Saturday Morning Cartoons #161

I'd Vote for Pedro

^{👋 GOOD MORNING, FAM!}

Hope you all had a good week.

It’s kind of hard to wish everyone a “Happy 4th of July Weekend” when we have a bunch of a**holes running the country and hurting the people they’re supposed to protect.

But hey, fireworks, amirite?

While I try not to be a huge Debbie Downer over the long weekend, check out this week’s recs.

Hide your dogs in the bathroom, get ready for “Firework or gunshot?” and let’s get into it.

Here’s what I have for you this morning:

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^{🥣 LINKS}

1. I read The Café with No Name, and it isn’t just a story about someone opening a café in Vienna. It’s a warm, cozy book about the owner and the people who end up calling it home. Definitely a big comfort read, especially if you enjoy cafés (guilty). I can see why this was an international bestseller. (★★★★•)
   
   

2. Welp, I finished season four of The Bear, and after an iffy season three, I think we’re back! It wasn’t as good as the first two, but it reintroduced the parts we loved, like bottle episodes that show life outside of the restaurant, especially when Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce co-write them. Curious to see where it goes after the big cliffhanger now that season five has been greenlit. (★★★★•)
   
   

3. I finally got around to bingeing Ironheart, and aside from a few head-scratching moments (i.e., pooh-poohing on Tony Stark?!), I thoroughly enjoyed it. Dominique Thorne did the damn thing as the lead after co-staring in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and us hardcore Marvel fans finally got a cameo five years in the making. I really liked how they combined science and magic, and I'm excited to see how it fits in with the next phase of the MCU.¹ (★★★••)
   
   

4. I celebrated the 4th of July by doing the most American thing I could think of: I saw a movie called Materialists. It’s an A24 flick written and directed by Celine Song (of Past Lives fame), and unfortunately, her sophomore film misses the mark. Three main complaints: 1) It jumps back and forth between traditional rom-com tropes and subversive critiques on modern dating in a way that makes you scratch your head. 2) It asks you to suspend reality and believe that Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans are both poor and have chemistry. 3) It does Pedro Pascal dirty. I’d wait until it comes to streaming. (★★•••)
   
   

5. Speaking of Pedro, Abby and I watched The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent last night, and it might be one of the funniest movies we’ve seen. Nicholas Cage plays a fictionalized version of himself who is on the brink of creative burnout and financial ruin, but everything changes when he’s hired to make an appearance at a mysterious fan’s birthday party. I know Pedro Pascal could have chemistry with a wooden plank with eyes drawn on it, but he and Nick Cage really do make a dynamic duo. (★★★★★)
   
   

You made it to the end! As a bonus, I’ll leave you with this.

Cheers,
Billy

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1. Doctor Doom, anyone?