08/28/20
TRENDS THIS WEEK
☞ YouTube: BTS ‘Dynamite’ MV
☞ Letterboxd: Boy’s State
☞ TikTok: #greenscreentile
☞ Spotify: The Plan - Tenet OST by Travis Scott
☞ Netflix: The Legend of Korra
☞ Twitter: #FreeBritney
LIFE + CULTURE
Professional athletes across multiple sports organizations in the US went on strike this week, protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake. LeBron James took to Twitter to share his thoughts, saying “Change doesn’t happen with just talk!! It happens with action and needs to happen NOW!” The NBA announced that games will resume tomorrow, after the league and players came to an agreement on next steps, including establishing a social justice coalition and converting NBA facilities into voting locations for the 2020 election.
Celebrities are getting into the OnlyFans scene and they're making $$$. Bella Thorne (former Disney star) joined and made over 2 million dollars in less than a week (while upsetting the platform’s sex workers). The platform, which is primarily known for porn, is a content subscription service where fans pay creators for exclusive content, giving influencers the ability to ‘monetize their influence’. This could be the future of social content, where big-name influencers charge directly for their photos and videos.
Spotify is developing a virtual events feature to help fans find online concerts and give artists a new way to generate revenue. Artists are also chartering innovative and creative ways to perform. Miyavi, a Japanese rock star based in Los Angeles, teamed up with tech-savvy director David Cihelna to shoot his next hit-single NEED FOR SPEED music video. Read how their dynamic team experimented with volumetric capture and game engines to foster a COVID-friendly environment for Miyavi’s electrifying performance. In other music news this week, FKA twigs shared the cinematic visuals for "Sad Day", directed by Hiro Murai, known for his work on Atlanta and Guava Island.
SOCIAL MEDIA
TikTok’s US drama continues...the company’s newly-minted CEO is stepping down, only three months after leaving Disney for the position. Analysts predict that this means for sure that the app’s US operations will be sold, they’re thinking to the tune of 35-40 billion dollars.
Solving murders with social media? After posting a series of videos detailing her sister’s disappearance in 2001, Sarah Turney was looking for justice. She suspected that her father had something to do with the disappearance and shared many videos explaining why. The videos got millions of views and, almost two decades after her sister’s disappearance, her father was charged with homicide.
Two TikToks that brought me joy this week: this wholesome way of celebrating a birthday in quarantine and this cinematic wild ride with an extra-special nod to fans of Vine.
FILM
The whole PS team is talking about SPUTNIK, a new Russian sci-fi/horror film by first-time director Egor Abramenko. Without giving too much away, it’s part ALIEN and part ARRIVAL, set in the 1950s Soviet Union, and anchored by a standout performance by Oksana Akinshina. If you’re looking for some new scares, it’s available on all SVOD outlets!
The 2020 New York Asian Film Festival starts today and this year’s offerings look great! Individual movies are $8 and an all access pass is $80. As for the films, I can’t wait for BASEBALL GIRL and IWEIRDO.
LUCE is available for free on iTunes until 8/31 courtesy of NEON. This is one of my favorite movies from last year, putting the spotlight on race in the suburbs within a tight psychological thriller. Check it out this weekend!
TV
As the Broadcast networks confirmed the fall won’t see the customary return of its shows, I decided to revisit my all-time favorites this week and SEINFELD remains a sitcom beacon, yet one that disarmingly doubles as a timely meditation on white privilege. All nine seasons on the iconic show “about nothing” are available to stream on Hulu.
COBRA KAI, a continuation of THE KARATE KID saga, is streaming on Netflix as of today. The series, which was nominated for an Emmy, was originally on YouTube Red. Netflix is making a third season of the show, which will be available in 2021.
THEATRE
I was thrilled to hear that Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of GODSPELL (the first musical allowed to open in the United States since the pandemic hit) was extended through September. Performed in an open-air tent with a cast of 10, the production is styled as an old-fashioned tent revival meeting - a decision that marries the musical’s subject matter with Massachusetts’ Covid protocols! Friends who have seen the production say that it is inspiring, rejuvenating, and welcome confirmation that theatre will bounce back some day soon. If you find yourself near Massachusetts in the next month, be sure to check it out!
VIDEO GAME
SPIRITFARER developed by Thunder Lotus Games.
It's a cozy management game about dying. As ferrymaster to the deceased, build a boat to explore the world, care for your spirit friends, and guide them across mystical seas to finally release them into the afterlife. What will you leave behind?
This is a game I’ve actually been tracking for some time now. I love the developers over at Thunder Lotus for how much thought and care they place in all their games, going all the way back to Jotun. While this one isn’t as action packed as that one, it manages to take you on a journey that’s both sad and joyful at the same time. It’s extremely accessible and during a year where so many of us are experiencing losses, SPIRITFARER is a nice warm hug and well worth the 29.99 price tag.
BOOK
I have been plowing through audiobooks this summer, but the one I cannot stop thinking about is SAY NOTHING by Patrick Radden Keefe. You might be familiar with Keefe’s writing in The New Yorker (where he is a staff writer) or with his recent hit podcast WIND OF CHANGE - he has a knack for turning his investigative journalism into epic, sweeping stories that often feel more like fiction. SAY NOTHING does all of that and more: it is a meticulously researched, nail-biting account of ten or so individuals from Belfast, Northern Ireland and their experiences during the 1970s Troubles. If you’re looking for a captivating, twisty-turny story that also happens to be a history lesson, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
PODCAST
IN THE RED CLAY is a new show from Imperative Entertainment, creators of the shows BARON OF BOTOX and BOOMTOWN. Whiskey, fast cars, drugs, betrayal, murder… and that’s just scratching the surface. Buried deep in the past of a quiet southern town lies the legend of Billy Sunday Birt. A chance meeting one spring day begins to unravel the truth behind the notorious figure and uncovers new secrets along the way. This is a 12-part series dropping weekly, and 3 chapters are out now.
SHORT FILM
DOUBLESPEAK by Hazel McKibbin. Hazel's film is a harrowing look at sexual harassment in the workplace. It's a horror movie disguised as a workplace drama. The tension is built around a knockout performance from Angela Wong Carbone as the protagonist who tries to navigate the incredibly rocky terrain of lodging an HR complaint for sexual harassment. The short is tightly made and ratchets up the tension with only a scene or two. If you enjoyed this short film, I highly recommend Kitty Green's film THE ASSISTANT which explores similar themes within the entertainment workplace context.
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Thank you to PS Weekly reader Stephen for reaching out to share that OUTFEST LA continues this weekend. The LGBTQ film festival, which works to uplift diverse LGBTQIA+ stories, is virtual this year, along with drive-ins in LA. The drive-in has three more nights and is located in Malibu, while unlimited streaming of the festival is available here. Love getting submissions, keep ‘em comin you guys.