What’s Brewing – your monthly pop culture update, complete with movies, shows and books for all!
“If we’re kind and polite, the word will be right.” (Paddington 2, 2017）
Paddington 2: Best film of all time?
Paddington 2 has officially overtaken Citizen Kane on the Rotten Tomatoes’ position of “best film of all time”— it now has an 100% rating on the site. Only a few films have been worthy enough to boast a 100% Tomatometer score, including Battleship Potemkin (1925), a silent war/drama film, Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Before Sunrise (1995).
With plenty of assessments coming up, remember that it’s important to take a break— and maybe watching (or re-watching) Paddington 2 will be the perfect opportunity to slow down and get lost in the magical trance of movies.
In Paddington 2, Paddington is wrongly accused and imprisoned for theft, and the movie follows search for the true culprit whilst trying to prove his own innocence.
Now streaming: Shadow and Bone
Netflix’s Shadow and Bone dropped on the 23rd April and has since received high praise and acclaim for its storyline and diversity. Undoubtedly, a perfect book to film adaptation is rare due to the many challenges involved, but Shadow and Bone manages to retain the fine balance between staying true to the novels, as well as intertwining new backstories and depth into the show with ease. With only 8 episodes of 40 to 50 minutes, the show is a well-paced tumble into fantasy; through its stunning cinematography, detailed costuming and morally grey characters, Shadow and Bone has already attracted many devoted fans, and the future for this show is highly promising.
English actress Jessie Mei Li is at the forefront of Shadow and Bone, starring as the show’s protagonist Alina Starkov.
A glimpse: The 2021 Oscars
This year, the 93rd annual Academy Awards took place on April 26th, pandemic-style and all. The Oscars have without a doubt, had their fair share of controversies, but several awards this year went out to women and people of colour. These are certainly significant first steps needed to shift the film industry into the right direction— empowering women and acknowledging the pivotal importance of diversity both in front of and behind the camera.
Yuh-Jung Youn was the first Korean woman to win best Supporting Actress for her role in Minari.
Nomadland saw the first woman of colour, Chloé Zhao, to take home best director.
Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson were the first Black women to win an Academy Award for their makeup and hairstyling for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Ann Roth, also for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, was the oldest woman to win an Oscar for costume design at 89 years old.
Bibliography:
Colasimone, Dan. 2021. Review of Paddington 2 Dethrones Citizen Kane as Best Film of All Time (according to Rotten Tomatoes). ABC News, May 2, 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-02/paddington-2-citizen-kane-as-best-film-of-all-time/100109944.
“The 2021 Oscars Made History for Women! See the Full List of Winners.” n.d. Marie Claire. Accessed May 28, 2021. https://www.marieclaire.com.au/oscars-2021-full-winners-list.
