Not sure what to watch? He're our weekly recap of what we streamed! PLUS whitch Bijou Candle we burned while watching!
1. Lisa Frankenstein on Amazon
Ok so I was very pleasantly surprised with this one! Written by the prolific Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin, Lisa Frankenstein follows Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a high school girl in the 80s who goes on a murderous rampage with her reanimated cemetery bust boyfriend, played by Cole Sprouse - the Riverdale one (not to be confused with the honey beer one). If you listen to/watch our podcast, you’re probably aware of my feelings about the movie Jennifer’s Body and Diablo Cody in general. Long story short, she’s not my favorite. But regardless of my long held feelings about Cody, I approached this movie with the most open of minds. Especially considering this movie also represents the feature directorial debut of Zelda Williams, someone who was born into industry status (aka the eponymous nepo baby). I don’t really get why people get so riled up by the existence of nepo babies, it’s not their fault they just want to get in on the fambly biz. If my daddy was Mrs. Doubtfire do you honestly think I’d be like “yaknow I think my calling really is QUICKBOOKS.” NO! I would IMMEDIATELY be getting into Harvey Fierstein’s makeup chair and demand full prosthetics! That being said, it is pretty annoying when nepo babies have zero self awareness (I’m looking directly at you, Eve Bono Hewson). But like, what do we expect from them?? These people DO NOT LIVE NORMAL LIVES. Do they even know how to pay at a restaurant? Imagine them at a self checkout. ANYWAY, I think in this situation, being a very significant nepo baby, the pressure was ON for Zelda Williams. And I think she definitely delivered! This movie was fun, quirky, campy, silly, and to my very happy surprise, I was very satisfied with the 80s costuming and set decoration! And Diablo threw in a bunch of 80s-isms that really tickled the brain (don’t have a cow!). Cole Sprouse was actually great, delivering hilarious physical comedy a la Billy from Hocus Pocus (who else thinks he’s hot?). I think Kathryn Newton was especially good - she gives off the classic 80s outcast vibe while maintaining a quirkiness that made the character super believable. I think that’s a testament to Zelda’s direction - the performances really were perfect for the tone of the film. And there are some visual dream-like scenarios that show off Zelda’s creativity and vision, making me excited for what she does next!
Candle Pairing: Pair with the Poly • Sour Candle Candle
2. Vamp on Prime
Again, another movie that I am FLABBERGASTED that I missed. First of all, it’s called VAMP. Why is this just being served to me now?? Does amazon not know about the Vamps Collection??? I KNOW they know (I TOLD THEM!), so why IN THE WORLD would this movie just all of THE SUDDEN appear in my “movies we think you’d like,” which is already a category that wants to fight me. Nothing will read you to filth more than the “movies we think you’d like category.” Basically just the most abhorrent, disgusting, Eli Roth style horror movies flanked by With Upon A Star and Cruel Intentions (which is honestly the cringiest of them all). So VAMP all of the sudden appears like the algo just invented it for us at that exact moment. A 1986 vampire movie where Grace Jones plays an exotic dancer vampire??? I should’ve watched it the day I was born. Whatever, I didn’t, we watched it now, and it was great. It’s actually so dumb, but it’s great. It’s worth it just for Grace Jones - it honestly seems like a vehicle for her to show off her Keith Haring collab. Good enough for me!
Candle Pairing: Pair with the Vamps Candle Set
3. The Truth About Jim on Max
This one was crazy you guys. Reminiscent of another MAX docuseries I wrote about recently, Great Photo, Lovely Life, where photojournalist Amanda Mustard (sorry but lol) investigates the decades long serial abuse committed by her grandfather. Now in THIS 4 part docuseries, amateur investigator Sierra Barter confronts her family’s past in search of answers about her step-grandfather, Jim Mordecai. Not only does Sierra uncover the horrendous things Jim did to his several families, she goes deeper into Jim’s past to discover some truly chilling information that changes everyone forever. While there are a few moments early on in the series that made me consider jumping ship (it just felt too similar to the other doc at first), once the story got going, I was absolutely RIVETED. It’s just absolutely crazy what some people are capable of, and I think the work that these women are doing to expose these TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE men is one of the most important things happening in media today.
Candle Pairing: Pair with the Piper • Crystal Incense Candle
