Today has been one of the rougher mornings for me during this pandemic. I am frustrated, I feel like there is no end in sight, Kirk Herbstreit is saying he would be "shocked" if there was any football, college or pro, played this fall and "home schooling" was tough. But, to get rid of the blues I was having, I decided to finish "Movie And Other Things", Shea Serrano's newest book, and it instantly put me in a better mood.

I am a big time Shea Serrano fan. "The Rap Yearbook", I believe his first published book, is incredible, and every fan of rap music needs to read it. Then we have "Basketball And Other Things", and that is a masterpiece. I love basketball, I adore Serrano's writing, and Arturo Torres is an amazing artist. Put those three things together, and it will be awesome every time. "BAOT" is an all time great book, one I will read multiple times, and I highly suggest any true basketball fan read it. Well, I also like movies, and I have stated how much I enjoy Serrano and Torres. So when I heard they had a second, "And Other Things" book coming out, I was pumped. Then when I found out it was movies, I was even more excited.

I got the book for Christmas this past year, and finally finished it this morning. I read books in order of how I have them stacked in my closet and "MAOT" came up about two months ago. I was kind of lagging, but since we are all self isolating, I have picked up my reading big time. It helps me escape, and that is exactly what "MAOT" helped me do. I devoured the book over the past week. I wasn't even halfway through until Monday, and I finished it this morning, as I said.

What I like so much about this book, and all of Serrano's writing for that matter, is that it is relatable, funny and, for me, easy to read fast. The questions he ponders during the book are great. They are things I have thought about many times while watching movies, and Serrano even adds stuff that I never thought about before, but now I want to revisit some movies because of the things he touched on in "MAOT". Stuff he talks about that I have thought about in the book include, "who would be a better tough guy dog owner?". He mentions Tom Hardy from a lesser known role, and Keanu Reeves from the "John Wick" series. He breaks it down great too. I loved, and found myself agreeing with a lot of the questions he asks about the MCU. The movie death as an adult that hurt you most really got me thinking. As did the chapter about Michael B Jordan breaking your heart. And I also loved the chapter, LOVED IT, when he compared "Get Out" and "The Social Network". He talked about which was more important, and therefore better, and it is perfect. Some stuff he wrote about that I never thought about, that I will now revisit since we all have the time, I want to watch "Selena" again. I remember seeing it as a kid, kind of liking it, but not really getting how important it was. I want to see it with adult eyes now. I am curious as to which scene was Diane Keaton most charming in in the movie "Something's Gotta Give". I need to see "Booksmart" for so many reasons, and Serrano's chapter about it being an all time great movie only further hammered that home. And now I have to see if "Finding Nemo" or "Face/Off" had the intense opening.

But the best chapter for me, the one that resonated the most, was when he wrote about the movie "Friday". This was a perfect essay on the importance and influence of that movie on so many people. Serrano is not that much older than me, and I connected with everything he wrote about that movie. I can quote all the lines, as can my friends. Seems to be the same with Serrano. I also could not agree more with how great his description of how wonderful and profound Chris Tucker is as Smokey in that movie. It is an all time role, and Tucker crushes it, and Serrano give him his much due praise.

Look, times are hard right now, and it looks like we are just at the beginning. But, take this time to spend time with your family. Go on walks, listen to music, and when you have some free time, and you want to read, I highly recommend "Movie And Other Things" by Shea Serrano. It will let you escape, and it will make you laugh and it will put your mind at ease for awhile. This book is great.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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