The Suggestion Box #108: Supers, and Spirits, and School, Oh My!

Posted on by Lauren

Wondering what to do with your upcoming free time? Good thing we have some suggestions for what you should be watching, playing, reading, listening to, etc.

Ben’s Movie Pick: Princess Mononoke – Widely regarded as one of Hayao Miyazaki and studio Ghibli’s best productions (and for good reason), Princess Mononoke is a gorgeous fantasy epic set in a world all its own that still has plenty to say about ours. Following the young Prince Ashitaka as he seeks to cure himself of a curse brought on by a demon, the boy encounters forest spirits, gods, and fellow humans at war with each other. Key among them is San, a girl who has been raised by a wolf god and seeks to prevent other humans from destroying the forest she and her kin call home. Environmentalism is an often explored theme in Miyazaki’s films, but I’d argue that Princess Mononoke is the one that does it best. The forest is often beautiful, serene and lush, but the effects humankind has on it are frightening and gruesome to behold. Gods can die or mutate into monsters, and the story’s climax perfectly illustrates humanity’s unrivaled ability to destroy the beauty of the world around us with our greed and hubris. It isn’t the most kid-friendly Ghibli movie, but it’s one that I recommend all late-teen or adult fans of animation check out.

Lauren’s TV Pick: Derry Girls – Turns out the brief hiatus between the current Penelope/Colin focused season of Bridgerton was the perfect time to finally check out the Northern Ireland, 1990s set comedy series, Derry Girls. The Bridgerton press tour made me fully aware of just how hilarious Nicola Coughlan is just being herself, but she somehow has the impressive ability of performing at almost a constant state of neurotic hysteria without tripping over the line into obnoxiousness. What’s more, the entire cast (Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, and Dylan Llewellyn) matches her energy as a group of high school girls (one an honorary Derry girl, though they make sure he never forgets their judgment of his Britishness) who somehow manage to always find themselves in ridiculous situations thanks to their questionable decision making skills, from accidentally flooding the home hosting a wake to getting arrested for unknowingly aiding a large theft of their school’s tech. Special shoutout to Harland as Orla, the one buoy riding the waves in the tumultuous seas of the group’s making — “How many pieces of communion do you think you’d need to swallow to eat a whole Jesus?” — Sister Michael, who is unwilling to put up with anyone’s BS (from the self-important priest to the one overly confident, type-A student) — “Don’t be ridiculous, girls… Of course God doesn’t hate you… You’re not interesting enough… I’d say he’d be ambivalent towards you, at best… if he even exists” — and all those sweet sweet Cranberries’ tunes.

Ben’s TV Pick: My Adventures with Superman – I’ll concede that we certainly didn’t need another Superman origin story, but that tiny roadblock doesn’t slow My Adventures with Superman down much thanks to all the fresh ideas it brings to the table. The show is a new take on the classic hero that feels modern, yet harkens to the hero’s older, more optimistic tales too. Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and plenty of other iconic comic book characters are present, and the story often adds interesting wrinkles to their development that gives them a distinct identity that separates each from their previous incarnations, all the while staying true to their core concepts. Jack Quaid gives an amazing vocal performance in the lead role, and is supported by Alice Lee’s terrific Lois and Ishmel Sahid’s lovable Jimmy. Finally, there’s the animation: one heavily inspired by anime, giving this adaptation yet another remarkable bit of personality that feels all its own among the many other animated Superman stories.

So what do you think about these picks? What content did we miss over the past two weeks while we were spending time with these? Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know about everything (both current and simply new to you) you’ve been consuming lately!

And while you’re here, be sure to check some of the site’s other recent content:

Have Something to Say?