I still can’t believe I actually get to write this post. But here goes. This is pretty much the most exciting, terrifying, holy-shit-this-mix-of-emotions-is-going-to-make-me-burst-into-tears announcement I’ve ever made in my life, and so I’m just going to blurt this on to your lap before I spend another half-hour dancing around the house with excitement.
What’s a girl gotta do for a decent B-movie around here?
Look, I get it, I do. There are some stories to be told that are going to piss off a lot of people. I’m publishing a book called Rape Jokes. I’m no stranger to the notion of media that tries to shove up against those uncomfortable edges, that takes on sensitive issues in a brash way in an attempt to demystify the unpleasantness at their core.
First off, I just want to follow up on last week’s recap. I declared myself a lifelong die-hard stan for Hagrid, and now I have the proof – my mother (shout out to the big M) dug up some photographs of me as a kid proving my devotion to the big man (hover for captions):
It’s not the death of cinema, calm down
It’s been interesting to note, over the course of writing these recaps, the differing reactions to Sharp Objects as a whole. We’re deep into the season now, with only two episodes left after this one, and it seems like the divide in opinions is pretty sharp (ho ho): you either buy into the show’s dreamy, icy layers and buried thematic elements, or you think it’s a load of pretentious old tosh.
In case you haven’t guessed, I’m firmly in the former category, but I do understand where those other opinions come from. Sharp Objects is a difficult show, and I don’t mean that in the sense that it’s complex or heavy (though it is those things too). Jean-Marc Vallée’s directorial style is dense, the writing is evasive and at times deliberately frustrating, and the story is winding closer to it’s explosive center in a languid, thoughtful fashion. It’s not the hectic, forward-focused crime drama that we’re used to, and I understand and accept criticism of the show as punishing instead of rewarding.
“Lou, why don’t you just take some time off to relax, get your head together, work out your anger issues in healthy ways?” Because FUCK YOU, that’s why, I want to screech into the void about the characters who’ve been driving me nuts in the TV that I’ve been watching recently. You can catch up on previous entries to this ridiculous series made entirely from rage right here. On with the list!
And we’re back! Not just back, but back to indulge in a chapter all about the introduction of my biggest damn crush in this whole series, Rubeus Hagrid. I’m a size queen, by which I mean I only date men with enormous beards.
Mmm, just look at that great big hunk of man (and some misc giant)
The past is out in Sharp Objects, and it’s here for blood.
I mean, I’m seeing this for Riz Ahmed, let’s be real
Harry Potter’s birthday has just past, and that means it’s time to celebrate with another recap! I’m really enjoying writing these so far, and I have to say, regardless of my criticisms, these books are just so easy to read – the pacing’s great, the writing’s brisk (even though that would stutter a bit as the series grew more enormous by the book), and the character work and world-building is strong thus far, apart from, you know the whole thing where the magical world stuck Harry with an abusive family “for his own good”. But hey, we’re only on the third chapter – let’s not get ahead of ourselves, huh?
