As a fellow movie enjoyer, I watched the Oscars last Sunday. I also started my fasting for Lent which I will be explaining later in this issue. Let’s get into it.
visual philes.
I enjoyed the Oscars this year. I have never been a “fan” of Jimmy Kimmel. I have watched his show when people I care about are on it though. That being said, I mostly made that little small chuckle-sniff sound (*hmnf*) at most of his jokes. I still laugh internally at each year’s attempt to create a new moment Ellen’s pizza ordering moment which will never happen again. Anyway, as a big fan of Everything Everywhere All At Once, I found myself cheering and clapping multiple times that night.
However, I found fault with one win that many others did: Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Supporting Actress. Let me preface my take by saying I am a big fan of the Halloween franchise. I don’t love everything they’ve done with it but I appreciate how long she’s been able to be a part of it. Her performance in EEAO was not award worthy in my eyes. I would have preferred Stephanie Hsu who was excellent in her role in that movie. However, I was truly rooting for Angela Basset. No other scene in a MCU movie was on the level of her scene in the throne room in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many have called it a “legacy win” and I understand this - even though I disagree with it. I feel it could have gone to Angela Basset for the exact same reason.
I also agreed that All Quiet on the Western Front deserved most of its wins - except Best Cinematography. I believe this one should have went to The Batman - which was not even nominated.
I thought Lady Gaga and Rihanna gave excellent performances of their songs for their respective movies. Often, songs of such high emotional value may not feel the same outside of the context of the movie. This was not the case for them. The emotion was strong and the presentation itself capitalized on it. Rihanna’s background reinforced the homage to Chadwick Boseman and Lady Gaga went make-up free with multiple close ups of her face. She also performed in a t shirt and jeans.
audio philes.
Hearing people rap who are known for producing is always a treat. This is what The Alchemist and Hit-Boy have recently done. The song is titled “Slipping Into Darkness” and features the two producers rapping on each other’s beats. Hit-Boy’s verse is a clear standout because within it, he calls out other top producers in the rap world for their lack of versatility.
I’m going to start promoting my (almost) weekly updated playlist of songs I have in my rotation here too! Hope you find something new you love in it!
read philes.
I have decided to add a new portion to this section! Instead of just discussing books I’ll be discussing articles I read this week. This ensures I’ll have something new to discuss more often.
Most recently I read a three part interview series for Haitian rapper Mach-Hommy. Mach-Hommy is someone popular in the underground rap world but even there, his elusiveness is quite intact. He keeps his face covered when he is on camera and this interview is one of the two I’m aware of that he’s done. In this interview with Paul Thompson he talks about a myriad of interesting things that show who he is beyond the music and a very interesting involving Jay-Z and Beyonce’s house. You can read part 1, part 2 and part 3 by clicking on those hyperlinks.
I also recently read an interview Andre Gee did with Larry June and The Alchemist. The two of them have a collab project titled The Great Escape that drops March 31st. In the interview, they discussed their unique process for creating the project. Larry also spoke about how he keeps himself motivated which is a common topic in his music too. You can read that interview here.
experience philes.
As I mentioned earlier, I am in the midst of a 40 day fast in observance of Lent. In Christianity, Lent is observed from February 22 to April 6 which is Easter Sunday. In churches, it is commonly called Resurrection Sunday. My personal fast is no snacks between or directly after meals. This includes chips, crackers, cookies, cinnamon buns etc. The point of a fast is for it to be a challenge and it surely has been because I often enjoy eating popcorn while I watch a show or movie after dinner. As far as my church’s corporate (that just means everyone does it together) fast, this week was no food at all from 6am - 12pm. For many people, this means skipping breakfast and this has been another challenge for me. I enjoy making breakfast and mentally planning/reviewing my plans for the day while I do so.
closing philes.
There was a lot in this issue! Hopefully, at lease one aspect of it was interesting to you. I have something really cool happening soon that you all will find out more about soon! Stay tuned…
just had a flashback to that Ellen Oscars pizza moment... nothing like it!