the old guard and other stories
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Manila, 26 July—Before we get into anything SONA-related and serious, I’d like to get a few things out of the way: Here are some movies (and a series) that C and I enjoyed watching these past couple of weeks.
Warning: May contain spoilers.
The Old Guard (2020)
Charlize Theron is amazing in Netflix’s The Old Guard, where she plays immortal warrior Andromache of Scythia. I do love watching Charlize kicking ass—see also this single-take, hand-to-hand combat scene in Atomic Blonde and her character Furiosa in Mad Max.
Anyway, Andy leads a band of immortal warriors who fight in epic battles over the centuries. I am crazy about this concept. I am even absolutely crazier about the fact that the first fellow immortal warrior Andy meets in centuries is a woman. And that she loses this companion in the Medieval Ages. If you’ve finished watching this, I found this The Old Guard Through History video entertaining, too.
Some extra readings:
Some fandom meta, on what made The Old Guard so good, because of course. Also, +1 on all points.
The Old Guard is based on this comic by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez, which surprisingly has a lot of sex that would have been a shoo-in as far as usual, male-helmed action movies are concerned. But thank god for director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
From the New York Times: The Pleasure of Watching Charlize Theron Throw a Punch.
Palm Springs (2020)
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are trapped in a time loop during a wedding, and this is exactly what being in quarantine feels like: Like time does not matter, like everything is the same thing over and over again, and there’s truly no other better time to have released this movie. It’s quirky and charming and very fun, as expected. Cristin Milioti is a delight to watch, and Andy is Andy, of course.
Unsolved Mysteries (2020)
The Alien episode is underwhelming, but there are truly some what the fuck moments in this series. My personal favorite is the French one.
Anyway. Watch movies and series for your mental health guys! Haha. There’s a reason I’m posting these recs before tomorrow’s SONA.
That’s another story altogether.
Meanwhile, enjoy Sunday. Thanks for making it this far.
Xo,
K
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