MIX/VHS | Week 011
We hope you are enjoying the beginning of summer as much as we are. So we have some cool things to watch to get your summer started off the right way! Enjoy this week's mix!
Super 8 (dir. by J.J. Abrams)
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE!
With director/writer J.J. Abrams at (arguably) the height of filmmaking popularity; with his newly produced Westworld reimagining on the horizon over at HBO; with cinematic references to the 80's and 90's being constantly produced as of late (a la "any-remake-over-the-last-few-years," or films like It Follows, Freaks of Nature, Kung Fury, or Danger 5 to name a few); and, of course, with Netflix's highly anticipated 80's Spielberg/Stephen King-esque love child, Stranger Things looming closer and closer to release. I wanted to watch something that captured that same 80's/90's adventure film aesthetic at it's best, with J.J. Abrams' Super 8 This is, oddly enough, Abrams' only original film to not be based off of a previous property, despite taking all of it's cues from Spielbergian lore and techniques. It's a beautifully atmospheric film that features some incredible performances, brilliant camera work, and in the end, is so much damn fun.
- Jake
The Wolfpack (dir. by Crystal Moselle)
WATCH IT HERE! (Also recommended in MIX/VHS | Week 003 HERE)
The Wolfpack is definitely in my top five favorite documentaries. Between the unimaginable circumstances these six brothers grew up with (being locked in their New York apartment the majority of their lives), and the amazing storytelling that invites you into their world, it's entrancing from start to finish. Their tale of isolation and basically learning about the outside world through watching films is absolutely incredible. Even through all the oppressiveness, they were able to foster an amazing creativity and drive to re-create their favorite movies, and in turn live through them, while rarely even stepping outside. I love the mix of actual old home movies they captured as children, blended with the filmmaker's perspective of an outsider experiencing it all from the inside. It's really an amazing work of storytelling, and I highly recommend checking it out.
- Sloane
Hyper Reality (dir. by Keiichi Matsuda)
WATCH IT HERE!
Certain stories yank us out of our day-to-day complacency, if only for a moment, by asking that simple, haunting question "What if?" (and yes I stole that from the 2002 version of The Time Machine. Sue me.) Hyper-Reality does so in a way that demonstrates why science-fiction is such an important and overlooked genre (I'm looking at you Academy!). Check it out and see your app-based, kaleidoscope of a dystopian future.
- JJ
Only Yesterday (dir. by Isao Takahata)
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE!
Only Yesterday is a somewhat lesser known film in the Ghibli catalogue by director Isao Takahata. Originally having been released only in Japan in 1991, the film finally made it's US debut on February 26th of this year! The story revolves around Taeko Okajima, a woman who travels to the country on an introspective journey to find her true purpose. Flashbacks of key points of Taeko's childhood are interwoven throughout the story giving a nostalgic overtone. Something that is interesting about the making of this film is that the dialogue for the non-flashback scenes was recorded before the animation took place, leaving the animators to match the visuals to the audio. It's a beautifully sweet classic.
- Felix
Rick and Morty "Forever 100 Years" (created by Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon)
WATCH THE CLIP HERE!
Honestly, the excitement I had this morning when my friend texted me that Season 3 of Rick and Morty was uncontainable. Please enjoy the best clip ever from the pilot of this wonderful show, and if you have never seen the show, get started now before the new season starts July 22nd!
- Spencer
Like this mix? Tell us what you think in the comments below, and let us know what you’re watching this week!