Veronica Mars & a Fall Pop Culture Preview
After years of waiting, Veronica Mars fans were treated to exciting news. The show is being picked up by Hulu for a revival series, with show creator Rob Thomas (not THAT Rob Thomas) and series star Kristen Bell front and center. I first fell in love with the WB's mystery series when the show's first revival movie (funded largely by the fans through an impressive Kickstarter campaign) began airing round-the-clock on HBO, after its limited theatrical release. Despite my lack of knowledge about the ins and outs of the series, I was instantly captured by Veronica's quick sarcasm and tough-girl exterior, as she got sucked back into her old life in Neptune to clear her ex-boyfriend's name in a murder case. The revival movie is a love letter to the fans -- something I came to appreciate much more after watching the show's entire three season series afterwards. The show begins in high school, after Veronica's best friend, Lily, is murdered and Veronica's father is fired from his job as Sheriff, after accusing Lily's father of committing the crime. As Veronica's life begins to fall apart, she copes by investigating the murder and in the process she is further alienated at school. Don't be fooled by the fact that this show was on the WB, Veronica Mars is not a cheery tale. It's gritty and dark. It centered on female rage and power before those topics became trendy. Kristen Bell at the helm provides the perfect mix of vulnerability and toughness, as she narrates and carries the series. Her relationship with her father (her mom is an alcoholic who left them) is one of the show's many highlights. These two stick by each other no matter what. The show also explores the constant struggle Keith faces in raising his daughter. Keith begins working as a P.I. after being fired as Sheriff and Veronica becomes more involved with his work and other dangerous cases as the series goes on. Keith constantly struggles between wanting a better and different life for Veronica than he has had and encouraging her to follow her passion. It's a theme that carries through in the show's revival movie, and I'm sure it'll be a constant in the Hulu series as well. Darkness aside, the show has many light moments too, as Veronica's friend group expands, she finds joy with Wallace and Mac, her two best friends, and finds love with the sarcastic Logan and sweet Piz. The cast is incredibly close, with almost everyone making an appearance in the movie, so I'm optimistic that most of our favorite Neptune residents will reappear in the new series. Until then, I'll be hitting play on yet another re-watch of the original episodes.
Haven't You Heard?
The fall TV and movie season is upon us, which means we're saying goodbye to the shallow summer flicks we saw in theaters (remember Ocean's 8?) and the trashy TV we've been watching on Monday nights (here's to you, Bachelor in Paradise). I'm excited to welcome back a healthier diet of pop culture this fall. To celebrate, here's a rundown of some of my most anticipated movies and TV for fall 2018:
In addition to the return of the touching but tragic This is Us, series creator Dan Fogelman decided he hasn't made us cry quite enough yet, so he's also created a movie. Life Itself looks kind of like his NBC show on overdrive. The trailer doesn't exactly tell you how the lives of the many people featured in it fit together, but knowing Fogelman, I'm sure they will in some brilliant way. The movie stars Oscar Isaac (on first glance, it looks like he's playing Milo's role), Olivia Wilde (we'll call her Mandy Moore), Mandy Patinkin, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and many more. The trailer really doesn't give much away, but I'd bring tissues. The film hits theaters September 21.
Before I start writing, I just want to strongly emphasize that I have not seen a single episode of this new ABC sitcom and fully admit that it might be horrible. The promos I've seen for Single Parents indicate that this comedy series could either be the worst thing we've ever seen or a fresh and funny group hangout comedy. The fact that the show is created by Liz Meriwether (of New Girl fame) and J. J. Philbin is giving me hope that it's the latter. The series follows a group of single parents who help another single parent (Taran Killam) rediscover his life. Simple enough. The show also stars Leighton Meester (who finally gets to show off her comedy skills), Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), Kimrie Lewis and Jake Choi. The commercials that I've seen show promise and humor and knowing Meriwether's track record, I'm sure there is plenty of depth behind the show's initial schtick. Single Parents premieres on September 26 on ABC.
Has anyone else watched the trailer for the newest version of A Star is Born more than 20 times? No? Just me? Great. In its fourth telling, this version of A Star is Born is led by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (who also produced, directed and co-wrote the film) as the emotionally volatile couple at the center of this musical drama. Jackson (Cooper) is an aging country star with an alcohol problem, who meets Ally (Gaga) one night and discovers she's a talented singer/songwriter. As she rises to fame, he struggles. With a dynamite trailer, I began to worry that the film would disappoint, but so far early reviews have been raving about the talent of these two stars, their chemistry, new twists and Cooper's filmmaking skills. Vulture published a particularly hilarious piece, focusing specifically on Lady Gaga's breakout moment in the film's trailer. The movie hits theaters on October 5.
Required Reading
Over the weekend I was scrolling through Twitter (where most happy things go to die) and came across a video of Serena Williams that millions were sharing. As everyone knows at this point, the tennis superstar was playing at the U.S. Open this weekend and was accused of receiving coaching during the game and received point and game penalties for breaking her racket and for "verbal abuse." As I watched Serena repeatedly ask the umpire for an apology, I felt my heart start to race with anger, as I remembered times where people have talked over me or when I've tried to stand up for myself in a heated situation. Watching Serena insist on receiving an apology was inspiring. What has unfolded since has been frustrating, as Serena was fined $17K and Naomi Osaka's victory was overshadowed by the sexism of an aging sports institution. At the root of everything is the unfair treatment of women, and specifically women of color, and the problematic depictions of female rage that have appeared in the media since. I've read some particularly insightful articles that shed further light on the experiences of these two amazingly talented athletes. If you're looking for a play-by-play breakdown, Vox published a good explainer piece that describes what happened. Tennis star Billie Jean King wrote an article for the Washington Post, highlighting the role sexism plays in the sport and ways in which female athletes are treated differently than male athletes. The Huffington Post's Zeba Blay published an article about The Whitewashing of Naomi Osaka, where she also discussed the racist and sexist cartoon released by Australia's Herald Sun. And Dr. Salamishah Tillet wrote an insightful opinion piece for The New York Times about the power of women speaking up and the many stereotypes that have silenced them in the past. I'll close out with a quote from Serena herself in a post-game press conference, where she said: "I’m going to continue to fight for women. The fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions and that want to express themselves and they want to be a strong woman, and they are going to be allowed to do that because of today. Maybe it didn’t work out for me, but it’s going to work out for the next person."
