Story Stream: 1/16 - 1/23

Happy Saturday, friends! This will be a semi-quick one, as it's been a pretty busy week in my world. But, nonetheless, there were still some excellent stories in the stream this week. Almost all new (or new to me). Here we go!
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MOVIES

The Last Duel (2021)

I knew nothing about this before clicking play, outside of how very ridiculous Matt Damon's hair (and Ben Affleck's whole person) looked in the snippets I'd seen of the trailer. And I'll be honest, for the first third of the movie, I was not impressed. Mostly because of the somewhat gratuitous violence and Matt Damon's horrific British non-accent. BUT, about a third of the way in, when I realized what they were actually doing with the movie, none of that mattered any more. I did a full 180 on this. The violence is gratuitous in moments. The accent is horrific. The hair is ridiculous. But, the movie is genuinely excellent. Like, very, very good. I'd never seen this sort of storytelling angle, but I hope it catches on, cause it really worked. In the end, I loved it. Streaming on HBO Max. (9/10 - Very Highly Recommended)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

I was really excited to revisit this one as I couldn't remember much about it. I just remember that I really enjoyed it the first time I saw it. By about the 10 minute mark though in this second viewing, I realized I'd never actually seen it at all. I've owned it for years, but hadn't ever actually watched it. So weird. Anyway, I loved it, and don't understand at all why it's so universally railed by critics and fans of the Wizarding World. I loved it. Thoroughly enjoyed Jude Law as Dumbledore and can't wait to see his story unfold in the next few films. And again, Eddie Redmayne is just incredible as a lead. Newt Scamander is a perfect character for him. Streaming on HBO Max. (8/10 - Highly Recommended)

The Matrix: Resurrections (2021)

It's been a month since this my first viewing, and since then I've heard tons of people talk about how bad this movie is. Since it was leaving HBO Max, I wanted to give it one more viewing and see if I was blinded the first time around by nostalgia or my deep loyalty to all things Keanu Reeves. And all I can say is: if I was blinded, I'm still blinded. Cause I maybe even loved it more the second time. I don't get why people are so hard on this movie. I think it was so super clever. Is Neo the same Neo he used to be? Of course not. He's 60 years older in this movie, and Reeves is 20 years older. People (and characters) evolve. Necessarily so in both cases. Available soon wherever you buy movies. (10/10 - Very Highly Recommended)
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TV

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman (2022)

I love a good true crime documentary. Especially one that you can watch in its entirety in a single setting. And especially when the criminal being discussed is still at large somewhere in the world. This was surprisingly good. I didn't expect it to be bad. But I hadn't prepared myself for something really, really good either. If you like true crime, give it a shot. If you're ONLY into true crime about murderers, then this may not be for you, but I do know some really amazing therapists I could refer you to. Streaming on Netflix. (9/10 - Very Highly Recommended)
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MUSIC

Penny & Sparrow - Olly Olly (2022)

These freaking guys. They just don't miss. If you need something beautiful and intense and romantic and sad and sometimes happy to listen to, that's 100% what Penny & Sparrow delivers album after album. This album just dropped this week, and it's as good as anything they've ever released. I personally guarantee you'll love this album. If not, again I know some really amazing therapists I could refer you to . Streaming on the various music apps. (10/10 - Most Highly Recommended)
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AUDIOBOOKS

The Ultimate Spider Man - edited by Stan Lee (2019)

I started this a couple weeks back, while I was in my Spider Man kick. Finally finished it this week. I've never listened to this sort of audiobook before, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. It's just a collection of some of Stan Lee's favorite Spider Man stories over the years, all written by different folks. It won't be for everybody, certainly, but if you're into comic book-isn stuff, you may like it. Available on Audible. (8/10 - Recommended)
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That's it, friends! I hope you've had an amazing week, and that you have another one coming up. Thanks, as always, for reading! More soon!