Monthly culture, July 2025
Wednesday, August 13th, 2025 10:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamaranth03JUL25: Lost in Starlight (Han Ji-won, 2025) -- Netflix
SF anime musical romance. Weirdly paced, features a trip to Mars (spectacular sunset! improbable winds! no delay on radio!) and some unexciting music. Sweet, but I wasn't in the mood for it.
04JUL25: Classical Pride: Voices of Joy and Sorrow -- Barbican/a>
Some Saint-Saens (I had not known he was queer, but apparently all those trips to North Africa were not only to rsearch Arabic music), Tchaikovsky (I always forget how much I love Swan Lake) plus some new music. Higdon's 'blue cathedral' reminded me of Holst: some interesting percussion. Jamie Barton has an awesome voice, and her rendition of 'Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix' (singing 'Saint-Saens' rather than 'Dalila') was gorgeous. George Benjamin was actually present! His 'Dream of the Song' (countertenor Cameron Shahbazi and choir Tenebrae) featured Andalusian poetry, Lorca etc: reminiscent of Golijov's Ainadamar though less fevered. LSO, Zeffman.
05JUL25: Stereophonic (Adjmi) -- Duke of York's Theatre
Based on Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac: the set is a recording studio, the interpersonal dynamics are fraught, and I wanted to punch the guy playing Peter (Jack Riddiford), the 'Lindsey Buckingham' character. Lots of Seventies references -- Jaws, the Eagles and Toto, Don't Look Now -- and a huge bag of coke being passed around. There's a great scene about how a song comes together ('Take 21... Take 22...') Masses of (period-typical) toxic masculinity. Diana (Lucy Karczewski) -- the 'Stevie Nicks' of this band -- is fragile but tough: "They're giving me a solo album!" [glares from all] "I mean, if I want it." Grover (Eli Gelb), the sound engineer who's also in a way the viewpoint character, is splendid. Near the end of the play, he says to Diana, "Don't you think this was kind of a nightmare?" And she replies "I think this was the best thing that ever happened to me."
The music (by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire) was excellent, too: it had a definite Fleetwood Mac flavour, with elements of other Seventies bands.
I highly recommend this.
Author sued for plagiarism by sound engineer on Rumours
07JUL25: Jurassic World: Rebirth (Edwards, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Much better than recent offerings in this franchise. The film is set 32 years after the return of dinosaurs to earth: they live in a tropical band near the equator with no humans allowed. Obviously that is where the humans end up. Scarlett Johansson (a mercenary helping a nerdy scientist extract some 'paleodioxin' for medical purposes) stole the show; fabulous Quetzalcoatlus upset about egg-thiefs in its ancient temple nest, Mosasaurus hunting with its friends, and charming Titanosaur. Also a fearsome mutant T-Rex, and a truly shocking moment with a helicopter. Cute kid, obviously, but she had actual plot relevance. I enjoyed this a great deal.
10JUL25: We Live in Time (Crowley, 2024) -- Netflix
Andrew Garfield (Tobias) and Florence Pugh (Almut) are the leads: it's a non-linear romance with pregnancy and childbirth, cancer, and a prestigious cooking competition. Superb acting from Lee Braithwaite, as Almut's non-binary assistant Jade. Very well done, too much vomit and not super-cheerful. Apparently this was promoted as a rom-com: nope!
11JUL25: Superman (Gunn, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Starts with Superman already established as a force for good, and his dual identity already known to Lois. Good soundtrack, riffing off the original: David Corenswet's eyelashes are the most expressive part of him: the dog is CGI: Lex Luthor is a single-note villain: Superman's real parents turn out to be ... not nice. My pen ran out halfway through (who can blame it).
17JUL25: Home Sweet Loan (Kalangi, 2024) -- Netflix
Indonesian film, set in Jakarta. Yunita S. iregar is Kaluna, who lives with her large family and would love to have her own place. Lots of selfish relatives; Kaluna trying to be a good daughter and do the right thing; three excellent female friends, romantic subplot: surprising and unexpected but happy ending. Wish there'd been an English dub: the subtitling was not great.
24JUL25: KPop Demon Hunters (Appelhans / Kang, 2025) -- Netflix
Korean / American coproduction, beautifully animated, with excellent songs. Our heroines are a pop group called Huntr/x: they hunt demons, but one of them, Rumi, has a Terrible Secret which makes her start losing her voice. The Saja Boys are a Kpop boy band who are actually all demons: lead singer Jinu falls in love with Rumi. Also a dim-but-cheerful blue tiger and a six-eyed magpie in a hat. An absolute delight: highly recommended.
25JUL25: Twelfth Night (Trans What You Will Theatre) -- the Space
A rehearsed reading of a slightly modified Twelfth Night by a troupe of trans and non-binary actors, introduced by Sir Ian McKellen, whose name is in one of the stained-glass windows of the Space. Feste was the most interesting character -- not playfully cruel. The music was great with a definite renaissance flavour. On the downside, it was very hot and the seats weren't super-comfortable. A good night out, though, and a mini-reunion of all the people DougS convinced at Eastercon!
26JUL25: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Shakman, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Earth 828, with a Sixties aesthetic -- they record audio on 12" gold discs! -- and a female Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Pedro Pascal is delightful as Reed Richards: the other three of the Four didn't wow me. It took me a while to work out what bothered me about this film, but eventually I realised: female sacrifice. The two important female characters (I think there was a supporting female character as well) both sacrifice themselves. Yes, one is resurrected. That doesn't make it better.
End credits scene very much for the fans: you have to know what's coming, MCU-wise.
31JUL25: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Crossingham / Park, 2024) -- Netflix
Evil robot gnomes, a perfidious penguin and Gromit being awesome. Fun.
SF anime musical romance. Weirdly paced, features a trip to Mars (spectacular sunset! improbable winds! no delay on radio!) and some unexciting music. Sweet, but I wasn't in the mood for it.
04JUL25: Classical Pride: Voices of Joy and Sorrow -- Barbican/a>
Some Saint-Saens (I had not known he was queer, but apparently all those trips to North Africa were not only to rsearch Arabic music), Tchaikovsky (I always forget how much I love Swan Lake) plus some new music. Higdon's 'blue cathedral' reminded me of Holst: some interesting percussion. Jamie Barton has an awesome voice, and her rendition of 'Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix' (singing 'Saint-Saens' rather than 'Dalila') was gorgeous. George Benjamin was actually present! His 'Dream of the Song' (countertenor Cameron Shahbazi and choir Tenebrae) featured Andalusian poetry, Lorca etc: reminiscent of Golijov's Ainadamar though less fevered. LSO, Zeffman.
05JUL25: Stereophonic (Adjmi) -- Duke of York's Theatre
Based on Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac: the set is a recording studio, the interpersonal dynamics are fraught, and I wanted to punch the guy playing Peter (Jack Riddiford), the 'Lindsey Buckingham' character. Lots of Seventies references -- Jaws, the Eagles and Toto, Don't Look Now -- and a huge bag of coke being passed around. There's a great scene about how a song comes together ('Take 21... Take 22...') Masses of (period-typical) toxic masculinity. Diana (Lucy Karczewski) -- the 'Stevie Nicks' of this band -- is fragile but tough: "They're giving me a solo album!" [glares from all] "I mean, if I want it." Grover (Eli Gelb), the sound engineer who's also in a way the viewpoint character, is splendid. Near the end of the play, he says to Diana, "Don't you think this was kind of a nightmare?" And she replies "I think this was the best thing that ever happened to me."
The music (by Will Butler, formerly of Arcade Fire) was excellent, too: it had a definite Fleetwood Mac flavour, with elements of other Seventies bands.
I highly recommend this.
Author sued for plagiarism by sound engineer on Rumours
07JUL25: Jurassic World: Rebirth (Edwards, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Much better than recent offerings in this franchise. The film is set 32 years after the return of dinosaurs to earth: they live in a tropical band near the equator with no humans allowed. Obviously that is where the humans end up. Scarlett Johansson (a mercenary helping a nerdy scientist extract some 'paleodioxin' for medical purposes) stole the show; fabulous Quetzalcoatlus upset about egg-thiefs in its ancient temple nest, Mosasaurus hunting with its friends, and charming Titanosaur. Also a fearsome mutant T-Rex, and a truly shocking moment with a helicopter. Cute kid, obviously, but she had actual plot relevance. I enjoyed this a great deal.
10JUL25: We Live in Time (Crowley, 2024) -- Netflix
Andrew Garfield (Tobias) and Florence Pugh (Almut) are the leads: it's a non-linear romance with pregnancy and childbirth, cancer, and a prestigious cooking competition. Superb acting from Lee Braithwaite, as Almut's non-binary assistant Jade. Very well done, too much vomit and not super-cheerful. Apparently this was promoted as a rom-com: nope!
11JUL25: Superman (Gunn, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Starts with Superman already established as a force for good, and his dual identity already known to Lois. Good soundtrack, riffing off the original: David Corenswet's eyelashes are the most expressive part of him: the dog is CGI: Lex Luthor is a single-note villain: Superman's real parents turn out to be ... not nice. My pen ran out halfway through (who can blame it).
17JUL25: Home Sweet Loan (Kalangi, 2024) -- Netflix
Indonesian film, set in Jakarta. Yunita S. iregar is Kaluna, who lives with her large family and would love to have her own place. Lots of selfish relatives; Kaluna trying to be a good daughter and do the right thing; three excellent female friends, romantic subplot: surprising and unexpected but happy ending. Wish there'd been an English dub: the subtitling was not great.
24JUL25: KPop Demon Hunters (Appelhans / Kang, 2025) -- Netflix
Korean / American coproduction, beautifully animated, with excellent songs. Our heroines are a pop group called Huntr/x: they hunt demons, but one of them, Rumi, has a Terrible Secret which makes her start losing her voice. The Saja Boys are a Kpop boy band who are actually all demons: lead singer Jinu falls in love with Rumi. Also a dim-but-cheerful blue tiger and a six-eyed magpie in a hat. An absolute delight: highly recommended.
25JUL25: Twelfth Night (Trans What You Will Theatre) -- the Space
A rehearsed reading of a slightly modified Twelfth Night by a troupe of trans and non-binary actors, introduced by Sir Ian McKellen, whose name is in one of the stained-glass windows of the Space. Feste was the most interesting character -- not playfully cruel. The music was great with a definite renaissance flavour. On the downside, it was very hot and the seats weren't super-comfortable. A good night out, though, and a mini-reunion of all the people DougS convinced at Eastercon!
26JUL25: The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Shakman, 2025) -- Greenwich Picturehouse
Earth 828, with a Sixties aesthetic -- they record audio on 12" gold discs! -- and a female Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Pedro Pascal is delightful as Reed Richards: the other three of the Four didn't wow me. It took me a while to work out what bothered me about this film, but eventually I realised: female sacrifice. The two important female characters (I think there was a supporting female character as well) both sacrifice themselves. Yes, one is resurrected. That doesn't make it better.
End credits scene very much for the fans: you have to know what's coming, MCU-wise.
31JUL25: Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Crossingham / Park, 2024) -- Netflix
Evil robot gnomes, a perfidious penguin and Gromit being awesome. Fun.
