Remember: Coffee Break is full of odds and ends I’d like to discuss including films I’m watching, links I like, stuff I’m into and oh yeah, coffee!
Oh it’s been so long! I’ve been having plenty of coffee over the last few weeks but not a whole lot of time to write it seems. With a lot of personal life craziness and last minute summer mini vacations/day trips I’ve been trying to fit in, it just feels like I’ve been knocked off my regular schedule with FTS. No worries though, I’m getting back on track and brimming with new ideas. ANYWAY! Take a look at my lovely mug:
It’s one of those thick, campfire type mugs. Doing double duty as coffee mug or soup bowl with handle. We have been having wonderfully mild weather here in Baltimore and this mug was great for the breezy morning.
If you listened to episode 156 of the FTS podcast then you may have heard me talk about Bully already. The 2011 documentary has been sitting in my Netflix queue since it came to Instant Watch but I’ve somewhat avoided it, looking for a time when I would feel comfortable shedding a tear. I anticipated that appropriately considering I had the waterworks streaming about 5 minutes into the film. The subject matter of the film just kills me. I hate feeling so hopeless while I watch these perfectly undeserving kids try to deal with problems they are unequipped to handle. It’s compounded when the adults offer no help to the victimized, furthering their daily struggle to overcome. The doc itself is a clean look at the problem even if its only real purpose is to spread awareness.
One of the more recent films I’ve seen in theaters was Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi action film Elysium. The film follows Max (Matt Damon) as he attempts to leave the poor & polluted planet earth to reach the hovering aristocratic space station Elysium. Tackling current political issues such as immigration, healthcare and the ever expanding gap between socio-economic groups, Elysium is a sci-fi film anchored in some reality but really doesn’t have a whole lot of meaning on anything below the surface level. The movie is quite enjoyable as action film though and it made me even more excited to see what Sharlto Copely (who plays the villain) is going to do next. It’s not as satisfying as Blomkamp’s directorial debut District 9 but it’s been one of the better films to release this summer.
Off to another documentary, I finally sat down with The Wild & Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. This doc follows the crazy White Family, known in their state for their criminal and out of control behavior. There are certainly a lot of shocking moments to be seen, including a mother detailing her desire to murder her ex husband in front of her own child and copious drug use from the various family members. The doc also attempts to look into the family’s past and offers up suggestions as to how they became the family we know today. Overall this film is just okay but it did spark a fun debate between Jason and I about exploitation in media and documentaries specifically.
Black Tiger Coffee: One of my favorite new dark roasts is Coffee People’s Black Tiger blend. I’ve been into dark roasts more and more as of recent and Black Tiger is at the top of my list.
Netflix Instant Watch TV Shows: Recently. I’ve been plowing through tv series on Netflix. Still running through Twin Peaks (the second season has been fantastically bizarre,) ran through the mystery series Top of the Lake and binge watched the shit out of Orange is the New Black. I have a lot more series nested in the queue and I can’t wait to get lost in another.
Breaking Bad: Another gem recently added to Instant Watch, well the new episodes anyway. I went through the first 8 episodes of the final season in what seemed like the blink of an eye and now I’m tortuously watching the new episodes every Sunday night. It may be the greatest tv drama I have ever watched and I am completely fascinated to see how it’s going to end.
A worthy pilgrimage took place last week to the new Alamo Drafthouse located outside of DC. Jason and I went to see one of our favorite films, Trainspotting. Perfect film, perfect theater. I am over the moon excited that we will be spending the day at the theater again soon for Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy.
And there’s a shot of the group at breakfast over the weekend. FTS got together and had some delicious breakfast, welcomed a new member via skype and wached Cloud Atlas.
After our mid-day Cloud Atlas viewing, Jess, Rob, Jason and went out for dinner and of course, coffee. Then we headed out to the theater to see The Way Way Back before we ended our very lovely day.
Can you find the coffee cup? The photo is from a scene in the very funny, very sweet film The Way Way Back. I just recently seen the film for the second time and was just as smitten with it. Written & directed by Descendants writers/Academy Award winners Jim Rash and Nat Faxon, the deeply personal film features a warm soundtrack, lots of funny & honest moments and a supremely likable Sam Rockwell. If you haven’t seen it yet, please seek out this heartfelt, coming of age gem.