09/02/22
This week: The book rec and TV rec we’ve been itching to share with you for SO long. Plus, the most criminally overlooked movie of the year.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube We Cry Together - Kendrick Lamar
Letterboxd BODIES BODIES BODIES
Spotify DESPECHÁ - ROSALÍA
Netflix MO
Twitter #Artemis
Life & Culture
Kicking off this holiday long weekend with a big happy 26th birthday to Zendaya, the queen of our hearts, and object of many, many, many excellent fan tributes.
In other news of powerhouse women, Serena Williams is dominating at the U.S. Open this week, in what is likely her final Grand Slam tournament ahead of retiring. In the second round, she beat Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, the #2 ranked player in the world, and continues on to play Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia in the third round on Friday. We are so rooting to see her play in the women’s final next Saturday, September 10. Mark your calendars!
And finally, as many of you already know, we are borderline obsessed with Nicole Kidman’s AMC spot over here. For anyone who feels similarly, we have thrilling news: Billy Ray shared this week that he’s already written the sequel. Dreaming of a Christmas gift from AMC to us, coming this holiday movie season…
—Neha Gandhi, EVP Digital & Strategy
TikTok
In the first installment of what’s absolutely going to be my new favorite series, David Larbi roasts the food and drinks in movies that, despite the hype, are actually terrible. I’m thrilled that someone is finally calling out James Bond and his obsession with martinis, which I’ve hated since my first sip, many years ago, stripped the enamel off my teeth.
Look, there are cat videos, and then there are orange cat videos. Mild West Sami blessed everyone’s fyp this week with the latter, introducing Monty, the fluffiest, neediest, and just plain cutest feline to ever enjoy being held upside down for hours on end.
Huge, huge thanks to Madeleine Byrne for reminding me that it was technically impossible to get ready in the early ‘00s without blasting KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See.” Now please excuse me while I try to eat breakfast, take a phone call, and look for my keys all at the same time.
—Rosemary Brennan, Marketing Consultant
Film
This summer has been a scorcher, and for all my LA people celebrating labor day, the forecasts are predicting a hot weekend ahead. These rising temperatures have me thinking of a favorite film of mine centered on the hottest stunt driver in all of Washington, HOT ROD (trailer here). Following the story of Rod Kimble (Andy Samberg), as he dreams of following his father's legacy as a famous stuntman, HOT ROD brings a heavy dose of original comedy. Backed up by a stellar team consisting of Dave (Bill Hader), Rico (Danny McBride), Kevin (Jorma Taccone), and of course the love of Rod’s life, Denise (Isla Fisher). Throughout the film, the best moments are between Rod and his friends as they train for the big finale, raising money for a heart transplant for the stepfather Rod hates. What a well executed homage to “dumb humor.” Whether it’s Rod falling down a mountain for three minutes, or side comments from Dave and Rico, this film never fails to make me laugh. Despite not landing a single stunt throughout the film, Rod Kimble is incredibly easy to root for. So, if you’re staying inside these final few days of summer and looking for a “cool beans” movie, give HOT ROD a run.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
TV
This week, I finally watched what turned out to be one of my favorite Marvel shows so far, MOON KNIGHT (trailer here). The show stars none other than the extraordinarily talented Oscar Isaac, alongside iconic supporting actors like Ethan Hawke and May Calamawy. The show is about a man who has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and is battling with two identities: Marc Spector and Stephen Grant. Their lives eventually become intertwined when Marc’s identity becomes a superhero vigilante called Moon Knight. I loved how the show was able to tackle the subject of mental health in an entertaining way while simultaneously not creating stigma around the disorder. Most of the show takes place in the Egyptian desert where the characters go on adventures to find clues to defeat evil wrongdoers. The show consists of hilarious sequences of Oscar Isaac going in and out of English and American accents while playing Stephen Grant and Marc Spector. Not only is the humor in the show on point, but the action sequences are incredibly impressive and the CGI is other-worldly (quite literally).
— Saad Hamid, Digital Intern
Podcast
If you haven't yet checked out our amazing new podcast READING THE STARS starring Antoni Bumba, we really must insist. Episode two dropped this week with the gorgeous Dylan Mulvaney joining Antoni. (You know Dylan from her Day of Girlhood video series on TikTok). Antoni and Dylan have an incredible conversation about the journey to finding your true self and what it means to be a woman—particularly a trans woman—in business, relationships, and life. It’s one of my favorite conversations we’ve shot so far, and I love that they’re silly, funny, and introspective—and that Antoni is wearing a corset.
I also particularly loved the conversation they had around their shared experiences growing up in devout Catholic homes, and how that impacted their journeys. Listening to Dylan talk about going to church and having the priest refuse to absolve her sins because she was confessing something related to being gay is heartbreaking but, delivered with Dylan’s signature sense of humor, also kind of hilarious. So, if you want to spend time with your best girlfriends who are set to take over the world, this is the show.
—Emmanuelle Stahler, VP Audio
Book
My introduction to the Goosebumps series came during a very scary time in my life: I was 6 years old and had just had my appendix removed. The thought of being trapped in the hospital bed after sundown was terrifying, but the little boy in the next room was kind enough to share his copy of Monster Blood (and some wild-looking chocolates from Brazil). Reading the story about Evan, the witch, and her evil monster blood cheered me up. I couldn’t stop turning pages, riveted by the frights and humor of the immersive world that R.L. Stine created for kids who have an appetite for larger-than-life adventures.
Stine writes brilliantly scary stories that are thrilling, funny, and poetic in their own spooky ways. And I love his process, entirely focused on the payoff for his young readers:
“One thing I do as a writer is that I come up with the ending first so that I can keep readers from guessing it. I do a complete outline of every book, but I always try to get the ending before I write Chapter One. Because then I know how to fool the reader.”
I might be better able to guess the ending now, but as an adult, the magic of reading R.L. Stine is of course in the nostalgia—thinking back at how silly, how bizarre, how fun, and how unique the world seemed to me when I was little.
This summer marks 30 years since the first Goosebumps book was published, and I’m going to celebrate it by spending the long weekend revisiting Monster Blood and reading R.L. Stine’s latest collection Stinetinglers, out this week!
—Lauren Ma, Business Affairs Coordinator
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
