Culture on My Mind
Narrative Diversions
(Autumn 2024 Edition)
January 6, 2025
Narrative Diversions is a look at the various pop culture things I’ve been watching, reading, and playing over the last few months. This edition covers October through December 2024.
Movies
Music by John Williams (2024) – PG [Disney+]
This was a beautiful documentary, and was exactly what I wanted to see (and especially hear) from the presentation. John Williams’s music is a foundational part of my life, and it was wonderful to learn about his life and how it shaped his creativity.
If you’re a John Williams fan, you don’t need me to sell you on this. If you’re just getting into his work, I envy the ride you’re about to take.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023) – PG-13
Speaking of foundations of my life, I read the oft-challenged coming-of-age novel by Judy Blume in fourth grade. It was on some list or another and was fascinating because of the insights it provided ten-year-old me about puberty, religion, grade school, and family conflict. I was one of those pre-teens that she turned into a reader by asking tough questions and avoiding easy answers.
And, yeah, it meant something to me even as a boy.
The movie is a great adaptation of the novel. It’s as honest and frank as the book and enhances the warmth and wholesomeness of its story. The kids carry this film well and the adult leads come across as smart and sincere.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) – PG-13
Despite being a prequel that, as the internet would say, “no one asked for,” this story was actually quite good. It gave us a taste of what the dark time looked like before Panem’s foundation, and it does a good job of making Coriolanus Snow engaging. He’s cunning and arrogant, and while it doesn’t make me like him, the movie did make me care for his evolution as the villain from the first three books. I also really liked Lucy’s story, but I won’t say much as not to spoil it.
Wonka (2023) – PG
This was one of the titles that I most feared watching. I have find memories of the sometimes disturbing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and I was disappointed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). In the end, I was pleasantly surprised by this “prequel” that explored Willy Wonka’s rise. The musical numbers were entertaining and the setting was magical, silly, and fantastic. Timothée Chalamet and Calah Lane carried this well with a great ensemble cast. It’s not quite on par with the 1971 entry, but it does a lot to wash away the taste of 2005’s remake.
Luck (2022) – G [Apple TV+]
Spellbound (2024) – PG
I’m bundling these two together for discussion. Both come from Skydance Animation, which is a mixed bag considering the talent and history behind current head of animation, John Lasseter. Both films have great casts and interesting stories, though I found Spellbound to be the stronger of the two.
Luck starts strong, but once Sam enters the world of luck, the story meanders toward a lackluster finish. The adoption story behind it gets lost, only really popping up as bookends to the film. Spellbound drops us into the world with Princess Ellian (Rachel Zegler, who was a lead in the aforementioned Hunger Games prequel) and effectively immerses the audience in her journey with her. Spellbound is much more effective in because we shared the adventure and her emotional evolution. It’s also a fantastic metaphor for kids trapped in the middle of divorcing parents, and it doesn’t rely on the trope of the adventure solving every problem, instead showing that a happily ever after solution can include parental separation. I respect that message.
It Ends With Us (2024) – PG-13
Here we have a story about domestic violence that tracks well with the “he’d never hurt me” line of thought and the victim’s awakening as she begins to see the warning signs. It’s a rough watch to be sure, but a good spin on the story.
The rough watch is likely related to the conditions under which it was filmed.
Young Woman and the Sea (2024) – PG
I loved this inspirational story of the first woman to swim the English Channel. There are a couple of spots with creative liberties – there is no evidence that her first Channel coach poisoned her, and the second attempt was a year (not three days) after the first – but otherwise this biographical dramatization was delightful. It took me a little bit to adjust to Daisy Ridley’s American accent, but her performance was marvelous.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) – PG [Disney+]
Surprisingly, this simple-looking revival movie was layered. On the surface, it’s a comedy that takes the characters from a nearly 35-year-old franchise for one last spin. Looking deeper, it ends up being an indictment of modern Hollywood and pop culture fanaticism, even poking at Disney itself.
It reminds me of Who Framed Roger Rabbit with the mix of live action and various animated characters from multiple media and studios, and it’s a perfect storm of intellectual properties combining in a fun adventure.
Fly Me to the Moon (2024) – PG-13 [Apple TV+]
Let’s be perfectly clear: There is no evidence to support the filming of a fake moon landing. Fly Me to the Moon and similar films like Capricorn One are fiction.
As this movie clearly stated as a poke in the eye to moon landing conspiracy theorists, there would be no way to keep that a secret, especially for nearly six decades with overworked engineers on government salaries.
That said, Fly Me to the Moon was a fun romantic comedy film. I laughed quite a bit, recognizing that this version of space race-era NASA took a lot of creative liberties. The two leads were amalgams of several historical figures, and there were anachronisms abound at Kennedy Space Center. That said, it was fun. Fly Me to the Moon takes the romance and excitement of the space race and blends it with whimsy and zany, and it was a fun way to spend a couple of hours on New Year’s Eve.
Twisters (2024) – PG-13
I expected to be unimpressed with this sort-of sequel to 1996’s storm-chasing blockbuster, but it honestly wasn’t bad. It’s almost on par with Twister in being a film about storm chasers who want to create a groundbreaking weather alert system. It was just a fun popcorn film.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) – PG-13
When I was a kid, my family would spend time at local Utah fishing spots. The ones that stand out are Pineview Reservoir (and my personal connection to Trappers Loop Road), Lost Creek Reservoir (which my dad pronounces as “loss crick”), and Willard Bay Reservoir (where I once accompanied by dad and his friend from work on an overnight trip to catch catfish… and then came down with a stomach virus).
Anyway, after one of these trips, we came home and turned on the TV to see the opening credits for Superman II. I vividly remember the flying words with their bright blue contrails, the Eiffel Tower save, and the trip to Niagara Falls. It was the beginning of my Superman fandom (which is nowhere near as deep as Michael Bailey‘s fandom), and my love of Christopher Reeve’s portrayal.
It’s no wonder that I spent a lot of this documentary’s running time with tears in my eyes. I remember when Christopher Reeve was injured and how devastated I was that my Superman might never fly again. I remember how I cheered to see him again at the Oscars and on Smallville. I remember how my world was shaken when he died.
If you’re a fan or you admire him, invest the time in this film. Bring tissues.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part Two (2024) – PG-13
There’s not much to update from the discussion on Part One. I’m still enjoying this adaptation of the 1985/1986 DC Comics epic with an all-star cast, including the updates to bring it up to the modern era.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) – PG-13
I have a binary relationship with Tim Burton’s film catalog: His movies either work for me or don’t, and there is no middle ground. The last film he made that I enjoyed was Big Fish. Planet of the Apes (which doesn’t hold a candle to the original or the recent remakes, but was still fun to watch), Sleepy Hollow, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman and Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, and Beetlejuice make the list of positives. The only one that I haven’t seen and want to see is Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
When it comes to this sequel 36 years down the road, it joins the remainder of his catalog. It wears the Beetlejuice skin (with elements of Batman Returns for Danny DeVito), but is feels like a soulless pastiche that tries to do too much. The acting and special effects are on target, especially the miniature modeling, but the multiple story threads don’t leave enough room for anything to truly breathe.
That’s sad. I expected more.
The Merry Gentlemen (2024) – TV-14 [Netflix]
Hot Frosty (2024) – TV-PG [Netflix]
Our Little Secret (2024) – TV-14 [Netflix]
Meet Me Next Christmas (2024) – TV-14 [Netflix]
After dinner and before pie, the family quest this Thanksgiving was to find some crappy Christmas movies to watch. Boy, did we ever.
They’re bundled together here because they’re all effectively the same formula: A romantic comedy drama set during the Christmas season. The best of the bunch was Our Little Secret, which is the third and final contracted film for Lindsay Lohan on Netflix. The worst of the bunch was Hot Frosty, which focused on a snowman who became a well-cut man due to a Christmas wish.
Smack in the middle were The Merry Gentlemen and Meet Me Next Christmas, with the former being a bit more engaging than the over-the-top scavenger hunt plot of the latter.
Chupa (2023) – PG [Netflix]
In the vein of E.T. and Mac & Me, this family movie one of those kids-meet-an-alien adventure flicks. In this case, the alien is a chupacabra, so while fantasy, it’s technically a terrestrial critter. Chupa is closer to E.T. than Mac & Me since it is warm and wholesome, but it doesn’t exercise its full potential.
AfrAId (2024) – PG-13
It’s an obvious artificial intelligence techno-thriller, but just in case you didn’t get it from the basic plot, the filmmakers put AI right in the title. This film plays on the fears of AI evolving to an ever-present stalker in our lives, and while some of the ideas are good thought exercises, the story doesn’t take these ideas as far as it should/could. I don’t often say that a movie should be longer, but 90 minutes just isn’t enough time to build the tension and explore the limits of a nearly sentient AI.
The Beekeeper (2024) – R
Cashing in on the John Wick phenomenon, this ages-old trope-filled plot places Jason “The Transporter” Statham in the role of a special assassin called a Beekeeper. In his retirement years, the Beekeeper works as a (ahem) beekeeper until tragedy strikes close to home. Enter the John Wick imitation, including an assassin who won’t stop and fear from the professionals who know what a Beekeeper can do.
It’s good MST3K fodder if you need something to laugh at. It’s that ridiculous.
Uglies (2024) – PG-13 [Netflix]
Speaking of ridiculous, this one ranks right up there. The world eliminates war by subjecting 16-year-olds to cosmetic surgery to fulfill their vanity fantasies. That out-there idea only works because the surgery also removes free will, reducing the Pretties to vapid party people.
How does this civilization make money? Who knows. Anyway, there are rebels who don’t want to be assimilated and Joey King is cast as the lead who apparently isn’t good looking or something…
…and blah.
Television
The Diplomat – Season 2 [Netflix]
This season picks up right after the Season One cliffhanger and doesn’t let up as it explores the story threads it left dangling. I liked it a lot more than the first season, and the last two minutes of the finale had me yelling at the screen in surprise.
Nobody Wants This – Season 1 [Netflix]
Nobody Wants This is one of the smartest romantic comedies I’ve seen. It pairs Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as an atheist relationship podcaster and a Rabbi who fall into an unlikely romance. The show explores the differences and how they deal with them, and while the typical romantic comedy tropes are on full display, they are also expertly crafted with great writing and comedic timing.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Season 2 [Amazon]
The second season of this LOTR sort of prequel is far more engaging than it’s predecessor. The first season did a lot of heavy lifting to establish the setting, and that worldbuilding was drudgery. The second season picks up the pace and combines action and drama in a way that kept me wanting more.
A Discovery of Witches – Seasons 1-3
This Netflix find places witches, vampires, and demons into our world, and all of them target a reluctant witch who discovers a book of legend. The series was produced by the same team as the most recent Doctor Who series, and it was pretty entertaining and fairly easy to follow. The latter is a big deal for me since I often find fantasy worlds difficult to grasp.
Agatha All Along [Disney+]
This sequel to WandaVision was frenetic and zany. I wouldn’t have guessed that an Agatha Harkness series was the right answer given how her story concluded in WandaVision, but Kathryn Hahn was amazing in this season of television. I’m eager to see where third and final chapter leaves things when it eventually debuts.
What If…? – Season 3 [Disney+]
In terms of the show’s spirit, Season One of What If…? was the best because it spun off from moments we had seen in the MCU – In the movie you know and love, what if the main character did this instead? In Seasons Two and Three, the stories felt like characters were being transplanted into scenarios and timeframes where they didn’t normally existed. What if the Avengers met Godzilla? What if Shang Chi was a cowboy? What if Bollywood?
Don’t get me wrong: The seasons were entertaining and the overarching story with Uatu was rewarding, but most of the series felt disconnected from the MCU overall. It ended well, but I’ll miss the potential that could have been if the series ran for more time. See the finale’s closing credits for some of that.
Season Three also struck me as very toyetic – that is to say, suitable for marketing, especially in toy form – if Funko or (less likely, these days) Hasbro are paying attention. I know that I’d buy the Captain America mech figures, Storm from the final two episodes, and Kahhori and Captain Carter in their final forms.
(I’m casting shade on Hasbro because Kahhori from Season Two was an obvious candidate for a 6-inch figure, but What If…? didn’t get any love beyond Season One. Funko picked up some of the slack instead.)
Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season 5 [Paramount+]
Lower Decks is a show that I will definitely miss. It was fun and never took itself seriously, but at its core, it remained Star Trek. I like where the series ended and I’m hoping that we’ll see these characters again in a future series or even a Lower Decks movie.
And, yeah, Tendi remains my favorite Lower Decker. I love her energy.
Shrinking – Season 2 [Apple TV+]
Season One of Shrinking did a lot of character building, and Season Two did a lot to work on their needs. The Jimmy and Alice story as they work through their shared tragedy was amazing, and as much as Jason Segel’s character bothers me, the end of his journey this year made me cry joyful tears.
Equally so, Harrison Ford’s character Paul took an great journey this season, and his moment (speech) of self-realization was emotional and heartwarming.
I love the writing on this show and I can hardly wait for Season Three (which is likely the final season).
Press Your Luck – Season 6
The Floor – Season 2
Finally, I’m lumping the game shows together. Press Your Luck continues to be fun but sporadic in episode releases. I’d prefer more of them more often. Meanwhile, The Floor remained pretty consistent for a large-scale trivia show, and the addition of more players and benefits like the Time Boost certainly changed the strategy. I’m eager to see both of them return.
Books
Superman Smashes the Klan – Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru
This story was inspired by the 1940s Superman radio serial “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” which I love for sticking some super fingers in some despicable sets of eyes. It’s a personal retelling of the Lee family’s adventures with Superman as they take on the eponymous hate group. I also loved the retelling of Superman gaining his powers throughout this adventure, growing from leaping tall buildings in a single bound to actual flight and more.
I adored this story and highly recommend it.
Star Wars: The Lando Calrissian Adventures– L. Neil Smith
Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu
Lando Calrissian and the Flamewind of Oseon
Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka
After reading Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy trilogy, and Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, this classic trilogy was on my list. I remember it being a bit difficult to read in the mid-’90s, and this revisit revealed why. It doesn’t have much Star Wars flavor, but instead feels like a pulpy sci-fi novel trilogy with a Star Wars skin layered on top.
Are they entertaining enough to read? Sure, but they don’t truly feel like Star Wars, and that makes sense since they were originally published in 1983 and author L. Neil Smith was a pulpy sci-fi writer. These books have a few good nuggets in them, but they are not on my list of favorites from the former Expanded Universe.
Star Trek: Discovery – Drastic Measures – Dayton Ward
This book is the second in the Discovery line, and it is actually a prequel to both the majority of Discovery and the original series episode “The Conscience of the King.” It focuses on the Tarsus IV massacre and its architect, Kodos the Executioner. The actual event was chilling to read – kudos to Dayton Ward for his word-slinging skills – and the pursuit by both Philippa Georgiou and (non-mirror) Gabriel Lorca doesn’t let up until the final battle. The prose is a fantastic balance between action and drama, portraying a variety of character emotions and motivations alongside the space and ground battle tactics.
It’s one I will easily revisit down the road.
Star Trek: Tales of the Dominion War – Edited by Keith R. A. DeCandido
This anthology does exactly what it says on the tin: It is a collection of stories from across the Dominion War from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Written by a bunch of great Trek fic regulars, the stories range from short-and-sweet to longer and more in-depth. My favorites were the story of Lwaxana Troi during the fall of Betazed and the Picard/Troi story when they were visiting Starfleet Academy as the Dominion attacked Earth.
Star Trek: The Next Generation – Hearts and Minds – Dayton Ward
This is another great entry from Dayton Ward, focusing on a supposed first contact with a civilization that actually visited Earth in the twenty-first century. Tensions run high as the civilization harbors a grudge due to a major planetary catastrophe related to Earth, and Starfleet Command doesn’t help matters any as they navigate the classified history behind the event. There are a lot of moving parts in this novel and it moves quickly. I had trouble putting it down so I could go to bed.
Stage
Ghostbusters In Concert – Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
I like these presentations with a movie screening while a live orchestra plays the score. The only one I saw before this Return of the Jedi, and both provided a great opportunity to see the orchestra work. It adds a whole new dimension to the film for me. These presentations can be pricey, but if you get the opportunity and enjoy live orchestral music, I recommend jumping on it.
‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil – Broadway in Atlanta
While not as strong as other Cirque du Soleil presentations, this was still enjoyable. Other Cirque shows tend to be original stories, and this one is a bit constrained by the boundaries of A Visit from St. Nicholas. It was still a visual treat and the performances were still awe-inspiring, and it was the first Cirque show I have seen on a standard stage instead of in the round or at a sports arena. That’s kind of flexibility and quality is something I admire about the company.
Games
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – Nintendo Switch
I realized that I haven’t really talked about this game yet. While it’s not as immersive as its two 3D predecessors, Echoes of Wisdom is still a fun and engaging experience. I appreciate the simpler puzzles and easier combat, both of which provide a good gateway to new and younger fans. I also appreciate the focus on Princess Zelda and a greater reliance on puzzles than combat. I’m looking forward to finishing this one as soon as possible.
Next Time
Next quarter should bring more television content as autumn and winter shows end their seasons. I’m also looking forward to a couple of upcoming theatrical releases. Of course, I won’t have the holidays to catch up on titles since the new year brings the long stretch of work from January to May without a company-sponsored holiday. Basically, it’s a long road to Memorial Day.
Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.
Narrative Diversions sources poster art from various places, including The Movie Database (TMDB), Memory Alpha, Memory Beta, TARDIS Wiki, and publisher, distributor, and reseller websites. TMDB’s contents are available with a non-exclusive license for personal and non-commercial use. Fandom wiki materials are available with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported).
Many thanks to the fans who create and share their passion for entertainment and storytelling.
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