05/20/22
This Week: 5 excellent film recs you’ve probably never heard before. Plus, genre-bending music, the return of HACKS, time-traveling serial killers, and the advent of sad-girl summer.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW
Letterboxd DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
TikTok #letstalkmentalhealth
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix SENIOR YEAR
Twitter Rihanna
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
I was pretty excited when I read about Ben and Jerry’s new initiative, Project Mootopia, that uses seaweed supplements and manure management to fight climate change. The company committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions to half the industry average by 2024 by putting its cows on a new diet that will significantly lessen the amount they burp (which apparently counts for a lot of cow emissions!), and turning manure into renewable energy. You might be like, this sounds dope but it can’t be that helpful. But since livestock produce 14.5 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, if Ben and Jerry’s proves this method to be a success, other dairy producers could follow suit.
In less impressive news, the Twitter/ Elon Musk drama continues, with Musk casting doubt on the likelihood of the deal going through over his concerns around bots on the platform (although this type of diligence appears not to be a contingency of the deal). But if you ask me, the real winner here is the almighty emoji, which is apparently now appropriate for use in even the highest levels of M&A dealmaking.
This week I loved this absolutely majestic video of a whale, and this captivating video that shows a border collie at work, herding sheep.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What new show have you been obsessed with lately? We’re giving one of you the snack of your choice to fuel your watching. Hit us with your best recs!
This week, we asked our friends at CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) to recommend some hidden gems, and boy, did they deliver. Read on for five films that each will make you feel something this weekend.
I’LL MEET YOU THERE
A Muslim cop goes undercover at his estranged father's mosque while his daughter hides her passion for a forbidden dance, uncovering a shocking family secret.
Watch it for: The family relationships.
VAI
A portmanteau feature film by 9 female Pacific filmmakers and filmed on seven Pacific islands. It follows the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai.
Watch it for: The showcase and strength of Pasifika women.
PLUS ONE
In order to survive a summer of endless weddings, longtime single friends, Ben and Alice, agree to be each other's plus one at every wedding they've been invited to.
Watch it for: The laughs (and especially if you’re a Maya Erskine fan!)
A Hawaiian part-time teacher living out of a van hits a mysterious homeless man crossing the street. The pair become friends, but their illusion of safety is shattered when her van is towed and her desperation triggers her past trauma.
Watch it for: The gritty side of paradise.
DRIVEWAYS
A lonely boy goes with his mother to help clean out his late aunt's house and forms an unlikely friendship with a neighbor who’s a war veteran.
Watch it for: The human connection.
Film
I love movies that are able to evoke raw and somber emotion, leaving you silently staring at your laptop as the credits roll—and this was my experience the first time I watched MS. PURPLE (trailer here). So much of the film is dedicated to spotlighting the not-so-photogenic moments, making it such a resonant and sentimental meditation on life. The film follows Kasie (Tiffany Chu) who works full-time as a karaoke hostess, and spends her nights entertaining men who request female company. The money isn’t enough to pay the caretaker for her bedridden father, so her estranged brother Carey (Teddy Lee)—similarly scraping by in life—comes home to help out. Kasie and Carey navigate the complexities of all forms of love, including their relationships with each other and with their mother who abandoned them as children. With both characters under immense stress, they become unreliable narrators, seeing things that may not actually be there and reacting to things that may not actually have happened. This is definitely not a feel-good flick but it is the perfect movie to kick off sad girl summer, in case you’re in need of a good cry.
—Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
Last week we asked you for the most memorable movie you have ever seen in theaters. PS Weekly reader Jenna Ruzga came through with an absolute classic.
INCEPTION (trailer here) is definitely the most memorable movie I have ever seen in a theater. I saw it with my dad at a second-run theater, so it was already way past opening weekend, but that truly did not matter to me. I remember thinking at the time: this theater has the best popcorn I’ve ever tasted, and INCEPTION is truly the best movie I've seen ever. And I stand by that. It was my introduction to Christopher Nolan and it helped nurture my growing love of sci-fi/fantasy stories about weird stuff—time travel, parallel universes, memory (read Blake Crouch's RECURSION for more of that), etc. Over a decade later, INCEPTION is still one of my favorite movies—and I love to share it with people who haven't seen it before.
—Jenna Ruzga, PS Weekly Reader
TV
Last year's breakout hit series HACKS (trailer here) is back for its second season, and I'm happy to report there's no sophomore slump to be found here. This season finds comedy legend Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) leaving her longtime residency in Las Vegas and taking her act on the road, with her quick-witted Gen Z writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) by her side. Keeping this somewhat spoiler-free, Deborah and Ava swiftly work through last season's cliffhanger with some extremely dark comedy. The scene at the diner in episode 2 is gut-wrenching yet laugh-out-loud funny, which works seamlessly thanks to the show's consistently top-notch writing and acting. While Deborah and Ava continue to cope with their respective traumas through comedy, the HACKS team has found a way to keep their complicated partnership fresh and filled with new obstacles. Plus, Meg Stalter shines yet again as messy assistant Kayla, bringing a refreshing silliness and scene-stealing delivery to all of her hijinks. The first four episodes are available on HBO Max now—if you're not caught up, get to it ASAP!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Every time I see/read a synopsis of a mind-bending psychological thriller, I immediately mark my calendar for the series premiere. That’s exactly what happened with Apple’s new limited series SHINING GIRLS (trailer here) starring Elizabeth Moss (THE HANDMAID’S TALE) and Wagner Moura (yep, the guy from NARCOS). The story follows the life of a murder-attempt survivor Kirby Mazrachi, who is trying to move on with her life while experiencing unexplainable reality shifts on a constant basis. Later she discovers that she wasn’t randomly attacked, but actually the victim of a serial killer—which sets her on an investigative journey along with journalist Dan Velazquez (Moura) to uncover the horrific events and find an explanation to these paranormal events. Six episodes are out so far, and I’m perched on the edge of my seat, expecting many big plot reveals very soon. If you’re looking for a serial killer hunting drama mixed with time-traveling twists, then SHINING GIRLS is well worth your time.
—Eri Taira, Graphic Designer
Music
Introducing “Sample Drill,” the term being used to describe a new wave of Drill music. Traditional Drill music was a style of trap that was popularized by the likes of Chief Keef and Lil Bibby in Chicago. Today, the sound can be heard all over, and is said to have originated in NYC—but really, with the internet, who knows. The sound has taken some really gangster stuff and morphed into something more melodic and vibey. Sample Drill takes the hard hitting lyrics of traditional Drill music and juxtaposes them with very melodic and often highly recognizable songs. For example, B-Lovee’s chart topping song MY EVERYTHING samples Mary J Blige’s EVERYTHING and Kay Flock’s latest hit SHAKE IT featuring the queen Cardi B samples an old school Akon song. Honestly, this has quickly become one of my new favorite genres as the sound is infectious—and really softens up the vibe, while keeping it cool.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
