01/08/21
This week: Lighter fare to follow dark days.
TRENDS THIS WEEK
☞ YouTube: Chaos in Washington
☞ Letterboxd: SOUL
☞ TikTok: #inlove
☞ Spotify: SZA - Good Days
☞ Netflix: COBRA KAI
☞ Twitter: 25th Amendement
Life & Culture
I can’t imagine welcoming the end of the week more wholeheartedly. It’s been a somber few days, after domestic terrorists stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday, incited by President Trump. And in the wake of the mob violence and vandalism, it’s hard not to fixate on the fact that less than 100 people were arrested out of the thousands who took part. The stark differences between law enforcement’s handling of this insurrection versus the Black Lives Matter protests of the summer lay bare the racially motivated biases in the system, at its very best—and something much more sinister, at its worst. It all reignited a now-familiar feeling of hopelessness in me, and I can imagine it did the same for many of you. Social platforms may offer a glimmer of hope in reaction to this news, as many are now taking action in a big way. Facebook and Instagram indefinitely banned Trump from using their platforms. Twitter also permanently suspended him, Shopify took down his store, and Twitch disabled his account.
In the wake of all of that hopelessness, I’m looking to entertainment to give me an escape—and to lift my spirits just a little bit. If you’re looking for the same, I’ve got you. I checked out the Ratatouille musical, as promised. I’m happy to report that it was just as cute as the TikToks it was based off of. The musical raised over $1 million for the Actors Fund and featured big-time names like Wayne Brady, Titus Burgess, Andrew Barth Feldman, Ashley Park, André De Shields and Adam Lambert. It was produced by by Seaview Productions along with Michael Breslin, Patrick Foley and PS fav Jeremy O. Harris. One thing that stuck out to me was the care the production team took to highlight the original TikTok creators—from starting the show off with a forward from Emily Jacobsen, who made the first video that started the viral trend, to creating a full playbill crediting all the creatives originally involved. Check it out on YouTube if you missed it—you won’t regret it.
And then, this week, two TikToks that brought me some much-needed distraction: this girl’s surprisingly accurate takes on which mall stores random actors would work at, and this friend group’s stand up competition.
—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant
Film
In what is truly the best premise ever, Thomas Vinterburg’s ANOTHER ROUND is about four high school teachers in Denmark who start drinking alcohol every day to make up for a supposed alcohol deficiency in humans (read: to see if it cures their mid-life crises). Mads Mikkelsen, everyone’s favorite Bond villain, stars as a history teacher whose classes become, admittedly, a lot more interesting when he starts boozing at work. While this all sounds comedic, I’ll say that the movie becomes increasingly hard to watch and sad as it goes on. But it all builds to a really beautiful and cathartic final scene that makes it all worth it! It reminds me of Claire Denis’ BEAU TRAVAIL for any fans out there…
—Bennett Levine, Executive Assistant
Theater
This is only somewhat theater-adjacent BUT I recently learned about a delightful series called STAGED that David Tennant and Michael Sheen created during the first part of lockdown. In the series, they play West End actors whose play has been shut down due to Covid, so they attempt to “rehearse” online. It’s irreverent and entertaining, and includes some truly excellent cameos (Hello Samuel L. Jackson in episode 3!) You can watch the first season on Hulu, or if you’re in the UK, the second season just dropped on the BBC iPlayer!
—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive
Book
I know this is meant to be a newsletter for “hip” and “new” content, but I was embarrassingly behind the ball and had not read PACHINKO until this break. If you, like me, have not read PACHINKO, I am here to tell you to stop whatever you are reading and pick it up! And if you truly live under a rock and don’t even know what it is: PACHINKO is a sweeping narrative following one Korean family over several generations as its members are forced to flee Korea and live in Japan. It’s a gorgeously written, totally heartbreaking story about the lengths we go to for family (and for survival). Don’t be that person who only reads the book after the Apple series comes out...
—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive
Podcasts
I want to recommend QCODE’s new sci-fi podcast FROM NOW, as a distraction from the hellish start to the year. There are only three episodes out so far, and I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the season! This podcast tells the story of astronaut Edward Fitz’s (voiced by Richard Madden) return to earth after being lost in space for 35 years. The only thing that makes his return more notable is that he’s the lone survivor of the expedition and appears to be the exact same age as he was when he launched. After being questioned by authorities and becoming an international phenomenon, Edward is reunited with his identical twin Hunter (Brian Cox). But quickly, their joyful reunion takes a turn, calling into question their relationship—and humanity more generally.
—Lucy Putnam, Development Assistant
I started listening to the podcast DOLLY PARTON'S AMERICA this weekend after a friend recommended it. I know I’m a little late to the game here, but it is SO good, I’d be remiss not to share it with you just in case you’re in the same boat. I’ll admit I came into listening without knowing too much about Dolly outside of a few of her popular songs, but I’ve found myself emotional while listening to each episode so far. Host Jad Abumrad and producer Shima Oliaee document Dolly's life and artistry, taking listeners on a nine-part adventure into Dolly's world. Their storytelling is so captivating in a chill, laid-back way that makes me feel like I'm talking with friends instead of listening to a podcast. I highly recommend checking it out!
—Darlene Kenney, Marketing Assistant
