As you may have seen yesterday I shared my selections for this year's #PopCultureResolution. I am exposing myself to more horror movies, and some mystery/thriller reads. I am excited to get started on them.
I wanted to take a few moments to wrap up last year however before moving on. I read the following books:
February - The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
April - Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
August - The Stranger Beside Me by Anne Rule
September - Lords of Chaos by Michael Moynihan
October - 5th Avenue, 5 AM by Sam Wasson
November - Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
First off, all of these link to the reviews I wrote. You may have noticed that The Stranger Beside Me by Anne Rule does not have a review. It's because I have had a hard time finding something to say about a subject that has pretty much had everything said about it. I'll try to get one up in the next little bit however. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil also doesn't have a review. Again, I am struggling with what to say but expect a review soon.
I enjoyed all of these books to some extent. I think the one I was most disappointed by was The Devil in the White City. This is mostly my own doing as I was expecting something else from the book, but it wasn't one I connected with as strongly as the others.
The books that stood out to me in particular were:
Seduction by Karina Longworth - Karina is amazing. I would love to sit and just listen to her talk about old Hollywood for hours while enjoying a glass of wine. Her book about Howard Hughes sort of used him as a means of getting the reader to know the women he didn't treat very well which delights me even further.
Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow - Everyone loves Ronan Farrow and after reading this book I also think he is one heck of a journalist. This book is 'WTF' bananas and is a huge part of the #meetoo movement. I cannot wait to read whatever Ronan writes next.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - It's a classic for a reason and this is the book that basically launched the true crime genre. Capote may have been a complete jerk, but he could actually write. It's a fascinating look at a case that held everyone's attention.
Next up are the movies that I watched. Again, each of these links to my reviews of these films.
January - A Place In The Sun
February - A Streetcar Named Desire
March - An Affair To Remember
April - Sabrina
May - Niagara
June - Rear Window
July - Penny Serenade
August - Humoresque
September - It Happened One Night
October - Gaslight
November - Pillow Talk
December - It's A Wonderful Life
Here are my initial reactions to each of these films that I posted to my Instagram (via stories).
I stand by my assessment that young Marlon Brando was ridiculously good looking (and a great actor too). I have become a huge fan of Jimmy Stewart and his movies. I have also come to love watching Cary Grant in pretty much anything. I want to learn more about Montgomery Clift because there is something about him that intrigues me (perhaps it's that vulnerability that shines through his performances).
My favourite movie of the bunch is probably Rear Window. It's definitely one of my top (if not the top) Hitchcock movie. The most fun and ridiculous may have been Niagara. The most touching was probably It's A Wonderful Life. A Place In The Sun and A Streetcar Named Desire are right on Rear Window's heels (that Marlon Brando performance alone makes A Streetcar Named Desire worth watching). I have also added Hitchcock as a director whose work I want to check out more of.
I am definitely going to continue watching old Hollywood classics that I've missed seeing and I will be adding in some non fiction from time to time to my reading. It was nice to focus on both of them this past year and I definitely have some new favourites, and a few actors/directors whose work I want to continue watching.
Are you making a #PopCultureResolution this year? Did you make one last year? Let me know what they are / how you did in the comments.
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