I mean that in the most sincere, best possible way. And I don’t mean that Shadow and Bone (written by my close, personal friend Leigh Bardugo) is irritatingly derivative of those young adult fantasy powerhouses. Rather, it is an incredibly original book that happens to share some of the qualities that make those books soContinue reading “If you liked The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, you’ll love Shadow and Bone”
Category Archives: pop culture
Katniss, the best thing since Buffy
In my earlier post, Girls who kick ass, I disclosed my attempts to impersonate female superheroes. Last year, Rob and I listened to the audio book for The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines, and actually, that’s when I decided to dress up as Wonder Woman for Halloween. But it depressedContinue reading “Katniss, the best thing since Buffy”
Girls who kick ass
Rob and I like to dress up as superheroes for Halloween. In 2004, we were Rogue and Wolverine. From the X-Men movie, not the comic, because Rogue’s comic book hairstyle doesn’t translate so well to real life. The next time we dressed up was in 2008, and I was Elektra. In 2009, Rob wanted toContinue reading “Girls who kick ass”
Anakin Skywalker: It’s Complicated
The original Star Wars movies are so firmly enmeshed in my childhood that I cannot write about them objectively. Generations of film geeks already have analyzed the series on so deep a level that nothing I can say could possibly be original. As Luke Skywalker says at the end of Empire, “It’s ImPOSSible!” Rob andContinue reading “Anakin Skywalker: It’s Complicated”
Polarizing Film: Drive
Many years ago, when I was a student of the cinema, I considered a couple of popular films to be litmus tests. You laughed hysterically at Flirting with Disaster? You’re a philanderer with a misogynistic sense of humor. Wept at The English Patient? You’re pretentious. Please, that film was bo-ring! The other day, we watchedContinue reading “Polarizing Film: Drive”
They used to call me Mr. Glass
M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable is highly underrated. When I saw it in 2000, it was the most realistic rise-of-superhero-and-supervillain that I had ever seen on film. A comparable film in theaters now is Chronicle. Both films answer the question, What would the world be like if superpowers were real? * Kick-Ass is a great film addressingContinue reading “They used to call me Mr. Glass”
The King and Queen of Pop
Last week’s episode of Glee and the Superbowl halftime show have me thinking about the roles Michael Jackson and Madonna have played in my life. Michael I remember my first time with Michael. My brother’s best friend introduced us to him circa 1983, via the video for Billie Jean. I thought the lyrics were, “BillieContinue reading “The King and Queen of Pop”
Getting rich quick on TV
I used to think Rob and I would kick ass on The Amazing Race. I’m an extremely savvy world traveler and he’s superhumanly athletic. However, I worried that my lack of strength and endurance might hold us back, coupled with the fact that I wouldn’t respond well to several sleep-deprived stressful days in a row.Continue reading “Getting rich quick on TV”
Under anesthesia, under the knife
I’m having my tonsils out tomorrow. I know, so retro, right? The procedure itself is supposed to be quick and easy, but the recovery is awful. I’ve been under general anesthesia once before, to have my wisdom teeth out when I was almost 19. The only surgery I’ve had since was a ganglion removal inContinue reading “Under anesthesia, under the knife”
I paid full price for @mindykaling’s book
Mindy Kaling is one of my comedy heroines. Right up there with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. I always thought she was funny in her tertiary role on The Office, and was impressed when I noticed that she had a writer, producer and sometimes directing credit. I “liked” Subtle Sexuality on Facebook afterContinue reading “I paid full price for @mindykaling’s book”
Kari Neumeyer 