47. [Monthly Wrap-Up] Media Diary #2 - June 2023
Media Diary #2: June 2023
June is Foreign Movie Month on Letterboxd. I decided to start strong with a list of a bunch of foreign movies I wanted to watch this month, but unfortunately I don't think I got to them all this month. It's all good! A challenge isn't good unless the challenge itself is going to push you do your best (personal growth) AND if you're having fun (personal enjoyment). I love foreign movies and I love a competition, but I need to give myself some time to ease and relax. Also, I didn't think that watching these European movies (mostly English-speaking British films) really counted as a "foreign movie" that much, therefore, I wasn't really "in it". I'm going to for sure challenge myself next time.
So instead of movies, I've actually finished a lot of TV's shows (but not the ones from last month lol). I'm not going to do a whole "episode table" because I watched many seasons to its completion! I'll just do a ranking list.
Enjoy my monthly wrap-up. (I added "vibes" when talking about the films I've watched, but I don't want to do that right now. I'll edit it at another time for completion of course!) :)
Table of Contents
☀️ Films
☀️ TV Series
☀️ Songs
☀️ Books
☀️ Podcasts
☀️ Games
1
Films 🎥
[16 total films]
- La piel que habito (2011) 'The Skin I Live In' Directed by Pedro Almodóvar| ★★★★★★ 6/10 - watched 01 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Antonio Banderas really put the pussy…. in boots 🫢
honestly the score and visuals were so gorgeous, but the whole story was so disturbing omg holy hell this was actually insane
Foreign Movie Month #1: Spain
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- Pearl (2022) Directed by Ti West| ★★★★★★★ 7/10 - watched 07 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: I can't believe that - in a span of a couple of days - she got away from her parents <3, got dick, got rid of a toxic man <3, danced her little ass off at auditions <3, had a heart to heart with her bestie <3, and her mans stayed loyal to her <3
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- Unleashed (2005) Directed by Louis Leterrier | ★★★★★★ 6/10 - watched 10 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: This action movie had no business being this wholesome
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- The Elephant Whisperers (2022) Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves | ★★★★★★★★ 8/10 - watched 10 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Wow the baby elephants 🥺🥺🥺
Foreign Movie Month #2: India
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- Nanny McPhee (2005) Directed by Kirk Jones | ★★★★★★★ 7/10 - watched 10 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: The costume design in this movie walked so that Bridgertoncan run
Foreign Movie Month #3: UK
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- Dersu Uzala (1975) ‘Дерсу Узала’ | Directed by Akira Kurosawa | ★★★★★★★ 7/10 - watched 11 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Two bros friendship in the middle of the snow 🥺🥺🥺
Foreign Movie Month #4: USSR
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- Chicago (2002) | Directed by Rob Marshall | ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 - watched 11 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: This is where the theater kids go when they die
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- Rent (2005) | Directed by Chris Columbus | ★★★★★ 5/10 - watched 12 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Speeeaaaaak.
Honestly if I had an entire year to write a song to my dying girlfriend I would make it good idk Roger but I’m built different
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- Kindergarten Cop (1990) | Directed by Ivan Reitman | ★★★★ 4/10 - watched 16 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: “I have a headache” “It might be a tumor”
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- The Wedding Date (2005) | Directed by Ivan Reitman | ★★★★★★★ 7/10 - watched 16 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: “Oh sweet Jesus who gave that woman an amp?” “Sorry about this, I went through a painfully earnest floral phase”
God this is so funny
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- Elemental (2023) | Directed by Peter Sohn | ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 - watched 18 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Yo they probably have steamy sex 😭😭😭😭😭
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- Dunkirk(2017) | Directed by Christopher Nolan | ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 - watched 21 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Christopher Nolan: gimme 100 more of those dark-haired british twinks Hans Zimmer: TICK TOCK BITCH
Foreign Movie Month #5: UK
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- Rush (2013) | Directed by Ron Howard | ★★★★★★★★★ 9/10 - watched 21 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: I think it’s because I don’t really care that much about Formula 1 racing but das ist cool… I like Mario Kart
Foreign Movie Month #6: Germany/UK
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- The Royal Treatment (2022) | Directed by Rick Jacobson | ★★★★ 4/10 - watched 23 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Watched this with my mom… the garbage is so hot but call me a raccoon because I loved this shit (only with company)
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- Madame Claude (2021) | Directed by Sylvie Verheyde | ★★★★★ 5/10 - watched 23 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Les vibes du patron féminin de la mafia
Mafia girl boss vibes
Foreign Movie Month #7: France
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- Reservoir Dogs (1992) | Directed by Quentin Tarantino | ★★★★★★★ 7/10 - watched 23 June 2023 |
Letterboxd Review: Dying in my dead bros arms Mr WhitexMr Orange 😢😢😢
2
TV Series 📺
[4 TV series total]
🏳️🌈 1. Q-Force 🏳️🌈
I watched this with my sister because we like animation. It's obviously an adult cartoon. It's not for kids: It's rated TV-MA, if a child is watching it that's on the parents. This show is NOT available on Netflix Kids, anyone saying otherwise is lying. Even without the gratuitous nudity, the content of the show is not for children haha.
I appreciate a good satire. That's what I see when I watched Q-Force. I really loved it as a matter of fact. While some jokes might be "out-dated" (as there is still a large portion of the LGBTQ+ community who can relate to these jokes so let's call it out-dated when they are over 40 year old references, not 10 year old references!), it still hit. Honestly, people say that it's really bad because Q-Force had a terrible trailer and promotion, like they told such a shallow and superficial version of the actual show! I always like to say still waters run deep and don't judge a book by its cover. I think it's quite cheeky and funny when they just poke fun at these very specific stereotypes. It's very meta and I liked it. Too bad it's cancelled after season 1. It left off on a good note at least.
🤖 2. Love Death + Robots 🤖
I just finished all of the third installation of this anthological series, God.... AMAZING art styles from every single episode in Volume 3. I really admire those artists and their creative direction.
My Ranking List for Vol. 3:
Jibaro - so hypnotic and beautiful choreography UGH! No words. It was my favorite.
Swarm - honestly, this was a lot of build up. The premise really captured your attention and set up a lot of things that really paid off at the end. Honestly this short animation teases a grander story that deserves to be explored.
The Very Pulse of the Machine - so psychedelic and beautiful colors. An substance-infused trip honestly. I felt a little empty after watching the ending to this.
Three Robots - Exit Strategies - always so cute and the commentary is always super cheeky.
Mason's Rats - god this is very disney coded in my mind for some reason, but I really liked it. The animation and voice acting were so good.
Night of the Mini Dead - Adorable pocket sized horror story. They kept it sweet and short.
Kill Team Kill - this is very hoo-rah fight fight fight ish. I kinda liked it. It was just super graphic and I felt a little sick haha.
In Vaulted Halls Entombed - this was basically survival horror. It felt like a disjointed video game honestly. I liked this episode the least it was really boring.
💗 3. Never Have I Ever 💗
I finished the latest season of this Netflix series. I really like how that they made the main character so incredibly unlikable that it's actually quite charming. Like, teenage girls act like this for real. They are the worst. Devi isn't supposed to be the perfect likeable character. The character is selfish, narcissistic, only cares about herself and doesn't have any regards for her family (who works so hard) and her good friends. She has so many faults and how she reacts to certain things makes it really endearing. She's insufferable and annoying, but I absolutely am rooting for her. She does stupid stuff to distract from her trauma and it's absolutely true to heart.
She has so many bad qualities to her, yet I just can't seem to hate her. She's like a childhood friend who messes up often, but she doesn't have bad intentions. It's a difficult thing to see a person struggling no matter how terrible they act. She's simply growing up and learning how to be a human being. Aren't we all?
🪞 4. Black Mirror 🪞
I finished S6 of Black Mirror. My impression of this season was that the creative direction is stepping back from the highly-sophisticated technology route and dug deep into the story-telling and character development. I really enjoyed this season. I binged it all in one go. I'll post my letterboxd reviews of each one but also additional comments (My letterboxd comments are very uh, salacious and facetious. It's just for jokes lol).
My Ranking List for S6:
- Demon 79 - ok like... that demon was sexy af.
Wonderful wonderful acting and concept. The 70s retro-style horror setting, the score, and ending. So phenomenal.
- Loch Henry - I couldn't stop looking at Ser Podrick in this one he was sexy as hell omg.
This is such a brilliant take from Black Mirror to tackle our obsession with true crime. It was so haunting and creepy. The Scotland drone shots were BEAUTIFUL. My favorite scene was when the 3 main characters were in the car together just bantering and having a laugh- it was super wholesome...
But dear god, I saw that twist right from the beginning, but I didn't want to believe it. I really enjoyed.
- Beyond the Sea - Mom says it’s my turn with the replica 😠😳🥺. Aaron Paul is an amazing actor. Black Mirror is giving us one of their darker endings with this episode.
It was literally like watching a car accident in slow-mo: you know exactly where it's going, yet you can't look away. The ending was predictable for me as well, but I didn't want to believe it.
- Mazey Day - Mazeyyyy 😩 where the hell have you been, loca?
I LOVED the Twilight references in this. I heard that people didn't like this one, saying that it was the weakest of the bunch. Many people commented that it was super bizarre and that it's not really a Black Mirror episode? I kind of agree that it didn't fit into the BM universe, but I enjoyed this so much. This one's for the Twilight girlies (me).
- Joan is Awful - I would be so mad if my show got cancelled after one season.
I would say that this one and the Beyond The Sea episode were the most "Black Mirror"-esque of S6. I liked this one because of the meta-commentary and the ending really hit well, but this one is my least favorite of the season.
3
Songs 🎵
(I will list the language of each of these songs for easier browsing, if no language, then it is instrumental)
- 🇪🇸 Saudade (Acústica) Ft. Simón Grossmann - Anakena | (2019) Anakena
- 🇬🇧 Belong In The Sun (feat. Lido) - ¿Téo? | (2018) ¿Téo?
- 🇫🇷 Ondulé- Mathieu Boogaerts | (1996) Super
- 🇪🇸 Punk -Girl Ultra & Little Jesus | (2022) EL SUR
- Svensk sås - Todd Terje | (2014) It's Album Time
- 🇫🇷 J'y Peux Rien - Miel de Montagne | (2019) Miel de Montagne
- 🇪🇸 Solo - Rodrigo Solo, maye | (2018) No Estás Solo
- 🇫🇷 Baudelaire - Serge Gainsbourg | (1962) Serge Gainsbourg N° 4
- 🇯🇵 Kimiko! - Ginger Root | (2022) Nisemono
- Let's Dance in the Dirt!- Macabre Plaza | (2021) Remember Me? EP from Mp
- 🇬🇧 Cuddled - Bliss Samsa | (2023) Cuddled
- 🇬🇧 Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue | (2023) Tension
- 🇪🇸 Cariño - The Marías | (2018) Superclean, Vol. II
- 🇬🇧 Pitbull Goes To The Club - Buddha Trixie | (2022) Pitbull Goes To The Club
- 🇪🇸 Departamento ft. Adan Jodorowsky - Bandalos Chinos | (2020) Feliz Navibach
4
Books 📚
I read this book in a few short hours. It was very silly and I enjoyed it. I could tell that it was written in 1999 based on the dated tech... Some things just become obsolete over time. If you are not a seasoned traveller, read this book. I've been traveling since I was young, so I cannot say I learned much, but I read the whole book because the writing is quite delightful. She gives pretty helpful insight and lots of good examples of negotiating with others in order to make your trips enjoyable for all.
I am still working on finishing this book, but I find it very helpful. I learned a lot of things about improving your memory and it's pretty nice. Foer found a vital truth we too often forget: In every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.
5
YouTube Videos 📹
These two actors are some of my favorites to watch. Jennifer Coolidge is a hoot and Jeremy Allen was amazing in Shameless. They're definitely at different stages in their lives, but both Jeremy and Jennifer have been working extremely hard for YEARS with little to no critical/ mainstream love or recognition. They finally received some attention for roles they didn't expect to go anywhere. I applaud them.
Very funny. The humor is dry and the story-telling is wonderful. I am so impressed with this guy and how far he goes for this simple thing. I aspire to commit to the bit as well.
This is super fascinating. How the hell did he just do that from one (1) number?!?!
I really like these drawing videos and how the artist provides a commentary on what he's doing. It's super cool to be a part of the journey.
6
Podcasts 🎧
I haven't really followed her career or anything, but this model is honestly one of the mainstream ones we see often. I'm not really interested in following models and their lives, but I do have an interest in fashion and pop culture, so I would often hear a lot about people like Emily Ratajkowski. I am usually a little hesitant to listen to a lot of "entertainment" or "fashion" heads because I'm not sure if I would be able to (1) understand their lifestyle (2) relate to any of them. Honestly, it's refreshing to hear EmRata's perspective actually. It's kind of funny to read some of these episode titles. Ratajkowski applies a high-brow lens to “low-brow” topics, she reminds that her influence extends far beyond her image. She talks pretty candidly about her work and how that played out in her life and I think it's pretty interesting.
J'ai essayé de trouver un podcast qui était à la fois intéressant et facile à suivre pour moi. Je trouve généralement les podcasts informatifs très cool, mais je ne comprends pas tout complètement. j'apprends encore! Cet épisode particulier du podcast pose des questions : Comment sont répartis les métiers entre hommes et femmes ? Pourquoi les hommes gagnent-ils plus que les femmes ? En quoi notre conception du travail est androcentrée et bourgeoise ? Y a-t-il un genre de la lutte sociale ?
[I tried to find a podcast that was both interesting and easy for me to follow. I usually find informative podcasts really cool, but I don't fully understand everything. I'm still learning! This particular episode of the podcast asks questions: How are jobs divided between men and women? Why do men earn more than women? How is our conception of work androcentric and bourgeois? Is there a kind of social struggle?]
7
Games 🎮
Still on that GeoGuessr grind. I just finished a Pro League game with my friends and finished #5 in the website, but #6 in the spreadsheet data compilation we did (some people had did their "legs" of the competition late so we have to account for that!).
I'm playing this with my friend. I'm kind of backseat gaming, but I don't mind! I love the combat in this and I got a little attached to some of the characters. I'm looking forward to romancing Claude and Dorothea haha.
My brother is playing this on the Switch and I watch him play this. I prefer watching video games. This is such an interesting concept and the mysteries are kind of cool. A lot of absurd things are going on and it's really easy to laugh at. My brother likes these types of games. I think he said that the game developers are the same ones who made the Danganronpa series.
Things I want to start/continue:
I want to get better organized in archiving my TV shows haha.
I've actually been learning how to video edit a little bit more. I enjoy editing videos a lot.
Anyway that's it for me. Cheers everyone!
~ in an australian accent, "dune" and "june" sound pretty similar,
<3 K