Pop Culture Brief – February 2019

General Briefings

It’s the end of February already and I am so ready for spring, except there is still snow on the ground and I hate it. BUT, the sun is out, I’m no longer leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark, and I’ve finally been able to wear the sunglasses I bought myself for Christmas, so not all bad!

Pissbaby man trolls everywhere are probably weeping into their grubby cheeto-fingers because Rotten Tomatoes won’t let them low-rate movies that don’t centre their fantasy-selves before the movies are released anymore. THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR FUCKING WITH CAPTAIN MARVEL, MOTHERFUCKERS.

I cannot wait to see this movie.

SPIKE LEE WON AN OSCAR! But you know people were bitching about it.

Billy Porter’s tuxedo gown is the single most beautiful thing I’ve seen on the red carpet in years and I am in mourning that no one will ever top this.

[At the first fitting in the gown,] I felt alive. I felt free. And open, and radiant. And beautiful! Which has not always been the case for me. I haven’t always felt so good about myself. It really is astonishing how much of an affect clothes have on your spirit.

I die

Emma Thompson is, yet again, proving why she is one of my favourite people.

One of my favourite shows from the 90s is coming back–New York Undercover!–and if Natalie’s isn’t part of the revival I am going to be real mad about it.

Hannah Simone is creating and starring in a new ABC show (loosely) about her Indian family, which would create a nice block along with Blackish and Fresh Off the Boat.

Just… watch this:

Netflix Binges

Since I was snowed in I had time to watch things while they were still being talked about on Twitter!

Russian Doll: A M A Z I N G. I loved this so much. It’s smart and funny, but still dark and kinda sad. The cast is fantastic and I may never tire of hearing “sweet birthday baby!” Also, this is the first time a show actually made smoking look cool to me, and I think smoking is heinous in real life.

Umbrella Academy: I had no expectations going into this because I wasn’t familiar with the comic books, but Mary J Blige and Ellen Page are in it so I was going to watch it, regardless. Luckily, it was great and that finale? Oof. So glad it got renewed for season 2!

Kidnapped in Plain Sight: Ok. Have you seen this? It’s a mess. Like, the entire situation is so bonkers that I cannot process how absolutely idiotic those parents were. I mean, dude literally fucked that whole family and they just came back asking for more! Even with Berchtold doing HIGHLY SUSPECT GROSS PEDO GROOMING SHIT RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. I mean, I can’t even comprehend how this guy pulled his dick out and Jan’s dad was all like “I’m not into penis, but my grown-ass adult male friend, who lies in my daughter’s bed with her, needs to be relieved, and I will do the charitable thing and give him relief!” W H A T?! I just… I cannot.

Dating Around: The mustache guy retweeted my tweet about how I didn’t think he and Lex were cute together and I’m pretty sure he is just trolling twitter for any slight mention of himself. However, can we talk about Gurki and that the human embodiment of male toxicity, Justin? The fucking caucacity of this motherfucker.

“When I got divorced, there was a lot of shame around it,” Basra said. “Since the show aired, I’ve gotten, I don’t know, a thousand messages. Even though there’s obviously a cultural thing to it, it’s not [only] a brown thing. A lot of women experience this shit. And no one’s really seen it before. I didn’t realize I was going through that until I saw it on the screen.”

Luckily, Gurki is a smart, talented badass. Justin, on the other hand, should be pushed into a volcano.

On the TeeVee

The Oscars: The hostless Oscars were the best they’ve been in years. But while two black women won in their respective categories–the first in those categories–and brown women won for a movie about MENSTRUATION and talked about periods on the Oscars stage, Spike Lee finally won, and Trevor Noah’s joke, the Academy still rewarded another white saviour movie when they could have just not. But at least we got Olivia Coleman’s delightful speech and my lock screen boyfriend looking like a full 6 course meal.

That eyebrow tho…

Killing Eve: I’ve had this on my DVR for ages and when I finally had the house to myself one evening I figured it was time to finally start this. AND THEN I WATCHED THE WHOLE SERIES IN ONE SITTING. Yes, Killing Eve is so goddamn fabulous that I did not move or pick up my phone (aside from one 20 minute break to do dishes, use the bathroom, and reject my friend’s offer to watch a movie together) for 8 hours. And then when it was over I just wanted to relive the whole thing again. Can we talk about how magical Sandra Oh is? And Jodie Comer? AMAZING. I haven’t loved a show this much since Hannibal and I am ECSTATIC that it is returning for season 2 in April.

A Million Little Things: I gave up on This Is Us because it got tiresome and manipulative in their techniques to get the audience to shed tears (also, it never made me cry), and then I started A Million Little Things, and while it’s kind of in the same vein–a drama high in tragic and emotional storylines–I like it so much more.

Schitt’s Creek: Every episode this season has been better than the last and this week’s episode was no different even though my heart broke for Stevie. I WANT A HAPPY STEVIE (and David’s “Nonchalance” sweater).

Podcasts of the Month

Binge Mode: I finally let myself finished the Harry Potter deep dive, and tbh, I kind of want to re-listen to it all over again.

Hysteria: I added this one to the mix and started with an episode called “What’s Wrong With Men?” because I am always on brand.

Origins: Sex & the City: I listened to the Sex & the City episode of Origins, which had interviews with the cast and Darren Starr, but was overall kind of meh.

David Tennant Does a Podcast With: David Tennant has a podcast! And I’d listen to it just to hear him read a phonebook from 1982, but instead he interviews other celebs. I just added it so I’ll give my impressions on it next month.

We Couldn’t Help But Wonder: After listening to the Origins episode I thought I’d explore another SATC-centric podcast, even though I’ve had really bad luck in this area. We’ll see how this one goes.

Tunes, Lately

I am still loving the A Star is Born soundtrack, and Shallow is still a jam.

CARLY RAE JEPSON RELEASED NEW MUSIC AND HAS AN ALBUM ON THE WAY! 2019 may not be an entire dumpster fire after all!

Because the weather dictated how much I was willing to go out and do things, I didn’t see anything in the theatre this month or attend any events in the city. Galentine’s/Palentine’s Day got postponed for snow/sickness, so my social life was seriously lacking. March, however, is jam packed with seeing Captain Marvel and a ton of events scheduled, so next month’s brief will be… less brief? Until then!