Movies, Shows, etc
Arrested Development, season one
I figured “Why not watch this again?” the week of July 4th. Never disappoints.
A
Long Way Home
This is Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman’s fourth series about riding motorcycles long distances. I watched the first, 20 years ago, and then didn’t realize the others existed. Luckily this one landed on Apple TV+ and the visuals are fabulous, although the actual travel insights are often rather banal.
A-
Tour de France – Unchained, season three
This is the final season of this show, which made sense through the opening episodes. It seemed pretty similar to the first two seasons. But then they got into Jonas Vingegaard’s physical and emotional rehab from a horrific accident in April of 2024 and got much more interesting. What if you were one of the very best to ever do your craft, but suddenly had a fear of part of the job. In Vingegaard’s case, should he be pushing his body to the limits to took to compete, and was it reasonable to rocket down mountain roads at ridiculous speeds again?
B+
Tour de France
I wrote about this a couple times. Not the most interesting race this year, but still a July, morning tradition for me.
B+
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
Weird film. It came out in 2007, but was structured like a ‘90s movie yet felt like something made back in the ‘70s. Lots of long pauses where nothing happens attached to very cinematic visuals. And it keeps getting darker every minute. The whole pacing thing threw me, and then since every character is a terrible person I wasn’t invested in any of them. I wonder if I would have liked this more if I saw it when it was first released. Marisa Tomei was very naked in two scenes, which I’ll admit I did not mind.
B
The Studio
One of the funniest yet also most uneven shows of the year. When it is good, it is laugh-until-you-cry good. When it doesn’t hit, though, it can descend into meaningless silliness pretty quickly. Bryan Cranston is a national treasure.
B+
You Hurt My Feelings
This is one of those movies about middle aged people that will hit different viewers in different ways. I laughed a lot, as I found most of the scenes hilarious. S thought a lot of it was very cringey and uncomfortable. Another film that had some weird pacing issues, which given it was just over 90 minutes long, meant the story might have been a bit thin.
B
Nonnas
You generally can’t go wrong when you make a movie that centers on Italian food. Like most Netflix projects, this shaves off little pieces of other movies (Maybe it was just me, but I felt a lot of Chevy Chase’s nostalgia in Christmas Vacation in Vince Vaughn’s performance) and follows a familiar format. In this case it’s a sweet story with a really good cast, so it worked. Enjoyable but not one that will necessarily stick with me very long.
B
A Real Pain
This got decent buzz as a very good comedy. I did laugh some, but I would not categorize it as a comedy. Two Jewish cousins from New York travel to Poland to tour their grandmother’s homeland. They both have issues but one of them has ISSUES. It gets awkward often. And, let’s face it, exploring the remnants of the Holocaust will never not be deeply moving, which takes away from the funny bits.
B-
The American
I watched this a few years back and found it to be too slow. I’m now tracking a list of Best Movies On Every Streaming Service list on Vulture, and this was on June’s entry. So I gave it another watch. Still slow. This time S watched with me. When it was over she said, “That was interesting…” I don’t think she meant that she was entertained.
B
Shorts, YouTubes, etc
What if the moon turned into a black hole?
Science!
Using YouTube to plant a forest
Some cool Beau Miles bullshit.
29,000 Feet Up Mount Everest with DJI Mavic 4 Pro
Not the first time I’ve seen a video along these lines. I will always watch them.
This Sahara Railway Is One of the Most Extreme in the World
A staggeringly long train.
60 Miles Across Scotland | Photography, Camping & Kayaking
I watched this while I was reading a book about kayaking in the Pacific. This seems the easier of the two, although I’m not sure I could do it.
I Took America’s Most Remote Mail Flight. It Was WILD.
Alaska is a weird place.
7 Things You (Probably) Didn’t Know About Office Space
Trivia about a classic movie? Sign me up.
24 Hours in One of California’s Best Kept Secrets | San Luis Obispo
I visited a 5,000 cow dairy farm | Exploring Hidden Gems in Fresno
I like this guy’s travel vids.
Embracing the Unknown | Our Last Days in Canada
These kids are podcasting about Japan now, so I guess their next series will be about that country?
Norm MacDonald Eviscerates ESPN Awards Show (1998)
The ESPYs may be our dumbest award show, but they did give us this legendary performance.
Norm Macdonald’s MTV Beach House Story
I couldn’t watch just one Norm clip.
Inside NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Set | Set Tour | Architectural Digest
Very cool. Remember that our president is doing all he can to get rid of wonderful shows like this.
The Most Adventurous Outdoor Competition We Could Dream Up | 72-Hour Challenge Colorado
Part 2
Good, clean, Huckberry fun.
Overnight in the Highest Hut of the Alps | CAPANNA MARGHERITA 4556m
This is truly amazing. HOW THE HELL DID THEY BUILD THIS? TWICE?!?!
Weird Things You Didn’t Know About The TDF
Pidcock’s Infamous Descent Seen From my Chest Cam
Crash and Burn on Vall d’Ebo
Cycling content.
Leaving Rome – Bikepacking ITALY – EP.1
I watched four episodes of this very cool journey. But the dude is just too weird for me to continue.
How Curb Succeeded Where Seinfeld Failed
Not sure I agree with all the conclusions but all us Curb/Seinfeld fans have thought through some of these.
The Beastie Boys Flop That Became a Cult Classic | Paul’s Boutique
I will never tire of reminding people that I loved Paul’s Boutique from first listen.
Field Notes Founder Aaron Draplin Doesn’t Bullshit
I’d like someone to make a video about me with this description.
1976: BIG JIM’s Big BOOZY Bike Trip to Braemar
Maybe the most amazing thing I’ve found on YouTube this year.
Photography
A Week of Film Photography on Maui
Two lenses i love & two gathering dust.
Podcasts
Wild Ones
My daily Tour de France summary of choice. I’m linking to their YouTube page, which I used more often than their podcast feed this year.