So you wanna watch something…
Hellbound: This fantasy-horror series is for fans of ‘Train to Busan’—the blockbuster hit from Korean director Yeon Sang-ho. Here’s the premise: a grey face appears in front of people around the world—and predicts the precise moment of death. And they die exactly as predicted with the help of demons—who presumably send them to hell. Throw in a religious cult and a murder investigation, and you have what South China Morning Post calls “one of the most exciting, original and surprising screen experiences of the year.” Streaming on Netflix.
tick tick...BOOM: This film marks the directorial debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda and is an emotional tribute to theatre writer Jonathan Larson—best known for his Broadway show ‘Rent’. It is being described as a ‘meta musical’ that follows Larson as he works on a dystopian, futuristic rock musical called Superbia—which never gets made. This is definitely one for lovers of theatre. New York Times praises the performances—including that of Andrew Garfield (‘Spiderman’)—but says “Miranda’s devotion to his idol keeps him from expanding the musical’s myopic fretting into a universal story of sacrifice and resolve.” Vanity Fair, however, says “the film shines through those many layers of metacontext,” calling it “a small movie about big things.” Streaming on Netflix.
Tear Along the Dotted Line: Set in Rome and based on the best-selling graphic novels by Zerocalcare, this Italian animated series—being dubbed as “offbeat, irreverent”—is about a cartoonist who grapples with existential angst in the company of an armadillo-for-a-conscience—even as the episodes flashback to anecdotes in his childhood. The Review Geek found the series to be “a cleverly written, smart riff on modern life.” FYI: There are only six episodes of 15 minutes each. So this one is perfect for snacking, not bingeing. Streaming on Netflix.
A list of good reads
- Sixty-year old Caitlin Flanagan pens a wry, reflective essay on the moment she turned old in The Atlantic.
- The Guardian reports on the hot new trend of DAOs—exclusive online clubs that have their own cryptocurrency.
- Also in The Guardian: an important read on the ways in which constant screen time is elongating our eyeballs—and how to reverse it.
- The Walrus offers an eye-opening and close-up look at a global ring of baby turtle smugglers.
- In Fast Company a psychologist makes a case for substituting emotional intelligence when that trusty ‘gut feeling’ fails us.
- It’s official. Americans have discovered paneer—which is the latest trendy cheese. This Bloomberg News piece will either make you laugh or roll your eyes, or both.
- Is an elephant a person? The Atlantic looks at “the most important animal-rights case of the 21st century”—where the plaintiff is Happy—a 50-year-old elephant at the Bronx Zoo.
- Not everyone is a fan of ‘Spencer’—the movie that tracks Princess Diana as she falls apart over a single weekend. Anthony Lane in the New Yorker offers a scathing review of a film “drunk on the princess’s perception of the world.”
- New York Times offers an excellent analysis of how Botox—or partial facial paralysis—has embedded itself into popular culture. Our fave line: “Female movie stars are no longer buried after a certain age; instead they are embalmed.”
- Buzzfeed News reports on the new online trend where women are bonding over their stories of having sex with celebrities.
- In 1997, a fire at Uphaar cinema theatre in Delhi killed 57 people. The Print offers a deep dive into the tragedy, investigation and the legal fight that followed.
- Hey, everyone farts! Discover Magazine helps you figure out what they tell you about your health.
- The Guardian offers an eye-opening take on white privilege at Harvard University: “three-quarters of these [white] applicants would have been rejected if it weren’t for having rich or Harvard-connected parents or being an athlete.”
- In The Print, Anurag Minus Verma offers a strong critique of Vir Das’s ‘Two Indias’—and a liberal India that loathes to talk about caste. (h/t founding member Kruthika Ravi Kumar)
