10 Things: Murder, Murder, Murders
My recommendations on what to play, watch, eat, bake, peruse, read, buy, consider, and more this week.
I am fairly sure this is the last week that I’ll be behind! And there’s a lot of murder. The most murder, really. All we need is a bunch of crows. Well, here’s a bonus crow for you, sent to me by a student. You’re welcome.
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The first three recs are free; paid subscribers get to know what my FAVORITE BIRTHDAY THINGS WERE. And they are GOOD.
PLAY: A murder mystery.
Most years, my sister throws me a murder mystery party for my birthday. It’s the ideal party because there’s a set amount of time people can expect to be at your house, everyone has a goal, and people who don’t ordinarily talk to each other get to talk to each other. There’s a low-stakes game to play that involves eating actual food and drinking actual drinks. It’s VERY silly. Every time, no matter who we invite, it is a freaking blast.
I think we’ve been doing this for about a decade now. This was the first year I threw HER a murder mystery party in return (in February), and I can confirm that it’s both fun to throw one AND fun to play one. (It is more fun to play one, so get someone to throw it for you if you want to do it for your birthday!) The murder mystery Alexis threw this year was one of the most fun we’ve done, and while there were some kinks to work out (“I have no idea where they thought the walk-in refrigerator was supposed to go”), I recommend this company for players who are interested in a game that has more going on than just “solve a murder.” This one wasn’t too complex, but everyone had something to work on, and there was definitely random end-of-game mafia murder-with-framing-of-innocent-parties. And fake twins. Etcetera.
WATCH: Murder Mystery 2 on Netflix
I watched this because of a Vulture review titled, How Dare Murder Mystery 2 Be Any Good? I wouldn’t go so far as the reviewer and say that this was good, but it was fun. I didn’t watch the first one (the reviewer said to skip it), but these two notes from the review spoke to me:
With Sandler in full untucked beardo zhlub mode and Aniston looking like she’s been preserved in bubble wrap since 1999, each feels like a perfect avatar of a particular strain of stardom; you can imagine a whole inner life and backstory for their characters.(…) The new movie runs on vibes more than plot. Neither the murder nor the mystery in Murder Mystery 2 is of any note, but the film commits in other ways. The throwaway comedy bits actually land this time around. I found myself laughing out loud at many of its dumb little gags, such as Nick’s obsession with a particular kind of cheese served at the wedding (“The cheese has a hold on me!”)
I giggled seven times in the first half hour. The rest of it was mostly forgettable, but it was a fun first half hour, and I just had a murder party, so it felt like a good time. Please leave your “why not?” movies in the comments. (BTW, I was not as enamored with “Rye Lane” as everyone else? I think I’m just too old for it. This movie was for the olds, probably.)
Luke bought me one of these gourmet Japanese snack boxes for my birthday, and it was really exciting! It is about half vegan, all vegetarian, and a thrill through and through, because it comes with a LITTLE BOOK. The little book makes every snack feel like a JOURNEY. It was one of the highlights of my birthday, because every time I felt sad for the whole week, I could pull out a green tea hard candy or whatever and be transported. There was not a single thing in the box that wasn’t incredible.
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