This Teaser for OFF!’s upcoming film, Watermelon. This is the funniest thing I have seen all week. I always felt that Steven McDonald was the quintessential punk rock comic actor, but I don’t know…Dimitri Coats is like the Olivier of being mad. There are more videos on their Kickstarter page or you can fall down the YouTube rabbit hole like I did. The soundtrack for the film will be their next album. (Elise Thompson)
“Dark Matter” series on Netflix. This is a Canadian scifi show (2015-2017) based on the comic book of the same name, about a crew on a large spaceship that wakes up with their past memories erased. It has that adventurous “Firefly” feel to it, which I really enjoy, but it’s more serious. Good characters and dialogue. Info (Simone Snaith)
Mary Poppins Returns. This movie uses a lot of the first movie’s design and mood, like hand-drawn animation, an orchestra score and spot-on costumes and sets. At first Emily Blunt didn’t work for me. I thought, “When did Mary Poppins get to be such a bitch?” But once she got that mischievous twinkle in her eye, this movie made me feel the magic of childhood again. It might not work on everyone, but it worked on me. You can get it here. (Elise Thompson)
Horrorstör: A Novel. This horror story by Grady Hendrix takes place in a haunted IKEA/NOT IKEA due to legal reasons, which is an excellent premise from the jump. When the employees at “Orsk” show up in the morning they find smashed and ruined kjerrings and linpips. One night three of them stay overnight to solve the mystery. I have to say, these modern horror writers have a different take than the old guard like Stephen King or Peter Straub. They tend to have more humor, be more surreal, and talk about physical tortures in excruciating detail. I kind of have an easier time believing that the spirits from a work camp inhabit the store than believing there are no security guards. Find it here. (Elise Thompson)
Green Tea Cheesecake at Ramen Yamada. This cozy little place has excellent ramen, especially tonkatsu shoya. But what blew my mind was the green tea cheesecake. Japanese cheesecake is fluffier than NY-style. This one had a strong cream cheese flavor with a gentle hint of green tea. I’m certain they order it from a bakery and next time I’ll make sure to ask where to find it. (Elise Thompson). The website.
