ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, Re-Watching HALT AND CATCH FIRE, And My Fav Songs Of The Week
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 22/01/2021
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all well and have enjoyed all the Bernie memes that happened this week. Things are still slow in the entertaining world, with not many new films or shows getting released. But one of my favorite films of 2020, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, was released last week. I had a chance to see it at TIFF last September and I absolutely loved it. I think you guys will like it too. With not many new shows coming out I had some extra time in my hands and I used it wisely re-watching HALT AND CATCH FIRE. What a show! Also some new music.
FILM
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI is a fictional account of one incredible night where icons Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown gathered discussing their roles in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 60s.
Regina King’s directorial debut is such an amazing film. Seriously, this woman can do no wrong. Based on Kemp Powers’ play, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI is a fascinating watch. The first hour alone has some great and provocative conversations that fit really well with everything that happened in 2020.
The production design, costumes, and cinematography are all great and the film has also brilliant performances all around.
Although the film is pretty much set in one location and has a lot of dialogue, it will still keep you engaged until the very end. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI is available on Amazon Prime.
TV
HALT AND CATCH FIRE
For the last 2 weeks, I re-watched one of the most underrated TV shows ever made, HALT AND CATCH FIRE. And what a pleasure it was to do it. I absolutely adore the show. And it is definitely in my top ten all-time shows along with Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Sopranos.
HALT AND CATCH FIRE, the departed AMC drama, which ended on October 14 of 2017, was probably one the most critically acclaimed shows of the peak TV era. But unfortunately never really captivated large audiences.
One of the best things about the show was that it managed to reinvent itself with each new season. It was basically a trip down memory lane. It told the story of the origin of PC computers in the 80s. And the tech boom and the birth of the "start-up" model of business, in the 90s.
HACF had interesting and complex characters with brilliant performances from everyone involved. Lee Pace, Scoot McNairy, Mackenzie Davis, Kerry Bishé, and Toby Huss, is probably one of the best cast ever assembled. The show was always masterfully directed and had beautiful cinematography, too.
It's a shame that only a few people had a chance to watch such a great show. But if you ever decide to give HALT AND CATCH FIRE a chance, the 4 seasons are on Netflix or you can easily grab all the seasons from iTunes and Amazon. Trust me, if you do it you won’t have any regrets.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on my heavy rotation this week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube
1 - Hayley Williams - Teardrop
2 - DREAMERS, American Teeth, Wes Period - Still Not Dead
3 - Foo Fighters - Waiting On A War
4 - Weezer - All My Favorite Songs
5 - Beach Bunny - Good Girls (Don't Get Used)
Hayley Williams performing a cover of Massive Attack's "Teardrop”. Enough said, right? L.A. trio DREAMERS have teamed up with Wes Period and American Teeth and created a catchy new single “Still Not Dead.” This new Foo Fighters single “Waiting On A War” is one of the best songs they have released in a long time. It will appear on the next album, Medicine At Midnight, which arrives on Feb. 5. Weezer's “All My Favorite Songs” is the new single off their upcoming surprise album, OK Human which is inspired by the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. And the title is a homage to Radiohead’s OK Computer. Indie-pop band Beach Bunny's new single “Good Girls (Don't Get Used)” is super catchy clever and has great lyrics about female empowerment.