CODA | DAVE Season 2 | MODERN LOVE Season 2|
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 13/08/2021
Hello everyone! This week’s newsletter has some thoughts on the film CODA, which not only won the top award at the Sundance Film Festival but also stands as the biggest Festival’s acquisition ever. I also share some thoughts on two TV shows, DAVE which just wrapped its second season and I loved it. And MODERN LOVE season 2. There’s also a playlist of five songs I enjoyed last week.
CODA
Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). And as the only hearing person in her deaf family, Ruby is divided between her passion for music and her fear of abandoning her parents when the family's fishing business is endangered.
Written and directed by Sian Heder CODA is a touching coming-of-age film that will play with your emotions multiple times. At first, I thought it was a little cheesy, but as I went further into it, I fell in love with the characters. Throughout its run, CODA achieves a terrific combination of heartfelt and funny moments. The entire cast gives outstanding performances. I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderfully each of the characters was written. The film's focus on deaf characters is fantastic, ensuring that they aren't just there for the sake of diversity.
Yes, CODA is a fresh spin on something we all have seen before. However, it has so much genuine heart that it makes up for all of its flaws. The film's purpose is to make us feel good, and I’m glad to say that it succeeds.
CODA will premiere today, Friday, August 13 on Apple TV+
DAVE Season 2
DAVE has a foundation of silly dick jokes but it also has a lot of heart. The show follows the story of Lil Dicky, the alter ego of Dave Burd, an ambitious rapper with a dream of becoming a global icon, who occasionally puts Burd's best interests to the sideline.
In its second season, the show has explored considerably darker issues. The overall tone was gloomy and hectic at times. But always with a dash of humor that mirrors Dave's demeanor when confronted with difficult circumstances. In my opinion, the show improved and became more intriguing than the first season, which was quite enjoyable. DAVE has become extremely interesting and even sophisticated.
The growth of the characters in season 2 was impressive. For instance, the rise of GaTa, Burd's real-life hype guy, was for me the season's icing on the cake. Having a front-row view of Dave's rising success, GaTa labored in the background during season 2 to make his own aspirations a reality.
Overall, I'm thrilled by what this season has achieved. It was emotional, character-driven, and had mind-blowing production values. The celebrity cameos and the ridiculous juvenile humor are still there. But the show also tackled themes such as mental health, racial injustice, and the ins and outs of being an entertainer.
MODERN LOVE Season 2
MODERN LOVE is an Amazon Prime anthology series based on the New York Times column of the same name. The series, which consists of eight episodes, tells diverse stories of relationships, connections, betrayals, and surprises in each episode, all based on true situations.
The first season of MODERN LOVE starred Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, Andy Garcia, and Dev Patel. While the second season features a completely new cast, it doesn’t mean that it has less star power. The cast appearing in season 2 include Minnie Driver (WILL & GRACE), Kit Harrington (GAME OF THRONES), Lucy Boynton (BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY), and Anna Paquin (TRUE BLOOD).
Even though I thought that season 2 had some weak episodes, it was still amusing. And the finest episodes of this season are even sharper than some of the first season. The show can be very entertaining for rom-com fans. It is well-written and well-directed. The stories aren’t over-the-top and have just the right amount of smiles and comfort.
Season two of MODERN LOVE will premiere today, Friday, August 13 on Amazon Prime.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on my heavy rotation last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
1 - LILHUDDY ft. iann dior, Travis Barker & Tyson Ritter - Don’t Freak Out
2 - The Weeknd - Take My Breath
3 - Machine Gun Kelly - papercuts
4 - PVRIS - Monster
5 - blackbear - @ my worst