TV & FilmThis 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 EVERYONE back on campus and getting into their groove again for the second semester, Vant’s here with movies and music that can ease your mid-semester madness. Here’s our favorite picks for February and March!
Photo sourced from Rotten Tomatoes
Knock at the Cabin (2023)
Release: February 1 (Theatrical) & February 21 (Digital)
From masterfully crafted horror thrillers like The Sixth Sense (1999) to painfully substandard films like The Last Airbender (2010), M. Night Shyamalan is the very definition of “you win some, you lose some.” Knock at the Cabin, a horror thriller about impending doom, is the latest in his filmography. The film stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, and more in a film about one family being taken hostage by armed strangers while their whole world turns in on itself. Whether or not Knock at the Cabin will be on the upper echelon of Shyamalan films, we’re sure to receive two nail-biting hours of cinema. – Tan
Photo sourced from Matador Records
This Stupid World by Yo La Tengo (2023)
Release: February 10
This Stupid World is the 17th studio album by one of indie rock’s long-standing bands, Yo La Tengo. The album was entirely done by Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, and James McNew, boasting that “[at] the base of nearly every track is the trio playing all at once, giving everything a right-now feel.” Described as one of the band’s most live-sounding albums in years, This Stupid World was made as a way to process the changing of times ever since the band’s debut back in 1984. If you’re looking for something a little melancholic, then this Yo La Tengo release might just be up your alley; it was definitely up mine. – Tan
Photo sourced from Yahoo
You Season 4 Part 2
Release: March 9
In the long-awaited return of Netflix’s hit thriller drama, You, Joe Goldberg is brought out of suburbia and into the streets of London as university professor Jonathan Moore. Entangled in a murder mystery a la Knives Out (2019), our favorite anti-hero finds the tables turned on him when he’s pinned for elite-targeting homicides that are—as the Brits would say—not his bloody fault. The midseason finale may have revealed the true killer, but the game has just begun. Series showrunner Sera Gamble shared in an interview, “Now we’re in a different kind of movie, one where we know who the killer is […] I glibly refer to it as the serial killer buddy movie part of the season.” With Joe finally meeting his deadly match, the final five episodes of the season are bound to show a proper face-off between him and the “eat the rich” killer. – Jules
Photo taken from Genius
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana del Rey
Release: March 24
Two years since her last release, Lana del Rey is back with a lengthy album title and just one person in focus: her ex from Oklahoma. Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd features 16 tracks, including collaborations with Bleachers’ lead singer Jack Antonoff and American musician Father John Misty. Iconically, Del Rey fuelled the album’s allusions to her 2020 breakup when she incidentally dropped the title track for the album on the birthday of said ex last December 7. What’s more, the singer has put up just one billboard promoting her album, which can be found in Tulsa, Oklahoma—her ex’s hometown. The patron saint of beautiful heartbreak has fans waiting eagerly for an album that’s sure to hit us right in the feels. – Jules
Photo sourced from Bandcamp
the record by boygenius (2023)
Release date: March 31
Indie darling supergroup boygenius is set to come out with their full-length debut album, the record, by the end of March. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers combine their adjacent, but unique takes on the singer-songwriter archetype on this project. Their sound is simultaneously soft-spoken and raging, but also easygoing and hysterical. Among the first three singles out for the album, my personal favorite is “$20.” The track features a fun, irregular 7/4 time signature, leading vocals from Baker, and Bridgers screaming for some money on the tail end of the track. – Martin
Photo sourced from IMDb
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Release date: March 24
Beloved action star Keanu Reeves is set to make his fourth appearance as the lethal boogeyman in the cult classic John Wick series. The titular hit man faces higher stakes than ever, as he fights alongside the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) against the High Table. With the ever-growing bounty on his head, John Wick struggles to be free from his life of endless bloodshed. I’m personally surprised by the inclusion of pop star Rina Sawayama on the cast; I’ll be looking forward to her performance in the film. – Martin
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