#5: The Saturday 411
We're talking about rom-coms, the time I met Spike Lee, and more!
Happy Valentine’s Day and welcome to Lent!
This year, Ash Wednesday fell on the feast of St. Valentine. A meme circulated, and it made me chuckle.
I don’t know which genius to give credit to for this. Whoever you are, thank you.
Rom-Com & Romance Recs
Over in the subscriber chat, we shared some of our favorite rom-coms and/or romances!
Mine were:
When Harry Met Sally: Nora Ephron’s groundbreaking film never gets old for me! From the interviews of older couples interspersed throughout to the witty dialogue to the terrible yet successful double date scene, I just love it! And what is more iconic that Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan walking through Central Park in the fall with Harry Connick Jr crooning in the background?
Always Be My Maybe: a close second, hilarious, colorful, and very, very sweet.
Austenland: I love it. It’s silly, stupid, and heartfelt! A woman spends her life savings to go to an all inclusive Jane Austen themed resort to find love.
La La Land: my favorite funny, romantic movie.
Love on the Spectrum: not a rom-com, but I just finished season 2, and it melted my cold heart, would definitely recommend.
Like I said, we’re talking about this over in the subscriber chat, which is open to both paid and free subscribers! It’s available in the Substack app and on your web browser.
A new episode of the Leading Ladies podcast
A week ago, I published a new episode of the podcast!
and I chatted about our dark horse films of 2023. Hers was Maestro, and mine was Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse. Listen here on Substack or on Spotify to find out what we thought and why we recommend them!We also talked about how the theme of last year’s films was authenticity. Later Tory send me the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year 2023. That’s right — it’s authentic.
We wrapped things up making some predictions for 2024 and noting the films we’re excited to see.
This really is one of my favorite podcast episodes so far! I hope you like it, too. And if you’re a Spotify listener, please follow and rate the show over there!
Black History Month Movie Listicle
I shared five of my favorite films featuring the stories and lives of black people in America. Four out of five films are based on real life people and events. All of these movies made an impact on me, challenged my thinking, and are just generally enjoyable or powerful watching experiences.
After making the list, I also realized all five films take place during the 1960’s. On the one hand, it makes sense that we have so many movies about the decade of the Civil Rights movement. On the other hand, this is certainly not comprehensive of black history. So, I just want to acknowledge that, and I would love for you to share any of your favorite films that would add to this list!
Funnily enough, I’ve been wanting to start a James McBride book. I’ve had some of work on my shelves for a while, but just haven’t cracked them yet. I landed on The Good Lord Bird. This story takes place during the Civil War, and the main character is a young slave boy who gets “freed” but also sort of taken captive by the abolitionist John Brown.
While this story so far literally has no female characters, Henry, the slave boy, gets mistaken for a girl. He keeps up the charade because it seems to be the best way to eventually gain his freedom. The book is humorous and wry, and this bit made me smile:
I weren’t for being a girl, mind you. But there was certain advantages, like not having to lift nothing heavy, and not having to carry a pistol or rifle, and fellers admiring you for being tough as a boy, and figuring you is tired when you is not, and just general niceness in the way folks render you.
So far, I’m really enjoying this novel! Along with reading, I started listening to the audiobook version and the narrator is perfect.
The Time I Met Spike Lee
In my listicle, BlacKkKlansman is the fifth film. It’s a Spike Lee movie, and I mentioned that I met Spike Lee once.
Are you ready for this story?! Here it is:
I worked at a bookstore in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn in 2017 and 2018. One busy Saturday, lines wrapping around the store, I stood at the register. Employees had recently been reminded to ask every single customer if they were in our rewards system, which was based on names. We would ask the last name, and then the first name of the customer.
A man walked up in a NY Yankees letterman jacket and 5-panel hat. He handed me a coffee table photo book and a huge stack of post cards.
“Hi,” I said. “Are you in our rewards system?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Okay,” I said. “What’s your last name?”
“Lee,” he said.
I typed in Lee. A hundred results popped up on my screen. Of course there were so many Lees, what a common last name.
“Okay, and your first name?” I asked earnestly.
This man looked at me, one eyebrow raised, in disbelief. “Spike. Spike Lee.”
“Oohhhhh,” I said. I could feel my coworker next to me disapproving, shaking his head.
“And how are you doing today, Mr. Lee?” I replied, shakily counting the postcards and feeling like the biggest fool in Brooklyn.
“Oh I’m fine,” he said.
One of Spike Lee’s studios was around the corner. There had been advertisements out front for She’s Gotta Have It, his newest project. I mentioned it and asked how it was going, trying to make pleasant conversation and distract from the fact that I had to count his postcards individually and then have my manager break the hundred dollar bill he handed me. People in line behind him shifted their feet. Everyone else heard me ask for his name. Everyone else in that store knew it was Spike Lee, except for me.
At the time, too, I was an aspiring actor. Talking to a director and producer made me completely star-struck. Except that I hadn’t known who he was and all the other customers and store employees knew that I didn’t know.
The painfully awkward encounter wrapped up. I tried to win Spike over to me and make him like me in those few minutes that felt like half an hour. But he took his postcards and photo book and left the store, never to be seen by me again.
Of course, I rushed home after my shift to tell the story to my roommates. My friend Alli could not get enough of it. Later, these messages came through my phone, and they remain, to this day, the funniest texts I have ever received:
I have a few other actor encounters I’ll eventually share, but meeting Spike Lee is by far the best story.
Personalized Watchlist for Paid Subscribers
If you’ve been reading my newsletter for a while, you’ll know that I recently turned on paid subscriptions! For now, most of my content is still free, although some older pieces are behind the paywall. In the coming months, I will be making more of a distinction between the paid and free content.
I really do want to bring you reviews, writing, and podcasts that are worth your time. To do so, it takes several hours of real writing and thinking work on my end, and paid subscriptions are one way for you all, as readers, to support that work. My current cost is $5 per month, which, at this point, is less than one latte at your favorite coffee shop!
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to continue receiving in-depth quality content. And another perk of being a monthly subscriber is that you get a fun little personalized watchlist! After filling out a survey that I’ll send to you, I put together a little list of movies and shows I think you’ll like! I’ll also send the list on IMDb. Here’s one I recently did!
Other ways of supporting and keeping this newsletter going are, of course, liking, commenting, sharing, and referring!
Thanks for being here, enjoy your weekend, and let us know what you’re watching! We’d love to hear your go-to rom-coms and your favorite films for Black History Month!