June Physical Media
Hello everyone! I've finally made it out the hospital and am back home. My last package was delivered so I can show everyone what kind of physical media I got this month! To preface, I rarely ever buy things brand new, everything here is either second-hand or free! I really encourage you all to consider buying refurbished or second-hand products, there really are so many things in good conditions with years of usage still left in them that can be re-homed rather than collecting dust on a shelf or being sent to a landfill!
Books
For the last few months I've been in love with the works between Joe Wright and Kiera Knightley, especially Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Anna Karenina (2012). I also got the chance to see Pride and Prejudice in theaters for it's 20th anniversary! With how much I enjoyed film adaptions of Jane Austen and Tolstoy's stories, I figured it was time to give the source material a shot!
During my final term of university, I took a class called "Kafka and Comics" where we went over a few select stories and compared illustrative adaptions to each other and the source material. I had only briefly heard Kafka mentioned without ever looking into who he was or his stories. I really grew to enjoy his works so I finally trade in some old things to pick up a copy from Powell's. Reading on my phone just wasn't cutting it anymore.
The last books I had gotten from my university! There were having a small event where people could bring in their used items and other could get them for free. They have a "Reuse Room" where people can leave items, this event just had a bit more since it's the end of the term and school year. Anne of Green Gables is a story I've never read before, but I really enjoyed the Netflix series so I figured I'd give it a shot. PEOW just looked silly and I figured I could use the final book to practice some French if I get around to studying it more seriously sometime soon.
Movies
I'm honestly so excited about the films I got this month! During my final term, in addition to the Kafka class, I also took a course on Bollywood Cinema! I adore international cinema and India was just one of those regions that I hadn't explored much of outside of some of the bigger films like Monkey Man (2024) and All We Imagine as Light (2024). It really helped me expand my understanding of the region and to better appreciate the media from it. Part of my course work required watching films from Deepha Mehta, especially Fire (1996). It's such a lovely film depicting two women in poor marriages that end up finding comfort in each other then soon falling in love, while still struggling with societal norms and expectations. It's also one of the first mainstream queer films in India as well. I was super lucky to find a second hand copy!
I recently found a vintage mall not far from my house, and I was able to find criterion collection films for only a few dollars all together! It's where I got Isle of Dogs (2018), Yi Yi (2000), and Moonlight (2016)! I genuinely could've been I'd got them for barely eight dollars, especially once you see how expensive they are brand new! I originally saw Moonlight in theaters when it first released and the other two have been on my watchlist for a while now!
The remaining films I got were from Everyday Music, a music store in my city. They have a whole wall dedicated to movies as well as another, albeit smaller, wall dedicated to discounted movies for only $1! I love going and shifting through all the goodies and managed to find some really good ones! I did spend a bit more to get the New Mutants though. Despite the hate it got when it was released, I really enjoyed it and wished to see more of the characters; however, Disney acquired FOX just before it released so nothing really came of their X-Men universe after it. I'm super happy to finally have in in my collection though!
Music and Games
Despite my initial hesitation with the album, I did finally get a copy of DALL. The company's response to the original MV causing seizures and using it as a marketing ploy rather than issuing an apology HEAVILY put me off of the album as a whole. It just wasn't something I felt like I could enjoy while seeing this kind of thing happen in real time nor did I want to directly support a company that would do something like that. After about a year, I gave the album a proper listen and enjoyed it a lot more. I got it second-hand from Mercari with the inclusions still included! Given how expensive albums are brand new and the whole culture surrounding them, especially with K-Pop, I've been trying to distance myself from buying anything whether it's second hand or new. The whole streaming culture and mass buying stuff just isn't for me, so if I'm buying any type of physical music, I'm making sure it's something I properly enjoy as well as either heavily discounted or second-hand.
Finally, I got The Last of Us for the PS4! I watched the first season of the show and enjoyed it a fair bit. I had tried playing it once before since it was part of the PS Plus monthly games, but I've kinda swore of subscriptions and what not as whole, so I just never really got to keep playing it after that. Now that I've gotten a physical copy, I'm hoping to give it another shot and actually progress through it! Given that I'm going to have some downtime now that I've had surgery, I figured it would give me something to do to keep myself occupied but also for when I start my physical media only challenge! I've got so many things I've neglected reading, watching, playing, etc due to university and my health overall. I'm really hoping to use this time to reconnect with some of my interests while recovering.
That's all the physical media I collected during June! If you read through everything, thank you! I would love to hear about anything you guys have gotten recently, not just in June, or if there's any things you guys would like to recommend! I'm open to most kinds of media so if there's any suggestions, just let me know through my guestbook!