01/14/22
This week: The return of EUPHORIA, what we really thought about SCREAM, and some v. wholesome TikTok fun.
TRENDS THIS WEEK
☞Youtube Adele - Oh My God
☞Letterboxd DON’T LOOK UP
☞TikTok #petsofTikTok
☞Spotify abcdefu - GAYLE
☞Netflix CHEER
☞Twitter DEGRASSI
Life & Culture
Got a few space updates for y’all today. Scientists think they found a moon bigger than Earth in another galaxy, over 5,000 light years away. This is part of an ongoing project meant to find moons outside of our solar system. While the finding still needs to be confirmed, David Kipping, an astronomer at Columbia University, says the new moon is “pretty alien compared to any moon in the solar system.”
Coming back down to our moon, there’s apparently going to be a lot of activity going on up there this year. The US, Russia, and South Korea all have plans to send uncrewed missions to the moon in 2022. Additionally, multiple companies are sending missions to the moon privately, including two (Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines) that are working with NASA.
Instagram miiiiiight be letting users switch around posts in their profile grids soon, according to Alessandro Paluzzi, a mobile developer who works on reverse engineering. This would be a big adjustment, since we’ve been used to the grid being one of the few (mostly) unalterable spaces in the app, since its inception. But, I personally think it would be the best-received update IG’s done yet, since it would give users true control over their content and feeds.
In non-IG news, I came across the coolest TikTok account this week that I knew I had to share with you all here. An art historian, Tatyana Serraino, delves into one famous piece of art in each of her videos. She takes viewers through each aspect of the piece, highlighting specifics that an untrained eye would have missed, contextualizing the art, and offering an interpretation of what we’re seeing. I particularly enjoyed this video looking at Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World, and this video looking at Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Tatyana’s videos open up the world of each painting, and make art feel accessible and fun.
And I also have two extra-wholesome videos to share this week. I thoroughly enjoyed this video about maybe the most relatable Olympian ever, and this video about a heartwarming, long-time-coming reunion with a pup.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
Do you like scary movies…about scary movies? If you’re anything like me, the answer is a resounding “yes!” But the latest entry in the SCREAM franchise, SCREAM (2022) (trailer here), might still test your limits. As a lifelong SCREAM fan, I truly haven’t been this excited for a film since…well, 2011’s SCREAM 4. Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson’s effortless blend of comedy and thrills revitalized horror in the 90s, all packaged in the form of a self-referential roller coaster of a whodunit. The franchise cemented its place in pop culture by outlining the “rules'' characters should abide by to survive a scary movie, but zigging every time you thought it would zag and keeping you guessing who the killer(s?) were right until Ghostface’s mask came off. Since then, each SCREAM sequel has commented cleverly on the state of horror at its moment of creation.
SCREAM (2022), without spoiling anything, covers “requels”: loose sequels with new characters that retain a connection to the original film and legacy cast of a franchise, while relaunching it entirely for a new generation. The excitement of any SCREAM film lies in going into the experience blind and trying to put the pieces together before the third act, so I don’t want to say too much...but that excitement feels notably absent here as SCREAM (2022) follows the exact rules it’s trying to criticize. There are a few promising moments, fun kills, and stellar performances (Mikey Madison, Jenna Ortega and YELLOWJACKETS’s Jasmin Savoy-Brown ftw)—but they’re all tempered by just as many questionable decisions that made me sorely miss Wes Craven’s signature touch. All of that to say: seeing Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette in another SCREAM film is so much fun, and SCREAM (2022) is still an entertaining moviegoing experience. It just feels a bit hollow this go-around, straining under the weight of its own metafictional ambitions. This SCREAM fan is going to need a few more rewatches to make up his mind.
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
This week, I finally got around to watching Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, THE LOST DAUGHTER (trailer here) on Netflix. Based on a novel by Elena Ferrante, THE LOST DAUGHTER follows a middle-aged professor named Leda (Olivia Coleman) on her solo trip to Greece, where an introduction to a young mom (Dakota Johnson) and the seemingly idyllic sea breeze stir up some long-repressed memories and regrets. The film’s exploration of motherhood is refreshingly brazen and complex, if at times upsetting enough that I’d even consider it psychological horror. Immersive sound design and a fantastic score by Dickon Hinchliffe help juxtapose the lush, open paradise surrounding current-day Leda with the overwhelming sense of suffocation she felt in the life of her past self (with a younger Leda played by Jessie Buckley), until—with a deft hand from editor Affonso Gonçalves—the two timelines begin to fold in on each other. Go watch. This is a movie worth being haunted by.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
TV
One of the most talked about shows of 2019 has finally returned with a second season! I still remember the craze around EUPHORIA (trailer here) when it first came out—people talked about everything from the stunning and, well, euphoric cinematography, to its incredibly well-cast and iconic roles, to the trend-setting beauty looks and outfits, and most importantly, its raw confrontation of heavy topics like drug addiction and abuse. Created by Sam Levinson, the one-of-a-kind YA show features a phenomenal cast with Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Jacob Elordi, Angus Cloud and Maude Apatow—who all bring their respective roles to life on screen in such enigmatic ways that you can dress as any of them for Halloween and be recognized. Featuring a return of most of its main cast, the Season 2 premiere does not disappoint. Still trendy, stunning, anxiety-ridden, explosive, and definitely not family-friendly, this episode gives us an unexpected betrayal, a near overdose, and a crazy fight. Oh and also, a new cast member (more below!). Indeed, EUPHORIA is not for everyone, given how heavy it can feel at times, but I highly recommend it. And hey, even if you don’t find yourself watching the show, you can always get dressed to go to Euphoria High. <3
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Music
If you tuned into EUPHORIA’s Season 2 premiere, you probably caught sight of a new character hanging out with Rue—played by the popular singer-songwriter Dominic Fike. The 25-year-old Florida musician first found fame on Soundcloud, after he released his EP DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME, DEMOS in 2017, which caught the attention of several record labels and sparked a bidding war. You may recognize him from his multi-platinum single 3 NIGHTS, or his collabs with BROCKHAMPTON, Justin Bieber, Remi Wolf and many more. Billing himself as genre-bending, Dominic makes music that’s at once palatable, poppy, breezy, and buoyant; marked by muffled vocals and at-times gritty guitar riffs. Dominic says he’s “never not doing anything,” and this is very much clear with his latest venture into acting. I’m excited to see what he continues to bring to the world!
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant