The Art Desk’s weekly picks for movies, TV, music and more
By CLARA FISCHER — arts@theaggie.org
Music: “Spooky” by Dusty Springfield (1968)
Like clockwork, when the evenings start cooling off and the mornings have a brisk quality to them again, I feel the need to listen to this song. An oldie but a goodie, there’s just something about the feel of this song that puts me in the fall spirit. With lyrics like “In the cool of the evening/ When everything is getting kind of groovy,” and a funky beat to match, Dusty Springfield has created the perfect tune for the changing of the seasons.
Book: “Invisible Women” by Caroline Criado-Perez (2019)
A must-read for everyone, not just those who identify as women, Caroline Criado-Perez’s 2019 work has been declared a “feminist manifesto” by some reviewers. Compiling various data (and lack thereof), Criado-Perez argues her theory that women are adversely impacted by society’s research methods in a way that men are not. The read is at times shocking and there were many moments that forced me to look up and take a second to process what I had just learned. While not fully comprehensive, as there is not nearly enough emphasis on intersectionality (largely due to an even larger data gap for BIPOC women than white women, as Criado-Perez herself mentions), it’s a great starting point for a broader discussion on the importance of inclusive research.
TV Show: “What We Do in the Shadows” (2019)
If you’ve ever wanted to see a spinoff of “The Office” with vampires, this is the show for you. The series, based on the 2019 film of the same name, is a mockumentary-style telling of four vampires who live in Staten Island. Naturally, hilarity ensues, and the spooky-yet-silly vibe of the show makes it a deliciously devious watch as we near the Halloween season.
Movie: “The Fault in Our Stars” dir. by Josh Boone (2014)
I know, I know — this is 2022, not 2014. While it’s true that Green is a divisive writer, with some dubbing him as pretentious and others loving his melodramatic woes of teenage-dom, the movie adaptation of the infamous novel emotionally hit me just as hard when I first watched it in theaters as when I rewatched it last week on the couch of my college home. Playing hard into viewers’ sentimental nature, the flick is a tearjerker for all ages. If you too have fond memories of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters from your teenage years, I would highly recommend a rewatch to feel many of the same emotions.
Written by: Clara Fischer — arts@theaggie.org
