously unknown performer and she kills it. I’m so excited to see what she does in the future, whether that be music or acting.
All the actors apart from Tesfaye do incredibly. I was surprised at Depp’s acting chops, though she kind of relies on being able to cry on command. Rachel Sennott, Da’Vine Joy Randolf, Dan Levy, and Hank Azaria are the best actors and characters. They pulled the comedic beats all the way off, and they were the few characters that felt like they could be real people.
Okay. Those are all the nice things I have to say.
For all the hardcore pornography, this show is boring as all get out. I haven’t been so bored watching porn since I was on Lexapro. The entire narrative is bogged down by useless sex, overly long scenes, and frequent halts for glorified music videos. I can’t imagine being turned on or entertained by this. Levinson intended to create something provocative, and I was only provoked by how bad it was. It felt like the only purposes of the series is for Sam Levinson to direct “graphic” sex scenes he couldn’t include in Euphoria and for Tesfaye to act out his sexual fantasies. I mean, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) is model thin like his ex, Bella Hadid, and a pop star like his other ex, Selena Gomez. Weird as hell.
If you’ve seen the clips, you know Tesfaye can’t act for shit. Whatever. My hot take is that Troye Sivan wasn’t that great in this either. He’s phenomenal in one scene in particular (if you‘ve seen it, you know), but that’s it. His American accent is awful in the first two episodes (I assume someone told him to fix it after that). It amazes me that I haven’t heard anyone talk about that. Anyway, stream Something to Give Each Other.
The best fucking part about the show is that there’s a scene at the end that’s supposed to be a Jocelyn concert, but it was filmed at one of The Weeknd’s concerts. You can hear the fans chanting his name in the background. And that means the people that attended the show were spoiled for the very last scene. Amazing.
Weirdly enough, I don’t regret watching this. It was fun waiting for each new, atrocious episode.
RuPaul’s Drag Race 15/All Stars 8/UK 5/Canada 4
Being a Drag Race superfan is a full-time job. I told myself I was only going to watch season 15 of the flagship series and maybe All Stars. That goal went horribly.
Season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race is pure excellence. During its airing, the first half of the season had shortened episodes to make room for the “reality” show, The Real Friends of WeHo (they were not friends nor were they all from West Hollywood). The bite-sized viewings left fans with little story and blink-and-you'll-miss-it runways. Releasing the full-length ones on Paramount+ was the smartest thing Drag Race ever did, and with the added context, this became one of my favorite casts.
Sasha Colby and Anetra being fan favorites is simply correct. Their lip-syncing talents, and kind, humble energies are magnetic. Not to mention how drop-dead gorgeous they are. Though I love them both, the stand-out queens for me were Luxx Noir London and Mistress Isabelle Brooks. They’re lovably shady in a way reminiscent of classic Drag Race, plus with the talent to back it up. Of course, they’re both people of color, so the fans sent them constant hate while the episodes were airing, while white contestants get away with far more.
I need to gush even more about Luxx. From the moment she entered the Werk Room in her black and white jumpsuit and “forty” inch wig, I felt something special. She’s so...me. I’ve never related more to a single other person who’s appeared on the show, except that guy who thought he killed Judy Garland. He’s a real one.
The winner was obvious from the second they announced the queens. When that’s the case, it can either be annoying and boring (All Stars 8) or it can be fun to watch them dominate, like in seasons six and eight. I go back and forth with this one. It’s impossible not to enjoy watching the winner annihilate challenge after challenge. But having such a powerhouse makes the competition show into...well, not much of a competition at all.
All Stars 8 isn’t great (I’m being nice). If you don’t like the cast, you’ll hate this season. There’s a reason why it was dubbed “some stars” by the fanbase. There are a lot of early-outs and queens that the more casual fans have forgotten. I hadn’t forgotten. I’d been wanting Mrs. Kasha Davis, Heidi N Closet, Darienne Lake, Jaymes Mansfield, Monica Beverly Hillz, and Jessica Wild on my screen again for a while, so I was willing to give “some stars” a chance.
There are enjoyable moments for sure, but it seems like LaLa Ri and Jimbo are the only ones having fun. According to contestant Heidi N Closet, some of them expected there to be no eliminations like the prior iteration of All Stars. They didn’t think they would have to eliminate their peers, so morale was at a low to begin with. There was even a point when RuPaul himself had to enter the Werk Room and give a pep talk to prevent queens from walking out.
Plus, as I’ve previously mentioned, the winner is obvious from the jump in a way that makes the whole season feel pointless.
The runways were good, though.
After All Stars 8, the Drag Race fatigue had truly set in. Then, of course, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season five started making noise, being hailed as a return to form for the franchise. At the week of its finale, I decided to binge it in two days.
So stinkin’ good. The producers finally did something right. Typically, in the “modern” seasons, certain queens are given clear favoritism and pushed far in the competition despite underperforming in challenges. That’s not true of UK 5 at all. People you so expect to get saved in bullshit ways get eliminated as soon as they slip up. It makes the competition feel tight, tense, and unpredictable. This was the first time in ages that my top four predictions were totally wrong.
Also: stan Kate Butch.
Finally, Canada’s Drag Race 5. Overall, it’s pretty good! The first half of the season is far more entertaining than the latter half—once a fair chunk of the queens got eliminated, it gets a little meh.
The real star of the season is Mother Melinda Verga. When she stepped into the Werk Room in a hideous rainbow jumpsuit, I assumed she was the first out, as I’m sure many did. It was such a welcome surprise to see her become iconic almost immediately. She makes up for the busted looks, makeup, and wigs with her overflowing confidence and quirkiness. Her big Untucked fight was one of the best moments in Canada’s Drag Race herstory. With the internet unanimously stanning, she’s a shoo-in for All Stars or a Vs the World season. I disagree. All Stars isn’t enough. She needs to come to the US to take over for RuPaul.
MILF Manor
The start of 2023 was rough for me, so I’m not kidding when I say I was staying alive to watch MILF Manor. I was more excited for new episodes than I was for RuPaul’s Drag Race or Succession. Not only can you not look away from the Freudian trainwreck, but you can’t stop thinking about it either. I can’t believe it’s real.
MILF Manor is a Love Island style dating show, only with the female contestants being moms aged 44-60. Within the first few minutes of the premiere, the men are revealed. The twist is that the guys are their sons (ages 20-30). Each mother-son pair has to room together while looking for inter-generational love. It’s foul. It’s nearly impossible to stomach. It’s art.
It’s unclear as to whether it will get a second season.
Riverdale
Publicly praising Riverdale will make me lose all credibility. I don’t care. That’s how much I love Riverdale.
Prior to my rediscovering of Riverdale, I didn’t watch anything mindlessly. I’m just someone who feels like their brain always needs to be on—my perfectionist brain doesn’t like it when I’m not learning or absorbing something. It’s kind of annoying.
When I told my ex-roommates I had seen up to season four, they said I had to finish it since I stuck it out that long. I did, and wow, what a wonderful, mindless show. Riverdale was the reason why the term “so bad it’s good” was created (source: me). Each episode goes so far off the rails that it’s impossible not to laugh or yell at your screen.
Believe it or not, the seventh season is actually kinda...good? Through some magical bullshit, the cast is transported to the 1950s with no recollection of their lives in the 2020s. It’s basically a total reboot if the show were to be more faithful to its comic inspiration. And everybody’s fuckin’ everybody. Riverdale is a perpetually horny show, but usually it’s irrelevant to the plot. Betty’s entire story arc for the season is being horny. Real. It’s all but canon that each character is queer and polyamorous.
Succession
I’m still not fully recovered from the fact that it’s over. I wish I could rewind time and watch it all again for the first time. There’s nothing I can contribute to the Succession conversation that hasn’t been said. Just watch it!!!!!
Film:
White Noise (2022) dir. Noah Baumbach
Don DeLillo’s White Noise was required reading in my high school AP Lang class, and I immediately fell in love. It reads like a sitcom—it’s hilarious and philosophical and felt like it was specifically made for me. I swore to myself that I would be the one to buy the rights to it and make a feature film adaptation. So, you can imagine my devastation when I saw the trailer in theaters.
The trailer aired right before Banshees of Inisherin (2022). The person I was with had to witness me throw a full-blown tantrum fueled by the vodka cran we had sneaked into the theater via Nalgene bottle. They reassured me that I would make a way better movie than the Oscar-nominated Noah Baumbach, but it could be possible that they just wanted me to be quiet. Not sure. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and rant on my private Snapchat story.
I liked Marriage Story (2019), so I was willing to give Baumbach, final boss of children of divorce, a chance. In a word, the film was hollow. It felt completely stripped of all the things that made the book fun. I just don’t think Baumbach has much of a sense of humor. That’s fine, not everyone does, but the book made me laugh out loud, and the film had me stone-faced as fuck. Expect a remake from me in a few decades.
Paris, Texas (1984) dir. Wim Wenders
This film holds so much sentimental value to me that when I see people online call the film mid, I consider doxxing them.
Most of my family loves movies. So, naturally, we made a group chat. Each week one of us would pick a movie and we’d all argue about what we thought. For the week of my birthday, I chose Paris, Texas, impressing them with a pick from the Criterion Collection.
Coming off a horrible, depressing year and a half, this wrecked me. I related a lot with the protagonist’s loneliness and yearning. It reflected how I felt during depressive episodes—unable to reach out or connect with loved ones because of the doom and gloom.
My grandma passed two weeks later, before she could send her opinions on it to the group chat. When we were going through her stuff, we found a notebook with all her thoughts. I’m thinking this year I’ll get a tattoo dedicated to the film (and her).
The Little Mermaid (2023) dir. Rob Marshall
Why is Awkwafina in this?
Beau is Afraid (2023) dir. Ari Aster
This was the latest I’d ever seen a film in theaters. An incredible 9 pm to midnight. You know my ass was ready to honk mememe honk mememe.
This was one of those watches that was so cool at first but sucked more upon reflection. A lot of it was funny and exciting, Joaquin Phoenix and Patty LuPone are phenomenal, and some other third thing. I loved analyzing it in the moment, impatient to read the reviews to see if my interpretations were correct.
They were. It’s a lot more literal than it purports itself to be. Even though I enjoyed myself while watching, Beau is Afraid is undoubtedly Ari Aster’s worst.
Cruising (1980) dir. William Freidkin
I dashed my stubby little fingers to my favorite pirating site as soon as I saw the premise. Al Pacino plays a police officer going undercover in the gay S&M district. That’s all I needed to know.
I was shocked at how mild the homophobia was. There are homophobic cops and men portraying trans women, but other than that, it’s tamer than a lot of media that’s come out post-2000. It wasn’t at all triggering to watch.
Pacino perfects the subtlety of his character; does he like being tied up, face down ass up, butt ass naked in a man’s apartment? We’ll never know. Also, he gets slapped in the face with a dildo out of nowhere. You will not be able to predict when it happens. Cinema.
Pleasure (2021) dir. Ninja Thyberg
Did you know there are pornos on Letterboxd? I found out through this film. When I clicked on the actors’ profiles to see if they were in anything else, and it was all porn. Props to the casting director. It’s no small feat finding porn stars who can act.
Premiering at Sundance 2021, Pleasure follows a young Swedish woman who just moved to the states in hopes of becoming the next big adult film star. It takes a raw and empathetic approach to an industry that’s heavily scrutinized, while still showing the dangers of it.
Out of the 100+ flicks I watched last year, for some reason this was one of the few that stuck with me. I like melancholy, character-study-type films, and this does all of that plus with nuance and graphic sex. I definitely recommend. Plus, with it being a Swedish film that’s filmed in the US and is entirely in English, you can brag and say you watch foreign films without having to put down the Candy Crush to read subtitles.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) dir. Laura Poitras
I found this on Max when I was looking for a lighthearted documentary to watch. GOOD CALL, JACKSON.
Fuck a recency bias, this is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. So good in fact that I couldn’t find any joke reviews on Letterboxd. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is about the life, work, and activism of photographer Nan Goldin. In the scenes focusing on the present, we see Goldin organizing massive protests against the pharmaceutical industry. When she’s reminiscing on the past, we’re shown her incredible photography of past loves and muses, many of whom passed during the AIDS epidemic. It’s so stunning and gut-wrenching and human.
It always feels forced when a movie tries to insert its title into the dialogue. This one is phenomenal. I got full body chills. This is a must-watch for anyone interested in photography or activism.
Theater Camp (2023) dir. Molly Gordon, Nick Leiberman
I was a theater kid. I was an “I can’t, I have rehearsal,” theater kid. An “I know the Glee choreography to this” theater kid. Even...a “guys, let’s harmonize” theater kid. I’ve since been in recovery. That was until Theater Camp made me relapse.
This is hands down the funniest film I watched last year. There wasn’t even enough time for me to stop laughing at a joke before another hit me. I’m not a fan of comedies, and this thankfully avoids the tropes that I can’t stand in them (the sitcom-y miscommunications).
In the film, the director of a theater summer camp (Caroline Aaron) suddenly dies, and the person to take on the thrown is her son (Jimmy Tatro), an incompetent influencer. A major focus is placed on two of the camp’s leaders, Amos Klobuchar (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon).
The cast knocks this out of the park. I’m a Ben Platt hater, and I loved him in this. His chemistry with Gordon is off the charts, which is a given considering the two actually attended theater camp together when they were children. They include footage of their younger selves in the film and I teared up a little. Tatro is another stand out, though I’m biased because I loved American Vandal. Ayo Edebiri is hilarious as well, duh.
This is the perfect love letter to theater kids. It both pokes fun of them and embraces them in the best way possible. It really took me back to the theater days and all the fun times I had when I wasn’t overwhelmed with stress. Confession time: I cried like a baby at the end. Fine! You got me! I love Sondheim! I love Golden Age musicals! I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and his dogshit plots! I love RENT!
Seriously. If you did theater, you have to watch this.
We’ve finally reached the end. If you read all 10,500+ words of this, I love you. To 2024!