It's About Time ⏰
It's About Time ⏰
Shuffle Sundays #20 • Invincible, Pinocchio, Yasmin Williams, Deborah Bay, and more.
Hello and welcome to Shuffle Sundays, a weekly curated list of content I thought was worth sharing with more people.
This week I’m sharing one of the best tv-series I’ve seen recently, which happens to also be one of the most violent content I’ve ever recommended here, an Italian movie that for some reason didn’t get the attention it deserved, an instrumental album that it’s one of my favorites of 2021, and much more. Hope you enjoy the read!
🎧 Soundtrack: Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter
📺 Invincible
{something to watch • tv-series, 1 season}
After a long period of time where most of the superhero content at the movies (and streaming) was following the same formulas of good vs evil, saving humanity, secret identities, etc, it looks like we're finally starting to see a shift in other directions, something that happened in the comic books many decades ago, and it's reflecting in the other mediums now.
One of these stories is Invincible, an animated tv-series based on a comic book by the same title, originally released back in 2003. We follow the story of Mark (Invincible), who is the son of Omni-Man, an extraterrestrial superhero of the Viltrumite race. While dealing with the same issues of every other adolescent, Mark also has to learn about (and get used to) his own superpowers.
It's hard to talk about Invincible without giving any spoilers, so the only other thing worth mentioning is that this is one of the most (if not the most) violent things I've seen on tv. It is brutal, it is gore, and some scenes are really difficult to watch, even if it's just an animated cartoon at the end of the day. And its graphic content is probably one of the reasons why Invincible may never work as a live-action adaptation.
Available on Amazon Prime Video | Watch the trailer on YouTube.
🎬 Pinocchio
{something to watch • movie, 125 minutes}
Almost 20 years after directing and playing Pinocchio on the big screen, Roberto Benigni is back to the same story, but this time giving life to Geppetto instead, the woodcarver that creates the puppet. Although I've never watched the 2002 version, this newer one is absolutely incredible! Everything just works well, but the production design, costume, and make-up are really the cherry on top of an already fascinating story.
And as much as I think that Ma Rainey's Black Bottom was deserving of the awards, I really wish that Pinocchio had been recognized at the Oscars. And also, the fact that the film didn't even get nominated for International Feature is a big mystery. It was my favorite from the ones I've seen, and that's including Another Round, which for me it's one of the most overrated films of the season.
Watch the trailer on YouTube.
🎶 Yasmin Williams – Urban Driftwood
{something to listen to • album, 45 minutes}
Urban Driftwood was my first introduction to fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin Williams, and it was love at first listen. She is considered to have an unorthodox, modern style of playing, and you don't really have to understand much about guitar to see that.
The album consists of 10 tracks that automatically transports you to the most diverse universes, going from brighter to darker tunes very quickly. Different than her debut album Unwind (2018), Urban Driftwood brings guest appearances by Taryn Wood, playing violin in “Adrift”, and Amadou Kouyate playing a hypnotic beat on the djembe, for the title track. Don’t miss out on this one!
🔀 On a different note:
🙌🏼 • a Twitter thread with 10 Learnings from my Newsletter journey so far, and another one with 10 Newsletters that inspire me to keep going;
🎙 • The BRIT Awards 2021 happened this past week and had some great performances from Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Griff, Coldplay, and many more. Click here to watch all the performances. Here’s one of my favorites, from Arlo Parks:
⚡️ Something to Inspire
Deborah Bay is a lens-based conceptual artist who takes photographs as a way to create and explore small spaces that open wide to the imagination. Check out her website or Instagram for more. Here are some favorites:
💽 New Music
{something to listen to • albums & singles}
This week I'm particularly interested in checking the new albums from Jorja Smith, Shaed, Sons of Kemet, and St. Vincent. Also, new tracks from Leon Bridges, Don Broco, Cautious Clay, Skrillex, Modest Mouse, and many more. If you’re curious to hear some of these songs and more, make sure to follow my 2021 playlist on Spotify, updated weekly with new releases:
👋🏼 See you next Sunday
My name is Leo Mascaro and you are receiving this email because you signed up for Shuffle Sundays, a weekly curated list of content I thought was worth sharing with more people. If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe using the box below:
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