Stuff I've been watching

I tried season 3 of Anne with an E, but stopped because it got too sad. This is a spoiler/warning:
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Someone on Twitter was talking about the movie "The Sisters Brothers", so I got it out from the library. It's a Western film based on a book. I liked this more than I expected to-- as it went on it drew me in deeper to the story and the relationships. It's a very male-focused story, and it's violent, but it was unexpectedly affecting. I loved the landscapes and the bits with horses.

John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix play the brothers, who are hired killers for someone called the Commodore. Their current job is to track down, extract information, and kill a man named Warm (Riz Ahmed) who claims to have a formula for a chemical that will make it easy to find gold in water. They start in Oregon and chase Warm into California. Warm has been identified and tracked by another of the Commodore's agents, Morris, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. But, Warm is a very charming and intelligent man, and he befriends Morris and turns him to his side.

The film focuses largely on the relationship between the brothers, and their trials as they attempt to find Warm and Morris. There is some humor to this story, as they bicker and fight.

It's really perfectly cast:
John C. Reilly's character is a guy whose heart is too soft for the work he's doing.
Phoenix's character is a hot-tempered asshole who drinks too much, but who changes during the course of the story.
Morris is observant, contemplative, and possibly in love with Warm.
Warm is dynamic, magnetic. It's unclear during the first two acts if Warm is a con man, or if he's deluded by a fantasy, or if he really is a genius.

Content notes: alcohol abuse, plenty of violence, animal harm (some horses die of natural causes), fire, a disturbing scene with a spider.

From @thefridayfive

1. What is your favorite game?

Sim City Rush Hour, for the meditative quality of building and maintaining cities.
Other games I love:
Dragon Age: Inquisition, for the beautiful open world to explore.
Glitch, a no-longer existing Massive-mulitplayer game with the cutest art a wonderful sense of whimsy.
Stardew Valley, for the ability to restore the community center, donate things to the museum, decorate a house, etc.

2. What is your earliest memory?

Going to the public pool near our house in town. I don't remember the inside of that house at all: we moved to the country when I was pretty young. But I remember the dim concrete changing rooms at the pool, and sitting on the steps trying to convince myself to go into the water. I remember my mom had us wear t-shirts because we burned so easily in the sun.

3. If you could have one wish fulfilled, what would it be?

Less pain for me and my chronic pain friends.

4. Have you ever lost something that is important to you? Were you able to find it?

Thinking about childhood has reminded me of a ring that I had, with a picture of a unicorn set against a turquoise field. I lost it in the barn and never found it. I wouldn't say it was important, but it was a ring that i liked.

5. Would you rather go scuba diving or rock climbing? Why?

Rock climbing, which scares me less, and which I find kind of fascinating. I don't think I'd like having to deal with the equipment of SCUBA gear: the tank, wetsuit, mask, etc. I really enjoyed watching the recent rock climbing documentaries "the dawn wall" and "free solo".

thanks to thefridayfive for getting me to post more in my journal!