Rabbit Rabbit #4: Rabbitty Roundup
Welcome to the ultimate Rabbit Rabbit: new month but ALSO new year!
As Patricia Highsmith wrote in The Price of Salt, “January. It was all things. And it was one thing, like a solid door…January was moments, and January was a year.” Here we go, I guess. To be faced every twelve months with the prospect of an entirely new year yet to unfold is completely insane. However, I find gratification in the act of looking back (see: RR2) and reflecting on what excited me over the last twelve months.
In true post-holiday slog fashion, I’ve decided to round up the most notable pieces of media I’ve consumed this year, separated into categories watched, read, and listened. I urge you to try them all out for yourselves. Enjoy!
Watched
Movies
The Last Days of Disco– watched this one morning (?) early in 2022 and it immediately subsumed my personality for a few months. Blasted Andrea True Connection’s “More More More” all summer long. Whit Stillman has a knack for the pretentious, nonsensical dialogue that encapsulates the faux-bourgeois proclivities of over-educated young adults with money to spare. Plus it’s Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsdale dancing in the club. “There’s something sexy about Scrooge McDuck!”
Kate Berlant’s Cinnamon in the Wind (Hulu)– not a movie, but 45 minutes of pure comedic glory. This special was filmed in 2019, sat on FX’s shelves for three humdrum years, and was finally released over the summer. Hard to overstate how ingenious KB is, the moments of improv are astounding, etc etc. Bo Burnham calls her the “most influential/imitated comic of a generation” for a reason.
Women Talking– writer-director Sarah Polley’s latest feat, an adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name, about a group of Mennonite women deciding whether or not to flee their village after a series of violent attacks by the males in their community. Saw this sitting next to Peter Sarsgaard at the New York Film Festival so I was obviously soaring. Features a brilliant score by Hildur Guðnadóttir and an outstanding ensemble cast including Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, and Claire Foy. #Icried.
Little Children– my friend Sam and I were recently blown out of the water by Todd Field’s small-town masterpiece, based on Tom Perrotta’s novel. It follows Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson having a summer affair in suburban Connecticut which is really hot. Also they have kids. JK there’s a lot more to it, including some of the best camera work I’ve ever seen. Like a darker & more nuanced Big Little Lies.
Shows
Russian Doll (Netflix)– Natasha Lyonne in her very own freaky-deeky, cocaine-laced Groundhog Day plot in the East Village. Time travel, more Chloë Sevigny, Harry Nilsson’s “Gotta Get Up” on repeat, etc. Lots of great performances here, especially by Greta Lee, who steals the scene every time, in anything.
A League of Their Own (Amazon Prime)– an 8-episode expansion and reimagining of the classic 1992 movie. But this time, it’s all queer people (as it always was!) Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson are at the helm, so it’s perfect. My friend Crugg and I watched it in less than 48 hours and then literally bolted to the local baseball diamond in 90-degree heat to hit a few.
High School (FreeVee)– the sweetest little show no one talks about! Probably because it’s on FreeVee (ads) so one feels they are viewing an after-school special in 1997. Which is ideal, because that’s when it’s set! High School, based on the memoir, tells the story of twin sisters and indie pop duo Tegan and Sara Quin growing up in Calgary, Canada. Clea Duvall wrote and directed most of the episodes. The 21-year-old identical twins who play Tegan and Sara were discovered on TikTok, and they are wonderful.
A Friend of the Family (Peacock)– after seeing ads for this limited series on nearly every NYC subway platform, I went for it. The story is terrifying because it’s real. It follows Jan Broberg, who in the 1970s was kidnapped twice from her Idaho hometown. Jake Lacy plays Bob “Brother B” Berchtold, Jan’s neighbor and the sadistic man who brainwashed her into allying with him. It’s a harrowing show that gets crazier with every twist. Anna Paquin also gives a titillating performance as Mary Ann, Jan’s mother.
Read
Girls Can Kiss Now by Jill Gutowitz– probably my favorite read of 2022. I quoted from this book in RR3 and have not stopped thinking about Gutowitz’s hilarious takes on queer pop culture. Her essays range from beautifully vulnerable –the millennial coming-of-age in an era where we hadn’t quite moved past Ellen as the sole existing lesbian archetype– to searingly brilliant (see my favorite chapter, “Step On Me, Julianne Moore.”) Can’t recommend it enough.
The Ice Storm by Rick Moody– on Thanksgiving (stricken with covid), I finally finished this novel which inspired one of my all-time favorite films. It took me a bit to reach cruising altitude with Moody’s smutty tone, but by the end of this novel, I was smitten with its quiet devastation. An honest portrait of the nuclear family and its utter absurdity. What is a mother, a husband, a daughter, a neighbor, supposed to be? If you get off on 1970s cultural milieu this is for you. Most notable line: “What was the loudest noise a girl could make?”
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh– the buzziest book I read all year, but for good reason. (Also the best book cover I’ve seen in a while.) I really enjoyed this and found it to be quite funny in unexpected places. It’s about a woman who is so depressed she doesn’t leave her Upper East Side apartment for an entire year, attempting to sleep her way to a better life and more peaceful mind. Things go awry. Yorgos Lanthimos, reveal your cast for the movie NOW.
Jessie Buckley’s Monster Talent by Jordan Kisner– This gorgeous NYT profile took me by surprise a few weeks ago. I adore Jessie Buckley on screen but hadn’t done much reading up on her background. Kisner takes exceptional care in revealing Buckley’s warm, generous spirit through delicate observation. I appreciate that she gravitates toward material that explores feminine desire and rage. Spoiler alert: JB’s into clowning right now and she’s taking it very seriously. Love her.
Listened
Poog Podcast with Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak– every Tuesday without fail. Retinols, paperwork, tortillas, Interstellar, Jewel, and the undeniable search for community.
“Holly Holy” by Neil Diamond Live– technically a watch and listen, but the studio version is also seamless. Maybe the best song ever.
“I Eat Boys” by Chloe Moriondo– heard this in Do Revenge and now I sing it in the shower every day. Girly and vengeful but in a very adult way.
“American Teenager” by Ethel Cain– my friend Ethan turned me on to Ethel Cain, modern belle of the Southern Gothic. I love this song because it makes me think of the quote, “the young: they are the same everywhere” from Little Fires Everywhere.
“Liz” by Remi Wolf– I read a YouTube comment that was like, “some of the best vocals of the new generation,” and I have to concur. She’s bursting at the seams with energy.
“He’s Fine” by The Secret Sisters– this was my #1 song on Spotify Wrapped. Nothing like two women, a guitar, a tambourine, and airtight harmonies.
Social photo from The Last Days of Disco (1998)
