Dis-Content brings you unique, algorithm-free recommendations every week.
Music, movies, reading, and memes, we cover it all.

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Now, on to this week’s edition.

Videos🎬

Remembering Kiyan Prince

Thirty-year-old footballer Kiyan Prince is at the pinnacle of his career, flying high with some of the best skill ratings in the upcoming FIFA game and backed by marquee sponsors such as Adidas. He represents Queens Park Rangers and wear a jersey number 30.
You might ask, why am I talking about him today?

The thing is, Kiyan was murdered in 2008.
Watch this amazing gesture by EA Sports and QPR to raise awareness about knife crimes in UK.

24 Hours inside a Michelin Star Kitchen

Attention, this is not going to be me harping on about how long it has been since I’ve had a meal in a restaurant. As much as I want to, but no.
In this video, the first thing I want to draw your attention to is the ambience of the restaurant. I remember there was a time when restaurants believed the music needs to be so loud that people shouldn’t speak to each other. Social comes to mind.
Lord, I hated that.
Apart from that bit, there is of course excellent food to gawk at. Michelin star and what not.

Music

This edition’s music recommendations might not be for everyone, especially for the faint hearted but it is what it is.
Bhayank Maut came up with a new single, MLMSML. Of course this threw me into a zone and half a day of metal binge later, I feel rather calm now. Metal does that to me.
Without any further ado, Bhayanak Maut.

The last time when I went on such a binge was when I had discovered the Lahore based Takatak. (Yeah, Takatak, like that Kurkure clone). Check them out. One of the best finds of this lockdown.

And if those two were slightly too ‘heavy’ for you, check this old gem in a new bottle. Nina Rota’s Godfather theme is a classic and Slash’s cover does justice to it. Although I never knew there was a 10 minute cover of it too.

PODCASTS

Science Museum group is a super-group of British museums and they have come with an interesting podcast in an overdone genre. A Brief History of Stuff.
Interesting stories about day to day items and how they have impacted our lives. This one, for example, is about how rubber ducks, from a container which was lost in sea, led us to better understand Ocean currents. Simple and reliable podcast.

Quiz Time India

The Quiz Time India podcast is part of #PodForChange campaign where the entire Indian audio industry is coming together to raise money for Covid relief. You can listen to the latest episode for more information.

Listen to the episode here

Reading📚

1. CyberPunk it is - The good folks at Internet Freedom Foundation put out a master list for all things CyberPunk. A lot of recommendations here. Movies, Anime, Manga, Books, the whole lot. Some, arguably may not be Cyberpunk but it is a good place to begin. Read the article here.

2. Leo Messi - the one true king - Such a wonderful life. Leo Messi has been at the top of the game for a long time now and as it turns out, his genius was so striking that a lot of people knew he was destined for glory. Lovely visual essay. Read the article here

3. Neil Armstrongs boots are in space - This website make for a proper rabbit hole. Each slide has an interesting fact and a quirky wallpaper with it. Keep scrolling to your heart’s content. Read the article here.

4. Iqbal Singh Chahal, BMC chief- It is heartening to see Maharashtra (especially Bombay) doing so well in the face of adversity and a lot of credit for that goes to people like Iqbal. The reason why I am sharing this article is that it gives a brilliant insight into how the ‘mammoth’ like Indian system works with all its levers and gears. Read the article here

5. Kodak Krishnan - Kodak Krishnan sounds like a cool movie character but it was behind the scenes that Krishnan Hariharan left his indelible mark on Indian cinema. Read the article here

Finally, from now on, every week, I will suggesting a short story for you to read. It will be a special segment called :

SHORT STORY OF THE WEEK - Sleeping Beauty by Laura Demers

Movies📼

This week’s theme - Loss.

Now usually , a theme like ‘loss’ means sappy dramas but in the right hands they can be a whole lot more than that. In the right hands with the right ideas, they can be god-damn magical.

First up, If anything happens, I love you. 12 mins. On Netflix.

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Simple. Just watch it.

Up next, is the the most intriguing cinema experiment done in a while.
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, starring James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain, is not one film but three separate films. The three versions are - Him, Her, and Them.
Let me tell you what to make of it. Try remembering an argument with a loved one. Right? After you had the argument, much later, you might go on to play that fight in your head.
What did he/she say?
What tone did they use?
What exact words were said?
And of course, there is always difference in the versions. His truth. Her truth.
This is where the film comes in. James and Jessica’s characters are in a relationship which isn’t going well. In ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby - Him’ , we see the relationship from the man’s eyes. The camera follows him everywhere. His point of view.

And then in ‘Her’ version, it flips to Jessica Chastain’s character. Her point of view. The same scenes play out differently and it is just amazing how much the two films achieve among themselves.
You can see both the films individually; they work as separate films, but it is when you watch them both that the magic happens.

(There is a third version of the film called ‘Them’. Harvey Weinstein, the producer, believed this two film concept will be a bore and wanted to increase the films Oscar chances, so he had the two films meshed into one version called ‘Them’. Which of course, sucked)

Watch the trailer for both ‘His’ and ‘Her’ versions. This is McAvoy and Chastain at their best.

Just Internet things

I approve of Smoothie and Pegasus

Fidget Spinner evolution

I don’t think our Politicians are taking us or Social Media seriously.
Not speaking about Indian Politicians because that ship has sailed long back.
Just look at this.

Or this

and this (wtf!!??)

If you have any such recommendation for us, do send it across to us. Reply to this mail or even better just comment below and everyone who reads this edition will get to know about it (and save me the time :P) .

And on that note, we bring this edition to an end. Any typos you came across were totally on purpose.

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