This is Vantage POINT: A monthly moodboard for things that have been on our minds as of late, topics both fresh and familiar. We point you towards what to watch out for and what we think you should be enjoying right now. And if whatever we love becomes whatever you love (at least a little bit), then we’ve done our jobs.
WITH THE new month comes new viewing and listening recommendations from us at Vantage! Here are some of our favorite picks to keep you company this February.
Photo sourced from IMDB
Inventing Anna (2022)
Release: February 11
Shondaland’s latest miniseries Inventing Anna (2022) explores how convicted fraudster Anna Sorokin successfully scammed New York’s elite. Going by the name “Anna Delvey,” Sorokin posed as a German heiress and used the generosity of her newfound friends and fake bank statements to sustain her lavish lifestyle.
Sorokin’s case first caught my eye in 2019 because of her court fashion emergency. I found it delightfully absurd that her lawyer thought inmate attire made her appear “guilty,” and planned her outfits accordingly. I wasn’t the only one fascinated by this—a whole Instagram account is dedicated to her trial looks. I can’t wait to see how Shondaland will bring this glamorous scandal to life! - Lombos
Photo sourced from Bandcamp
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
Release: February 11
I only recently started listening to alt-folk band Big Thief after I discovered the solo work of their lead singer, Adrianne Lenker. Her gentle, frail voice matched seamlessly with her plucky guitar on her 2020 album entitled songs.
Adrianne returns to her band project with a new album entitled Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, whose leading single “Little Things” presents a new sound for Big Thief while keeping their core identity intact. Though it’s best that you listen to the whole album, my personal favorite tracks are “Simulation Swarm” and “Time Escaping.” - Martin
Photo sourced from Avril Lavigne
Love Sux by Avril Lavigne
Release: February 25
Avril Lavigne’s seventh studio album is scheduled for release this month! If singles Love It When You Hate Me (feat. blackbear) and Bite Me are anything to go by, the album may echo her early 2000’s pop punk sound. The album also boasts features from Machine Gun Kelly and Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus.
My Avril phase in grade school marked the end of my prince charming fantasies and foreshadowed my later obsession with sk8r bois. Her music brings me back to carefree days and long car rides home from school. If you’re a sucker for nostalgia like I am, you may want to mark your calendars! - Lombos
Photo sourced from Universal Pictures
Release: February 11
In this upcoming movie based on a 2007 webcomic, Jennifer Lopez plays a pop star slated to exchange vows with her fianceé, live in concert. Right before she gets on stage though, she finds out that she’s been cheated on by her man. Devastated and a bit confused, she picks out from the crowd a math teacher and single father played by Owen Wilson and marries him on the spot.
Does it get more 2000s rom-com than this? Marry Me looks plentiful in cheesy romance tropes and clichés, and I’m all here for it. Who can say no to a movie that pins J-Lo and Owen Wilson to each other? - Martin