06/24/22
This week: A TV soundtrack just chock-full of bangers, an Anne Hathaway movie marathon, our unfiltered thoughts on ELVIS, and a new stop-motion flick 30+ years in the making.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Beyoncé - BREAK MY SOUL
Letterboxd LIGHTYEAR
Spotify Joji – Glimpse of Us
Netflix THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
Twitter Juul
Trailer SMILE
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
We’ve seen this coming for a long time now, but the horrible, rage-inducing day is now here. Today, in ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This ruling removes any constitutional restriction on laws banning abortion procedures. It’s a sad day to be an American, and I find myself disheartened by our government yet again. At PICTURESTART, our very first movie was about these very issues; UNPREGNANT (on HBOMax) tells the story of a teenager who must travel across state lines to obtain an abortion. If you’re looking for tangible ways to get involved, we recommend donating to an org like The National Abortion Federation’s Tiller Fund or The Brigid Alliance (which we’re matching donations up to $5k over on IG), which raise money to provide assistance to individuals who need to travel to get reproductive care. You can also donate to your local abortion fund, vote (which I know feels a little like BS, but this is an important piece of the puzzle and we’ve all gotta keep doing it), and join local protests in your area.
Creator Khaby Lame has just become the most-followed person on TikTok, with 142.9 million subscribers, overtaking Charli D’Amelio. Lame is 22, was born in Senegal, and now lives in Italy. His videos mainly depict him reacting to various other videos on the app, with a comedic spin, like this one where he reacts to another creator overusing cologne. He’s super creative and often depicts relatable, everyday things, like when you stop to tie your shoes and your friends keep walking. What’s cool about Khabane’s comedy is the fact that it’s typically wordless, so it can appeal to users who speak any language.
And to close on a bright night, here are three of my favorite bits of the internet from this past week. I really loved this beautiful obituary posted on Twitter, as the few paragraphs give you a full feel for the woman who passed. I also loved this calming video of someone trimming hedges (there’s just something about it, okay!) and this video highlighting how impressive the four-way phone call scene in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY really was.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What TV show will you be rewatching this summer? We’re giving one of you the snack of your choice to fuel your summer viewing.. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
Elvis Presley achieved a level of fame that goes well beyond his music. He’s more than a cultural icon—something more like a cultural given. Forget the collectibles and Vegas weddings; children know how to impersonate the man before they even know his name. Really, the story of Elvis is a story of America, so it is inherently impossible to make an adequate Elvis biopic. One level down from that goal is the challenge to merely capture Elvis as a musician and presence, which I would also deem impossible—that is, if I hadn't seen Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS, starring Austin Butler.
There's a scene in the film where we see Elvis become Elvis. The movie cross-cuts between his childhood and young adulthood, and in a spectacularly dizzying and Luhrmannian sequence of visuals and some of the best sound design I've heard in a musical biopic, the audience understands how spirituality, sex, and music culminate to create a new American “superhero”—as Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker calls him. (I don't want to give too much away, but if you've seen the trailers, you've seen it.) This moment is imbued with so much electricity, emotion, and humor, but that would all be moot if it weren't for Butler's magnetism and uncanny pipes—and when it comes down to it, I seriously think this is the closest we will get to capturing the ineffability of Elvis.
On paper, ELVIS (trailer here) is pretty by-the-numbers—the modest beginnings, the rise to stardom, the descent into drugs, alcoholism, and infidelity; peppered with lines like "I wish you wouldn't drink so much" and "I need to get back to who I really am." One interesting departure from biopic conventions though is the film's POV, with the story being told through the eyes (and bewilderingly accented voice) of Presley's manager Tom Parker. Even though Parker narrates the film, the writers (Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner) pretty decidedly position him as its villain, which Hanks reinforces with a fantastic mustache-twirling performance.
Necessarily, the film addresses the racial element of Elvis' story, which is so essential that calling it an "element" at all feels like an understatement. Now, does it address this successfully? Not really. Elvis made his fortune and fame off of Black musical styles—rhythm and blues, spirituals, and gospel—and while he did publicly give credit to artists like BB King and Fats Domino, many would disagree that he was the social justice hero ELVIS makes him out to be. (Separately, Elvis’ relationship with his wife Priscilla, who was 14 at the time they got together, is also problematic—and the film pretty conveniently skirts around it.)
Overall, this movie is big and mythical and imperfect, just as Elvis was. Luhrmann has a unique ability to deliver camp without irony, which could not be more fitting for the bedazzled legacy of one of the most famous performers of all time, and Butler has somehow managed to embody him through those soulful eyes, or even a chuckle or flick of a mic wire. ELVIS may be thematically overambitious, but it’s viscerally exquisite—so get yourself to a theater asap.
—Alicia Deveraux, Development Assistant
I’ve been on a 2000s coming-of-age dramedy kick lately, consisting mostly of rewatches (but also CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, of course). When I’m tired and stressed and a little bit bummed out, nothing soothes like Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. I started out with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, then followed the Meryl train to JULIE AND JULIA, thought “hmm, maybe Amy Adams next?” and started ARRIVAL, but it wasn’t the vibe for that night (though I do love that movie). I pivoted back to Anne Hathaway and ended up watching THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (trailer here).
I love coming back to movies like this as an adult, both for the nostalgia and for the surprising details that stick out upon second (dozenth) viewing. The dated plane CGI. The dirty jokes I totally missed as a kid. The fact that it was written by SHONDA FREAKING RHIMES (no wonder it holds up). The first PRINCESS DIARIES is a masterpiece in its own right, but the sequel will always be my favorite—in part because of the completely gratuitous but tonally vital 10-minute-long sleepover scene in which Julie Andrews does her own mattress-surfing stunts. But also because in trying to find her place in the world as a clumsy, impulsive, frizzy-haired 20-something, Mia is a reminder that you don't have to do it alone, you don't have to have it all figured out, and you don't need a husband to be Queen of Genovia.
—Carrie Smith, Executive Assistant
A fantastic recent release that has flown somewhat under the radar is Phil Tippett’s stop-motion horror odyssey MAD GOD (trailer here). Written, produced, and directed by Tippett, who is best known for his visual effects work in classic movies like JURASSIC PARK, ROBOCOP, and the original STAR WARS trilogy, MAD GOD is a passion project that took him 30 years to complete. And let me just say, the level of commitment absolutely shows. The film is a genuine tour de force of pure creativity, and the surreal journey taken by its unspeaking protagonists is completely unpredictable and progresses like nothing I’ve ever seen. There really isn’t any way to prepare you for the film, as it could probably be best described as “light on plot,” but if you’re a fan of stop-motion and dreamlike imagery, or are just interested in seeing what a decade-spanning passion project by a visual effects mastermind looks like, I’d highly recommend checking it out. Fair warning: There are definitely some gory and unsettling moments that might put off queasier viewers. But honestly, I was so completely impressed by what I was watching that the horror of it all never really overwhelmed me.
—Nick Schoenbrodt, Development Intern
TV
Okay, listen up! I know we've collectively declared it TOP GUN summer, and I stand by that. However, you need to add this little gem of a summer TV show, THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (trailer here), to your watchlist. If you're looking for all of the nostalgic feelings of those summer months when you were a teenager and you truly felt like anything was possible, look no further. Any of you readers had a whirlwind summer romance that turned into a love triangle with two people pining after you? (Yeah me neither...it's okay). But nonetheless, when the book series that this show is based on came out while I was in middle school, I ate it up, dreaming that one day my love life would be as interesting as this (spoiler: it was not). This trilogy, written by Jenny Han, author of the lovely TO ALL THE BOYS series, once again brought the cuteness, drama, and teen angst that we all live for as we follow protagonist “Belly” in navigating potential romances between two brothers—scandalous! Also, the use of music in the show? Truly unreal. The creators made good use of Olivia Rodrigo, Kim Petras, Tyler the Creator, Phoebe Bridgers, and at least one banger by Miss Taylor Swift in every single episode. Iconic of them. Watch the whole first season on Amazon Prime now.
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant
Filmmaker
I want to put you all onto the directing Daniels duo, consisting of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Most recently, you’ve probably heard of them because them made the incredible EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, which you should absolutely watch if you haven’t yet. I don’t want to go into too much detail on why this is one of my favorites of the year, but it gave me hope that unique and original stories still have a place in movie theaters. Bringing in $84M worldwide off a $25M budget shows that the weirdness doesn’t keep audiences away from the heart of the film, a beautiful story about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. The Daniels’ past work falls in a similar vein across mediums, and I want to especially highlight their other feature, SWISS ARMY MAN. It is hard not to love Daniel Radcliff’s performance that takes the audience past the incredibly strange flatulence focused story. Other projects worth noting are the music video for SIMPLE SONG by The Shins, their first short film SWINGERS, and Passion Pit’s video for CRY LIKE A GHOST. Their accolades run a very long list, but their voice shows throughout each project in such a passionate way. Deep dive into the whole list of their projects—it’s 100 percent worth it, I promise.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Music
For my first PS Weekly music rec, I had three criteria: a song that you can dance to, from Austin, that is a classic. The perfect song happens to be an indie rock hit from 2005, THE START OF SOMETHING by Voxtrot. I love this song, every inch of it is embodied with the perfect concoction of heart-wrenching pain and dance-worthy instrumental tunes. THE START OF SOMETHING is part of Voxtrot’s first five-song EP, which is a fantastic mix of strokes-esque high-energy jams.The band broke up in 2010, until last month when they announced a reunion tour, which I’m pretty excited about. In my own interpretation, THE START OF SOMETHING is a soft look into the past of unrequited love, but in classic early 2000s indie-rock fashion, it is an uplifting poetic song that brightens your day, too. I hope to see you in the concert crowds this fall!
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Anything that you're currently loving that we didn't cover? Just reply to this email and let us know.
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ