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.
We’ve experienced great change in the past month. With all that’s been happening, it might be difficult to explore new things that we could enjoy–but this has been proved otherwise. For many of us, we’ve retreated to find comfort in different kinds of art: From binging Netflix shows to becoming newfound gamers and even joining online communities.
Here’s to discovery. Here’s to exploring more of your interests. Here’s to kicking off your month with some of Vantage’s best and handpicked hits for May.
The Half of It (2020)
Release: May 1, 2020
With boys-love shows all around Asia depicting LGBTQ+ romance as something that doesn’t always have to be tragic, upcoming Netflix dramedy The Half of It seems to want to prove the same. Directed by Alice Wu, this coming-of-age narrative is about a cash-strapped teenager named Ellie who ghostwrites a jock’s love letters—except Ellie eventually falls in love with the recipient. The cliché premise is one I can warmly welcome after years of female LGBTQ+ lacking positive media representation. Without question, The Half of It is bound to be a refreshingly relatable take on intimacy, being true to oneself, and every warm little thing in between. – Mikaela
Underworld (2003)
Release: May 1, 2020 (Netflix)
I’ve always been a fan of morbidly dark movies, particularly those within the horror and fantasy genre. Underworld has all that and more. I recall watching the series as a child with my Ma, who had introduced me to those types of films. Underworld follows Selene, a high-ranking vampire and Death Dealer hell-bent on destroying the Lycans—werewolves—who killed her family. She ends up falling in love with Michael, an innocent human turned vampire-werewolf hybrid due to an experiment gone wrong. Make no mistake, though; Underworld is not a love story, but rather a grisly tale filled with action and lore. With the first three movies in the franchise coming to Netflix in May, I hope that I can rewatch them with that same wow factor I had all those years ago. – Caitlin
How I’m Feeling Now – Charli XCX
Release: May 15, 2020
Charli was one of my favorite albums last year so when Charli XCX dropped the announcement for her new record, How I’m Feeling Now, I was pleasantly surprised as it hasn’t even been a year since the last record was released. What’s interesting is that the British pop star has gone fully-transparent with this album; fans who follow her online accounts have complete, unadulterated access to the album’s creative process. Every step of the production has been diligently documented by Charli XCX, occasionally even asking her fans to contribute to the music video via Twitter. I can’t explain how surreal it was being there every step of the way while she wrote, produced, and released the album’s first single, forever (Charli even let her fans choose the artwork!). And for a DIY-quarantine album, the quality hasn’t suffered at all—Charli just keeps getting better and better. Hats off to you, Charli. – Arnald
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Release: May 15, 2020
First, a confession: I’m not a hardcore She-Ra fan; I’ve only seen a few episodes from the first season. But this was highly regarded by my sibling, and my mother knew about the series because this animated Netflix show is a reboot from an 1980s series of the same title. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power follows the tale of the orphan Adora who is brought up by the evil forces of The Horde. With the help of a magical item, she becomes the mythical warrior princess She-Ra, protector of peace. This battle between good and evil has been a universal plotline, but this Netflix series takes it further by building the tension through Adora, who is torn between serving her antagonist family and delivering the truth. With the release of this fifth and final season, fans are sure to shed tears at the close of this series. – Bea
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Release: May 19, 2020
Arguably the series that popularized young adult dystopia, Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy went on to become a global bestseller with successful film adaptations. In a post-apocalyptic world, Katniss Everdeen becomes a trailblazing symbol of rebellion against the oppressive Capitol—particularly the corrupt President Coriolanus Snow. Now, Collins has decided to focus on the Capitol’s villainous leader. Very little is known about Snow’s origin story and his rise to power, so it will be interesting to see how he became the villain readers know in the novels. As a fan of both the books and the movies, I’m excited to not only revisit the nostalgia of my middle-school days, but to view the politics of the story from an adult standpoint. The novel is in talks for a film adaptation, too. Here’s hoping it lives up to its predecessors! – Caitlin
Notes on a Conditional Form – The 1975
Release: May 22, 2020
There’s really no stopping The 1975. After releasing a steady stream of singles, it seems like the boys from Manchester have fully employed the creative freedom pop outfits are rarely afforded. And believe me, this is by no means an exaggeration. If you’ve been keeping track of the singles, the sounds range from thrashing post-punk, Burial-style post-dubstep, and even 90s guitar pop. Not a lot of artists today can claim this much range. It’d be interesting to see how the whole package holds up, and with 22 tracks, Notes on a Conditional Form is as hefty as they come. Keep your eyes (or rather ears) peeled for this one. It’s going to be immense. – Arnald
Stardew Valley (2016)
I couldn’t get my hands on Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the life of me. Luckily, I’ve turned to a multiplatform-friendly game instead: Stardew Valley. Available on PC and mobile, this game takes the player back to an 8-bit nostalgia, mixing a Pokémon-like game experience with a Harvest Moon premise, coupled with calming background music perfect for farm life. This open-ended role-playing game lets you be the boss of your own farm. While there are quests that guide you to discover more about the world, you aren’t pressured to make the most profitable and aesthetically pleasing farm by a set number of in-game years. Bonus: You’re not just limited to farming! You can mine, fish, and even date the 12 available bachelors and bachelorettes in that small town. – Bea
Novelty Facebook groups
When I first got a notification about being added to “A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony,” I thought it was some elaborate name to disguise a scam, but a quick scroll proved that it wasn’t the case. The group was exactly as the name promised with members roleplaying as ants—needing help to lift crumbs, protecting the queen, escaping perilous situations. Ingenious and bizarre, novelty Facebook groups continue to provide entertainment and escapism as an almost mindless distraction. Other roleplaying groups worth joining for fun are “A group where we all pretend to be in middle school,” “A group where we all pretend to be cats,” and “A group where we all pretend to be middle aged soccer moms.” – Mikaela
Graphic by Frances Lopez
