Where editors share their weekly musings on pop culture—and recommend what to watch, read, and listen to right now. This week, we discuss the Oscar nominations and Harry Styles's new song. |
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| Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, digital content: Hi from the Sundance Film Festival! As you're reading this I'm probably trekking from one movie screening after another for the film festival's final year in Park City, Utah. I'll update you on my favorites soon, but meanwhile, it's been a big weekend for cinema beyond the slopes. Last Thursday, the Oscar nominations were announced, and while many no-brainers earned nods—such as Rose Byrne and Jessie Buckley—there were some staggering snubs, too. I'm not over Chase Infiniti, who seemed poised to be this year's award season darling, getting shut out of the Best Actress race. Ariana Grande's snub for Best Supporting Actress stings, too. Lauren, what about you? |
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| Lauren Puckett-Pope, senior culture editor: I was equally frustrated by the Chase Infiniti snub, though I've seen some pundits argue it might ultimately be a good thing for her—that a nomination so early in her career would be a lot of pressure. Who knows? What I do know is I'm so glad Delroy Lindo got his Best Supporting Actor nomination for Sinners. It's about time. |
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Erica: So deserved! That was a delightful surprise. A more confusing surprise, on the other hand, was F1's nod for Best Picture. There's always a wild card every year to keep us on our toes.
Lauren: It wouldn't be a proper awards season without a few shake-ups!
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Think you lived through Brat summer? Not quite like this. Charli XCX relives and skewers her career-defining musical era with a mockumentary following her immense success and all the industry pressures and chaos that came with it. For this film, which she stars in and ideated (it's directed by her frequent collaborator Aidan Zamiri), she tapped stars including Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Sennott, and Kylie Jenner (whose cameo is surprisingly good!). Alexander Skarsgård plays an eccentric director hired to shoot Charli's concert film, but his mainstream approach (think glitter and light-up wristbands) clashes with her artistic vision. The Moment is a loaded industry satire, but Charli also uses the space to be vulnerable about her insecurities about stardom. I salute her for trying to do something different than the typical concert doc. After its buzzy premiere at Sundance, the movie opens in theaters this Friday, January 30.—EG |
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Sophie Turner leads this surprisingly tense heist drama on Prime Video, which dropped all of its six episodes last week—making for a perfect late-night binge. She stars as Zara, an office worker at a London-based pension-fund investment company, where she becomes an unwitting accomplice when a group of prosthetics-adorned robbers force her and a colleague to execute a multi-billion-dollar trade. With strong performances from both Turner and her castmates, Steal is a compelling portrait of capitalistic malaise.—LPP |
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The Booker Prize-winning George Saunders is back this week with his first novel since 2017's acclaimed Lincoln in the Bardo. With Vigil, he continues his trend of exploring the realms between the living and the dead, though of course in his signature irreverent style. Vigil follows two main characters—one dead, one soon-to-be dead—as the former, narrator Jill "Doll" Blaine, attempts to help the latter, oil baron K.J. Boone, cross over to the afterlife. Told over the course of one evening as Boone lies upon his death bed, Vigil is an artfully wrought story of life and death, corruption and comfort, humor and healing.—LPP |
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WHAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO: |
We finally know why Harry Styles had all of those "WE BELONG TOGETHER" billboards and posters hung around the world: that's a lyric for his new single, "Aperture." The first track released from his upcoming fourth album is a bop for the dance floor with a soft, throbbing beat and choir-like harmonies. It's about coming together, sweating, dancing, jumping, and feeling alive. It's almost like he's singing to his fans, getting them ready to reunite with him when he goes on tour this spring.—EG |
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In her ELLE cover story, Raye reveals that she tries not to say anything negative about herself, even on the inside. She won't let someone else dictate her life or identity, which is something we can all take to heart.—EG |
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