MONDAY MARVELS #20: A post-surgery special
Ripley, Shōgun, Manhunt and more…
Hi darlings ❤️🔥❤️🔥
Boy have I got a lot of good stuff for you. I’ve been recovering from surgery this month, the silver lining being that I’ve literally just been watching TV for two weeks straight 😏 so I have some bonus recommendations for you.
🎬 TV
I really loved Shōgun, a new series set in Japan in 1600. When English sailor John Blackthorne ends up shipwrecked in Japan, he gets caught up in a bitter war between the powerful Lord Toranaga and his political rivals. The story is loosely based on the real life figure of William Adams, an English navigator who reached Japan and rose to become a samurai under Tokugawa leyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate that ruled Japan from 1603 until 1868. Available on Disney+.
Ripley seems to have been a bit divisive but Andrew Scott can do no wrong in my eyes. It’s a retelling of the classic novel and film, The Talented Mr. Ripley. I found it deliciously unrushed and surprisingly funny. There’s something strangely satisfying about how long the whole thing takes, with multiple 10 minute scenes with little to no dialogue. That said I do wish it wasn’t in B&W because I feel cheated by not seeing Italy in all its colourful glory. Available on Netflix.
The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 14th 1865 led to a 12 day manhunt for the man that shot him. Manhunt is a limited series that tells the story of Edwin Stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War, on his quest to find John Wilkes Booth and finish Lincoln’s vision of Reconstruction in post-civil war US. Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones) plays Stanton and Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air) is Booth. Anthony Boyle seems to have come out of nowhere and is suddenly all over the place. He’s been brilliant in everything I’ve seen so far, so definitely one to watch. Available on AppleTV.
🍿 FILMS
It’s a bit of a dry patch for films at the moment before the summer season starts. I haven’t managed to get to the cinema to see Challengers yet (if you have let me know what you thought), so I’ve been catching up on some older films that have been on my list.
I watched some of the earlier Greta Gerwig / Noah Baumbach collaborations and Frances Ha in particular brought me a lot of joy. It’s a comedy-drama starring Greta Gerwig as Frances, a 27 year old aspiring dancer living in New York who is generally just doing the bumbling-about-living-in-your-twenties thing. It follows her as she navigates trying to get a handle on being a responsible adult and dealing with drifting apart from her best friend Sophie. It’s extremely silly and funny and the character of Frances is very endearing.
🎧 PODCASTS
This month I’ve been enjoying Doing It Right, a podcast from journalist and author Pandora Sykes. The podcast was birthed from her 2020 essay collection ‘How Do I Know If I’m Doing It Right’ (which I’d also recommend) and focuses on the myths, anxieties and trends of modern life. I particularly enjoyed the following episodes:
Decolonising beauty, with Afua Hirsch ~ a conversation about the intersection of colonialism, misogyny, beauty and bodies and Afua’s own quest to reassess the beauty trends she subscribes to since turning 40.
How tech flattened personal taste, with Kyle Chayka ~ a fascinating discussion about how algorithms are leading to less individuality in style and taste.
The myth of good skin, with Jessica DeFino ~ a conversation with ‘anti-beauty product beauty journalist’ Jessica DeFino about the rise of ‘skincare’, the myths surrounding our skin and the dangers of many celebrity-backed skincare products.
📚 BOOKS
I’m a big fan of Maggie O’Farrell and loved Hamnet and her memoir I Am I Am I Am, so I was excited to get my hands on a copy of her latest novel, The Marriage Portrait. It’s set in 1550s Italy and tells the story of Lucrezia, a young woman who was married off to Alfonso the Duke of Ferrara when she was just 13. It is a powerful reimagination of how she tried to survive in a time and place where the lives of women were treated as expendable. I really loved the ending too. No spoilers so you’ll just have to trust me…
Marvels from the community 🚀
🦄 Sam recommends Turning Point, a Netflix documentary series about the Cold War and its lasting legacy on Russian/Western relations.
🦄 Martin recommends This Time No Mistakes: How to Remake Britain a book by journalist and author Will Hutton about how we can create a better Britain, driven by a new economic and political philosophy.
🦄 Josh recommends Nasty, Brutish and Short by Scott Hershovitz. It’s a witty and accessible introduction to a wide range of topics in philosophy — from gender and race to the nature of reality — told through amusing conversations with the author’s kids. It shows how kids are natural philosophers and that we can learn a lot by thinking with them, not for them.
🦄 Eliza recommends Dish, a podcast where broadcaster Nick Grimshaw and Michelin star chef and restaurateur Angela Hartnett invite you to join their weekly dinner parties for hilarious, unfiltered chat.
🦄 Bethan recommends Baby Reindeer, a new series out on Netflix. It tells the story of comedian Richard Gadd, who develops a warped relationship with a female stalker.
WOWEE what a lot of good stuff. Thanks as ever for your recommendations. Keep em coming.
Have a great month 🙏