gonna drive me mad

[aphrodite_mine]

A few goal progress notes

1. My first movie of the year, The Neon Demon, has (one of) the same problems as my final tv season of last year (The Great, season 2): Elle Fanning. I think she may just... not be a good actress. But also, (and I'm open to persuasion here, my ranking has been fluctuating) I think Neon Demon is also just garbage masquerading as art. Hot take for, oh, six years ago. Also: did I know going in that Jena Malone [spoilers] a [spoiler]? Because YIKES double yikes all of the yikes. (May be spoilers in the comments.)

2. Second movie of the year was Encanto. I have a lot of feelings and thoughts but others are expressing them better, so I'll just stick with Mirabel and Luisa are both super gay. Abuela can eat my shorts. 

3. Two sales contracts were signed today, one of which meets our initial sales goal for the first six months of the year. 

4. Our January Every Plate box took care of my first three new-to-me recipes, and they were all winners with at least half the household. (E shouldn't count. E just hates dinner in general.)

- Linguine carbonara
- Mashed potatoes with meatballs and green beans
- Veggie pot pie (planning to do this one again and introduce new ingredients each time)

Comments

[gloss]

Veggie pot pie would be great for leftovers, too.

Also, I just realized Jena Malone is a real person and not the similarly-named character on 30 Rock, whoops.

[aphrodite_mine]

This version uses biscuits for the crust so Im not sure now well it would reheat, TBH.

And DYING. :)

[gloss]

Oh, I meant use up leftover veggies in the pie filling, sorry.

:DDD

[aphrodite_mine]

oh of COURSE! That's brilliant!

[fiachairecht]

Oh I think The Neon Demon is absolutely trash but it is un/fortunately trash that speaks directly to my id, in that it's got aesthetic gore and some things to say (okay maybe ultimately not ... well) about fucked up bodies. Like do I recommend it no but have I watched it Many times, yeah.

E just hates dinner in general
I do think she has a point, but maybe don't tell her that haha.

[aphrodite_mine]

I think I could have gone fully in for a music video or short form version, but it just kept going with the long takes that meant nothing and contributed nothing - not to yuck your yum at all! I get what you mean, and probably would have been much more all-in six years ago.

[marginalia]

I kind of loved Neon Demon (six years ago) but that and it being trash are absolutely not mutually exclusive.

Frankly I think there's an argument for almost everyone in Encanto being gay, and if I were not an old white lady I would write that essay but I am what I am. Also I don't really want to watch it again, though I enjoyed it I guess at the time and then promptly forgot everything about it. But I did like that the villain was, like, generational trauma + refugee trauma, and not, like, a person.

[fiachairecht]

Listen, if Netflix wants to get all specific with it's 'Critically acclaimed 20th century period pieces' categories or whatever, I think we should get the simple joy of 'trash movies that I kinda love'!

[marginalia]

Absolutely! Honestly, that's pretty much what I've spent lockdown watching: Beautiful Trash.

[aphrodite_mine]

E likes the Encanto music, but thankfully not enough to play the thing on repeat so far. We will see, though. Frozen took awhile to grow on her. If I do have to endure repeat viewings, I'm sure I'll have theses.

[lunabee34]

Yeah, Fiona doesn't get a vote. It's awesome if she like stuff, and we definitely make many many meals that she loves, but if she doesn't like it, she can have a PBJ. And what is wonderful is watching her tastes change over the years. Just this year she has decided she likes to eat a lot of things she used to dislike.

[aphrodite_mine]

E is such a bizarro, because she LOVES salad but hates veggies-cooked-in-things.

[lunabee34]

Fi is the same way. She'll eat raw veggies all day long but dislikes most of them cooked.

[pauraque]

I have trouble watching anything with Elle Fanning because she has an alarmingly similar facial structure to a woman whom I once dated with catastrophic results, so I don't think I know whether she can act or not.

My kid went through a very long period of hating dinner, which did eventually subside, though at age 18 he's still not really keen on lunch.

[aphrodite_mine]

That would be a good reason to avoid her career!

[senmut]

So far the only thing I have enjoyed Elle in was Maleficent, and let's face it... Angelina Jolie carried that movie with her joy at doing it.

[aphrodite_mine]

I quite liked season one of The Great, but I think many things ask too much of her skills.