The summer season is commonly associated with the bombardment of announcements, trailers, and releases of new projects regarding huge film franchises, enamored musicians and more. The summer season, at least for students attending Boca High, has come to its conclusion and now we look onward to the promising  future of not just the students attending, but also the future of the ever expanding Film and Music industry. Over the summer, there has been a cascade of new cinematic and musical releases that stunned audiences; such as David Lowery’s highly anticipated The Green Knight, or John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II. In terms of music, experimental pop-artist Spellling released her widely praised album The Turning Wheel. In the following month, variety hip-hop artist Logic released a new mixtape following the conclusion of a short-lived retirement in the form of Bobby Tarantino III. Overall, there has been an overwhelming amount of new content in store for summer viewers and listeners alike. The summer of 2021 prides itself with a towering display of new cinema and talent coming from both fronts.

Movie of the Summer – No Sudden Move

From the ignitor of Che Parts 1 & 2, and the 2000’s Ocean’s Trilogy, director Steven Soderbergh delivers in yet another intriguing Crime/Thriller in the form of No Sudden Move. There is a dominant bleak atmosphere that No Sudden Move has such an astonishing time priding itself in. Benicio del Toro and Don Cheadle deliver in a brooding yet grounded performance as they both play a mixture between the common man and a soulless criminal with one-note intentions. Soderbergh is able to inject these characters with a significant amount of realism that makes them ironically relatable but also deplorable which forces the viewer to put themselves in their shoes and really accept the characters for who they are.  This bleak texture imposed onto the film is heightened by the cinematography as well. Soderbergh chose to film with a very specific lens that makes the sides of the shot almost collide with itself and shadows clouding the perimeters of the screens which almost perfectly compliments the tone of whatever antics is being presented on the screen. 

No Sudden Move is like a game of three truths and a lie, just when you’re starting to trust and develop with these characters, they do something so out of the ordinary and shocking that it impels the viewer to seriously reconsider who to trust and what to doubt. The driving force behind No Sudden Move is that the level of unpredictability  keeps a viewer engaged to the very end. This level of intangible predictability is what drove me to rewatch this film multiple times as well. Apparently I wasn’t alone in that sentiment as well.

“It’s really great, I’d definitely watch it again,” said sophomore DreSean Reid. It signals such an empowering force onto the viewer that at some points it becomes overwhelming to simply deciding who to believe. No Sudden Move effectively illustrates the power of a good narrative.

Album of the Summer – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

Previously on TylerThe Creator’s discography, we had the absolute shock that was Igor. Igor was the most audacious mix between genres and styles and yet it still managed to be one of the greatest albums of the 2010’s. Earlier , we saw Tyler begin to reinvent himself in 2017 with the mostly subtle Flower Boy. Both of these albums saw a flip in the switch for Tyler’s creative style. The preceding vulgar style that we saw on albums like Bastard and Goblin were gone and now we were transitioning to a more mature Tyler The Creator with these newer albums. Call Me If You Get Lost is almost a love letter to those earlier years in Tyler’s career with a mixture of pulsating beats and aggressive vocals that shine in almost every track. We’re still getting the masterful production Tyler became famous for in Flower Boy, but now it’s been enlightened with a new direction and narrative. “It’s pretty good,” said sophomore Luca Aletto, when referring to the style of Call Me If You Get Lost.

CMIYGL is like an older and wiser Tyler trying his best not to reminisce and repeat the same mistakes of his past and resisting the urge to truly feel young again. The younger and more boastful Tyler leaks out. However, in tracks like WUSYANAME or Lumberjack, that’s what really pulls this LP together. The self reflection and self-awareness Tyler has in CMIYGL is almost surreal, mixing in with the smooth and almost early Kanye-like instrumentals. This is easily the stand-out LP of the summer. Call Me If You Get Lost is a true amalgamation of everything that makes Tyler The Creator great. It has the vulgar sense of humor Tyler has been known for since he’s genesis in the Goblin days while also retaining the masterful production and lyricism that Tyler has been able to amass with albums like Igor.

Conclusion

Overall, the summer of 2021 was a spectacular showcase of everything great about artistry. From the stylish and determined grooves of Tyler the Creator, to the unpredictable and downright frightening nature of No Sudden Move. 

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