What I Watched & You Should Too!

I’m writing this post mostly because I just watched Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette special, and I felt the need to add my voice to the chorus of people telling you that you NEED to watch this, immediately. It’s rare that I feel such a visceral reaction to any show, much less a comedy special, but Nanette far transcends its genre. I’m giving it a few days to settle, then I plan on re-watching it because I am in awe of the way that Gadsby wrote and structured the show – it’s so brilliant, and it builds upon itself, layer by layer, to a perfect ending. It will devastate you, but in the best possible way. Seriously, “x” out of here and go watch it right now. Do it!

Did you watch it?

I hope so.

If you’re looking for more reccs, here are a few other things I read/watched recently.

This is not breaking news, but Hillbilly Elegy was a very interesting read. As a (white) immigrant from an “undesirable” European country, I’ve always felt like an outsider to the social class system here in the West, but reading Elegy re-framed my perspective on that to some extent. I have much less in common with the “hillbillies” that JD Vance writes about than I thought I did, largely because of education. I was poor growing up (particularly by Western standards) but everyone in my family, going back to both sets of grandparents, had post-secondary education and I grew up in an environment where academic success was highly valued (and, in fact, demanded). I don’t think I really understood before how much of a difference that makes, not necessarily in immediate economic terms, but in the mindset of a child and, ultimately, their long-term trajectory in life.

On a completely different note, I also really enjoyed browsing through The Cool Factor by Andrea Linnett, and was greatly inspired by it. I normally dislike style books that focus on “key pieces” (because everyone has different tastes, needs and lifestyles) but Linnett does so in a way that doesn’t feel prescriptive. For example, there is a chapter on how to incorporate leather into your wardrobe, and various options are included – from classic leather jackets, to skirts, pants, leggings, etc. Concepts are illustrated through outfits worn by different women (not models) with varying aesthetics, which I found very helpful. [I will say that, while there is some diversity among the women featured, there isn’t any real plus size representation in the book.] I wouldn’t say that there is anything particularly revolutionary about the book, but reading it sparked a renewed sense of excitement about exploring and expressing my own style – almost as if I had been busted out of a clothes rut I didn’t know I was in.

Lastly, I recently watched Thor: Ragnarok and was completely charmed by it. I attribute this 100% to the involvement of Taika Waititi; I have not seen any previous Thor movies, and Chris Hemsworth is not a Chris I get excited about. Ragnarok was just a lot of fun – and really funny! Afterwards, I promptly re-watched What We Do In the Shadows (a must if you haven’t seen it), and then checked out Hunt for the Wilderpeople, which I also enjoyed a lot. It’s funny and sweet (but not cloying in the least), and the performances are spot on. I was actually sad when the movie ended, because I wanted to watch more of Ricky and Hec’s bush adventures. It’s a good antidote if you’re feeling down – and, let’s face it, there are lots of reasons these days why you might be.