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Film: Wrath of Man

Weird, messy and totally enjoyable genre flick.

Play: Hamlet

GOAT. More fun to study than simply read for pleasure. As one of my students says "Hamlet, he different..."

Film: Puss and Boots The Last Wish

Terrific kids movie for adults who know a bit about movie making. Should be used in screenwriting classes, which you should take as an insult. Feels like the way a really advanced AI would make a film...that is, over-engineered to the point of perfection. I would've much preferred a sloppier, weirder movie. And here's the thing: my kids would too. Neither of them were over the moon about it. I thought it was "good." My wife liked it the best in the family. That alone should tell you something given it was an adventure movie made for kids, especially boys. Or was it? Like Maverick, this movie tells me Hollywood has taken the formula to the end of the line and has no where else to go but reflect upon its own better past. Personally, I feel we're approaching this all wrong. But what the fuck do I know.

Book: Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer

One of the better true life spy books told from the trenches.

Film: You People

Remember when Eddie Murphy was funny? This movie is almost too easy to make fun of, so I won't. Kenya Barris does have one great skill - finding rando funny middle aged black dudes I've never seen and put them in killer side roles. He and David Simon should work together. David Simon excels at casting middle aged white dudes in hyperreal tv dramas. They need to combine forces and bring this country together. 

Film: Haider 

Only started it, but will complete. An Indian-Muslim Hamlet adaptation and the best one I've seen...

Film: The Bad Sleep Well

Kurosawa's Hamlet adaptation set in the noirish atmosphere of postwar Japanese business - off to a slow start.