Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Rompin'

*Arrested Development (Season 4) - ugh. I couldn't finish the new season. I wish I hadn't believed the hype. The show just couldn't survive the real estate crash.
*Archer (Seasons 1, 2, and part of 3) - Hilarious! Plot's wearing thin in the third season, but the first two were pretty funny.
*Dexter (Season 7) - Yeah, I know, I got it again even after I said I would stop. They're recycling plots now, and the subplots continue their soap opera-y decline, but there's only one more season after this, so why not?
*Rape in the Fields - If ever there was a reason to reform immigration, this is it. Incredibly disturbing, sad, moving, devastating. It took me a while to watch because I knew it would be hard, but it is important to hear these stories.
*Game of Thrones - So much has already been said about that second to last episode. It's HBO, so you know something crazy's going to happen, and then the last episode won't be that exciting. But yeah, that was pretty gory.
*Mad Men (Season 6)- This season was definitely uneven, and they tried to make you forget that by putting a surprise at the end. As much as I've enjoyed the show, I am glad that season 7 will be the last one.
*Maron - While seeking something new to fill the summer slump, I watched an episode of Marc Maron's new show, based on positive meta-critic reviews. It's pretty funny, and would like to watch more, but it seems like they aren't adding anymore to Hulu, which is also missing the new Wilfred. It's like they want me to sign up for some kind of subscription service or something?

I read Yellow Birds this month, a novel written by a soldier about fighting in Iraq. It's a beautifully written, sad portrait of the affects of war on a young generation. I also read Fun Home, a graphic novel memoir about the author's relationship with her father. I enjoyed it, even if I missed some of the many literary references. I just started Tai Pei. Its drug-induced passive style of prose is jarring at first. The main character's constant, online self-conscious existence reminds me of the best experimental films. I always like to see something so strange be read by so many people.