December 2023

Movies I watched in 2023

/ Movies /

Here’s the list of movies I watched this year. Titles with an asterisk (*) are ones I recommend.

My top 5, in no particular order

Bullet Train *
John Wick: Chapter Four *
Barbie *
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent *
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (documentary) *

Superheroes

DC League of Super-Pets
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (re-watch) *
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse *
The Flash (2023)
Batman (1989)
Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 3
Blue Beetle *
Spider-Man: Far From Home (re-watch) *

Sequels and re-makes

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (re-watch) *
The Little Mermaid (live action) *
Jumanji: The Next Level *
Top Gun: Maverick *
Spy Kids: Armageddon
Halloweentown High
Night at the Musuem: Battle of the Smithsonian *

Grab bag

The Super Marios Bros. Movie (2023)
Hidden Figures *
Being Mary Tyler Moore (documentary) *
The French Dispatch
Pitch Perfect (re-watch) *
Wham! (documentary) *
Taxi
Don’t Look Up
Puss in Boots
Hit and Run
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
3 Ninjas
Brink! (re-watch) *
Asteroid City
Elemental *
Top Gun
A Scanner Darkly *
Pleasantville (re-watch) *
Forgetting Sarah Marshall *
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (re-watch) *
Love and Monsters

What movies did you watch in 2023? I’d love to hear about your favorites.

Books I read in 2023

/ Books /

Here are the books I read this year with brief notes about each one.

Create Dangerously by Albert Camus

This is a short book about artists’ responsibility to create work, despite whatever is going on in the world. My favorite quote from the book:

We must know that we cannot hide away from communal misery, and that our sole justification, if one exists, is to speak out, as best we can, for those who cannot. And we must do this for everyone who is suffering at this very moment, despite the past or future greatness of the states or political parties that are oppressing them.

Albert Camus, Create Dangerously

Brand Vision by Jim Everhart

Detailed thought processes and models/templates about aligning business strategy with marketing strategy.

Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud

Written in graphic novel format with dense information, so this was a slow read for me. The book was published in 2000 and tried to predict the future of comics in a digital space. Some things it got right (digital formats, sharing comics online) and some things it got wrong (no one is sending CDs through the mail anymore).

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Urban fantasy novel. I really liked the premise about New York City being alive and having human avatars for each borough. But I don’t like the storytelling style. A lot of the book felt like too much dialogue for me.

The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

Tips for managing tasks. A lot of this is geared towards motherhood, which is not a bad thing, but totally not what I expected.

This Book Will Teach You How to Write Better by Neville Medhora

Super slim book on writing concisely and clearly. Honestly if you’ve read other books on writing, you can skip this one.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Fantasy mystery novel. I like when stories treat magic as a dangerous thing. If you like that too, you’ll probably like this. But note the story is written in first-person perspective, and the main character isn’t very likable.

Let me know which books you enjoyed this year.

Zine: Cat’s Cradle

/ Zines /

“Cat’s Cradle” is a tiny story about mimicking someone. It’s not quite sci-fi, but it feels like it…maybe because it was inspired by a scene near the end of Annihilation. (I won’t spoil the movie and neither does the zine.)

A hand holding the zine "Cat's Cradle: A tiny story." The cover includes the title of the zine. Behind the text, there are multicolored curved lines drawn with colored pencils.
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Pages 1 and 2 of the zine "Cat's Cradle: A tiny story." Behind the text, there are multicolored curved lines drawn with colored pencils.
Pages 3 and 4 of the zine "Cat's Cradle: A tiny story." Behind the text, there are multicolored curved lines drawn with colored pencils.
Pages 5 and 6 of the zine "Cat's Cradle: A tiny story." Behind the text, there are multicolored curved lines drawn with colored pencils.

Here’s the full text of the story:

It’s like playing cat’s cradle,
but we aren’t using string.

I do one thing.
She does something else that feels like…
an extension. A continuation.

And then we swap.

She does one thing—
says a phrase, draws some lines, moves her arm
just so.

I extend—
a line of poetry, a floral doodle, a yoga pose.

And then we swap.

The training protocol doesn’t specify how to teach.
Just that I’m supposed to.

I report progress back to the team.

And then we swap.

Five copies of the zine "Cat's Cradle: A tiny story," fanned out on a green background.
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