Culturecow: It is one spooky edition
Commentary by Devin McCue, Sumner Newscow — Happy Friday. In D.C. this week, it’s the peak bloom season for our beautiful cherry blossom trees. The landscape is littered with rose-pink petals and the skyline is replete with beautiful foliage.
Or at least it would be if it weren’t for the depressing gray sky and matching rains. I’m not sure how it’s been in the lovely state of Kansas, but this ominous weather out east is really putting a damper on the Spring vibes everyone is supposed to be feeling. So in that spirit, welcome to CultureCow: Spooky Edition (October doesn’t have a monopoly on being spooky).
Last year, Jordan Peele burst on to the scene with his breakout debut film Get Out. No one was expecting the heir-apparent to Dave Chappelle’s comedy throne on Comedy Central would make a splash in the horror genre. Instead, Get Out turned out to be both a politically poignant film and one that truly enthralled viewers and earned itself a few Oscar nominations.
After the trailer for his sophomore release Us dropped, the hype was on and Peele did not disappoint. Us is another horror-thriller that can make its point without beating you over the head with a message or getting bogged down in political symbolism. On its surface, it’s just a good film with a compelling conflict and characters you can truly relate to from the goofy dad to the protective mom ushering her family through a truly nightmarish scenario.
Speaking of the characters, this is Lupita Nyong’o’s Hollywood and the rest of us are just living in it. She steals the show from the very beginning and holds on to it until the last scene.
She encapsulates both the matriarch of the principal family and her “Red” counterpart in a way Natalie Portman’s character in Black Swan can only dream of. Apart from the acting, Us also excels with its incredible soundtrack. But the thing that this movie will keep you thinking about for days after watching it is the extended metaphor it poses for living in Trump’s America.
I won’t spoil it here, but if you’d like to discuss it further (and believe me I would) please email me at the link at the bottom of this article.
Move over P!nk, Lady Gaga, and Lorde, we have a new queen of the obscure and her name is Billie Eilish. The 17-year-old(!) dropped her debut album this week titled When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
And while that title is truly terrible and a complete mouthful, it’s no doubt one of my favorites so far this year. Billie has proven herself to be an odd duck before with her EP and singles like My Boy and When I Was Older (both bops), in this album she goes off the rails.
Billie Eilish is quickly on her way to stardom and she’s riding a wave of popular support, but not from the traditional tastemakers (you know, the gays and the twenty-somethings), she’s tapping into the angsty youths of the world and everyone else is just catching on afterward.
People will be able to remain skeptical of her staying power until they hear this album and realize she’s around to stay. Songs like Bad Guy, All the Good Girls Go to Hell, Wish You Were Gay (personal favorite), Bury a Friend, and My Strange Addiction are stand-out hits and even though I named five songs that’s not even the full amount of songs on this album that has the potential to go on to success on the charts. She’s young. She’s weird. She’s here to stay so hop on the bandwagon while there’s still room.
Okay, even if the weather is depressing (maybe not in Wellington), I don’t have it in me to keep being spooky so forgive me for including my final pick this week, the season debut of the best comedy of all time Veep. Yes I did say the best comedy of all time because the Office, Friends, and the Simpsons have no real claim to that title.
The vacuum left in the comedy world has been palpable in Veep’s absence due to the legendary Julia Louis-Dreyfus coming down with cancer, but she’s back and sorry Mrs. Maisel, but your time in the sun has ended for one last year.
This powerhouse HBO show is hailed for its hilarious take on politics and its cynical look on how politicians actually view the issues their constituents care about, but the real secret behind the brilliance of this show is in its dialogue.
You almost can’t truly appreciate the humor until the second viewing because of how many jokes they pack into an episode and the intense speed in which they rattle them off only hiding behind the wall of tasteful vulgarity-laced profanity. So while it’s sad that this is the final season, it’s so nice to finally have Veep back.
One last thing; this week saw the early departure of one of rap’s lesser known, but deeply appreciated artists, Nipsey Hussle. He was gunned down outside one of the clothing stores he established in the neighborhood he grew up in and stayed true to and his passing saddened fans and peers alike.
The New York Times did a wonderful piece on him that is less of an obituary than it is an analysis on the middle-class of rap and the difficulties of staying true to your neighborhood after you make it big (link here).
Meme of the week
I unfortunately can’t look at every meme that dominates the internet every week, so if you see a meme and think it should be the meme of the week please send it to: SumnerCultureCow@gmail.com
If you disagree with my analysis, have a grievance or any other complaint please visit here
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