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FILM & TV

The 5 films in theaters you really, really need to see right now

Here are our picks in order to be ready for this year's Oscars season

Tonya Harding and Margot Robbie at I TONYA premiere

Photo by Broadimage (Shutterstock)

It's that time of the year again - the Academy Awards are on this Sunday, March 4th on ABC, and you are nowhere near caught up on your list.

This year's most critically acclaimed films reflect the political and social climate that's been making our heads spin. Hollywood has been caught up in a revealing time with the #MeToo moment shedding light on public revelations of sexual assault by more than a hundred actors, producers, and directors. There has been no other time with a greater need for a woman's voice. The films nominated by the Academy this year reflect that need to understand, to cause a conversation, to inflict change. Director and actress Greta Gerwig is only the fifth female director ever nominated, with the 100% Rotten Tomato-approved Lady Bird.

We decided to highlight some of the most important works nominated at the Oscars still showing at theaters around the nation. Read on to find out our favorites.

I, Tonya

I, Tonya tells the tragic real life tale of figure skater Tonya Harding (stunningly portrayed by Margot Robbie), who was banned from the sport after the 1994 incident with Nancy Kerrigan. The film flows through interviews and testimony by those closest in Harding's life, like Harding's abusive husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), her mother LaVona Fay Golden (Allison Janney), and Julianne Nicholson, Caitlin Carver, and Bobby Cannavale also star.

Annihilation

This Alex Garland-directed film is based on a novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer and stars an impressive cast - Natalie Portman, Gina Gonzalez, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac all play scientists who volunteer to enter "the Shimmer", a quarantined zone where nothing has ever been able to come out. The film was only just released this past week, but it's already breaking box office records and nobody can seem to stop buzzing about it.

Call Me By Your Name

This coming-of-age Luca Guadagnino-directed drama has been mentioned absolutely everywhere for it's stunning portrayal of a 17-year-old boy Ellio (Timothee Chalamet) who falls in love with his father's assistant Oliver (Armie Hammer) in Northern Italy in 1983. It has been critically praised for it's raw intensity, fueled by the actors chemistry as well as the soundtrack created by Sufjan Stevens (who always manages to make us cry when we least expect it).

Lady Bird

Lady Bird (as told and directed by Greta Gerwig) tells a tale that's all too familiar with rebellious teenagers across the world. Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) refuses to go by any other name and longs to escape the confinements of Sacramento. Her family struggles financially, with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) often reminding her that she is not grateful for what she has. The film is a touching and universal story of love between daughters and mothers that transcends time and a lingering sentiment that what we have is worth appreciating before it's gone.

The Shape of Water

This Guillermo del Toro fantasy was bound to be one of the year's biggest films, especially with a name like that. Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins) works as a janitor at a secret government lab in Baltimore during the Cold War in 1962. What she discovers in the lab is a half-amphibian, half-human creature that develops a real emotional connection with her. What follows is a story not unlike Toro's Pan Labyrinth, yet just as full to the brim with true love.

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Why Drake's "God's Plan" video is so culturally relevant

It doesn't matter that the rapper filmed himself giving away a million dollars. What matters is that he did.

Drake - God's Plan
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There's been a conversation revolving around Drake's recently released music video for "God's Plan", currently the #1 song on the charts.

It opens up with a very simple statement: "The budget for this video was $996,631.90. We gave it all away. Don't tell the label." What follows is shots of the people of Miami (particularly around Overtown), as Drake comes into a Sabor Tropical supermarket to tell everyone that their purchase today will be free - he's got it covered.

There's a mother and her son sitting by the boardwalk - the rapper comes by to hand them a wad of cash that, ultimately, changed their entire life in one moment. Drake hands a scholarship check made out to Miami High School, surprises fans unknowingly standing within feet of their favorite rapper, treats an entire department store full of women to whatever they want.

Some say it's self-serving. Some say it's fabricated. Chances are, they're not from Miami. As someone who is, it cannot be overstated the importance of this music video - it just so happens to be one of the greatest cultural documents of the city and it's people, which is always depicted as a sunny beach on mainstream media but in reality faces some very real and harsh poverty and wealth inequality. In fact, Bloomberg reported that Miami has the greatest gap between the rich and the poor than any other metropolis city in the U.S. You don't know just how life-changing it can be to have someone (no matter their name) come up to you and hand you a great big wad of cash if you're not from Miami.

In a time where political divide is so great and optimism so small, it matters that Drake gave away the entirety of this music video's budget. Not only is it incredibly transparent about how much money goes into these big-scale productions, but it goes to show just how many lives can be changed with "just" a million dollars. Let's be real - to Drake, this is chump change. To so many families, this is food, transportation, an education and a roof over their head. The value of that is bigger than you or me. It's not only a charity effort, but a political statement.

Like the Atlantic points out, civil rights icon and musician Harry Belafonte stated in 2012: "one of the great abuses of this modern time is that we should have had such high-profile artists … [who] have turned their back on social responsibility. That goes for Jay-Z and Beyoncé, for example." Jay-Z's response? "This is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am. Just like Obama's is." For rappers who have, to quote Drake himself, started from the bottom, the climb to the top is meant to inspire change, to inspire dreamers that all is possible.

While "God's Plan" is making ripples in the entertainment industry, here's hoping that the conversation will inspire more and more celebrities to give away the excess in their bank account. We can only see the good in that.

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MUSIC

Justin Timberlake brings the hits back to the Super Bowl - and Prince?

Last Sunday night, the pop star brought the hits ("Can't Stop the Feeling", "Suit and Tie") but failed to bring any heat

James Atoa/UPI/Shutterstock

Last Sunday night, there was one televised event that no one could take their eyes off, and it wasn't for a good reason - it was thanks to Justin Timberlake's lukewarm halftime show.

There was a solid start with "Rock Your Body", one of his early aughts hits that hasn't aged terribly, as well as renditions of "Suit and Tie" and "Can't Stop the Feeling." What followed was a controversial cover of "I Would Die 4 U", with Timberlake's own vocals as a projection of Prince performing the track engulfed the purple lights. The city of Minneapolis died and lived again, drenching everything in the color purple in honor of the late Prince. With the two pop singers having an infamous spat in the news, many fans were angered and felt like Prince would've hated the tribute - his sister Tyka Nelson, however, has told TMZ that she was pleasantly surprised and felt that her brother would've enjoyed it. Her brother wasn't one to hold grudges, she said.

In a post-show interview with Jimmy Fallon, Timberlake gave some insight into his decision to perform a Prince tribute. ""It's a moment for me, if I'm being quite honest, because he's always been the pinnacle of musicianship for me," Timberlake said. "When we decided that the serendipity and synergy that we would be in Minneapolis and that, you know, he's such a special thing here, aside from what he is all over the world, I just felt like I wanted to do something for this city and something for him that would be the ultimate homage to what I consider the GOAT of musicians." He explained how they acquired the footage: "We got the actual vocal stems from 'I Would Die 4 U,' the actual recordings, and then we got uncut footage from his performance of it in Purple Rain, and somehow, some way, by the grace of probably Prince looking down on us, it synced up. It was like this crazy serendipitous moment. I just wanted to use that opportunity to do something special for this city, but most of all, for my favorite musician of all time."

Critics have panned this performance, accusing Timberlake of "phoning it in" with a mediocre catalog. To that, I riddle you this - Timberlake's half time show was never going to be great because his discography is, aside from a crowning gem here and there, mostly empty and forgettable. There was nothing of substance being said here. The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich brought up a good reasoning for this: "As dancers flooded the field, Timberlake eventually made his way into the stands. He cajoled a child into filming a cell-phone video with him. Many more phones turned in his direction. For someone so aware of the way news travels now, his performance was oddly benign—expert, sure (in his decades of pop stardom, Timberlake has never been anything less than expert), but eerily un-self-aware. In 2018, eyeballs do not necessarily equal adulation. It seems fitting that the last thing Timberlake said, before sprinting away, his forehead glinting, was "Super Bowl selfies!" In the end, that was all that mattered."

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MUSIC

Five of our most anticipated releases of 2018

From Cardi B to Arctic Monkeys, we're eagerly on the edges of our seat for these upcoming efforts

It's 2018. It's a new year of blank slates, blank canvases, and eagerly awaiting the next round of fresh new sounds from artists who have been MIA, somewhere in recording studios.

That's not to say 2017 didn't bring us some serious artistry (and now overplayed loops), though. With a year that was made up of powerful political punches (DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar), understanding the times and trials of young women of color (CTRL by SZA), and getting to know the difference between being alone and being lonely (Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator), there was a lot of moving self-discovery, personal realizations, and the growing pains of growing another year wiser. That's why, despite the troubled times, we're looking into this year with hope and optimism, knowing that the music that is created out of a deeply political time is all what we need to keep moving forward.

We've compiled a list of some of our most anticipated releases, all due out sometime this year.

Arctic Monkeys - 'TBA'

After years of anticipation, Arctic Monkeys just announced their first live gig in more than four years at this year's Firefly Music Festival. The English band has been MIA, working on album no. 6, with resounding confirmations from varying sources (including the band's own Nick O'Malley, with an article from For The Ride stating "Nick found time for the track day before recording began on the eagerly anticipated sixth album, started at a secret location in September. The new album will be out next year because 'if it isn't, we've got problems'"). Besides their confirmed appearance this June, it seems like we don't know much else, but it also seems like it won't stay that way for long.

MGMT - 'Little Dark Age'

When psych duo MGMT released their first confirmed single "Little Dark Age" earlier this year, we were seriously impressed by it's new direction - the goth grittiness, which features vocalist Andrew VanWynGarden lamenting "I grieve in stereo / the stereo sounds strange / I know that if you hide it doesn't go away", sounds just as new and refreshing with each loop. Since then, the band has released supporting singles "When You Die" and "Hand It Over", with confirmations that the record will feature collaborations with Ariel Pink and Connan Mockasin. "We felt like we had reached a flow, it was the sort of chemistry, the kind of magic feeling we had when we started the band," said Ben Goldwasser. Release date is still TBA, but the New Yorker suggests it will drop sometime in February.

Cardi B - 'TBA'

Ever since the booming summer success of "Bodak Yellow", Cardi B has become a household name. What everyone's been wanting to know? What she'll do next. Her upcoming debut LP has been topic of much conversation, with many questioning if it can live up to it's own hype. However, with the recent release of "Bartier Cardi", you can rest assured that Cardi still has a lot of bars to spit and just as much money to flex. In her cover story with Rolling Stone, she discussed in-depth what the process has been like. "I got six, seven solid songs that I like, but I wonder if a month from now, I'm going to change my mind. It's not as fun to do music," she says. "My mind doesn't flow as free 'cause I have so much on my mind."

My Bloody Valentine - 'TBA'

My Bloody Valentine, having only three albums under their belt since 1988, still know how to keep us on our toes. While no exact details are confirmed, the band has been hard at work in the studio, having said that their next effort will likely be seven or eight tracks and expected to clock in around 40 minutes. "In some respects, some of it is a bit straightforward. The MBV album that we did in 2013 feels more meandery and not as concise. This one is like if somebody took that and dropped some acid on it or created a dimensional clash or something. It's more all over the place… The record I am making now is not so much about death and change as freedom of the soul," Kevin Shields told Rolling Stone.

Interpol - 'TBA'

You've seen Interpol tour their debut album Turn On The Bright Lights for it's 15th anniversary extensively. So what gives? While the release date is yet to be confirmed, it's safe to say that a new record is underway, as they've been performing a new and shiny track by the name of "Real Life." Interpol last delivered one of the most exciting albums of 2014 with El Pintor, so we're eagerly awaiting what comes next.

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Kendrick Lamar and SZA drop a new banger "All the Stars"

The new track is fresh off the soundtrack for the upcoming Marvel film Black Panther, overseen by the duo

Kendrick Lamar, SZA - All The Stars
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Record label mates Kendrick Lamar and SZA have dropped a fresh take titled "All the Stars", according to Top Dawg Entertainment.

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FILM & TV

Lady Bird wins big at the Golden Globes - but it still deserved "Best Director"

Despite its two wins, Greta Gerwig is still missing one important title.

Lady Bird | Official Trailer HD | A24
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It's been quite a year for female-empowering movements, and at the Golden Globes it was no different, with the touching story of "Lady Bird" sweeping up awards for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

The Greta Gerwig-directed film (her first, in fact) has been making rounds for it's vulnerabilities and heartbreaking sincerity when it comes to a mother's love for her daughter - and the very real fact that she, as all daughters do, must leave home to find her own. It's been so widely critically-acclaimed, in fact, that it became the first film to achieve (and maintain) a perfect 100 score on the film critic website, Rotten Tomatoes. It stars Saoirse Ronan, who longs to break free from the confines of her hometown of Sacramento, California (the same place Gerwig calls home). "I think that it's inevitable that those stories won't get told if you don't have female creators," Gerwig told CNN earlier this year. "But I do think that it's important to tell these stories because on a very basic level, as Virginia Woolf said, 'Men don't know what women do when they're not there.' So we need to tell the stories of what we're doing when they're not there. Otherwise, they will go completely undocumented."

Gerwig was notably shut out of the Best Director category - and everybody knew it. Actress and presenter Natalie Portman was quick to note, "here are the all-male nominees." In a world where Film Critics Society named "Lady Bird" best picture, and the National Society of Film Critics dubbed it the best film of 2017, it seems almost impossible that Gerwig did not at least receive a nomination for her first big-time director role. In a world where the majority of the Golden Globes room praised the Times Up movement, it's abundantly clear that the same energy of supporting women does not, in fact, apply to the nominations themselves.

The Sacramento-born director was not the only woman who was snubbed for the category. "Mudbound", the film that's been as widely-praised as the rest of the Best Picture nominees, was directed by Dee Rees, who was also snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Barry Jenkins, before directing "Moonlight", stated this to IndieWire a while back: "I'm probably going to get in trouble for saying this, but I've always felt like I can tell the difference when I'm watching a film directed by a woman," said Jenkins. "I just feel like the metaphors are more eloquent, by which I mean they don't shout as much. Even for myself, when I try to make a movie with a message, it's clear I'm trying to make a movie with a message, whereas when I watch a Lynne Ramsay film or a Claire Denis film, it's the metaphors you can feel — Lucrecia Martel, especially."

While I don't necessarily agree that there are differences in directing based on gender, Jenkins statement highlights the work of women who manage to put something more than personal on the big screen. Gerwig's work deserves to be recognized, and when it comes to those who are not taking women seriously into the conversation - like the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - it's time to say, time's up.

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