I wasn’t sure whether I was going to post a “May Favorites,” to be honest. I had my running list, but in light of the critically important matters of the day, the idea of a “favorite little things” post just seemed ridiculous and self-indulgent.

I decided to post it, though I’m without many words. I’m sorry for this, for the fact that my heart just isn’t in it. My heart has been broken and flung to far more worthwhile places, along with millions of other hearts. I’ve been preoccupied with wanting to do my part as an ally in the Black Lives Matter movement. By this, I mean that I want to do more. I’m unsure of how. I’ve been educating myself. I’ve donated. It doesn’t feel like enough. I’m going to continue with my education, that’s for sure.

Here are those Little Things that I enjoyed in May:

 

1). El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story (Netflix)

 

 

Somehow, it’d escaped us that there was a movie continuing Jesse Pinkman’s story after the conclusion of Breaking Bad. We rectified the oversight, and we were glad that we did. Breaking Bad fans, if you haven’t seen El Camino: A Breaking Bad Story, you really must. Those of you who haven’t seen Breaking Bad: don’t bother with this. It’s excellent, but it’ll only make sense if you’ve seen the series.

(Also, if you haven’t seen Breaking Bad yet, WHY NOT? It hasn’t been over-hyped. It can’t be hyped enough.)

 

2). Alps (Amazon Prime rental)

 

 

 

I only got to one of the Yorgos Lanthimos films on my list, and Alps was it. I found it to be as bizarre, thought-provoking, risky, and lyrically semiotic as Dogtooth, The Lobster, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The next film of his I plan to watch is The Favourite, which I believe is his most commonly known film.

 

3). Ingrid Goes West (Amazon Prime rental)

 

 

I went for this film because of Aubrey Plaza, and her performance was as satisfying to watch as I’d thought it would be. Parks and Recreation fans could imagine how she’d own the role of a stalker. I think that this indie film would be enjoyable to many, but it’s a must-watch for social media influencers.

 

4). The Ritual (Netflix)

 

 

A proper horror flick seemed appropriate at the time that I watched this film on Netflix. It was rather “eh” to me, but it proved its worth in terms of my love for the cabin/camping-in-the-woods sub-genre of horror. As mediocre as I thought it was, I was in the mood for it. It worked. If you’re also a fan of this sort of horror, you might enjoy escaping into this film, too.

 

5). Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas (Netflix)

 

 

 

This Netflix comedy special also proved to be the right thing at the right time, and I found it to be excellent. It came recommended to me by a friend (thank you, April!), and I second her recommendation.

 

6). Dead to Me (S2) (Netflix)

 

 

Dead to Me: for when you want some light and funny with your crime. I was there for it, and also for the outstanding acting performances. I love the writing in this series, as well.

 

7). Bordertown (Sorjonen) (S3) (Netflix)

 

 

We enjoy Scandinavian noir, in general, but Bordertown (original title: Sorjonen) is our favorite project within this sub-genre of crime thriller. With its third and final season, its creators deftly wrapped up the series. They took the development of Kari Sorjonen’s eccentric character as far as they could. Story-wise, they left things exactly the way I would’ve wanted them to be left, though I didn’t know what that would look like until they did it. This is a great series, in general, but I’d especially recommend it to you if you’re new to Scandinavian noir.

 

9). JASON Calming Lavender Body Wash. (vegan and cruelty-free)

 

 

I used up all of my body washes from The Body Shop and decided to look to the drugstore shelves for another aromatic option. JASON is a brand that’s never missed the mark for me; I usually re-purchase the products of theirs that I try. This body wash will be no exception. I find its scent to be more crisp and invigorating than calming, but I like it nonetheless.

 

10). Pacific Shaving Company Natural Shaving Cream. (vegan and cruelty-free)

 

 

Kiss My Face finally returned their vegan/cruelty-free shaving cream to their stock, but before I could realize that, I went looking through Callaghan’s products. He’d started using this Natural Shaving Cream, and I had no idea that it was vegan and cruelty-free! This is just a good product. I recommend it.

 

That about does it, my friends. Until Thursday!