Irrelevant But Awesome

Alexa:  It has, in my opinion, taken way too long for John Boyega to become a star. Whatever the “it” factor is, he has it. He proved it back in 2011 in “Attack the Block,” and “Imperial Dreams” is another superb showcase for him. The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, but wasn’t released widely until Netflix dropped it in February. Its eventual release was likely due in large part to Boyega’s burgeoning name recognition after a little movie called “The Force Awakens.” But “Imperial Dreams” is a solid, thoughtful film in its own right. It’s an intimate portrait of a life filled with roadblocks, of a man who desperately wants a better future for himself and his son, but he’s constantly thwarted by his environment and a broken system. The fact that an innocent child who doesn’t understand the harsh realities of the world around him is at the center of the story raises the stakes even higher, not to mention that Boyega’s character is barely past childhood hims...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Kendrick Lamar - "The Heart Part 4" Smino - "Spitshine" Rag'n'Bone Man - "Human" Blackbear - "do re mi" Gabriel  Garzon-Montano - "Sour Mango" Snoh Aalegra - "Nothing Burns Like the Cold (feat. Vince Staples)" Gorillaz - "Andromeda (feat. D.R.A.M.) Amir Obe - "Wish You Well" ZAYN - "Still Got Time (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)" Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - "hOp Off" Goldfrapp - "Moon in Your Mouth" Amber Mark - "Lose My Cool" Click for Apple Music playlist link Click for Spotify playlist link

Joel:  This WrestleMania needs to be subtitled the “Stay the Course” Wrestlemania. After two years of changing the Main Event, last minute to appease the fans, this was the year that WWE decided to stick to their guys and have the main event play out the way that they wanted it to play out. Come hell or high water, Roman Reigns was going to end the show holding the title over a defeated Triple H. I won’t say that it was impossible to have a scenario where this ending felt satisfying, but this wasn’t it, and in many ways it feels like WWE didn’t even try. Other than a half hearted attempt of Stephanie coming out with a “Please boo this man” segment before Triple H’s entrance, the whole thing was tedious. Even the match itself was less than what Triple H and Reigns should have been capable of. It was as if the two people in the ring felt like the match was going to get booed anyway, so there was no real point in even trying to make this one a WrestleMania classic. The bigger p...

Alexa:  I’m a sucker for a good love story and I’ve always loved Shakespeare’s plays, so Shakespeare in Love pushes all the right buttons for me. I thought I would be more dismissive of it given its reputation as one of the biggest Academy Award upsets in modern history – but I actually really enjoyed it. Though Romeo and Juliet is the centerpiece here, the movie cleverly intertwines allusions to several of Shakespeare’s other works without beating the audience over the head with them. The film is as much a celebration of great theater as it is a romance. Sure, it takes plenty of historical liberties, but I loved being transported back to those Elizabethan playhouses, as well as the appropriately Shakespearean balance of comedy, drama and romance. And on the latter front, the movie succeeds in achieving exactly what Gwyneth Paltrow’s Viola says theater is meant to do – it makes us feel something real. All that being said, I still find its Oscar victory perplexing. It’s a good ...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Frances - "No Matter" Skip Marley - "Lions" J.I.D - "NEVER" Drake - "Skepta Interlude" K Sanz - "Windows Down (feat. Jonah Kue)" Methyl Ethel - "Ubu" LINKIN PARK - "Battle Symphony" Mike WiLL Made-It - "On the Come Up (feat. Big Sean)" Jimi Tents - "Should've Called, Pt. 2 (feat. Saidbysed)" Missio - "Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea" Incubus - "Glitterbomb" Click for Apple Music playlist link Click for Spotify playlist link

Alexa:  Sometimes we need comedy to escape and sometimes we need comedy to cope with life, both its hardships and its everyday nuances. The latter is Tig Notaro’s bread and butter, and Netflix’s sublime documentary about her perfectly captures who she is. “Tig” chronicles Notaro’s return to comedy after battling breast cancer, her subsequent struggle to get pregnant and the love story between her and now-wife Stephanie Allynne. If you haven’t listened to her iconic show at Largo, which she performed shortly after her mother’s death and just days after her cancer diagnosis, I highly recommend doing so before watching the documentary. I’ve admired her ever since I first heard it, but after watching “Tig,” I feel like I know her. I laughed and cried with her throughout the movie, which is both heartbreaking and tremendously funny. But above all it captures what an incredible spirit this woman has, to live so fully after experiencing such tragedy, and to refuse to let it define h...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Frank Ocean - "Chanel" FUTURISTIC - "Wave" Father John Misty - "Total Entertainment Forever" Joey Bada$$ - "Land of the Free" Elle King - "Wild Love" Jessie Reyez - "Shutter Island" Rick Ross - "Trap Trap Trap (feat. Young Thug and Wale)" Charlotte OC - "Shell" Reo Cragun - "Peso" Crystal Caines - "No Drama" SoMo - "Champion" Riton - "Money (feat. Kah-Lo, Mr Eazi & Davido)" Click for Apple Music playlist link Click for Spotify playlist link

Alexa:  The Usual Suspects ranks right up there with The Sixth Sense in film lore as having one of the most notorious plot twists in movie history. So naturally, most cinephiles know the twist whether they’ve seen the movie or not. This was my first viewing of The Usual Suspects, so I was concerned the movie wouldn’t live up to the hype since I went into it knowing the ending – but it still managed to grab me. It starts as a heist movie and builds in complexity and intensity right up until its gripping climax. It’s a sophisticated suspense-filled thrill ride, though for me the intrigue surrounded how the big reveal would unfold rather than what the big reveal actually was. I wish I could have experienced it without that knowledge – it’s difficult to imagine not having the memory of watching The Sixth Sense unspoiled in theaters for the first time. But the script is masterfully constructed, it’s thrilling to see director Bryan Singer’s early potential and the movie is rife with...

This past week, our Netflix movie of the week was Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves from 1991. While we had some differing opinions about the quality of the film itself, one thing that’s stuck with me is how much it’s a product of its time. Robin Hood, it seems, is a story that gets adapted again and again throughout the years, often molding itself to the filmmaking and storytelling styles that are popular at the time. For example, the most recent Robin Hood movie was the Russell Crowe movie Robin Hood from 2010, which was more or less a gritty reboot of the character at a time that gritty reboots are all the rage. But that’s the last time the Robin Hood story has been adapted for theaters. Thinking it might be time for Hollywood to take a look Robin Hood again, I wanted to see if any studios were working on trying again on making a Robin Hood movie. It turns out that everybody is planning on doing something Robin Hood related. At least seven different “Robin Hood” projects are...

Welcome to Kue's List! This is a weekly collection of fresh and fantastic tunes curated by yours truly, Jonah Kue. So, without further adieu, here's this week's Kue's List, followed by Apple Music and Spotify links to it: Khalid - "American Teen" Spoon - "Can I Sit Next to You" J Hus - "Did You See" Sylvan Esso - "Die Young" Billie Eilish - "Bellyache" Sabrina Claudio - "Too Much Too Late" Wizkid - "Sweet Love" Maggie Rogers - "On + Off" Cyhi the Prynce - "Nu Africa" Portugal. The Man - "Feel It Still" Lorde - "Green Light" LANY - "Good Girls" alt-J - "3WW" Click for Apple Music playlist link Click for Spotify playlist link