GOODNIGHT MOMMY | SPEAK NO EVIL | ATLANTA (season 4)
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 16/09/2022
Hello, everyone! I’m back to give you some Pop Culture recommendations for your weekend. I’m still super busy, and tired and now my back hurts too. But I still found some time to write the newsletter. This week I share some thoughts on two horror movies, GOODNIGHT MOMMY and SPEAK NO EVIL. I also talk about one of my favorite TV shows ever, ATLANTA. And as always there is a playlist with five songs I enjoyed last week.
QUICK THOUGHTS
GOODNIGHT MOMMY - This is a remake of the 2014 Austrian psychological horror film called ICH SEH, ICH SEH. This new Hollywood version attempts to recreate the same surprises and revelations from the original but unfortunately, the flick fails to successfully do that. The two movies' storylines are virtually identical. However, the original is more viscerally unsettling. This new version seems more like a bleak nightmare and never really captures the rawness of the Austrian movie. if you never had the chance to watch the original, you really don’t understand how this remake actually lacks the frightening element. The tone was changed to emphasize the behavioral and emotionally upsetting topics and in my opinion, it didn’t work as well as the original. So yeah, my advice is, forget this version and go watch ICH SEH, ICH SEH. You won’t regret it.
SPEAK NO EVIL - This is a tricky recommendation. Another horror movie but this one is definitely good enough to justify watching it. However, I have to warn you, that SPEAK NO EVIL is for those who can handle uncomfortable uneasiness and brutal violence. The movie is a Danish/Dutch coproduction and maybe because it wasn’t made in Hollywood it doesn’t shy away from being distressing and unpleasant. The writing is solid, the direction is pretty good and the performances are strong all around, especially from the kids. Go watch this before the inevitable Hollywood remake that will most likely suck (I’m looking at you GOODNIGHT MOMMY).
ATLANTA (season 4) - What can I say? I love this show so much! After 4 seasons ATLANTA is still one of the most creative and provocative TV shows ever. I only had a chance to watch two episodes of season 4 but they totally blew my mind. The fourth and final season keeps putting its four main protagonists on a number of bizarre random engagements. And I love that. The first episode was a typical ATLANTA episode. Funny, weird, and very well written. The second one has all these elements as well plus a lot of emotions and a twist that I didn’t see coming at all. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing the remaining of this season. I love these characters and I’m sad to see the show end. So I will enjoy every minute of these episodes we have left. And if you never had a chance to watch ATLANTA before I highly recommend spending the weekend binge-watching it. All episodes are available on Hulu. If you like great storytelling with a heavy dose of weirdness and beautiful cinematography, you will love this show as much as I do.
THE HANDMAID’S TALE (season 5) - I can’t believe this show is still around. Don’t get me wrong the first season was amazing and it was awesome to see the story of Margaret Atwood’s groundbreaking novel on the small screen. But they are stretching the plot to its brink. Elisabeth Moss is great, but not even her skills can move the storyline forward in a satisfactory and interesting way anymore. In my opinion, they should have ended the series last year. But season 4 ended in a massive cliffhanger and made season 5 inevitable for the viewers. But honestly, it is hard to see how much more they can take from this story. I feel like this show has lost its way and I have no hope things will get any better. THE HANDMAID’S TALE has been already renewed for season 6, which wIll be the last one. But I think I’m done with it. My recommendation is, to watch ATLANTA instead.
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 appreciate your warning for "Speak No Evil." A thoughtful and professional add I might not expect from a lot of writers who would want to desperately appear "hip."