THE GREEN KNIGHT | THE CHAIR
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 20/08/2021
Hello everyone! This week’s newsletter has thoughts on the film THE GREEN KNIGHT and on the six-part Netflix series, THE CHAIR. And a playlist of five songs I enjoyed last week. I also wanted to share some quick thoughts on the HBO series THE WHITE LOTUS. I liked the show. I thought it was entertaining and I enjoyed the sharp social satire. But I think it has been seriously over-hyped by critics. It is not as good as some people are saying. On the other hand, RESERVATION DOGS deserves all the praise it has got. It is so funny and unique. I’m loving it and I highly recommend it!
THE GREEN KNIGHT
THE GREEN KNIGHT is an epic fantasy adventure inspired by the classic Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's wild and impetuous nephew, who sets out on a dangerous journey to meet the titular Green Knight, a giant emerald-skinned stranger, and man-tester.
I'm not going to reveal much about the film plot. I went into it fully uninformed and would advise others to do the same. What I can say is, prepare yourself for a fairytale with mature themes. The film has Wonderful cinematography, a brilliant narrative, fantastic performances, and a beautiful set design. Everything comes together beautifully to produce something really unique. But just so you know, this is not an action film; rather, it's a film that makes you think.
My only gripe with the film was the pace. The film takes exceptional time and risks in order to create a story, which is admirable in many ways. However, It has a long runtime and at some points, it gets so slow and tedious to the point of inducing sleep.
THE GREEN KNIGHT is definitely not for everyone. It is intended to be unusual and hard to follow, but if you let it, it'll take you on a wild journey.
THE CHAIR
The Netflix dramedy, created by Amanda Peet and Annie Wyman follows Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (Sandra Oh), the new Chair of the English Department at Pembroke University. She has to navigate her new responsibilities and deal with a department that is already in trouble due to declining enrollments and a shrinking budget. And if that wasn’t enough, one of their professors, a hot mess named Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass), sparks outrage with a viral video of him doing a Nazi salute in class.
I liked this show. The writers did a good job balancing the tone and displaying what our culture is becoming on and off college campuses. Sandra Oh was a treat to watch, as usual. It was fun, but also exhausting sometimes, to see Ji-Yoon, the first woman to chair the department and one of the university's few staff members of color, dealing with Bill’s self-inflicted troubles. It was also interesting how the show is as much about Bill as it is about Ji-Yoon. Bill is a generally nice guy who's been blinded by his privilege and Duplass did a great job playing the character. Actually, the whole cast is amazing and delivers on their performances.
Peet and Wyman provided some of their sharpest characterizations of the way societal topics like manufactured anger on college campuses and the conflict between millennial and boomer ideals are handled. And despite its often sensitive subjects, THE CHAIR is a fun watch.
Top 5 songs
These were the 5 songs on my heavy rotation last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
1 - Meet Me @ The Altar: Brighter Days
2 - Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes - Go Get A Tattoo