MUBI Productions, T-7 Days to the Election, & New Book Recs!

MUBI Productions Presents:

An Exclusive Film Premiere of The Substance, Monday November 4th at 7pm in Lowell Screening Room🍿

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Common Place Curious

Welcome to “Commonplace Curios,” otherwise known as my magpie’s nest of gems I’ve collected over the years, from poems containing lines I can’t get out of my head to articles and essays that have entirely changed the way I understand the world. My credentials? I read. A lot. Rory Gilmore has nothing on me (and besides, she goes to Yale, which I think says enough).

This week’s selection features, in truly gruesome Halloween fashion, a kind of peek into my head, an unearthing of a few of the things that sit at the center of my heart. Please don’t run scared <3

1. Lily King’s Writers and Lovers💗

   It’s easy to read this book at exactly the right time in your life when you just can’t stop picking it up, again and again and again. I gifted an annotated copy of it to my best friend for her birthday last year, and now I’m sharing it with all of you. 

2. Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers🧠

   An alternative to A Little Life that won’t, actually, leave you traumatized (in a bad way) after 800 pages. A stunningly painful gut punch.

3. Ocean Vuong’s Time is a Mother⏰

   I cannot get over his brilliance. I cried within moments, and I don’t know that I stopped. The poetry of all poetry.

4. Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power”👑

   Maybe I’m just a gender studies major, but I don’t know that I’ll ever escape the hold that this essay has on me. I bring it with me everywhere; it’s a handy thing to keep in your pocket, I promise.

Beware the Besuited Politician

Now for the scariest part of the year: election season! With Election Day just around the corner, there’s never been a better time to analyze the role of fashion in politics. This week, we’ll be studying the woman who weaponizes fashion on the campaign trail instead of the runway: Kamala Harris.

Admittedly, Harris’ style is somewhat limited by the conservative dress codes imposed on American politicians. The basis of all her looks are tailored pantsuits, pointy-toe pumps, and subtle sharp edges in the form of shoulder pads or tapered pants. This uniform is typically topped off by an American flag pin. In the realm of politics, these details tell her peers and constituents that she means business. 

Still, like all truly stylish people, she puts her own spin on these classics. Fashion publications have noticed that many of Harrris’ outfits speak to her roots, particularly her Black identity. In the past, she’s worked with Black designers like LaQuan Smith. She also paid homage to the first Black president, Barack Obama, by wearing a tan suit. For those who don’t know the story, Obama once faced controversy for sporting a tan suit while president, which was an unusual choice at the time. 

One of Harris’ best-looking and arguably sweetest details is a string of pearls. Besides looking good, the pearls reference her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, whose founders are called the “Twenty Pearls.”

The impact of Harris’ looks on her political influence is amorphous, but a case study at Montclair State University might give a clue. After comparing both candidates’ campaign outfits, Montclair Fashion Design and Merchandising students concluded that Harris’ style far outpaces her competitor’s. The words they used to describe her style — lively, friendly, distinguished — paint a flattering portrait other politicians would kill for. Harris undoubtedly hopes this fashion-induced halo will carry her all the way to the White House. For a thoughtfully stylish president, vote Harris-Walz!

Welcome back, and happy first Halloweekend to those who celebrate! To commemorate spooky season, this week I’d like to visit one of the spookiest things of all: fast food. Listen, I take my health seriously, but sometimes what makes fast food so horrible is also what makes it so amazing. Let’s take a trip to my favorite food and coffee chains!

Standout Successes

1. Cava🥙

   Disclaimer: I’ve only had Cava once.

   1. However, one meal is enough to figure out if a place is worth the trip. Honestly, if Cava was the only thing I got out of my 2023 trip to Boston, I would still be more than satisfied.

   2. The steak and feta wrap has lingered in my head for more than a year now. I can’t wait to go back to Boston for Harvard-Yale and experience the Cava thrill again!

2. Wendy’s🐔

   1. My girl Wendy is the unsung hero of random burger-centered fast food places. Usually McDonalds and assorted fried chicken places get all the hype, but in my experience, a Dave’s Double from the EWR Terminal C Wendy’s has saved my life multiple times.

   2. I hate to be annoying, but I get quite picky when it comes to burgers (there’s not much room for error in my opinion). For example, if McDonald’s is centered around burgers, why are their patties a scant millimeter thick (if that) and made of dryer lint?

   3. Wendy’s never has that problem. Not only are their burgers square (a fun novelty for my easily distractible brain), but they are also juicy, thick, and taste like real meat.

Cake, Coffee, and Caffeine:

1. Boba Guys🧋

   1. Hold your complaints – I know boba and specifically Boba Guys isn’t technically fast food. I’m just listing things that bring me joy. Bear with me.

   2. I hate to be a Bay Area boba Asian, but I can’t deny that’s truly who I am at heart. Unfortunately, the boba places in Ithaca are barely good enough to tide me over for a semester.

   3. Now, it’s pretty typical for a couple of Bay Area girlies to disagree on what’s good boba and what’s bad boba, but personally there’s not a day that goes by where I don’t dream of Boba Guys’ hojicha latte with delicious brown sugar boba.

2. Dunkin’🍩

   1. Objectively, Dunkin’s coffee and donuts are both questionable, if only because of the inconsistency in quality. In freshman year, I made forty-five minute treks down to the nearest Dunkin’ to get myself an iced coffee and some donuts. Maybe 60% of the time, my order was total garbage. Either the store was out of everything I wanted or it simply wasn’t good.

   2. Still, I made the journey over and over until the end of the year. It was a gambler’s high. I knew that one day my order would be perfect and worth all the failure.  

   3. I ride hard for Dunkin’s butter pecan flavor. My first sip of it in my sophomore year of high school was life changing, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

ASOS PICKS🥂

Looking to light up the night? Check ASOS for all your festive party dress needs. Whether you are hitting the club or grabbing a formal bite with friends, ASOS is sure to have the glitz and glamor

Ford v Ferrari (2019) James Mangold

This is for the kids who grew up loving Pixar’s Cars. What made Cars exceptional was the balance between the flashy animation and heartfelt story. In Ford v Ferrari, a film starring Christian Bale, Matt Damon, and Jon Bernthal, stellar, moving performances were non-negotiable. The real challenge was whether the visuals could keep up with actors’ performances. Thankfully for the audience, they did. 

Director James Mangold was able to create a film that revolved around race cars without relying too heavily on special effects. The stunning suspense that built up throughout the film instead came from pure cinematography. The film leaned into shots of real cars, which ranged from old GT40s zipping by in the slick rain and Ken Miles in the driver’s seat, shifting gears and pushing the car to its limits. Not to be overdramatic, but shots like these make me want to watch racing in real life. 

Making Shelby and Miles team up with Ford, a giant corporation, was also an interesting narrative choice. It showed viewers how easily a company like Ford can swallow up the people who make its name. To be honest, it makes me scared to work for companies like that someday. 

Even though Ford v Ferrari is a flashy title, this film might be more accurately called Shelby and Miles v Ford.

💥TYLER THE CREATOR CHROMPAKIA OUT NOW💥

Gummpy P’s favorite so far: Sticky (Featuring Lil Wayne, GloRilla & Sexyy Red)

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_{See you next week!}