Young the Giant kinda amazing

 

I've officially become a person that thinks about work at night and on the weekends, and it's not a fun place to be. "I've got so many things to do that I can't do any of them" has been my phrase of choice lately. I'm traveling tomorrow, and while I will bring my (personal) laptop with me, I don't think many blog posts are going to get written. So before I disappear for a few weeks again, let me tell you about Young the Giant, because Sameer deserves it. 

 

As dedicated followers of this page may know, I recently went to a concert featuring a different artist with a GIANT name. I really thought two concerts in a month might be overkill and I had reached my quota. Too many concerts. Too many giants. I really need to learn to spend time at HOME, I thought. But just five or six days in advance, I invited a friend and decided to go go go, and I'm very happy with how things turned out. 

 

The event was on June 20th in the Seaport District in Boston. Young the Giant (a music artist, if that wasn't clear) was the headliner, and the two openers were almost monday and Cold War Kids. 

 

In the last 1.5 years, I've gone to a lot of concerts at smaller venues that are mostly general admission/standing room only. This was an open air pavilion and it was entirely assigned seating, so it was a little bit jarring to me to see the openers singing in broad daylight with the audience sitting down for the most part. The crowd was also older than I was accustomed to. Just observations. 

 

___ 

 

almost monday: I really liked the vibe of this performance. Very chill and mostly upbeat indie rock. They're touring again later this year, and I am planning to attend that show. You can come too. Here, listen to their most played song, can't slow down.

 

___ 

 

Cold War Kids: I like some of their songs when they're playing in my car, but I just didn't really think much of this performance. I think the mismatch between the semi-unenthusiastic crowd and this band that took themselves a little too seriously felt weird to me. I will say, the lead vocalist, Nathan Willett, seems genuinely very talented. That man was SINGING, and then he started playing piano, and then I was like: whoa very impressed. I bet the other band members are also talented, but I have sung and I have played piano (not successfully at the same time though), so I will speak about what I know. Most notable song of theirs is called First, in case you have interest. 

 

___ 

 

Young the Giant: About 2.5 hours after the event started when it was nice and dark, it was finally time for the headliner. At this point, everybody was standing, because these were the guys that they all came for (except for one person I met that flew two hours specifically for almost monday, but I bet he's the exception). 

 

This was a super choreographed show. They played a lot of songs, spent very little time talking, and there was a lot of smoke and fog and lights and camera and action. It didn't feel personal, but it did feel kinda epic. Sameer Gadhia (the lead singer) onstage literally looks the same as he does in all the Instagram ads for this show/album. There have been a few occasions where I feel like bands are just cosplaying rock stars and the performance doesn't match the vibe of the crowd, but Sameer genuinely seemed so cool, and he made me feel like I could be a rock star too. 

 

I like a handful of Young the Giant songs—that's why I went to the show. But I was surprised at how much more I liked hearing them live. I remembered that sometimes I really like music, and I really liked this music. Being around a bunch of fans was good energy too. 

 

Cough Syrup and Mind Over Matter are their most popular songs, and I enjoy both very much. 

 

___

 

Over the weekend, I went to Bits & Bites in Saugus, MA: a Filipino bakery with many baked goods and drinks and a whole lot of Filipino food I can't eat. I want to go back there so baddd; I liked it. It took me until now to realize that it has a nerdy name, and that's the reason why I keep almost typing "bytes" into Google Maps when I search. I'm not the nerd; it's the bakery's fault. 

 

I also went to the Cheesecake Factory, but they don't need my free advertising.  

May 2026 in movies finale (Post #5 out of 5)

 

Ten Things I Hate About You (1999) - directed by Gil Junger - is a high-school romantic comedy based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. I would like to thank Shakespeare for being the inspiration for this movie that I like very much. He's a talented guy who deserves some recognition. 

___

I finished the month of May by rewatching another favorite movie. I enjoy romantic comedies a lot, and I've watched a lot of teen rom-coms in particular, but there are a lot of crappy ones out there. It's very much a guilty pleasure; movies that I know are pretty bad, but some part of them makes me feel good, so I keep watching. 

At the same time, it's hard for a rom-com to stand out. I'm picky about them, because they only really need a few things:

1. Two leads with CHEMISTRY🧑‍🔬, and I want to know why they like each other beyond: hot 🥵

2. A logical plot. Don't make me feel like Spock. Maybe teen rom-coms are meant to make as little sense as teenagers do, but I made sense as a teenager (don't ask my mom to confirm). 

3. Be at least a little funny 🤏

 

Apparently, these three tasks are very difficult to accomplish.  

 

When it comes to English-language rom-coms in particular, there are not a lot of movies I can point at and say: that was actually really good, would recommend. But I love Ten Things I Hate About You. I think it's a good movie, it's well-paced, and it only makes me cringe once. Therefore it is the natural recommendation to friends that don't watch a lot of rom-coms. And in order to make sure it gets watched, I sit myself down on other people's couches and watch with them. 

 

The last four times I watched this movie have followed that same pattern. 

 

I'm not sure exactly what it is about Ten Things that has made it one of the more memorable rom-coms of my life and the one I want to share with everybody. Some possible reasons: I love the cast, and I actually understand why someone would fall in love with Kat Stratford. I understand why she would fall for The Joker too (I just want to understand things 😩). I like that things never feel too melodramatic or over the top. It's a chill movie for a chill Pratima. 

This movie was my introduction to Joseph Gordon Levitt, and he will always be Cameron to me, no matter how many Nolan movies he stars in. 

I re-realize every time I watch that there are a disproportionate amount of sexual jokes in here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ They're funny. The gynecologist dad was a standout of this particular watch. I love that man; he's so good. 

I don't think Ten Things is perfect. It borders on being a bit too low-key, and it brushes past some parts of the conflict. But it makes me feel good every time I watch, and it's mature enough that I don't feel like I'm losing brain cells.

If you're intrigued by this rom-com but don't know when you'll get around to watching, never fear, Pratima is here! I will watch it with you, and we will have a good time. 

Rewatched on: May 31, 2026

Rating: ★★★★½ / 5

___

I drove two hours and twenty-three minutes to eat pancakes in New Hampshire last weekend, because somebody (Ranjani) told me it was a nice place. It was going to be my birthday activity and that plan was derailed, but the silver lining is that I had two passengers come along. I ENJOYED my time at Polly's Pancake Parlor, and I would in fact wait 53 minutes to be seated once again. But that's just me. 

The drive up to Franconia, NH is so pretty, and I look forward to doing it again in October when the fall colors are at their peak. We did a short (but not tooo easy) hike at Artists Bluff, and I will go back and complete the 1.5 mile loop next time. 

The next day I did a much more local and much more low-key hike-walk at Mainstone Farm. We saw frogs! I also found myself at another concert, but that deserves a longer post. 

Last week I played badminton, which was good, and I ate a strawberry peach tart, which was GOOD. 

Bye for now. It's time to play Dispatch. 

Breakfast of Losers (Champions)

 

Taking a break from our (not) regularly scheduled movie posts to talk about a book I finished a little while ago now. 

 

It used to be a big secret but is now not much of a secret that I am in 2 going on 3 book clubs. I guess this book club which I call the Carlton Book Club or Ethan's Book Club or the Finance Book Club or my Discord Book Club is the "main" one. Of the 3-ish clubs, this is the one that feels the most like a commitment. We read 20-30 pages every week and then we DISCUSS. And even when I loathe the book we choose, I've always finished it anyway (at least up until now). 

 

From the end of March through the beginning of June, we read Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, which means that some of my friends have been hearing me complain and/or sing this book's praises since I started it many months ago at this point. Combo of travel and moving and concerts and no audiobook and p e r s o n a l life things had me falling wayyy behind, but I caught up in time for our final discussion and I'm done. Yippee! Me and Breakfast of Champs went on a real journey. 

 

___ 

 

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

 

It was kind of love-at-first-chapter for me and Kurt Vonnegut. Something about the way he writes and his specific brand of cynicism really worked for me from the start. He speaks to my brain in a way that few classic authors have so far. I'd read Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle and maybe even all of his graduation speeches and letters written to high school fans. He just seems like a weird guy with cool thoughts. I think I could become a fan too. 

 

Vonnegut is so weird, I could tell that very early on, but he sees the world in a really interesting way. Both of the main characters, Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout, are depressing self-inserts in different ways. Trout, in particular, is a science fiction writer who comes up with the wackiest fucking concepts in the same way that Breakfast of Champions is a wacky fucking book. I will be thinking about Dwayne Hoover and Hawaiian Week every time I see a car dealership from now on. 

 

I loved the beginning of this book and the setup a lot, but the culmination of everything just felt so gross to me, and I KNOW that's the point, but that doesn't mean I have to be on board. I knew this book was going to feel pointless, but it was so much more pointless than I could've anticipated. It feels like a whole lot of nothing, but it's nothing that I want to read more of.

 

Consider this a highly-entertained 3 stars. I enjoyed reading this book and I feel positively about it, but do I think it's good? What is it even about??  We-are-all-machines-and-the-story-has-already-been-written-and-nothing-matters-because-the-author-of-the-story-is-god. Vonnegut doesn't seem like a very religious guy to me, but I think that's his thesis here. (He should meet my good friend Joe Abercrombie. They would make an extra depressing duo.)

 

Half of my book club friends are haters. They believe Breakfast of Champions has too many tangents. But to me, the tangents ARE the book; it would be nothing without them. Just Breakfast without the Champions <insert sad Walt Jr. image here>. It's fair to not like that style, but I think they're wrong anyway (though I too could do with a couple hundred fewer words about penises and beavers). 

 

My notes are currently split between two kindles, my phone, and my physical copy. There are way too many great quotes in this book for me to highlight all of them, but here's one snippet in particular that I think I'll remember for a long time: 

 

He said he knew that his truck was turning the atmosphere into poison gas, and that the planet was being turned into pavement so his truck could go anywhere. "So I'm committing suicide," he said... "My brother is even worse," the driver went on. "He works in a factory that makes chemicals for killing plants and trees in Viet Nam... In the long run, he's committing suicide," said the driver. "Seems like the only kind of job an American can get these days is committing suicide in some way."

Depressing and thought provoking. I spend many hours each week working at a company that is doing cool technology things, but are these cool technology things going to have a good impact on the planet in the long run? And if the planet dies, what are the humans going to do? Option 1: die. Option 2: send Ryland Grace to space. 

 

Read: May 30, 2026

Rating: ★★★ / 5

Rewatched a very good movie (May Post #4 of 5)

  

 

If you asked me to tell you one universal truth, there's a nonzero chance I would tell you that the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack is good. 

 

This is a movie I've always been a fan of. I've watched it many times since it came out in 2010. I watched at least one of the sequels; I even watched some of the TV show that aired on Cartoon Network. But I guess I've never thought about How to Train Your Dragon in any critical manner. It's also not one of MY favorite things from my childhood, so I don't have that intense nostalgia associated with it (it's no PJO is what I mean). 

 

The movie is good though, really good. That is my opinion having rewatched with my critic glasses on. Critic-me has zero criticism. The script is exactly funny enough without feeling over-the-top. There's some good circular storytelling going on. At its heart, this is a wholesome tale of unlikely friendship and a son just trying to make his dad proud. To quote my very wise friend Zainab, "toothless ily you big cat." 

 

THE MUSIC HOWEVER—I've always known the soundtrack was full of bangers, even as a kid. Test Drive has had a place on my Spotify Liked Songs list for many years now. So when I got Instagram ads about the Boston Pops playing the score of this movie, it took me approximately 30 minutes to decide to get tickets for myself, and I dragged my sister along as well. 

 

So I rewatched the movie this time around in Symphony Hall with Jason Seber conducting the Boston Pops. Test Drive scene with a live orchestra was almost enough to make a girl cry, and it might have changed my life. 

 

I feel like live music gives this movie another dimension that I can't really explain in words. The event really just made me want to attend more orchestra concerts, maybe classical or maybe not. Watching the conductor as he cued this music was extra interesting because I know the soundtrack pretty well. I grew up playing viola in a school orchestra, so I know that conductors are important, but it also takes a lot of skill that some people (and maybe me too) might take for granted. You need to know the music inside and out to do a good job. The Pops music director Keith Lockhart wasn't conducting that day, but Jason Seber did a wonderful job. 

 

I'll plan to spend more time in Symphony Hall in the future, and I would highly recommend How to Train Your Dragon as a movie in this format or just on your TV at home. (Is it presumptuous of me to assume you have a TV? Possibly, but even I have a TV as of two weeks ago. It's still sitting on my floor, not connected to the wall...) 

 

Rewatched on: May 31, 2026

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5  

More May movies - finishing a trilogy (Post #3 of ???) + some things I did this week

  

The last time I watched Tobey-Maguire-Spider-Man was approximately in 2023 with my sister in my parents basement (which was also my basement at the time). I always intended to continue the series, but I never got around to it, as is tradition. 

 

The time finally came to watch Spider-Man 2 and 3 in May. I did not watch them in my parent's basement or with my sister, but I assume she doesn't care too much.

 

Spider-Man 2 (2004) - directed by Sam Raimi

 

Spider-Man 2 taught me that asking someone to get chow mein is equivalent to a marriage proposal, and I will be keeping this in mind for the future. 

 

I love Tobey Maguire soo much. Tobey should be in every movie.

 

Watched: May 23, 2026

Rating: ★★★★ / 5 

 

 

___

The review I posted on Letterboxd was pretty short; I guess I didn't have that many thoughts immediately after finishing that I felt like talking about on there. Another instance where I spend an entire movie talking and don't really know how to discuss it critically after the fact. It's a fatal flaw of mine, but I do have a few brief plot things to touch on. Maybe skip the next few paragraphs if you're sensitive to spoilers for this 20-year-old movie.

 

I just don't understand the unlimited energy source trope that I've seen in a few places. What is the point of energy if it destroys everything in the vicinity? Is the actual villain actually just some illogical force that wants to expand and expand with no sense of its surrounding? Like your average billionaire, maybe? Yes, probably that. But I guess I don't understand why Doctor Octopus was cool with that, because he is not an illogical force. Maybe the desire for scientific progress is illogical in and of itself. Anyway, this all probably would have made a tiny bit more sense if I paid attention. Either that or I'm expecting too much from a comic book movie. 

 

Doc Ock is a pretty cool guy; iconic main villain, design-wise, but I don't think his personality in this movie is super memorable at all. 

 

I had a few thoughts on the romance, but at this point it's all a blur and my general opinion is: just talk to each other, please. Stop angsting so much. I like Tobey Maguire angst though; I just find it really funny. Talking about your feelings is easier said than done in my experience, so I guess I understand why all movies must have the very same miscommunication tropes. Also why is MJ getting engaged so fast to a man she's been dating for three seconds? Movie romance timelines make no sense to me. 

 

___

  

Spider-Man 3 (2007) - directed by Sam Raimi

 

Can I promise you that I was paying attention to every detail of this movie? No. But I’m willing to bet it doesn’t actually matter. There were too many bad guys, and we just forgot about Harry for a bit there. 

 

Idk I liked this one  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Angst. Choking hazards. Steve from Blue’s Clues. Black on black suits. Tobey. Can’t complain.

 

Look at me go, I finished the series.

 

Watched: May 23, 2026

Rating: ★★★½ / 5 

___

I've seen my friends' ratings of these two movies, and I was expecting a pretty stark quality difference, but Spider-Man 2 and the first half of 3 are honestly pretty comparable. 3 goes a little bit crazy once you realize there are actually 4 villains that are only tepidly maybe related to one another. But honestly, the disorganized nature of the movie made it kind of hilarious, and it was an enjoyable watch. 

 

These Raimi Spider-Man movies have birthed a lot of memes, and I love them for it. Genuinely some iconic films, and I understand why they're THE Spider-Man movies for a lot of people my age. Attempted proposal scene cracked me up. 

 

I am not super familiar with Spider-Man canon, but I get baffled by how different the Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane dynamic is in every single adaptation. Most movies pick one love interest or another, but this movie has both. It feels kind of backwards to me, because Gwen is supposed to be Peter's first love or something. In Spider-Man 3, she's just some girl. 

 

Say what you want about amnesia tropes, but I think this movie is an entertaining example. 

 

One of these movies—I'm not sure which—inspired me to get two model skeletons for my apartment one day. One to display and one to keep in my closet. This is what people mean when they tell me to decorate, right??

 

___

 

Call me a concert fiend, because I went to another one this week: They Might Be Giants. Believe it or not, they didn't play any of the educational kids songs I was introduced to in middle school. Traaagic. How will I dance to I Am a Paleontologist or Meet the Elements? But it's okay, they played a good song I like about a Brontosaurus (I introduced this song to a good friend of mine 4 years ago, and she HATED it smh). 

 

They Might Be Giants put on a really good show. They sang a whole song backwards. An accordion made an appearance. So many horns. I thought the two encores was a bit much, but the crowd anticipation before Istanbul was maybe worth it. My feet hurt by the end of this long ass event though. 

 

___

 

On Saturday, I decided to go to Boston Pride super last minute. I had somehow never made my way to downtown Boston for the parade before. 10/10 what a good vibe.  I went to Micro Center on the same day, and that was also good. 

 

May 2026 in movies (Post #2 of ???)

Have I mentioned that I like Project Hail Mary (the movie)? I'm a big fan. I'm also a big fan of the Boston Museum of Science, so what better way to combine these two loves than to watch Project Hail Mary in the domed IMAX theater at the museum? Tickets kept selling out, so when I was finally able to get my hands on them, I sent the link to almost everybody I knew as a public service. 

I think three times is enough Project Hail Mary for now, but I'll buy the Blu-ray too. P h y s i c a l  m e d i a. I don't even own the book yet, but I'm sure I'll find a nice copy someday. 

I love this museum a lot, but I had never seen a real movie in the Omni Theater before. It was so so cool. I'm not sure if I would recommend it for your first time watching any particular movie, but the space scenes in particular were AMAZE. I brought my buddy who was seeing PHM for the first time, and she loved it too, so it was an extra good evening :) ended with some good Nepali food. 

Project Hail Mary (2026) - directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

 

Rewatched in the Museum of Science Omni Theater. Happy to be in my favorite place with some favorite people watching a favorite movie. 

There’s nothing quite like Eva Stratt telling you to “just stop your crying” while you’re tearing up. 

I’ve said everything I need to say about this movie already. IMAX dome was very immersive. Made me kinda sleepy, though. Good.

Amelia overheard somebody say this was their 6th time watching, so really I’m a chill casual fan.

Watched: May 9, 2026

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5 

 ___

Four movies to go. Please be patient with me. 

___

In other news, Tor did send Isabel J. Kim on tour, and I did attend. The event was at Harvard Book Store earlier today, moderated by R.F. Kuang. The book she released is called Sublimation, which I rambled about a bit here. I'm genuinely pretty hyped to read it after the discussion today. People came up with some great questions during the Q&A, and that's a talent I'm jealous of. 

(Part of) May 2026 in movies (Post #1 out of ???)

  

After babbling so much about the Hugo Awards last time, my mental state this month has really taken me off track. I've barely been reading enough to keep up with book clubs, but I have been watching an above average number of movies! I waited to post because I thought I could do a May movie wrap-up all at once (7 movies total❗), but I have so many regrets and too many movies to tell you a little bit about. 

 

Beginning to write this post with Michael Jackson stuck in my head. Take a wild guess as to why that might be (hint: just watched my first movie of June).  

 

___

 

I'm not sure what possessed me to watch The Devil Wears Prada finally. Some combination of: I've always intended to watch more Anne Hathaway movies, I thought it was a rom-com (it's not), the sequel came out recently (will I even watch?), and Ryland Grace speaking very highly of Meryl (PHM reference).  

I thought it was fun but not super memorable, especially for a movie that's kind of become a classic at this point. 

 

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) - directed by David Frankel

 

Movie about Anne Hathaway developing the work ethic and shitty work-life balance that my parents wish I had. All it took was one makeover for her to be good at her job! 

 

Blond journalist guy gave me the creeps the whole time. Leave her alone sir. 

 

Meryl Streep can do anything 😌

 

Watched: May 1, 2026

Rating: ★★★½ / 5 

 ___

 

Emma (1996) - directed by Douglas McGrath

 

Admittedly it’s hard to critique a movie and hard to fully enjoy it when I spend the whole 2 hours yapping (and fighting a war for MY spot on the couch). Tbf every time 26-year-old Mr. Elton calls himself an old man, I am obligated to either take offense or commiserate. 

 

The comedy is good, very vibrant characters (thank u Jane Austen). I think the romance is the weakest part honestly; it just feels like an afterthought.

 

Why doesn’t the movie want me to know Mr. Knightly’s first name 😭 it’s George btw.

 

Watched: May 8, 2026

Rating: ★★★½ / 5 

___ 

 

I can't call myself a Jane Austen expert yet; have only read one book so far, but I have seen a bunch of (modern day) adaptations. I was familiar with Emma up until a point: she's a matchmaker and the romance is kind of almost incestuous, but the details of the story were a big blur. Um, it's still a blur. The movie features Jane Austen's signature large cast of characters, and I had only a tepid grasp of who all of them were. Would have been even less of a grasp if not for Diane (MVP). Evidently, I watched this one with a big group of people and only half paid attention, but goddammit my opinion still deserves to be known. 

 

I thought Gwyneth Paltrow was pretty good in this along with the rest of the cast. I comment on the romance being the weakest link, but I think that might be a feature of Emma specifically and not a flaw of the movie. The story feels much more focused on Emma growing up and becoming a good person than any romance with Mr. Knightly. 

___ 

 

More reviews to come eventually maybe perhaps one day. Bye for now. 

It's Hugo Time (reviews of literature and California)

Been a bit of a hiatus since my last post due to travel and life generally feeling like it won't stop moving. I'm still busy, and I've accumulated enough stuff to write about that I don't think I can fit it all in one post. I've watched some movies and read some things and even finally finished episode 2 of BBC Pride and Prejudice.

 

I anticipated one problem that might come with a blog is hesitating to write reviews immediately after finishing things. If I sit on a review for several weeks, how well do I even remember what it is I'm writing about? The writing itself also just takes time. I write a post and reread and reread, or I add things to this page just for fun (look at my new like button!), and all of a sudden 6 PM has become 12:30 AM and I've gone past my unofficial bedtime. 

 

Did you know that Pratima's Articles has 25 all-time views from Singapore (in 18 years)? I must've had a fan there. I also have more views from Finland (6) than India (5). Veryy interesting. I'm prone to getting lost in the sauce of statistics, but the vast majority of the blog views come from yours truly. 

 

___

 

Because I soft-launched the Hugo Awards already, I think I'll start with that. The Hugo Award is an annual award for science fiction and fantasy (SFF) media, mostly for literature (novels, novellas, novelettes, short stories), but they also recognize other content as well. 

 

The Hugos are the maybe most well-known literary award for SFF (the other big one is the Nebula), but they're actually entirely fan-voted. No jury of experts or nothing. There's a yearly sci-fi convention called Worldcon, and the attendees of that event nominate and vote and decide which books on shelves get a little "Hugo Award Winner!" sticker. That's a lot of power given to a small group of ~1500 fans. 

 

I discovered a few years ago that you don't even need to actually attend Worldcon to vote. You can purchase a World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) membership for $50 just to vote, though attending the actual convention is more expensive. After the award nominees get announced, the membership gives you access to a voter "packet" which contains a lot (but not all) of the nominated works (lots of ebooks, some other media, and even some Steam codes for video games). More details on the 2026 Hugo Awards here. 

 

ANYWAY, in 2025 I purchased a membership and read a bunch of short stories and novelettes and poems and comic books and a few novellas. And then I voted. My (expert) opinion was taken into account. It was a fun experiment. I decided to do it again this year. 

 

In 2026, I even nominated some things. I nominated Percy Jackson season 2 for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form), but it did not make the top 6 finalists—criminal. 

 

This year, I wanted to aim to read all the nominated short stories and novelettes and poems and most of the novellas. I've fallen behind already, but it's okay, it's just for fun it's just for fun it's just for fun.  

 

___

 

Since my last review post, I've read one novella and two short stories, all of which were 2025 releases nominated for 2026 Hugo Awards. 

 

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (novella) 

Fun attempt at a murder mystery in a world where murder isn’t really permanent. Lots of details felt a bit too convenient, but it’s nice and short so no big complaints.

Some weird banking/financial talk that seemed unnecessarily convoluted. I would’ve liked to understand it in theory, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t make sense to an accountant either. 

 

Read: April 30, 2026

Rating: ★★★ / 5 

___

 

This was a pretty simple murder mystery on a spaceship, and as a murder mystery, I don't actually think it was that strong. The sci-fi technology focusing on memories was interesting enough, but I don't consider it "award worthy," I guess. At least I finished it. 

 

I have since started three other nominated novellas: Cinder House, The River Has Roots, and The Summer War. All three of them read like fairy tales, but maybe any fantasy audiobook narrated by a Brit automatically sounds like a fairy tale to me. I don't think I'm much of a fairy tale person; I must lack whimsy. I'd guess that at least two out of these three books are destined to stay unfinished. 

 

___ 

 

In My Country by Thomas Ha (short story)

Publisher: Clarkesworld Magazine 

 

Story about stories and censorship. It's meta in the sense that I'm not really sure what the message is. Definitely well written; Thomas Ha has a good style. Eerie dystopian vibe. 

 

Read: May 2, 2026

Rating: ★★★★ / 5

 

I read a novelette by Thomas Ha for the Hugos last year as well: The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video. Also dystopian, but a bit less abstract, I'd say. Between the two, Brotherhood is still my favorite; I liked that one a lot. 

 

From what I've heard, Ha often leans into the horror genre, and I see pieces of that in In My Country. 

 

___

 

Six People to Revise You by J.R. Dawson (short story)

Publisher: Uncanny Magazine

 

Nice story that hits emotionally, but the premise and world-building is all just a vehicle for a pretty basic story about self-acceptance. It's not really what I'm looking for in speculative short fiction as the speculative aspect just feels like window dressing.

 

Read: May 3, 2026

Rating: ★★★ / 5

 

The Uncanny Magazine Podcast episode featuring this story also includes an interview with J.R. Dawson. Six People captures feelings that are relatable to anybody, but it's specifically a story about being queer and accepting parts of yourself that other people may not see positively. I enjoyed hearing her talk about it. 

 

___

 

Lastly, I will review the month of May so far. 

 

I think the last few weeks have been good. I got recruited to teach juggling at a mini Renaissance Faire. I dressed up for May the 4th. I went to a concert at the Sinclair in Cambridge. I influenced two people to get library cards within the span of a couple weeks. Call me an influencer (but not derogatorily). Finally, I obtained a dabbing basketball sticker. 

 

There was also one travel-related crash-out, but I think that's just standard. During said travel, I rode some trains (Caltrain and VTA light rail: ★★★★★) and went to a Percy Jackson location (a Percy Pilgrimage if you will—Alcatraz: ★★★★★). Other things happened on this trip (🦭), but those are the relevant details. I like trains (fact) and I like Percy Jackson (fact). 

 

Wait no, there's more relevant details: I also bought some books for children. This blog has a lot of book content, so I will include it. My cousins are quite young, so I bought some books that I thought might appeal to quite young humans. Both books were purchased at Bookasaurus in Sunnyvale, CA (I'm not an expert on children, but I liked the store, lots of books and toys). 

 

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers: I MIGHT have blanked and bought this book purely because the cover was half pink. I'm not really sure if the story will appeal to my little cousin, but I hope the pink unicorn wrapping paper was appreciated. I told her to give me a review after finishing, but I don't think she knows what a review is. 

 

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees: I got this for a little girl that loves animals (I knew this), and her favorite animal happened to be a giraffe (I did not know this), so I'm accidentally a winner. 

 

I have not read either of the above books yet, but I theoretically totally would. You'd just need to take my phone away and leave me in a doctor's office waiting room.

Earth goes around Sun and so do I

 

If you want a peek into my brain on this good Tuesday: 

 

So today (the day I'm starting to write this) is my birthday, the official best day of the year. It's so important to me and so ultimately insignificant, I know. I'm not 25 anymore starting today. Can't be having any more quarter life crises, but I still am a cowboy without a clue. 

 

The past two years of my life have both been tough ones in different ways. I think 25 was less tumultuous than 24, but I can't exactly do a side-by-side comparison. I've gone out of my comfort zone at least once or twice in the last year, but some people might still say I haven't suffered enough to be growing. 

 

Here is my May 2025 to May 2026 year in review:

 

I've made a handful of new friends. Maybe I've distanced myself from one or two as well. I've also met some new people that have notably *not* become new friends. 

 

In May 2025, I had one gray hair. Currently, I have at least three more.  I like them; they're cute for now.

 

I went to a whole lot of bookstores and purchased a whole couple of books. Favorite books I've gotten:

• Star Trek: Lower Decks—Warp Your Own Way (favorite book of the "year", happy to find it in a store) -- Barnes & Noble in Natick
• The Warrior's Apprentice and Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold (it's so rare to see Vorkosigan books even at used bookstores) -- Annie's Book Stop of Worcestor
• Mort by Terry P (it's so prettyyy) -- Waterstones in Oxford (in England, not New England)
• My Brilliant Friend (so I can continue to look at it and think about how I would like to read) -- Blossom Book House in Bangalore

Favorite bookstore was Sweet Pickle Books in NYC. What a wonderful place.  

 

I went to two author events and four concerts in the last year (this is not even counting half•alive in April 2025). I might be becoming a Live Music Person™.

 

Went down a Star Trek rabbit hole and then escaped it. I hope to return soon 🖖

 

I went skiing seventeen times (though four of those were snowboard days). More than I've ever been before, because I had a pass and my own skis. Did my first "double black diamond", which sounds a lot more impressive than it actually was. Rode a T-bar for the first time (thanks to shitty weather at Saddleback)! I had a Valentine's ski date with my buddy Amelia and accidentally ended up inviting 3 more people. 

 

My current personality is: Cheez-It + dinosaurs + skeletons. I'm still gonna get married at the Museum of Science, just wait. Event of the decade (which decade, though?). (The Cheez-It thing is a not-very-long-but-still-concerning story that I will not get into.)

 

Notably, I did NOT learn how to juggle pins. Carryover task for this year. Did not make any unicycle progress at all. My journey to becoming a Quincy Market clown has stagnated a bit :(

 

Since REAL ID has been mandated for domestic flights, I've only been on one domestic-flight trip. A few road trips and two international-flight trips, but yeah I took my first US domestic flight of the "year" on March 27. I traveled on my own twice. Has not been a travel-heavy year for me compared to my other years being a real adult, but two solo is pretty good, actually. 

 

I posted on Instagram 4(!) times and found a new favorite movie.  

 

I spent a lot of time by myself and a lot of time with other people. Wild, I know. Took myself to a lot of cool places and will hopefully continue to do so. (Polly's Pancake Parlor in the near future, I hope)

 

I bought and was gifted a whooole lotta fun socks. I am happy to be the resident fun sock person. 

 

I finally rode the Mattapan trolley. That was a happy public transport day. 

 

I did not cook very much, but I did learn to appreciate the simplicity of scrambled eggs with a duck-ton of butter. 

 

Almost killed my plant (and it makes me sad just thinking about it), but she's slowly coming back. Thank you, Ranjani, for the advice. I don't know whether I'll send you this post, but the thanks are here either way. 

 

I did the work to find my next apartment in the laziest way possible. Remains to be seen whether I will actually successfully move.

 

I got so much sleep, and I lost so much sleep, and it was all 100% my own fault. 

 

 ___

 

I feel pretty positively now, but my existential crises usually happen in the summertime. I'm sure summer 2026 will be no different, unless I start hiking or playing tennis or pickleball or badminton. Maybe I'll go to a gun range. Training for a 5k is also still (barely) on the table. Kayaking...? Should I try sailing again? I have been soliciting opinions, and these are the main options so far.

___

 

I was recently reunited with a certain Harvard Museum of Natural History skelly. A picture was not taken, but I'm telling you, I was there, and I have no reason to lie. 

The Sublimation of the Self (philosophical post title) (short story review)

 

In 2026 so far, I have read an average of 0.75 short stories per month. That number is (hopefully) about to increase a heck ton for reasons I might explain later. 

 

This month's short story was Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self by Isabel J. Kim. I like Kim's work; I think she's written some good stuff. The hallmarks of her style (based on the four stories I've read) are wacky world-building, a nostalgic tone, second person perspective, fourth-wall breakage, dry humor, and a lot of asides. I've recommended a few of her stories to friends, but alas nobody ever reads them. This story (which I will call HIJAWFTSOTS, what a mouthful omg) was her debut. 

 

A lot of speculative fiction magazines publish their stories for free online, including this one. HIJAWFTSOTS was published by Clarkesworld Magazine. Clarkesworld also puts out a podcast, if you're not really into using your eyes. 

 

The reason I picked up this random 2021 short story from Kim's backlist: she's turning it into a novel this year called Sublimation. I hope Tor sends her on a book tour; I'll attend. But maybe I should actually stop impulse-purchasing tickets to events, because the May calendar is filling up already (and I'm "moving" 😵‍💫). Sublimation only comes out in June, though. It'll be fine. 

___ 

In my opinion, most stories (but especially short stories) are best read without knowing much at all. But if you must have a basic premise: immigration across borders makes you split into two. One instance moves on and another identical version is left behind. 

 

Okay, that's enough context. Here's the review:

 

Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self by Isabel J. Kim

Publisher: Clarkesworld Magazine 

 

This is a very good short story with a neat concept, but I don't feel as attached to it as some of IJK's other work. She does a great job of describing a very true to life immigrant experience, but I feel like she focuses a little too much on the way it echoes our world and not enough on the differences. 

 

This doesn't have the wacky world-building I love in Freediver and Day Ten Thousand. The concept is much more tied to modern-day reality, which makes the ever-present nostalgia in these works hit even harder. Very excited to see what Kim can do in full-length novel format. 

 

Read: April 22, 2026

Rating: ★★★★½ / 5

___ 

 

My Isabel J. Kim short story ranking (definitive correct opinion):

 

1. Day Ten Thousand (Clarkesworld)
2. Freediver (Reactor)
3. Homecoming is Just Another Word for the Sublimation of the Self 😮‍💨 (Clarkesworld)
4. Why Don't We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole (Clarkesworld)

 

The first short story of hers that I read was #4 on the above list: Omelas Hole is what I will call it (some of these titles could be Panic at the Disco songs). I read it because it was nominated for a 2025 Hugo Award. The 2026 nominees are out now! More on this in the future. 

___

 

On Monday, I saw Joe Abercrombie and Scott Lynch pretend to be rivals on stage at Coolidge Corner Theater. It was a good event, and I'm glad I got tickets before they sold out. They talked a lot about Lonesome Dove and westerns. I got three books signed by Joe. I asked for a western (movie) recommendation, and he mentioned Unforgiven, which I will plan to watch before reading Red Country (the book is dedicated to Clint Eastwood after all). I regret not purchasing The Lies of Locke Lamora now, because Scott Lynch seems like a cool guy.  

 

Joe Abercrombie described his books as "incompetence porn", and I thought that was good. He's British, and that's good too. If you want some context on who Joe Abercrombie is: he writes really dark fantasy books about bad people that are sometimes trying to do the right thing. Very talented character writer, but not really into world-building. I also wouldn't describe him as much of a plot guy. He writes individual scenes really really well, but the books can be slow and meandering, though the payoff often is decent. There's a lot of good dramatic irony and dry humor. WOULD NOT recommend gifting one of his books to a 15 year old girl unless they've expressed interested in long fantasy books and seem cool with torture? I guess none of us are cool with torture, really. So maybe it's fine. 

I picked up a traffic cone on Monday as well. Made me feel like a BU student. Wish I was brave enough to take it home with me. 10/10 night in Brookline.  

___

 

I mailed a package over the weekend and spent way too much money on shipping. (Maybe obvious) advice from Pratima: stuff whatever you are shipping into the smallest container possible. You're welcome.  

 

I'm in the middle of too many books at the moment. I had started The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3), but then the Hugo list dropped and I made a big pivot. 

 

Skullduggery Pleasant and Tall Girl and ADVICE

 

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

 

Skulduggery Pleasant follows a girl named Stephanie who meets a (totally normal) flame-throwing skeleton detective man (Skulduggery Pleasant), accompanies him as they solve the “mystery” of her uncle’s death, and discovers a world of magic along the way. 

I had so much fun with this, and I genuinely wish I had read it as a kid, because it could’ve been a potential favorite. I would 100% recommend Skulduggery to younger readers; it might scratch a similar itch to books like Artemis Fowl. I enjoyed this more than some other middle grade I've read recently (i.e. Inkheart), but writing-quality-wise I don't think Skulduggery is quite on the same level. Of course, it's been a few years since I was in elementary/middle school, so take the rec with a single grain of salt or more if ya want.

 

There’s a lot of telling over showing, and the book is not too descriptive about characters/settings at all, which took me out of it a bit. Skulduggery is the one explaining who the bad guys are, and we just have to take his word for it that they are bad. The plot was fun enough, and the fight scenes were a bit blurry to me, but the banter between characters is where this book shines. Stephanie is so cool, and her dynamic with Skulduggery makes me happy. 

Read: April 17, 2026

Rating:  ★★★½ / 5

 ___

 

Good relevant-to-me quotes from Skulduggery Pleasant (the book, not the guy):

 

"To be honest with you, it's not even my head... It's not. They ran away with my skull. I won this one in a poker game."

 

"There's a crossword in the paper my dad gets every single day. He starts it, makes up nonsensical words to fill in the blanks of the ones he doesn't know, and abandons the puzzle."

 

"Being a detective isn't all about torture and murder and monsters. Sometimes it gets truly unpleasant... The fate of the world may depend on whether or not you can bring yourself to visit your relatives." 

 

Above clip is proof that audiobook sound effects are not so bad if I don't hate the book. Very skelly, thank you. Also, embedding that was a pain, and I'll probably never do it again. 

 

I read this book because of some Reddit post asking for recommendations for books with main characters that are skellies. I don't think Skulduggery was what they were looking for, but it sure was what I was thinking about. It was first on my radar a long time ago because of Rick's Reading Recommendations (good page for middle grade/YA recommendations, though they're all from like ~15 years ago). Rick Riordan's website was a favorite place on the internet for a few years there. Can you tell I'm a Percy Jackson fan yet?

___

   

 

Tall Girl (2019) - Nzingha Stewart

 

Griffin Gluck as Dunkers is the best part, though I don’t think I could be friends with him. Give me a million scenes with Dunk in it; it doesn’t even matter what he’s babbling about as long as babble happens. 

 

It’s wild to see Sabrina Carpenter here post-Girl-Meets-World, but pre-big-famous-Sabrina (before Espresso started entering my nightmares).

 

Movie premise is so silly. I hope it makes somebody feel seen, but it’s not good. Tall Guy Stig’s arc felt like it came out of nowhere too. 

 

I want to give this 2 stars so bad, but I must be honest. I think 3/10 is fair, but I have to rethink all my other low ratings. My Oxford Year (1 star) is so criminally bad, and Tall Girl simply does not deserve to be Oxford-Year-adjacent.

 

Rewatched on: April 17, 2026

Rating: ★½ / 5

___

 

There's not much more to say about Tall Girl. I honestly enjoyed it! The movie was mainly a vehicle for having a silly night with some friends, and it served its function perfectly.  

 

No hate to Sabrina Carpenter, but the TikTok sound bites of her songs have been driving me nuts for years, I think. My fault for using social media, I know. 

___

 

So the system data on my iPhone hit 94 GB, and I had to factory reset it. Advice from Pratima: don't wait 'til it gets to 94 GB to do something. The Apple Store guy recommended to not do a full iCloud restore. My photos/messages/contacts were all transferred, but I had to re-download all the apps. I have more advice from Pratima if you are considering doing this:

 

1. If you use WhatApp, make sure the chats are backed up to iCloud. 

 

2. If you're a nerd that uses Signal, set up the 64-character code to recover a backup.

 

3. Libby, specifically if you use tags or have a lot of library cards: back up your data with a recovery passkey. I didn't do this, and it's definitely the most upsetting thing I lost (uhh as far as I know). Not the end of the world, but nothing is the end of the world until the end of the world. 

 

I am not tech person despite my job title, but I'll update this list for my own benefit.  

 

iOS 26 is ugly @Tim Cook.  

 

Birthday

Six posts in and this blog is officially old enough to vote. I missed the actual anniversary (April 18), but happy 18th birthday to the version of Pratima that decided she must publish. 

 

On April 18 (in celebration ofc), I went to a daffodil field in Dartmouth, MA at Parsons Reserve. I went last year around the same time, but this time I brought my mom and sister, and we inaccurately recited some poetry. 

 

I wandered lonely as a Cloud
That floats on high o'er Vales and Hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of dancing Daffodils;

 

Thank u William Wordsworth for your worthy words.  

 

 

  

Review of The Drama + other thoughts (on The Drama)

 

The Drama (2026) - Kristoffer Borgli

Most unnatural conversation of all time causes problems. I thought this premise could've been more interesting than it was, if this movie was interested in nuance over black comedy, but that wasn't the goal here. I vehemently disagree with basically every decision made by every character, which was generally distracting too. 

 

Ending felt White Lotus-y in a bad way. I believe the best in most people, so sometimes cynical content is tough for me. It is funny, but it doesn't really feel honest. 

 

Zendaya and Pattinson had incredible negative chemistry, which would be a great thing except that they never had positive chemistry either. Two pretty people do not inherently make a good believable couple, sorry. 

 

The Drama is more evidence for my theory that every other British man is named Charlie. 

 

I enjoyed watching it, though. The movie made me chuckle at a few points, and I never had any idea what direction this was going to go, which was pretty fun. The music and cinematography felt seamless to me, if not necessarily my vibe. 

 

I did in fact watch this 98% for Robert Pattinson's face and 2% to know what all the fuss (THE DRAMA) was about. I'll watch The Batman one day too, for research.

 

Watched on: April 14, 2026

Rating: ★★★ / 5 

 

___

 

*trying to be vague about major spoilers below, but I don't think this will be interesting to anybody that has not watched the movie*

 

I have a big soft spot for Robert Pattinson, okay? Sometimes a girl has to admit that. It's honestly not even tied to nostalgia (I was scared of vampires during the peak Twilight era). After confirming with a few sources that this was not a culty cannibalism movie, I decided to go watch. 

 

I think The Drama starts a conversation that's worth having. Yeah, it's funny, and maybe most of us watching see it as something ridiculous that will never happen to us. But it's not out of the realm of possibility, is it? I just think it's an interesting thought to ponder. What would I do in this scenario? Does everybody's reaction feel justified? 

 

In my OPINION, there is a normal person way to approach this problem, which is to figure this shit out and maybe call off the ducking wedding until you figure it out. But then there's Charlie's way of dealing with it, which is to ask a lot of questions and pretend to be fine but actually freak out... which now that I'm thinking about it is also very true to life.  

 

I was so pissed off at Rachel (Alana Haim) for even starting that stupid conversation and having the gall to be angry about the answers. I have never in my life wanted to know the worst things the people in my life have ever done. All four of the people at that table were assholes. I thought this was going to go in a darker (but predictable) direction with Robert Pattinson's character, but the parallels between his cyber-bullying story and Zendaya's history were noted. 

 

The ending felt good while watching, but I'm not really sure in hindsight. I feel like it's trying to tell me that maybe these two ducked up people might actually be okay together (White Lotus-y). Do I actually believe that though? I guess the end is vague enough, so that doesn't have to be the case. 

 

Adding this to the list of movies that make me go: uhhh that sure was something. Like Marty Sperm (not a typo). 

 

I've been saying lately (as a jokeee) that I don't think I've previously ever seen Zendaya act, because I'm a snob that thinks Spider-Man and Disney Channel don't count (haven't seen Dune or Euphoria yet). I don't feel anything notable about her performance here (I'm NOT AN EXPERT DON'T GET MAD AT ME). Shake It Up Zendaya is still my favorite Zendaya. (I'm not saying she can't act. Maybe she's making it all look too easy. I know I haven't seen the most iconic bits of content from her.)

 

Watching the movie made me appreciate this poster more:

 

 

Anddd that's it, I'm done. Was expecting this to be much shorter than it is, whoops. Censoring the f-words for the benefit of my parents  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

Review of Anji Kills a King + a book signing story

 

Anji Kills a King by Evan Leikam

Whole plot kicks off because a girl does something impulsive for basically no reason, and the Furious Five from Kung Fu Panda go after her. It’s a little 🤏 bit bloodier than Kung Fu Panda, though.

I guess this book was never actively bad, but I never actively cared either. My copy of the book has my name written and crossed out and rewritten in it, so I couldn't not finish it, but I don’t think I’ve ever cared less about where a story was going to go, actually. Anji is a debut novel, and maybe I'd try other things from Evan in the future but certainly not any sequels to this.

"She kIlLeD fOr A cAuSe. Will she die for it too?" I ducking hate marketing. That girl killed for no cause at all. Sexy ass cover and title, though. Also, "fast-paced" books with minimal substance are bad. Go figure. 

 

Read: April 5, 2026  

Rating: ★★ / 5

 

 ___

So there's a funky Goodreads feature I've never used before that lets you post to a blog. As it turns out, I have this website from 2008 just sitting around. Sometimes content comes around that makes me want to make my opinion known, like S02 E07 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the dolphin FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman episode. Maybe also the Project Hail Mary movie, which I obviously have very chill feelings about. 

 

I've been writing reviews on some platform or another about some media or another on and off since maybe 2017. If you look hard enough, you can find book reviews, movie reviews, kdrama reviews, and television reviews somewheree on the internet written by me. Do I have any authority to criticize any of these things? Not a single bit. Maybe I'll even expand into video game reviews and Google restaurant reviews. The world really is my oyster (I don't eat oysters). 

 

The thing about writing reviews is that I don't do it for the benefit of other people (which is good, because not many people are reading anyway). They basically function as a record of my life, and I guess I don't want to keep pretending they are objective. So this page isn't necessarily about literature or media. It's about me. Might as well consolidate everything in one place.

 

 ___

AND if I'm writing about me, I can't not tell you the tale of how I found Evan Leikam a.k.a. Book Reviews Kill on Instagram and was interested in his book because I thought the title was cool. You might think I totally set myself up for disappointment by buying an "influencer book," but I barely even followed Evan when this book was announced, and I was already interested based on the title. The title, the cover, the early reviews... they all got me. It's also not some small-time publisher; it's literally Tor. 

 

I'm not saying that I think the book deal wasn't legit. Anji Kills a King had some polarizing reviews from the beginning, but I can definitely understand the appeal to some extent. It starts with a bang, has a decent structure, and I guess some people might think there is good "banter." Maybe it can fulfill somebody's culty drug addiction story itch. Whoa, I just realized that this book is culty, and I hate cults, and everything makes sense now. I know why I hate it: I have no culty drug addiction story itch (one of the reasons why Severance will never truly be my thing). 

 

I was in a delicate state already when Joe Abercrombie's The Devils book tour skipped Boston. I wanted to go to an event, okay? Leave me alone. The book signing was at Belmont Books (very cool store, very tiny fantasy section) in Belmont, MA (crazy). This all happened in May 2025. Only took me a year to open this book.

 

(Joe Abercrombie is doing a signing in Brookline later this month. Very exciting for me. My first author event ever, for Rick Riordan of course, was also in Brookline.) 

 

I made a friend at Evan's event too. I meet plenty of people in life that like to read, but meeting somebody that's interested in the same genres is quite rare. It was cool. Though making friends at this point in life basically feels like dating, at least if you meet one-on-one. Like our first time hanging out was meeting for coffee and going for a walk through a graveyard while figuring out what things we had in common and avoiding controversial topics. If anybody has better suggestions for me (re: making friends), I'll take them. This new friend told me that Anji was going to be the next book she read, but she was in fact a liar (joke).

 

I'm honestly usually not a hater, but I was thinking recently about books I do dislike. One example: Recursion by Blake Crouch. The books are super different: Recursion is a sci-fi thriller, while Anji Kills a King is a depressing version of a fantasy romp. The one common feature to me is that these are both fast-paced books with not a lot going on underneath. Anji tries harder at having substance, but doesn't really succeed. 

 

___

In other news, I bought shoes this weekend, which is something I haven't done since March 2022. Long overdue. I also recently went for a short hike at Mt. Agamenticus with said new shoes (not hiking shoes) and watched The Drama in theaters. Review to come for The Drama. The hike gets a 10/10. 

 

Project Hail Mary (2026 film)

Hi, this is long. Don’t read this if you don’t care. TLDR: Amaze 🤗

These past few days, I have been distracted by projects (you know, posting on Reddit, writing emails to ski resorts, scrambling eggs… those kinds of projects). But rest assured, I have been thinking very deeply about this review. Suffice to say, I am not typically the person to rewatch a movie within two weeks (unless it’s High School Musical, and it’s summer vacation, and I feel like annoying my sister). 

I thought I was going to have plenty of time to make my way to the movie theater to rewatch Project Hail Mary on an IMAX screen. It seemed to be doing well! It’s a big deal movie. Surely, there will continue to be screenings for the next month, right? NO! On the night of March 30th, imagine my shock and confusion to see that there were no more IMAX times listed after April 1. Gotta be some kind of April Fools joke, surely.

It wasn’t a joke, and that’s how I ended up ditching work at 3:30 PM on a random Wednesday (my favorite day in April) to drive THROUGH BOSTON to Somerville to see the last IMAX showing I could find before Mario Galaxy terrorized us all. No regrets. I’d do it again if I had to. I also almost got stuck in an elevator that night. That part, I would not want to do again. 

This is just a diary entry, Pratima. Where’s the review, Pratima? Yes yes, I’m getting to that. 

I think Project Hail Mary (the movie) was made for me. I’m not a movie person, okay? Or at least, I’m not a sad movie person. Give me a happy movie about two people falling in love over Interstellar any day (most days). Yeah, this is a good movie about “people” falling in love. Favorite rom-com of 2026. This is exactly the kind of wholesome shit I’m looking for, and I’m happy they didn’t try to stuff an actual romance in there. I might like rom-coms, but I’m a firm believer in leaving rom out of places it doesn’t need to be. 

This is also a story of me falling in love. Not only did I download Hinge and meet my first sociopath mere days before watching this movie (the first time), I also thought that Sandra Hüller was so cool. Guys, she’s so cool. Post-second watch: I’m in love with Sandra Hüller as Eva Stratt. To a lesser extent, I’m also in love with the pâtissier from The Bear (Carl), that one Goose from La La Land, and the master puppeteer. But MOSTLY STRATT OKAY I LOVE HER. I have recently developed a hatred for karaoke scenes, and I don’t even like this one as much as most people seem to. But it’s okay, because it’s Stratt.

I’m not sure if IMAX did anything extra for me, but I sure did feel many emotions this time around. And I wasn’t with friends, so I could actually CRY. 

It’s good to know I’m capable of feeling something. Or of loving something. I consume most content these days a little bit too analytically, I feel. It gets in the way of me getting emotionally invested. I write too many reviews, and I’m always contemplating a number of stars; it’s not healthy, but I’m not going to stop. Sometimes, though, I watch movies like this that force me to write long reviews like this. Funnily enough, the last book that made me write a long gush review was The Martian. Andy Weir and Andy Weir related media. That guy has mass appeal, and mayybe his magic works on me too. He has a real strength for generally feel-good content with themes of friendship and working together and justtt enough science to make us feel smart.

It’s a bit of a vulnerable thing, to admit that I like something and maybe even love something. I’m always thinking about caveats (yes, I liked this thing, but that doesn’t mean YOU will, and there is also this laundry list of problems that I noticed ofc obviously). I didn’t know the general consensus on this movie before I wrote my first review. I guess I was nervous that I would be here with my ★★★★★ and nobody else would agree. Luckily, this movie hasn’t been very controversial.

I do think the film could’ve gotten into more of the direness of the situation on Earth and what Stratt is sacrificing for this plan too. The stakes felt very far away. The movie chooses to focus on Goose and the friendship, which isn’t wrong, but it is something I noticed. A lot of the science in the book also gets hand-waved away in the movie, but it’s okay, some of the book-science is stupid anyway. Some of it is good science too, but the movie would have gotten really long.

Ryan Gosling makes Ryland Grace (the initials are no coincidence) seem like so much more of a real person than the book (where he’s basically just a blob that tells science jokes). Crazy what having a face can do. The movie also does a much better job at showing his character arc, in my opinion.

I love Project Hail Mary. That’s been my personality for the last few weeks. This is a movie I would be happy to introduce to my proverbial children and to my non-proverbial cousins. It’s the kind of movie that makes me want to watch more movies. Some things just work, and it’s personal and unexplainable. It’s a new “nostalgia checkpoint” for me. I will probably watch it again one day, and you should watch it too. 

 

Rewatched on: April 1, 2026

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5