Letters, The Woman King, and more
So far, I’ve only seen my last letter in a North Dakota newspaper. My next one will make the animal welfare case for increased public funding for cultivated-meat research. If you’d like to write your own letters, give this a read: https://slaughterfreeamerica.substack.com/p/how-to-write-letters-to-newspapers?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web
Anyway, it’s time for (Cell) Culture Talk. Here’s what I’ve been watching and listening to lately.
Movie — Ambulance. The plot is silly and the character development is limited, but there are some incredibly propulsive action scenes in this Michael Bay film. Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II star as bank robbers who hijack an ambulance during their getaway. Eiza González plays an EMT the pair take hostage.
Movie — The Woman King. I’ve seen three of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s films: Love & Basketball, The Old Guard, and now this. They’re all excellent. They’re also very different, though they clearly share common themes. Viola Davis stars here as the leader of an all-female military unit in 19th century West Africa.
Movie — The Thing (2011). I went into this film with very low expectations. I remembered Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.‘s prequel to John Carpenter’s classic of the same name being trashed by critics. However, I ended up having a lot of fun with the movie. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays a paleontologist stationed at an Antarctica research station.
Movie — The Adventures of Tintin. I wasn’t a huge fan of the comics growing up, but I recently reread Tintin in Tibet, which made me want to revisit Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the series. I’m not sure if I like the animation style. Some of the characters are incredibly lifelike, while others are very cartoony. Still, it’s a pleasurable ride.
Sports — Knicks trade Obi Toppin to Pacers. I hope Toppin will get more of a chance to play in Indiana. He never got a fair shake in New York. That said, the return of two second round picks doesn’t seem commensurate with his talent. The Knicks should have developed him or traded him earlier.
Sports — Knicks sign Donte DiVincenzo. I don’t know much about this guy, aside from the fact he played with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in college and they seem excited about the reunion. Adding Hart had a huge impact last season. It would be great if DiVincenzo could do something similar.
Podcast — The Rewatchables. I’ve enjoyed a lot of movie podcasts over the years, like Battleship Pretension, The Canon and Blank Check. This one is my current favorite. I really only listen to the episodes about films I’ve seen, and a recent offering, about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, certainly qualifies. There are few movies I love more!
Music — Back to Black by Amy Winehouse. I’ve been a fan of this album since it came out. Obviously, it’s hard to enjoy songs like “Rehab” in the same way one might have before Winehouse died, but the record remains a masterpiece. I hadn’t listened to it in a while.