There's stuff out there that practically everybody on the loves. Right? We're talking your Game of Thrones, your Hamilton, your Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s top-quality stuff that everybody digs, and for good reason: IT’S GREAT.
And then, there’s the stuff that everybody should love but doesn’t, but not because their preferences are misaligned or the art is misunderstood. It’s just that people don’t know about it. They are unaware of its existence. If they knew about it, they would love it.
So that’s why I’m here today, to give you a few a things that you probably don’t know about, things that I didn’t even know about until recently. If you’ve heard of this stuff, great. If not, you’re very welcome and thank you for being so polite.
Let me just briefly describe the conceit of this movie. An ex-convict who believes in God, played by Samuel Jackson, saves the life of a suicidal agnostic professor, played by Tommy Lee Jones. But we don’t see that moment; we just see them in the ex-con’s apartment, where they debate over the nature of good and evil, life and death, belief and unbelief for the entirety of the film. Oh yeah, and the script is written by Cormac McCarthy, author of The Road and No Country for Old Men. If you like superb writing, top-notch acting, and rapid-fire philosophical debates, then please, do yourself a favor and see this movie. It’s available to stream on Amazon Prime and HBOGo.
2. Moonglow by Michael Chabon—Book
Michael Chabon is my favorite author of all time, for oh so many reasons, but the main one is this: you can practically see how much fun he is having writing on every page, in every sentence. And boy, does he know to tell a story. Moonglow is a fictional memoir of the narrator’s grandfather, who spends his final days spilling all his secrets. And what a life it was, from hunting down Nazis, to falling in love with a French expatriate, to manufacturing rockets, to prison, to Florida retirement homes and beyond. The characters are awesome, the writing is radiant, and the book is a wonderful, meaningful way to spend a few days. You’d like it.
3. Come From Away Soundtrack—Music
Recommending musicals is a tricky business, because the average person may not like musical theatre...except for the musical theatre that they like, such as La La Land or Wicked, or every Disney movie ever. So I’m stepping out on a limb here, but I really do think that you’d enjoy it. Unlike so many musicals these days, Come From Away is not not a rehash of a movie; it’s ripped from history. The musical is based on the true events that transpired in the days following September 11, 2001, when 38 planes were forced to land in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and remain there indefinitely. It’s a heartwarming, heartbreaking story about real people and the human connection they find in the midst of terrible tragedy. Plus, the music has this Gaelic, folk-sounding style that rocks. The ideal, of course, would be to see the show on Broadway, but if you can’t, listen to this soundtrack.
So that’s what I got for this week. What about you? Any stuff we should know about? Comment below!