STOWAWAY | SNOWFALL Season 4 |
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 23/04/2021
Hello everyone. I hope you’re all doing well. This week I’m talking about the OK-ish Netflix Original film STOWAWAY which has a stellar cast but failed to live up to my expectations. I also talk about one of my favorites series, SNOWFALL. The fourth season just wrapped up last Wednesday and I can’t wait for season five! If you never watched the show, do yourself a favor and check it out. A movie that is coming out today but I’m not talking about is the video game adaptation MORTAL KOMBAT. I never care for the game or the original movie in the 90s. But there is a lot of hype about this new version. So, if you’re a gaming die-hard, you may enjoy it. If not, avoid it!
FILM
STOWAWAY
On a mission headed to Mars, an unintended stowaway accidentally causes severe damage to the spaceship’s life support systems. Facing dwindling resources and a potentially fatal outcome, the crew is forced to make an impossible decision.
Netflix has a solid track record of producing original films and shows that are admired around the world. Unfortunately, STOWAWAY is not one of those films.
It starts off strong, it has an interesting twist but then things start falling apart. The parts I liked were the realism of the space scenes and how they built the characters and their relationships. I also thought it was very interesting how you never really hear or see anybody else but the 3 members of the mission and the stowaway. The visuals are also nice and the spacewalk scenes for the oxygen retrieval were great. It made me anxious and scared for the characters. The parts I didn’t like were the lack of explanation of how the stowaway wind up in the ship in the first place. And I also wanted just a bit more of a conclusion in the end, maybe an extra 5 minutes would help.
Overall STOWAWAY was OK but I definitely was expecting more from a film with such a great cast.
TV
SNOWFALL
SNOWFALL is so good. I wish more people were talking about it. The show just wrapped up its fourth season and I couldn't be more impressed. If you haven't watched it, the show follows Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), a young man in the 80's making his way into the drug business. For me, the reason why I love snowfall so much is two-fold: one is the compelling story, the other is the in-depth look into black history. The writing and acting are brilliant and the cinematography is absolutely stunning too.
Season one focused on the build-up of the drug trade in 1980s Los Angeles. Season two focused on the repercussions and relationships built because of it. Season three was much more plot-focused, with more characters getting introduced, more storylines explored, more action and it just keeps getting better. Season four has taken an even darker turn than previously. It seen as the writers attempt to depict what life was like for some after the rise and fall of crack. This season explored how the drug altered many lives including those who sold and used it.
We’re seeing a day and age where we’re getting more stories about black people, but they continue to rely on stereotypes, tropes, and misconceptions. I think that snowfall is on the opposite end of that spectrum as it delivers us a character-driven drama that digs deep into the nuances of what it means to be black in America.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on my heavy rotation this week. You can listen to them on Spotify or YouTube.
1 - Sueco feat. Travis Barker - SOS
2 - Arrested Youth - 98 Degrees
3 - carolesdaughter - Trailer Trash
4 - Origami Angel - Footloose Cannonball Brothers
5 - ILOVEMAKONNEN - My Parade