Book Review: Bad with Money

My first read of the year was the recently released book, Bad with Money by Gaby Dunn. Inspired by the podcast of the same name (which I love), this book explores some different fundamentals of finance, with a dash of social justice, and pinch of both humorous as well as poignant anecdotes from the author.

I really enjoyed this book. It definitely captures the spirit of the podcast well while not just feeling like a retread. It centers each chapter on a concept then provides facts, figures, and advice from experts. Dunn then puts the concept in context of her own story. She acknowledges her shortcomings, mistakes, and where she just had gaps in her understanding at the time. She also shows how she has worked to get past these financial difficulties, yet still underscores it with the acceptance that she still has a way to go.

This book serves as a great primer for college students, young professionals, and freelancers, but certainly has a lot to engage any reader on the current state of our financial systems and how they have historically disadvantaged many Americans.

I can’t think of a better book to kick off 2019 with. Bad with Money is smart, funny, socially conscious, honest, and engaging. I blew this book very quickly which is a testament in itself for me. It usually takes me forever to read a book to the end, and even then I sometimes skim through parts that feel irrelevant. I read this one cover to cover and recommend you do the same!

Hope you enjoy Bad with Money as much as I did!

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Book Review: Real Artists Have Day Jobs

"The biggest myth we are fed as artists is that we need to sustain ourselves solely on our art."

I finished reading Real Artists Have Day Jobs recently, and it was a fun romp through various short essays on art, love, and life written by comedian Sara Benincasa.

Sara has a unique outlook on the world, which I appreciated. It's empathetic, social justice oriented, but also funny, relevant, and her writing easy to read. She writes in a conversational tone and explores a lot of her own story through the book. Everything from her struggles with her body, issues with anxiety, and journey with her career. All delivered in bite sized morsels. I really enjoyed that I could pick up the book and read a chapter or two then put it down. I tend to only have brief periods of time or so much attention to give so it worked out well that way.

The stories shared in this book are very genuine and aren't done in a way of sharing expertise on any topic; just one's person's experiences and what they think about them. It's a great way to go in the world that leaves room for growth, acknowledges shortcomings, and is more relatable. Someone who is so sure of themselves to ignore any new information is going to limit themselves to many possibilities to learn and do the best they can with whatever they're working on. Being open to a good, new story change create positive change in anyone. This book achieves just that.

As the title implies, the book emphasizes the idea that we can create and be artists without going headlong into trying to be an "artist" who lives off their creations. We can live in the world, work a "day job" and pursue our creative endeavors just the same as anyone else. It may even work better than way. This sentiment makes me think of another great book I've read, Steal Like an Artist.

I've seen a lot of people talk about this book online and I'm glad I finally got around to checking it out. I recommend you do too. 

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Movie Review Monday: Zootopia

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2016 animated movie, Zootopia, featuring a stellar voice cast including Jason Bateman, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, and Jenny Slate.

I really enjoyed this movie and was glad I was able to catch it on Netflix recently. It follows a bunny, Judy (Goodwin) who becomes a cop and must work with a deceptive fox, Nick (Bateman) to solve a mysterious case in the city of Zootopia.

The plot is basically a classic buddy cop movie with animals, but the topics they get into about prejudice, stereotypes, and bias is powerful and cunning since it is under the guise of cute animated animals. It is movies like this and Big Hero Six for example that I would want to show my future children since they're fun but have a positive message. It's better than simple princess tales, which is the typical Disney fare. I appreciate Disney going for something like this, especially in addition to their current slate of Marvel movies and shows that also are fun, and explore different topics like PTSD (Jessica Jones) or life on the streets of Harlem (Luke Cage).

Zootopia isn't a perfect movie for me by any means. Some of the jokes fall flat and it felt like it ran a little long, but I highly recommend it as something that reminds us movies can be both fun and have an important, positive message.

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Movie Review Monday: Popstar

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2016 comedy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, starring the The Lonely Island crew headlined by Andy Samberg.

This movie did not receive the attention it deserved. I think it may have been a little too clever for its own good, since the comedy satire poked fun in a very subtle, smart way at our present selves. The current music event movie formula (and modern pop music in general) is ripe for mocking, and this movie does very well at that. It is sort of Spinal Tap for today's climate (I don't know if it will be a classic like Spinal Tap, but the movies are similar in format at the least).

The mockumentary follows Conner4Real (Samberg) who is a sort of amalgamation of pop icons (Justin Bieber mostly). Conner used to be a part of a boy band, The Style Boyz (played by his fellow Lonely Island members), but went solo and became a worldwide phenomenon. We witness the release of his latest album, and the unexpected reaction.

The music is one of the big standouts of this movie. If you know Lonely Island, they are masters of musical comedy. They come up with a bunch of great original songs for the film, and I found myself listening to them again afterwards and appreciating them even more. This whole premise is a perfect platform for Lonely Island, and I'm glad they got to make this movie. I've been enjoying their stuff for a while now and it is great to see this awesome creative effort from them.

This movie flew under the radar earlier this year, but it is worth your time to check it out. It is available to rent and buy now in whatever way you like. Treat yourself to a fun time!

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Movie Review Monday: St. Vincent

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2014 dramatic comedy, St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, and Naomi Watts.

I stumbled across this movie the other day on Netflix, and it was a decent viewing experience that went in some unexpected directions; some good, some bad. Overall, it is a unique film that is cute and has a lot of heart.

Bill Murray stars as Vincent, who begins to warm up to his new neighbor's child, Oliver, after he starts to babysit for him after school. They get up to some wild adventures, and Vincent helps Oliver feel more at home as his parents are going through a messy divorce. His mom (McCarthy) feels like a very realistic, down to Earth representation of a single working mom. Murray does pretty well in his role too, as does the actor playing Oliver. Watts plays a prostitute and stripper with a heart of gold that Vincent frequents.

There are some twists that I won't spoil here, and those are what worked and didn't work for me at the same time. The movie goes down weird, dark turns but still maintains a positive course towards an ending I think works mostly well. It can't figure out a consistent tone or message, but the climax is definitely satisfying. It is a solidly average movie for me overall.

You can check out St. Vincent for yourself streaming right now on Netflix.

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Weekly Geek Outs - 09/09/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• Casual

I've been checking out some different shows to stream on Hulu lately. A lot of them happen to fall within a similar category of darker relationship comedy. Casual is one that I've watched the first season and about half of the second. I don't think I'll continue. It just isn't interesting to me. It isn't poorly done, it is just sort of boring and predictable. It also isn't that funny but it bills itself as a "comedy" I feel like. It is more dramatic more often than not, which isn't bad, but it isn't a good drama to me either. It might be worth checking out though, since comparatively it is one of the better Hulu Originals.

• Difficult People

Another Hulu Original, Difficult People is by far the worst on this list. I've only been able to get through a few episodes since it has been very hard to watch in the sense that I just think it is a bad show. It isn't offensive or anything like that, it just misses the mark for me. It tries really hard to be funny and to do bits about whatever is going on, but it doesn't work. It seems like a lot of critics like it, but I haven't heard many other people talk about it.

• You're the Worst

I stumbled into this show via some good buzz online, and it is easily the best new show I've found recently. It follows two anti-relationship young people as they fall into dating each other. It is funny, has heart, and confronts important topics like depression. It just came back for season 3 on FXX, and I look forward to continuing with this one. It is definitely worth your time to check out. Seasons 1 and 2 are both on Hulu.

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Movie Review Monday: Man Up

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 romantic comedy, Man Up, starring Simon Pegg and Lake Bell.

The misleading title aside, I liked this movie. It had some odd elements (which I'll get to in a bit) but overall it felt like a very genuine, silly, and heartfelt story.

The premise follows single 30-something Nancy (Bell) as she stumbles into and lies her way through a blind date that wasn't meant for her with Jack (Pegg). The hilarity obviously ensues but they also hit it off. We're left to wonder if they can really work out if they aren't being completely honest with each other.

I feel like I've been watching a fair amount of romantic comedies lately. They're hard to pull off without being hokey or melodramatic. Keeping them grounded can end up being depressing and/or boring, but the good ones can pull it off beautifully. While this isn't the best out there, it does the genre better than most. I enjoy both of these actors, which helps. Bell does a convincing British accent throughout (why they didn't get an English actor, I don't know) and Pegg is his usual fun, charming self. The supporting cast isn't given much to do. They almost detract from the movie. One character, Sean, seems to be from a completely different movie, and really took me out of the more heartfelt, genuine fun moments between Nancy and Jack.

I'd recommend this movie as a sort of "finding love in unexpected places" type romantic comedy. We could also use some of that advice as we look for a relationship. Opening ourselves up and putting ourselves out there can help us connect when we least expect it.

Check out Man Up streaming right now on Netflix.

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Movie Review Monday: Save the Date

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2012 romantic dramedy Save the Date, starring Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, and Mark Webber.

The film follows sisters Sarah (Caplan) and Beth (Brie) as they both go on different paths in their love lives. Sarah is trying to figure out what she wants while she begins to get serious with a long time boyfriend, and Beth is planning her wedding, committed to her partner for the long haul.

I labelled this movie as a romantic dramedy (drama + comedy) because it isn't laugh out loud funny but it does have some funny moments. It deals with something many people struggle with as they grow up; figuring out who you want to be with for the rest of your life. A tried and true premise for a film, this movie brings a modern veneer to it but not much else. It is sort of a timeless story that plays off the journey of Sarah mostly in a very subtle way. She's a frustrating character but one that I think people can empathize with either from their own lives or people they know.

I enjoyed this movie enough. It was pretty average and I didn't like the ending that much. It wasn't enough of anything to really engage me (much like my last review for American Ultra). Save the Date was a little better than that film, but it still wasn't great. It didn't resonate with me and I won't really think much about it now afterwards. I liked all the actors in it though and they did a fine job with what they were given.

You can catch Save the Date streaming right now on Netflix.

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Weekly Geek Outs - 08/26/16

Greetings!

Here's what is on my mind this week:

• Cloverfield

I caught this movie recently via Hulu after really enjoying 10 Cloverfield Lane. I never saw it when it came out back in 2008, but after seeing it now, I don't feel like I missed much. I really appreciate how they did some unique franchise building with 10 Cloverfield Lane, and it had to start somewhere, but the original movie just felt frustrating throughout. The found footage still was a neat stylistic novelty but it always creates more plot holes than it is worth I feel like. Witnessing an alien invasion from the ground is pretty cool, but it only carries the movie so much. The characters were mostly annoying and the driving force of the movie just felt silly.

• Strengths Finder

I took this assessment again the other day for work, and was pleased to see that most of my Strengths were the same from the last time I took it three years ago. Before, they were Ideation, Connectedness, Intellection, Input, and Adaptability. Now, there are Intellection, Input, Connectedness, Learner, and Responsibility. I love Strengths as a mindset and a way to approach teams and our roles in the world. We all have something valuable to offer, and we shouldn't feel like we all need to fit into the same mold. When we all bring our unique gifts to the table, we all win and we can do many more amazing things together.

• Not Safe with Nikki Glaser

My partner and I have been keeping up with this show on Hulu lately, and we love it. This show finally gives comedian Nikki Glaser a platform that works for her. The show revolves around exploring sexuality with a genuine, comedic curiosity. She's always been awesome on @midnight, and after some other ventures, this seems to be something that works for her. She gets to do some awesome recurring segments like Tinder Tap Out, and gets to have an avenue to talk about important topics like the gender pay gap, sexual assault, and more. I highly recommend checking it out!

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Movie Review Monday: Spy

Welcome to another edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's film is the 2015 action comedy, Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Rose Byrne, and Jason Statham.

I rented this the other day to watch with my partner rather than going out to see a movie and we were very pleased. The powerhouse team of Paul Feig and McCarthy create comedy gold again with Spy. It's a silly, fun action comedy spoofing the antics of spies, which certainly isn't totally original territory, but they still make it feel fresh with their unique charm. In light of enjoying the recent Ghostbusters film in theaters, this movie proves why they were on such a roll going into that movie.

We follow McCarthy's character, Susan Cooper, who goes from lowly desk worker in the CIA, to full fledged spy and we see all the antics in between. Cooper's goofy aliases and silly spy gadgets were my favorite parts. The ensemble is great in the movie too. Everyone plays their parts well, especially Statham and Law as very distinct agents. Statham being the sort of meathead, do whatever it takes action hero type he is known for, while Law is the classic Bond-esque agent.

Spy is definitely worth a rental. I don't know if I would have loved it if I paid full price at the theater, but it was a fun romp for a lazy night.

You can find Spy at Redbox or any of your favorite VOD providers.

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