07/22/22
This week: A long list of things we loved about NOPE, the improbable magic of MARCEL THE SHELL, and two TV shows that prove comedy is very much alive and thriving.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube HALLOWEEN ENDS
Letterboxd THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Spotify ME PORTO BONITO - Bad Bunny
Netflix VIRGIN RIVER
Twitter DON’T WORRY DARLING
Trailer HOUSE OF THE DRAGON
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
Bad Bunny is having a pretty great summer. As of Monday, he broke his own all-time record for biggest streaming year for any artist in Spotify history, with over 10.3 billion streams. He’s also doing three concerts next week in his home of Puerto Rico, for which he only sold tickets in-person, causing fans to stand in line for upwards of 27 hours, like this TikToker shared. Plus, he’s getting into the world of acting, starring in BULLET TRAIN alongside Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock next month, and is soon to be a Marvel star as well.
If you’ve spent any time on social media this week, you’ve probably come across the Mr. Men/Little Miss trend. Meme creators are making images featuring characters from the ‘70s book series, overlaying specific roasts on the original character names. The trend seems to have started back in May with @juulpuppy, and it’s really snowballed over the past few days, with tons of internet users sharing the “Little Miss” or “Mr.” identities that they felt seen in, proudly owning their own red flags. But like most memes, this one is probably nearing its end, having already become a bit too omnipresent at this point.
Ever look at the life of a cat and think to yourself, man, I’d love to spend a day in their shoes? Well, STRAY, a new video game released on Tuesday, allows you to do just that. Released by BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive for PC and PlayStations 4 and 5, the game allows users to play as an orange tabby cat navigating through a mysterious city. The game is reportedly the studio’s biggest PC hit ever, seeing 62,963 concurrent players at its peak on Tuesday. But humans aren’t the only ones enjoying it; a ton of pet-owners are finding that their cats and dogs are also clearly very into it.
My favorite videos from this week included this weird one where a flock of Canadian geese team up to freak out an entire beach, this one where a woman expertly outlines the best ways to respond when someone says thank you, and this one that brings us underwater in the Everglades.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
Roland Barthes famously associated photography with death, every photo a signifier of “that has been.” And as Susan Sontag notes that even the language around film implies violence; you shoot with a camera, as you would a gun. In fact, photographic images have always been tied to mortality, memory, exploitation, fear, mystery, excitement, and dread. And as a film that's largely about memory, and hinges on the quest for a specific image (a "magic shot"), Jordan Peele's NOPE (trailer here) plays with all of this—while unabashedly being, at its core, a spectacle.
The movie follows Otis "OJ" Haywood Jr. (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald "Em" Haywood (Keke Palmer), descendents of the jockey in Eadweard Muybridge's "The Horse in Motion," struggling to keep their family's Hollywood horse business afloat in the California desert, begrudgingly selling horses one by one to a kitschy theme park down the road owned by a former child star (Steven Yeun). But soon, to put it in the least spoilery way possible, weird shit starts happening. Instead of sharing spoilers, I’ll tell you my favorite things about the film (and the list is long): a truly jarring opening sequence; Peele's slow and masterful build; a score by frequent Peele collaborator Michael Abels that combines the sounds of classic westerns and horror pictures with Spielbergian wonder; Hoyte van Hoytema's jaw-dropping cinematography; some of the most interesting creature designs our stunted, STRANGER THINGS-saturated culture has seen in a long time; a buddy-comedy dynamic brought to life by some great supporting characters; and the layered sibling relationship between Kaluuya (his incredible subtlety and eye-acting at their best) and Palmer (a for-real movie star who can make anyone with a soul smile). The movie’s faults mainly lie in the human story underlying the science fiction one; I felt like there was so much cerebral stuff to chew on about analog vs. digital media technology, voyeurism, surveillance, and our obsession with seeing and being seen, but wanted the emotional throughline with OJ, Em, and their father Otis Sr. (Keith David) to resonate a bit more. But Peele has said this is a popcorn movie that also caters to Easter Egg viewers, those ravenous types who watch something dozens of times to make sure they get every last crumb; let's hope those revisits substantiate the characters just as much as the plot. Whether you're going one time or a hundred, go see this one in IMAX, because metaphors aside, NOPE is just a blast to watch.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
I went into MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (trailer here) dubious. While I was a big fan of the short, I didn’t see how it could sustain the length of a feature film. Well, I am here to say that MARCEL is amazing and beautiful and everyone who has ever felt lonely in their life should watch it. It is a movie about abandonment and loneliness and how small a person can feel in the world. Jenny Slate is heartbreaking. Her deadpan humor is used for both comedy and melancholy to equal effect. But to be clear, the film is also laugh-out-loud funny, full of the bizarre non sequiturs that made the original short such a hit. I laughed, I cried, I felt so many things! Isabella Rossellini is in it! Go see it!
—Julia Hammer, Director of Production
TV
It's been almost five years since NATHAN FOR YOU ended its four-season run. The show was first and foremost a cringe comedy that offered the squirming amusement of watching Nathan Fielder, playing a heightened version of his already awkward self, assist ordinary people in their business ventures—although those ordinary people would occasionally reveal themselves to be more authentically strange than Fielder's manufactured persona, and that was part of the magic. It was, in many ways, like watching a TLC show after one too many hits of a joint. But for the series finale “Finding Frances” in 2017, Fielder tweaked the format a bit, stretching the episode to an 84-minute runtime, and embarking on a road trip to reunite series regular Bill with an old flame. The episode struck an emotional nerve that the series until then had merely prodded at, bringing to the forefront questions of reality, artifice, identity, human connection, and isolation, and culminating in a stunningly poignant conclusion to the program.
Now Nathan Fielder is back with THE REHEARSAL (trailer here), which floats in the same niche comedy space but ironically frames itself as more of a serious, quasi-experimental docuseries than something you'd watch after WHAT NOT TO WEAR over morning cereal. The premise is as high as you can go: Fielder helps people practice upcoming key moments in their lives by replicating and predicting every element of the given scenario and environment, eliminating the possibility of surprise and allowing for absolute preparation.
The most exciting thing about THE REHEARSAL is that it strikes a balance between Fielder's typical brand of humor and something more like “Finding Frances.” In readying teacher Kor to come clean to his good friend about a white lie that’s been snowballing for over a decade, Nathan goes full SYNECDOCHE; NEW YORK and builds a life-sized replica of Kor's local trivia bar. As he does with all his subjects, but with Bill in particular, Fielder walks an uncanny line of compassion—a genuine interest in Kor's humanity—and satire (or what some have even called "mocking" or "mean" in the past). This tension has always given Fielder's content its trademark discomfort as well as its allure. This man, Kor, has some legitimate emotional wounds. Is Fielder probing those for the sake of a laugh, or actually healing Kor through some backwardly ingenious form of therapy? Can it be both?
For anyone who’s worried, Kor's story ends on an emotionally satisfactory and all-in-all sweet note—but not without PURE IMAGINATION playing us out over the credits as a reminder of the unsettling nature of Fielder's ultra-meta creation: It is somehow whimsical, inane, egotistical, generous, delightful, and deeply sad all at once.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
It took me a few tries to get into WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (trailer here); I didn’t immediately love it. But after I watched OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH, I went on a massive Taika Waititi binge and ended up getting sucked into the world of four Staten Island vampires and their familiar/bodyguard. I love the way this show combines the mundane with the supernatural, with heartfelt moments that sneak up on you. It's consistent in a way that many genre comedies aren’t, in that it not only commits to the bit comedically but also commits to the constraints of its world-building. Showrunner Paul Simms has fine-tuned an exceptional formula for comedy: Take a strange yet clearly-defined world full of bizarre characters who struggle to get along even under the best of circumstances, and force them to deal with anything but. I love this show for its tight writing and clever storytelling, but I love it even more for its relentless humanity (it just… never relents). And somehow in showcasing the mundanity of what it means to be a vampire, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS has also captured the absurdity of what it means to be human.
—Carrie Smith, Executive Assistant
Music
Steve Lacy’s long-awaited sophomore full-length album GEMINI RIGHTS dropped last week…and it did not disappoint. Steve first gained recognition as the guitarist and one of the producers for The Internet, but soon attracted his own fanbase as a solo act after his successful debut album, APOLLO XXI (which earned him his first Grammy nom as a solo artist!). Compared to his earlier work—a lot of which included his DIY songwriting and production recorded directly on his iPhone—this album is a product of wonderful collabs, giving it a robust and progressive sound. Inspired by Steve’s breakup with a boyfriend, the album muses on a mix of complicated and turbulent emotions—relief, longing, regret, love, resentment and more. For me, this is an album that gets better with each listen, so carve out the time to make it through a few times this weekend!
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
07/15/22
This week: Two can’t-miss TV shows, the period rom-com of your dreams, and the video game to stay inside with all weekend.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Harry Styles – LATE NIGHT TALKING
Letterboxd THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Spotify RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) - Kate Bush
Netflix STRANGER THINGS
Twitter Skate
Trailer THE WOMAN KING
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
Okay I feel like I’ve been shutting out this news for a while, but this week I’ve finally had to come to terms with it…hand dryers are super germy. I was avoiding this fact because hand dryers are convenient, in pretty much every public bathroom even when paper towels are not, and I felt like I was doing a little something for the environment when I opted to use one of them instead of their more wasteful paper towel alternative. But this TikTok finally showed me the truth, and this article confirmed it. Hand dryers are apparently sucking up bathroom germs and blowing them out on all of our hands. Love that. So take this as a PSA that we should all be unfortunately wiping our hands on our clothes, I guess.
Emmy noms are out! And they made me reflect on all of the good TV we’ve had this past year. I was happy to see some of my favorite comedy series ABBOT ELEMENTARY, ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, and INSECURE get a few noms. SUCCESSION pulled in the most nominations, followed by TED LASSO and WHITE LOTUS. And Jennifer Coolidge, Sydney Sweeney, and Chadwick Boseman are among the individuals receiving their first Emmy noms this year.
I feel like I’ve been consistently giving you all Wordle updates since the word game became uber popular last October. What’s new: there’s apparently a board game in the works. The New York Times is partnering with Hasbro to bring Wordle: The Party Game to our kitchen tables later this year. The concept is pretty similar to the online version, with one player coming up with a word and the other players having six opportunities to guess. And in more Wordle-verse news, on Tuesday Spotify announced that it purchased its first game acquisition in Heardle. In its current form, players have to guess a song after hearing a few opening notes.
I must admit I haven’t been spending too much time on my phone lately, but some of my favorite internet moments that I did see were this really beautiful depiction of the difference between winter and summer in New York, this video that highlights the coolest movie-watching experience I’ve ever seen, and this video that my roommate sent me of a turtle straight chilling while getting cleaned.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
FILM
During a weekend packed with errands, I was able to sneak away to watch MR. MALCOM’S LIST (trailer here) and oh my, was I glad I did. Of course the Regency-era costumes were a delight. The stately country manors and chic townhouses…chef’s kiss. Revenge plots, high-society hijinks, and witty convos about Corn Laws? Yes, please. But what I absolutely adored? Ashley Park’s twice-widowed Gertie Covington absolutely owning every moment she was in with her amazing main-character energy. The giggles, the outrageous costumes, the amazing hairstyles, the everything!
—Rosemary Brennan, Marketing Consultant
TV
If you haven’t watched THE OFFER (trailer here), you’re missing out. Starring Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Colin Hanks, and Matthew Goode, it’s for sure one of the most fun limited series of the year. The plot centers around Teller, playing Al Ruddy, the producer of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 cinematic masterpiece, THE GODFATHER. The show offers one of the most realistic (albeit in a very deus ex machina version) portrayals of how movies in Hollywood get made I’ve ever seen. Ruddy and his boss, Paramount studio head Bob Evans (played by a scene-stealing Matthew Goode), fight the studio owners, the Italian mob, and their own personal demons to bring Mario Puzo’s book to the silver screen. This all makes for a feel-good story in a vibrant 1970s Los Angeles. The cast works incredibly well together and Matthew Goode’s performance is mesmerizing. If you are like most movie fans and place THE GODFATHER up there on your all-time ranking, please give this a watch.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
There’s nothing better than a feel-good family sitcom, which is why I need everyone to add GORDITA CHRONICLES (trailer here) to their watchlist. Set in an ultra-nostalgic 1980s Miami, Cucu Castelli has just moved from the Dominican Republic with her parents, Victor and Adela, and her older sister, Emilia. At the heart of this story, the Castellis are trying to overcome the cultural barriers in America, while supporting each other to achieve the “American Dream,” but they quickly learn it’s not all it’s chopped up to be. I mean, learning about taxes is enough to kill the dream for Victor (rightfully so). The Castellis really stick up for each other in their times of need, which is why this family is so easy to love. Even Emilia and Cucu’s sibling rivalry (which, admittedly, is very similar to my own childhood rivalry with my older sister) cannot trump the loyalty they have to each other. Truthfully, Cucu is the kid I wanted to be growing up—not in the stereotypical sense of looks and popularity, but in the confidence she so effortlessly exudes. I forget at times that Olivia Goncalves, who plays Cucu, is only 12 years old. But, it feels so easy to be drawn to her character, whose wittiness, strongly grounded individuality, and a bit of naiveté seem to get her through all of her tween problems. This show really delivers some wholesome vibes, so I urge you to binge the whole season on HBO Max!
—Ellen Amare, Office Coordinator
VIDEO GAME
STARDEW VALLEY has been sitting in my library for about five years now. Originally purchased on a mean sale one summer evening, I had grand intentions of playing one of the most highly regarded games that still holds up today. A fan of MINECRAFT and other resource-gathering/village-building games, I knew it would be an instant hour sink. Or so I thought. There it sat, constantly begging me to commit to even opening the game. Still, I ended up either being too busy with other games, movies, or school, to bother starting something that seemed like such a commitment. In the end, it was the bond of two siblings sent across the country that made me open it up on my Nintendo Switch. STARDEW has a CoOp Multiplayer mode, and my sister convinced me to start a world together. Now, we live in different cities, but are able to work on our farm and help develop our village together. The game itself is endlessly addicting, pestering us with the notion of “we will stop after this day”. It is beautifully designed, with great artwork, fun characters, and really top notch music that keeps me wanting to finish that quest or make some more money. We have only recently begun our first Summer in the game, but I can tell we will be expanding our farm into quite the empire soon enough.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
SHORT FILM
I’d be remiss if I didn’t alert you all that our very own Neal Mulani (writer of many a passionate PS Weekly recommendation) has an incredible short film coming out this summer. The short, TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW, is a comedy-thriller with a simple premise: “Cary, a meddling twink, brings his friends to the desert to celebrate his 25th birthday where he requests one gift: for them to tell him everything they hate about him. A reckoning ensues.” It deftly explores the intense social dynamics between Cary and his best friends by interrogating the question of what our closest friends really think about us. The tone is really fresh; it’s gripping and manages to continuously toe the line between thrilling and humorous. Neal leaves you spending the duration of the short second guessing what outlandish (or even violent!) antics Cary will pull next. Following a festival run that’s made stops at Frameline and Palm Springs International ShortFest, TELL ME SOMETHING I DON’T KNOW is finally premiering in Los Angeles next Saturday at The Ford, as part of the Comedy Night program at Outfest’s 40th Annual Film Festival—it’s gonna be a blast and you won’t want to miss it.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
07/08/22
#gentleminions, the show everyone seems to be talking about, a few great throwback recs, and the perfect road-trip pod.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube The World’s Most Satisfying Videos
Letterboxd MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
Spotify Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) - Kate Bush
Netflix ALONE
Twitter Duffer Brothers
Trailer THE WOMAN KING
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
Well, a lot of stuff—big and small—happened this week, and none of it was great. Shinzo Abe, the former Prime Minister of Japan, was assassinated. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned amidst a wave of scandals. A shooting at a Highland Park July 4th parade left seven people dead, a toddler orphaned, and countless injured. A bunch of billionaires gathered in Sun Valley. Twitter seems to be introducing co-tweeting, for reasons that are unclear. And the Elon Musk Twitter acquisition really/probably won’t happen.
So, you can imagine my delight at seeing something pure and harmless fly off the internet and into the movie theaters, in the form of the #gentleminions trend, which has been blowing up on TikTok and Twitter. Teens (and some young adults) in suits and formalwear with bananas in hand, filling theaters to watch a kids movie that made its franchise debut when most of them were exactly the age of the target audience. So wholesome, so dapper, so charming. But of course, we can’t have anything nice, and that harmless TikTok trend ended up with a handful of the boys in suits doing damage to theaters, causing chaos, and leaving young kids in tears. Which has led to some theaters banning the trend altogether. But that hasn’t stopped the tremendous Gen Z turnout for the film, which saw double the teen audience of all the other films in the franchise, and a $125M opening weekend (breaking July 4th opening weekend records).
TIKTOK
Giving this very popular part of the email its own section, and all the respect it truly deserves, starting today.
So it turns out that we all have the same parents?! One of the more recent (and I’d argue the best) uses of Keith Sweat’s “Twisted” sound involves Codename_Slim noticing her divorced parents—who hate each other—suddenly flirting while at a family gathering. Perhaps the most painfully funny yet relatable TikTok to cross my FYP ever.
As per usual, flossybaby comes through with the advice we’re all in need of during these trying times: Just buy it.
I will never not watch a GRWM (come get ready with me!) TikTok, but the most gorgeous one of all time has to be dancer Kâhkâkis taking us through the steps she takes when preparing for a powwow. I’ve watched this approximately 300 times and it’s still not enough.
—Rosemary Brennan, Marketing Consultant
TV
I’ve been a vegetarian since I was nine, and there are very few shows that make me go... "Wow I really want to take a bite of that beef sandwich right now.” And somehow that was the thought looming in my brain while I watched THE BEAR, a new limited series created by Chris Storer, which premiered on FX on Hulu. The show has a seemingly simple concept—Carmy, a young chef (played by Jeremy Allen White) from the world of fine-dining, gives it all up to come home to Chicago and run his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop. But the show doesn’t want to settle for an easy-breezy sugar-coated look into what goes on behind-the-scenes in a kitchen. If anything, it’s extremely grounded and real (if not a bit anxiety-inducing!), capturing the urgency, tension, speed and raised voices of a cramped restaurant kitchen. I found myself on the edge of my seat as I followed the chaos, mayhem and the absurd amount of work that goes into running a family sandwich shop. And it’s all incredibly executed by the pulse-racing camera movements and amazing performances by the cast—including Ayo Edebiri, who plays the ambitious sous chef who comes in to help Carmy run the place but must earn the respect of the OG kitchen crew. But at the end of the day, what really captivated me is the relationship between the kitchen staff, and the drive and commitment that brings them back in, day after day despite all.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
How enthralling can a six-episode show focused on an international hotel manager be? Absolutely captivating, actually, when you mix in Tom Hiddleston, an intense undercover operation, and some truly stunning destinations. THE NIGHT MANAGER is a 2016 limited series on HBO that I watched in a single sitting, and fully believe it is one of the most underrated limited shows on HBO. The premise features an intense cat and mouse chase between an undercover British soldier (Tom Hiddleston) who intimately infiltrates the notorious family of an elusive arms dealer (Hugh Laurie). Other notable stars are Olivia Coleman and Elizabeth Debicki who both give terrific performances. But the thing that truly sets this series apart from its peers in the crowded spy films space is director Susanne Brier’s use of the game of espionage to show a deeper understanding of the characters. It is less about the heroics of a 007, but the actions of an average British soldier who can only rely on his wits and charisma to win against a very real enemy. I highly recommend this one if you missed it when it first came out. Not only is it extremely binge-worthy, but it’ll easily fit into a single late night of couch time!
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
BOOK
This week I found myself returning to Jhumpa Lahiri’s WHEREABOUTS—which she wrote and published in Italian before translating it to English. The writing itself is just the sort of gorgeous prose you’d expect from Lahiri—applied to an observational, internal story filled with watching and longing and dreaming, but very little action. The novel details the life of a middle-aged woman in a small town in Italy living out her life as a professor and taking in the lives of those around her. She imagines what it would be like to carry out an affair with a married man but never acts on it. She mentors a young woman and finds herself inspired and simultaneously ashamed of her own life instead. She meets with an old friend and her husband and finds that she doesn’t like the husband. The almost vignette style of the novel makes for a refreshing summer read. I strongly recommend it if you’re already a Lahiri fan, because it’s quite a departure from her usual style of writing—and what a joy it is to see a writer you love experiment a little bit! And even if you aren’t already a fan of her work, give this one a read. It stands on its own merit and is just a beautiful, lingering read.
—Nimrata Narang, Digital Fellow
[Editor’s note: Happy last day of your fellowship, Nim! We’ll miss you!]
PODCAST
I’ve been on a pretty long road trip this week, which is naturally the perfect opportunity to settle into a new (to me) podcast. My co-pilot and I wanted to listen to something educational, related to nature, and also fun. If you find yourself in a similar boat this summer, let me put you on to OLOGIES. It breaks down very niche subjects in ways you can understand even if you’re entirely new to the topic. Host Ali Ward brings a different expert on the show for each episode, allowing listeners to dedicate 45 minutes to learning all about a specific subject. She covers topics like raccoons (which we obviously started with) to clouds to shipwrecks to kissing. If you check out her list of episodes, you’re sure to find a niche that will pique your interest.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
07/01/22
This week: Shirley Maclaine’s return to TV, alt July 4th plans, and a reality TV rec you didn’t see coming.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube An Elden Ring Story
Letterboxd DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix SING 2
Twitter Kevin Durant
Trailer HOCUS POCUS 2
Shopify It’s Been A Week
LIFE & CULTURE
Apparently when the Supreme Court isn’t busy stripping Americans of their fundamental rights, it’s making it harder for the US to fight climate change. Yesterday, in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency the Supreme Court decided the EPA should have less authority to limit carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, a major source of this country’s pollution that is dangerously heating the planet. Among other things, this will set back Biden’s climate agenda, specifically his promise that the US will cut its greenhouse gas pollution in half by the end of the decade.
Less depressing news of the planet: We now know a lot more about our oceans, thanks to an international initiative called Seabed 2030, which is working to have the entirety of our oceans mapped by the end of this decade. So far, almost a quarter of the work is done, according to an update from the UN Ocean Conference this week. Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, the organization behind the project, said that this work will “tackle some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, including climate change and marine pollution. It will enable us to safeguard the planet’s future.”
There’s one TikTok creator that I’ve been so excited to see on my FYP lately called @literallystarving (lol) who’s doing something really special. He goes up to different passersby on the streets of New York and simply asks them to name a dish—sometimes their favorite food, other times, what they’re craving at that moment. He then goes home and makes the exact dish, and delivers the food back to the person that told him about it. This series is so sweet, it’s really heartwarming to see people’s food dreams come to life, like this woman who was homesick and really wanted Brazilian moqueca. It’s also a fun twist on the man-on-the-street videos that have become popular on TikTok lately, and happen to be a style of journalism that I’ve always loved.
Outside of seeing pretty much the entirety of the BARBIE movie on the internet this week, I also enjoyed this video of a guy who has never tried any drink other than water trying a number of non-H2O drinks from Gatorade to a Slurpee, and this video of maybe the best trick I’ve ever seen a dog do.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
FILM
FROM THE VAULT
Editor’s note: If you’re not feeling much like celebrating America on July 4, I get it. Let me propose an alternative. Because if you haven’t yet seen MINARI (trailer here), Lee Isaac Chung’s beautiful and intimate drama documenting one family’s American dream, this weekend is as good a time as any to do it.
While the film’s subject matter—a Korean-American family moves to Arkansas to start a farm—might sound small, MINARI is actually a sweeping emotional tale about a family trying to find success, which means something different to each family member. The film, I should mention, is also hilarious–the younger son (Alan Kim, awards season superstar and PS fave) and his grandmother (Youn Yuh-Jung) square off in a number of laugh-out-loud moments.
—Julia Hammer, Director of Production
TV
MTV’s long-running competition show THE CHALLENGE is 37 seasons in, and arguably more successful than ever. But that’s not the show I’m here to recommend. Instead, I am here to encourage you to watch the incredible spinoff series on Paramount+, THE CHALLENGE: ALL STARS. This All Stars edition brings the show’s OGs back to compete in a less physical but much more entertaining game format. Many of these All Stars—most first appeared on REAL WORLD or ROAD RULES—have been competing on THE CHALLENGE since I was in diapers, but they’re even more enthusiastic and fun to watch now than they were in the 90s. And not that reality TV has ever been wholesome, but the genuine camaraderie among these Challengers softens the drama and allows the viewers to appreciate the juicy, funny pettiness. For example, a recent episode included an emotional moment in which Challenge legend Veronica was removed from the game due to injury. Her fellow All Stars huddled around her and cheered, acknowledging her icon status in a sentimental sendoff. Seconds later, the show’s never-graceful long-time host TJ Lavin wrapped up Veronica’s goodbye by stating: “Well that sucked.” So perfectly abrupt, messy, unpolished, but oddly poignant. So perfectly THE CHALLENGE.
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING is back with its second season! The murder-mystery-comedy delightfully skewers the world of crime podcasts, and stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. It’s the type of show that anyone can enjoy; I started watching it last year with my parents, and they are just as excited to keep up with the second season as I am. After watching the first episode, I can report that this season appears to be just as light and fun and bingeable as the first. Our protagonists are now much more notorious figures, which is bringing them exciting new adventures (TV show pitches! Reboots! Art cults!) and higher stakes, with more eyes on them. New faces include all-around icon Shirley Maclaine as the murdered Bunny’s mother, Cara Delevgine as a gallerist, and Amy Schumer as herself.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
BOOK
Every summer I try to revisit one book I’ve read and loved before—the only criteria is that it needs to remind me of the blissfully lazy and youthful days of summer break. This year I picked Sandra Cisneros' THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, a vignette-style novel chronicling one year of young Esperanza Cordero’s life as she grows up in Chicago. Reading it during one of my high school summers in Bangkok, I remember being struck by how simply Cisneros was able to depict the joy, fear, awe, and so much more that a young adolescent feels at the cusp of young adulthood. Esperanza, ages 11 through 13, observes her neighborhood filled with immigrants and first-generation Americans. Cisneros writes about the challenges and heartbreaking moments in the lives of those who are othered with such clarity that reading it so many years later still catches me by surprise. The prose, sometimes lyrical, is effortless because she’s just so honest. She never tries to make Esperanza seem any older, smarter, or more interesting than she is—she simply lets her be.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
Anything that you're currently loving that we didn't cover? Just reply to this email and let us know.
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
06/24/22
This week: A TV soundtrack just chock-full of bangers, an Anne Hathaway movie marathon, our unfiltered thoughts on ELVIS, and a new stop-motion flick 30+ years in the making.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Beyoncé - BREAK MY SOUL
Letterboxd LIGHTYEAR
Spotify Joji – Glimpse of Us
Netflix THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY
Twitter Juul
Trailer SMILE
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
We’ve seen this coming for a long time now, but the horrible, rage-inducing day is now here. Today, in ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This ruling removes any constitutional restriction on laws banning abortion procedures. It’s a sad day to be an American, and I find myself disheartened by our government yet again. At PICTURESTART, our very first movie was about these very issues; UNPREGNANT (on HBOMax) tells the story of a teenager who must travel across state lines to obtain an abortion. If you’re looking for tangible ways to get involved, we recommend donating to an org like The National Abortion Federation’s Tiller Fund or The Brigid Alliance (which we’re matching donations up to $5k over on IG), which raise money to provide assistance to individuals who need to travel to get reproductive care. You can also donate to your local abortion fund, vote (which I know feels a little like BS, but this is an important piece of the puzzle and we’ve all gotta keep doing it), and join local protests in your area.
Creator Khaby Lame has just become the most-followed person on TikTok, with 142.9 million subscribers, overtaking Charli D’Amelio. Lame is 22, was born in Senegal, and now lives in Italy. His videos mainly depict him reacting to various other videos on the app, with a comedic spin, like this one where he reacts to another creator overusing cologne. He’s super creative and often depicts relatable, everyday things, like when you stop to tie your shoes and your friends keep walking. What’s cool about Khabane’s comedy is the fact that it’s typically wordless, so it can appeal to users who speak any language.
And to close on a bright night, here are three of my favorite bits of the internet from this past week. I really loved this beautiful obituary posted on Twitter, as the few paragraphs give you a full feel for the woman who passed. I also loved this calming video of someone trimming hedges (there’s just something about it, okay!) and this video highlighting how impressive the four-way phone call scene in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY really was.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What TV show will you be rewatching this summer? We’re giving one of you the snack of your choice to fuel your summer viewing.. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
Elvis Presley achieved a level of fame that goes well beyond his music. He’s more than a cultural icon—something more like a cultural given. Forget the collectibles and Vegas weddings; children know how to impersonate the man before they even know his name. Really, the story of Elvis is a story of America, so it is inherently impossible to make an adequate Elvis biopic. One level down from that goal is the challenge to merely capture Elvis as a musician and presence, which I would also deem impossible—that is, if I hadn't seen Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS, starring Austin Butler.
There's a scene in the film where we see Elvis become Elvis. The movie cross-cuts between his childhood and young adulthood, and in a spectacularly dizzying and Luhrmannian sequence of visuals and some of the best sound design I've heard in a musical biopic, the audience understands how spirituality, sex, and music culminate to create a new American “superhero”—as Tom Hanks' Colonel Tom Parker calls him. (I don't want to give too much away, but if you've seen the trailers, you've seen it.) This moment is imbued with so much electricity, emotion, and humor, but that would all be moot if it weren't for Butler's magnetism and uncanny pipes—and when it comes down to it, I seriously think this is the closest we will get to capturing the ineffability of Elvis.
On paper, ELVIS (trailer here) is pretty by-the-numbers—the modest beginnings, the rise to stardom, the descent into drugs, alcoholism, and infidelity; peppered with lines like "I wish you wouldn't drink so much" and "I need to get back to who I really am." One interesting departure from biopic conventions though is the film's POV, with the story being told through the eyes (and bewilderingly accented voice) of Presley's manager Tom Parker. Even though Parker narrates the film, the writers (Luhrmann, Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner) pretty decidedly position him as its villain, which Hanks reinforces with a fantastic mustache-twirling performance.
Necessarily, the film addresses the racial element of Elvis' story, which is so essential that calling it an "element" at all feels like an understatement. Now, does it address this successfully? Not really. Elvis made his fortune and fame off of Black musical styles—rhythm and blues, spirituals, and gospel—and while he did publicly give credit to artists like BB King and Fats Domino, many would disagree that he was the social justice hero ELVIS makes him out to be. (Separately, Elvis’ relationship with his wife Priscilla, who was 14 at the time they got together, is also problematic—and the film pretty conveniently skirts around it.)
Overall, this movie is big and mythical and imperfect, just as Elvis was. Luhrmann has a unique ability to deliver camp without irony, which could not be more fitting for the bedazzled legacy of one of the most famous performers of all time, and Butler has somehow managed to embody him through those soulful eyes, or even a chuckle or flick of a mic wire. ELVIS may be thematically overambitious, but it’s viscerally exquisite—so get yourself to a theater asap.
—Alicia Deveraux, Development Assistant
I’ve been on a 2000s coming-of-age dramedy kick lately, consisting mostly of rewatches (but also CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, of course). When I’m tired and stressed and a little bit bummed out, nothing soothes like Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. I started out with THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, then followed the Meryl train to JULIE AND JULIA, thought “hmm, maybe Amy Adams next?” and started ARRIVAL, but it wasn’t the vibe for that night (though I do love that movie). I pivoted back to Anne Hathaway and ended up watching THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (trailer here).
I love coming back to movies like this as an adult, both for the nostalgia and for the surprising details that stick out upon second (dozenth) viewing. The dated plane CGI. The dirty jokes I totally missed as a kid. The fact that it was written by SHONDA FREAKING RHIMES (no wonder it holds up). The first PRINCESS DIARIES is a masterpiece in its own right, but the sequel will always be my favorite—in part because of the completely gratuitous but tonally vital 10-minute-long sleepover scene in which Julie Andrews does her own mattress-surfing stunts. But also because in trying to find her place in the world as a clumsy, impulsive, frizzy-haired 20-something, Mia is a reminder that you don't have to do it alone, you don't have to have it all figured out, and you don't need a husband to be Queen of Genovia.
—Carrie Smith, Executive Assistant
A fantastic recent release that has flown somewhat under the radar is Phil Tippett’s stop-motion horror odyssey MAD GOD (trailer here). Written, produced, and directed by Tippett, who is best known for his visual effects work in classic movies like JURASSIC PARK, ROBOCOP, and the original STAR WARS trilogy, MAD GOD is a passion project that took him 30 years to complete. And let me just say, the level of commitment absolutely shows. The film is a genuine tour de force of pure creativity, and the surreal journey taken by its unspeaking protagonists is completely unpredictable and progresses like nothing I’ve ever seen. There really isn’t any way to prepare you for the film, as it could probably be best described as “light on plot,” but if you’re a fan of stop-motion and dreamlike imagery, or are just interested in seeing what a decade-spanning passion project by a visual effects mastermind looks like, I’d highly recommend checking it out. Fair warning: There are definitely some gory and unsettling moments that might put off queasier viewers. But honestly, I was so completely impressed by what I was watching that the horror of it all never really overwhelmed me.
—Nick Schoenbrodt, Development Intern
TV
Okay, listen up! I know we've collectively declared it TOP GUN summer, and I stand by that. However, you need to add this little gem of a summer TV show, THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (trailer here), to your watchlist. If you're looking for all of the nostalgic feelings of those summer months when you were a teenager and you truly felt like anything was possible, look no further. Any of you readers had a whirlwind summer romance that turned into a love triangle with two people pining after you? (Yeah me neither...it's okay). But nonetheless, when the book series that this show is based on came out while I was in middle school, I ate it up, dreaming that one day my love life would be as interesting as this (spoiler: it was not). This trilogy, written by Jenny Han, author of the lovely TO ALL THE BOYS series, once again brought the cuteness, drama, and teen angst that we all live for as we follow protagonist “Belly” in navigating potential romances between two brothers—scandalous! Also, the use of music in the show? Truly unreal. The creators made good use of Olivia Rodrigo, Kim Petras, Tyler the Creator, Phoebe Bridgers, and at least one banger by Miss Taylor Swift in every single episode. Iconic of them. Watch the whole first season on Amazon Prime now.
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant
Filmmaker
I want to put you all onto the directing Daniels duo, consisting of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Most recently, you’ve probably heard of them because them made the incredible EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, which you should absolutely watch if you haven’t yet. I don’t want to go into too much detail on why this is one of my favorites of the year, but it gave me hope that unique and original stories still have a place in movie theaters. Bringing in $84M worldwide off a $25M budget shows that the weirdness doesn’t keep audiences away from the heart of the film, a beautiful story about the relationship between a mother and her daughter. The Daniels’ past work falls in a similar vein across mediums, and I want to especially highlight their other feature, SWISS ARMY MAN. It is hard not to love Daniel Radcliff’s performance that takes the audience past the incredibly strange flatulence focused story. Other projects worth noting are the music video for SIMPLE SONG by The Shins, their first short film SWINGERS, and Passion Pit’s video for CRY LIKE A GHOST. Their accolades run a very long list, but their voice shows throughout each project in such a passionate way. Deep dive into the whole list of their projects—it’s 100 percent worth it, I promise.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Music
For my first PS Weekly music rec, I had three criteria: a song that you can dance to, from Austin, that is a classic. The perfect song happens to be an indie rock hit from 2005, THE START OF SOMETHING by Voxtrot. I love this song, every inch of it is embodied with the perfect concoction of heart-wrenching pain and dance-worthy instrumental tunes. THE START OF SOMETHING is part of Voxtrot’s first five-song EP, which is a fantastic mix of strokes-esque high-energy jams.The band broke up in 2010, until last month when they announced a reunion tour, which I’m pretty excited about. In my own interpretation, THE START OF SOMETHING is a soft look into the past of unrequited love, but in classic early 2000s indie-rock fashion, it is an uplifting poetic song that brightens your day, too. I hope to see you in the concert crowds this fall!
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Anything that you're currently loving that we didn't cover? Just reply to this email and let us know.
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
06/17/22
This week: Happy CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH day, to all who celebrate!
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube THIS WOULD CHANGE NBA HISTORY
Letterboxd TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix HUSTLE
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
The day has come! Our movie CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH is out on AppleTV+ as of today (or technically, last night). It’s also playing in a few hundred theaters across the country, so check out your local listings if you love seeing great movies on a big screen. My colleague Alicia wrote a wonderful rec on the film below, if you wanna know a little more about it before watching. And when you do watch, you’ll notice that the film is filled with some very special music. We talked to Rob Lowry, the person behind all those music choices, and the conversation was illuminating. Check out our Q&A with Rob here.
Drake hit fans with a surprise album drop last night, his 7th studio album, HONESTLY, NEVERMIND. The album is full of vibey dance tracks like MASSIVE, CURRENTS and STICKY, and came with a music video for the song FALLING BACK, which clocks in at over 9 minutes and sees the musician getting married to 23 different women at once. Drake dedicated the album to late fashion, art, and culture icon Virgil Abloh in a letter along with the album on Apple Music.
Speaking of music, Spotify just made a pretty interesting new acquisition: AI voice platform Sonantic, which creates extremely realistic computer-generated voices from text. If you’ve seen the new TOP GUN, you enjoyed some of its work, as filmmakers used this same tech to bring Val Kilmer’s voice to life after he lost it through a battle with throat cancer. (Here’s an interesting blog post on how the platform worked with the actor, who typically uses a voicebox to talk). Spotify announced the acquisition on Monday, sharing that it has “identified several potential opportunities for text-to-speech capabilities across [its] platform.” The music and podcast streamer also announced a star-studded new show this week, in its new scripted time-travel-based audio series CASE 63, starring Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac.
And to cap things off: Internet Explorer was officially retired on Wednesday. It was launched 27 years ago in 1995 and was the most-used internet browser for over a decade until Google Chrome overtook it in the late 2000s. RIP.
My favorite internet moments this week were this (v powerful) picture of a cow, this surprising reveal of how cows get taken to the vet (sensing a theme?) and this impressive remake of a classic early-internet video.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
This week, we asked our extremely talented CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH cinematographer, Cristina Dunlap, to recommend five movies with incredible cinematography. Read on for five films that are each visually beautiful in their own way.
Watch it for: the visual poetry.
Watch it for: the perfect use of exaggerated colors existing in real life.
Watch it for: the visuals only, probably with the sound off.
Watch it for: feeling like you just visited a museum of renaissance paintings.
Watch it for: its masterclass in knowing when to move the camera and when to keep it still.
Film
It's time to get funky. CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (trailer here) is finally streaming on AppleTV+, and any fan of writer/director Cooper Raiff's SHITHOUSE is bound to fall in love all over again. Raiff plays Andrew, an ambivalent recent college grad who stumbles into a job as a bar mitzvah party starter. When he forms a bond with single mom Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), he starts to realize that figuring out who the hell you are, where you belong, and who you belong with is never easy. It's a movie about how love is simultaneously the simplest and messiest thing in the world—whether you're a recently-dumped 22-year-old, or a 13-year-old with braces mustering up the courage to ask your girlfriend to slow dance. Let CHA CHA be your Friday movie night for some laughs, some adorably awkward prepubescent nostalgia, and even some tears—especially if you're me watching that one scene between Andrew and his mom (Leslie Mann). You'll know the one.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
Whether you were glued to every minute of the NBA Finals (Go Dubs!) or you think a triple-double is just an order off the secret In-N-Out menu, you’re in luck—Adam Sandler’s new Netflix film HUSTLE (trailer here) is a delight for basketball fans and non-fans alike. Because the film doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the sport to enjoy it, but basketball die-hards will love the wall-to-wall barrage of incredible basketball star cameos (Shaq, Dirk, Kenny “The Jet”, A.I., Luka, Trae, and Dr. J to name a few). Plus, it’s a legitimately compelling story.
The film follows Stanley Sugerman (Sandler), a long-time NBA scout for the 76ers, as he circumnavigates the globe seeking the next big NBA international star. While on a scouting trip in Spain, Sugerman discovers a raw unknown streetball phenom in Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez, real-life NBA forward for the Utah Jazz), and we follow the two men as they bet on one another’s potential and risk everything in the process. The filmmakers masterfully craft a depth of character for each of Sugerman and Cruz that is rare in sports cinema, which is why labeling HUSTLE as a “sports film” mis-classifies it—it’s a beautifully-written, inspiring, feel-good dramedy with incredible performances by the entire cast (actors and NBA stars alike), including warm and heartfelt performances from Queen Latifah as Sugerman’s wife and Jordan Hull as their daughter. Watching HUSTLE, I couldn’t help but reminisce on the beauty of the original ROCKY films and the timeless trope of “lovable underdog takes on the world”. Bo Cruz versus Kermit Wilts (Anthony Edwards, real-life NBA forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves) evokes memories of epic cinematic David & Goliath clashes a la Rocky Balboa versus Apollo Creed. At just under 2 hours, HUSTLE is the perfect summer evening couch flick—check it out!
—Ben Ryzak, Director, Business & Legal Affairs
Short Film
This week I watched EXPLOSIONS, a short written and directed by Christopher Frey. Coming in at just under seven minutes, this is an incredibly well shot and contained short that explores a woman’s last moments alive. The opening shot is breathtaking, and fully captures the chaos that slowly forms over the next few minutes. Emphasis on slowly, as the film unfolds in slow motion, capturing the disturbing horror of a neighborhood of people losing gravity. EXPLOSIONS captures a fear that can’t be outrun, only embraced until the end. The music ties the phenomenal VFX together into one seamlessly enthralling experience. Take the seven minutes to contemplate the dread of the end of the world, cinematically!
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
Music
I fell down a rabbit hole on TikTok this week when I came across singer-songwriter Joji, and have been exclusively listening to his discography ever since. He’s the artist behind viral TikTok sounds you’ve definitely heard before such as SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK, which has amassed over 800K videos using the sound, or GIMME LOVE, which has been used almost 400K times. I jumped on the Joji train in the nick of time, as just last week he released a new single, GLIMPSE OF US. This marks his first release after an almost two-year hiatus, and this track makes it clear that the break did him well. I love his melancholic tones, soulful vocals, and surprisingly cinematic music videos; check him out!
—Marisa Harris, Executive Assistant
This is only really news because it’s Beyoncé, but the queen has (vaguely) announced her next album titled ACT I RENAISSANCE, which will release July 29th. She also dropped new merch on her website, but with a twist. It’s invisible merch, as in you can’t see what you're buying, but the item descriptions are for a collectable box, t-shirt, and CD. It seems like Bey’s been taking notes from the NFT community, from the style of the merch site to the use of the word “collectable”—and who knows, maybe there’s a digital aspect to it, too. To me, the best part of all of this is the irony of Beyoncé bringing back the classic album rollout (over a month in advance of release), when she’s the one who started and popularized the sudden digital drop. It’s almost like she’s showing us she can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants because she’s…Beyoncé.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Anything that you're currently loving that we didn't cover? Just reply to this email and let us know.
Have a great weekend! And as always, be kind, stay healthy, and stay creative. ツ
06/13/22
CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
Step inside the brain of...Music Supervisor, Rob Lowry
Meet Rob Lowry, the man behind the music in CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (on Apple TV+ this Friday, Jun 17!). He’s been a music supervisor on everything from RAMY to the new GOSSIP GIRL, and honestly, his job sounds like a fantasy. We asked him to break down exactly what a music supervisor does all day, and how he got into this dream career. Plus, we insisted he answer an impossible question and pick out the three greatest soundtracks of all time.
What’s the purpose of music in film?
Ultimately, at its best, music can really deepen and enhance your relationship with a film or show, and with what you’re seeing and relating to on screen. It’s an irreplaceable element of storytelling.
How do you use music to help set the tone and convey specific things in a film? Can you give us an example of a specific song/scene from CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH?
You’re using music to tell people how to feel. You don’t want to be too heavy handed—unless the scene calls for it, and that can be fun, too. But more often, music is a guide to the tonal world that we are living in. In CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, I really love the Big Red Machine “Forest Green” sync, because the entire song is a journey that really soundtracks and spans a lot of different dynamics, and also acts as a score.
We feel it with Andrew and Domino, and with Andrew as he kind of reflects, and then we feel it in the dynamic between Andrew and his younger brother David. The song does a perfect job of scoring scenes without overwhelming, and tonally, it’s incredibly emotional so it puts you in a very specific time and place—and mindset.
What was the music selection process like for CHA CHA? What vibe were you going for?
First and foremost, Cooper [Raiff] has great taste and vision. And when we first met, it was immediately apparent that we’d have a fun and fruitful collaboration. Cooper had scripted many songs in the film, so my first order of business was figuring out what the priorities were, what of those we could afford, and where we could make swaps or even improve upon initial ideas.
But tonally, all of Cooper’s ideas and references were on point. We immediately started sharing music back and forth, both for on camera stuff as well as post-production needle drops and also just for fun. I think if I had to describe the vibe of the film, it’s very much a coming of age story, and so the music reflects a lot of those ideas: Who was I before; who am I now; and who am I becoming?
How did you get into this line of work?
Music supervision has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so it’s something I was always chasing, or making decisions toward, even if I didn’t know what the exact path was. I was a writers’ production assistant on FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and PARENTHOOD (my second job in LA), and I befriended a lot of the writers and editors, reading their scripts and making them mix CDs, sitting in the edit bay and pitching songs, just generally talking music, seeing shows together, and introducing people to new things. Those relationships—and that experience—proved to be invaluable, and my first gig came from an editor on FNL who introduced me to a friend of theirs who was doing a small independent film that needed a music supervisor. I got hired for the job, and that was my crash course in music supervision.
What are some of your favorite films or shows that you’ve worked on?
There are too many to choose or name. CHA CHA is truly one of my favorite and most fulfilling experiences. I have a film coming up for Netflix called DO REVENGE that is up there as well. GOSSIP GIRL, RAMY, THE BOLD TYPE, HER SMELL…I just feel endlessly lucky to be a part of so many incredible projects with insanely smart and talented creatives.
Okay, moment of truth. Give us your top three soundtracks of all time.
Impossible to narrow down to three, but ones that immediately come to mind as being very influential on me…
THE OC genuinely changed music supervision, especially in its visibility in pop culture as well as its attractiveness to artists and licensors. I think for a lot of people in my generation, that show and Alex Patsavas’ work on it, was a real eye-opener to this career as a way to introduce new artists to viewers everywhere.
ALMOST FAMOUS was the film that really brought the power of music in film to the forefront and made me think: Wow, I want to do this. The way each song was interwoven with the storytelling, and an inseparable part of the narrative—there was comfort and familiarity, but also excitement in being introduced to many new songs. And Nancy Wilson’s score is timeless and beautiful.
For my last one, I just want to really point out supervision from today that’s just excellent, and having such a strong impact on music, film, TV, and culture in general. Specifically, I’m talking about shows like EUPHORIA, I MAY DESTROY YOU, HIGH FIDELITY, FARGO, and so many others. I am truly inspired and challenged by my peers every single day, watching all of their incredible work. I’m so lucky to have this job, and I love that I can walk into a movie theater and two hours later, walk back feeling completely invigorated both spiritually and professionally.
06/10/22
This week: All the recs you need for a weekend of staying in, sipping iced everything, and avoiding the heatwave.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube NOPE Final Trailer
Letterboxd TOP GUN: MAVERICK
TikTok #SummerVibes
Spotify Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) - Kate Bush
Netflix STRANGER THINGS
Twitter Diet Coke
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
I was pretty surprised when I looked at Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Global list today in order to add the tune in the #1 spot to our trends section. Kate Bush’s 1985 ballad RUNNING UP THAT HILL (A DEAL WITH GOD) knocked Harry Styles’ omnipresent song AS IT WAS out of the top spot yesterday. The 80s song also made it in Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week, reentering the list after peaking at number 30 in 1985. And it’s also massively trending all over TikTok, with almost 900K videos made with the sound. This all comes after the song was featured on the latest season of STRANGER THINGS, in a pivotal moment. Some OG Kate Bush fans are complaining about it, but if you ask me, t’s pretty cool to see how different forms of media can all come together to project a 37-year-old tune into the zeitgeist.
To all my iPhone users, there’s a chance that things might get a little more shady in your group chats. Apple just announced that it is adding a feature that allows users to unsend messages or edit messages that they have already sent. Additionally, users can mark text conversations as unread, so they remember to get back to them later.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our TikTok section this week is curated by two of the uber-talented young actors in our upcoming movie CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (opens a week from today on Apple TV+!). Evan Assante plays Cooper Raiff’s younger brother, David, and Colton Osorio his best friend Rodrigo.
Colton’s all-time favorites: this video of Zendaya roasting Tom Holland with an interview clip from the archives, this sound that I haven’t been able to get out of my head for weeks, and this incredible voiceover of a cat and a dog in a fight.
Evan’s picks: this SNL classic with Timothée Chalamet and Pete Davidson; this brutal burn from one of his hilarious co-stars from DINOSAUR WORLD, Steven He; and this one that highlights author John Green’s personal touch in each copy of his newest book.
Film
Apparently I’m about three years late to this, but PLUS ONE (trailer here) on Hulu is an underrated rom-com that deserves more attention. Released in 2019 after winning the Narrative Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, PLUS ONE follows Ben (Jack Quaid) and Alice (Maya Erskine), two platonic friends who are jaded and unlucky in love while all their friends are getting married. They commit to attending their friends’ weddings as each other’s plus ones and eventually progress from friendship to a romantic relationship. Well-tread rom-com ground, but the chemistry between Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine is undeniable, and the pivot away from a traditional “will-they-won’t-they” rom-com structure for a “they did…now what?” journey is a refreshing subversion of your expectations. While there’s room for cuts to keep the pace of the story as energized as its characters, PLUS ONE is a charming delight and a fun streaming watch if you’re staying inside to beat the heat!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
For my inaugural PS Weekly contribution, I want to write about one of the most impactful films I have ever seen (which may be slightly more niche than previous entries). I grew up surrounded by the usual toys: Legos, Rescue Heroes, Lightsabers, etc. But Transformers by far held the most significance to me, in no small part due to the impact that the incredible 1986 animated film, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE (1986), had on my life. Though this film attaches a beloved IP with beautiful artwork, excellent writing, and great voice performances, the heart of TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE lies in detaching itself from the classic storyline of the ongoing television series commonly known as G1 (1984-1990), and instead creating an original narrative that focuses on a young Autobot fighting a omnipresent and purely evil villain, Unicron. The part that sticks with me even today: the accompanying soundtrack. Stan Bush’s music entangles the script and characters into a powerful emotional experience, with particular emphasis on two of my favorite songs, The Touch and Dare. Though Michael Bay went on to create a mainstream blockbuster franchise utilizing the same source material, I will always hold the original theatrical release of this film in my heart. All you need to enjoy this masterpiece is to open yourself to your inner child, accept the Matrix of Leadership, and embrace the universal greeting: Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong.
—Jackson Ingraham, Executive Assistant
TV
FROM THE VAULT
If you haven't seen POSE (trailer here) yet, I’m telling you to drop what you’re doing and get hip. The show and its fictional characters are strongly inspired by the Black queer community that created ballroom and its houses in 1970s New York. The show is just as much about dancing and fun as it is about chosen family. I also want to add that POSE is not the first depiction of ballroom I have ever seen but it is one of my favorites because the cast and crew really reflect the community they are representing—and not only does the show have one of the most diverse casts that I have ever seen on TV, but it also has an equally diverse team working behind the camera.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Book
A new book of David Sedaris essays came out this week, but I haven’t read it yet. So instead, I’m going to recommend to you the last thing I read that made me laugh out loud, literally, in a variety of public spaces, the same way Sedaris’ ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY did, when I first discovered it. There are very few books that make you feel simultaneously like you’re not alone and your experience might be universal, and also like you are somehow an extremely special snowflake. Sloane Crossley’s I WAS TOLD THERE’D BE CAKE made me feel that way in my 20s, and a decade and a half later, Jessi Klein has achieved the same magic with I’LL SHOW MYSELF OUT. The I LOVE THAT FOR YOU showrunner reframes motherhood as a hero’s journey, in a hilarious, non-earnest, wonderful way. She makes potty training, waiting for a pet caterpillar to metamorphose into a butterfly, and sitting in a parking lot listening to Beyoncé into the life-affirming and defining moments they truly feel like, when you are living them. And even more impressive, she lands the ending on every single essay, instead of losing steam along the way and half heartedly letting her stories peter off, which is my chief complaint when it comes to books of essays. Whether you’re a parent or not, I’LL SHOW MYSELF OUT is a thoroughly enjoyable read. I promise you’ll devour it in one sitting.
—Neha Gandhi, EVP Digital & Strategy
Podcast
I have been beyond obsessed with ADD TO CART, hosted by Kulap Vilaysack and SuChin Pak, since its launch. Aunties Su and Ku–as we Add to Carters (dedicated fans of the show, naturally) affectionately call them–share what they plan to, well, add to their carts (both literally and figuratively) each week. The podcast hosts and their guests share the best product, book, movie, TV, music, and food recs each episode. Perhaps even more importantly, they share what they’re removing from their carts, which treads much more personal and philosophical ground, normally. I still listen to past episodes where they’ve talked about removing guilt (especially the family variety) from their carts. Su and Ku are funny, authentic, and truly the perfect listen.
—Rosemary Brennan, Brand Marketing
Music
In a very surprising turn of events, SZA has released a deluxe version of CTRL, exactly five years after the album's original release. I can’t say that I’m mad at it, but I think I speak for all SZA fans when I say I was totally caught off guard. The singer originally released the album in 2017 and it was an instant classic. Since then, she teased a lot of alternate versions of songs and is even rumored to have leaked some of the tracks herself on Soundcloud. The fresh album includes seven unreleased songs, some that have been leaked online and others that are completely new. One of the most exciting tracks for me is the alternate version of the album's hit single, LOVE GALORE, which I personally think is much more dynamic than the original. I am so happy to have access to these songs officially on streamers and will probably only be listening to this exclusively, all weekend long. My recommended songs are 2AM, JODIE, and PERCOLATOR. Enjoy!
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
06/03/22
This week: Summer reads, some truly excellent TV, and a Jane Austen adaptation to kick off your PRIDE month right.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Doja Cat - Vegas
Letterboxd EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
TikTok #Multiverse
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix STRANGER THINGS
Twitter pride
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
It’s the top of June and I’m happy to report that TOP GUN: MAVERICK has already made it to summer blockbuster territory and is 100% cashing any and all checks its ̶e̶g̶o̶ high expectations have been writing. Sorry, I had to. But if you haven’t seen it yet, you can read my colleague Neal’s excellent rec here. Last weekend, the sequel saw the best Memorial Day opening of all time at the domestic box office with $160.5M. And on Wednesday, it beat the original 1986 movie’s lifetime domestic total of $180.258M (although, in fairness, this film opened in 4,732 North American theaters versus the 1,028 theaters the original opened in).
At a moment when good news is sparse in the crypto space, I’ve got some good news for any crypto investors who enjoy a cheap burrito bowl. Chipotle is now accepting Bitcoin and other digital currencies. It’s using the platform Flexa, and customers can use their digital wallets that work with the platform in order to scan a barcode and pay for their meal. While Chipotle is introducing this at all of its US restaurants–almost 3,000—it’s still pretty unique for restaurants to take crypto as payment. But that could start to change soon, as according to a survey by Technomic, in the next two years, 4% of restaurants are expected to accept crypto-based payments.
As the highly publicized Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial came to an end this week, this Instagram post provided me with a way to contextualize a moment like this in the #metoo movement as a whole. Taranna Burke had some strong words for the people declaring that the movement is dead—and I highly encourage anyone thinking the same to read closely.
This year’s national spelling bee ended in a pretty cinematic way that the tournament had never seen before: a spell-off. Yes, you read that correctly. This required Vikram Raju and Harini Logan, the final two contestants, to spell as many words as possible correctly in 90 seconds. Whoever spelled more (correctly), won. Clocking in at 22 words over Vikram’s 15, Harini claimed this year’s title. Personally, after reading about all of this spelling bee intensity, I’m now thinking about rewatching AKEELAH AND THE BEE.
And finally, this week’s wholesome video to get your weekend started right comes from my mom, with a really sweet video of a sloth reunited with her missing baby. I also loved this video of a woman absolutely in her element at a silent disco. May we all channel that energy this fine Friday—and all summer long.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
If you’re looking for a cute, low-key movie to kick off pride month this weekend, FIRE ISLAND (trailer here) is here for you. From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Ahn, the director behind indie breakouts SPA NIGHT (Sundance 2016) and DRIVEWAYS (Berlinale 2019), FIRE ISLAND is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, following a tightknit group of gays vacationing on the infamous queer haven off the southern shore of Long Island. As they navigate the thorny social stratifications and problematic fault lines within the gay circuit scene, they reach new realizations about love and friendship.
Written by and starring Joel Kim Booster, FIRE ISLAND was originally conceived as a Quibi series titled TRIP until the company's inevitable downfall in December 2020, when the project was put in turnaround. In June 2021, Searchlight bought Kim Booster’s script to produce as a Hulu original feature film. Ahn’s intimate direction doesn’t quite gel with the broad, declarative comedy of Booster’s script, and the palpable lack of romantic chemistry between cast members makes for some decidedly imperceptible stakes. But even if the film doesn’t dig as deep as you’d want it to (or put the incredible Bowen Yang front and center, whose character Howie’s journey is far more interesting to follow than the rest), the thematic underpinnings at play—the fear of being “terminally alone,” struggling to find your place within an allegedly one-size-fits-all “community,” the toxic racism and body-shaming that run rampant in the gay circuit scene—gesture toward a more truthful kind of queer film existing in the mainstream. And for that, I’m grateful.
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
TV
As of this week, OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (trailer here) is officially picked up for a second season! This show was such a palette cleanser for me. It’s a light-hearted comedy set against the backdrop of the 1700s (when being a pirate was “hip” apparently). The main character Stede Bonnet is essentially the Leslie Knope of the pirate world—he believes a little too hard in his ragtag crew of rejects, and they pillage only the minimum needed to keep the ship going. Everything changes when Blackbeard, the most gruesome and unforgiving pirate in the world, takes a liking to Stede and his more refined, aristocratic behaviors. The show follows the two as they learn more about one another’s lives. Drama and mystery of course unfolds between the crew and the people they meet at each stop, and you get to know each character deeply as they navigate each increasingly bizarre situation. Though there are serious moments, the humor is what makes the show so refreshing. It’s almost like a workplace comedy if the workplace was…the high seas.
–Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
Book
Described as WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI meets SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, THE HENNA WARS is a young adult romantic comedy about two teenage girls who create rival henna businesses for a school competition—and in the process, begin falling for one another. Listed as one of TIME’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time, author Adiba Jaigirdar’s debut novel features a refreshingly honest and layered portrayal of a Bangladeshi-Irish girl living in Dublin who comes out as lesbian. Jaigirdar has since gone on to write more coming-of-age books that deal with similar themes of racism, homophobia, and islamophobia, filling a strong audience need for more representative and honest stories about LBGTQ characters. This is a fun, insightful read that continues to feel fresh a few years after its publication. Highly recommend for your next beach read!
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
FROM THE VAULT
THE BLACK FLAMINGO, by Dean Atta, is one of the most heartwarming coming-of-age stories I’ve read in a long time. Loosely based on the author’s own life and written in verse, the novel introduces us to Michael, a gay, mixed-race teen living in London, on his journey to embrace his identity. As he struggles to figure out where he belongs, he joins his campus’ Drag Society and thus his persona, The Black Flamingo, is born. I loved reading about a life so different from my own, told with incredible honesty and vulnerability. Atta is deftly able to pull from his own experiences to portray Michael’s intersecting values and multifaceted identities. Through this lens, we’re able to explore the complicated layers that make Michael who he is, and push us to make these same considerations about who we are.
—Marisa Harris, Executive Assistant
05/27/22
This Week: The newest murder-mystery show that will keep you guessing, a fresh R&B album, and enough films recs to fill your long weekend with movie-watching.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Kehlani - Melt
Letterboxd EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
TikTok #Multiverse
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix JACKASS 4.5
Twitter Ray Liotta
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
I’ve been trying to figure out what to write about in life and culture this week, after yet another school shooting has gripped the United States. Sadly it feels like there is nothing to say when these tragedies happen and no changes are made. When children are taught to “train for this”. When this is a uniquely American problem, as other countries, like Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, each tightened their gun laws after mass shootings. A few things we can do is donate to the victims fund, reach out to legislators, and remember the 19 students and two teachers that lost their lives on Tuesday morning.
It looks like even as pandemic restrictions soften, less students are enrolling in college. Yesterday, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shared the latest numbers, which showed that 662,000 fewer students enrolled in undergrad programs in spring 2022 compared to a year earlier. This is a decline of 4.7 percent. Grad programs also declined 1 percent from last year. This is all representative of the larger question young people are asking themselves: is college worth it?
SiriusXM just acquired Conan O’Brien’s production company, Team Coco, to the tune of $150 million. This includes the podcast network’s existing podcasts (which reportedly bring in 180 million downloads a year), like CONAN O’BRIEN NEEDS A FRIEND, WHY WON’T YOU DATE ME? WITH NECOLE BYER and LITERALLY! WITH ROB LOWE.
Today I discovered this guy who makes videos of his super specific job—rescuing cats stuck in trees—and I am fully hooked. I’ll admit, this sounds pretty random, but his impressive climbing skills paired with his patience and dedication to helping the cats return to safety make for some very heartwarming content.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Even though it’s not fully set in summer, this movie is the epitome of summer to me. Summer is about appreciating what really matters in life and allowing yourself to discover nature through childlike eyes, and this movie explores that in such a beautiful way. I specifically loved the way that every character that Fern, played by Frances McDormand, comes across—from the endlessly loveable Swankie to passing coworkers sharing the stories of their tattoos—are all clearly living such full lives with their own world as their center, similar to how we experience our own lives.
Watch it if: You’re okay with dedicating one of your nights to a good cry this long weekend.
RESTREPO
Memorial Day honors the Americans who fought and died in times of war. Over the years, filmmakers have honored them with their movies, telling stories of veterans by capturing their struggles, sacrifices and accomplishments—and RESTREPO director Sebastian Junger does just that. In an up-close, feature-length documentary the viewer is dropped right in the middle of one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military, and we get to see and hear the soldiers tell their stories.
Watch it if: You want to see the real lived experience of millenal soldiers in Afghanistan.
I can only describe this movie as majestic. And who doesn’t want to start their summer off with that feeling? After a boy is abandoned by his mother, he’s taken in by a couple who lives on a remote farm. Soon after, he finds himself on the run with his, er, unique foster uncle in the wilds of New Zealand. As a national manhunt ensues, the unlikely pair must join forces in order to survive.
Watch it if: You’re in the mood for an adventure. You’ll love it if you also liked UP or MOONRISE KINGDOM.
This is one of those movies that you can distinctly recall even years after watching it. A family of six of the most different individuals go on a road-trip mission to help seven-year-old Olive live out her dream of competing in a little miss pageant. The film is beautiful, uncomfortable and simultaneously heart-warming and heartbreaking. The genius dialogue is what really takes it to the next level. The monologue about suffering trumping happiness. I think about it every other day.
Watch it if: You want to see a great performance by Steve Carell before everyone realized he could be a “serious” actor. You’ll love it if you also liked FORREST GUMP or MATILDA.
A perfect summer flick that just screams early 2000s fun. It follows Anne Marie, a talented surfer as she navigates preparing for a high-stakes surfing competition in Hawaii, and an unexpected romance with an NFL quarterback. What really makes the film worthwhile is the well-written female friendships and pretty intense surf scenes.
Watch it if: You’re looking for a fun movie to get yourself in the mood for summer.
Film
Drop everything you’re doing right now and think of a simpler time. It’s Memorial Day weekend. Summer is on the horizon. Burgers are sizzling on the grill, neon string lights decorate the marina, your hair blows in the wind. Motorcycles growl in the local dive bar parking lot. This is the summer of heavy machinery, bomber jackets, aviators, half-naked volleyball on the beach under blood orange skies. Muscle…Hubris…America.
This weekend, I’m inviting you to kick off what I am hereby declaring Top Gun Summer with the long-awaited TOP GUN: MAVERICK (trailer here). The original TOP GUN (1986) is a pop culture staple but no one has exactly declared it the pinnacle of cinematic achievement. I would go ahead and say that what TOP GUN: MAVERICK achieves as a 36-year-old sequel is nothing short of a marvel, achieving new emotional highs and breathtaking action sequences that are leaps and bounds ahead of the original. This sequel is so many things: a perfect summer blockbuster, the return of the long absent “dad movie,” and another brilliant showcase for Lady Gaga’s singular ability to write a stirring, anthemic power ballad. But above all else, it’s the extensive level of prep work and technical achievement that went into MAVERICK that jumps off the screen and enhances the moviegoing experience tenfold. Tom Cruise provided months of training in aerial aviation and underwater evacuation to the new cast members, who also had to learn how to camera operate themselves from inside the jet. Director Joseph Kosinski and the production team also spent 15 months working with the Navy to develop and install six IMAX cameras inside the cockpits of the F-18 jets used for production. In a (cinematic) world that’s become heavily dependent on blue/green screen and oversaturated with cartoonish CGI, TOP GUN: MAVERICK's practical aerial stunts are downright incredible and guaranteed to have you gripping your arm rest—especially during the thrilling, god-tier third act. To put it simply, none of the other girls are doing it like Tom Cruise and Joseph Kosinski. So with that, let it be known: Top Gun Summer has officially commenced and with this capsule review, I formally invite you to Hold My Hand, enter the Danger Zone and join me (TOP GUN: MAVERICK is officially the widest theatrical release of all time playing in 4,735 theaters, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find the time!). I’m headed to my second viewing once I finish writing this.
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
One of my worst traits is being that person who says they like all music…except country. And with that being said, a movie like YELLOW ROSE (trailer here) should be my worst nightmare—but it won me over with its warmth and heart. Rosario “Rose” Garcia, a seventeen-year-old Filipina immigrant, fits right in with her Texas peers from her leather boots to her cowboy hat. Making music is her favorite hobby, and she writes and sings country music in the motel room she and her mother call home. But things become turbulent when ICE begins sporadic raids in her area. While out with the cute boy from the guitar shop one night, Rose’s motel room is raided and her mother is arrested. Rose is forced to rely on the kindness of distant relatives—and in some cases complete strangers—in order to survive this new life without her closest family. She comes to use music as more than just a way to kill time, singing and sharing her songs with others as an outlet. The film is punctuated with stylish country needle-drops, atmospheric and charming. This is not a typical coming-of-age story with all of its twists and turns, but it is a story about love, perseverance, and the necessity of affection in human connection.
—Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
TV
For all of our readers who can’t get enough of anything related to true crime, I have your next obsession. UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN (trailer here) stars Andrew Garfield as Jeb Pyre, a detective and member of the Latter-day Saints church, who has to investigate the brutal murder of Brenda Wright Lafferty (Daisy Edgar Jones) and her infant daughter. As Jeb finds clues, he discovers that the murder has a connection with one of the town’s most esteemed LDS family, the Lafferty’s. This show will keep you questioning and doubting the intentions of each character you come across. It forces you to think like a detective to figure out why this crime was committed. I loved seeing Garfield in TICK TICK BOOM, and he is just as impressive in this limited series—I definitely recommend checking it out.
—Eri Taira, Graphic Designer
Music
If you like SZA, FKA Twigs or Solange, you have to check out Ravyn Lenae. The R&B singer/songwriter has a unique alternative R&B sound sprinkled with traditional neo-soul. She just dropped her long awaited new album, HYPNOS. Ravyn’s hit ep CRUSH came out in 2018 and featured Steve Lacy. Since then, she’s also worked with Smino and other up and coming alt R&B artists we all love today. This new album shows Ravyn’s maturity…simply saying the songs are beautiful is an understatement. Her voice floats through each melody with such ease and I just can’t get enough of her. I particularly recommend checking out SKIN TIGHT, WHERE I'M FROM and VENOM.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
05/20/22
This Week: 5 excellent film recs you’ve probably never heard before. Plus, genre-bending music, the return of HACKS, time-traveling serial killers, and the advent of sad-girl summer.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube SHE-HULK: ATTORNEY AT LAW
Letterboxd DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
TikTok #letstalkmentalhealth
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix SENIOR YEAR
Twitter Rihanna
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
I was pretty excited when I read about Ben and Jerry’s new initiative, Project Mootopia, that uses seaweed supplements and manure management to fight climate change. The company committed to slashing greenhouse gas emissions to half the industry average by 2024 by putting its cows on a new diet that will significantly lessen the amount they burp (which apparently counts for a lot of cow emissions!), and turning manure into renewable energy. You might be like, this sounds dope but it can’t be that helpful. But since livestock produce 14.5 percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, if Ben and Jerry’s proves this method to be a success, other dairy producers could follow suit.
In less impressive news, the Twitter/ Elon Musk drama continues, with Musk casting doubt on the likelihood of the deal going through over his concerns around bots on the platform (although this type of diligence appears not to be a contingency of the deal). But if you ask me, the real winner here is the almighty emoji, which is apparently now appropriate for use in even the highest levels of M&A dealmaking.
This week I loved this absolutely majestic video of a whale, and this captivating video that shows a border collie at work, herding sheep.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What new show have you been obsessed with lately? We’re giving one of you the snack of your choice to fuel your watching. Hit us with your best recs!
This week, we asked our friends at CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment) to recommend some hidden gems, and boy, did they deliver. Read on for five films that each will make you feel something this weekend.
I’LL MEET YOU THERE
A Muslim cop goes undercover at his estranged father's mosque while his daughter hides her passion for a forbidden dance, uncovering a shocking family secret.
Watch it for: The family relationships.
VAI
A portmanteau feature film by 9 female Pacific filmmakers and filmed on seven Pacific islands. It follows the journey of empowerment through culture over the lifetime of one woman, Vai.
Watch it for: The showcase and strength of Pasifika women.
PLUS ONE
In order to survive a summer of endless weddings, longtime single friends, Ben and Alice, agree to be each other's plus one at every wedding they've been invited to.
Watch it for: The laughs (and especially if you’re a Maya Erskine fan!)
A Hawaiian part-time teacher living out of a van hits a mysterious homeless man crossing the street. The pair become friends, but their illusion of safety is shattered when her van is towed and her desperation triggers her past trauma.
Watch it for: The gritty side of paradise.
DRIVEWAYS
A lonely boy goes with his mother to help clean out his late aunt's house and forms an unlikely friendship with a neighbor who’s a war veteran.
Watch it for: The human connection.
Film
I love movies that are able to evoke raw and somber emotion, leaving you silently staring at your laptop as the credits roll—and this was my experience the first time I watched MS. PURPLE (trailer here). So much of the film is dedicated to spotlighting the not-so-photogenic moments, making it such a resonant and sentimental meditation on life. The film follows Kasie (Tiffany Chu) who works full-time as a karaoke hostess, and spends her nights entertaining men who request female company. The money isn’t enough to pay the caretaker for her bedridden father, so her estranged brother Carey (Teddy Lee)—similarly scraping by in life—comes home to help out. Kasie and Carey navigate the complexities of all forms of love, including their relationships with each other and with their mother who abandoned them as children. With both characters under immense stress, they become unreliable narrators, seeing things that may not actually be there and reacting to things that may not actually have happened. This is definitely not a feel-good flick but it is the perfect movie to kick off sad girl summer, in case you’re in need of a good cry.
—Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
Last week we asked you for the most memorable movie you have ever seen in theaters. PS Weekly reader Jenna Ruzga came through with an absolute classic.
INCEPTION (trailer here) is definitely the most memorable movie I have ever seen in a theater. I saw it with my dad at a second-run theater, so it was already way past opening weekend, but that truly did not matter to me. I remember thinking at the time: this theater has the best popcorn I’ve ever tasted, and INCEPTION is truly the best movie I've seen ever. And I stand by that. It was my introduction to Christopher Nolan and it helped nurture my growing love of sci-fi/fantasy stories about weird stuff—time travel, parallel universes, memory (read Blake Crouch's RECURSION for more of that), etc. Over a decade later, INCEPTION is still one of my favorite movies—and I love to share it with people who haven't seen it before.
—Jenna Ruzga, PS Weekly Reader
TV
Last year's breakout hit series HACKS (trailer here) is back for its second season, and I'm happy to report there's no sophomore slump to be found here. This season finds comedy legend Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) leaving her longtime residency in Las Vegas and taking her act on the road, with her quick-witted Gen Z writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) by her side. Keeping this somewhat spoiler-free, Deborah and Ava swiftly work through last season's cliffhanger with some extremely dark comedy. The scene at the diner in episode 2 is gut-wrenching yet laugh-out-loud funny, which works seamlessly thanks to the show's consistently top-notch writing and acting. While Deborah and Ava continue to cope with their respective traumas through comedy, the HACKS team has found a way to keep their complicated partnership fresh and filled with new obstacles. Plus, Meg Stalter shines yet again as messy assistant Kayla, bringing a refreshing silliness and scene-stealing delivery to all of her hijinks. The first four episodes are available on HBO Max now—if you're not caught up, get to it ASAP!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Every time I see/read a synopsis of a mind-bending psychological thriller, I immediately mark my calendar for the series premiere. That’s exactly what happened with Apple’s new limited series SHINING GIRLS (trailer here) starring Elizabeth Moss (THE HANDMAID’S TALE) and Wagner Moura (yep, the guy from NARCOS). The story follows the life of a murder-attempt survivor Kirby Mazrachi, who is trying to move on with her life while experiencing unexplainable reality shifts on a constant basis. Later she discovers that she wasn’t randomly attacked, but actually the victim of a serial killer—which sets her on an investigative journey along with journalist Dan Velazquez (Moura) to uncover the horrific events and find an explanation to these paranormal events. Six episodes are out so far, and I’m perched on the edge of my seat, expecting many big plot reveals very soon. If you’re looking for a serial killer hunting drama mixed with time-traveling twists, then SHINING GIRLS is well worth your time.
—Eri Taira, Graphic Designer
Music
Introducing “Sample Drill,” the term being used to describe a new wave of Drill music. Traditional Drill music was a style of trap that was popularized by the likes of Chief Keef and Lil Bibby in Chicago. Today, the sound can be heard all over, and is said to have originated in NYC—but really, with the internet, who knows. The sound has taken some really gangster stuff and morphed into something more melodic and vibey. Sample Drill takes the hard hitting lyrics of traditional Drill music and juxtaposes them with very melodic and often highly recognizable songs. For example, B-Lovee’s chart topping song MY EVERYTHING samples Mary J Blige’s EVERYTHING and Kay Flock’s latest hit SHAKE IT featuring the queen Cardi B samples an old school Akon song. Honestly, this has quickly become one of my new favorite genres as the sound is infectious—and really softens up the vibe, while keeping it cool.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
05/13/22
This week: Taco Bell musicals, non-romantic love, new (!!!) Kendrick Lamar, and a meditation on the poetic genius of Hayao Miyazaki
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Kendrick Lamar - THE HEART PART 5
Letterboxd DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
TikTok #WellThat’sYou
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix OZARK
Twitter Milky Way
Trailer CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH
Shopify It’s Been A Week
Life & Culture
In news that will make you feel tiny…the first image of the supermassive black hole in the middle of the Milky Way is here! And it’s pretty wild. It’s the first image that confirms the existence of the black hole, which is apparently 4 million times the size of our sun. According to Michael Johnson, astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian, the black hole is “what lies at the heart of our galaxy, pulling stars into tight orbits through its immense gravity.” It “accelerates matter to close to the speed of light and bends the paths of photons in the warped (space-time).” Which is pretty awe-inspiring, when you think about it. Of course, it’s also a little hard to wrap your brain around it all, but it’s pretty cool to learn about.
In completely unrelated but (almost) equally weird and wonderful news, Dolly Parton is playing the lead in a TikTok musical about…Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza. Yes, really. This comes after Dolly shared that she missed the Taco Bell menu item back in January. It also comes as consumers are consistently inundated with celebrity-sponsored content. Taco Bell itself has had a well-publicized (and unconventional) partnership with Doja Cat this year as well, with the singer even announcing the return of the Mexican pizza during her Coachella set. Anyway, the musical is coming out on May 26 and I can assure you I’ll be tuning in, and then circling back to all of you to let you know what the deal is.
Speaking of TikTok, I have two wholesome videos to get your weekend started on a solid note. This one features an old dude completely in his element, and this one highlights the joy of a little deer enjoying nature.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Our Q for you this week: What’s the most memorable movie you’ve seen in theaters? We’re buying whoever writes the best recommendation their next overpriced tub of popcorn. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
It’s really remarkable when a film is able to show love without forcing a relationship, and COLUMBUS (trailer here) is one of the greatest examples of this. Equal parts coming-of-age and mature drama, the film follows two people who are in the city of Columbus, Indiana for completely different reasons. Jin (John Cho), a middle-aged book translator, has come from Korea to look after his ailing father who is a well-renowned architect. He comes across college-aged Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a quiet and humble enthusiast of the local architecture—and of Jin’s father. Though Jin and Casey share virtually nothing on the surface, they find a commonality in their tumultuous feelings toward their parents. As time goes on, they form a strong bond and grow close, rediscovering the beauty of life together. Though these two are never romantically involved with each other, there’s no absence of romance in the film; the visuals and dialogue are rich and tender, creating strong feelings of romance between Casey, the city, and her humble life that she’s reluctant to change. It’s really very beautiful. So, if you’re feeling a little introspective, this should be your weekend watch—it’s guaranteed to have you nostalgic for places you've never been and aching for people you've never known.
—Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
TV
FROM THE VAULT
SNABBA CASH (trailer here), translated to Fast or Easy Cash, is a Swedish show on Netflix that simply hasn’t gotten enough attention. The series is based on a book (with the same name) from 2006 by Jens Lapidus, a Swedish criminal defense lawyer. Set mainly in the projects outside Stockholm, the show draws parallels between the start-up/tech world and the mob in a really interesting way. The story, which ultimately centers around class, follows a young single mom of Middle Eastern descent who’s desperate to get her tech business off the ground and gets entangled with drug money from her brother-in-law. What sets this show apart from many other Nordic shows is the diversity of the cast—and absolutely incredible performances from Alexander Abdallah and Even Ahmad.
—Martina Lund, SVP Brand Marketing
Art
One of my earliest memories is of dragging a stuffed Totoro toy around Japan on a family reunion trip when I was 2. It's a miracle my older sister and I never wore out our VHS copy of KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE. I still think most of my childhood nightmares and fears—who am I kidding, most of my current ones too—can be directly traced to SPIRITED AWAY. And then at some point, as I hungrily made my way through countless other Studio Ghibli films over the years—each one opening my mind in a new and incredible way—I grew up. But this past weekend, I stepped into a room and found myself in a tunnel surrounded by a makeshift magical forest, greeted by the twinkling melody of Joe Hisaishi's MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO theme, a tide of excited little kids rushing past me. And wow. I was one of them.
Just one glance at the brand-spanking-new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gift shop makes it clear that the Hayao Miyazaki exhibit is the highlight of the museum, given the abundance of dust bunny plushies and No-Face figurines. My family and I finally made it to the exhibit on Mother's Day, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of artwork on display: sketches, storyboards, and frames that are each a masterpiece on their own. It’s so easy to take these films for granted; it's nearly impossible to process the fact that something like PRINCESS MONONOKE is made up of thousands of forest scapes that impossibly capture the way sunlight hits moss, or that the clouds that roll by in the background of THE WIND RISES are so painterly and emotionally evocative they're worth framing. The walls are also peppered with short poems Miyazaki wrote for his team as inspiration in the creative process, and as I read, I thought about how frankly absurd it is that every word out of this man's mouth is an instantly quotable nugget of wisdom.
When we were reading one of these letters, describing the dual beauty and brutality of nature, my dad explained to me the Japanese sentiment of evanescence, epitomized by the cultural attitude toward the falling of cherry blossoms, beautiful and fleeting (natsukashi). Miyazaki's films always capture a tension like this—between man and nature, childhood and adulthood, creation and destruction, old and new—but those tensions are never resolved. Because his movies are far more interested in the bittersweet complexity of life, watching them means simultaneously cherishing how they've helped us grow and reaching for the lost time in our lives they represent. But when my mom, sister and I all look at characters like Mei and Satsuki and see a bit ourselves. And when we lie in the "grass" carpet of this exhibit to watch the clouds go by like Kiki, we realize that kid is never fully gone. If you can, find your way to the Academy museum for this special experience, and take some time to appreciate a truly timeless and transcendent body of work.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
Music
We have been waiting…and waiting...for 5 years for Kendrick Lamar to release an album, and now the wait is finally over. MR. MORALE & THE BIG STEPPERS, released today, is his first full-length endeavor since 2017's DAMN. Of course, Kendrick has been keeping busy in the music scene over the past few years, featured on many top songs such as FAMILY TIES with rising rapper Baby Keem (who is also his cousin). And we cannot forget Kendrick's incredible work executive producing the BLACK PANTHER soundtrack, a truly monumental moment. But to have Pulitzer prize winner Kendrick back to grace our ears and challenge our minds will a full-length album is such a freaking treat to end the week. And with the opening track titled UNITED IN GRIEF, we know we're in for a wild ride.
P.S. He's touring this album starting in July, and you know I'll be there.
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant.
Book
Last week we asked you for the best book you’ve read this year. PS Weekly reader LeJarie Noguchi’s came through with an excellent rec for celebrating mental health awareness month.
What's normal for me may not be normal for others. That's what I learned from reading FURIOUSLY HAPPY, a humor memoir by Jenny Lawson. Just thinking about this book makes me literally laugh and cry at the same time—and injecting that humor into the mental health conversation is something I think we could all use a bit more of. But ultimately, this book is about how we as individuals deal with trauma...or try to deal with it as well as following the author’s own journey with mental illness.
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
04/29/22
This week: Turn off your brain and enjoy these very fun movies. Plus, the long-awaited return of BARRY, a crypto dating show, and as always, some excellent Toks.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube telling my story - Hailey Bieber
Letterboxd THE NORTHMAN
TikTok #digitalart
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix SELLING SUNSET
Twitter James Corden
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
You might be surprised to learn that over 90 percent of plastic never gets recycled. Yeah, you read that right. Nine, Zero, 90. California is now officially looking into whether fossil fuel companies should be held accountable for misleading the public about recycling. The state’s attorney general accused oil and gas companies of “a half-century campaign of deception” that led consumers to believe they could justify their use of plastic items by simply recycling them. This comes after PBS series FRONTLINE’S 2020 investigation that brought to light documents showing evidence that top officials knew that recycling plastic was almost impossible, but spent tens of millions of dollars telling the public the opposite.
Reddit is getting into the creator fund game, finally joining pretty much every other social media company. The discussion platform just announced that it’s planning to spend $1 million to fund consumer-helmed projects on the platform. This initiative will start in June, and the company is accepting projects that need $1,000 to $50,000 in funding. Projects will be judged on their creativity, feasibility, and community impact.
I’m sharing two super creative videos I saw this week. This one feels like a short film recounting the tale of dog-sitting a very high-maintenance pup, and this one depicts probably the most cinematic evening you could have at a secluded cabin.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
Our Q for you this week: What old show have you returned to binge-watch lately? We’re giving one of you a $25 Postmates gift card to fuel your weekend-watching. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
People severely underestimate the pure joy and necessity of just…shutting off your brain. It is powerful. It is crucial. It’s what gives you the will and energy to do just about anything. So, when THE LOST CITY (trailer here) came out, I scrambled to the theater, Fanta in hand, ready to let some colorful jungle misadventures and broad comedy wash over me like a warm bubble bath. Playing off predecessors like ROMANCING THE STONE, the film stars Sandra Bullock as a successful bodice-ripper novelist who finds herself lost in the tropical wilderness with her books’ beefy but simple cover star, played by Channing Tatum (because, obviously). And then, treasure-hunting hijinks ensue. There’s something so nostalgic about the absurdity of this premise and the superstardom of this cast that’s more than welcome right now. And there’s something so incredibly gleeful about watching Daniel Radcliffe ham it up as the mustache-twirling villain in the latest of his eclectic run of often-bizarre roles over the past several years. The man is such a fascinating and multi-talented performer, and unlike other skilled actors who obsess over method or insist on treating their careers like theatrical parkour, he simply picks projects that allow him to have fun. He has no pretension, and neither does THE LOST CITY—and that is refreshing as hell.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
I had simply the best time watching Nic Cage’s new film THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT (trailer here) in a movie theater last Friday night. The film is a winding action comedy that stars Cage as a fictionalized version of himself. The plot effectively switches gears a few times in the first thirty minutes, starting with an intense kidnapping, pivoting to depict a down-on-his-luck Cage who can’t seem to adequately communicate with his teenage daughter, and landing with Cage thrown into the world of an international drug lord, the CIA, and sprawling Spanish villas—with a few PADDINGTON 2 references thrown in to boot. While the movie is definitely unhinged at times (in the best way!), I loved that I didn’t know what to expect next at any point. Get a few friends together and go check it out this weekend—I promise you’ll have fun with it.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
TV
After a three-year hiatus, one of my favorite shows, BARRY (trailer here), is back for its third season. The "previously on" recap before the season premiere reminded me of so many storylines I'd forgotten, which speaks to how much the series has accomplished in just 16 half-hour episodes. From crime drama to Hollywood satire to character-driven exploration of PTSD, Alec Berg & Bill Hader hit every mark (hitman pun absolutely intended), layering tense moments with their signature humor and vice-versa. Without spoiling too much, I'm looking forward to seeing how Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler) reacts to his new knowledge of Barry's true career, and I'm excited to see more of NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan). This season is off to a strong start—here's to hoping the remaining episodes are worth the very long wait!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Web3
MAD REALITIES is a company that wants to be the Netflix of Web3 and brings a totally fresh perspective to reality TV. Cofounders Alice Ma and Devin Lewtan raised over $500,000 to fund the first-ever crypto-powered reality series, selling NFTs as membership to the platform. The show is named PROOF OF LOVE, a play on “proof of stake,” which is how payments are validated for different cryptocurrencies. And while a crypto dating show almost feels like an oxymoron, the premise is simple: It's a live dating show (with a live audience) that is created, cast and voted on by the NFT holders. The NFTs that power the show were sold as different tiered “Rose Tickets,” which allow NFT holders to have varying degrees of participation. One of the highest tickets, the “Sequin Rose,” allows the holder to earn a producer credit and a video of everyone at the event bowing down to you.
I’m intrigued by the concept and how it marries the silliness and fun of IRL dating with cryptocurrency. Oh, and you can stream every episode for free on YouTube! Tune in to the finale this Sunday, airing live from Webster Hall, and keep an eye out for my friend Dylan—who in my completely unbiased opinion is the very best contestant on the show.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Art
For all of our LA readers, I highly recommend heading over to the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA for its Pipilotti Rist exhibit, “Big Heartedness: Be My Neighbor.” It’s an immersive experience that takes you through over thirty years of Rist’s work, which primarily takes the form of video. You’ll find yourself walking through a dream-like maze of lights to enter various rooms with mesmerizing video installations often juxtaposing scenes of peaceful nature and the human body. The exhibit is so beautiful—and easy to lose yourself in. Check it out before it ends on June 6.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
04/22/22
This week: Three equally bingeable shows: A thriller that’s tender but dark, a workplace comedy set on the high seas, and a nostalgia-fueled glimpse into the world of yakuza. Plus, proof positive that nature is truly lit—because it’s Earth Day.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube LIGHTYEAR Official Trailer
Letterboxd EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
TikTok #naturedocumentary
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL
Twitter #TheNorthman
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
I’ve got a few things to report in the world of streaming services this week. CNN Plus is shutting down on April 30, just one month after launching, taking the “shortest-lived streaming service” title from Quibi. Meanwhile, on Tuesday Netflix reported that it lost subscribers for the first time in a decade in Q1—and expects to lose a ton more in Q2. This resulted in the company’s stock dropping 35% on Wednesday, and much speculation on what this might mean for the larger streaming landscape. Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings shared that the company is reconsidering its stance on making a cheaper, ad-supported plan available for consumers.
So much of my very favorite content on the internet is nature-related content. And in honor of Earth Day, I’m here to share a few of my favorite TikTok accounts that will give you a new perspective on this beautiful planet we inhabit. Olle Nilsson is a super talented wildlife photographer. His high-definition videos invite you to observe the world of creatures like owls, foxes, and wolves. This video is a great one to start off with. Jesse Medina’s content features peaceful landscapes that he slowly takes viewers through. I particularly loved this video of a simple canopy of trees. Mamadou Ndiaye makes informative, fun videos that educate his viewers on various niche topics about nature. I recommend starting with this video about his favorite animal in the world.
I also can’t leave you without my two favorite videos from this week: This one honestly looks super painful but genuinely killed me, and this one gives some interesting insight into how astronauts manage a pretty mundane task.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
Big question this week: What have you been watching lately? We’re giving a $25 movie theater gift card to the first person to reply to this email with the best movie you’ve watched lately. Hit us with your best recs!
Film
You're strolling through the linoleum wasteland of your local shopping mall, gorging on Auntie Anne's and wondering how to flatten your already flat Vera Bradley wallet. And then... the smell hits you. That overpowering, plastic-y musk—the aromatic equivalent of a popped collar. In a trance, you follow that scent, and the sound of pulsating generic club beats. You enter a cave, into some dark shrine to the deity that is the almighty ab. This is Abercrombie & Fitch.
As a cusper, I still feel traumatized by this era—more specifically by the overpriced, cologne-drenched t-shirts that seemed specifically designed to be as unflattering as possible for my body type in middle school. So, I was excited to watch WHITE HOT: THE RISE & FALL OF ABERCROMBIE & FITCH (trailer here) as soon as it dropped on Netflix. Like the documentary points out, A&F is fascinating not only because it was horribly problematic (racist, fatphobic, Islamophobic, you name it), but because it was so unabashed about it. In fact, hardly anyone batted an eye in 2006 when then-CEO Mike Jeffries proudly called the brand "exclusionary." While the history of the clothing giant as we know it is riddled with controversies, it managed to (more or less) survive, which says a lot about where society stands in the slow trek to progress. This is a point WHITE HOT makes but doesn't quite follow through on, failing to dive into the complex dynamic between company and culture. But the doc had a lot of ground to cover, and it managed to hit the main points pretty well. I'm just happy the conversation is being had. Next up, Brandy Melville...
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
TV
HBO Max's THE TOURIST (trailer here) is the quirky outback thriller you didn't know you needed. Starring Jamie Dornan as a man who wakes up after a car collision in Australia with no recollection of his life, the 6-episode series follows his quest to figure out who he is, who's trying to kill him, and why. While Dornan is predictably fantastic, the heart of the show is Probationary Constable Helen Chambers (Danielle McDonald), a Marge Gunderson type who gets in over her head trying to help the amnesiac protagonist and solve the mystery of his identity. Harry and Jack Williams aren't coy about that Coen brothers influence, playing with genre conventions from westerns and noir while maintaining an offbeat sense of humor. There may be a bit of Lindelof inspiration as well; I got quite a hint of THE LEFTOVERS in one episode. However, I think THE TOURIST still carves out a space all its own by establishing a unique tone (just as tender and sweet as it is dark) and asking interesting questions like” What would it be like to forget every mistake you ever made? Where is the line between bad people and bad circumstances? How can we forgive others, and how can we forgive ourselves? And most importantly, is happiness a burrito? Just go watch. You won’t regret it.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
It’s been a while since I got hooked on a new TV show that I truly couldn’t tear my eyes off the screen. But I’m happy to report that TOKYO VICE (trailer here) is doing exactly that for me right now. The show follows the story of Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort), an American journalist who works for one of the top newspapers in Japan during the ‘90s. Covering the local crime beat, Adelstein quickly finds himself involved in the world of the yakuza (Japanese organized crime) along with Detective Katagiri (Ken Watanabe). It’s all a little more interesting because Jake Adelstein is actually a real person; he was the first foreign-born journalist to be hired by a Japanese newspaper publisher, and the show was adapted from his memoir of the same name, published in 2009.
TOKYO VICE has a solid balance of Japanese and English dialogue, which showcases the actors’ outstanding abilities to speak multiple languages—especially Ansel Elgort who at this point speaks better Japanese than I do. What’s so cool about this show is the fact that it gives you a glimpse into the underworld of the yakuza’s life and how their business affects those around them. There are three more episodes still to come and I truly cannot wait to see what happens next for these characters. TOKYO VICE is a real treat for those who are fascinated with Tokyo, the 90’s, and/or the world of the yakuza.
—Eri Sofia Taira, Associate Graphic Designer
I spent the week bingeing OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH (trailer here). I thoroughly enjoyed it, but honestly, I really wish I had savored it a lot more. This show is such a palette cleanser, a light-hearted comedy set against the backdrop of the 1700s (when being a pirate was “hip” apparently). The main character Stede Bonnet is essentially the Leslie Knope of the pirate world—he believes a little too hard in his ragtag crew of rejects, and they pillage only the minimum needed to keep the ship going. Everything changes when Blackbeard, the most gruesome and unforgiving pirate in the world, takes a liking to Stede and his more refined, aristocratic behaviors. The show follows the two as they learn more about one another’s lives. Drama and mystery of course unfolds between the crew and the people they meet at each stop, and you get to know each character deeply as they navigate each increasingly bizarre situation. Though there are serious moments, the humor is what makes the show so refreshing. It’s almost like a workplace comedy if the workplace was…the high seas.
–Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
Theater
If you find yourself in New York this summer, I implore you to see Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A STRANGE LOOP, now running on Broadway. This self-described “big, Black & queer-ass” musical follows Usher, a young writer struggling to finish his autofictional musical. As Usher searches for validation and acceptance, the play raises the question: Is it possible to love yourself if the people around you—your parents, your sexual partners, our cultural leaders—take issue with fundamental parts of your identity? Your bigness, your Blackness, your queerness? The result is totally heartbreaking and yet somehow still uplifting. The cast is superb, particularly newcomer Jaquel Spivey in the lead role. This is exactly the sort of show that belongs on Broadway and I just love it so much!!
—Julia Hammer, Director of Production
04/15/22
This week: Toddlers running errands, an absurdly deep dive into GLEE, and the astounding staying power of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM.
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube STRANGER THINGS 4
Letterboxd EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
TikTok #ecofriendly
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix OUR GREAT NATIONAL PARKS
Twitter Coachella
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
Yesterday morning, Elon Musk proposed a hostile takeover of Twitter for $43 billion ($6 billion more than its current market value). This comes after the billionaire bought 9.2 percent of the company earlier this month, becoming Twitter’s largest stakeholder. Musk spoke at the TED 2022 conference, explaining his interest in acquiring the platform: “This is not a way to sort of make money. My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important.” A noble idea, but whether a public platform like the one he’s describing should be owned by a single group of wealthy individuals is of course up for discussion. As of today, Twitter’s board of directors is adopting a “poison pill” defense in order to block Musk’s offer, which gives other shareholders the ability to purchase more shares of the stock, thus diluting Musk’s shares—and their own, hence the poison pill analogy.
Filmmaker Spike Lee is getting into the NFT game. The director is releasing a collection of 3,945 NFTs centered around his first feature film, SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT. The crypto art will feature original frames from the movie, along with additional art as well. This comes out of an ongoing partnership with The Visible Project, a content incubator where Lee is set to be chairman.
Also on the digital front, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by TikTok duo @bigweirdworld for a while now. The page, made up of 8illy and 8nderson, dives into very specific (and lesser known) moments in history, and breaks them down in just a few minutes. The two hosts are excellent storytellers, and that, paired with dynamic editing, makes the fact-filled videos super fun to watch. They cover everything from an unsinkable WW2 cat, to the new world record on driving from NYC to LA, to German inflation in the 1920s. I highly recommend checking them out this weekend if you’re looking for a fun history binge.
I also loved this romantic cartoon, this very cinematic snail that I will never stop sharing with you, and this extremely American fishing encounter. With that, I bid you a good weekend.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Film
This past week marked the 20th anniversary of the oh-so-iconic film BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (trailer here) by Gurinder Chaddha. This story about Jesminder Bhamra (Parminder Nagra), a young British-Indian Sikh girl aspiring to be a soccer player, turned out to be a surprise hit and a much needed reference for young South Asian women everywhere, sparking one-liners that are still zinged about to aunties and uncles everywhere today. The film explores the nuances of what it means to be British, hold a hybrid identity, and what it’s like to have a strong passion for a sport, or art, that isn’t quite understood or recognized in one’s community. And the film’s various messages hold as true today as they did 20 years ago, as the film was very much ahead of its time. It also features a young Keira Knightley in one of her first feature films.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
No matter how many dialogue-heavy movies of a certain genre are released, I maintain that none will ever compare to the mastery of BURIED (2010) (trailer here). The entire film is 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds being buried alive and struggling to get out, so if you are easily claustrophobic, be sure to watch through your fingers. What’s great about this movie is that despite its small and focused scope and setting, it still manages to feel as though it’s broken up into several acts through its use of lighting and orientation, making the whole movie deeply memorable as a developing story. At no point does it drag or feel as though the various scenes are bleeding together. The absence of additional settings and characters literally detracts nothing from the experience of watching this film, and even knowing the ending does nothing to diminish my anxiety every rewatch. I recommend seeing for yourself—available to watch on HBO Max!
—Victoria Moniz, Development Intern
TV
This week I had multiple friends recommend OLD ENOUGH!, a long-running Japanese show recently added to Netflix. They told me that it’s a show in which toddlers run errands. I thought there had to be more to it, but after watching a few of the ~10 minute episodes, I can confirm that it is in fact toddlers running errands. Sometimes they complete their errands, other times they forget what they’re supposed to be doing. It’s adorable! The program has been running since 1991 in Japan, so there are even children on the show now whose parents were on the show in the past. Generations of cuteness for you to watch this weekend.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
YouTube
There are few things I enjoy more than watching Michael Messineo, a.k.a. Mike’s Mic on YouTube, slowly lose it. Mike is essentially a walking pop culture encyclopedia whose film and TV commentary never fails to make me snort with delight, but his more recent reviews have reached unparalleled, near-transcendent levels of unhingedness—the crown jewel being a 3-part, 6-hour long series unpacking the entirety of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. This week, however, Mike began a new endeavor: a recap of all 6 tumultuous seasons of GLEE. His methods involve a whiteboard on which he maps out characters and plot beats like a detective tracking a serial killer, a point system for rewarding or penalizing characters based on behavior, and a 5 hour and 53 minute-long Spotify playlist entitled “The Mike’s Mic Glee Experience.” Not to mention, a deep, burning hatred toward the “menace” that is William Schuester. Go. Watch. Now.
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
04/08/22
This week: Some thoughts on giving up your data. Plus, a strong opinion on the sexiest couple on TV, the latest Michael Bay film, and the first TikTok project to win a Grammy!
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Letterboxd THE BATMAN
TikTok #PGATour
Spotify As It Was - Harry Styles
Netflix BETTER CALL SAUL
Twitter Dollywood
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
CODA’s Oscar win proved to be big for Apple in a very tangible way. After the film’s historic Best Picture win, Apple TV+ saw a 25% rise in new subscribers, and a 300% increase in CODA views compared to the week prior. Pretty good ROI on the $25M acquisition of the film, as long as they can retain some of those new subs!
I’ve said it before, but Spotify is the only service that I gladly give my data to—because the personalization and curation I get in return is legitimately worth it. And the audio app is reportedly leveling up, as it’s currently testing a TikTok-like discovery feed for its users. This will look sort of similar to TikTok’s For You Page, with a vertical video feed, featuring new songs and accompanying videos. The new feature is being tested in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, and each day the feed will recommend 15 songs to each user.
Knowing that most of you come to our newsletter for film recs, I have to share a Google feature that my boss Neha put me on this week. If you’re Googling what to watch, you can now add the streaming services that you subscribe to, in order to get only recommendations that you can easily access. You can do this just by clicking on the “edit your services” button on the top right of your screen. Obviously, it’s a play for more of your data, which benefits Google’s YouTube TV and Google TV businesses, but still. This feels like real value-add.
This week I loved this video that shows off arguably the most ideal way to get around Lowe’s, this one that depicts maybe the best interaction with a Disney character, and this one that introduces us to a kid wise beyond his years.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
Do you keep a list of movies you want to watch next?
-Yes, of course. I’m a true film fan, after all.
-Nope, the only list I need lives in my brain.
Film
If there were one word to describe Michael Bay’s AMBULANCE (stylized as ambuLAnce across marketing materials because it follows an ambulance…in LA…keep up!)— it would simply be iconic. Without giving any context, there is an actual scene around the midpoint of this film where our main characters get on a group FaceTime with two trauma surgeons (who are calling in from a golf course, mind you) to learn how to perform an emergency surgery to retrieve a bullet from another character's spleen. I am almost certain that if you showed this scene to a pilgrim, they would immediately collapse.
AMBULANCE (trailer here) is overstimulating, nonsensical, graphically violent, deeply moving and hilariously chaotic—all at once. You must see it immediately. Based on the 2005 Danish film AMBULANCEN, ambuLAnce’s premise is simple: A struggling veteran, Will (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), needs to pay his sick wife’s medical bills. He goes to his adoptive brother Danny (an exceedingly manic Jake Gyllenhaal), a career criminal wanted by the FBI, to help him rob a bank for $32 million. Of course, everything that could go wrong during the heist does, and after Will shoots a police officer, they hijack an ambulance and take the hardened, unemotional Cam (Eiza Gonzalez)—the Self-Proclaimed Best Paramedic In Town—hostage. As Cam works against the clock to keep the police officer alive in this careening getaway ambulance, Will and Danny drive across LA trying to mastermind a way out of their botched heist. Michael Bay’s maximalist filmmaking is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I, for one, am kind of obsessed. The swooping drone shots, practical explosions, and simple dialogue scenes that look like they were shot on a 120mm lens all work in service of the absurd, high-octane premise at hand. AMBULANCE demands your attention for every second of its 2 hour 16 minute runtime. And truthfully, not a lot of movies have that to their credit. There’s some wonky “both sides” socio political commentary going on here, but that honestly just made the movie that much more fun. So please…like my life depends on it, go see Michael Bay’s ambuLAnce this weekend—and thank me later.
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
TV
I'm so late to this party, but my binge-viewing of RAMY (trailer here) did not disappoint! This half-hour comedy series offers a nuanced, charming glimpse into the American Muslim experience through creator and star Ramy Youssef's singular point of view. Each episode finds Ramy in hilariously absurd situations as he attempts to strike a balance between adhering to his faith and exploring his individuality. And the episodes highlighting Ramy's friends and family are perhaps even more astute, tackling faith, family, and dating through multiple perspectives in Ramy's community. If you've foolishly kept this show on your watchlist (yes, I’m squarely in Camp Keep-a-List) for years like I did, start now and join the growing number of fans who are anxiously awaiting Season 3!
—Dustin Sloane, Development Assistant
Who else has been patiently waiting for almost two years for one of the sexiest (and most loving) TV couples to come back to the small screen? Who else has been Googling “Shows similar to OUTLANDER” to watch until the next season comes out? For those who cannot yet relate, now is the time to hop on board. OUTLANDER Season 6 (trailer here) premiered last month, with five episodes now out, and let me tell you that I am loving every single second of it. Season 5 ended on a very traumatic and dark note for our beloved Claire Frazer and so far we’re seeing how she’s coping and healing alongside her charming and supportive husband Jamie Frazer, who’s struggling on taking on a role in the British Army in the Americas. When I first discovered OUTLANDER, I was instantly hooked, and binged the first five seasons within a month. The combination of the world of the Scottish highlands in the 1700’s, steamy romance and a touch of comedy makes it the perfect rabbit hole to fall down. And the visually appealing aesthetic and unreal costume design just make it that much more appealing. Go give it a try—and I’ll see you six seasons later.
—Eri Sofia Taira, Associate Graphic Designer
Music
Okay, I know what you’re probably thinking—more BRIDGERTON? And to you, I say: Yes! But I’m here to discuss the music and the music only! If you’re anything like me and you love a little bit of a corny but steamy forbidden romance, you probably know that some of the biggest moments are cued by the music. What makes the music in BRIDGERTON so fun is the pop covers with a string quartet. The symphonic band nerd in me absolutely lost it when I heard the Hannah V rendition of Rihanna's DIAMONDS. Anyway, the musicians killed every single cover, from Madonna's MATERIAL GIRL to a cover of a Bollywood classic, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. And if you were a fan of Season 1, you probably remember the reimagining of Ariana Grande’s THANK U, NEXT, which was all over the internet at the close of 2020.
Even more impressive, the UNOFFICIAL BRIDGERTON MUSICAL, a musical theater album created by Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow, won a Grammy, the first ever award to go to a project that originated on TikTok. Inspired by the series, Barlow wrote songs from the characters' perspectives and teased them on the platform. One of the top songs, BURN FOR YOU has over five million views on TikTok.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
04/01/22
This week: What are you in the mood for? Romance? The multiverse? A lesson in commodities trading? We’ve got it all…
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Fans React to Chris Rock Show
Letterboxd THE BATMAN
TikTok #Vlog
Spotify Heat Waves - Glass Animals
Netflix BRIDGERTON
Twitter April Fools
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
Okay, I promise I’m not here to give you my take on Will Smith hitting Chris Rock. But I am here to talk about the ratings. Nielsen reported that 16.6 million people watched, which is up 58 percent from last year—but almost 30 percent down from 2020’s 23.6 million viewers, and still the second lowest viewership on record. Unsurprisingly, social posts on the show were way up this year. ABC reported 22.7 million interactions on social media, which is 139 percent higher than last year’s engagement. But let’s be honest, that’s probably not a playbook for success anyone wants to replicate.
In more innovative news, we might be on the cusp of having a new way to access currency: I’m talking about the digital dollar here. U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill that would “virtually eliminate funds transfer waiting periods, cut fees and enable those without bank accounts to move money across borders.” This comes after Joe Biden issued an executive order calling for more research on coming up with a national digital currency earlier this month. People would be able to use the digital cash like typical dollars and the money won't need ro go through a bank or credit card company to be used—which is huge news for the more than 7 million Americans who are unbanked.
The NFL is reportedly coming out with a new mobile streaming service called NFL Plus. The NFL previously had deals with Verizon and Yahoo to show some games on mobile devices that have since ended. Teams were made aware of the development at the annual NFL owners’ meetings this week. According to The Athletic, included in the briefs was a hypothetical $5-a-month price point.
And finally, I must share with you this video, which embodies all my hopes and dreams for all of your weekends. I also loved this one of a woman who’s wildly good at guessing where people are from, and this one that documents 54 Ukrainian orphans' safe voyage to the U.K.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
Would you rather watch your favorite movie alone or with friends?
Film
It’s only April but I’m pretty sure I already found my favorite movie of 2022: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (trailer here). Directed by the Daniels (the duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) in their sophomore feature, and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis; this dazzling and kaleidoscopic film is at once over-the-top but also grounded. It’s laugh-your-pants-off hilarious but also deeply emotional.
It follows Evelyn, an exhausted Chinese-American woman who’s dealing with a lot—an elderly father who’s hard to please, a daughter who’s angry because Evelyn won’t publicly acknowledge her girlfriend, and a sweet husband who is hurt by their strained relationship—all the while as she prepares to be audited by the IRS for not filing taxes correctly. But Evelyn’s life is about to take another path, because as when she walks into the IRS building, her husband suddenly “transforms” into her husband from another reality, telling her that this current version of her belongs to a countless collection of Evelyns across the vast multiverse. And even wilder? She must tap into the emotions and skills of all the Evelyns from the other realities to save herself and defeat a looming dark force that is now onto her.
The film offers so much beyond the subversive high-concept that explores the multiverse—at the core of it all, this is a touching story exploring family, generational love, and finding your voice at any age. It’s also filled with stunning action sequences that pays homage to video-game aesthetics, classic Kung Fu films, and OG multiverse stories like THE MATRIX—all with a touch of the Daniels' signature absurdism. And I would be remiss not to bring up the masterful and iconic performance of Michelle Yeoh, who brings so much grace, grit, and humor to her role.
Just go watch it. Now.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
TV
’Tis the season for period romance! Raise your hands if you’re in the mood for prolonged eye contact, steamy dialogue, and a messy web of love triangles that, let’s face it, is usually completely avoidable. I’m of course talking about the second season of BRIDGERTON (trailer here). This go-round is missing the gorgeous Duke (love you, Regé-Jean Page) and a lot of the steamy, sexy stuff of Season 1, but there is absolutely no shortage of wildly attractive people falling in love. Shoutout to all my fellow Bollywood fans for the ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ rendition that overlays the haldi ceremony. In fact, the whole premise of Season 2 is swimming in Bollywood tropes—from the eldest son feeling the pressure to uphold his own perceived notions of dutiful obligations, including marrying someone worthy of his title (like sir, calm down), to the eldest sister being called a spinster at the mere age of six and twenty. We even have progressive auntie Whistledown reporting on the key societal players’ every move, and the queen attempting a grand reveal of her identity to take her down. This season is a win for representation, and the slow-burn romance is made believable by the incredibly talented Simone Ashley, who proves to the world that South Asian women are worthy, and deserving, of being leading ladies.
—Nimarta Narang, Digital Fellow
Theater
For our LA-based readers, THE LEHMAN TRILOGY is now being staged downtown at the Ahmanson Theater, and I highly recommend finding the time to see it. Simon Russell Beale and Adam Godley, who have been with the play since its English-language debut in London, are now joined by Howard W. Overshown as the third lead, and all three put on remarkably propulsive performances. A history of the financial firm, Lehman Brothers, from its founding in the 1840s through its 2008 collapse, the play excels at dramatizing the development of the U.S. financial system and showing how the personalities of the people at the helm of Lehman directly shaped that system. Plus, think of how impressed people will be when they learn that you went to the theater AND learned about commodities trading all in one night.
—Nolan Russell, Executive Assistant
FROM THE VAULT
Podcast
I know there are some rom-com lovers out there and I am, of course, here for it! Taking the classic workplace romance international, SHOWMANCE is a fun and entertaining audio romp through London. Our heroine heads abroad when a dream job comes calling, and meets not one but two very sexy British bachelors along the way. Not only will SHOWMANCE make your commute more charming and adorable, but I also want to shout out the fantastic sound design with the audio effects providing just as many “punchlines” as the dialogue does. Fair warning: Have a snack on hand as the series is heavy on audio food porn. And yes, that is a thing.
—Emmanuelle Stahler, VP, Audio
03/25/22
This week: Whether or not you watch this weekend’s Academy Awards, you should absolutely watch these films (plus, a standout TV show primed for next year’s awards).
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube Elden Ring (dunkview)
Letterboxd TURNING RED
TikTok TipTok
Spotify Anita - Envolver
Netflix IS IT CAKE
Twitter #THELOSTCITY
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
It’s Oscar weekend, you guys!
Okay, yeah. I know what you’re probably thinking: Who cares about awards shows anymore? It’s just a bunch of rich people in fancy outfits—and I don’t even have cable television. To which I say: Fair. But, I still can’t pass up a chance to get together with my entertainment-loving friends and talk about the movies we loved this past year. If you’re the same, you’ll see Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer are co-hosting. After much chatter, WEST SIDE STORY star Rachel Zegler will be both attending and presenting. Beyoncé and Billie Eilish will perform. And if you skip the whole thing, we’ll be right here (on Instagram, anyway) the next morning with the recap of all the moments that felt worthy of the internet—and absolutely nothing else.
In only tangentially related news, you might remember that back at the 2020 Oscars, PARASITE director Bong Joon-ho said, “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” And it seems like since then, people have actually taken heed. International hits like LUPIN and SQUID GAME have surprised streamers like Netflix in some cases, and the services have had a hard time keeping up with subtitling and dubbing of their popular content. For SQUID GAME, the company didn't have Italian subtitles available, and had to quickly turn them around as consumers wanted to watch. Netflix saw the same issue with LUPIN and Portuguese-speaking viewers. Translators like Holly Diener who worked on CALL MY AGENT encourage filmmakers to start thinking about this process early.
This week, Robinhood announced a brand-new debit card that will invest for you. The card gives users the option to round up their purchases to the next dollar, and then automatically invest that change. The stock trading app will incentivize investors to partake by giving users a bonus of between 10 and 100 percent (capped at $10) each week.
I can’t leave you without this scene of a mother duck teaching her many ducklings that it’s only ok to jump off a cliff if your mom does it first. I also loved this video of a guy who is blissfully still living in the summer of 2014.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
Question of the week:
So, we’re curious. Have you watched a foreign-language film or TV show with subtitles in the past three months?
My favorite Oscar moment, without a doubt, is the epic win that PARASITE (trailer here) took home in 2020. As a matter of fact, here is a screenshot of pics in my camera roll from when PARASITE won Best Picture. Yes…real tears of joy were shed. And yes, I know I was being extremely dramatic, but let me tell you why. As a born-and-raised Chinese woman learning her way through Hollywood, seeing huge Asian representation on the Oscar stage for the first time was overwhelming, especially since the film in question was in a “foreign language,” viewed with subtitles by most English speakers. I know real changes don’t happen overnight just because a film was awarded a prize, and we still have a long way to go as an industry—but PARASITE’s unexpected win at the Oscars not only proved that foreign films are no longer just for select groups of cinephiles, but also signaled that a film with a full Asian cast and in a foreign language can be appreciated for its brilliance on a large scale, and become a unifying blockbuster event despite the “one-inch barrier” that is subtitles. Anyway, PARASITE didn’t need an Oscar win to prove how iconic it is, but what a moment in history. To all of this, my immigrant self says YES.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
Films
This weekend, Will Smith is up for Best Actor in KING RICHARD (trailer here). The film follows Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, as he helps jump-start their (now legendary) tennis careers. It’s full of heart and feels particularly human, showing the complexities of parenthood—and particularly Black fatherhood—as Richard grapples with decisions that will inevitably shape his family’s futures. I’m rooting for him to win this category in a big way. His performance is completely captivating—and his character is endearing, maddening, complicated, and thrilling to watch.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
After winning Best Screenplay at Cannes, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s DRIVE MY CAR (trailer here) has been racking up awards in the past few weeks—named Best International Feature at the Gotham Awards and Best Film by the New York Film Critics Circle—and I can assure you that the movie is deserving of all of that and then some. 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
This is a “better late than never” rec because if you haven’t already seen the brilliant TURNING RED (trailer here), you should add it to your list ASAP. Directed by Domee Shi, this heartwarming, hilarious, and witty Pixar film follows Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident and dorky 13-year-old torn between wanting to be a perfect and dutiful daughter to her mother (voiced by Sandra Oh), and embracing the chaos of growing up. Which is extra-chaotic for Mei because one day she unexpectedly wakes up in the body of a giant red panda. She soon learns that if she gets too excited or emotional, she’ll uncontrollably turn into this panda.
At once whimsical, hysterical, adorable, and tear-jerking, there is so much to love about this film. As with all great Pixar movies, the animation is beautifully done, blessing us with stunning set pieces inspired by Chinese culture and mythology, and very importantly, hunger-inducing animated Chinese food. And under a fun premise, Domee takes a magical approach in discussing puberty and growing into a body that may scare you, all the while giving us characters who are flawed but deeply lovable. I especially love that I get to see a Pixar story that addresses the stifling pressure for perfectionism experienced by so many children of immigrants—and passed on through generations. And this is what makes the mother-daughter relationship in the film so special. It doesn’t set out to simply criticize the “Tiger Mom” trope, but rather takes a humanizing look at how intergenerational trauma leads to the way Mei’s mom expresses her love for her daughter. And yes, perhaps I did sob through the last bit as a result, thinking about my own family.
—Mimi Li, Development Assistant
TV
PACHINKO (trailer here) was one of the most anticipated original series of this year and boy, was it worth the wait. Based on the bestselling historical fiction epic from Min Jin Lee, this global masterpiece just dropped its first three episodes on Apple TV+. First off, I cannot even put into words how visually breathtaking Pachinko is—whisking us from Korea to Japan to America. But at the same time, it’s just so intimate, telling a family story spanning generations, with the lifetime of protagonist Sunja as our touchstone. The series is in Korean, Japanese, and English. It makes me think of Bong Joon-ho's Oscars speech (a theme in this week’s newsletter, clearly!) urging audiences to open up our minds to an expansive world of film and TV outside of the English language. The pilot, with the gripping performance of young breakout star Yu-na Jeon, moves from Japanese-occupied Korea in 1915 to New York City in 1989 (with so many years and cities in between). And the premiere falling ahead of Oscar weekend feels only fitting since Youn Yuh-jung is one of the other stars of this series, hot off last year’s Oscar win for her beautiful work in MINARI.
Once again, I don't have the words to truly describe how much I want y'all to watch this series but I'll leave you with this: In a time of brilliant TV, Pachinko has stood out as one of my immediate favorites. That's it.
—Erin Harris, Development Assistant
Music
Huge news for the bey-hive this year, Beyoncé has not only been nominated for her first Oscar EVER, but she’s also been invited to perform. She’s nominated in the best original song category for BE ALIVE, a ballad she wrote for KING RICHARD. The song feels like classic Beyoncé, as it's backed by a heavy drum, her own beautifully layered harmonies, and her powerful voice on top. The lyrics touch on the importance of Black resilience, pride and family, all messages that carry within the film itself, making her song a poignant and beautiful addition. If you haven’t heard the track yet, prepare to be blessed when she graces the Academy Awards stage this weekend. I’m also hoping she has something extra special up her sleeve as it’s been rumored she’s been rehearsing in a sound proof tent (I wasn’t even aware that was possible but leave it to Beyoncé to up the ante on what’s impossible).
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
03/18/22
This week: The end of our password-sharing days, the return of a bingeable UK drama, and a festive book rec
TRENDS THIS WEEK:
Youtube MS. MARVEL
Letterboxd THE BATMAN
TikTok #stpatricksday
Spotify Heat Waves - Glass Animals
Netflix THE ADAM PROJECT
Twitter #MarchMadness
Shopify It’s been a week
Life & Culture
It looks like the heyday of using our college roommate's ex-boyfriend’s step-mom’s Netflix password might be coming to an end </3. On Wednesday, the platform announced that it is going to start cracking down on members who share their accounts with people outside of their household. The company is rolling out two “new features” for users in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru. These Netflix users can choose to pay an extra $2.99 for up to two people they don’t live with, or export profiles to a new account, in order to keep their viewing history, watchlist, and personalized recs. This all comes as the streaming competition gets hotter and hotter, and Netflix subscriber growth has started to dip.
The White House is going to an unlikely source in order to disseminate and amplify content about Ukraine: TikTokers. Knowing that millions of young people get information from the app, Biden officials spoke to 30 prominent creators on a Zoom call last week. They discussed the war, briefed the TikTok creators about the US’s strategic goals, and answered their questions. Meanwhile, anti-war Russians also have been leaning on digital spaces in order to come together, but with social media heavily regulated and shut down, one of the few places left that they can converse is actually Clubhouse. One room has been going for over two weeks, nonstop, with over half a million participants.
This week I particularly enjoyed this extremely calming video of birds migrating and this one of the most impressive mural I’ve ever seen. And I will leave you with this delightfully dumb magical duo from Germany who have not stopped popping up on my FYP.
—Darlene Kenney, Digital Strategist
And I'm curious:
Will Netflix’s password crackdown affect you?
-Yep, I might have to get off my friend’s family plan…
-Nope, I am a good upstanding Netflix-user
Film
With cult hits like THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL and THE INNKEEPERS, Ti West has built up a devoted horror fanbase (two members being fellow PS assistant Neal Mulani and myself). So the anticipation was high for X (trailer here), West’s new slasher about amateur pornographers in the 1970s starring Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi, and Owen Campbell. When the cast and crew of “The Farmer’s Daughter” arrive at the rural guest house of an elderly couple to begin shooting, things expectedly go south. At first, I was a bit wary of the film’s subject matter; in film and TV, it’s difficult to say anything particularly new or interesting about the porn industry, and easy to fall into the trap of sensationalizing or coldly satirizing the industry with a flashy or tongue-in-cheek style. The religious moral panic of the 20th century has also been played out too many times over. And while X does indulge in all of these familiarities—and not to mention, has some well-intentioned but heavy-handed lines about skewed perceptions of the adult film world—it takes an intriguing turn with its story. And while the film is undoubtedly horror, it balances a comedic and tragic tone in its treatment of the antagonist, leaving you cackling with discomfort. This one is definitely the most fun in a theater with your fellow scary movie enthusiasts!
—Alicia Devereaux, Development Assistant
FROM THE ARCHIVE
One word: chaos. Two words: mind blown. WILD TALES (trailer here) is one of my all time favorite films. It’s a story about human behavior and what happens when people are pushed to their limits. Unexpected, adrenaline-pumping, and funny, you basically get six movies in one with WILD TALES as its an anthology of short stories. Written and directed by Argentinian director Damián Szifron, who reportedly wrote the movie while taking a bath (or a couple), it absolutely transports you to another world. (Literally, he said “I’d write one story a night in the bath, then another, then 15 or 20…”) Def check it out.
—Martina Lund, SVP, Brand Marketing
TV
After a long two years, one of my favorite UK dramas, TOP BOY, is back. The show focuses on the drug wars between rival gangs, fighting for complete control of London's drug empire. While entirely fictional, the show sheds light on some very real issues, like gentrification, immigration and racism. This season will follow Dushane as he tries to remain the Top Boy (which is UK slang for head drug dealer) in his hood. One of my absolute favorite things about the show is the amazing cast, specifically the women, including the incredible singer, Little Simz, who plays Shelley on the show.
—Eden Bekele, Digital Associate
Book
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! My middle name is Patrick, so I’m obligated to make an Irish recommendation this week. MILKMAN by Anna Burns, winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, is a psychological slow burn set during The Troubles in Northern Ireland that deftly builds a palpable sense of danger and surveillance. The story follows an unnamed 18-year-old girl caught in a violent web of allegiances who begins to be followed by a sinister man known as the milkman. Although the novel is specific to a place and time in Irish history, it provides an account of young womanhood that transcends its setting.
—Nolan Patrick Russell, Executive Assistant
Music
If you’re looking for a Main Pop Girl to soundtrack your night out this weekend, Charli XCX is here to help. The English singer and hit songwriter has released CRASH, her fifth studio album and the last in her contract with Atlantic Records—and it’s a certified smash. Teased back in September with the release of lead single GOOD ONES (co-written and produced by bonafide hitmaker Oscar Holter), Charli released a slew of posts insisting that she had "sold her soul" to her record label, ready to serve up the “ultra popstar” version of herself. In that sense, the CRASH era is an ironic return to basics for Charli XCX—a form of performance art but so immaculately conceived that it can’t be dismissed as such.
After achieving mainstream success in the last decade with hit singles FANCY, I LOVE IT and BOOM CLAP, Charli backed away from the peak of her Top 40 sensibilities and leaned into the boundless experimentation of “hyperpop”: songs that retained classic pop melodies but riffed on them in the least radio-friendly of ways—glitchy outros and excessive autotune all over. And yet over the last decade, these hallmark traits of Charli's sound have (of course) bled into the zeitgeist, finding their way into the landscape of Top 40 in 2022. Instead of embracing that and doubling down on the validity of her prior work, Charli has turned back to her mainstream roots and assembled an album full of insanely catchy hooks and interpolations of other hit songs. My standout tracks are title track CRASH, CONSTANT REPEAT, EVERY RULE, LIGHTNING, and YUCK. And basically every other song on the album. Sorry, not helpful. But with that, prepare to succumb to the Top 40 industry machine this weekend and CRASH!
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant