March 6th, 2022
This Week: Two slow-burn sci-fi dramas, the old Kanye, and a giant middle finger to the Christian media industrial complex.
Happy Sunday, streamers.
There’s a lot going down since we last talked, and you might be feeling a little stressed what with the maybe-this-is-the-beginning-of-WW3 of it all. Have no fear, the Stream is here to provide you with all the escapist entertainment you need to effectively disassociate.
And remember - we’re all going through it, so be sure to share this soothing content balm with your friends.
Now let’s get to it.
Severance
What It’s About: This sci-fi drama follows Mark (Adam Scott), an employee for a mysterious corporation who, along with his other co-workers, has had his memories surgically divided between work and home, effectively making each of them two different people in either location. When a former co-worker appears at Mark’s house, they begin to unravel the truth about their jobs and employer.
Why You Should Watch: For trippy, Kaufman-esque metaphysical surrealism, and/or fuck-the-man anti-corporatism.
I can confidently say this show is unlike anything else on TV right now. That’s not a knock on other shows, just a lot of TV in 2022 is either based on existing IP, or a story about famous people where said famous people are played by other famous people. Severance is neither of those things, instead providing a wildly unique series that deconstructs the concept of work/life balance in ways that really ring true in the wake of the pandemic. Now I will warn that this show can be dark, depressing, and sometimes a slow burn, but it wouldn’t really be an accurate portrayal of corporate office culture if it wasn’t all those things, right? It was only a matter of time, but it’s clear that Apple finally has a prestige-y critical darling on its hands, and I would hope so after all the money they clearly threw at this show between the stellar cast (Christoper Walken pops up out of nowhere in episode 2), and next-level production design (quick shout out to my Uncle Brian and Aunt Marla who can take some credit here as their house serves as the exterior for Mark’s corporate housing). I’m three episodes in and can’t wait to find out what the hell is going on at the Lumon corporation.
Who’s In It, and Where You Probably Know Them From:
Adam Scott - Parks and Recreation, Big Little Lies, Party Down (an underrated comedy so old I used to get Netflix DVDs of it delivered to my house), and a slew of other comedies, including his now infamous breakout role as Derek in Step Brothers:
Britt Lower - Honestly, I was surprised I didn’t recognize of a lot of her work, as she immediately seems like someone you know from somewhere (I even googled her to double check she wasn’t related to Diane Lane, which I thought might explain her immediate familiarity). Her biggest credits are Man Seeking Woman and a recurring role in Season 2 of Casual, but no doubt we’ll be seeing her pop up in a lot more after this.
Jon Turturro - So, so many to list, but highlights include The Big Lebowski, Do The Right Thing, O Brother Where Art Thou, Rounders, The Night Of, Barton Fink, and a strange habit of turning up in Adam Sandler comedies.
Patricia Arquette - True Romance, KISSIN’ KATE BARLOW from Holes, Boyhood, Medium (did anyone else know that show was on for six years?), or from arguably being the most successful of her other actor siblings David, Rosanna, and Alexis Arquette.
Zach Cherry - Doing a great job as comedic relief in the show, you might recognize him from HBO shows like Succession and Crashing, or from all the other comedies he’s popped up in over the years.
Christopher Walken - Where do I even begin? “More cowbell!”, “TWO MYEESE…”, “I hid the watch… up my ass….”, or of course, his infamous dancing:
Who Made It, and What Else Have They Done:
This is the first major credit for creator Dan Erickson, but half of the season is directed by Ben Stiller.
Where You Can Watch: Apple TV+
The Righteous Gemstones
What It’s About: This comedy follows a family-owned-and-operated megachurch as they battle numerous external threats (as well as each other) for power over their highly profitable televangelist empire.
Why You Should Watch: For laugh-out-loud laughs, and an absolute skewering of the Christian media/megachurch industrial complex.
I will be the first to admit, I slept on this one for way too long for no reason other than there’s just a lot on the tube these days. I finally got around to it just in time for the second season to end this past week, and it did not disappoint. First and foremost this is a Danny McBridge vehicle through and through, so if you’re a fan of his Southern-macho-man-child humor, you’ll get all the dick jokes and middle fingers you could ever want from his Jesse Gemstone. Supporting him is a stacked cast of comedic all-stars, but the dark horse here has to be Edi Patterson as his sister Judy Gemstone. Not since Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids have we seen a woman comedian have just as much raunchy fun as the boys, throwing around one-liners like “I’m going to move to Malibu, shave my pussy, learn to surf,” or “When class was over there were snail trails all over my chair.” At the heart of it all is a genuine family drama, mostly driven by John Goodman’s Eli who, as the patriarch of the Gemstones, is struggling to keep his family from eating itself alive while also grieving the recent death of his wife. Season 2 brings most of the same hijinks as Season 1, but with the addition of some fun guest stars like Jason Schwartzman, Eric Andre and Eric Roberts. Come for the savage satire of Christian media’s hypocrisy, stay for the over-the-top goofs.
Who’s In It, and Where You Probably Know Them From:
Danny McBride - An honorary member of the Apatow ‘00s-’10s comedy crew, you’ve seen him in Eastbound and Down, Pineapple Express, Tropic Thunder, Vice Principals, and delivering one of the best scenes in This Is The End:
Edi Patterson - A veteran of the improv comedy scene (she’s a main member of the Groundlings), she also starred with Danny McBride in Vice Principals.
Adam Devine - Workaholics, Pitch Perfect, Modern Family, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and The Intern.
John Goodman - Lots of John Turturro crossover with Barton Fink, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski, not to mention The Flintstones (lol), Monster’s Inc, Argo, and of course, his breakout role as Dan Conner on Roseanne.
Walton Goggins - Various cowboys in content like Justified, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, Lincoln, Cowboys and Aliens, and of course, Vice Principals and The Shield.
Who Made It, and What Else Have They Done:
This one comes from Danny McBride (see above), who serves as both creator and a writer on the show.
Where You Can Watch: HBOMax
Jeen-Yuhs
What It’s About: Twenty-one years ago Clarence 'Coodie' Simmons met a young Kanye West and decided to start documenting everything he did for the next two decades. This documentary, broken into three parts, follows Kanye’s career all the way from a hungry up-and-coming producer in Chicago to the global superstar he is today.
Why You Should Watch: For those who miss the old Kanye
In the wake of that “Eazy” video, I thought about leaving this one off the list. But here’s the thing - if anything, the first couple hours of this documentary remind you just why we all got so hyped on this guy in the first place. It’s an incredibly intimate record of his early days, when he was a relentlessly driven young artist with undeniable talent and an uncompromising vision, laser-focused on becoming the biggest thing in music (as opposed to his more recent pursuits of fashion or half-assed technology). It’s a thrill to see him put together some of those genre-changing tracks like “Jesus Walks” and “Through The Wire”, and then equally frustrating when no label wants to sign him, or when fellow rappers keep bugging him for free beats (there’s a hilarious bit where Kanye rants about the issue, comparing it to if he ran a Television shop and other TV makers wanted a TV for free, leading him to exclaim “Bitch, I SELL TVS!”). The most touching of it all is seeing his relationship with his mother, Donda, laid out on film for the first time; a central figure in his life that clearly not only instilled him with his drive, but also served as a recurring muse for his art. It’s immediately apparent why she meant so much to him, and easier to understand how her sudden passing in 2007 likely contributed to his recent (and very public) unraveling. It’s hard to forgive him for his latter-day sins, but check this one out if you want to be reminded why (and how) he rightfully earned a central place in pop culture.
Who’s In It, and Where You Probably Know Them From:
Outside of the obvious Kanye West, all kinds of future stars make an appearance in parts 1/2 including Mos Def, Common, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and a ton of late ‘90s/early ‘00s MTV VJ’s you forgot ever existed.
Who Made It, and What Else Have They Done:
Clarence “Coodie” Simmons Jr, a former comedian-turned-director who has produced a ton of documentaries and music videos, including Pitbull’s “Culo”, Mos Def’s “Ghetto Rock”, and the third “Jesus Walks'“ video.
Where You Can Watch: Netflix
After Yang
What It’s About: Based on the short story "Saying Goodbye to Yang" from the book Children of the New World by Alexander Weinstein, this sci-fi drama follows a family as they try to repair a “technosapien” robot they bought to help raise their daughter, who has suddenly stopped working.
Why You Should Watch: For sentimentality, slow-burn cerebral sci-fi, and some of the best houseplant game I’ve ever seen.
After Yang treads familiar ground as some of the best sci-fi, by grappling with what it means to be human. The difference here is that it approaches the concept through the lens of death. When a sentient machine breaks, is it something to mourn? Or simply recycle and replace? Colin Farrell, (continuing his late-career renaissance here), is forced to find out as he desperately tries to fix his family’s “technosapien” Yang, whom his young daughter has become deeply attached to. It’s an introspective movie that’s beautifully designed (it seems in the future we all live in an Asian-infused West Elm catalog, and it looks really nice), and definitely a bit of a tearjerker - without giving too much away, there’s a plot device that gives the film an excuse to repeatedly deliver nostalgic-slice-of-life-family montages set to sentimental score, and if you’re not affected by them, you’re more machine than human. There’s also a really fun opening credits sequence that further presents a future I would like to live in, and with the whole thing clocking in at 96 minutes with credits (Tight 90!), you don’t have a lot to lose here outside of some tissues.
Who’s In It, and Where You Probably Know Them From:
Colin Farrell - S.W.A.T. (lol), Daredevil, Minority Report, In Bruges, Phone Booth (remember that one?), Horrible Bosses, Saving Mr. Banks, that horrible second season of True Detective, being unrecognizable as the Penguin in the new Batman movie, and of course his infamous early ‘00s bad-boy/playboy phase.
Jodie Turner-Smith - Not a lot to call out here unless you saw Queen and Slim.
Haley Lu Richardson - Definitely a young star to watch/on-the-rise, she’s appeared in Unpregnant, briefly on White Lotus, and (spoiler) she’s the mean girl who gets eaten in Split.
Ritchie Coster - It took me a second to place him, but this is the guy who calls Heath Ledger a “FRRRRREAK” repeatedly in The Dark Knight. You also probably recognize him as other supporting bad guys over the years.
Clifton Collins Jr - Westworld, Nightmare Alley, Star Trek, Pacific Rim, Brothers, and Traffic.
Sarita Choudhury - And Just Like That… (what? I live with a woman), The Hunger Games Franchise, and Lady in The Water.
Who Made It, and What Else Have They Done:
It’s directed by Kogonada, someone who has done quite a bit of documentary work I haven’t seen, but the real sell here is that this is an A24 production. If you’re not familiar, they’ve brought us non-stop buzzworthy prestige art films over the years like Ex Machina, Moonlight, Room, The Florida Project, Lady Bird, Uncut JYEMS, and Hereditary, a horror movie so traumatizing I still think about it sometimes when I’m falling asleep. They also have an aesthetic so strong it’s kind of become a trend on TikTok.
Where You Can Watch: ShowtimeNow