The Literate Kitty

If there’s one thing every unattached person, everywhere, dreads around the holidays, it’s being grilled by one’s family (friends, coworkers, nosy gas-meter readers, etc.) about Why Aren’t You in a Relationship… and schooled in What You Need to Do to Get in One (because everyone who's in a relationship thinks they're experts on that , of course).   [Oh, and if you, dear reader, are one of those happily—or even not -so-happily—married, partnered, or otherwise-coupled folks, engaged in the relentless hounding of all the singletons you know, listen up: No matter if still-single, newly-single, or single-by-choice, we're  well aware of the fact that we’re alone; many of us would really like to find The One; and all the pressure you’re putting on us? Not. Helping.] At least now, though, all those single-(and-not-lovin’-it) people have two brilliant seasons of Home for Christmas (or Hjem Til Jul , in its native Norwegian), now streaming on Netflix, to take away some of the

You know how “there’s a fine line between [blank] and [blank]” (insert whatever you’re comparing, here)? Well, for me, there’s a mighty fine line between the right amount of over-the-top whatever , and going so far over that something that the point ends up being lost in a sea of so much stupidity (confusion, disbelief, etc).   Enter Wayne (which apparently came out nearly two years ago, back when YouTube was dipping its toes into original content, but—more importantly—got picked up recently by Amazon, and thus brought to our collective consciousness), from the writers behind none other than Deadpool . (Look, if Deadpool ’s not your bag, I get it , but for me? Seeing that in the tagline made it an “okay, I’m gonna start watching this  tonight ” kinda thang.) [Now is when (you either skip this aside down Memory Lane, or stick with me for a hot minute) I should prolly mention that there was actually one other thing in the ad that grabbed me, even before I saw the blurb listing the cra

  Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: I am— in no way, shape, or form —a big romance fan. I mean, yes, sure— absolutely!— I appreciate the heck out of sweet romantic gestures … IRL(!) … but as far as the written word goes, or on the big screen? Yeah, not so much. (Clever-smart rom-coms being not the norm and not straight-up romance, capice? ) So, why do I need to tell you all this, you might ask? (Fair question.) Because I’m about to review an all-about-the-romance film, and it’ll be helpful if you know where I’m comin’ from, right off the bat. (Trust me, this will matter, later on…) _______________ Normally, I wouldn’t choose to watch a) most Lifetime movies [ which isn’t meant as a diss; I just know wherein my heart and soul lie, and it ain’t here ], or b) a Christmas romance flick, anywhere, anytime. And yet, I find myself watching… precisely that. (Life: it’s a funny ol’ thing, eh?) Anyway, for reasons , my viewing matter one night turned out to be the premiere

You know those ancient TV “family” shows that pop up in syndication on random channels (the ones with numbers so high on the cable or satellite list that you never, ever scroll that far)? I’d rather count the tiles in my bathroom floor than have to sit through something like Leave it to Beaver , My Three Sons , or The Waltons . Why? Because honestly, I’ve never known anyone who had anything like that kind of family; real families are always messy—and usually, a whole lot more crazypants—than those sanitized, unfailingly-polite depictions… and I bet that’s always been the case. (If I wanna watch a fantasy , I’ll find something with dragons or vampires or… basically anything that doesn’t involve Stepford Families. And, if I want to watch a family drama, well… it won’t be saccharine-sweet.) So, when a nice, juicy thriller—about Really Bad Stuff Happening to a Very Messy Family—pops up in the PBS Masterpiece (on Amazon) new releases list, I’m down for it. _______________ Under S

Something that every good storyteller knows: a great story doesn’t need flash, sex, an exotic location, a hot hero, or any other element obviously thrown in to grab the audience’s attention… such things are far better used as a dash of pink Himalayan salt, rather than a heavy pour from the navy blue Morton’s canister. (Sure, they can be a lot of fun, but feel pretty one-note in a hurry, if relied upon to be the meat of any story.) No, what a great story actually needs is something the audience can really relate to, on a personal level… and generally, that isn’t anything very fancy, at all. So let’s just do the whole TL;DR bit right up front, and say that T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places absolutely NAILS some damn fine story-telling, okay? _______________ Kara—a thirtyish (give or take) gal—is as “regular” as they come: she’s been married for several years, but finds herself recently ( surprise! ) divorced (her ex-hubby’s decision), out of home (she let him keep the house)

2020… welp, it’s a year like no other, innit? Still, we do the best we can; we… adapt , certainly but also try to maintain as much of a sense of normalcy as possible. (Honestly, it’s that, or give up, and quitting is so not an option.) Anyway, that's why I've been trying to do some of the “normal” October stuff. (I mean, trick-or-treating, or the adult version—getting costumed up and partying till the wee hours—is totally out of the equation, but the less-people-y stuff? Like, solo, or with my nearest-and-dearest? Still do-able.) So, in a year that's all about surviving-from-the-safety-of-home? Reading and watching seasonally-chilling fare throughout the month is a no-brainer… which brings me to tonight's watch, Black Box , from the Blumhouse (streaming on Amazon). _______________ A young woman introduces her emotional husband to their newborn daughter… a tender family moment touchingly captured on video. Fade out—then back in—to the same man (Nolan), several years lat

A waterlogged body, pulled from the ocean by an unsuspecting fisherman. A staid, middle-aged Scottish civil servant, missing for years, finally declared legally dead. The body of an unknown female, now little more than bones, found in a derelict camper van hidden in a recently-deceased woman’s garage. And, a flashy, louche, anti-establishment artist, who committed suicide a decade ago.  There are a lot of dead people woven throughout Val McDermid’s latest crime thriller, Still Life … but, as always, the much-lauded Scottish mystery maven manages to fashion a terrific tapestry from all the pieces and parts. _______________ Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie takes her job as head of a cold cases squad very seriously—even more so, after losing her own life partner a few years earlier, and feeling firsthand how devastating the not knowing can be, until a loved one’s murder is resolved. Still, some cases are gonna be trickier than others, no matter how dedicated the team. Take thi

A troubled young woman—fresh from trying (and failing) to end it all—finds new life with a grieving family that’s still trying to come to terms with their own sorrow after the loss of their young matriarch, in the picturesque wilds of rural Norway… that’s the bare-bones premise of C.J. Cooke’s latest thriller, The Nesting .   Better, though, to add that it’s a gothic horror, eco-thriller, psychological suspense, and supernatural fairy tale, by turns… lest you’re tempted to write it off as a sappy romance (which it most definitely is not ). _______________ Lexi Ellis hasn’t had what you’d call a great life, but things have gotten progressively worse, of late, and—on the heels of a botched suicide attempt—having her boyfriend of several years suddenly decide to end things is one more straw than she can handle. No, make that almost one more straw; the last straw is that he also expects her—now jobless and still recovering mentally and physically—to also move out of his apartment…

Synchronicity : an apparently meaningful coincidence in time of two or more similar or identical events that are causally unrelated. Soooooo… pretty sure it wasn’t because I did some search for “cool shows set in Amsterdam” (because I definitely didn’t), but the fact remains, nontheless, that I found myself watching, back-to-back, two different series set… in Amsterdam.  Anywho, I'm going with " synchronicity is totally a thing" , mkay? (The fact that there's also a totally-legit  The Police tie-in, here? I mean, just kill me now.) _______________ The series about the quasi-retired French detective, on holiday with his wife in Amsterdam? Yeah, Baptiste was a no-brainer for me, because I found both seasons of The Missing  riveting (My review of the first of that series’ two seasons can be found here .) Baptiste , let me say, is definitely best appreciated after watching both seasons of The Missing , because—while it certainly stands on its own, just fine—ther

Maybe it was because the last movie I streamed was so very, very grim—which, under normal circumstances, I don’t find to be a bad thing, but… oh hey, 2020, you’re still here?!? —or perhaps it was just a mood, but I can’t deny getting loads more pleasure from the fluffy YA piece I watched last night, than from the much-lauded, layered work (from a brilliant writer, no less!) a couple nights before. _______________ After being wowed by Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things a couple of weeks ago, I was really looking forward to his first directorial piece (which somehow flew under my radar back when), 2008’s Synecdoche, New York.  It seemed like a safe bet: Kaufman always writes these thought-provoking, mind-bending scripts that are unquestionably his ; he’d gathered an impressive cast (including the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, along with Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Emily Watson, Michelle Williams, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan, and Dianne Wiest); and the premise of a goin