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eggymovies · 4 years

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Favorite Movies of 2019

Last year I used this space to post a list and short write-up of my favorite movies of 2018. This year, I’ll be doing the same a bit. I’m not much of a writer, just someone who likes movies and wants other people to like them too.

I went to the movies 101 times and watched about 250 movies in total between the theater and home viewings. Two highlights of non-2019 movies that I discovered for the first time this year and haven’t stopped thinking or talking about: Teddy Bear (10 timer til Paradis) (available on Amazon Prime)

Somewhere (rent it on iTunes, Amazon, or anywhere)

I’d also like to use this space to praise Cold War, which was distributed after my 2018 list came out but would have made it to the top 5 of the year. An achingly romantic epic (though only 88 minutes in length) directed by Polish master-filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, who won the best foreign film Oscar for 2013′s Ida, Cold War depicts the tragic love story of two musicians spanning multiple decades in post-WWII Europe. It’s available for free on Amazon Prime.

Alright... here is my top 20 films of 2019 list, which changed yesterday, will change a little tomorrow, and will look completely different in a year: 20. Toy Story 4

A perfect end to a near-perfect franchise. I’m not sure anyone believed this would be more than a cash-grab, but Pixar employed it’s flagship franchise and characters to explore ideas about growing up and letting go. That might sound like a rehash TS3, but the fourth installment proved itself unique and worthy of addition to the canon. Let’s just hope Disney/Pixar ends things here.

19. Wild Rose

One of the strongest performances of the year, Jessie Buckley is enough to vault this pretty good movie into my top 20. A troubled young woman recently released from a Scottish women’s prison attempts to follow her dream of becoming a famous Nashville country singer. If that’s not enough to compel you to watch this film (streaming on Hulu), at least watch the music video for Glasgow, an original song from the film that is also one of my favorite songs of the year.

18. Triple Frontier

If you know me at all, you should have seen this coming. Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Garret Hedlund and Pedro Pascal (whom Netflix is smart enough to not hide behind armor and a helmet) are former Special Forces soldiers who team up to rob a South American crime boss. What seems like a typical heist movie about one more job surprises half way through by turning into a film about survival at any cost. The Metallica needle-drop as a helicopter flies over a South American highway and mountain range all but cemented this movie’s place on this list. I have no shame.

17. Us

The first time I saw Jordan Peele’s follow-up to 2017′s breakout hit Get Out, I liked it a lot and ached for a second viewing to pick up on all the easter-eggs and deeper meaning behind his choices. On second viewing every choice was cheapened and I found that I liked it less, saddened by what I saw as shallow metaphor and an ending that ripped of Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation. Over the next month or so I found myself telling people that Us was a blast, and that it’s intention was not to be read more deeply, but simply enjoyed as a brilliantly crafted and visually stunning modern horror masterpiece. Then I forgot about it for a few months. I don’t know exactly how I feel now but I know I want to watch it again and that I think about it frequently.

16. 1917

A lot has been said about the filmmaking and “one-take” effect employed by Roger Deakins (cinematographer) and Sam Menders (director), which is impressive and worthy of the praise it’s received, but I won’t belabor that point. What worked for me was the chemistry between the film’s stars, George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, who help turn a WWI epic into a tender story about friendship and family. A necessary breath of fresh air before the film becomes a somewhat oppressive and stressful POV take on the horrors of war.

15. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

All hail Mariel Heller, who managed to direct America’s Dad as America’s Friendliest Neighbor without being overly saccharine or sentimental. Vanity Fair’s Kam Collins pointed out that “Close-ups on fred rogers hit different”, which was spot on. Rogers was always seen and felt from a distance, and while we spend a lot of time with him here, Heller’s film isn’t about him but rather his disarming effect on people who met and knew him. Taking the POV of the journalist who is profiling him works wonders.

14. Paddleton

This Netflix film starring Mark Duplass and Ray Romano went mostly ignored or unwatched in 2019 as far as I can tell, but I happened upon it one evening (thanks, algorithms) and was moved by it’s tenderness and Romano’s remarkable performance playing against type. Fans of Duplass’ early career as a mumblecore king will feel at home in this two-hander about best friends and neighbors navigating life as one of them is diagnosed with a terminal illness and plans for assisted-death. Me loving a move about male emotion and processing grief? Shocker.

13. Midsommar

Speaking of grief, Midsommar hit the zeitgest in July and I’m sure if you’re reading this you already saw it or determined that it wasn’t for you. Someone on a Ringer podcast used the mixed-metaphor “Fish out of water getting shot in a barrel” which perfectly distills the events that transpire when a group of college students travel to Sweden for a midsummer festival that turns into something much, much scarier. It’s not a spoiler, you fucking know things aren’t what they seem. I could go long on Florence Pugh but she’s the performer of the year in my mind. Midsommar, Fighting With My Family (which rocks), Little Women (see below), and in late 2018 in Park Chan-wook’s adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl for AMC which was remarkable and as good as almost any film on this list.

12. Under the Silver Lake

David Robert Mitchell followed up 2017′s excellent It Follows with this wonderfully weird paranoia soaked Los Angeles neo-noir stone flick. This film shares so much DNA with Chinatown, The Big Lebowski and Inherent Vice, but is it’s own strange exploration of the meaning (or meaningless) of life and art and the world that surrounds us. I’m still not sure I understand what the point was, if there was any at all, but I think that was also the point? You’ll understand what the means after watching the film. Or maybe you won’t. I don’t know, it’s a fun one.

11. Atlantics

To say much about the plot of Mati Diop’s brilliant debut film Atlantics would be a disservice to anyone who hasn’t seen it. Seriously, it’s on Netflix right now and is a stunning and spooky original story that demands your attention. I can’t stress this enough, the less you know the better. Prepare to be surprised in the best way possible.

10. Transit

Christian Petzold’s Transit is an unsettling tale about identity and one man’s struggle to find human connection while in the midst of a chaotic attempt to escape a fascist state. Franz Rogowski is hypnotic and Petzold’s choice to film this WWII story set in France without period signifiers has a dizzying effect. Watch it on Amazon Prime right now!

9. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

There’s been enough discourse around this movie and enough writing on it that I don’t need to get into it. It’s Leo, Brad, and Robbie. It’s LA in 1969. It’s Tarantino. It’s excellent.

8. Ad Astra

A space movie starring Brad Pitt directed by James Gray. Do I need to say anything else? A movie about a sad man who goes to space to deal with his feelings, much like my favorite film of 2018.

7. Little Women

Set across two timelines and jumping back and forth between them, Greta Gerwig brings her uniquely nimble and manic energy to this adaption of the classic Louisa May Alcott Novel and it works perfectly. I was disappointed to hear that Gerwig’s follow-up to her perfect debut (Lady Bird) with another hollywood adaptation of Little Women but her take on the store is one of a kind. The murderers row of talent top to bottom doesn’t hurt.

6. The Irishman

I can’t believe I doubted Scorsese after seeing the first trailer for The Irishman. How stupid of me and anyone who thought his latest epic wouldn’t be necessary and singular. A brilliant and tender take on the gangster film, Martin Scorsese crafted a film that acts as a sorrowful conversation with his own life and work and the careers of the three men at the center of this story. De Niro and Pacino are incredible, but Pesci is otherworldly. Lost in the brilliance of those three titans is Stephen Graham’s hilarious and devilishly mean and charismatic supporting performance.

5. Parasite

Nearly unanimous praise has been showered on Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, and this masterpiece is somehow still underrated. It’s funny and thrilling and perfect. I don’t need to convince you, you’ve already heard it all. If you haven’t seen it, go now. If you have seen it, see it again.

4. Pain & Glory

Pain & Glory is a brightly colored and tender reflection on the director’s childhood and ouvre. Banderas’ awe-inspiring turn as a stand-in for the director, master Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar, is smart and sweet and devastating.

3. Marriage Story

I love Noah Baumbach’s films (Frances Ha, Meyerowitz Stories, Kicking and Screaming), unless I hate them (Greenberg, Mistress America, Margot at the Wedding). And even when I hate them, I revisit them constantly and think about them with more frequency than many movies I love. He already made one of the best divorce films ever (The Squid and the Whale) and redirects his acerbic wit and cynical view of people’s motivations and love toward the process of uncoupling (and to some extent, the city of LA). There’s something ultimately hopeful and light about Baumbach’s view of humanity and love here, even as we watch both deteriorate through most of the film. Driver and Johansson are terrific.

2. Uncut Gems

A24 made a movie starring Adam Sandler centered around the outcome of a 2012 Boston Celtics playoff game that co-starred Lakeith Stanfield. If you didn’t know this movie existed, you’d think it came from a dream I had. It did not. Tense, tight, terrifying and hilarious, I saw this twice in theaters and will see it again. This is the Josh and Benny Safdie’s Goodfellas, and they will win an Oscar in 20 years for a movie that is less daring and less original and we will all look back on this year as the moment we failed to realize the torch had been passed.

1. The Farewell

The Farewell starts by announcing it is “Based on an actual lie” and from those opening frames you know you’re in masterful hands. A heart-wrenchingly sweet and somber film filled with humor and honesty, it is the story of a family choosing to hide the matriarch’s cancer diagnosis from her so she can live out her final days without the anxiety and stress of knowing. Awkwafina, in a wonderful performance playing against type, is the Chinese-American granddaughter who struggles to find her place in the narrative her family is creating, torn between her ties to her Chinese heritage and American identity, feeling like the other in both worlds she inhabits. I have been unable to shake many moments in this film from my mind and would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone and everyone I know. It will not disappoint.

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speckledfeatherrs · 7 years

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TODDVIOLA PLAYLIST

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Above is a link to a YouTube playlist preloaded with all the songs. They are not in any particular order, nor do I feel that they have a particular order, so putting it on shuffle should be just fine. This was put together from my own random collection of music, so I’m sure there are many other songs that fit them besides these. Below the cut, I am putting links to each individual song so you can look through and listen to only the ones you want if you wish. I’ll also put a small description on what I, personally, think of when listening to a particular song (there will be spoilers for all the books so read the descriptions at your own risk).

I hope you enjoy! And please, feel free to reblog and add more songs!

Technicolor Beat - Oh Wonder

An aesthetic song. The song that inspired me to make this playlist. The feeling the two of them have around each other, the calmness and the comfort when there is nothing but death and destruction around them.

All We Do - Oh Wonder

An aesthetic song. They both know that things won’t ever be perfect, but they have each other and that will be enough. Even during times when the routine of running and fighting and barely scraping by drives them to the edge.

Back to Earth - Steve Aoki feat. Fall Out Boy

Humanity is different now that they’re no longer on earth. ‘The brightest things fade the fastest’ - Todd and Viola afraid of losing the other.

Better - OneRepublic

(Todd) Learning about his Noise, the Mayor’s Noise, how powerful it is, how scared he is of that power, and how it’s almost addicting when he keeps growing with it.

Compass - Zella Day

Reminded to me of the end of the third book. So near the end of the struggle, where they are separated again and the feeling is almost bittersweet but they do find each other again. Like how they say they aren’t leaving each other even when they aren’t together.

DNA - Clarity

(Todd) His life in New Prentisstown living without Viola. (Viola) Her life with the Healers learning about the growing rebellion against the Mayor. They feel out of place, lost, feeling the tension around them, but remembering that the other is out there somewhere.

Do It All For Love - Take That

No explanation needed, it’s all the lyrics. Let your sappy OTP loving heart be free with this song.

Don’t Let Go - Adam Taylor

An instrumental song. It’s from a soundtrack, but give it a chance. This one is hard to put into words, but somehow it just has that heartbreaking and yet hopeful feel to it that captures them well.

The End of All Things - Panic! at the Disco

Another sappy OTP song. This song makes me cry every damn time. ‘In these coming years’ makes me think of when Todd finally wakes up, and they know they’ll be together for the rest of eternity.

Fears - MTNS

The sense of sadness they both feel when they fear that the other has betrayed them (aka when Viola sees Todd with the uniform on walking with Davy, when Todd thinks Viola voluntarily left to join the Answer/when he saw her hug the Mayor).

Feels Like The End - Shawn Alexander

Their time separated in New Prentisstown. There are parts that remind me of the desperation Todd felt when Viola was shot and they were greeted by an empty Haven and Mayor Prentiss.

Glass Heart Hymn - Paper Route

This song gave me “ Chaos Walking “ vibes. Yes, Todd and Viola are still the main focus but it feels almost like an anthem for the story as a whole. ‘One brother’s dead, a new brother’s born’ - Davey getting killed, Todd being replaced as the son in the Mayor’s mind. The chorus of Hallelujahs from female voices like the Answer cutting into the men’s chaotic world. ‘Memories as heavy as a stone’ - the horrible acts that happened in Prentisstown’s past. I could go on and on about this song.

Hurts Like Hell - Fleurie

(Viola) That horrible, horrible moment at the end of the last book when Todd died. Because he did die, and before Ben heard Todd’s Noise deep deep down, they both thought he was gone forever. And she broke.

Heart Hope - Oh Wonder

There’s a bunch of Oh Wonder on here, oops. But their aesthetic is so mesmerizing. And because Hope was a theme in their story, this song seemed fitting. Even if they both never really thought they felt it.

Home - Gabrielle Aplin

(Viola) The girl who’s never had a home outside the walls of a spaceship. Journeying the new world with Todd, keeping her parents in her heart, trying to see if she can really find a home on this new planet, and realizing that home is wherever Todd is.

Human - Daughter

(Viola) About Todd. Especially when he seems distant because his Noise is lost to her, when he seems lost from her in general, when it feels like they might lose. When she’s questioning her own humanity.

Just My Soul Responding - Amber Run

You guessed it! Another OTP song. A bit of an angsty one, when they feel like they’re divided because of the choices they are making in New Prentisstown.

Kids - Stranger Things

Because at the heart of it all, Todd and Viola are just kids. They have seen a lot but they are young, and they are resilient, and they are brave and brilliant and a bit broken.

Landslide - Oh Wonder

Wow another Oh Wonder song, is anyone shocked? This song is really adorable and sweet. It’s just about people being supportive and kind and caring to each other. Which is exactly what these two have with each other.

Livewire - Oh Wonder

Whoops, another. Not sorry. The moments before they kiss. And then they finally do.

Lost Stars - Begin Again

(Viola) The lyrics will explain it better than I can. Because even though Viola was met with death and fear from the second she landed, she still has a soft heart and won’t lose who she is.

One Last Time - Jaymes Young

Get ready to cry. From the viewpoint of either of them in the moments when they thought they were going to die in the arms of the other.

Paradise - Coldplay

(Viola) The lyrics have it all my friends.

Powerful - Major Lazer feat. Ellie Goulding

Together, Todd and Viola are invincible. Reminded me of this quote from the book: “It’s not that you should never love something so much it can control you. It’s that you need to love something that much so you can never be controlled. It’s not a weakness. It’s your best strength.”

Run Boy Run - Woodkid

(Todd) When Ben and Cillian are rushing him out of Prentisstown, and Todd finally leaves it all behind for the first time. He’s on his own.

Runaway - Grace Mitchell

Another OTP song. What can I say, I’m a sap.

Salvation - Gabrielle Aplin

Oh look another sappy OTP song.

See You Soon - Amber Run

Catching glimpses of each other in New Prentisstown. Separation. Hoping against hope that they would be together again soon. I feel this is more from Todd’s point of view than Viola’s, but both work.

Soldier - Fleurie

(Todd) As the world is watching him become a solider against his will, fighting a war he never wanted and did everything he could to stop.

Madness - Ruelle

Both Todd and Viola being held down by the Mayor’s control and unhinged mind. Watching as he plunges them into war. Watching the world start to burn all around them.

Sledgehammer - Rihanna

These kids keep getting the hell back up every damn they fall. Reminded me of this quote from the book: “Here’s what I think. I think maybe everyone falls. I think maybe we all do. And I don’t think that’s the asking. I think the asking is whether we get back up again.”

Start A Riot - BANNERS

Both Todd and Viola questioned how dangerous they can be when fighting for each other. Everyone around them knows they would burn the entire world down for each other. They fought and won that war for each other.

Start of Time - Gabrielle Aplin

This song was written about the feeling of relief and release that someone experiences when they finally find someone who shares similar ways of thinking, ways of viewing the world, similar experiences. It’s a story of feeling lost and alone but finally being understood. Because the rest of the world always thinks they understand Todd and Viola, but they don’t. They have each other for that feeling of belonging.

True Love - Once Upon A Time

Okay I will admit that this song is a bit cheesy for them, but the title grabbed my attention and I still love this song in general. For those of you who watch/watched the show like I did, you know what scene this is from. When I listened to it for this playlist, I imagined it as the end of the last book, starting with the two of them on the beach right after the Mayor finally gave in. Moving to when Todd was hit, moving to realizing he was alive, moving to past the book’s end to when he wakes up finally.

Wait - M83

Another aesthetic song, really. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it just has a certain feel to it. Some scenario where the two of them are silent next to each other, gazing up at the stars. Or the two of them being separated and staring up at the sky at the same time, wondering where the other is.

The Way - Zack Hemsey

(Todd) This song is pretty intense. It is gritty, and painful, and emotional, and brought me this sense of clash and broken-but-not-taken-down. It builds and builds and builds.

White Blood - Oh Wonder

Ah yes another Oh Wonder song that also doubles as another sappy OTP song. Enjoy.

Wondering - Jaymes Young

Flips flops perspectives between the two of them, during the time when they were separated.

Who We Want To Be - Tom Day

Another instrumental piece because I’m a sucker for instrumental pieces. This song always has the ability to make me a pile of angsty feelings. It’s bittersweet. Hopeful but sad. Light but deeply intense. And the title really seemed to fit them and their struggles, their war inside themselves as war begins and people die because of what they’re doing.

To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

(Todd) Think about Ben. And Cillian. And Todd. And how everything was taken from them so suddenly, before any of them were ready. How their small family was broken apart and how Todd lost his home and dads all in one fateful moment.

#chaos walking #todd hewitt #viola eade #toddviola #patrick ness #playlist #music

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hitnaija · 4 years

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NOT JUST K-POP: THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF KOREAN MUSIC

From SAAY to DPR, a new wave of homegrown musical acts are rewriting the rules.

The burgeoning Korean music scene is no longer solely focused on K-pop. Lately, many Korean artists have gone on to independently release their music, start their own labels, or simply find companies that allow them to express themselves. The formula for success has become much less rigid, and the lines are blurring between those in the underground and mainstream. To better showcase this growth, we talked to one artist and one label founder who are both shifting the industry in their own ways.

SAAY is a former girl group member turned singer and model, whose musical journey is now completing her own. On a Zoom call from her studio, where she’s currently working on new music that is set to be released this year, she speaks about her perspective and approach: “I’m the one who expresses what I want to say with my music…and I don’t care about other people’s views when I create something, there is only my music and myself.” From encouraging her supporters to love themselves, to be vocal about the Black Lives Matter movement, her attitude is a source of inspiration and comfort. When it comes to her diverse fanbase, SAAY describes them as the reason she has found global success. “They are the link between me and the world to me, and the most important bridge I would say. Communication with my fans is as important to me as making music.”

When it comes to the industry at large, SAAY is proud of the fact that it’s evolving at such a fast pace. “Until three years ago, the music scene of our country which we watched from abroad was not that great. But now, if we have a chance, we can collaborate with overseas artists right away. We respect that we are Korean even when we go abroad. They have so many respectful views about Koreans right now. I think all of this has a lot of influence on idols and musicians in a good direction.”

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Universal Music Group

SAAY isn’t signed to a K-pop entertainment company, but rather a subsidiary of an American music corporation, Universal Music Korea. What attracted her to it was her passion and global mindset. “There [have been] a lot of great artists at Universal Music Group, like Ariana Grande and Amy Winehouse, from old to current times, and it’s one of the top three music labels in the world right now.” Beyond joining the ranks of legendary superstars, SAAY elaborates on her decision to join the music company: “ I was certain that I could support my music at such a huge scale, and my dream since I was very young was to sign a contract with Universal Music. I’m doing my music happier because I achieved that dream.”

With the dancing and high-quality performance ability of idol groups, and the melodic sound of the Korean R&B scene, SAAY doesn’t fit in the box of K-pop, but she also isn’t completely underground. This fluidity points to the future and fast-changing presence of Korean music. To define her sound, she poetically labels herself as a “horizon.”

“You know, like an existing line that can be seen everywhere around the world? You can feel and see the horizon whenever you want, wherever you are.” As far as the future, SAAY predicts, “I think many fans and listeners all over the world will begin to see Korean music, gradually, on the Billboard charts, if it continues to develop just like now. As art and the music world are becoming more and more united right now, I’m sure it will happen very soon.” For her own personal goals, SAAY shares, “I hope to have my own world tour after this whole pandemic situation.”

“I think many fans and listeners all over the world will begin to see Korean music, gradually, on the Billboard charts.” — SAAY

On the other side of the artistry is the refreshing rise of independent labels and collectives, where artists and creatives have the power over their own work. DPR REM founded his label, Dream Perfect Regime, about five years ago. The process was organic, as he explains, “We all met up through mutual friends in the beginning. Just did normal kid stuff then — eat, play, chill, etc. But as time passed and we started talking amongst each other about various ideas and goals, we all realized we shared a similar passion for entertainment and all things related to it, and that’s really how it started.” He continues, “We had no idea how to start, or even where to look to, but we trusted each other’s commitment. That’s really all it took. Everything else came through trial and error, to be honest.”

Many fans of the Korean hip hop scene are familiar with DPR, a multi-genre collective with a structure reminiscent of A$AP Mob. Well-known members include director and chief editor DPR Ian, artist DPR Live, producer DPR Cream, and the founder REM. Everything done in DPR is a team effort, and REM describes this as the core of the collective. “All the employees here at DPR, from our members to our ideas, to our projects (music, visuals, fashion, etc.) — it’s all done by us, the team. I say this time and time again, but we really pride ourselves on the fact that we don’t have anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it.” There are no set goals for the future of the label, besides having fun and remembering to keep all creative efforts in-house. “That’s what made us who we are, and that’s our DNA that I feel like we have to preserve.”

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A huge draw for the work coming from the label is authenticity and openness. The directors and producers are just as recognizable to fans as the artist. Every member of DPR is just as significant to the process as the next, and this equality extends behind the scenes as well, as REM aims to be “a friend first and foremost” to everyone at DPR, and sometimes gets frustrated with his role as the “business guy.” He explains, “DPR is a family beyond anything else, and I think it’s my job to keep it that way.”

“I say this time and time again, but we really pride ourselves on the fact that we don’t have anyone to tell us what to do or how to do it.”

— DPR REM

Unlike bigger corporations that outsource or separate into different departments, with a smaller team, DPR does things differently in its own way. Due to the fast-paced nature of the business, “it’s quite the challenge is always trying to deliver content to our fans and keeping up with the pace of other companies or labels,” according to REM. “However, the way we go about our content, it really isn’t a numbers game…it’s more important putting all of our attention into one thing at a time.” The reason for this approach is simple: “That is the best way to quality-control what gets produced and eventually submitted to the world. I make sure I’m in every step of the process overseeing everything.”

“We didn’t have the slightest clue in creating an entertainment label or what that even entailed, but I think that’s kind of what led to our own unique way of creating our own culture and the way we approach our music and visual aesthetic.” DPR REM and his team of homegrown creatives have surely found their footing despite building from the bottom up.

As SAAY and DPR demonstrate, the expectations and stereotypes that once boxed Korean musicians are slowly being broken down. It’s possible to be an idol, but it’s also possible to be an artist, and both sides of this equation are increasingly appealing to international audiences. Hopefully, as global music diversifies, where you come from won’t matter as much as the talent and hard work you’re willing to put in.

Author:

Ashlee Mitchell is a US-based freelance writer with a focus on Asian and Black pop culture. Her work can be found in Teen Vogue, i-D, Dazed, and others. You can connect with Mitchell on her website and Instagram.

Not Just K-Pop: The New Wave Of Korean Music NOT JUST K-POP: THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF KOREAN MUSIC

#Ashlee Mitchell #DPR REM #SAAY

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jeffsvideo · 6 years

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Swat Lake City

wenty-five. I want you to remember the number 25.

That’s how many games the Jazz won in 2014. My rookie season.

It’s very possible that you didn’t know that. Unless you’ve been a real fan (shout out, Swat Lake City) it’s very possible you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about the Utah Jazz. We all know that. Sometimes being forgotten about is worse than any negative perception. That’s one of my memories from my rookie year. I remember my view from the bench — or really, the floor next to the bench, because the bench was full and I was a rookie. I remember how it felt, being so close to the game but really so far. I remember how it felt watching us lose 57 times, and how it felt to hear the final buzzer after each loss, and to stand up and walk back to the locker room. The focus was never on us — the postgame interviews, the highlights. It was always on the winners. It felt like we were invisible.

Thirty-eight. That’s another number I want you to remember.

My second year in the league, we won 38 games. I played in all 82 games that year and got a lot more minutes. My numbers improved to eight points and 10 rebounds a game. And most important (!) I wasn’t sitting on the floor next to the bench anymore.

We were moving in the right direction, and I think there was one main reason why: We got Quin. It was Coach Snyder’s first year as our coach.

Quin really surprised me the first time we met. It was in training camp in September 2014. I had just spent the summer playing in the World Cup for the French national team. To be honest, I didn’t think Coach knew who I was. One of the first conversations we had, he came up to me and told me he had watched every game France played in the World Cup.

It wasn’t b.s. — he was bringing up specific plays from specific games. He remembered how we lost to Spain in the group stage — by 24 points — and he remembered how we faced them again in the quarterfinals and won. We surprised a lot of people. Spain had the Gasol brothers, Serge Ibaka, Ricky Rubio, a great team. It was considered one of the best European teams. France was kind of forgotten about that year.

I remember what Coach said. He told me that he wanted me to play every single game the way I had played against Spain — that as long as he was my coach, he was going to push me to my limit. I didn’t know him very well but I could tell that he was serious. He was serious about coaching and serious about building a team in Utah that people wouldn’t be able to overlook. Serious about bringing back the excitement and respect that John Stockton and Karl Malone first brought here. “If you play like you did this summer, our team is capable of doing anything,” he told me.

He asked me if I was willing to do that. I nodded.

Inside, I was on fire.

My goal up to that point in the NBA was just to get a chance to compete. Nobody knew my name my rookie year. I believed that if I could get that chance, people would see. I needed someone to give me that chance.

Shout out, Coach.

Eighteen. That’s a funny number for me, too. I think I was 18 years old the first time I got a real haircut.

Before that, my mom had always cut my hair. She’s the hardest working person I know. She always had multiple jobs at a time. She cut hair, she worked in restaurants — basically anything she could do to provide for me and my brother and sister. I grew up in Saint-Quentin, which is a medium-sized city north of Paris. We always had enough to eat and a roof over our heads. Our apartment was very simple. It was a lot like the projects you might see in American inner cities.

“Be happy with what you have,” my mother always told us.

My brother and sister were both older than me. I’m the baby. My sister moved out when I was very young. My brother lived with us until he went to university at 19, and it wasn’t until he moved out that I was actually able to have my own room. Until I was around 11 years old, I shared a room with my mother.

Looking back I can see how it was obviously difficult for her, working all the time and taking care of us, but she never made me feel like I was a burden — although l was a burden at times.

I had a crazy amount of energy as a kid. From an early age, I was getting into fights at school. So every chance she could, she would sign me up for sports and after school activities. She put me in karate. She put me in track and field. She put me in boxing. When I was 11, she put me on a basketball team. That was when I started falling in love with the game.

Of all the sports that my mom forced me to play, basketball made the most sense to me. I was taller than all of the other kids, and my father had played basketball professionally and for the French national team in the ’80s and ’90s. So I guess the game was also part of my DNA. Suddenly, I’d found a place to put all of my extra energy. I started getting attention around school — it started to look like I might have a bright future playing basketball. And that was a very rare thing for somebody from Saint-Quentin.

I went to boarding school when I was 12. It was about an hour from my mom’s apartment. On most weekends, I went home. She would cut my hair and ask me how my grades were. Those are some of the best memories of my life.

My mom — she missed me a lot. When I’d go home or talk to her on the phone, I’d try not to let it show if I was having a difficult time. I remembered how she had to work all of the time for us to be able to eat and go to school, and how she would come home every single day exhausted. She was happy to sacrifice everything so that her children would always have a future. Being only 12 or 13 years old, it was hard. I didn’t want her to worry.

When I was 15, I moved again — even farther away — to the city of Cholet, a five-hour drive from our house, to go to school where they had a good basketball team. This meant I no longer could go home on the weekends. I talked to my mom on the phone whenever I could, but I only went home a few times on vacation.

For the next three years I played basketball for the Cholet junior team. I know it was hard for my mother to deal with me moving so far away at such a young age — I was her last child, and I was a lot younger than my brother had been when he left home. She worried about me all the time — if I was warm enough, if I was making friends, or if I had enough to eat. But she always understood that I was doing what I wanted. And more than anything, she always encouraged me to chase my dream.

In 2013, I found out that my dream had come true. The only thing was that I’d be moving to this place I’d never heard of.

Salt Lake City.

Before I came to Utah, everything I knew about America came from TV or movies. And I don’t think a single one of the TV shows or movies I watched had anything to do with Utah, so I had no idea what to expect when I got here. The only thing I really knew about the entire state of Utah, is that it was where Karl Malone played.

The first time I met Karl was during a practice my rookie year. He was the nicest guy, very supportive. He told me he was excited to see what I could bring to the Jazz. We talked about big-man stuff and he offered to put me through some drills. His toughness in those drills was an eye-opening thing for me to see. When I think about it, I just remember his forearm. I was guarding him down low and he put a forearm on me. It was a rock. This might be the strongest man I’ve ever seen in my life. 50-year old Karl Malone. The strength he must’ve played with in his prime — I can’t imagine it. He made me want to be a better defender.

I know I mentioned the World Cup as a defining moment for me, but there have been a lot of moments since I got to Utah that I’ll never forget.

I’ll always remember guys like Richard Jefferson, a mentor for me when was a rookie and I knew nobody. In fact, the whole Jazz team when I got here in 2013 showed me how to be a professional. Even though I didn’t get much playing time, and we weren’t winning many games, I didn’t really get treated like a rookie. (Except for the sitting-on-the-floor stuff.) Once I was drafted, I was part of the team and that was that.

I’ll remember our first training camp, which in my mind was like a military camp. It was one of the hardest few weeks of my life. I realize, looking back, how much I needed it to see how big the adjustment would be going from a French junior team to the NBA. I’ll remember how we kept being overlooked and forgotten about just because, those first few seasons. Coach Quin would just remind us to keep working at it — keep improving — and eventually we would get people’s attention and respect.

I’ll remember last year, during the All-Star Game — how it felt not to have been selected. How I felt like I deserved an All-Star spot and didn’t get one, and it seemed like nobody outside of Utah was even talking about me. It was the first time in my career that I felt that way, and it’s not that I just didn’t make the team, it’s that there seemed to be no real conversation about it.

I’ll remember last year, getting swept in the second round of the playoffs. And the off-season, when everybody was saying that Gordon Hayward leaving meant we were going to have to rebuild.

I’ll remember when Donovan Mitchell arrived.

I had seen Donovan first play in the Summer League, and my first thought after seeing him was, He can play defense. I always look at how a new guy approaches defense — does he play as hard on D as he does on the other end? Donovan did. I respected that right away.When he scored 41 his second month in the league … damn, I knew he was going to be special.

Shout out Donovan, our rookie. Our leading scorer. The Rookie of the Year.

But the thing that I’ll remember most is my mother’s advice.

Be happy with what you have.

I still am. I’m happy with our team, our coach, our city. You guys are the best.

But I need to make a change to my mom’s favorite phrase. Hope that’s O.K., Mom.

Be happy with what you have, but go out and take what’s yours.

On the first day of training camp I said that we’d be back in the playoffs this year. Maybe some people thought it was a long shot. Our start may have been slow. I hurt one of my knees, then the other one, all in a month. But in my head I always knew we’d surprise everybody. Now we’re here and we’re as healthy as we’ve been all season. We’re as confident, too. We’ve got the best rookie in the NBA. We’ve got the best defense in the NBA. We have one of the best coaches. But we don’t have what we want yet.

I’ll leave you with one last number.

19,911.

That’s the maximum attendance at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Any team that wants a piece of us is gonna have to come to Salt Lake City and deal with all 19,911 of you. Maybe nobody else believes in us, but that’s their problem. We know we’re still being overlooked. In Utah, people have seen that before. Now is the time to take what we know we deserve. Now is the time we make sure they hear us.

And we’re going to need all of you.

Every single one.

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jenmedsbookreviews · 7 years

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My view this week. Well… Not strictly true as I didn’t make it anywhere near Brixton or Victoria. But I was in London for a very flying visit to look at some industrial units. What a truly glamorous life I lead right? My Thursday consisted of – drive to Ponders End (via Starbucks) – spend five minutes looking at an industrial unit. Spend an hour driving to Kingsbury, in NW London (via Costa Coffee) – spend five minutes looking at an industrial unit. Drive to Hayes – spend five minutes looking at an industrial unit. Drive home (via Starbucks). Exciting stuff huh?

The only real benefit of driving around aimlessly, apart from being able to stock up on copious amounts of coffee and blackberry mojito green tea lemonade (non alcoholic), is that I also get to listen to audio books. As I was driving for around seven hours I managed to get most of the way through a whole book, which I finished off by reading when I got home. Tidy.

I’m just starting to get into my major project now with the first training sessions for our ‘super users’ next week. I forgot to tell them that they need to wear their underpants over their trousers so I guess that’s something we’ll have to cover off in housekeeping before the session starts…

Three days of that and then I get a very long weekend off because I am going to Harrogate. Right now I am neither excited or nervous about this fact. I am kind of apathetic. I think because I am so damned busy I have no time, thankfully, to be anything but. I still have the sort of feeling of dread buried somewhere deep inside, but I’ll worry about that surfacing again on Thursday morning as I say goodbye to the poochie. Or rather as I am packing as I probably won’t get round to it much before then… It’s just four days at a book festival. It is going to be fine. I think.

So. Bookwise, this week I’ve been quite productive. Sort of. Didn’t get much reading done until Wednesday as I had blog posts to catch up on, reviews to write, and that pesky chapter three in my thriller spoof – Killer – to complete. Even so, I’ve managed to get through four books thanks to my impromptu road trip on Thursday so it could be worse. I even got book post! Yup. I am loved once more. Two fabulous little parcels winging their way to me courtesy of Penguin and Head of Zeus. First up was The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond. I also received Behind Her Back by Jane Lythell.

Purchase wise I’ve been quite restrained. Sort of. I did a cheeky pre-order of Patricia Gibney’s third Lottie Parker novel, The Lost Child, as well as ordering a bit of a curve ball book, Wicked Grind by J Kenner (one of my guilty pleasures). Inspired by Emma Mitchell, I made a random purchase of the following: Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms, Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang, Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms. Maybe I can inject a little more variety into my ‘thriller’. Or then again, perhaps not. And it was only while I was reading the ARC that I realised I hadn’t actually pre-ordered All The Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker, which I have since remedied.

Only one ARC downloaded from Netgalley, The Lost Wife by Anna Mansell and no new audible this week so that, ladies and gents, was it.

…

Books I have read

The Lost Wife by Anna Mansell

Fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Amanda Prowse and Kelly Rimmer will love The Lost Wife, the compelling story of a woman’s deepest secrets, and the friends and family who must learn to live without her.

‘An incredible, beautiful story of loss, love, forgiveness, moving on, overcoming grief, redemption and above all, hope.’ Renita D’Silva

When Ellie Moran passes away, she leaves her newborn son and husband Ed behind her. Their marriage was perfect, their lives everything they had hoped for. So why was Ellie keeping secrets from Ed?

Knowing he can never ask his wife the truth, Ed is struggling to cope. When the secrets threaten to tear his whole family apart, Ed turns to Rachel, the one person who sees him as more than just Ellie’s widower.

But then Rachel discovers something Ellie was hiding, something that would break Ed’s heart. Can Rachel help Ed to find peace without the wife he lost – and a second chance at happiness?

This was a last minute pick as I am taking part in the blog tour but an absolute cracking read. His family torn apart by loss and suspicion, Ed Moran really needs a friend which he finds in nursery worker Rachel. But in trying to help Ed come to terms with what happened, Rachel makes a grave error, one which may be unforgivable. Occasionally heart wrenching and often tender this book was a welcome break from my usual crime and thriller spree. I’ll be sharing my thoughts at the end of the month, but in the meantime you can pre-order the book here.

…

The One by John Marrs

How far would you go to find THE ONE?

One simple mouth swab is all it takes. A quick DNA test to find your perfect partner – the one you’re genetically made for.

A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one other person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love. Now, five more people meet their Match. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking – and deadlier – than others…

So. I’m way behind the curve on this one. It’s one I’ve had on my Netgalley TBR for a long time and I thought I may as well make the most of my road trip and start to clear some of that backlog. So, I downloaded the audio and off I went. Now this was an intriguing read for me. I am overwhelmingly sceptical about the concept of people finding ‘the one’. Of there being that super spark which goes beyond anything experienced with any other partner, so this book kind of tapped into that scepticism and kept be suitably entertained. You’ll have to wait a while for my thoughts on the book but you can bag yourself a copy right here.

…

All The Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker

‘Raine sometimes complains that nothing exciting is ever gonna happen in Grace again. Daddy told her careful what you wish for.’

Everyone loves Summer Ryan. A model student and musical prodigy, she’s a ray of light in the struggling small town of Grace, Alabama – especially compared to her troubled sister, Raine. Then Summer goes missing.

Grace is already simmering, and with this new tragedy the police have their hands full keeping the peace. Only Raine throws herself into the search, supported by a most unlikely ally.

But perhaps there was always more to Summer than met the eye . . .

For fans of The Roanoke Girls and Fargo, All the Wicked Girls is a gripping crime novel with a huge heart from an exceptional talent.

Now it is no secret that I really loved Chris Whitaker’s debut novel, Tall Oaks. It was my top read of 2016 and is one I recommend to anyone who asks me which books they absolutely must read. So book two had a lot to live up to. And did it? Well I’m not going to say too much as my review will be out closer to publication but Mr Whitaker truly does have a talent for capturing the spirit of small town America, for creating a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere alongside a compelling and consuming story. And characterisations… You don;t get the full on Manny experience, but the friendship between Noah, Purv and Raine was brilliantly observed. So yeah. I liked it. You can pre-order your own copy here.

…

The Unquiet Dead by Ausma Zehanat Khan

One man is dead.

But thousands were his victims.

Can a single murder avenge that of many?

Scarborough Bluffs, Toronto: the body of Christopher Drayton is found at the foot of the cliffs. Muslim Detective Esa Khattak, head of the Community Policing Unit, and his partner Rachel Getty are called in to investigate. As the secrets of Drayton’s role in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide of Bosnian Muslims surface, the harrowing significance of his death makes it difficult to remain objective. In a community haunted by the atrocities of war, anyone could be a suspect. And when the victim is a man with so many deaths to his name, could it be that justice has at long last been served?

In this important debut novel, Ausma Zehanat Khan has written a compelling and provocative mystery exploring the complexities of identity, loss, and redemption.

Winner of the Barry Award, Arthur Ellis Award, and Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best First Novel.

I’ve been itching to read this book since receiving it from No Exit Press last month. I’m on the blog tour next week so you won’t have long to wait for my thoughts. Not always a comfortable subject to read about, it touches upon one of the darkest periods in recent European history. As I’ve literally only just finished reading, I’m going to sit and digest it a little while before writing my review. In the meantime, order yourself a copy of the book here.

…

So that’s it. Four books. Not too shabby. Not sure this will be as productive a week as Harrogate is likely to impinge on my reading a touch… I’ll give it a shot though and the travel means valuable audio book time so perhaps I can squeeze in at least a couple of titles by Sunday….

Busy week on the blog with a mix of reviews, book love and blog tours as per the norm.

Review: Cragside by L.J. Ross

#BlogTour Guest Post: Spark Out by Nick Rippington

#BookLove: Linda Hill

Killer: Chapter Three (or ‘I did warn you – these are actually getting worse…’)

#Blogtour review: The Stolen Girls by Patricia Gibney

#BlogTour Review: Dying To Live by Michael Stanley

Guest Review: Bored of the Rings by Rich Amooi

#BookLove: Catherine Kullman

Review: Nowhere Child by Rachel Abbott

The week ahead is once more pretty busy. I have more book love, blog tours and reviews to share. I start the week with a guest post from Malcolm Hollingdrake as part of the Dying Art blog tour. On Wednesday I’m finally able to share my review of The Other Twin by Lucy V Hay and on Friday I am thrilled to be opening the blog tour for Chris Curran’s new book, Her Deadly Secret. I have a little book love from Katherine Sunderland and Jane Cable and if I get time, maybe an update or two from Harrogate (but don’t hold your breath…)

And that’s it. Have a fabulous week of bookishness all. See you next week.

Rewind, recap: weekly update w/e 16/07/17 My view this week. Well... Not strictly true as I didn't make it anywhere near Brixton or Victoria.

#Rewind Recap #Weekly Round UP

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