Old stories, new thoughts 🎬
The Lord of the Rings, Ex Machina, and a photo of Elvis
Welcome to the happiest newsletter on the internet, where I share pieces of media I enjoy and hope that they also bring you joy. That’s right, it’s a positive message for positive people. Enjoy!
Leave a voicemail
I’m running low on voicemails for the podcast. Please drop us a line with any recommendations, questions, or fun experiments! You may hear it on an upcoming episode.
Call: 321-376-ROBS (7627)
Short and to the point is great.
What I’m reading
With The Lord of the Rings back in theaters for its 25th anniversary, I thought I should try and read these dang things. So, I’ve been hybrid reading and listening to The Fellowship of the Ring the past two weeks in order to finally take in this tale that people have told me over the years that I must read.
Let me tell you — in an announcement that will be a surprise to no one — it’s good! I sometimes forget that simplicity can bring so much joy. And in this book, our protagonist is told “you need to take this ring to this spot,” and then we follow them from point A to B to C and so on.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Tolkien’s world is incredibly complex, and that’s what makes the simplicity of the tale shine even brighter. I’ve got about four chapters left and hope to finish this weekend.
What I’m watching
Now that Bill and Robs is back with a new season, I’ve branched out on some of my film choices.
This week, we recorded an episode for our “Mean Machines” series about the film Ex Machina. At its core, this movie is more of a thought experiment than anything else. It was released in 2014, right when a majority of the population started to realize that tech billionaires maybe didn’t have our best interests at heart (even if they posted memes on Twitter). It’s a simplistic film where a Turing Test goes exactly to plan… or does it?
This week on my podcasts
Vanderpump Robs
Patreon | Spotify | Apple | Art19
February 3: Rosé All Day (Vanderpump Rules S12E9)
The new Vanderpump staff rents a party bus for a day of wine tasting in the vineyards. Angelica exposes Chris and Jason’s video, or at least the caption, to the group, causing Shayne to realize he may want to spend more time with Ms. Pac-Man than with Angelica.
February 6: Two Truths and a Single Lie (Southern Charm S11E10)
Patreon Exclusive Episode. A little Summer House discussion then Austen breaks up with his girlfriend off camera just in time for the gang to go drink heavily at Whitner’s farm! Everybody talks smack about each other.
Bill and Robs
Patreon
February 4: Runaway (1984)
In the near future, a police officer specializes in malfunctioning robots. When a robot turns out to have been programmed to kill, he begins to uncover a homicidal plot to create killer robots... and his son becomes a target.
Clip of the week
A photo of Elvis
Thanks for reading!