Books

Watched ‘em, read ‘em: July 2025

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

If this is your first time seeing one of these posts on the blog, they’re inspired by Steven Soderbergh’s annual “Seen/Read” list. At the beginning of every year, Soderbergh posts his chronicle of all the media he consumed during the prior year.

I feel like I can look back at a month and tell you what was going on — or not happening — that affected how much media I consumed. In June, for example, I was spending most of my non-working hours helping my mother around the house after she fell. So I was too worn out to watch or read much.

So as you’ll see, July was influenced by Superman debuting in theaters. Reviewing it jump-started me writing more on this blog again. But I also wanted to prepare for the movie by reading Superman books and films. That will continue in August. Summer of Superman!

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Reminiscing about magazine dreams

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

I’ve always loved magazines. The way they look, the way they feel. How they capture a moment and immortalize an image. The content can be fun or serious. Short or long. And many of them have contained some of the best writing — nonfiction and fiction — ever produced.

Magazines set the cultural conversation and influenced taste. Before the internet catered to any and every interest, magazines served that purpsoe. If you have a long layover at an airport, the newsstands and magazine racks are an oasis.

Yes, I dreamed of writing for magazines. Seeing my name in glossy print; my byline on an in-depth feature, celebrity profile or funny opinion piece. Though almost all of my professional writing has been online, I was fortunate enough to start my career with a local magazine, the now-defunct Motor City Sports.

I was reminded of that while listening to The Press Box podcast last week. It’s one of my favorites (listed in the old-school blogroll on my site). The Ringer’s media critic, Bryan Curtis, with co-hosts David Shoemaker and Joel Anderson, recaps developments in the media — and often, how they influence or reflect culture — each week.

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Overzealous Recycling 005: This world would be unlivable without art

/ Ian Casselberry / 1 Comment

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— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

We usually save something inspirational for the end of these (not a) newsletters. But Steven Soderbergh has been doing quite a bit of press for the release of his new film, High Flying Bird, on Netflix. (I hope to post a review this coming week.) And in one interview, he responded to his 2001 Academy Award acceptance speech being used by Oscar telecast producers as an example for the ideal acknowledgement for winners.

— Steven Soderbergh talking to Bill Simmons is a fascinating conversation —

If you haven’t seen it, here’s the speech Soderbergh gave upon winning the Academy Award for Best Director. (Traffic was the film that earned him the honor.)

Weekly Affirmation

Succinct and to the point. It’s definitely a good example for other Oscar winners to follow. Here’s the key passage, the one which really spoke to me and so many others:

“I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don’t care if it’s a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music — anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art, and I thank you.”

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Overzealous Recycling 002: Nothing really matters, anyone can see

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

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This week’s cover photo alludes to Bohemian Rhapsody‘s surprising Golden Globe Awards win for Best Picture – Drama. The voters of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association thought the Queen biopic was better than Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, A Star is Born and If Beale Street Could Talk. (I haven’t seen Beale Street yet, but hope to take care of that this weekend, now that it’s opened in Asheville.)

Obviously, this is all subjective and awards don’t matter that much, but come on. Bohemian Rhapsody was fun and a testament to the greatness of Queen’s music. But the narrative was a mess and the script played with the facts more than necessary. Yes, the re-enactment of Queen’s 1985 Live Aid performance was tremendous, even more so when you compare it to the real-life footage.

— Bohemian Rhapsody reminds us Queen was great, ignores too much about Freddie Mercury — 

This isn’t even a concession to popular tastes. If so, wouldn’t Black Panther have won that award? Maybe the voters just got caught up in the music and Freddie Mercury’s story (regardless of how the movie portrayed it). Or we just chalk this up to being the Golden Globes and winners don’t linger in the memory as they do with the Academy Awards.

But if the award got you to listen to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “We Will Rock You” or “Radio Ga Ga” over the past week, that’s not a bad thing.

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