The Best of 2024, according to Hinton
Here’s a round up of what the remaining members of the Hinton team found exceptional this past year. With the notable exception of Marcus Harrison Green, whose labor at a number of different jobs keeps Hinton afloat. Please consider subscribing to Speak the Sojourner (or consider supporting us at a higher level…) so Hinton can afford more of Marcus’ time.
From Rose Lindsey Hinton’s Associate
Dream Askew is a tabletop role-playing game created by Avery Alder and initially released in 2014. Though a decade old now, I had the pleasure of experiencing it for the first time this summer, and have been absolutely enamored with it ever since. Despite its designation as a ttrpg, there are no standard mechanics, like math and dice rolls, in place. Instead, it pioneers a design framework called “Belonging Outside Belonging”, which centralizes the game as a narrative experience over a gameplay experience. Players will create characters living together in a queer enclave during the post-apocalypse. Their characters, the location they live in, and the manner of the apocalypse are entirely to player discretion, and collaborative steps allow everyone to shape the world together. From there, you utilize simple spendable tokens to weave a tale of queer relationship and endurance in a harsh world. Games last no longer than one or two sessions, though locations and characters can naturally be returned to anytime.
It’s hard to describe how emotionally impactful playing Dream Askew is with good friends, especially queer friends. I have absolutely had my relationships strengthened away from the game by engaging in it, and I’ve found myself exploring all sorts of facets of my identity. Not to mention the creative flexibility the game provides you! In one game, I’m an outcast psychic medium who can share in people’s dreams by making contact with them during the night, living in a system of repurposed subway tunnels; in another, I’m a provider of goods in a portside town, selling off experimental inhalants that generate an innate draw between two people that breathe the same vapor. The sky’s the limit, making it easily recommendable to any group. Dream Askew is nowadays packaged with Dream Apart, a game with a similar framework but which focuses on Jewish characters in 19th century Europe. If that also sounds interesting to you, make sure to buy the book!
Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay
Imaginal Disk is the newest album by Magdalena Bay, released in August to very positive reception. The album and artist are not necessarily chart-topping in terms of public knowledge; even their most popular song off the album, “Image”, has 700K views on YouTube – certainly impressive, but hard to compare to the millions of views other recently-released artists receive. Several online spheres are familiar with Imaginal Disk, though, and it has been touted as one of, if not the best, album of 2024. I find it hard to disagree. A psychedelic synth movement through a variety of earworm tracks creates an experience you can simply suspend into. The lyrical ideas and visuals of the album/music videos are inspired by internet aesthetics, making it a perfect visual-audio experience for those who grew up alongside the internet. It’s as though you’re stepping directly into your bizarre computer wallpaper, surrounded by electronic walls and artificial clouds no less beautiful than the sky you’re familiar with. With clear pop influence, you can find yourself breathless while also jamming and dancing. This album is a triumph, and is more than worth a listen. Highlight tracks include “Image”, “That’s My Floor”, “Cry for Me”, and “Killing Time”, which I might be bold enough to claim as my song of my year.
Another lesser-known album release worthy of so much praise. Unlike Magdalena Bay, who I learned about through Imaginal Disk, I had familiarity with Crumb for a few years before this release. The most virality their music had ever received was their song “Locket”, which became a niche song in some online communities. Their mellow sound, with influences of jazz and psychedelic, was comforting and inventively melodic. For AMAMA, however, it feels that the band has gone through some evolution. The tracks on this album feel much more energized and active, with rhythms and tempos that propel you through their soundscapes – without losing what makes those soundscapes so entrancing to begin with. Crumb’s music is drenched in texture, emotion, and complexity. There is never a dull moment on AMAMA, which feels like a significant step when compared to their earlier EP’s and albums that could, admittedly, have moments of disinterest. AMAMA is an album where you could relisten to its tracks several times, and discover something new about them every time you listen. Although it’s harder for me to select highlights out of this package, “AMAMA”, “Genie”, “Dust Bunny”, and “[Alone in] Brussels” are likely my favorites.
Of any media production company to have received the success they did in 2024, few feel more deserved than Dropout, a company born from CollegeHumor that delivers content through their own streaming service. In the advent of the streaming age, it’s tough to feel like any platform is well and truly worth your money. Dropout is a service that never has me questioning where my money is going. Their ethos as a company is all about inclusion, equity, and fair practices, in hopes of supporting their independent artists in any way they can. Truly, it is the personalities you encounter on Dropout that make it so memorable; some of the most talented improv comedians in the U.S. media landscape can be found on Dropout, alongside inventive artists that craft absolutely unique television. Dropout is diverse in its content: filmed live performances, Dungeons & Dragons shows, scripted work, and a whole host of other (usually ridiculously funny) formats for you to experience these performers.
A show that best exemplifies everything spectacular about Dropout is Game Changer, the show where the game changes every show. Contestants on Game Changer never have any idea what game it is they’re going to be playing. In one episode, they’re playing a variation of Simon Says; in another, they’re improvising an entire musical together; in another, they’re trapped in the actual studio green room and need to solve puzzles to escape. Throughout all of this is some of the most out-of-the-box, creative ideas for games and prompts imaginable. Game Changer season premiers are an absolute highlight of my year, and this year’s Season 6 was perhaps the strongest season yet. There are sample episodes you can find for free on YouTube, and giving them a shot is well worth your time.
Indian School at On the Boards
Indian School is a solo performance devised by Timothy White Eagle, which had its avant premiere at On the Boards November 14th through 16th. Avant premieres are times for theater pieces to receive audience responses and feedback for future movement with the production – given the audience response I witnessed for this one, Indian School is in an excellent place. Timothy White Eagle performs a holistically moving piece that transitions fluidly between his personal anecdotes of discovering his identity, creation myths, and the story of his grandfather, kidnapped and sent away to American Indian boarding school. White Eagle’s engagement with the audience was honest and rich, and the audio-visual realm the team created within the theater was transportive. Soundscapes and use of projection were particularly striking components of the playspace, which really worked to elevate the energy of the room. This specific run was short-lived, but should Indian School return to On the Boards (or any other venue) soon, you don’t want to miss your chance at experiencing it.
Dreamworks’s newest animated offering, The Wild Robot is a pretty straightforward film, but one with a standout emotional core and inspirational ethic. Although Dreamworks has always made great animated movies, the genuinely unbelievable quality of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish has placed the studio back in a line of focus for me. The Wild Robot employs many visual techniques seen in The Last Wish: stunningly painted backgrounds and intricate character coloring placed onto fully expressive characters. In a Renaissance of stylistic animated films inspired by Spider-Man:Into the Spider-Verse, Dreamworks is becoming a real innovator, imbuing this movie with all of the imaginative charm as a children’s picturebook – which The Wild Robot is based on. The story centers on Rozz, an all-purpose robot who must reorient herself to the world when stranded in the wilderness and trusted to raise a goose into adulthood. Its messaging about life purpose and community support of disability make it a deeply moving story, solidifying itself as a potential classic in the realm of moralistic children’s films. Grounded and whimsical, The Wild Robot is another pure success in animation.
From Maggie Block, Deputy Publisher
Books
I know I’m not alone in looking for a story set in a wizarding school, that isn’t by the loudest transphobe on the internet. And Deadly Education gave me that, and more. A much darker tale, wizards attract monsters that would devour them, and who are most attracted to young wizards. To keep their young safe a school has been created outside of reality, you enter as a freshman, and if you survive, leave as a senior. It’s dark, has clear and consistent magical rules, and all the fun school politics you could crave.
The only 5 star review I gave this year. This sci-fi tale explores colonialism, is a murder mystery, and has enough political intrigue to put Game of Thrones to shame. Our main character becomes her space station’s ambassador to the capital of the colonial power they are beholden to, after the previous ambassador dies under mysterious circumstances.
This beautiful YA novel, told in verse, explores a Sudanese girl’s life as she tries to balance her immigrant community’s expectations of her and her own desires and goals for her life. Falling in love with poetry, and a boy, don’t always fit the box her community tries to keep her in. And navigating a relationship that doesn’t always leave her feeling good without the support of her elders offers its own challenges. A truly well written and compelling story, and from a perspective I haven’t gotten to read before.
Chloe cannot wait to get out of this small, cultureless, homophobic town- and as a senior weeks away from graduating she’s in the home stretch. But when her rival for valedictorian, who Chloe hates/is obsessed with, goes missing leaving her and two boys clues- Chloe’s new obsession becomes finding Shara Wheeler.
This anthology of horror stories all by Indigenous authors is pretty extraordinary. I've found that anthologies often feature a few standout stories, surrounded by many far less remarkable ones. Every story in Never Whistle at Night is a banger! Filled with twists and turns, a little creepy without leaving me feeling hopeless, this collection is a must read!
This retelling of Seven Samurai set in a fantasy world was nothing short of breathtaking. A rag tag group of former child soldiers, who were drafted into service because children can wield battle magic for longer without it burning out through their bodies, are looking for a meaning and a place to belong now that the war they were fighting is over. When a girl comes to the city they’re all in, begging for help from looters who are going to starve her town, a former child general gathers them to fight one more time.
Movies
I already wrote a section of the newsletter about my two favorite movies this year, Monkey Man and Problemista. And our incredible intern Yanet already recommended another favorite from this year, Know Your Place, in the last newsletter.
This sapphic road trip action comedy got little attention, which is a shame because it’s a light hearted delight! After a breakup Jamie decides to tag along on a road trip her bestie Marian is planning to visit her aunt. Much to the misfortune of the criminals who were planning to drive a car through a drive away service, when the two young women show up asking for a car to the same location they are mistakenly given the car with contraband to die for. Once the criminals find out a wild goose chase commences!
When I first saw the promotion of this film I lamented that the only rom coms Hollywood puts out now are action movies. And while I would argue that this movie is a rom com for men, the depth and sincerity it brought honestly makes that a good thing. It explores how the rules of masculinity prevent men from being vulnerable with the people they care about, and how lonely that leaves men. I loved that what really excited the woman he loved was being to collaborate on a project they both cared about, and that he saw and believed in her talent. And all of that wrapped in a fast paced action mystery that is an ode to stunt artists. It’s a delight, treat yourself.
When Thelma gets a call that her grandson is in danger and needs a few thousand dollars to get out of it, she doesn’t hesitate, she writes a check and puts it in the mail. When Thelma finds out she was scammed she hatches a plan to find the con artists and get her money back. This film is equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, with genuine mediations on aging, loneliness, and our need for connection- with some realistic grandma action sequences.
While her two best friends enjoy a regular mushroom trip Elliot is visited by her older (39 year old) self. Unsatisfied with the advice of spending more time with her siblings, and appreciating the beautiful place she grew up in, young Elliot begs for more advice. 39 year old Elliot tells her to avoid Chad. When young Elliot meets the unassuming and very sweet Chad the next day, hilarity ensues as she keeps trying to avoid him. It is a story about appreciating what you have, even when all you wanna do is yearn of the future, giving young people space to make mistakes, and forgiving our younger selves for those same mistakes.
Much like Jenna Ortega, I am a Melissa Barrera ride or die. If you haven’t seen Vida, please do, and I’ve loved her work in horror (Scream, Abigail) but really missed seeing her smile. Your Monster is a real treat that shows off Melissa Barrera’s full range. Dumped by her live-in boyfriend when she has cancer, post surgery Laura finds herself all alone in her mother’s brown stone- well, all alone except for the beauty and the beast style monster that also lives there. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll enjoy the music from the show Laura is working on, and experience the catharsis of vengeance.
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, this little movie ruminated on a lot of big themes. Eisenberg stars as a neurotic husband and father in the tech field, going on a week-long trip with his cousin across Poland on a tour focused on Jewish history, including the holocaust. And you would think a movie dealing with the Jewish diaspora, and the cultural trauma of the holocaust would be enough for one dramedy to handle; but this movie seamlessly weaves in the mental illness of the cousin and the heartache that loving someone with those struggles entails. I know it sounds like a downer, but I left that movie feeling hopeful and connected to my fellow man.
This thriller was the most powerful exploration of gendered violence I have ever seen. In a post #MeToo era, looking not only at how wealth, race, and gender empower too many white men to abuse those with less societal power; but at how many white men have adapted to the times and use the language of accountability to move past their past transgressions and create space to commit new ones. While I agree with Yhara Zayd that the movie’s ending didn’t work, and perhaps even undermined the rest of the story, it was all so strong that I still want you to watch it.
TV
This show moves the camera from a Law and Order style procedural, to focus on a background character in Chinatown, Willis Wu. Willis’ brother went missing when he was a boy, now as he’s taking out the trash at his uncle’s restaurant where he works, he sees a woman get abducted. When the incredibly dreamy newly appointed “Chinatown expert” assigned to the procedural’s detectives, Lana Lee, tries to recruit Willis to help solve this case as it might be connected to his brother’s, Willis’ life and the lives of those closest to him change forever. A show that traverses the many subgenres of detective shows, from procedural, to action packed 80’s style, to prestige; the show’s meta commentary on a staple of American television highlights and critiques the exclusion of Asian Stories from the detective genre, and in Hollywood more broadly.
There was nothing I loved more in my childhood than the Xmen cartoon show. It just got me in the heart, a group of outsiders finding community with each other. I felt a particular kinship with Rouge, cheeky funny and the strongest member of her team. I was thrilled with the idea of relaunching the show, but apprehensive as so many reboots have felt like empty money grabs. But I needn’t have feared, the creative team behind the relaunch had a beautiful vision to improve upon the storytelling of the cartoon that brought me and so many other children such joy. The animation is beautiful, and the dedication to fully exploring these hero’s stories is powerful. Honestly the best thing Disney has done with marvel to date.
Historically I have limited my reality tv watching to celebration of queer art (RuPaul’s Drag Race, Legendary, Dragula) or feel good (The Great British Bake Off, Making It). But I kept hearing that a new show, hosted by Scotish queer Icon Alan Cumming was worth a watch, so I tuned into the reality competitive game show- and was thrilled! As a former theater kid, who has played mafia and the village (sometimes called werewolf) repeatedly for many years, it was a true delight to watch the mechanics of the game play out on a wider scale over the course of days. In a castle in the Scottish Highlands a group of former reality stars has to go through daily team challenges to earn money the winners of the game will split. But the real game is much more wicked and delicious, three(ish) members of the cast are secretly “traitors” and if even one of them makes it to the finale they get all the prize money to themselves. Every night the entire cast meets to vote out a single cast member in hopes of ousting a traitor. As you might guess, the votes are based less on clues, and more on personality clashes and prejudices.
Emma and Noah are celebrating their 10th anniversary at a resort in Mexico, and we quickly see their marriage is in a fragile state. When Emma finds the phone of a young man, Sam, who went missing over a decade ago, she becomes obsessed with solving the mystery. We see the story unfold from both Emma and Noah’s timeline, and from Sam’s in the past. A story exploring love of all kinds, and how deeply we need it, a fun mystery, with a light sprinkling of metaphysical elements. There’s one season of this show and it leaves you with a full and complete ending.
An Australian buddy cop show, largely focused on lesbian community, that untangles the complicated web of patriarchy- need I say more? I will. Dulcie and her wife Cath have moved to Deadloch, a small village in Tasmania to escape the fast paced life of Sydny, in particular Dulcie’s former job as a detective. When men in Deadloch start turning up dead tightlaced and regimented Dulcie cannot prevent herself from partnering with the slobby fly by the seat of her pants detective assigned to the case, Eddie. Equal parts hilarious and gripping, with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Created by the brilliant Nida Manzoor (who wrote and directed Polite Society, which I also highly recommend), We are Lady Parts tells the story of a punk band made up entirely of Muslim Women. This comedy infused with music (which made my top 5 on my Spotify Wrapped…) is a delightful lighthearted exploration of women of color’s experience in Britain. Most beautifully, between the band members and their friends and family there are so many different experiences and identities who get screen time. Putting Muslim WOC in the center of western media is nothing short of revolutionary, to show the diverse experiences within that community is essential. Essential to give the wider English speaking world an authentic window into an underrepresented community, and even more essential for muslim girls and women getting to see themselves in the media they consume.