Youssof's September Selection
As someone who is endlessly passionate about art, media, and general consumption, after the end of every month, I like to look back on the prior thirty days and all the things I enjoyed. For me, it becomes a time capsule for the month and adapts with me as my taste continues to grow. Another thing I like is to discuss and recommend the things I enjoy to others and that's why, in this article, I will be listing all of my favourites from September 2021 in multiple areas and categories, recommending them to you, the fellow consumers. So, let’s commence!
Film
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! (2018) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Mamma Mia!' is one of my favourite childhood films and, thankfully, the sequel is just as fun! The recipe for the Mamma Mia! movies is simple;
· 1,000 tbsp of Abba's Pure Essence
· 10,000 gallons of fun
· few boxes of amazing set pieces
· actors with great chemistry
Mix them all in a bowl, aka Greece, which's one of the most beautiful countries in the world, then place it all in the oven for two hours, and you end up with a hell of a good time!
Lily James is great as a young Donna, and the whole cast is back and is still as amazing. And, somehow, they managed to make Greece even prettier this time around, making me want to live there more than ever.
The songs and choreography are so much fun, especially the Dancing Queen scene -which I will not spoil, but it is probably one of my favourite movie scenes ever.-
🎶 Waterloo, couldn’t escape if I wanted to 🎶
Zodiac (2007) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I had been pushing off David Fincher’s Zodiac for quite some time now because it seemed like the PERFECT rainy day movie. But, sadly, the rainy day never came at the right time that I just got tired of waiting and watched the movie and LOVED it.
The movie is about a political cartoonist, a reporter, and a detective who all become obsessed with finding the Zodiac killer, a man who infamously terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s to early 70s. It’s extremely suspenseful, scary at times and, surprisingly, funny with one of the absolute BEST third acts I have ever watched.
The Sparks Brothers (2021) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ +0.5
Oh boy.
This is probably my favourite thing I’ve watched all month. Thanks to Edgar Wright making this documentary, I discovered Ron and Russell Mael aka Sparks. I watched the trailer a few months back and went, "oooh, they seem interesting!" so I listened to some of their songs, but they didn’t really click for me.
Then came September, I watched Annette (2021), a musical written by the Maels, and I had many conflicting feelings about it. I gave their music one more shot and was absolutely awed, I had to watch the documentary!
Ron and Russel Mael are a pair of brothers from the US who created one of the most 'overlooked' pop bands of all time, and one that impacted pop music in ways that many people don’t recognise.
Ron and Russel Mael are a pair of brothers from the US who created one of the most 'overlooked' pop bands of all time, and one that impacted pop music in ways that many people don’t recognise.
The documentary showed their five-decade career in-depth, it also showed many other musicians, comedians, and actors who love Sparks talking about them. They were too ahead of their time and people didn’t understand their music yet, in the face of it all, they never gave up being themselves or their authentic music. They just continued creating art for the sake of art.
The directing of Edgar Wright was so much fun; his signature charm and humour went along perfectly with the Sparks Brothers’ wit and style. I will talk more about their music later in this article but, if you have a love for music as an art-form, even if you don't end up being a fan of Sparks, do watch this documentary.
I think I’m getting into a documentary phase here, and I’m liking it so far!
I loved how the entire thing felt like an ode to being yourself no matter what, and just creating things because you love doing it. In the end, the Maels have a 50-year career of great music and they never sold their artistic integrity out once.
The directing of Edgar Wright was so much fun; his signature charm and humour went along perfectly with the Sparks Brothers’ wit and style. I will talk more about their music later in this article but, if you have a love for music as an art-form, even if you don't end up being a fan of Sparks, do watch this documentary.
Shirkers (2018) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ +0.5
I think I’m getting into a documentary phase here, and I’m liking it so far!
Shirkers is a documentary by Sandi Tan talking about her struggles and experience attempting to make Singapore’s first independent road film with her friends and the man, Georges Cardona, who was responsible for the project’s demise.
Georges Cardona was the filmmaker who directed Shirkers and disappeared along with the film once the shooting was done. Many decades later, the film went back to Sandi and her friends. The documentary shows her looking back at the experience with a critical lens and trying to make sense of what happened.
Georges Cardona was the filmmaker who directed Shirkers and disappeared along with the film once the shooting was done. Many decades later, the film went back to Sandi and her friends. The documentary shows her looking back at the experience with a critical lens and trying to make sense of what happened.
The film is beautiful and incredibly sad, depicting the pure awfulness of your dreams being stolen by someone else, something that many women face at the hands of men. Shirkers seemed like it would’ve been something special, and it’s sad the world never got to see it.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my first time watching an MCU film at the cinema in two years (weird how that’s considered a long time in Disney standards, huh?) and it was a BLAST!
The film has some of the best action and choreography set pieces in the MCU -the bus scene pictured above being my favourite- and I thought it was cool seeing martial arts in a superhero film. The story and family drama is done well, with Tony Leung who always gives a great performance.
I had some issues with the film, however, with the overuse of CGI. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of overusing CGI in films, it makes it feel more like a video game, making it harder for me to feel invested.
In conclusion, I felt like the film could’ve been better with less focus on the visual effects, and more focus on the fights, choreography, and characters, like Xu Xialing, who felt underdeveloped.
Still loved it, though!
Music
Still loved it, though!
Music
Sparks (Band)
I told you we’d get here!
Sparks is a band I haven’t been able to stop talking about to friends and family. After watching Annette, I decided to try some Sparks songs. I started with one of their new popular songs, The Existential Dread, and thought it was relatable albeit terrifying. Then, I listened to the classic This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us and liked the music and songwriting, but they still weren’t clicking for me, which I wasn’t happy with because I really wanted them to.
I, then, listened to Angst in my Pants, Sherlock Holmes, and Funny Face and was like, "woah…this is really good!"
The next day, I listened to one of their most popular albums, Kimono My House, and fell in love! The songs were catchy and creative, and the lyrics were hilarious and unlike anything I had ever heard in pop music before.
I loved how they weren’t taking themselves too seriously; they were just introducing fun ideas in every song. In my head, the perfect party would have the mood contained in Kimono My House. I listened to that album repeatedly the rest of the week and then moved on to the rest of their discography.
Every song I listened to is unique; the music felt exactly like the kind I’ve been waiting for for a long time. Some examples include; The Number One Song In Heaven, a 7-minute masterpiece that is just so damn pleasant to listen to, and Girl from Germany, which is a satirical song about a guy who brings his German girlfriend to meet his Jewish parents and chaos ensues.
I haven’t been this excited about a musical group since BTS.
I would also like to mention how exquisite the album covers are, Angst In My Pants being my favourite because of how funny and shocking it looks, especially at the time of its release.
I would also like to mention how exquisite the album covers are, Angst In My Pants being my favourite because of how funny and shocking it looks, especially at the time of its release.
Overall, my favourite thing about Sparks is how much they defy the norms of pop music, whether it’s in their look, sound, or lyrics. I will definitely be listening to more of them, but for now I’m going to list all of their songs I loved here;
- This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us
- Amateur Hour
- Falling In Love with Myself Again
- Barbecutie
- Angst In My Pants
- Sherlock Holmes
- Funny Face
- The Number One Song In Heaven
- Wonder Girl
- Girl from Germany
- Under the Table with Her
- Cool Places
- I Wish I Looked A Little Better
Depression Cherry (Album)
The only song I had listened to from Beach House before this was Silver Soul and I love everything about that song. Then I listened to Depression Cherry this month and, damn, that’s one good album!
I just did not expect the amount of emotion, primarily love and melancholy, infused in this album. Every song contains so many feelings, so many sounds, and whenever I listen to it I feel myself travelling to many worlds, seeing many images, and feeling many feelings.
There probably isn't one bad song on this album, but I did like some more than others; my favourite being Beyond Love, which completely overwhelms me every time I listen to it.
Mohamed Mounir (Artist)
I didn’t know much about Mohamed Mounir other than that he sang, "sooo ya sooo, habiby habasoo," but turns out he makes more good music!
The beautiful songwriting in his songs and his one-of-a-kind voice have turned me into a fan, and I now want to dive deeply into his discography and to get more into Egyptian music. They’re also so damn catchy.
Songs I liked;
Shagar El Lamoon
Lamma El Nesseim
Man 8eir Kosouf
Shababeek
Video Games
Lamma El Nesseim
Man 8eir Kosouf
Shababeek
Video Games
Stardew Valley
*Screams*
I’ve been playing Stardew Valley for a few months now and, let me tell you, I LOVE THIS GAME!
Stardew Valley is a game where you, the player, inherit a farm from your grandpa in said valley. You farm all kinds of crops, buy animals, sell products, upgrade your farm, and make lots of sweet, sweet coins. The money is fake, but oh my god is the dopamine real.
It doesn’t stop there, though, you get to meet the people in Pelican Town, the town the farm is located. You can help them with their tasks, give them gifts, and become their friend!
The characters are one of my favourite aspects of the game; as you befriend them, they start opening up to you and you become a part of their lives, helping them get through stuff. Watching them grow and seeing their stories unfold got me so emotionally invested in the game. Stardew Valley feels like a real place to me now, and I feel like I personally know the characters now. This is basically a comfort game.
You can also do so much more, like go mining, fight monsters, and fish (which is so difficult, but really fun when you get the hang of it!)
I highly recommend Stardew Valley if you’re looking for something light to play. It’s a very sweet game and so much fun.
Anyway, that’s it! These are some of the things I liked this month. I hope you check them out and, if you end up liking any of them, I'd love to know! I would be content if I manage to get anyone reading this to become a Sparks fan, or fall in love with Zodiac like me 😊.