HMC: Vol. 29
"He's a Libra Moon. That says a lot."
Hello, people. Welcome to HMC: Volume 29. 🫡 We’re here to yap about:
Football!
Books!
Scary movies!
By the way… the original version of this draft was 6 times as long and contained musings about Chappell Roan, the astrological implications of the upcoming lunar eclipse, the Chicago White Sox, the Legend of Zelda, and Dom’s mom. You’re welcome for editing it down… it would’ve induced panic.
Curious about what didn’t make the final cut? Follow us on Instagram @happymediumclub, where we’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes drafts. 😎
Okay, enough preamble. Enjoy HMC: Volume 29. OR ELSE.
NFL SMALL TALK: WEEK 4
A few bullet points to help guide you through football-related small talk regarding the fourth week of NFL.
Joel Moisa
With Week 4 over it feels like the NFL season is here! Teams are coming together, others are falling apart. However, Jayden Daniels continues to outshine them all.
The Ravens have regained their footing and dimmed the light of the Buffalo Bills on Monday. I was hoping for a high-scoring game to help me win my fantasy match but that didn’t work out. They found a way to stall Josh Allen to the point where the game was so far gone that he didn’t play until the end of the fourth quarter.
More importantly, I’m loving the Vikings’ 4-0 start and I’m hopeful that they’ll extend their winning streak in London against the half-baked New York Jets. It’s hard to watch Jets games, as of late. There’s no defense or offense — it’s just them trying to keep Rogers happy and we all know that’s a little tricky.
Aaron Rodgers’ struggles have been fun to watch. I’m curious to see if he will hang up the cleats this year and hide in a really dark cave forever if they don’t figure things out!
Lastly, where is Devante Adams going? Is there a desperate contender out there with the capital and draft picks to snag him and potentially win a Super Bowl? Imagine the Chiefs, Bills, or Cowboys taking a shot at him and furthering their WR room to win it all at the end.
OLD NEWS (stuff we wrote last week but forgot to publish):
Jayden Daniels, please stay healthy forever and ever.
More importantly, Kevin O’Connell, Brian Flores, Sam Darnold, and Justin Jefferson have come to play. The Vikings lead the NFC North! Or maybe I could be happier… I would love it if they went undefeated and won the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs play ugly and maybe they should never get another call in their favor again.
The Ravens ran all over the Cowboys, exposing how much they need to improve their passing game. What if Amari Cooper joined them????
It feels like everyone in the league is good except for maybe the Tennessee Titans?
Now that Andy Dalton has taken over the Carolina Panthers they might win their division.
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE SCARY MOVIES
Dom Johnson
I like scary movies! Here are a few of my favorites.
Disclaimer: Scary movies aren’t for everyone. If you don’t like gore or spooky stuff, I’d keep these movies off your list.
Scream 5
Favorite Quote: “What’s your favorite Scary Movie?”
Scream 5 has a STELLAR cast. But before we get into that, let’s back up a little. The Scream franchise is historic and its impact on the horror genre cannot be understated. Scream paved the way for:
Self-aware, meta horror movies (see “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” below).
A wave of horror-comedy films that don’t take themselves too seriously yet avoid going “full parody” mode (see “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” below).
Horror characters with real depth and relatability (see “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” below).
Subverting the final girl trope while still honoring its legacy (see “Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” below).
Obviously, Scream isn’t the first franchise to accomplish the feats listed above. But its impact was so immediate and so recognizable.
Whatever, all that to say… Scream 5 should not have worked. It’s basically a soft reboot of the franchise with only a handful of the original cast. Most of us would expect a sequel like this to be a shameless cash grab with no substance. But, family, it is so good.
The cast includes three legacy characters: Sidney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Dewey Riley. While it’s fun to see the trio back together after all these years, the highlight is the new cast: primarily Melissa Barerra, Jenna Ortega (heard of her?), Jasmin Savoy, and Mason Gooding. The entire cast, old and new, has amazing chemistry, and their performances were met with widespread acclaim from hardcore fans.
Which makes the latest news about Scream 7’s casting really disappointing. 😑 Justice for Melissa Barerra tbh.
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2021)
Favorite Quote: “He’s a Libra moon! That says a lot!”
“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” follows a group of Gen Z-ers sheltering in place during a hurricane. They decide to play a game called Bodies, Bodies, Bodies — a derivative of werewolf or mafia, where folks try to guess who the “secret killer” is. As you probably guessed, a pretend murder becomes a real murder. And the rest is the movie.
“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies” hits every almost beat that I want from a scary movie: it’s driven by incredible characters, it’s bitingly funny, and it tells a fresh story.
I’m seriously obsessed with this movie. I bought it on YouTube before it was available on most streaming platforms.
I like it for many of the reasons I like the Scream franchise, as detailed above. I’ll try to avoid yapping about how:
It’s a self-aware and semi-satirical horror movie
It doesn’t take itself too seriously yet avoids going “full parody” mode
The characters have real depth and relatability
It subverts the final girl trope while still honoring its legacy
The two things I love most about this movie:
The dialogue feels so believable. Even though the characters are insufferable, they feel fully realized. You wanna laugh at them, roll your eyes at them. But somehow, you still root for them. Because the writers, directors, actors, etc. treat their characters with respect.
It’s just like…so funny. It’s so funny.
Mayhem (2017)
Favorite Quote: Anytime Samara Weaving says anything.
Maybe it’s more of a thriller, IDK. Regardless, “Mayhem” is so good.
It follows a lawyer, Derek Cho (Steven Yeun), who is unjustly fired the same day a virus breaks out, causing people to lose their inhibitions and act on their violent impulses. Trapped inside the quarantined office building, Derek teams up with a disgruntled client to fight their way to the top floor and take revenge on the corrupt executives responsible for their misery.
Basically, Samara Weaving and Steven Yeun use office supplies to fight off bad guys in business attire.
It’s got it all: Scrappy protagonists beating up rich people, it’s laugh-out-loud funny, it’s beautifully shot, fun to watch…and most significantly: SAMARA WEAVING. SAMARA WEAVING. Samara Weaving is everything to me. She’s more than a Scream Queen. She’s the Queen of Australia and Everywhere Else.
All hyperbole aside, Samara Weaving is so good at her craft. She’s got an iconic scream (and she knows it). Also, she’s hilarious on and off-screen. I hope she gets to be in every movie forever.
Nope (2022)
Favorite quote: “Nope!”
I didn’t love this movie at first. Living in the shadow of “Get Out” and “Us,” it was fighting an uphill battle. But “Nope” is a movie that gets better the more you think about it — especially if you give it a chance for a second viewing.
On its surface, it’s a UFO movie. In director Jordan Peele’s words, it’s a movie about spectacle. The opening frame quotes a CHILLING verse from the Bible. Here’s a screen grab. ⬇️
Gasp. On my second watch of the movie, this frame gave me goosebumps.
When you pay attention to all the details that point to the central theme, the movie feels bigger. Its horror becomes a little more psychological when you realize our culture’s obsession with fame and attention is potentially more dangerous than a malicious alien invasion.
If you want to hear a more evolved take, watch this video from one of my favorite YouTubers: Thomas Flight. He makes incredibly thoughtful video essays about movies, including this one below.
Also, one of my friends said the [spoiler redacted] looks like an Oscar De Lorens dress which is so funny.
IYANUE REEVES? MORE LIKE IYANU READS: THE HEAVEN & EARTH GROCERY STORE
Iyanu Reeves (It’s pronounced like “Keanu Reeves” without the “k.”)
This book by James McBride was on countless “Best Books of 2023” lists (including President Obama’s list), AND it won a national book award. So, like any other nosy person, I had to find out why.
The book opens in 1972 with the discovery of a skeleton at the bottom of a well. To unravel the mystery, the story flashes back to the 1930s, where we meet the Jewish and Black residents of Chicken Hill.
Although the book is somewhat marketed as a murder mystery, that aspect becomes a subplot. The main focus shifts to the residents of Chicken Hill as they work to prevent a deaf Black child from being institutionalized.
This book may appeal to you if… You like a LOT of character development. My guy introduces you to every character, big and small – even spending whole chapters on minor characters. I fell in love with Paper, the town gossip, idk omg this review is going badly.
This book may not be for you if… You don’t like period pieces. The book is mainly set in the 20s and 30s. Sorry, maybe I’m just bad at history but that made it a little harder to picture the setting.
Okay, now for the rating
3.9 out of 5 Stars (maybe 4 out of 5 stars)
After I finished the book, I immediately rated it a 5. The ending had me in tears (I was sobbing). But then I thought about how long it took me to finish it (two months) and I had to knock the rating down a little. It was so slow at points!!!!!!
THANKS FOR STICKING AROUND!!!
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