The September radar: Cyclic

Book: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999)

If you haven’t read this YA classic yet, then you better. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by American novelist, screenwriter, and director Stephen Chbosky is a coming-of-age novel that takes on the life of fifteen-year-old Charlie who writes letters to an unrevealed friend. The book revolves around his life from the sidelines, people watching, reading between the lines, and eventually transitioning into young adulthood.

For those who have found themselves gradually becoming a wallflower in their college lives, then congratulations—this might be the perfect book for you.

Film: Marie Antoinette (2006)

Director Sofia Coppola, known for her work on projecting her childhood memories into the films she creates, births Marie Antoinette—a film on the merry and carefree life of the last French queen before the French Revolution.

Despite the not-so-fancy ruling history of the beheaded young queen of France, the film has a playful take on her biography.When it comes to musical scoring, Coppola mixes a new wave, post-punk band soundtrack (that probably include your parents’ favorite tracks) like Bow Wow Wow, New Order, and Radio Dept.and many moreretro hits. Retro music, as we all know, is the pop and funky tunes that defined the 80’s still heard in today’s musical arrangements, like in this modern take of the historic life of the young queen. If you’re looking for an unusual but beautifully crafted aesthetic, then prepare yourself for a brand-new hooking perspective on monarch flicks.

 

Playlist: An Ode to Gated Reverb

Ever heard of the words gated reverb? You might not have, but you can surely recognize this in most songs today. A gated reverb is that quick, punchy, unnatural drum sound you hear in songs (which we know you totally dig) discovered accidentally in the early 70’sand later became the iconic sound of the 80’s. If you’re wondering why most music today still contains this iconic unnatural beat, it’s because this iconic deep drum sound has made its way to the web.

Now is definitely the time to update that playlist you’ve been wanting to fix with tracks from Carly Rae Jepsen, CHVRCHES, The 1975, Lorde—the list goes on.

 

TV series: GLOW (2017 -)

This dramedy TV series follows the life of Ruth Wilder (Allison Brie), a young actress desperate to score her big break, but ends up signing for auditions in an unusual role—at a gym, for unconventional women.  Ruth later on finds out that she has signed up to be a part of a women’s wrestling dynasty, GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling)—her one last shot for stardom.

GLOW is an all-new Netflix Originals series, taking on the iconic gimmick of women in the wrestling scene of the 80’s. While it may seem like a feminist agenda today, the series is more of a glimpse on the women who were once part of the independent and professional team  that were all about the guts, glitter, and glory in the limelight. Not onstage, but in the ring—glowing, not sweating.