Sex Actually with Dave Neal and Tasha Courtney
Podcast
Sex Actually is a hilarious podcast discussing modern relationships. We dive into topics that are...
The Oberon Book of Comic Monologues for Women: Volume 2
Book
A comedian and writer, Wix has for the past few years been writing audition speeches for students at...
Tricksters
Book
A comedian, singer, composer, musician, linguist, actor, author and a favourite of Sean Connery and...
Welcome to the Club: 100 Parenting Milestones You Never Saw Coming
Book
From the comedian behind the popular parenting blog The Ugly Volvo comes a refreshing spin on the...
Birmingham: Memories of the Sixties
Book
"If you can remember the Sixties, you weren't there." I've always thought that line, credited to any...
William Friedkin recommended L' année dernière à Marienbad [Last Year at Marienbad] (1961) in Movies (curated)
The Kenneth Williams Diaries
Book
‘I’ll put you in my diary!’ comedian Kenneth Williams was known to threaten on occasion,...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I found this book to be a refreshing and engaging celebrity book. It carried a surprising depth. I don't know a ton about Schumer, but loved <i>Trainwreck</i> and have had a crush on her for ages. That crush has only intensified upon reading her book, as I discovered several similarities between us: introverts who love hotdogs and have complicated relationships with their mothers, who both internalize stress to the point where it makes us sick. We're a match made in heaven! But, seriously, Schumer is an excellent writer, and her book is an easy read, with well-written and wonderful essays that range from humorous to serious (and often both).
Her book avoided all of my usual celebrity autobiography/memoir/essay pet peeves. In this book, we really learn about Schumer, instead of just a few token stories. I was fascinated to hear about her career trajectory: you get a great look into how hard she worked in her early years as a comedian. In addition, we actually get a lot of insight into her early life-- her childhood and teenage years. What I love is that she comes across as a real human being, instead of giving us a book that is simply full of polished, trite jokes and well-worn stories.
In fact, while parts of the book make you laugh out loud, other places make you empathize with Schumer. The book is funny, but not too funny or fake funny. And it's serious without preaching. She covers topics such as sexual assault, gun control, her father's MS, her relationship with her parents, and other serious childhood experiences that molded her, with a realism that is refreshing. Sure, there are a few "woe is me" moments about how hard it is to be a celebrity, or what it's like to have money, but they are few and far between. By the end, I admired Amy even more as a person and a comedian, and my crush will continue on stronger than ever.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Mar 13, 2018
Possibly I am just biased as Nanjiani seems like a man after my own heart (X-Files fan, plus the first thing he does when he takes a woman home is show her an early 70s Vincent Price horror movie - did I mention I'm single?), but this manages to be both touching and funny. Good support from Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as Kazan's parents; manages to deal with some fairly serious issues with a light touch. Works hard to earn its happy ending; an immensely likeable film.
Awix (3310 KP) rated A Simple Favor (2018) in Movies
Oct 11, 2018
Very very much in the same vein as Gone Girl, to the extent that people would probably have been screaming knock-off had this film not also functioned as a rather effective black comedy - you may be wondering what a light comedian like Kendrick is doing fronting a thriller directed by a comedy specialist like Paul Feig; well, this is the reason why. This may also be the reason why the film is cheerily up-front about how far-fetched its own plot is. Not the kind of movie that really lingers in the memory, but nicely put-together and fun while you're watching it.