05/06/22
This week: Two can’t-miss movie recs, one addicting TV show sure to brighten your weekend, and the bedroom pop band that you’ll quickly find yourself putting on repeat—all from AAPI creators!
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube OBI-WAN KENOBI Trailer
Letterboxd EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
TikTok #APIfamily
Spotify good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
Netflix KUNG FU PANDA 3
Twitter PERCY JACKSON Series Casting
Shopify Headscratchers Make A Comeback
Life & Culture
Last weekend, A24’s EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE’s domestic gross box office crossed $35 million. And this past Wednesday, on its 41st day in theaters, it was the top movie. This is super exciting because EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE is a fantastic film (some people are even saying it’s the best film of the year). But even more importantly, this is a pretty big win for indie films and non-IP-based theatrical movies. Forbes predicted the movie could end its domestic run with $65-$70 million, which is on par with a big franchise film like X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX.
It’s confirmed, people really like Wordle. And NYT’s “low seven figures” bet on the game is proving successful, as the word puzzle brought tens of millions of new users to the news platform. Even though Wordle remains free, the platform has been advertising its other games to Wordle users, and reportedly saw the best quarter ever for its game subscription offering.
Today I’m putting you all on a very creative TikToker, @darendarendaren. He’s a director, and his videos are very cinematic with this light, dynamic editing that makes you feel like you’re watching each video at a short film festival. This one will make all introverts feel seen, and this one somehow makes a simple conversation super fun to watch.
I also loved this video of a surprisingly athletic Hawaiian cat, and this mesmerizing video of a variety of dogs completing a relay race.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What’s the best book you’ve read this past year? We’re buying one of you your next cup of coffee to fuel your reading. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
If you’re a movie buff, you’ve probably seen OLDBOY. You’ve likely also seen THE HANDMAIDEN, my personal favorite of Park Chan-Wook’s films. But, it’s possible you’ve missed STOKER (trailer here), Park’s first and sole English-language feature (although I would be remiss not to mention his excellent English-language limited series THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL here as well). STOKER stars Mia Wasikowska as India Stoker, an aloof teenager with an affinity for the macabre, and Nicole Kidman as her emotionally unstable mother. When India’s father dies, a handsome and mysterious stranger named Charlie (Matthew Goode) arrives at the funeral, claiming to be his estranged brother. As Charlie forms a complex connection with both Stoker women, his identity becomes increasingly unclear. STOKER has all the delicious melodrama and kinkiness of a Park Chan-Wook project but heightens it almost to a level of camp. The result is akin to what it would feel like if a Lifetime movie were directed by one of the world’s greatest living auteurs. This slow-burn psychological thriller is just as lush and sensual as it is graphically violent, punctuated with a gorgeous score by Clint Mansell and brought to life by some truly haunting lead performances.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
FROM THE VAULT
Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s DRIVE MY CAR (trailer here) cleaned up during awards season last year and I can assure you that the movie is deserving of all the buzz. Based on a short story by Haruki Murakami, the film follows stage director Yūsuke (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), who accepts a residency at a theater in Hiroshima and is chauffeured around the area by the reticent Misaki (Tōko Miura). During these drives, he reflects on his marriage, trying to better understand his relationship with his wife, the clever screenwriter Oto (Reika Kirishima). Hamaguchi’s storytelling is thoughtful and affecting, and the (admittedly daunting) three-hour runtime coasts by as smoothly as Misaki’s driving.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
TV
I’m convinced not enough people gave WE ARE LADY PARTS (trailer here) its flowers when it premiered last summer, but alas, I’m here to help rectify that. Let me persuade you all to watch this gem of a comedy about an all-female Muslim punk rock band in the UK. Written and directed by Nida Manzoor, the series opens with a group of eclectic women whose band, Lady Parts, is searching for a new lead guitarist. They stumble across Amina, a shy Ph.D student and a secretly talented guitarist. Her worst fear is, of course, performing on stage, which she cannot do without vomiting. What’s so special about this show is its wildly eccentric characters—from Saira, the leader of the band who works a day job as a butcher, to Bisma, the bassist and a loving mother just trying to get her artwork sold. None of these women can be neatly folded in a box—and this series never attempts to do that to them.
—Ellen Amare, Development Intern
Book
If you’re looking for a voice-y, raw and bold story filled with fascinating and sharp observations, which at the same time makes you crave a bowl of gourmet Shin Black Ramyun, you must not miss YOLK by Mary H.K. Choi. From the New York Times bestselling author, YOLK follows two estranged Korean-American sisters who are kind of totally opposite—Jayne, the messy and always anxious fashion student barely getting by, and June, the put-together older sister with a dazzling, well-paying job in finance. But cancer and sisterly obligation throw them back together, under the same roof, and the novel unwinds from there. Mary gives us two flawed yet real sisters with strong and vibrant personalities, each dealing with their own issues in a way that feels so true to our generation. They are chaotic and painfully aware of themselves, and I love them for it. Among other things, this is a book about the Asian-American experience and growing up as immigrant kids in a catholic household. But at the same time, it is a universal story about sibling connection, about the young adult angst of figuring life out in a big city, and about facing your mental health issues. And also, this is a book that will make your stomach rumble with all its incredible descriptions of food.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Filmmaker
In 2021, Mira Nair’s film MISSISSIPPI MASALA was finally restored and replayed at the New York Film Festival after years of being pretty much unavailable. I had the pleasure of watching the film at the IFC Center in New York a few weekends ago, and I was able to take in the brilliance of Nair’s craft in the theatrical experience it was meant for. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a love story, it’s a piece of cultural commentary that dives headfirst into conversations about race, and it’s a place to see a young Denzel Washington star opposite Sarita Choudhury, who you may now know from HOMELAND or AND JUST LIKE THAT.
The legacy of Nair’s work—being unapologetic about the representation and portrayal of the Indian diaspora—has rightfully landed her countless accolades and awards nominations. But what makes her extremely compelling, especially to me as a young South Asian aspiring creative, is how fiercely she believes in and executes her vision for the stories that deeply resonate with her. Once quoted saying “Nair, like fire” about the pronunciation of her last name, Nair indeed has set all expectations ablaze with her activism, talent, and relentless love for storytelling.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
Music
If you’re on TikTok you probably remember a time when the sound “Go Little Rockstar” was inescapable. What if I told you:
1. These are the wrong lyrics, it’s actually “Pope is a Rockstar”, and
2. This sound, and a handful of others, came from a two-person indie band, SALES, one of my college favorites.
Jordan Shih makes up one half of the duo and is first-generation Chinese, living in Orlando, Florida with his bandmate, Lauren Morgan. Obviously, this wouldn’t be the first time TikTok had revived a band, but something about the SALES tracks feel authentically bedroom-poppy in a way that we’re missing today. I think part of the massive appeal of their songs is the homemade quality to it. While today, we have a whole class of bedroom pop artists like Clairo, Rex Orange County and Gus Dapperton, SALES was making bedroom pop before it was cool. Personally, I’m glad SALES is finally having their moment, and highly recommend checking out their tracks RENEE, IVY, and CHINESE NEW YEAR.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate