April Favourites 🩷

The month of April was busy for me, what with the uni assignments amping up and work getting busy. BUT, as you are well aware, I will always make time for movie watching and music listening. Below are some of my favourites of the month, succinctly described for your convenience, and HOPEFULLY with no spoilers :)

Watches:

All of Us Strangers (2023)

Do you feel like crying tonight? Then watch this devastatingly moving film adapted from the original novel 'Strangers' by Taichi Yamada. All of Us Strangers follows Adam (Andrew Scott) as he embarks on a mostly metaphysical journey to avoid his ever-growing loneliness and troubling past. His new relationship with Harry (Paul Mescal) and his increasingly confusing meet-ups with his parents trigger Adam's self-destructive tendencies. Will he learn to let love in again? Prepare yourself for the answer. If you have unresolved parental issues, prepare yourself DOUBLY.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

I'll be the first to say, I wasn't too fussed with Yorgos Lanthimos' new film Poor Things starring Emma Stone. I was unable to at all click with it, even though I love all the other films I've seen of his. I felt I needed to return to a classic, a film that I reference all the time as one of the most disturbing I have seen. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is still so bizarre and unnerving, with strange but fitting performances from Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan. I am still kind of confused by it but I still find it utterly fascinating. I mentioned in my Letterboxd review that this movie is just like the recent phenomenon Saltburn except there is no Jacob Elordi, just Barry Keoghan trying to invade rich people's houses again.

Another Earth (2011)

Another Earth is a film I watched for my shuffle project and one that was not always on my radar. This is a quiet sci-fi film, grounded in the harsh reality of every day existence, where actions have consequences, and where people often live in the worst of circumstances. Let Brit Marling's Rhoda and William Mapother's John drag you through their intertwined lives as they confront their past and present selves, all in the presence of a twin earth.

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Yeah, so my sister and I are working our way through the Fast & Furious franchise and I finally get it. I understand FAMILY and I understand FUN CARS and RACING. This sequel is better than the first one for multiple reasons: a) there is a pink car that Devon Aoki gets to drive b) its title is one of the most iconic sequel titles of all time and c) 'forget about it cuh' and other quotable moments. If you enjoy 2000s nostalgia, even just a little bit, watch the first three F&F movies.

Challengers (2024)

This is THE movie to see at the moment. And rightly so, it is genius. Luca Guadagnino's fresh take on a sports film is fun, flirty, and ridiculous. Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor as virtually the only characters are truly magnetic and messy. The visuals and soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross mirror the chaos on screen. If you haven't seen this yet, go and see it please.

Listens:

Live - Throwing Copper

A post-grunge album with surprisingly compelling melodies, held together by frontman Ed Kowalczyk (one of those classic lead singers of a rock band from the 90s that happen to be a bald man). I feel I have transported back to 1994 whilst simultaneously having the feeling that this kind of rock still feels new. Fave: I Alone

Spiderbait - Ivy & the Big Apples

Iconic Australian 'Black Betty' band. I had no idea their third album would be full of punk and electronic jams. An incredibly varied album that is just fun as hell to listen to. Fave: Joyce's Hut

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

Chappell Roan is THE pop girl at the moment. This album is so well produced, the over-the-top layering blending perfectly with her unique voice. Some of her tunes are on heavy rotation at the moment. Fave: Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl

Radiohead - OK Computer

I probably don't have too much to say about this one because it is a classic through and through. I get something new out of it every time I listen. Fave: Let Down

The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony

Elliot Roberts on YouTube got me onto these guys. Their music is straight out of the 60s, you will be thinking 'wow this new Beatles album sounds good'. Their fourth album Everything Harmony is just a pleasure to listen to. Fave: What You Were Doing