09/30/22
This week: The ultimate spooky season film fest, a rom com for the ages, and a hot take on DWD. Happy weekend, friends!
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube DEADPOOL Update, Part Hugh
Letterboxd DON’T WORRY DARLING
Spotify UNHOLY - Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Netflix BLONDE
Twitter Try Guys
Trailer YELLOWSTONE Season 5 Trailer
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
Bruce Willis is now the first Hollywood actor to sell the rights to his likeness to a deepfake firm. Following his aphasia diagnosis, Willis retired from acting. But he’s working with U.S. film Deepcake to ensure his legacy continues on, with the deal basically allowing for a “digital twin” of the actor to be made. The first proof of concept of this comes in the form of an advertising project for a European phone company. A stand-in actor went through the motions and shot the ad as it normally would be, and then the deepfake creators digitally added Willis’ face on the actor’s body in post production. I must say, the technology is pretty accurate; I definitely would have believed the ad actually features Willis.
In more news on the convergence of AI technology and Hollywood actors, Deadline reported that STAR WARS actor James Earl Jones, the man behind the iconic voice of Darth Vader, has signed over the rights to his voice to filmmakers, as he “wished to keep Vader alive”.
Pickleball is getting even bigger. LeBron James and other NBA stars are reportedly….buying a pickleball team? It will be part of Major League Pickleball (MLP), and is part of the sports league’s growth from 12 teams to 16.
And finally, in cool space news, (and good news for living beings on our planet), NASA just successfully rerouted an asteroid by crashing into it. It was “the world’s first-ever in-space test for planetary defense,” and is meant to practice defending Earth against potential asteroid or comet hazards.
—Darlene Kenney, Director of Brand Marketing
TikTok
As Hurricane Ian continues to ravage the US, I’ve been struck by the strangeness of experiencing widespread events like this natural disaster through TikTok. The nature of the platform is quite different from previously popular social media platforms like IG, Facebook and Twitter, and allows for individuals to update the world on what they’re dealing with in real-time, but visually. Case in point: This TikTok compiled drone footage before and after the hurricane, this one highlights people rescuing a dog, this one features some kids playing in the flood waters, and this one documents the severity of the flooding, with a loose boat floating past houses. Videos like this one raised concern in viewers, as the Tiktok user stayed in her house while flood waters were rising close to her ceiling.
This week, I enjoyed this documentation of a Danish phenomenon I just learned about…babies napping alone in their strollers outside. I also liked this video that shows the lengths to which some BeReal users will go to impress their friends, and this one that taught me just how rare (and cool-looking!) blue lobsters are.
—Darlene Kenney, Director of Brand Marketing
Film
While the romantic comedy has reached a new level of proliferation in recent years, the genre has largely been relegated to streaming, making each new release feel like less of an event than ever. Without naming names (and there have been a few stellar exceptions!), the stakes are usually lower, the set pieces smaller, and the jokes staler than ever. That’s why it brings me great pleasure to recommend BROS, the R-rated romantic-comedy you’ve been waiting for (opening on a whopping 3300+ screens nationwide this weekend).
Co-written by and starring the hysterical Billy Eichner (DIFFICULT PEOPLE and of course, BILLY ON THE STREET), BROS (trailer here) follows Bobby (Eichner), a high-strung podcaster who’s grown comfortable with his single life—until he meets Aaron (the effortlessly charming Luke Macfarlane), a handsome “masc” lawyer who challenges Bobby’s philosophy toward commitment and romance. Between Eichner and Macfarlane’s instant chemistry, Brandon Trost’s glossy cinematography and the ineffable magic of an NYC location shoot, BROS captures the charm of so many of my favorite classic rom-coms while delivering on the laughs. Quite literally, several scenes left the audience at my screening roaring so loudly that I missed a few lines here and there. It’s a film that’s tailored to be experienced on the big screen with a crowd on a Friday night, and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll walk out smiling. It’s also refreshing to see a film represent the nuances of gay dating without feeling so tightly bound to making those elements more palatable to a heteronormative audience; beyond the raunchy jokes surrounding gay hook-up culture, director Nicholas Stoller pulls you into Bobby and Aaron's relationship by capturing the gray areas and contradictions of their feelings about committing to each other—something he’s done successfully before in THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT and FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. If that’s not reason enough to head to the theater, consider it your moral obligation to buy a ticket and support gay people at the box office. Thanks!!
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
Hot take: I was pleasantly surprised by DON’T WORRY DARLING (trailer here). The movie did, in fact, feel like a movie (sorry Harry, I just had to). This is Olivia Wilde’s second time directing a film and this time she also happens to act in it, alongside a star-studded cast including Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and many more. But you already knew that, because…internet. What you might not know if you’re still on the fence about seeing it: The production and costume design were out of this world and really made the audience feel like they had been transported back to the 50s (*wink* IYKYK). And the movie is packed with intense moments that really showed off the acting chops of much of the cast, especially actors Florence Pugh and newcomer Harry Styles. No spoilers here, but I say this: Just go watch it, if you’re looking for a dose of entertaining escapism this weekend.
—Saad Hamid, Digital Intern
I’m a huge genre fan. SIgn me up for all things horror, thriller, sci-fi—and really, any movie that’s brilliantly bonkers. Which is why Los Angeles’ Beyond Fest is my absolute favorite event to kick off the spooky season. This is the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, curating a stellar lineup every October to celebrate cinema that shocks, mesmerizes, and inspires. This year’s slate is no exception. In addition to world and West coast premieres that include HALLOWEEN ENDS, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, and the HELLRAISER reboot, I’m also excited to check out some dark-genre classics:
A William Shatner triple-feature, culminating with IMPULSE, a ‘70s cult classic being described as a twisted cousin of Hitchcock’s phenomenal SHADOW OF A DOUBT.
A Park Chan-wook marathon. THE HANDMAIDEN, in particular, is an elegant, woozy, and ingenious gothic thriller that I can’t wait to revisit with a packed crowd.
William Friedkin’s highly divisive mystery film CRUISING, starring Al Pacino as an undercover New York detective tasked with investigating a series of murders targeting the city’s S&M subculture.
I love that Beyond Fest is a place that nurtures discovery, introducing me every year to hidden gems, electric voices, and new friends to gush about the best of genre cinema with!
— Lauren Ma, Business Affairs Coordinator
TV
If you’re a sitcom girlie like I am, then you need to check out REBOOT (trailer here) on Hulu. It stars Rachel Bloom (CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND) and was created by MODERN FAMILY showrunner Steven Levitan. REBOOT follows the cast and co-showrunners of a rebooted family sitcom called “Step Right Up”, and feels almost like an updated, L.A,-based version of 30 ROCK. Not just because of Bloom’s delightfully Liz Lemon-esque outfits, but also because of the cast’s lack of self-awareness and general predisposition to antics (Johnny Knoxville in particular excels here). The characters’ struggles to work together and Bloom’s quest to reconcile with her absentee father give the show its momentum, exploring themes of abandonment, betrayal, and connection all with levity and wit. I can’t wait to keep watching.
—Carrie Smith, Executive Assistant
Kate Berlant’s new stand-up show on Hulu, CINNAMON IN THE WIND (trailer here), is breathtaking, hysterical and a true piece of art. Please watch it. That is all.
—Jessica Switch, SVP, Production
Music
As a soft country fan—and hard FEATHERED INDIANS fan—I have been looking forward to this Friday for a while now. Tyler Childers’ long-awaited album has finally dropped, but it’s miles away from any of his previous music. Instead, it’s his take on a gospel cover album, in the form of eight songs recorded in three different ways. Best explained as a three-disc vinyl set, CAN I TAKE MY HOUNDS TO HEAVEN? can be broken into three sections: HALLELUJAH, JUBILEE and JOYFUL NOISE. The tone for the entire endeavor is set with the first song, OLD COUNTRY CHURCH - HALLELUJAH VERSION. Covering Hank Williams’ bluegrass country hit, Tyler breathes new life into the heart of the song. The HALLELUJAH version has the strong body and chords of a great gospel song, and the JOYFUL NOISE version is almost an ode to Tyler's youth, growing up in Appalachian churches. This wasn’t the obvious choice of follow-up for the artist, but I enjoy the risk he’s taking, letting listeners jump from gospel choirs to radio mixes all on the same album. I’m still out here waiting for a true follow-up to PURGATORY and COUNTRY SQUIRE, but this will tide me over at least through the fall…
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ