06/10/22
This week: All the recs you need for a weekend of staying in, sipping iced everything, and avoiding the heatwave.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube NOPE Final Trailer
Letterboxd TOP GUN: MAVERICK
TikTok #SummerVibes
Spotify Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) - Kate Bush
Netflix STRANGER THINGS
Twitter Diet Coke
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
I was pretty surprised when I looked at Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global list today in order to add the tune in the #1 spot to our trends section. Kate Bush’s 1985 ballad RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) knocked Harry Styles’ omnipresent song AS IT WAS out of the top spot yesterday. The 80s song also made it in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week, reentering the list after peaking at number 30 in 1985. And it’s also massively trending all over TikTok, with almost 900K videos made with the sound. This all comes after the song was featured on the latest season of STRANGER THINGS, in a pivotal moment. Some OG Kate Bush fans are complaining about it, but if you ask me, t’s pretty cool to see how different forms of media can all come together to project a 37-year-old tune into the zeitgeist.
To all my iPhone users, there’s a chance that things might get a little more shady in your group chats. Apple just announced that it is adding a feature that allows users to unsend messages or edit messages that they have already sent. Additionally, users can mark text conversations as unread, so they remember to get back to them later.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our TikTok section this week is curated by two of the uber-talented young actors in our upcoming movie CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (opens a week from today on Apple TV+!). Evan Assante plays Cooper Raiff’s younger brother, David, and Colton Osorio his best friend Rodrigo.
Colton’s all-time favorites: this video of Zendaya roasting Tom Holland with an interview clip from the archives, this sound that I haven’t been able to get out of my head for weeks, and this incredible voiceover of a cat and a dog in a fight.
Evan’s picks: this SNL classic with Timothée Chalamet and Pete Davidson; this brutal burn from one of his hilarious co-stars from DINOSAUR WORLD, Steven He; and this one that highlights author John Green’s personal touch in each copy of his newest book.
Film
Apparently I’m about three years late to this, but PLUS ONE (trailer here) on Hulu is an underrated rom-com that deserves more attention. Released in 2019 after winning the Narrative Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, PLUS ONE follows Ben (Jack Quaid) and Alice (Maya Erskine), two platonic friends who are jaded and unlucky in love while all their friends are getting married. They commit to attending their friends’ weddings as each other’s plus ones and eventually progress from friendship to a romantic relationship. Well-tread rom-com ground, but the chemistry between Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine is undeniable, and the pivot away from a traditional “will-they-won’t-they” rom-com structure for a “they did…now what?” journey is a refreshing subversion of your expectations. While there’s room for cuts to keep the pace of the story as energized as its characters, PLUS ONE is a charming delight and a fun streaming watch if you’re staying inside to beat the heat!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
For my inaugural PS Weekly contribution, I want to write about one of the most impactful films I have ever seen (which may be slightly more niche than previous entries). I grew up surrounded by the usual toys: Legos, Rescue Heroes, Lightsabers, etc. But Transformers by far held the most significance to me, in no small part due to the impact that the incredible 1986 animated film, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (1986), had on my life. Though this film attaches a beloved IP with beautiful artwork, excellent writing, and great voice performances, the heart of TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE lies in detaching itself from the classic storyline of the ongoing television series commonly known as G1 (1984-1990), and instead creating an original narrative that focuses on a young Autobot fighting a omnipresent and purely evil villain, Unicron. The part that sticks with me even today: the accompanying soundtrack. Stan Bush’s music entangles the script and characters into a powerful emotional experience, with particular emphasis on two of my favorite songs, The Touch and Dare. Though Michael Bay went on to create a mainstream blockbuster franchise utilizing the same source material, I will always hold the original theatrical release of this film in my heart. All you need to enjoy this masterpiece is to open yourself to your inner child, accept the Matrix of Leadership, and embrace the universal greeting: Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
TV
FROM THE VAULT
If you haven't seen POSE (trailer here) yet, I’m telling you to drop what you’re doing and get hip. The show and its fictional characters are strongly inspired by the Black queer community that created ballroom and its houses in 1970s New York. The show is just as much about dancing and fun as it is about chosen family. I also want to add that POSE is not the first depiction of ballroom I have ever seen but it is one of my favorites because the cast and crew really reflect the community they are representing—and not only does the show have one of the most diverse casts that I have ever seen on TV, but it also has an equally diverse team working behind the camera.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Book
A new book of David Sedaris essays came out this week, but I haven’t read it yet. So instead, I’m going to recommend to you the last thing I read that made me laugh out loud, literally, in a variety of public spaces, the same way Sedaris’ ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY did, when I first discovered it. There are very few books that make you feel simultaneously like you’re not alone and your experience might be universal, and also like you are somehow an extremely special snowflake. Sloane Crossley’s I WAS TOLD THERE’D BE CAKE made me feel that way in my 20s, and a decade and a half later, Jessi Klein has achieved the same magic with I’LL SHOW MYSELF OUT. The I LOVE THAT FOR YOU showrunner reframes motherhood as a hero’s journey, in a hilarious, non-earnest, wonderful way. She makes potty training, waiting for a pet caterpillar to metamorphose into a butterfly, and sitting in a parking lot listening to Beyoncé into the life-affirming and defining moments they truly feel like, when you are living them. And even more impressive, she lands the ending on every single essay, instead of losing steam along the way and half heartedly letting her stories peter off, which is my chief complaint when it comes to books of essays. Whether you’re a parent or not, I’LL SHOW MYSELF OUT is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I promise you’ll devour it in one sitting.
—Neha Gandhi, EVP Digital & Strategy
Podcast
I have been beyond obsessed with ADD TO CART, hosted by Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak, since its launch. Aunties Su and Ku–as we Add to Carters (dedicated fans of the show, naturally) affectionately call them–share what they plan to, well, add to their carts (both literally and figuratively) each week. The podcast hosts and their guests share the best product, book, movie, TV, music, and food recs each episode. Perhaps even more importantly, they share what they’re removing from their carts, which treads much more personal and philosophical ground, normally. I still listen to past episodes where they’ve talked about removing guilt (especially the family variety) from their carts. Su and Ku are funny, authentic, and truly the perfect listen.
—Rosemary Brennan, Brand Marketing
Music
In a very surprising turn of events, SZA has released a deluxe version of CTRL, exactly five years after the album's original release. I can’t say that I’m mad at it, but I think I speak for all SZA fans when I say I was totally caught off guard. The singer originally released the album in 2017 and it was an instant classic. Since then, she teased a lot of alternate versions of songs and is even rumored to have leaked some of the tracks herself on Soundcloud. The fresh album includes seven unreleased songs, some that have been leaked online and others that are completely new. One of the most exciting tracks for me is the alternate version of the album's hit single, LOVE GALORE, which I personally think is much more dynamic than the original. I am so happy to have access to these songs officially on streamers and will probably only be listening to this exclusively, all weekend long. My recommended songs are 2AM, JODIE, and PERCOLATOR. Enjoy!
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
