The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for movies, music and more
By BELLA PETERSON —- [email protected]
Book: “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021)
“Klara and the Sun” was a book I was assigned to read for my fourth year of high school, and I am forever thankful that my 12th grade English teacher assigned it. It’s one of those novels you read and just can’t stop thinking about after you finish it. It’s so tragically beautiful. The main topic of the book is a world where the shock of robots being a part of your day-to-day life has passed and now is considered the norm of society. That humanity itself has taken the back seat of life on Earth and is now a dystopian future shaped by the technology that humans, themselves, have created. Human connections weakened as a result of the manufacturing of their current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Especially in today’s age with AI coming up in almost all of our discussions, people could really benefit from reading this novel. Not only is it a beautiful and well-produced story but it offers a lot of knowledge to the possibilities of what our world may become one day.
Movie: “The Princess Bride” dir. Rob Reiner (1987)
If you asked me to choose my all-time favorite movie, I would probably think it over for about an hour before I give you some obscure answer…but in my heart I would immediately say “The Princess Bride.” It is the perfect amalgamation of romance, adventure and comedy into one story. I also remember when I was young being so enchanted by the name “Buttercup,” like, “You’re telling me an actual person can be named that? I’m in.” It’s a classic for a reason and so many people grew up either with the story or watching the movie. It’s what I would deem as the perfect fairytale. It’s the perfect comfort film to come back to and a personal favorite of mine to watch at the beginning of every spring. There’s nothing better than the weather getting warmer and seeing color return to the world while hearing Westley say, “As you wish.”
Song: “Under Pressure” by Queen & David Bowie (1981)
I’ve always been a big fan of both Queen and David Bowie, so it’s no surprise that “Under Pressure” would be one of my favorite songs of all time. I used to listen to it a lot when I was younger, but I didn’t really think too much of it; I just thought that it was an amazing song. It wasn’t until I saw the movie “Aftersun” that I felt the trajectory of that song change for me. I’ve never felt so emotional hearing a song in a movie before — it was like being frozen in place and feeling a million emotions all hit you at once. I felt the lyrics really come to life and completely sweep me off my feet. That was the impact the song had on me: listening to the lyrics rather than just hearing them. It’s easy to let a song wash over you and pass by but it’s another thing entirely to let the song consume you. So now, whenever I hear “Under Pressure” I don’t just hear it, I listen.
T.V. Show: “Lost” created by Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof (2004-2010)
I watched a lot of shows with my parents growing up, but “Lost” still stands to be one of the most iconic shows of my childhood to this day. It’s one of the most well-crafted shows I think I’ve ever seen — especially the first three seasons of it. The thing I really enjoy most about the show, and what I believe its strength is, is that it’s a show shaped around the characters. Its ensemble cast all carry their own strengths in the show. It really feels like each character could have their own story and I would be invested in it. It’s something I feel lacks from most shows we get nowadays. It’s also nice to experience a show that has around 20 to 40-minute episodes each season. So many new shows only provide 10 episodes (if you’re lucky) every couple of years. Another amazing aspect of the show is its soundtrack, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so moved by a soundtrack before. “Lost” inspired me in so many ways, it’s the perfect television example of how to properly develop your characters and invest your audience. Consider yourself lucky if you haven’t seen it yet, go in completely blind and you’ll find yourself enamored with the genius that went into the show. And even if you have seen it, it’s always just as amazing to rewatch it.
Written by: Bella Peterson — [email protected]
