Saurus’s 2020 Content Round-Up

 Here’s the (best of the) content that got me through 2020: 

*New = released in 2020. Old = released prior to 2020 (but new to me).

1. New TV:

1. Normal People on Hulu: very good acting. Be prepared to weep if you have not yet found your soulmate (lol jk soulmates don’t exist... I’m not bitter at all).

2. Never Have I Ever on Netflix: much laughter, much cry

3. The Babysitters’ Club on Netflix: so wholesome, so much better clothes than I wore as a preteen

2. Old TV: 

1. Anne with an E (S2 & S3) on Netflix: much lighter than the very bleak S1. I ship Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (my childhood literary OTP)!

2. Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Hulu: A police show shouldn’t be allowed to be this funny, romantic, and generally delightful.

3. Psych on Amazon Prime: This is when “stupid” is a compliment because the main detective duo Shawn and Gus are so stupid yet so funny.

3. New music: 

1. Pop albums including: Fine Line by Harry Styles (this came out in Dec 2019 so I'm counting it as 2020); Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa; and Positions by Ariana Grande.

2. The Prelude by Pink Sweat$. Every song on this EP is a banger. I’m especially in love with “17” and “At My Worst” which are both beautiful slow songs.

3. All the hits of TikTok including Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd which is good for running around in my bedroom while flailing my arms and calling it "exercise." Actually most of After Hours by The Weeknd is pretty good.

4. Old music: 

1. Ctrl by SZA. It’s so good ughhh

2. Happiness Begins by the Jonas Brothers. It is JOYFUL, okay

3. I fully became a stan of a bunch of pop stars this year, including Ariana Grande, Alessia Cara, Camila Cabello, and Kehlani. Not sorry.

5. New movies (I only watched 8 movies released in 2020 so there’s not a lot to pick from): 

1. Genuinely great: The Old Guard on Netflix 

2. Charming cast but kinda questionable plot: 

1. Palm Springs on Hulu - funny white people falling in love 

2. The Lovebirds on Netflix - very funny people of color re-falling in love

3. To All The Boys 2 on Netflix - John Ambrose deserved more!! Sorry for the spoiler.

3. Yay for LGBT representation but I was disappointed these weren’t actual rom-coms:

1. The Half of It on Netflix - so high school emo tbh

2. Happiest Season on Hulu - Kristen Stewart should have ended up with Aubrey Plaza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry for another spoiler.

6. Old movies: 

1. 80s-90s Julia Roberts: Pretty Woman, Mystic Pizza, Steel Magnolias

2. The one and only Cher: Moonstruck, Mermaids… still need to watch The Witches of Eastwick

3. Legit old Cary Grant movies: His Girl Friday, To Catch A Thief, Charade

(photo source)

Dactyl’s 2020 Streaming Roundup

Movie theaters, you were my first love.  I will never give up on you, and I promise I’ll be back in due course.  In the meantime, here’s a list of the ten best things I watched while couch potatoing this year.

10. Enola Holmes (Netflix).  This is definitely a children’s movie and I enjoyed it very much.

9. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+).  Please indulge me for a minute—this show was way better than it had any right to be.  At its worst, it was cookie cutter Disney Channel fare.  At its best, it was a less cruel, more authentic version of Glee and an unapologetic celebration of actual theater kids.

8. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix).  Very solid all around.  Some parts of the story felt underdeveloped (tell me more about Jolene!), but overall I liked this a lot.

7. Bridgerton (Netflix).  Despite its gorgeous (and no doubt expensive) production design, Bridgerton is basically raunchy candy-coated trash.  It’s delicious and it never takes itself too seriously.  I’m addicted. 

6. Palm Springs (Hulu).  A zany, creative romantic comedy with just the right mix of humor and heart.  I really wish Cristin Milioti was in more movies.

5. Never Have I Ever (Netflix).  Probably the most bingeable show on this list.  Never Have I Ever was a breeze to watch but also has enough depth to warrant (hopefully) many more seasons to come.

4. Normal People (Hulu).  I hope Imogen Heap is getting royalties for the number of times I listened to “Hide and Seek” after watching this series.  Normal People made my cold dead heart feel like it was in my throat for 10 hours straight (in a good way!).

3. God’s Own Country (Hulu).  As a proud cinephile, I’m ashamed to admit I missed this one in 2017.  It’s a brilliant and unforgettable work of art—both searing and subtle, gut-wrenching and full of grace.  Josh O’Connor could have gone toe-to-toe with Timothée at the Oscars that year.

2. Anne with an E (Netflix).  A true hidden gem.  This show was so clearly written and produced by women, and it made me feel so celebrated and seen.  It breaks my heart that season 3 was its last, but the final episode (in particular, the final scene) was perfect.  Booking my tickets for PEI as soon as it’s safe to travel again.

1. Schitt’s Creek (Netflix).  I’m fully on this bandwagon and loving it.  The popularity of Schitt’s Creek this year with both viewers and critics affirms its place in TV history, and its thesis about the transformative power of love is sure to stand the test of time.  It is, quite simply, the best.

A Beginner's Guide to ASMR

It's hard to describe ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) as a sensory phenomenon, but for the sake of this post I'll refer to it as a genre of YouTube videos in which creators ("ASMRtists") use various audio and visual stimuli ("triggers") to create a pleasant "tingly" sensation, usually along your head/scalp. ASMR seems to generate one of two responses in people: either 1) you get it and you love it, or 2) you don't get it and you think it's really weird. I fall in the former camp, as I find it very soothing with or without the head tingles, particularly as a way to wind down before bed. So, if you have ever felt a passing interest in exploring ASMR, here's a guide from me to you.

A quick note before we begin: a lot of creators will recommend listening with headphones for the best experience. I find that playing videos on my phone works just fine, but playing them on speakers (linked up to my computer) gets a bit too intense. 

Start with: Celebrity ASMR Interviews

A good entry point into ASMR are interviews with celebrities who, like you, typically don't really understand ASMR but have been asked to give it a go while talking about themselves (their favorite hobby). W Magazine has a great collection of celebrities experimenting with ASMR, to various degrees of success. 

• The best versions of these are when celebs take ASMR seriously, such as Kate Hudson for W, Gillian Anderson for Netflix, and Cardi B for W. Cardi B's video, pictured above, is arguably the most successful one out there, as you can see from its 39 million views, because she herself is an ASMR fan and actually knows what she's doing in the video. 
• The worst versions of these are when the celeb acts like ASMR is completely stupid or beneath them (e.g., Jake Gyllenhaal for W). 
• A milder but semi-annoying variant of this is when the celeb plays along but clearly doesn't get ASMR, as demonstrated by their giggling their whole time and commenting on how "silly" they feel (e.g., Gal Gadot for W).

You think you might like ASMR? Now try: 

Now we're going to have you explore ASMR by ASMRtists, i.e., non-famous creators who treat ASMR as a craft. It sounds like I'm mocking them but actually I like that they take it seriously. My favorite creator is ASMR blossom, but I also enjoy Slight Sounds ASMR and Made In France ASMR. There are a million different sound triggers to check out, including: 

• Classic sounds, e.g., crinkling of paper/plastic; tapping/scratching of wood; handling objects such as a leather pouch or a wooden hairbrush
• Talking sounds, which vary from mouth sounds to inaudible whispering to repeated words. Most ASMR creators are women, as you might guess, but there are definitely male voices out there too if that makes a difference.
• Visual stimuli, e.g., face touching (the creator strokes the camera with their finger... yes I swear this is non-sexual) or neck/back massage (get ready to feel very jealous)
• Mukbang, or eating sounds. I don't personally like this so I won't link to anything, but this is very popular and there are whole channels devoted to this.
• Mic brushing, where the creator uses a makeup brush or their fingers to tap, scratch, brush, or in some other way touch their microphone such that it sounds like your ears are being scratched. It's a bit intense for me but again, some people really like it.
• Most ASMR is very slow/deliberate but I like some fast/aggressive variants, where the creator might do some high-paced tapping, snapping, etc. 

To figure out what sounds you like most, I recommend watching a video such as this which has a lot of triggers in a short amount of time. 12 minutes seems like a long time but with 100 triggers, that works about to 7-8 seconds each. You might find that you really like the sound of glass being tapped but hate the sound of foam being scratched. It's obviously very subjective and personal, and as the good people of Reddit say, YMMV--your mileage may vary. 

I think you're ready for advanced ASMR: 

Now that you're cool with basic ASMR sounds, you're ready to graduate to... roleplay videos. Yes, this sounds sexual but once again, it's not. Personally, I enjoy those crinkling and tapping sounds, but after anywhere from 15-50 minutes of tapping (yes, some videos really are that long or longer), you tend to want something different. I've found that I really like roleplay videos where the creator talks to you and pretends to act something out, whether that's giving you a haircut (I like the metal cutting sounds) or administering an eye exam (no, it's not remotely medically accurate, but that's fine).

Get ready to feel very relaxed! Enjoy!

Modern-Day Teen Adaptations of Literary Classics

Modern adaptations of classic literature are basically fanfics, if you think about it (#modernAU). They succeed because the story is familiar and the structure is sound, but the modern twist gives it new life. Although I love adaptations such as Bridget Jones’s Diary (based on Pride & Prejudice, of course), teen-centric adaptations are especially clever because really, what setting has more drama, farce, and tragedy than high school?

Here are some of my favorites: 

1. Clueless (1995) - Emma, Jane Austen 

• One of my all-time faves. I think Alicia Silverstone’s Cher perfectly exemplifies the spirit of Emma: confident and well-intentioned but sometimes insensitive due to her wealth, privilege, and popularity. 

2. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare

• Another one of my all-time faves. I’m not familiar with the play, unfortunately, but it’s been criticized as misogynistic (a lady is a “shrew” who has to be “tamed” by a man. Gee whiz.) I would argue that the movie gives a pretty good representation of “white girl” girl power, i.e., entry-level feminism.

3. She’s The Man (2006) - Twelfth Night, Shakespeare

• Very funny, shockingly underrated movie that I almost forgot about when making this list. I also haven’t read or watched this play (I need to take Remedial Shakespeare 101) but the plot is a bit convoluted. The comedy in the movie is more physical than cerebral but hey, it’s a fun time with a young Channing Tatum.

4. She’s All That (1999) - Pygmalion, George Bernard Shaw (aka My Fair Lady)

• Popular jock Freddie Prinze Jr. accepts a bet to turn dorky art student Rachael Leigh Cook into the next Prom Queen. Yes, I rightly criticized it for its unnecessary makeover, but I still find it entertaining.

On-the-fence mentions: 

• Romeo + Juliet (1996): This retains the original Shakespearean dialogue so it doesn’t feel very modern.

• Easy A (2010): This is less adaptation and more explicit reference to The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, if I recall correctly. 

Problematic mentions:

• Cruel Intentions (1999) - Les Liaisons dangereuses, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

• This movie did not age well, tbh: a lot of problematic sexual manipulation.

• Sierra Burgess Is A Loser (2018) - Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand

• Although Cyrano is inherently deceptive, the non-consensual elements of the love story are extra problematic and have been correctly criticized. I wouldn’t recommend this movie for that reason.

• The Half Of It (2020) - also Cyrano de Bergerac

• Not nearly as problematic as the former but the basic Cyrano premise is still not ideal.

Fantastic Tropes and Where to Find Them

These are some of my favorite tropes and examples of them in movies. Gotta give credit to the website TV Tropes for doing a lot of the legwork.

Here are 3 of my favorite tropes:

1. Childhood Friends to Lovers: One of my favorite Tumblr text posts states: “i wish my life was a childhood sweethearts slowburn friends to lovers 200k fic”. Even though the “enemies to lovers” trope is far more common in popular media (à la Pride and Prejudice), I think we would all rather live the childhood friends to lovers experience (à la Emma), right? 

• Best examples: 13 Going on 30, Always Be My Maybe, Forrest Gump

• These arguably qualify: Moonlight, Spider-Man, Sweet Home Alabama

2. Unlikely friends / Family of choice: In this trope, people who have no business being in the same room together end up being a chosen family. 

• Best examples: The Breakfast Club, Sister Act, Zombieland, Guardians of the Galaxy (and probably more of the MCU but I haven’t seen any Avengers movies)

• These arguably qualify: Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings 

3. Women working hard montage: I like a good montage of women working hard to achieve their life/career goals. My favorite is of the “who needs men?” variety.

• Best examples: Legally Blonde, Little Women, Brittany Runs A Marathon

• These arguably qualify: Mulan, The Parent Trap 

As a bonus, here are three of my least favorite tropes: 

1. Love triangle: It’s a tale as old as time and it’s tired. I don’t know about you but I’m over all the Team This Guy and Team That Guy talk.

• Notable offenders: Too many to count but the recent biggies are Twilight and the Hunger Games. 

2. Unnecessary makeover: Nerdy/weird girl gets a makeover (read: takes off her glasses); turns out she was beautiful all along.

• Notable offenders: She’s All That, The Breakfast Club, The Princess Diaries
  
• These arguably qualify: Grease, Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

3. The Chosen One: Only one person (usually a boy/man) can save the universe. The weight of the world is on this lone (wo)man’s shoulders. Sigh. As we all know, in reality no one can do anything meaningful alone. 

• Notable offenders: Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Hunger Games

An extra special bonus, b/c I'm trying to add more visual aids to punch up these posts:

Photo Source