MIX/VHS | Week 077
Week 077
Hot hot summer is here to stay! For the foreseeable future! Forever! If you need a break from the day in and night out heat, put a fan three inches from your face, a computer screen a little bit farther away from that, and watch this spectacular collection of films, music vids, and more curated by your friends at MIX/VHS!
News From Home?
WATCH IT HERE!
This short film can be a little on-the-nose and ham-fisted with its sense of nostalgia and loss, but its imagery and poetic form are wonderful. Set in the not-so-distant future, News From Home? portrays human existence on Mars after Earth's resources have dried up. The simulated Martian "Earth" imagined here is spooky yet familiar, with its gridded sky and geographic simulacra. A constant sound of mall-ambiance echoes throughout these landscapes, reminding inhabitants of the inauthenticity of their surroundings.
I found News From Home? through a vaporwave album, which uses a still from the film as its cover art. Recommended listening if you're interested in the film's emotional and thematic content!
- Morgan
Stephen King's The Outsider (Audiobook)
LISTEN TO IT HERE!
I am behind on so many incredible novels out there in the world. So, I have set a goal to read at least one book a month this year. And for August, I chose to do the audiobook for Stephen King's newest novel, The Outsider. This book is utterly tense, terrifying, and no doubt, a return to classic King-styled suspense. Each chapter oozes with mystery and fear, and has reminded me of the addiction that is finding a new book that you can't put down. As for the audiobook, actor Will Patton does a remarkable job at playing with characters, dialogue, and pacing out King's writing. I have been eagerly going out for long walks just to listen to the book. Seriously, it is such an addicting story that has, like King's best work, really made me fear the shadows around me. I cannot recommend this book (and audiobook) enough.
- Jake
Mama Mia 2: Here We Go Again!
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE!
Mamma Mia 2 has it all. An unbreakable mother/daughter bond, a chorus of Greek locals, multiple boat scenes, irresponsible shacking, an angry Greek grandmother figure, CGI Cher, ghost Meryl Steep, European travel, sexual freedom, 70s fashion, strong female friendships, romantic love, familial love, platonic love, history lessons, middle aged men dancing in dress shirts, a frightened horse, an angry goat, academia, bicycle choreography, and lastly and most importantly the storyline is all strangely accurately set to the timeless music of ABBA.
- Mia
Tenacious D // Tribute
WATCH IT HERE!
Blast from the past: this was one of the first big YouTube videos I would watch over and over again as a teenager, forever thinking because I was now a fan of Tenacious D and Guitar that I was now a "diehard metal fan". Well. Ya. I dig metal from time to time, but I will always dig this historically great music vid. Jack Black at his prime. Tenacious D rocks, my dudes.
- Spencer
In Rainbows with Lisa Gail
WATCH IT HERE!
Portland-based Barton Robison is a formidable musician, a mesmerizing filmmaker, and a dear friend. In his short documentary web series, In Rainbows with Lisa Gail, Robison tells the tale of Texan Lisa Allred (stage name Gail) and her rise to Internet stardom with the hit music video, “3-Second Rule.” The saga is filled with a cast of larger-than-life personalities, including Allred’s suave vocal coach, her church friends, and her hair salon clients. It's filled, too, with a remarkable number of rhinestones, crosses, and china cabinet knick-knacks. Robison weaves a masterful tale out of these patchwork pieces, and shares the searingly honest story of a woman who believes in herself against all odds, as well as the life-affirming power of following one’s heart.
- Matt
Jimmy Neutron Happy Family Happy Hour
WATCH IT HERE!
Five years ago I googled "jimmy neutron brain blast" and this came up. It's not what I was looking for, but it made me happier than what I hoped to find.
- Miranda
Like this mix? Tell us what you think in the comments below, and let us know what you’re recommending for us to watch this week!