The City and the City - China Miéville
I absolutely loved this story. I've read some of Miéville's work before and enjoyed his ability to craft fantastical yet grittily realistic worlds, and this story felt like a real refined version of his craft.
At first, I struggled to orient myself in his world of overlapping cities, of seeing and un-seeing, of Besźel and Ul Qoma. But, as the mystery unfolded (or rather, mitosed into layers of additional intrigue) I found myself anticipating every turn of the page, eagerly awaiting the next clue or spanner in the works. Every fake out the plot sends your way leaves you questioning any knowledge you thought you had gained.
The novel centres around two cities located next to one another, often times overlapping or 'crosshatched', where the boundaries are more ideological than physical; residents have been conditioned to ignore or 'unsee' the very existence of the other city whose streets they share. This status quo is upended when a murder spanning the two cities is uncovered, throwing the delicate balance of Besź and Ul Quoman life into question, and bringing to the forefront the mysterious Breach - the hidden organisation which cleans up when things go wrong.
While the ultimate conclusion of the mystery feels slightly anti-climactic with its grand set up, the novel's exploration of national identity, nation-building, and what it means to belong to a place leaves a creeping feeling that sits with you for a while after its final page has been turned.
The Odyssey (2026)
Where do I begin?
This movie felt like a three-hour-long trailer, with all its intense sound and strobe lights. I left the cinema feeling exhausted (ignore the fact that it finished at 1am). Visually impressive, yet I didn't really feel invested in any of the stories and characters presented. I also have to question why all the POC characters seemed to be tortured characters to move Odysseus' journey along. It was really interesting to see Lupita Nyong'o's dual role as Helen/Clytemnestra, but it fell flat when not a single one of the few non-white actors was in a more prominent and less 'painful victim to advance the narrative' role.
I almost feel like the movie would've benefitted from being split in two, giving more time for the stories to be told and more space for the characters to develop. Give them some space to breathe! I kept getting dragged out of my immersion in the story because my brain was still struggling to process the first massive noise and strobe lighting from the previous scene as the second one came up.
Like many of Nolan's films, probably not one to watch again.
P.S. Can we also discuss the internet's reaction and glee at the 'beggars' line? It feels weird.
The Fall (2006)
I've been wanting to watch this film for a while and it was absolutely worth the wait. Tarsem has such an eye for stunning visual storytelling that you can't help but find yourself drawn into Alexandria and Roy's world. A beautiful story about love - for others and for yourself.
It's one of those movies that you instantly want to share with others.
Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records - Jan Jelinek
My current 'lock in' music.
Twin Peaks
As an X-Files fan, I've lost count of the number of times this has been recommended to me. Currently about halfway through S2 and I've loved the uncanny yet homely feeling present throughout the story. Music goes hard too.