BROS | RESERVATION DOGS (season 2) | INDUSTRY (Season 2) | BLONDE
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 30/09/2022
Hello, everyone! Gilby is back to give you some cool Pop Cultures recommendations for your weekend. This week’s newsletter has some thoughts on two TV shows and two films. RESERVATION DOGS is one of the best shows on TV right now. It’s super funny, it has a lot of heart and I love its characters. INDUSTRY on the other hand it’s the complete opposite. It has no heart, only greed. But I love those awful characters and their sleazy lifestyle as well. BROS is probably the funniest movie I have watched in a long time and BLONDE, well, it is simply terrible.
QUICK THOUGHTS
RESERVATION DOGS - In its second season, RESERVATION DOGS had a more melancholy vibe because it dug into more complex existential questions than the previous season. But that was a good thing in my opinion. Because the series elevated itself to the next level. Season 2 has a much better execution than the first one, which was already outstanding. I loved it as a whole and it was great how each episode added to the season's overall narrative. It was also great to see some characters finally embracing the cultural heritage of their families and their community. But if I had to pick one episode as my favorite it would be “This Is Where the Plot Thickens”. That was a stellar half-hour of TV. It is basically about the police officer Big (Zahn McClarnon) joining forces with shady scrap yard owner Kenny Boy (Kirk Fox) creating a perfect buddy cop comedy but with a funny twist. And at the same time, busting a secret society that includes the governor. It is a shame that RESERVATION DOGS has not earned any award recognition yet. This is one of the most wholesome shows out there and I highly recommend it.
INDUSTRY - This is HBO's drama about the competitive, cocaine-fueled world of international finance banking. The series is set in London and the cast of characters (Harper, Yaz, Rob, Eric, and Gus) all evolve and morph into the most despicable and cutthroat parasites throughout the show’s run. INDUSTRY was created by ex-bankers Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. They have a gift for writing witty dialogue and some good old backstabbings. The series is somewhere between SUCCESSION and BILLIONS. I would say that it isn’t as good as SUCCESSION but it’s way better than BILLIONS which is too “network” for my taste. And I believe that the workplace issues, personal dramas, and all the drugs & sex in the show make INDUSTRY very interesting. It did take me a minute to get into it though. Maybe because I don’t care about the investment world or maybe because the amount of financial jargon the series drops on you can be off-putting sometimes. All I know is, it’s fun to watch these horrendous characters being nasty to each other. I would totally recommend INDUSTRY, which both seasons are currently streaming on HBO Max, for those that are OK with drug use and nudity in TV shows. But If any of these things bother you, stay away!
BLONDE - So, since everyone is dragging this movie I decided that I would give my honest opinion about it as well. BLONDE is basically a reimagined fictional portrait of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe. And yeah, it is a complete disaster. The movie is exploitative, vile, extremely sexist, insulting, and an abhorrent dumpster fire. Andrew Dominik's direction is a chaotic mix of unfocused over-styled shots. And the storytelling is melodramatic agony porn. To complete the awfulness, Ana De Armas, which I think is a terrific young actor, gives an unbelievably boring portrayal of Monroe. It is so bad, almost laughable. There was so much potential here but they wasted it all. My recommendation is, DO NOT watch this. Because if you do, the Netflix algorithm will count this terrible movie as a win and do more crap like this.
BROS
BROS is the most recent R-rated comedy from the Judd Apatow production company. Billy Eichner, who also co-wrote the screenplay with director Nicholas Stoller, stars in the film, which is the first gay romantic comedy from a big studio with a completely LGBTQ+ lead cast. As well as being a lot of fun to see, BROS represents a step forward in rom-com representation.
It's difficult not to laugh and chuckle for the majority of this film. It's a hilarious screenplay that honors the LGBTQ+ community and sets a new standard for movies. I really enjoyed all the characters and I think that Luke Macfarlane is a revelation, while Billy Eichner showed the doubters that he has the charisma to carry a lead role.
BROS is not the greatest movie or even the best romantic comedy ever made. And I've heard a lot of people complaining about its editing, and I entirely understand why. After all, this is a Judd Apatow-produced comedy movie. So of course, it is at least 30 minutes too long. Nevertheless, I was never distracted or thought about reaching for my phone while watching it. And laughed a lot more than I usually do at comedies these days.
The movie is raunchy but also really cute and does a great job making fun of the rom-com genre. I would totally recommend it if you are an open-minded person. Also, do not pay much attention to the bad reviews. The thing is, the movie was targeted by a review-bombing campaign by a small army of homophobes and hateful trolls. So yeah, don’t worry about all those 1-star reviews, and enjoy the movie.
TOP 5 SONGS
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
I agree completely about Reservation Dogs. It's a top 5 show of the year for me. Every character is complex and layered and real. Even the lesser seen characters have depth (for example the scrap yard owner, Kenny Boy, in the episode you mention). I personally thought the episode with Elora's grandmother's impending death was the standout to me as it showed how death is celebrated in Native cultures, all the rituals and importance of community. There's a great interview on Fresh Air with Sterlin Harjo where he talks about how that episode was based on his own family. He also explains why he uses "Native" vs. Native American or Indigenous. Season 3 can't come soon enough.