11/11/22
This week: Is this sequel better than the original? Also, WAKANDA FOREVER, lots of great music, a book trilogy that will suck you right in, and a reimagining of a classic that gets it very, very right.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube THE INSECT TIER LIST
Letterboxd ENOLA HOLMES 2
Spotify Taylor Swift - ANTI-HERO
Netflix THE CROWN
Twitter Batman
Trailer THE WHALE
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
If you’ve used Airbnb before, you’ve probably found yourself at least slightly surprised at the total cost of your stay; with hidden fees driving that final cost much higher than the original nightly price you were promised while browsing. For a while now, Airbnb users have been complaining about unexpected service fees and cleaning costs coupled with onerous requests from hosts to complete myriad cleaning tasks at the end of their stay. And finally, it seems like Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, is listening to consumers about their gripes. On Monday, Chesky addressed these grievances in both a Twitter thread and a press release, tackling many of the hotel-alternative’s common complaints. The main takeaway: Guests will no longer have to do tasks like stripping beds, and will be shown the entire price of their stay, including all fees, upfront.
Live music was back in a big way this summer. Live Nation reported its highest quarterly attendance to date in July, August, and September, with over 44 million concert-goers attending 11,000 events. The company’s revenue for that period was up 63 percent from last year, at $6.2 billion total and $5 billion from concerts alone. The ticket seller attributes a chunk of this money to stadium shows from artists like Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, and The Hot Chili Peppers. Beyoncé, we’ll assume you’ve got next summer on lock?
Ever felt like you needed some movie-theater buttery popcorn to help you get through a never-ending company-wide Zoom? Well, AMC is making that (admittedly niche) dream a reality, for some employees. The movie theater chain is partnering with the video technology company that we all know and love, with a new project called “Zoom Rooms at AMC.” Companies can rent out a three-hour block at participating theaters for up to 150 of their employees to participate in video calls. This will be available in 2023 in up to 17 major US markets, if you’re interested.
And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t alert you to the fact that there is a new absolute bop out today. It’s exactly what you’ll want to listen to when you’re getting ready in the morning, working out, cooking, etc. Basically, any time you’re in a pep-in-your-step, dancing mood. It’s I WISH! by our very own Mimi Li, beloved PS Weekly contributor and PICTURESTART team member. Mimi describes the song as a “sultry banger with a hooky bass-line about one of the most profound human experiences—a situationship." If you’re a fan of alternative R&B sounds like the Internet or Audrey Nuna, do yourself a favor and go listen right here!
—Darlene Kenney, Director of Brand Marketing
TikTok
Easily, the coolest TikTok I saw this week was this one, which recommended a unique YouTube channel, @5ninthavenueproject. It’s all video content from the 1980s, mainly from Nelson, a New York City resident who was an early vlogger, documenting his everyday life. It’s super authentic and, if you ever find yourself longing for a time before the world was so wrapped up in technology, it’s a fun way to immerse yourself in a little slice of the past. Also in that vein, I saw this old mushroom commercial (lol) multiple times this week and kind of love it now. Lastly, I know Halloween is over now (by a few weeks), but I still have to share this video of friends giving their neighborhood the most wholesome and unexpected trick-or-treating experience.
—Darlene Kenney, Director of Brand Marketing
Film
I thoroughly enjoyed the first ENOLA HOLMES and had relatively low expectations for the sequel, because, well, sequels. But I was way off. ENOLA HOLMES 2 (trailer here), dare I say it, was even more charming and entertaining than the original. Millie Bobbie Brown carries the whole thing and manages to pull off “plucky girl detective” in a way that perfectly oscillates between tongue-in-cheek comedy and earnestly feminist call to arms. And Louis Partridge, who reminds me of a young Chuck Bass in all the best ways, is a romantic lead I would love to see everywhere. Their chemistry is great, the mystery is well paced, and the whole thing feels stylish without compromising what’s so special about the original novels.
—Neha Gandhi, Marketing Consultant
2018’s BLACK PANTHER was a cultural phenomenon, to state the obvious. So, it makes sense that a quick two years after the film’s debut, writer and director Ryan Coogler completed the script for the sequel. Tragically, a few weeks after that, Chadwick Boseman, the inimitable star and heart of the first film, passed away. Coogler of course rewrote the sequel, but fans have been wondering ever since, how this follow-up would both live up to the original, and honor Boseman’s memory.
Well, I’m happy to report that Ryan Coogler delivered an emotional tribute to the late actor in every way he could. Without spoiling the film, BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER (trailer here) feels like the best possible direction the Marvel team could have taken this piece of the universe, while also delivering on a captivating and fresh story. The opening sequence was heartfelt, and beautifully paid respect to T’Challa. Moving forward from there, Cooglar leans in on the supporting cast of the first film with a keen focus on Shuri (Letitia Wright), Queen Ramonda (Angela Bassett), M’Baku (Winston Duke), and Okoye (Danai Gurira). And then, by way of new characters, one of the best comic book villains the Marvel team could have drawn from delivers in the form of Namor (Tenoch Huerta). The juxtaposition of Namor’s backstory and his character’s actions create an antagonist I deeply enjoyed. And of course, this being Marvel, the massive scale and ambition of each set piece was awe-inspiring. The music throughout the film was an expansion on the original BLACK PANTHER, further incorporating African and Mesoamerican artists to create an extremely diverse score that comes to life inside the film. There’s so much more there, but honestly, just go see it. In a theater! It’s worth it.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Book
One of my favorite things to come out of this year was DRACULA DAILY, a Substack newsletter created by Matt Kirkland that’s literally just “the classic novel DRACULA delivered to your inbox, as it happens.” Bram Stoker’s DRACULA is an epistolary novel, told entirely through diary entries, newspaper clippings, and written correspondence between its characters, with the events of the story unfolding from May 3 to November 7—so it’s handcrafted for this format of storytelling. It was kind of bittersweet to receive the final entry earlier this week (I will truly and honestly miss getting emails from my good friend Jonathan Harker and his vampire-hunting besties), but the whole experience was a really fun way to engage with a classic novel that’s been on my reading list forever. Kirkland actually started DRACULA DAILY in 2021 and brought it back this year, so I hope the newsletter becomes an annual tradition. He’s also planning to release a book version next fall (DRACULA DAILY remixes the original novel by having each entry appear in chronological order), which I will definitely be on the lookout for.
— Lauren Kirksey, Development Intern
One of the first BookTok recommendations to come across my FYP back in 2020 was BLACK SUN by Rebecca Roanhorse. The novel is the first in a trilogy (the second book, FEVERED STAR, was released in April) and is a high fantasy inspired by pre-colonial cultures of the Americas. BLACK SUN follows the journeys of multiple characters (a shapeshifting mermaid captain, a high priestess, the living reincarnation of a powerful god, and the young scion of a noble house) as they travel to the capital for a solstice celebration that coincides with a solar eclipse. I absolutely loved the political scheming, the magical elements, and the deeply immersive world-building. Plus, there’s no joy like finishing a book you’re completely absorbed by…only to realize you have two more ahead of you.
—Rosemary Brennan, Marketing Consultant
Music
Indie rock band The 1975 released their fifth studio album a few weeks ago and I have been playing it non-stop. The album is titled BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE and each track has a vibe of its own, ranging from classic rock to synth pop to indie electronica. The lyrical themes cover love, mental health and even some political themes such as gun violence and climate change. Some of my personal favorite tracks off the album include, LOOKING FOR SOMEBODY (TO LOVE), WINTERING and ABOUT YOU. In multiple interviews, Healy has noted artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Arthur Russell for inspiration on some of the songs on the album so, if you’re a fan of either of those artists or just a fan of rock music in general, I highly recommend you put on BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE by The 1975, immediately.
—Saad Hamid, Digital Marketing Intern
If your music taste was anything like mine in the early 2010s (angsty, I-hate-this-town, etc.), Young the Giant’s COUGH SYRUP is probably floating around somewhere in one of your old playlists. I was always a casual YTG listener, but their most recent project, AMERICAN BOLLYWOOD, has quickly converted me into a proper fan. They’ve been releasing the album throughout the year in various acts, with the fourth and final act dropping just last month. It marks the band’s first release since cutting ties with their record label and starting their own label under the name Jungle Youth Publishing. Frontman Sameer Gadhia has described the project as a “reappropriation of sound,” taking popular Eastern-inspired elements of Western music (often found in the grunge and psychedelic genres) and reclaiming them in tribute to the South Asian diaspora. It is both a story about an Indian immigrant finding his way in a new country and a story about the band finding its way in a new era of their career. I definitely recommend starting with the beautifully personal and cinematic music video for the titular track AMERICAN BOLLYWOOD, a song that fully made me cry in the car when I first heard it. My other personal recs include WAKE UP, INSOMNIA DOLLAR $TORE, and OTHERSIDE.
—Anna Lee, Development Intern
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ