BELFAST | SNOWFALL Season 5 | CYRANO | VIKINGS: VALHALLA
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 25/02/2022
Hello, my dear friends! The world is going through some weird times right now and honestly, I had a hard time finding the motivation to write the newsletter this week. But here I am. Trying to distract myself and avoid doomscrolling on Twitter and TikTok. Anyway, this week I talk about one of my favorite films of 2021, BELFAST. I also talk about one of the most underrated shows ever, SNOWFALL. I share some thoughts on Netflix’s new series VIKINGS: VALHALLA and about the film CYRANO that will be available today on VOD. And as always there is a playlist with five songs I enjoyed last week.
QUICK THOUGHTS
VIKINGS: VALHALLA is a spin-off of the six-season History Channel series VIKINGS, which presented viewers with stories from the first Viking attack on England until the early ninth century. VALHALLA takes place 100 years after the events of the first series, and it quickly establishes itself as a powerful and fulfilling drama in its own right. It starts slow but around the fourth episode, the story takes a significant turn, raising up the action and military strategy while simultaneously ramping up the backstabbing and character development. From there, each episode features a good collection of scenes with that classic Vikings violence, and some of the characters progressively expose their true intentions. VIKINGS: VALHALLA toy with the fringes of some rather huge topics in the Viking era while respecting the characters’ religious creeds from that period. The series features some brutal combats and a fascinating Christian against Pagan holy war. The first season sets the tone for what may turn out to be the epic series that GAME OF THRONES fans has been waiting for.
CYRANO is Joe Wright's musical version of Edmond Rostand's 1897 drama. The backdrop is somewhere between the 17th and 18th centuries, and the story focuses on Cyrano de Bergerac, a man ahead of his time. In a verbal duel, he impresses with ferocious wordplay, and in combat, he can outfight everyone with spectacular swordplay. Peter Dinklage plays Cyrano de Bergerac with charm and conviction and yes, he can also sing. The costumes are fantastic, and the epic dance choreography is terrific. I believe my only issue with the film is that I was anticipating a dramedy but instead I got an overly emotional, somewhat sappy love narrative that is clichéd and predictable. However, Dinklage's one-man dramatic catharsis is a performance worth seeing. Especially if you were one of the people that miss him as Tyrion Lannister on GAME OF THRONES.
SNOWFALL has returned for its fifth and last season, and we're going to see the next chapter in the life of Franklin Saint and his family. So, if you're not aware of one of television's most under-appreciated series I will quickly explain it to you. The series tells the story of how crack began. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, SNOWFALL revolves around the first crack epidemic and its impact on the culture of the city. So having explained that it is important to note that this season does not pick up where Season 4 left off, but rather creates a whole new storyline and direction with the 16-month time leap. Characters of extraordinary significance have come out of nowhere. Franklin has a new girlfriend and she appears to be a one-way ticket to tragedy, and I just hope the writers will do something intriguing with her. The Teddy and Franklin relationship is one of my favorite things about the show. And based on these two first episodes that came out last Wednesday, it will be an important part of this last season. I love how Franklin makes well-thought-out decisions. He'll do everything to keep someone alive and well if it benefits him. Teddy, on the other hand, is basically a psychopath and is willing to murder anyone at any time. And because he has access to government resources and training Teddy is probably Franklin's worst nightmare. Anyway, I love watching this show and I hope this last season will be as good as the other ones were. These two initial episodes are off to a great start so my hopes are very high.
BELFAST
Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film is finally getting released on VOD this Tuesday, March 1st. The film is told through the perspective of a child named Buddy (Jude Hill) and recreates the lives of two generations of a working-class family who is caught up in a violent rebellion between Protestants and Catholics in his hometown of his native Ireland.
BELFAST makes the best of Branagh's decision to shoot the film in black and white, which contextualizes it as a period piece. All era-appropriate decisions, involving set design and costume, contribute to the goal of capturing a moment in time. But BELFAST's secret weapon is Jude Hill who was an impeccable casting. He gives one of the more nuanced kid performances I've seen in a film this year. Buddy is simply allowed to be a kid. He isn't acting-wise above his years; instead, he reacts to some situations as a child would, and we, as the audience, get to see those story factors and make our own conclusions.
The film certainly benefits from the presence of a Belfast native at the forefront, who has an influence on directing and writing it. BELFAST is without a doubt an Oscar bait. But does a great job portraying a passionate, simple family raising children, making an honest living, and loving each other while dealing with a religion-political upheaval of the period.
5 Songs Playlist
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
