This Week in Pop Culture: November 22, 2024
The best and most absurd Christmas movie of the season (so far), a dystopian drama, and more in this week's pop culture round-up.
Happy Friday, friends. How are you doing? I hope you are continuing to survive in what I think of as the worst timeline, and that you’re taking care of yourself and have plans for the weekend that bring you joy. I am certainly looking forward to the weekend - with plans to see Wicked and watch a terrible Christmas movie with a friend - and after a week that included a trip to the emergency vet for my anxious dog, I’m looking forward to rest.
Speaking of Wicked, this clarification for the record by Idina Menzel (she’s 5’6”!!!) sent me into outer space this week because it’s so utterly silly:
I also spent some time perusing the list of anticipated movies releasing in 2025 from Vanity Fair (archive link if you’re paywalled). Movies on the list that look particularly appealing to me include The Wedding Banquet starring Lily Gladstone (finally, a comedy!) and Celine Song’s Materialists, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. The list is worth a look, especially if you feel like you need something to look forward to in 2025.
Here’s the rest of the pop culture that took up space in my brain this week:
What I Read:
Splinters by Leslie Jamison: When her marriage ends not long after giving birth to their daughter, writer Leslie Jamison turns to introspection to examine how her marriage fell apart, how her love for her daughter transformed her, and how her own parents’ complicated relationship shaped her.
If there’s one thing I love, it’s a confessional memoir about the rupture of a relationship and what happens in the aftermath. I also find writers willing to pillage every detail of their personal lives for the craft deeply fascinating, so on the surface, this could have been made in a lab for me. I really liked the first half of this deeply confessional and vulnerable memoir, but the second half felt weirdly directionless and solipsistic in a way that I could not get past. I found myself growing tired of the details about her post-divorce relationships with men1 and with the lengthy passages about visiting art museums, where she obsesses about her own feelings about the art. But the writing itself is very good - Jamison is an excellent writer - and the parts about her daughter and motherhood are stunningly beautiful. A lot of food for thought here, but I wonder if it would have been stronger if she’d given herself more distance from the events of the book before putting it into the world - she is only 40 and the divorce happened in 2020.
Unfurl by Elodie Hart: When an uptight virgin raised in the Catholic faith discovers a sex club that can help her shed her hang-ups about sex, she doesn’t count on falling for one of the club’s owners - a man more than a decade older than her with tons of experience. But as she discovers more about herself, she finds her self falling for him despite the odds they face.
More than once on here, I’ve mentioned the fact that I sometimes fall prey to a TikTok that hypes up a romance book only to be let down by it spectacularly. I clearly never learn, because that’s what happened with this book (the first, inexplicably in a series). I was definitely served multiple TikToks about this months ago and promptly forgot about it until someone mentioned it on a r/romancebooks thread this past week, and I was like, “Well, maybe it will be good…?” It was not. I actually didn’t mind the set-up and the first third or so, and then I realized I was really bored and didn’t believe any of these people were behaving like normal human beings. The writing is fine, especially for a self-published title, but it needed a stronger editing hand and stronger character development for me to care about any of the “stakes.” I am still deep in my insomnia era and this is the kind of stuff I prefer to read in the middle of the night, but sometimes it’s more “miss” than “hit.” I won’t continue with the series.
Muscle Memory by Kyle Carrero Lopez: This debut poetry collection covers money and work, Blackness and anti-blackness, queerness, and violence of all kinds through a variety of poems.
This poetry collection was a gift from the incredible and unparalleled
,2 and I really liked it! I don’t read as much poetry as I should, but I’m always happy when I make time to do it. The exploration of community and identity are the through lines in this collection, and I loved how Lopez explored the tensions between the personal and the political. I didn’t love every poem in this collection, but a few will stay with me, including “Ru Paul is Fracking.” Lopez’s next collection is being published by Graywolf (in 2026), so he’s definitely a poet on the rise.What I Watched:
Hot Frosty (Netflix): A few years after losing her husband, a cafe owner named Kathy accidentally brings a handsome snowman to life. His charming naïveté brings her color back and helps her to love and laugh again, but their time might be short because as the weather warms, he’ll melt.
This was absolutely absurd, and I loved every minute of it! If you watch one stupid Christmas movie this year, I fully believe it should be this one, because it’s utterly preposterous and yet somehow still manages to be a little charming. It was very fun to see Lacey Chabert in something that wasn’t made for Hallmark (I felt like she gave a little more energy onscreen here than I’ve seen her do in the last five-ish years), and while I wouldn’t call her chemistry with Dustin Milligan strong, it wasn’t bad for one of these movies, either. Milligan is charming here, even if I was distracted by his zero percent body fat.3 The script (penned by Russell Hainline, who has at least three more movies coming out this season and wrote two of the better Christmas movies from the past few years) is genuinely funny and knows how ridiculous it is. I loved how anti-cop the movie ended up being (Hallmark would never) and had an absolute blast watching this. Really fun and something I would probably watch again!
Christmas with the Singhs (Hallmark): After Asha Singh and Jake reconnect at the emergency room one Christmas, the two fall in love. The next year, the two return to their hometown, engaged, and attempt to navigate the blending of their very different families without it tearing them apart.
This is the best we’ve seen from Hallmark so far this year, without question! I loved that we got to see the couple get engaged (and kiss!) before the first commercial break, which felt different than what we often see play out in these movies. The plot itself is not anything we haven’t seen before (it’s basically Meet the Parents but one of the families is Indian), but the actors here are better than the usual and the script is careful and considerate of the cultural stuff happening onscreen.4 Good chemistry between Benjamin Hollingsworth and Anuja Joshi (who is great here - put her in more things, please) help elevate the movie. I found parts of it to be genuinely moving, and I cried near the end when the two dads had a heart-to-heart. I really, really liked this one - one of my favorites of the year (finally)!
Silo, Season 1 (Apple TV): In a future in which the surface of Earth is toxic to life, a community exists in a giant underground silo that goes hundreds of stories deep. The folks who live in the silo adhere to strict regulations that they believe are meant to protect them, but when a few people start questioning their existence, chaos ensues.
The second season of Silo premiered last week, and I decided it was time for me to get around to watching the first one, since living in an underground bunker is sounding pretty good right now. The show looks expensive (as does most of what Apple TV produces) and the cast is very strong, even when the script isn’t. The world-building is excellent and fully immersive, and the way that it builds suspense and an increasing sense of claustrophobia is remarkable. I found it very compelling, though I think that the season could have been a few episodes shorter (6-8 might have been the sweet spot). It’s definitely a very good sci-fi dystopian drama, and I’ll definitely watch the second season (I might wait until all the episodes are out, though).
TV/Movie Tidbits:
A Reason for the Season (Hallmark Mystery): When Evie’s mother tells her that in order to get access to her trust fund, she must grant Christmas wishes to the people who saved her life on the night of her birth, she enlists the help of Kyle, an attorney, to track down the folks who helped. I have never identified more with “eat the rich” than while watching this movie. Taylor Cole deserves better than this painfully boring, borderline problematic story that essentially makes the argument that billionaires deserve love, too. What a take in 2024, given the state of everything! Skip this one!
Jingle Bell Run (Hallmark): When a bookworm is paired with a retired hockey star to compete in a holiday race across America, they struggle through themed challenges while butting heads, but then find themselves falling for one another even as the cameras roll. Andrew Walker and Ashley Williams are absolute pros at these movies, and that’s on full display in this entertaining, fun take on a sort of Christmas-themed Amazing Race.5 Good chemistry and a premise that offers at least a little bit of deviation from the standard plot make this one a very pleasant viewing experience. Not my favorite of the year, but in the top third, easily.
Confessions of a Christmas Letter (Hallmark): When a case of writer’s block strikes, an eccentric6 matriarch hires a struggling novelist named Juan to writer her Christmas letter for a holiday contest. But a mixup sparks gossip about Juan being engaged to her daughter Lily, and the family plays along for fun. This was bonkers, and not in a fun way. Everyone in this is absolutely deranged and I kept staring at the screen in horror, because I could not figure out what the tone was supposed to be. It’s Angela Kinsey’s (The Office) Hallmark debut, and while I know she has a history of improv/comedy going back well before her turn on the iconic show, I needed her to dial it down about ten degrees here. Unhinged and there was something sinister underneath the surface that I could never put my finger on, which might explain why this is what I wrote for my Letterboxd review:
Christmas at Plumhill Manor (Lifetime): When an architect from New York inherits an ancient manor home in a quaint English town, she travels there over Christmas only to butt heads with the locals. Lifetime’s Christmas movies have officially started for the season, and this one - the first - went out with a whimper. If that description sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen this plot about 1,000 times before, and this time, we’re watching it with charisma black hole Maria Menounos.7 This was absolutely unwatchable and I’m not even sure I made it all the way through. The worst of the season so far!
What I Listened To:
The Good Whale Podcast: A new podcast from the producers of Serial and the New York Times, this wasn’t on my radar until a friend asked if I’d listened yet.8 Do you remember the 1993 movie Free Willy? This is about the real-life orca, Keiko, that was in the movie and the public’s outrage after learning about Keiko’s living conditions, and the quest to return him to the ocean - which was no easy feat. I had no idea how much time, effort, and strategy went into releasing Keiko into the wild, and the interviews with the handlers and trainers who worked with him are fascinating. I listened to the entire series (6 episodes) in less than 24 hours, and it’s riveting and heartbreaking and maddening and made me think a lot about animal captivity, about well-meaning humans, and all sorts of other things. I openly sobbed through the last few episodes. Highly recommended!
What I’m Looking Forward To:
A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter (Netflix, December 6): A holiday special featuring pop icon Sabrina Carpenter performing songs from her Christmas EP fruitcake (and other holiday covers) with features from guest performing artists, comedians, and more. I’ve accepted that I like Sabrina Carptener against my will at this point, and I’m looking for anything holiday-related that might spark joy, so I’m looking forward to this deeply unserious special.9
Queer Eye, Season 9 (Netflix, December 9): The fab five is back with a new designer joining the cast for its 9th season. Despite the fact that there seems to be a credible amount of drama behind the scenes of this deeply sentimental and emotionally manipulative show, I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I have marked my calendar for its return. I love to cry and watch this show!
The Last Showgirl (Theaters, January 10): A veteran showgirl must prepare for her future when the revue she’s been dancing in for decades suddenly announces its closure. This movie, starring Pamela Anderson, is getting a ton of good buzz and looks really compelling. Pamela Anderson has been having a (well-deserved) renaissance and I’m happy to see this happening for her. I still really recommend her memoir. Anyway, I can’t wait for this:
That’s it for this week! I’ll be back next week with more Christmas movies, thoughts on the new Cruel Intentions show, and so much more. Have a good weekend and thanks, as always, for reading!
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If there’s one thing I learned about Jamison while reading this, it’s that she has a terrible picker when it comes to men.
After she accidentally bought two copies! This is not the first time I’ve been the recipient of her propensity to double-purchase books - and I’ll forever be grateful!
He’s disturbingly ripped in this! I’d argue too lean, to be honest!
It probably helps that the movie was directed by a Middle-Eastern queer muslim woman!
With, like, 1/24th of the budget of a show like that, obviously.
Doing an immense amount of heavy lifting here.
I would literally rather sit through 90 minutes of Menounos hosting Noovie - you know that thing before the trailers at AMC theaters? - before ever sitting through this again. She’s my enemy now!
Shout-out to Stacey for the recommendation!
I also recommend The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special, which is on Prime.
Ready for any and all Christmas movie reviews, cannot stop laughing. Hot Frosty is up first for Maeve & I! Poor Menounos, just can’t do it.
Excited for your Silo s2 thoughts. Love that show!