The Magpie Dispatch: A Movie + A Sale + A Launch Not to Miss.

A Movie to Consider.

How are we doing this Tuesday? Right now, I’m digesting an interesting movie I watched over the weekend: “The Northman” (2022) featuring Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman. (Do we like Skarsgård? My SIL and I like to have long conversations about “our movie boyfriends” — prior to this movie, I don’t think he’d have made my list. And I still can’t quite get a read on his vibe. But I did like him in this movie; well and convincingly acted, and a true Viking warrior in appearance. He is enormous in it, probably through some combination of visual manipulation (like, his hands in some scenes?! basically wrap around Anya Taylor-Joy’s entire body?) and his fitness regimen prior, which I was so curious about (I mean, he is towering in the movie, and my prior reference point was the thinned out version of him as the investor in “Succession”?), I read about here.) Anyhow, “The Northman” is part Norse mythology, part Hamlet, part Viking warrior revenge flick* — and also campy in its own way, and allegorical, too? The best phrase that I can think of for this movie is “full tilt.” Like, the director goes there with weird, witchy and trippy scenes; Skarsgård howling at the moon (?!) like a wolf; ultra-intense fight scenes (the raid scene at the beginning is unhinged, and then the volcano battle at the end is wild in its own way); strange, cypher-like visuals. A pretty rich text for a movie I went into with “Game of Thrones”-level expectations: I’d anticipated I’d be mildly entertained and grossed out by warfare gore, and saw it was a movie that both Landon and I could enjoy on a weekend night, but I’m sitting here still thinking about the composition of certain scenes, the use of light and dark, the gender dynamics and specifically complex treatment of the mother character relative to other Norse goddesses referenced. (Nicole Kidman’s character is complex and richly portrayed in spite of relatively little screentime, and then there’s Bjork as the Seeress — I find this archetype fascinating across multiple cultural traditions). Mainly, though, I think about the movie and think of the quote: “Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” How useless, how draining, how self-harming begrudgment is; we can waste years of our lives and better selves in its grip.

Have you seen anything good lately? And who are your movie/TV boyfriends or girlfriends? I like Jack O’Connell, Glen Powell, Sam Heughan. I feel like this is the summer of Pedro Pascal but I’m not all the way convinced. (Should I see “The Materialists”?)

*I should note this movie is a known adaptation of the Norse myth of Amleth, which is believed to have inspired Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” not the other way around, but coming into the plot knowing nothing about this legacy, it jumped out at me as a convergence of these three traditions.

A Sale to Shop: Amazon Prime Day.

Amazon’s Prime Day starts today — I added all my top finds here, and will add more as I find good deals. Amazon candidly makes it difficult to stay on top of which deals launch and end when…so I’m always hunting! I wanted to start with a few tech/appliance items that we use EVERY SINGLE DAY and absolutely love, for which I paid full price and have zero regrets, but would have enjoyed getting a little discount on.

01. Vitamix — we use this to make smoothies every single morning. (Recipe: 20g kale, 1 cup ice, 1 banana, 1/2 avocado, 3/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup water). This is the exact model we have and we’ve used this heavily since 2020, but especially while on our smoothie kick the last two years. This thing is a beast.

02. Dyson AirWrap — ladies, this changed my hair life. I can’t say enough good things about this tool. I wrote a full review here, but trust me: it’s exceptional and gives you as close to a salon blowout as you can get at home. I also never travel without it. When we left Pennsylvania, I somehow lost the wrap attachment and was aghast — I think it might have fallen out of one of my bags on the way down to the car? Anyway, I’ve never ordered a replacement part faster. This is an absolute top tier “regrettably worth it” item and I can’t live without it! *$100 off!!!!

03. Technivorm Moccamaster Coffee Maker — trust me when I say that my husband is a coffee snob and has done a ton of research on everything from beans to filters to grinders to machines. He even talked about bringing all his coffee making gear (beans, grinder, pourover equipment) when we were away for five nights because he just couldn’t imagine drinking standard hotel coffee…! Anyway, the Technivorm has been his preferred method for coffee brewing the past few years. We use this every day. It sort of blends drip with pourover but makes it less onerous on the person brewing. We love ours.

04. The Hatch Restore — AHHH this clever alarm-sound-machine-night-light hybrid has changed my sleep hygiene for the better. I now sleep without my phone on my bedside table because this gadget wakes me up, plays the most soothing sounds, serves as a nightlight and clock — and all gently, softly. I especially love the way it slowly brightens in the morning, gently waking me up. I wrote fully about this wunderproduct here but have turned at least three friends onto it.

VITAMIX // DYSON AIR WRAP // TECHNIVORM MOCCAMASTER // HATCH RESTORE

Smaller items below. I always have to include the Paperwhite. I was just talking to a friend about how important this “single-use” technology has been to my life — I love that I can use it without being distracted by anything else (no emails or texts on it!) and it is so easy and lightweight. I read in bed with it every single night! Every few years, Landon upgrades mine to the latest model, and I always say “I don’t need a new one, mine works just fine” but then I realize the latest one is lighter, faster, bigger-screened, and doesn’t have that big scratch on the front…

Other items I’m buying: more of these sheet masks! I love them so much I just gave some away to girlfriends as a party favor! And this excellent highlighter — it’s the one I keep going back to. I have a few different brands but love how easy this is to apply as the final step without blurring or swiping at anything else; you barely need to dab this on and it stays and sparkles. I am also going to add a few extra free-weights (next weight up!) to our basement. Such a good feeling that I’ve leveled up since the start of the next summer. These are the exact neoprene coated free weights I have. I personally like them because they do not slip in my hands, and the colors are an added bonus. Lastly, going to order some of these sanitizer sprays; they’re spendy but they smell fantastic and they don’t dry your hands out as much as standard Purell.

Oh! And if you don’t have a Dyson Airwrap, this t3 heated round brush is (IMO) the second best option. It’s much more powerful than the Revlon.

KINDLE PAPERWHITE // MEDICUBE MASKS // FREE WEIGHTS // SAIE HIGHLIGHTER // LANEIGE BLURRING POWDER // T3 ROUND HEATED AIRBRUSH // PHILLIPS TOOTHBRUSH // RAY BAN SUNGLASSES // HAND SANITIZER SPRAYS // AWAY SUITCASE (SELECT COLORS)

A special callout for Goop products, which I believe will also be included in today’s sale. Do not miss their scalp scrub shampoo. I can’t live without it in the summer! The prelude to a great hair day. More complete review here.

Early Access to Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

If you’re an Icon Cardmember, you have access to the anniversary sale today. I get access on the 11th and have already been scoping out the deals and sharing my top finds here. I’m mainly interested in stocking up on Bombas socks, ordering these pretty Staub bowls and baking dishes, and am contemplating re-upping my Dr. Diamond Metacine plasma using this discount, too. And if your spouse is as much of a cook as I am, don’t miss out on the discount on these chef-grade Hedley and Bennett aprons. My husband and brother live in theirs! A really great (well designed, high-quality) tool for any frequent or dedicated home cook.

DR. DIAMOND METACINE PLASMA DUO // HEDLEY AND BENNETT APRON // BOMBAS SOCKS // ON CLOUDMONSTER SNEAKERS // STAUB COOKWARE SET

A Hill House Launch to Check Out.

Hill House has a great collection going live today at 9 AM EST! I am hoping to get my hands on the skirt and maybe matching top seen below!

Tuesday Inspiration and Reminders.

And finally, two little Tuesday reminders about perspective — the latter is an excerpt from this longer post.

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