Multitudes is now on Substack
I finally took the Substack plunge! Seems like most writers are on Substack instead of Mailchimp, and it does seem more user-friendly so far. Also, the “leave a comment” feature at the bottom of the post makes engagement easier - you can tell me what you think about a piece I wrote, weigh in on a movie or show I’ve recommended, or make a pop culture rec of your own.
I hope to hear from you - and please let me know if you like this platform better!
What I’ve been writing
I wrote about the legacy of Wyclef's debut solo album 25 years ago, The Carnival
How 'Wyclef Jean Presents The Carnival' Expanded The Boundaries Of Hip-Hop
I also wrote about how Amber Heard being bisexual had an impact on the harassment she was subjected to during the defamation trial:
What Does Amber Heard’s Defamation Verdict Mean for the Bi Community?
What I’ve been watching
Top Gun Maverick
I can’t stress how much I LOVED this movie. As someone who holds the original dear to my heart, I was really excited for this reboot/sequel, but it exceeded my expectations. It was thrilling all the way through, an incredible feat of filmmaking that also hit all the right emotional spots. Tom Cruise is amazing, probably one of his best performances. There’s an incredible scene between him and Val Kilmer, who Cruise was determined to have participate in the film. Lots of good supporting performances, like Jennifer Connolly as Maverick’s love interest.
Some critics have brought up the fact that the narrative in this film (Maverick is the last of a dying breed of fighter pilots) is in many ways paralleled in life (Cruise is the last in a dying breed of action stars). With the Mission Impossible franchise and with this film, Cruise has been fighting against the CGI-ification of movies and the idea that only Marvel movies can be profitable. The dominance of the MCU is a real problem, as it makes it very hard to get other kinds of films (indy films, rom-coms, traditional dramas) financed. Marvel films are fun but I don’t want a world where that’s the only type of movie I can see in a theater. Top Gun Maverick is a refreshing throwback to action films that included actors doing real stunts, and it makes me really happy that it’s doing well at the box office (thanks to us nostalgic Gen Xers)!
Our Flag Means Death, HBOMax
This is gonna sound bizarre but this show is basically a pirate rom-com. Although it wasn’t created by Taika Waititi, it has his fingerprints all over it (and he co-stars). If you like What We Do in the Shadows (about vampires living on Staten Island), I think you’ll love this show. It’s about a white colonial settler living in Barbados in the 1700s who runs away from his family to become a pirate. It’s quirky, sweet, incredibly funny and very queer (tho no graphic sex)—I feel like you could watch this with a teenager. A truly delightful show.
We Own This City, HBO Max
There’s been a lot of buzz about this six-part miniseries because of its connections to The Wire: it’s a David Simon/George Pelecanos show set in Baltimore. It’s based on the true story of the incredibly corrupt Baltimore PD Gun Trace Task Force. A lot of critics are talking about it as one of the best shows of the year, especially because star Jon Bernthal is such a magnetic presence on screen. While very good, it’s not at the top of my list. David Simon shows are always highly journalistic in style, but they often feel too didactic/preachy and heavy-handed to me. There’s never enough humor or imagination for me, and because his shows are highly sociological, I feel like character development is often lacking. That said, it’s a high-quality show and a searing look at the shocking corruption within police departments. And sadly, with the details that continue to emerge surrounding the rage-inducing misconduct of the Uvalde Police Dept during and after the recent school shooting, it’s a very relevant show.
Rothaniel, HBOMax
I forgot to include this in last month’s newsletter, but I adored this one-hour special from comedian Jerrod Carmichael. It’s not like any comedy special you’ve ever seen. It’s Carmichael revealing a bunch of things that have been weighing on him heavily. His coming out is what’s gotten the most attention, but he also speaks about some of his family skeletons. He really lays himself bare here, not making many punchline-laden jokes and leaving in lots of awkward silences, which feels incredibly intimate and vulnerable. Bo Burham directed the special, and it’s equally unflinching, with lots of lingering close-ups on Carmichael’s face. I hope this special wins some awards.
Under the Banner of Heaven, Hulu
I just finished this limited series, based on a Jon Krakauer true crime book about a grisly murder of a young woman and her daughter who married into a large, prominent Mormon family. Andrew Garfield plays a devout Mormon detective who through solving the case learns some ugly truths about his religion and its more fundamentalist sects, and starts questioning his faith. As far as true crime series goes, this one wasn’t quite as compelling as “The Staircase,” which I wrote about last month and turned out to be amazing, particularly when Juliette Binoche showed up. She’s even more stunning in her 50s than she was in her 30s! The show truly had me guessing the whole time about whether Michael Petersen killed his wife or not.
In “Under the Banner,” there are lots of historical “flashback” scenes to the original founding of the Mormon Church, and those scenes drag. On the other hand, the ending/solving of the case happened too abruptly, and I wanted a longer reflection by the main character about his faith. Either way, this show was designed to showcase Andrew Garfield’s talents, and he’s excellent, but my favorite part of the show is the relationship with his co-detective, an older cop who’s Paiute Indian and an outsider in an all-Mormon community. I love the writing for this character and the quietly powerful performance by Gil Birmingham—he feels like a stand-in for the audience, holding the mirror up to Garfield’s character to cut through his unquestioning faith in his church.
Fire Island, Hulu
A great Pride Month watch, this movie is a cute gay adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Joel Kim Booster and SNL’s Bowen Yang.
Phoenix Rising, HBOMax
This is a 2-part documentary that graphically details sexual assault and abuse, so if those are triggering for you, please avoid it. However, since it seems to have gotten so little media coverage, I’m recommending it if you’d like to learn more about actress Evan Rachel Wood’s revelations about Marilyn Manson last year (she’s not the only woman who’s accused him of sexual assault). Manson almost certainly feels emboldened by Johnny Depp’s win in his defamation suit against Amber Heard—oh, and did I mention the two have been good friends for decades? Manson filed a defamation suit against Wood in March, and Depp’s toxic fans are already starting to attack Wood and assassinate her character like they did to Heard. The allegations made by Wood and the other women are more serious than those involving Heard and Depp (and remember, Heard never even officially accused Depp of domestic violence). Given that Manson is, according to Wood, also a Nazi sympathizer, I really hope this defamation case doesn’t follow the same trajectory as the Depp-Heard one does. But I still know Wood will be subjected to terrible, re-traumatizing abuse online.
New Music
This summer has been pretty good for new music releases. I won’t claim to be on top of all the latest pop music trends, especially in recent years, when I’ve felt myself pulled back to the 80s and 90s music I grew up with. But there are certain artists I try to keep up with. It hasn’t enjoyed universal acclaim among the critics, but I really like the new Kendrick Lamar double album - he’s so clearly the best rapper of the current era, I don’t think there’s anyone who can touch him. Bad Bunny also has a new summer album out that’s great. And Beyoncé just released the first single for her new album, called “Break My Soul.” It’s a throwback to the 90s house bangers like “Show Me Love” and “Finally,” but with a very 2022 message promoting self-care. Musically, it probably won’t be a Beyoncé favorite for me but it’s a great house song. Both she and Drake seem to have pivoted to house/dance music, which is an interesting coincidence. As for Drake, I don’t particularly love his new album—to me, it mostly sounds like music you can hear in an upscale lounge/bar.
Till next time…
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