08/12/22
This week: Streaming price hikes, a punk-rock series, midwestern architectural marvels, and a book that exceeded all expectations.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Jennette McCurdy “I’m Glad My Mom Died”
Letterboxd PREY
Spotify Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52
Netflix UNCHARTED
Twitter Jungkook
Trailer THE MENU
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
The iconic Olivia Newton-John passed away on Monday at 73. She was best known for her role as Sandy in GREASE, and was behind so many chart-topping tunes of the ‘70s and ‘80s (her song PHYSICAL spent more time at the top of the Billboard charts than any other song in the 1980s—yes, I mean the entire decade!). She was also a self-described “cancer thriver,” a fighter, a mom, Grammy winner, and superstar actress. To every other kid who grew up watching and rewatching Olivia in GREASE, I'm right there with you. Olivia’s family is pointing people who’d like to support to donate to her cancer research institute in her memory.
Got a few scintillating clerical updates for you guys this week, on the streaming front. In short, if you use Disney Plus or Hulu, you can expect to pay more for content pretty soon. Disney Plus’ ad supported plan is launching in December for $7.99 per month. It’s also increasing its ad-free plan at the same time, up from $7.99 to $10.99 per month. Disney is increasing Hulu prices as well in October, taking ad-free subscribers from $12.99 a month to $14.99, while users of the ad-supported version will bump up to $7.99 a month (from $6.99). Womp.
Deepfake dub technology is taking the big screen today. Lionsgate’s newest theatrical movie, FALL, opens today. And it apparently originally had a lot of f-bombs in it. And when the filmmakers were told they had to bring the rating down from R to PG-13, they had a daunting task on their hands. But instead of doing reshoots or traditionally dubbing over the non-PG-13 words, the team used AI technology to remove over 30 offending words from the film.
This week, I loved this video of a massive rave crowd in the U.K. paying tribute to Olivia Newton-John together. I also may be a little biased since I grew up just outside of Philly, but I loved this video creatively documenting 100 unique row houses in Philadelphia. Lastly, I’d be remiss not to mention this TikTok account that I’ve been thoroughly enjoying, featuring bandmates that create a series they call “Can it Kirkland,” where they guess whether various alcohol is name-brand or from Costco.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
When I was a child, I did a “when I grow up” project about my dreams of one day becoming an architect. Unfortunately, that dream fizzled a few years later. But design and construction have always continued to fascinate me. And COLUMBUS (trailer here) feeds that fire in a big way. It’s a beautiful film from South Korean filmmaker Kogonada, exploring the many works of art found across Columbus, Indiana, a small midwestern town admired for its modernist architecture and unique displays from renowned designers.
Jin (John Cho) is a Korean-born man who journeys to Columbus to take care of his sick father. Jin eventually meets our other lead, Casey (Haley Lu Richardson, also the star of PICTURESTART classic, UNPREGNANT), who works at the library in town. The two form a bond based on a shared love of the local architecture, and through that (platonic) relationship, help each other work through some very real and difficult issues.
This film isn’t perfect, but it’s one of the most visually exploratory films I’ve ever seen. Both Richardson’s and Cho’s performances are quiet and intimate, and beautifully emphasized by the soundtrack and camera work. The hard lines and large structures of the modernist movement are so well captured in the mundanity of a small, midwestern town; it feels fantastical that a place like this could exist. So if you’re feeling contemplative and in the mood for being inspired visually, settle in with this film this weekend!
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
TV
I spent last week binge-watching the incredibly entertaining PISTOL (trailer here) miniseries about the English punk rock band, Sex Pistols. The show has a young talented cast including Maisie Williams, Louis Partridge, and Thomas-Brodie Sangster. The series covers the start and come-up of the band in the London rock scene throughout the mid to late ‘70s. The band eventually started picking up major media traction once it started to lean into the anti-establishment sentiment in its music—and causing havoc everywhere they went, purely for the sake of pissing people off. The show gives an accurate depiction of how the punk scene evolved, and how big public figures like Vivienne Westwood became involved. If you’re feeling some anti-establishment feelings yourself, amidst the general decline of civilization and rising prices of everything, this is a must watch for you.
—Saad Hamid, Digital Intern
READER RECOMMENDATION
Book
I honestly went into DAISY JONES & THE SIX with middling expectations. I’ve read two of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books before and enjoyed them, but not anywhere near the way I loved this one. At its core, this book is a love story about love—the possibility of love that doesn’t happen, love that’s based on so much trust it breaks your heart, love that was never equal, love that was always equal. I love that there are three female protagonists who all want different things in life and no one is shamed for their choices. It felt like a love letter to women, which is remarkable for a book with ~10 POVs, most of them being male. Yet, it’s definitely a female gaze book. The fact it’s all written as an oral history of bandmates and people around them talking about their experience in a rock band in the ‘70s made it even better. The only deterrent: I wish that I hadn’t read the book’s final page for many reasons. In an effort to not give spoilers, I will leave it at that. But every page leading up to that final one is truly excellent.
—Rebecca Smith, PS Weekly Subscriber
Podcast
We have our very first podcast coming out soon at PICTURESTART (in partnership with our friends at Brat)! It’s hosted by Antoni Bumba, a (very funny!) Gen Z influencer and content creator we’re pretty obsessed with. The show, READING THE STARS, is a weekly chat show that sees Antoni discussing all things pop culture, astrology, TikTok, mental health, and more. She’ll be joined by guests like Drew Afualo, Victoria Paris, Challxn, and Dylan Mulvaney. You can go ahead and subscribe here to be notified when the first episode drops on August 23, but I’ll also make sure to share the first episode with you all as soon as it drops.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
FROM THE VAULT
Short Film
WEEKEND AT GUS’ is a visually astonishing short film directed by Paul Overstrom, following a woman named Stephanie in her daily life as she runs a small fishing supply store in the San Francisco area. Her late father opened Gus’ Discount Tackle 60 years ago, and there, he taught her from a young age, how to run a business—and even more importantly, how to develop a deep and meaningful connection with customers. While watching WEEKEND AT GUS’, you can feel the warmth and welcoming feeling that Stephanie projects into the store along with her bright contagious smile. The store itself looks like time hasn’t touched it—like you’ve walked through a time portal taking you back 60 years. Overstrom made the smart choice of shooting this short film with a Bolex H16 in Kodak’s 250D, which gives a perfect texture and color warmth to translate Stephanie’s love and passion for the store. You’ll walk away from the short feeling warm and fuzzy about following your passion, being kind to others, and supporting the ones you love. Seriously, there’s no room for cynicism here, and you won’t miss it at all.
—Eri Taira, Associate Graphic Designer
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
