It might be April Fools Day, but today's Friday Five is no joke. This week, we found inspiration in artists at the cutting edge of their crafts, from Oscar winners to Instagram designers. But that doesn't mean we didn't make time for some long-time favorites, either. So if you are looking to push yourself creatively, or just enjoy some laid back summer jams, Volume 66 has something for everyone!
Apollo 10 1/12: A Space Age Childhood
Another one of our favorite directors is back in the fold, as Richard Linklater’s latest Apollo 10 ½ is now out on Netflix. From Dazed and Confused to Everybody Wants Some!! to Boyhood, Linklater has made coming-of-age in Texas a constant thread in his work. Apollo 10 ½ is no different, although it might be slightly less realistic than the other portrayals. More than just the plot and director, the animation style is what immediately drew us in, as it is really fresh and unique. Since we’re constantly working on new animation projects, we always like to keep an eye out for new creative inspiration, and it’s a great added bonus that it comes from a director we love! There’s a great voice cast, too, headlined by reunions with Jack Black and Glen Powell. Linklater is the king of the hangout movie, and we could use a light, breezy, nostalgic flick as the weather starts to warm up. We’re a little surprised Netflix didn’t hold this one for the summer, but it’s good news for us that they didn’t!
Slow Horses
Just like we’re suckers for a good hangout movie, or anything Richard Linklater, we are tempted by pretty much any spy thriller, too. Slow Horses is a new British espionage series based on a book, which is a niche part of the genre that always seems to hit. The Apple TV+ series looks like it hits on the gritty, dirty side of British intelligence, and while we’ve made our love of the James Bond movies no secret, there’s also a special place in our heart for this side of the coin. Gary Oldman leads a star-studded, Oscar-worthy cast, and after his appearance (among others) in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, we know he’s up to the challenge. There have been a lot of half-hearted spy/thriller/mystery mini-series hitting the market recently, and we’ve been a little disappointed by most of them. If the trailer is any indication, Slow Horses could be the one that finally sticks the landing.
Hans Zimmer on Creating the Dune Score
Speaking of Oscar-worthy, Hans Zimmer just won his second Academy Award (and first in almost 30 years) for the Dune score. While that night was overshadowed by some other events, Dune cleaned up on the technical side, as expected. And, to us, the most fascinating achievement of the movie was Zimmer’s score. He’s been giving a lot of interviews to shed light on how he created it, and this one for Vanity Fair was probably our favorite. As we frequently mention in the Friday Five, we always feel especially grateful to hear a master talk about their craft. And while the soundscape was obviously impressive in theaters, it is even more incredible to hear Zimmer talk about the creativity that went into it. He literally invented and constructed brand new instruments and sounds in order to portray what he imagined the world of Dune sounded like from the book. Zimmer pushing the boundaries the way he did would have been inspiring enough, but it even goes beyond that. He is one of the most defining artists in his field ever, especially of this generation, and to hear him talk about the love and passion that went into this project is really awesome, especially now that he was rewarded for his work.
Jmarino_vfx
Our latest Instagram follow recommendation also deals with otherworldly sights and sounds, though perhaps on a bit smaller of a scale. Jmarino_VFX is a 3D designer in the NFT space that is making really cool, eye-popping work that we wanted to highlight. “Unlocked” is a piece of his that caught our eye on our feed this week, for a wide variety of reasons. He rendered a version of a GeForce RTX graphics card to look like a cool, space age platform, which is an incredibly meta use of graphics software. As the platform rotates, the landscape is constantly changing, full of futuristic characters and designs. It is all so intricate and incredibly detailed that we had to watch it on loop for a while to make sure we caught everything. There’s also a very cool story behind the work, which is detailed in the caption. Every scene means something different, and traces the designer’s career arc, which is brilliant storytelling. A lot of his work in general is about reaching for the stars, trying to unlock your full potential, and really just going for it, which is really creatively inspiring for us. After a quick browse of his page, we just wanted to push our stuff even further, and test our limits. While some of the NFT stuff can feel a little stale or boring at this point, the appeal for Jmarino_VFX’s work is clear as day. If you want to add some unique, fresh, futuristic 3D designs to your feed, you know where to go.
Kings - Don’t Worry Bout’ It
It wouldn’t be a Friday Five if we didn’t leave you with a song recommendation, and our music choice this week is also about living life to the fullest. “Don’t Worry Bout’ It” from Kings is almost a throwback at this point, coming out in 2016, but we had it on repeat all week. It’s a great warm weather jam that we’ve had in rotation, and as we start to build a playlist for summer, it’ll definitely get played quite a bit. As the title suggests, it’s about living a more carefree life, like we did as kids. It’s super nostalgic, about a time before everything revolved around technology, and when we had fewer responsibilities. The lyrics are all about living in the moment and enjoying the time we have, which is always a good reminder as we are busy grinding away during the work week. But we don’t love the song just for the lyrics – the beat is also super catchy, and almost hypnotizing. It’s very easy to leave it on repeat, and after a listen or two, it also becomes a great background song for work. You can kind of just sink into the rhythm and let it wash over you, and really get into a great zone. Whether you are looking for work songs or building a playlist to cruise around with the windows down, Kings has something for you!
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