lettersfromcats - Tumblr blog

[lettersfromcats]

spotify wrapped

hey kate,

it's been a while! i am sorry for that but uni has been busy. anyway yesterday last week spotify wrapped came out and i thought i could maybe examine mine more closely. see what memories are connected to the music in it and just tell you about my year through the music i listened to.

my top 5 genre this year was Neue Neue Deutsche Welle, which i find really interesting because growing up i loved Neue Deutsche Welle. Nancy Kilpatrick in the The Goth Bible , Neue Deutsche Welle or short NDW is "is a genre of west German rock music originally derived from post punk and new wave music with electronic influences". according to my mom it is the sound of her youth. according to me it is the sound of those 80s music documentaries i love watching. one of the most globally famous songs from this genre is without a doubt this one. however it is probably not the only one you know. anyways i am getting distracted. Neue Neue Deutsche Welle is hard to define but i will try my best for you. it seems pretty similar to the 80s genre, however there sometimes seems to be bigger emphasis on using synth and the vibe of the songs is overall gloomier. whether that is an accurate description or not, you should decide for yourself. what i can say for sure is that to me, this genre has been a huge part of my year. when i would genuinely want to listen to music and not just have something playing in the background this is the type of music i would go for. artists like mia morgan, die tränen and modular were the soundtrack of m 2023. futhermore i wanted to tell you about this genre as it is crucial to one of my favorite memories from this year. as you can probably tell from my brief mentioning of a few Neue Neue Deutsche Welle artists, is that mia morgan is one of them. attending her show together just last month was so much fun and so was finding new artists in the genre. both her support artists were new discoveries, although i had heard of them i had just never taken the time to actually go and listen to them.

"this year listening took you places!", is what it says on the next slide of the spotify wrapped and that is certainly true. a little spoiler but the day i listened to the most music in 2023 was the day i was travelling back to ireland after the maneskin concert. so here's a list of all the places i saw this year because of concerts (also funnily enough, the place spotify is saying listens just like me is not included):

luxembourg (twice)

düsseldorf (three times, unfortunately)

dresden

it might not seem like a lot of places, but i am always glad for getting to travel and see my favorite artists in concert and hear my favorite songs.

this was fortunately also the case for my top song kein gott, kein staat nur du by kraftklub ft. mia morgan. this song was already my top song last year (despite the fact it came out 32 days before the spotify wrapped cutoff) so i would say it's real love. i saw kraftklub live only two times this year (one of those times was the show in dresden) and was thus fortunate enough to hear my favorite song live at both of those shows. at one of the shows they brought out mia to sing her own part, at the other this was done by gwen doyln. both times are fond memories of mine.

out of my 5 top artists of the year, i saw 3 of them live this year. kraftklub, 5sos and maneskin. interestingly enough on the little clocks spotify wrapped gave us for when we listened most to our top artists it shows very clearly that i listen most to an artists just after i saw them live. i don't know what to do with that information but i am glad i have it.

lastly, for the little categories spotify gave each listener, they gave me alchemist, so the playlist curator. thus it feels only right to end this blog post with my 23 out of 23 playlist, which includes my favorite releases of the year. i might go into more detail about the songs on that playlist another time, but for now this seems enough.

doreen <3

[lettersfromcats]

august favs!

hi doreen! this month when so quickly i i really havn't done much so this will probably be short and sweet.

-saw!! a film series i knew i would be obsessed with before i started it and i was not dissapointed. now i can't say its yknow, actually good, i think the original really is a stand out horror but later in the series it started to take itself too seriously. the aesthetics of it all and the ridiculousness of the story is what appeals to me, also the colour grading in the 2004 is peak, love an overly blue film. i still have a couple of the films to catch up on before sawX comes out so i've gotta keep at it.

-yellowjackets! have i ever mentioned i love cannibalism in media before? especially as an allagory for all consuming (see what i did there) love. this is probably the best recent tv show ive seen. the depiction of teenage girls, the queer coding, the desperation and horror all in juxtaposition to the adult storylines which are just as horrifying but in a different way. the balance of horror, tragedy and odd comedy is perfect and I can't bring myself to dislike any characters, even misty (she's a freak).

-sinjindrowning! i love a silly youtube duo and these two are so fun, sibling dynamics are always the funniest in my opinion and it's just such easy watching.

-doing nothing! heading back to galway tomorrow and i just know i'm gonna be really busy immediately, which is fine cause i've kind of been going crazy doing literally nothing all day but i also know by next month i'm gonna thinking fondly of my days sitting around with the cats rotting away.

[lettersfromcats]

report

hi kate!

because of my move i have been super busy and haven't really had time to write posts or even think of post ideas. but the other day i saw a tiktok (user @/beckydubbs) for a quick check in method called report, which felt perfect for a short post.

R - reading

i finished malibu rising just last night, which was so so good! i could not entirely get into it at first but around the middle it gripped me like most taylor jenkins reid's books do. would 100% recommend!

E - eating

i have been really into spicy ramen again lately (cannot wait to make some later tonight). like the really really spicy one and then add some crispy tofu, maybe some vegan cheese (found a really good one the other day at aldi!) if you are feeling extra fancy.

P - playing

because i don't have wifi in my new flat yet the things i have been able to do are really limited, so i have been playing so so much tetris. just endless tetris. it's great.

O - obsessing over

my cow blanket and pillow. i have been loving cow patterns and they blanket is so so cozy. it is perfect for my seat, which is gonna be my new reading spot.

R - recommending

only murders in the building season 3 is currently airing and i cannot recommend this show enough. season 1 and 2 had me on the edge of my seat so i am really looking forward to seeing where this season is gonna go.

T - treating myself to

juice! i bought this amazing 3 fruit (pineapple, mango and orange) juice at aldi the other day and i love just having a little glass in the morning with my breakfast. makes me feel so energized.

[lettersfromcats]

August movies!!

hi doreen !!!

ive decided to watch at least one film a day this month for no reason, but i have been having fun. since i don't use letterbox to give proper reviews i thought it'd be fun to start documenting my thoughts on each one for the month :) (ratings based on intuition alone) (this will take a while/ in progress)

-the cabin in the woods: 6/10 i really wanted to like this cause i liked the vibes and it seemed right up my alley- i love a horror comedy; but i found myself really bored halfway through. i do like the premise but i think the characters were a bit too archetype-y for me, which i get is the point. i still found it enjoyable and i would watch it again- just probably with other people, i think it's a group watch film.

-the virgin suicides: 9/10 i'm using this to work through some of my watchlist and this was on there for a while, we talked about watching it and i was not disappointed. the exploration of grief from the peripherals really struck me as well as the depiction of girlhood. i understand the criticism of the girls stories being told by the boys but to me the film seemed very self-aware and deliberate in that depiction (and i do love an unreliable narrator). the utter foreboding that hung over the mystical haze of memory throughout the film was enchanting and i mean the cinematography and soundtrack, impeccable. i can't move on without mentioning the symbolism of the elm trees, it's as if a literary technique was designed specifically to get me to like a film. the elm in itself has such interesting mythos and history which maybe wasn't deliberate beyond the obvious symbols in the film, but still is really interesting, for example, in norse mythology, the first woman was made from an elm and in america elms became a symbol of war and liberation during the revolution.

-girl, interrupted: 10/10 started with simon and garfunkle and still got better. incredible performances from any lesbians idea of a stacked cast and jared leto dies at war so win-win. the depictions of illness while i can't say are flawless, never feel like the intentions are wholly mocking- (though i obviously can't speak for everyone) and are devastating when brought to focus. and there's a homoerotic friendship so i was always gonna like it.

-purple hearts: 0/10 i dont even want to talk about it, i was watching it ironically and i couldn't even bring myself to have fun. the politics are beyond confused and seem to boil down to a centrist mush of love everyone despite their flaws (racism) and war's okay if the soldiers are big pouty white men. the romance was even rushed i don't know how anyone enjoyed it.

-the lighthouse: 8/10 exactly my type of artsy bullshit, robert pattinson and willam defoe shine in this weird, gross, claustrophobic, anxious masterpiece and i was having a great time. so much and so little happened but the delirious descent into madness was wonderful and a little bit gay so score.

-saw: 10/10 i finally watched it and as i predicted am obsessed, i just love a horror that is just a little ridiculous. i want to keep billy in a cage and feed him carrot sticks, (is he an animatronic or a puppet? how does he cycle???) jigsaws motivations make no sense and honestly good from him, i'd go batshit crazy if i were him too. the editing is so 2000s i can't stop thinking about it. the bathroom trap is where i want to go when i die. the horror was a lot less visceral than i was expecting; i think the contained nature of the traps really just creates such tension, especially between the characters stuck together, which is so compelling to me. the reverse bear trap is crazy i love it and what lesbian horror fan isn't a little in love with amanda. im so glad i hadn't had the twist spoiled for me because oh my god. also score slapped: hello zepp.

-old: 4/10 so silly i think more rich people should pay out of pocket to make bad films unintentionally. i watched with my siblings and i love nothing more than tearing apart this sort of thing with a captive audience who have to find me funny or be bored.

-extra ordinary: 8/10 i didn't know this was Irish until it started and what a pleasant surprise it all was. such a fun watch i really enjoyed it. the supernatural elements were the good side of corny and the romance was cheesy but heartfelt, with quintessentially irish humour just a really easy to watch, fun little film.

-piggy: 7/10 i really enjoyed this despite the not-great dub i was watching. i like how the bullied girl revenge trope was subverted and saras character felt very real, her reactions to events came off as very genuine and the suspension throughout is pulled off really well. i do get the criticisms of it being a drawn-out short cause i did find it a little slow at times but not having seen the short i didn't find the plot at all diminished. i liked the aspect of detachment from the killings emphasized by none of them being on camera while the emotional impact remained as well as the almost haunting presence of the killer and his intentions.

-the florida project: 9/10 another one that's been collecting dust on my watchlist for a while now i was absolutely enchanted by every aspect of it. the honest depiction of childhood and a very american poverty was striking. the gorgeous use of colours brought the vibrance of childhood back even in the dilapidated americana of it all. the acting really shone, willam defoe slayed of course but the kids are what make it special. and that final shot.

-we're all going to the worlds fair: 8/10 such an interesting film, nothing has ever quite captured the echoing loneliness that existence on the internet can create like this before. i loved the aspect of the accidental acting in search of connection, to me the lead-caseys-personal experience reads as completely honest without necessarily pointing to the spooky aspects being beyond her own mind. the film's atmosphere remains evenly eerie throughout, actually spooking me a little at times. the incredible, universal isolation of each character was really well portrayed with no conversations taking place without some barrier (a screen, a door) and i loved the framing of the fair itself, especially in contrast to the bleak monotonous world of empty snowed-in woodland and soulless frosty towns that casey occupies. the lead actress did such a good job portraying casey and her shifting identity and breakdowns. the director's transness cannot be ignored and the film as an allegory for dysphoria works so well. all this set to the droning instrumentals of alex g creates such a foreboding ambiance i couldn't help but love. definitely one of my favourite watches so far.

-shiva baby: 8/10 oh boy so stressful but also really fun. im starting to really like rachel sennott, looking forward to seeing more of her in stuff soon; speaking of bottoms looks like it's gonna be so good.

-red, white and royal blue: look, we know this is not my kind of thing, i get why people like it but for me this one especially with the indescribably weird political message is just not good, i didn't like the book and i don't like the film. gay people should have cheesy bad films though so its fine.

-when harry met sally: 9/10 this is one of those films i always thought i'd get round to eventually and i was suprised how much i liked it. really really cute, made me believe in love again or something. meg ryans hair was stunning also.

-marry my dead body: 7/10 i definitely enjoyed watching this but if i was being haunted by a twink drastic things would happen and they would not be good. i liked the characters well enough and the mafia(?) plot was fun, action sequences were okay and i'll be charmed by most ghost plots plus a kooky grandparent? great film recipe.

-juno: 10/10 knew i'd love this and boy did i! everything about it was just so charming, the dialogue and mannerisms of the characters (except jason batemans who was so so scary), the soundtrack, the aesthetics and did i mention the soundtrack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love kimya dawson so much. just a wonderful little film.

-submarine: 8/10 i'm a fan of richard ayode but i think this is his only directorial work of his i've seen and i have to say i really enjoyed it. the cinematography was really cool, i liked the use of symmetry and colour, especially the assigning a colour to each character, that's my shit; stand-out shot for me was the dream sequence over the dam drain thing- i love a water motif used to represent inner turmoil of a character- olivers basically kendall roy if logan was welsh instead of scottish. i know people love the score but i never got into the artic monkeys cause i'm not a huge fan of alex turners voice so a series of songs written and performed by the man didn't exactly stand out to me, but they seemed lyrically cool. i love the awkward stilted dialogue and the oddity of the main characters, they're not exactly likeable but that for me doesn't detract from the film. also his dad was a freak called lloyd and i love him.

-bound: 10/10 i mean what can i say, it's a lesbian crime thriller and if you don't think im gonna love that you're crazy. the plot is really compelling and corky and violet are an even more compelling. i enjoyed it. (also add this to my list of really good films made in 1996)

-bombshell: 2/10 lazy liberal feminism, i watched for margot and kate

-bones and all: 10/10 cannibalism in media <3<3<3 i also really enjoy a bit of Southern Gothic in my films so this was always gonna be a hit with me, even if i had to look past timothys presence. from the start the atmosphere is intense, the rural desolate setting, the immediate social and then literal isolation of maren really keeps the foreboding building only broken by the sudden violence. cannibalism works so well here as queer coding (and everywhere else, don't get me started). the weird balance of such realistic settings and this unchangeable almost supernatural aspect of biological 'survival cannibalism' is so interesting; and the romance element of the film worked really well for me.

-werewolves within: 6/10 a fun little horror comedy, i thought i would like it more but the humour wasn't quite my thing, a little millenial maybe. i still enjoyed it and it was a nice film to watch with my mam.

-as above, so below: 7/10 subpar acting and script writing made up for by such a good concept, Dantes Inferno as the catacombs absolutely slayed, and i was actually pretty spooked a couple times which doesn't usually happen to me beyond overreacting to jumpscares, which while im on the subject the jumpscares here were really well done, didn't feel lazy to me at all. it does need to be said that it really feels like they had a good concept but needed to work the script and plot more, the horror could use some backup from a better-written storyline and better justification for the character's endings.

-primal fear: 8/10 young edward norton was a real standout here. definitely an interesting legal mystery thriller, i think the twist would probably be more impactful back in 1996 (good year for film), it felt a little played out at this point but still very well done.

-slums of beverly hills: 7/10 i love a good coming-of-age and also natasha lyonne so i definitely enjoyed this. don't love the way some topics were glossed over but what can you do.

-fifty shades of grey: bad.

-vampires suck: 6/10 a funny little parody, mentioned the black eyed peas.

-weird: the al yankovic story: 7/10 daniel radcliff as a freak strikes again. definitely my favourite musician biopic i've seen so far. charming in its ridiculousness.

-ginger snaps: 9/10 a coming of age horror which conflates the begining of puberty to the transformation of warewolfism. i really appreciated the body horror elements as a cronenberg fan and i just think the horror was done really well. the two main characters were played so well and it was quite funny at times. i liked the interpretation of lycanthropy as a disease and the route of cure the characters used. would definitely recommend!

-insidious: 5/10 while i didn't find it especially scary i think the horror was well done and the plot was actually quite interesting! astral projection is quite a unique look at a ghost story and i loved that it was a person being haunted not a house, it was a good subversion. i did watch for leigh whannell and he made such a fun supporting character among some pretty meh main characters. definetely not a bad film!

-no hard feelings: 6/10 so fun! im so glad more stuff like this is coming out again and i mean jennifer lawrence slayed so hard. weird how people are such prudes about female nudity still, it wasn't like she was being overly sexualised in the scene but people are making such a huge deal out of it, i thought it made for a funny moment. i really enjoyed the characters and their relationship felt very real and cute! also depicted modern teenagers as very scary which i approve of.

-ghost world: 8/10 a really interesting look at two girls stuck in limbo between high school and adulthood. i really liked the depiction of enid avidly avoiding confronting moving on and how she inadvertently hurts everyone around her by being so casually selfish and how shes contrasted by rebecca (also scar jo slayed here gave absoloutely nothing, such a good character). the aesthetics of the film were really fun, with the delapedated city really highlighting the girls and also how fun the costuming was. steve buscemi also had a standout performance in which he was an awkward freak and a pretentious asshole about music! what a slay.

i really enjoyed doing this, it kind of forced me to actually engage in the media i was consuming past the casual level i usually find myself on. and it sure beat watching tiktok for six hours before bed.

[lettersfromcats]

So the barbie movie happened 😭😭😭😭

[lettersfromcats]

kate july favorites

hi doreen <3

july is just about over and so it's time for my july favorites list, as usual i've a mental block for when i need to remember things so i'll probably add to this as i go!

likewise by frances quinlan

the song 'i went to la' has been in my liked songs for a couple years now and on a bus journey i finally listened to the entire album. the lyricism really struck me, i love the cyclical storytelling on songs like piltdown man and the swiftness in which the subject matter is diverted from the fragments of someone elses story to addressing something more personal before peeling off again; theres something there to be said about avoiding truths and difficulty being honest and raw 'oh the humiliation of having been perfectly understood', something they don't seem to struggle with vocals wise, the way their voice meanders through the songs creates great depth of emotion. i love a good motif and the image of a foreboding house that rears its head in several songs really got me, there's also several mentions of cannabilism which i always find compelling. anyway i bought the album on vinyl on the same bus ride.

barbie

i, of course, loved barbie. i was worried i'd be disappointed but it was even better than i expected. it balanced humor and story so well, and while the message was not subtle i don't think it needs to be. i loved the scene with the old woman and the timing of it coming out while the aged filter was at its peak, the stigmatization of aging has been annoying me for years. the set was incredible and the use of practical effects!! my favorite!!!! honourable mentions: will farrel and his posse were just so good, allan my beloved <3 and of course margot robbies performance.

slasher films

we talked about having a slasher summer and i'm not letting the unsummery weather stop me now. theres something so good about the genre, just such good vibes. i love to be spooked and i'll be honest nothing is better to me then a cheap jumpscare. tension building only to be broken by a random cat? art. my favourite rn is called detention (is it technically a slasher? no idea genres confuse me), its got josh hutcherson in and he is so kesha coded, the whole film is such a love letter to its era but in a meta, post-ironic, referential way. it's just a fun film. I also loved bodies bodies bodies which has been in my watchlist for ever. i probably should go back to the basics of the genre now.

good omens 2

a later but long-awaited addition to the month, i really enjoyed it, definitely retained its charm from the first season. the ending isn't my favourite but that's just because i personally hate cliffhangers, i understand their function and the writing was so good, just hope we get season 3 before the next four years have passed.

[lettersfromcats]

july favorites list

hi kate <3

july is not entirely over yet but i think it's never too early for a favorites list and what a better way to introduce myself than through my recent favorite things? (if anything else comes up i will just add it). i was thinking of coming up with little categories but that didn't work that well so i will just list them. here they are:

sims 4 family gameplay/legacy gameplay

i have been playing a lot of sims 4 lately and what i have been specifically enjoying is playing a generations and family gameplay or legacy gameplay. it's been fun seeing how far a family come when you started in willow creek in a starter home and now generation 3 lives in a mansion in del sol valley. it's also fun to see the worlds populate with your extended family and friends. it makes the game feel a lot more real.

speak now taylor's version

i am not special nor original, if there's a new taylor swift release i ought to be obsessed with it! especially the vault songs got me on this one. i can see you has been on repeat with the occassional interruption for electric touch or when emma falls in love.

barbie movie

everytime i hear someone say barbenheimer i get brain damage but that does not mean i was not incredibly excited for both of these movies, especially barbie though. i found out greta gerwig was to direct a live action barbie in 2021 and have been waiting excitedly ever since then. the fact that it's finally here now is so exciting. it was exactly what i hoped for. futhermore the barbie soundtrack! it's so good and it's also everywhere at the moment. i must admit that a lot of the songs are forgetable but the stand outs certainly stand out. songs like dua lipa's dance the night away or charli xcx's speed drive have not left my brain since i first heard them.

pretty little liars

i have been rewatching pretty little liars with my boyfriend as he has never seen it before. pretty little liars is one of my favorite teen dramas ever since 2013 when i discovered they had turned the books into a show. since then it has been in constant rotation for me. there hasn't really been a point where i was not rewatching it. however i haven't watched it this consistently for a while, so i am enjoying that very much. we saw the dollhouse episodes just recently and that is just peak tv.

lilsimsie

this really goes back to my first point. the reason i have been enjoying the sims so much again is because i have been watching lilsimsie's streams and videos again. especially her generations let's plays has been enjoyable for me. i can't wait to finish it and watch the university sequel.

sims 4 mini goats

i won't elaborate.

shelf app

this was gonna be more of a "things i am looking forward to" section, but while i started working on this post the app got released! shelf app is like a digital shelf that can store all your stuff! it seems really fun so i can only recommend it. so far it's only released for ios but i am sure it will be out for android soon.

[lettersfromcats]

introduction

hi reader <3

this is a blog, like online journal type blog. we made it, because we miss those blogs and we never got a chance to have one of those. it's weird to write for an audience without an audience, so we thought we could be each other's audience. so it's mostly for each other but you are welcome to read along about the things we like, dislike or have other feelings and thoughts about.

in all honesty: this is very much the start of all this so neither of us really knows how this will go or what we will do. i think we will just enjoy it and you should too! so ask us a question or just read what we are writing.

doreen and kate <3

[lettersfromcats]

example (gay)

[lettersfromcats]

example (gay)