Issue 15: Wicked Little Letters

Currently on letters, lies, language, and Libertalia.

📝 Reviewing: Wicked Little Letters (2024)

Set in a quaint English seaside town during the 1920s, ‘Wicked Little Letters’ is a comedic whodunit that unfolds amidst an absurd scandal of mystery mail. The story revolves around two neighbors: the prim Edith Swan (Olivia Coleman) and a rowdy Irish immigrant, Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). As the town's residents find themselves receiving mysterious letters filled with profanity, the boisterous Rose becomes the prime suspect, resulting in drama among the townsfolk.

I had the opportunity to view this film during an advance screening for Denver Film members, predominantly comprising an older audience. The frequent profanity seemed to resonate particularly well with this demographic, perhaps due to the unexpected contrast of Coleman's typically proper demeanor with her character's colorful language. However, for me, 100 minutes of Coleman saying ‘fuck’ just is not funny. It's not because I'm a fucking prude, but because hanging an entire film on one person's ability to swear for shock value is downright lazy.

Additionally, it attempts to balance humor with seriousness but struggles to excel at either because the script is focused on saying ‘shit’ rather than its characters giving a shit. It’s predictable, uninspired, confused, and perfectly suitable to put on streaming when you want to nap on the couch. ‘Wicked Little Letters’ debuts exclusively in movie theaters on March 29th.

📺 Watching: This Americans (2013 - 2018)

I don’t watch much television because I struggle to choose between starting a current series to join the water cooler conversation or diving into a proven classic. A current series might end up being a dud; however, the number of episodes in an acclaimed series can be overwhelming. Every few months, I Google “best TV show of all time,” and one show continues to appear on lists with article titles such as “‘The Americans’ Is Masterful Television More Than Deserving of Your Time,” “How ‘The Americans’ Became the Best Show on Television,” “The Americans: why you should be watching TV's best drama,” “‘The Americans’ is the best show on TV. So why isn't anybody watching it?” So, this is it; this is the year I watch ‘The Americans.’

Created by Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer, the FX series is set during the Cold War era in the 1980s. It revolves around the lives of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), who are Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple (who met while shooting this show and are now a real-life couple) living in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

As undercover agents, the couple navigate the challenges of maintaining their cover, evading detection by the FBI, and the complexities of their relationship as partners in espionage and marriage. Throughout the series, they become entangled in a web of deceit, dilemmas, loyalty, and identity as Soviet spies operating on American soil during one of the tensest periods of the Cold War. This is not one of those “just give it a couple of seasons, and then it gets good” shows; I think the pilot is tense enough to hook you right from the start. All six seasons of ‘The Americans’ are available to stream on Hulu.

📖 Reading: Says Who? (2024)

I am a big Adam Grant fan, so when he shared ‘The 8 New Idea Books to Start Spring’, I had to snag one because if these books have had a lasting impact on his perspective, they will certainly have one on mine.

At work, I think a lot about tone, phrasing, and choosing words effectively — how a question like “What do you think of this design?” is more impactful by reframing it as “How does this design achieve the goals we established?” Because language has been occupying my brain space, I was most interested in his recommendation of ‘Says Who?’ which was just released this week.

'Says Who?' by English professor Anne Curzan offers a fun and refreshing take on the conventions of English grammar to nurture rather than restrict its use. Instead of striving to evaluate whether usage is correct, she uses examples from literature, newspapers, and television to consider whether a word works effectively in context. 'Says Who?' is available at your local bookstore or library and was released this week

🎲 Playing: Libertalia Winds of Galecrest (2022)

$55.00 // 1-6 players // 45 minutes // competitive

‘Libertalia,’ originally released in 2012, has been revised and expanded into a new edition, ‘Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest.’ Released by the same publisher as ‘Wingspan,’ ‘Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest’ may possibly be the complete package — it’s quick to set up, easy to teach, plays 1-6 people, is wonderfully produced, and plays in about 45 minutes.

‘Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest’ is a simultaneous action selection and set collection game where pirate players staff a ship, collecting treasures to score the most points across three voyages. It’s an exciting mix of simplicity but, more interestingly, has a huge element of double-think causing moments of “I know, that you know, that I know…” as players ponder over which character card to play. It’s quick, interactive, a little chaotic, and a lot of fun. ‘Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest’ is available to buy on Amazon.

Thanks for being here.
— Justin

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