Kendrick, Arcane & just another thing...
The week that was
I don’t quite know what to say to kick this off. It feels like I should say something poignant to commemorate the first “issue” of this newsletter. Still, it also feels redundant to have an introduction to what is essentially a very public version of journaling. I already explained what I hope to do in the About section, so the only thing is to just get into the week.
New music drops, a culmination of a critically acclaimed show and my soccer team finding its groove yet again. Not a bad week at all.
[Popular] Culture
1. Kendrick Lamar - GNX
If you’re like me, you started your Friday blissfully unaware of what was to come. You probably went about your daily routine, had your morning coffee, and decided which emails to ignore until Monday. And then the entire day got turned upside down. First, with a short video , and then with a full 12-track album.
There are people who write about music much better than me and who have already dissected the art front to back, so for now, I will just say one thing. It’s a fun listen. It feels almost as fun to listen to as much fun I imagine Kendrick had making it. Almost. One thing I’ve always appreciated about Lamar’s music is his ability to subvert expectations and deliver something entirely unexpected with each subsequent piece of work. Anyone who tells you they know what the next Kendrick album is going to sound like is lying to your face. I’m going to take a few more days with it. Then I might write about it.
2. Arcane
Video game adaptations are hard, word to Uwe Boll. First released three years ago, Arcane blew everyone away, myself included. And I don’t even have the necessary prerequisite predisposition to masochism to play League of Legends. And yet, a good story is a good story.
From a captivating animation style that’s most reminiscent of the Spiderverse in its design to excellent writing, not restricted by existing lore of an IP that has been around since 2009. Arcane manages to tell an original story in a space that too often relies on retelling the familiar. Overall, I think it’s just been a show that offers something for everyone. Come for the meme-worthy ‘shipping of Caitlyn and Vi, stay for the deeply emotional story of the human relationship with power, pitfalls of ambition, and a tale of redemption.
3. Gladiator II
When I first saw the trailer for Gladiator II I didn’t think we needed it. In a space so frequently accustomed to strangling out new ideas to give space for re-treads, remakes, and sequels (looking at you, Squid Game remake that doesn’t need to pass), the audiences yearn for original works. And yet… I am man enough to admit when I was wrong.
Gladiator II isn’t going to be a magnum opus we talk about for years to come, but not every movie needs to be. Sometimes, all we need to see on the big screen is a grand action set-piece naval battle set inside the Colosseum filled with water and sharks (I have logistical questions). Ridley Scott has not lost his touch for historically-adjacent storytelling and beautifully brutal cinematography. And if that’s not enough… There’s always Denzel Washington.
Culture/Society
4.X-odus continues
It seems we are finally reaching critical mass with the migration from X to Blue Sky. A few weeks post-election cycle, people are starting to rebuild their feeds and engage frequently with the next best alternative to the app formerly known as Twitter.
There is a larger discussion on what we expect from our social media spaces. Do we truly want echo chambers that confine us to our singular view of the world? Or do we simply want to see less racist garbage on our timelines? Does Blue Sky provide an adequate platform for more meaningful engagement or discussion to facilitate a different type of proposition? Time will tell. But for now, it seems at the very least more conducive to civilized conversation than X seems to be capable of in its dying days.
Sports
5. Arsenal are back?
In the midst of our “this is so over” we have found our “we are so back.” Maybe it’s the mirage of the international break or the fact that the last two months have been particularly unrewarding to be an Arsenal fan, but Arsenal 3 - Nottingham Forest 0 was one of the best matches I’ve seen this team play since September. And it was impossible to watch without recognizing one very clear fact: the singularity of Martin Ødegaard.
Certain athletes are just wired differently. It could be genetic, it could be mental or it could be intellectual. Sometimes it’s various combinations of all three. The stark contrast between Arsenal without Ødegaard and Arsenal with him is like walking out of a tundra into a hot summer day. It’s not that he can do what others can’t, it’s that he can think the way others cannot. A lot of players are capable of manufacturing chances out of what’s available to them. Ødegaard creates chances where there are simply none. He bends the composition of the game around him to such a degree that breaks my brain multiple times per match. And it’s nice to have him back.
The week ahead…
I want to have a few more spins around the block with GNX before I put together deeper thoughts on the album. I’m hoping to sit down and write something this week on Kendrick Lamar’s latest not-quite-Opus.
Having allowed myself to digest The Penguin finale for two weeks, I can’t quite walk away from the show. A lot has been said about the level of acting on the show, but I just can’t stop thinking about how the writers delivered the perfect villain for our times. I’ll have some thoughts on that.