Let’s do this once more.
Everyone, this is in fact Edition 31 of the newsletter, as pointed out by one of our readers (since edition 17 got repeated), and not 30 as proclaimed in the previous edition. So yeah, edition 31.
I think.
Adele is in the house
No, quite literally, Adele is in one particular house.
We first saw this house in Adele’s Hello. Remember that song? Fucking love Adele’s voice. For those who need a booster dose, here is the video which was incidentally shot on an IMAX camera. The same one Chris Nolan uses for his stuff.
Now, last month Adele returned to the same house with a new single called ‘Easy on me’. Same house. Same singer. Same shot selection. Same network problems. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Nothing like heartache to start your week.
Introducing Xavier Dolan
Another thing common between the two Adele songs is the director; the Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan. The guy is barely 30 and he is already referred to as an auteur. Just imagine. 8 films in, he shares Best Director awards with Godard and his movies are a favourite on the festival circuit. He is easily one of the best out there. I have only seen one of his films (or should I say completed) and it was one of the most emotionally thrilling film watching experiences of my life. I mean it. Introducing Mommy (2014).
I don’t remember the film frame by frame. I saw it once and that was 7 years ago. At the heart of it, the film is set in a fictional Canada where government has passed rules which make it difficult for single parents to take care of and support mentally unstable kids. Something like that. The films revolves around a out of job mother ‘Mommy’ and her violent teenage son. Their lives change when one day, they meet their neighborhood lady, a teacher who is on a sabbatical.
Plot points aside, the film is just an emotional ride and there is one scene where Oasis’s Wonderwall plays and if I had to pick, this could have been the best uses of that song ever or may be this could be one of the best uses of any song in any film.
Finally, the entire movie is shot in a 1:1 Aspect Ratio and it fucking works!
Lastly, you might have to torrent this film. If you do, please be careful of what you search for. The internet invariably throws up porno links if you search for ‘Mommy’.
British con men and human psychology
Last week I suggested you watch the British TV show Skins, which was about a bunch of teenage kids discovering sex, love, and friendship. This week we have another British show which is as opposite as it can get. Think a British and a understated version of Ocean’s XI. A bunch of Robinhoodesque conmen go through scamming unsuspecting yet dangerous folks. Delightful show. Go for it. All of it is on Youtube. For free.
Podcast time!
I just started this new series called Operator. I actually just started this today morning. Two episodes in and this is just up Wondery’s alley. Wondery has over the years (from the stuff that I have heard) made these amazing mini-series about the seedy and the shady; and this one is right up the alley.
In America, during the 90s, phone sex was a multi million dollar industry. Horny folks would call lasciviously coined phone numbers like 1-800-HOTT-DUCK, and get their rocks off. This is a show about the company at the heart of it. The lives and travails of the men and especially the women, who built this legal yet shady as hell empire.
Reading
How HenryVII inspired NASA's astronaut suit - Basically NASA, the ones who sent man to the moon, couldn’t figure out how to design a suit which will allow for mobility. Inspiration came from medieval Europe.
The 20 Best Plot Twists of the 21st Century, Ranked -I’ve seen 12 out of the 20. Some predictable ones (Oldboy, Momento) and some which I hadn’t even heard of.
Nobody is flying to join Google’s FLoC - Privacy browsers are a thing and they are catching on. They are up against Google though.
An ode to dive bars - Remember those? The comfort in familiarity. Sigh.
What I been reading
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