The crumbs of October, 2024
Is 'I Know Who Killed Me' truly one of the worst films ever made?
Do you know about the October Theory? I looked it up online and it appears to have gone viral on TikTok as a trend, but not with the meaning behind it that I originally heard.
People (primarily Gen Z) are apparently using the third final month of the year as “motivation”. Apparently it’s a time to start fresh and make yourself some nice little goals, setting yourself up for the new year with embedded habits.
Ugh, sounds like exhausting productivity BS. I much prefer October Theory as I learned about it – as a time where you’re basically just over it all, and rather than feeling like you have any sort of energy to make new goals, you’re just dragging yourself to the arbitrary finish line that is the end of the year.
So that’s my October Theory - as a time for slowing down for the year - and I don’t care if it’s wrong, according to the zeitgeist.
No more hacks, please. No assessing of life. No goal setting. There will be no reading of Atomic Habits.
Just get some rest, eat some good food and try to have a nice time, as the year wraps itself up.
Chills and thrills in October
Back in the September crumbs edition, I noted a desire to watch as many horror films as possible this month. And I did manage to churn through a few here and there; here are some highlights.
Personal Shopper (2017) – this one was a nice little surprise. Kristen Stewart plays a young woman living in Paris, who works as personal shopper for a supermodel. She hates her job and doesn’t particularly seem to enjoy being in the French capital, but hangs around hoping to ‘see a sign’ from her twin brother Lewis, who recently died from a genetic heart condition (which she also possesses, along with some shared medium tendencies). There are some supernatural and frightening elements to the film, but it’s also a moving story of someone coming to terms with a very deep grief.
I Know Who Killed Me (2007) – this one copped a lot of slack when it was released, not helped by the public disintegration of poor Lindsay Lohan. Critics at the time described it as one of the worst movies ever made. Yet, on re-watch some 17 years later, can I just say, it’s not actually that bad. Lohan plays a senior at high school, an aspiring writer who disappears one day, presumably kidnapped by a serial killer who is maiming then murdering young women in the area. She turns up a few days later minus a few limbs, claiming to be someone entirely different. Is she truly who she says she is, or is it the trauma of what she went through, talking?
This film has a few surprising twists, and while I still wouldn’t say it’s amazing, I think Lohan is great in it (playing two entirely different characters is kinda her thing) and I had a good time watching it. Someone described it as the sequel to The Parent Trap (1998) and that pretty much sums it up. It’s also very 2007 in its look; anyone else in their late teens or twenties at the time will know what I mean.
The Substance (2024) – this is a film that is best experienced in the cinema, so if you haven’t caught it on the big screen yet, see if you can track it down. Demi Moore plays ‘ageing’ actress turned aerobics instructor Elizabeth Sparkle, who is unceremoniously dumped by her studio on her 50th birthday. She hears of ‘The Substance’, which promises to give its user ‘a better version of you’.
Sparkle falls victim to its clever marketing I guess, creating a younger version of herself with devastating results. The film is not subtle in its messaging and is probably about half an hour too long, but it’s great fun to watch and the soundscape deserves all the awards (as does Moore).
What was booking in October
October was a slow, but good month for reading – small in quantity but big in quality. The three books I’m sharing below are three of my favourites for the year.
The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Phoebe Stone arrives at the Cornwall Inn in her best dress, the only guest to not be part of a wedding party that has taken over the grand hotel. Newly separated and heavily depressed, she’s there with a particular mission in mind. Yet, she strikes up an unlikely friendship with the bride and for better or for worse, becomes a key part of the wedding itself. An incredibly funny and moving book, with the kind of characters you wish you could meet and hang out with in real life.
Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter
Ripe is a book that falls into a few of my favourite sub-genres – a sad girl novel, shining a light on the state of working within late-stage capitalism, specifically in tech in Silicon Valley. Cassie moved to San Francisco for a cutthroat job at tech start up VOYAGER and finds herself embedded in a nightmare. She works long hours, producing what she feels is quality work that can’t seem to meet the impossibly high standards of her superiors. She’s dating and possibly falling in love with a man in an open relationship. She has a troubled relationship with her mother and casually, has a metaphorical and as the book hints, perhaps literal black hole following her everywhere she goes. A few trigger warnings here, but it’s an incredible tense and well-crafted book, that accurately portrays the in-authenticity and despair rampant in modernity.
If Women Rose Rooted: The Power of the Celtic Woman by Sharon Blackie
I loved this book so much. Sharon Blackie blends memoir, and fairy and folk tales to produce a work that examines the patriarchy’s effect on the feminine (which affects every single person, no matter which gender you identify as – true equality is the masculine and feminine balanced and working together). She also examines the displacement one can feel, growing up in a land that they may call home, but do not have ancestral roots in. Spinning a few Celtic folk tales within her own story of finding her place in the world, it’s definitely worth listening to as an audio book.
In case you missed it
October contained five Thursdays, which means five newsletters were sent out.
Sharing a few tips I’ve learned regarding having a regular writing practice; because all us writerly sorts could do with any sort of motivation:
Perhaps one for TikTok’s October Theory enthusiasts; a satirical take on a perfect morning routine:
Some reflections, a year on, on what it’s like to become a qualified yoga teacher, and then actually begin teaching:
And wrapping up the month with some spooky thrillers:
Thanks for tuning in, as always. We have around eight publishing Thursdays left in 2024, as I’ll be taking a break over the holiday season (like everyone should, if they can). We’ll start to get a little reflective; plus I am engaging in another cleanse that I’ll probably end up writing a despairing diary-type post about.
See you next Thursday. ‘Til then, stay well, well-fed and well-read.
-Celine
If you enjoyed this, you might like other crumbs from this year:
The crumbs: what was cooking in September, 2024
The crumbs: what was cooking in August, 2024
Most links in this missive will take you to YourBookstore.io. This very handy website allows you to shop and support independent Australian bookstores. Give your local some love, or request a copy from your nearest library.
I must get to The Substance before it leaves cinemas! I think it's gonna be a tight squeeze, but your post reinforces my thoughts that it's just not going to be the same experience at home!
100% prefer your take on October Theory!