LITERARY CONNECTIONS
Looking for a fun way to reach your reading goals this summer? Spokane Public Library has you covered with its BOOK CLUB KITS, totes filled with eight to 10 copies of the same book, a list of discussion questions, and tips for starting a book club. Library cardholders can check out these bags for up to eight weeks, or can select a desired book club title online to pick up multiple copies at any local branch. For kids participating in summer reading challenges, creating a book club can be an engaging way to connect with friends and win a free book as a prize at the end of the summer. (SUMMER SANDSTROM)
META AIN'T BETTA
Writer/director Wes Anderson has certainly never shied away from quirk. After his exacting visual aesthetic, it's his most recognizable calling card. But Anderson gets a little too meta for his own good with the new ASTEROID CITY. The core of the film — a small desert town hosting a celebration of young inventors gets quarantined after an unexpected extraterrestrial visit — pops with delightful imagery and bang-up performances from the star-studded ensemble cast (Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and many more). But the whole thing (including the obvious COVID parallels) gets undercut by the film's bizarre framing — the actual story is a play, and it keeps cutting back to a black-and-white film documenting the creation of the play. This whole meta angle adds almost nothing to the film and slows the whole pace down while undercutting the ending. It leaves a promising film feeling more like moondust than a shooting star. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on July 7.
TAYLOR SWIFT, SPEAK NOW (TAYLOR'S VERSION). Tay Tay finally gets around to doing a redux of her best album. Before you come after me for that take, Swifties, I only ask this: "Why you gotta be so mean?"
JULIE BYRNE, THE GREATER WINGS. Folk singer Julie Byrne's songs caress listeners like a tender and gentle embrace, bolstered on her new album with delicate synths, keys, and harp backings.
PJ HARVEY, I INSIDE THE OLD YEAR DYING. Citing soundtrack composers as one of her influences this time around, the beloved British alt-rock singer songwriter taps into a certain cinematic grandeur on her 10th album. (SETH SOMMERFELD)
