Hello, Tuesday
You'll find enclosed, the LA County Fair, Paul McCartney, and The Princess Bride...
Checking in…
Hey everybody! A spur-of-the-moment trip to Los Angeles this weekend brought the team and me on some wild sidequests— including a harried trip to the LA County Fair in which some ice cream was spilled, two different Target department stores in the span of an hour with a Walmart location in between, a basketball court in the backyard of a content house, and a Motel 6 fiasco that resulted in a last-minute Best Western booking.
The good news is: I’m working hard. The bad news is: I’m working hard. That may mean a shorter newsletter this week (sorry) but rest assured there’s a new podcast episode on a beloved film, The Princess Bride (you’re welcome). You can listen to that by clicking this link here! Anybody want a peanut?
Those closest to me know that next weekend is going to be no less hectic. In fact, it may be more. Look forward to an update in seven days, during which time I’ll be hopping another flight and starting a multi-day shoot on another upcoming CITIZEN release. Follow CITIZEN the Artist on Instagram, and watch that space— you’ll see what I mean soon enough.
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Songs That Should Be In Movies
Every week, I highlight one track from my behemoth Spotify Playlist.
Watching Sir Paul McCartney perform as the musical guest on last week’s season finale of Saturday Night Live (with a surprise end-credits encore to boot), I was struck by how lucky I am to be around at the same time as this living legend. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer is far from one of the Beatles’s most memorable hits— my personal favorite may be the often overplayed Blackbird or Yesterday— but it is precisely that underratedness that brought it to mind for this week’s newsletter.
In 2022, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree following a less-than-conventional college experience. I followed up my academic success, as many people do, with a European escapade, traveling from Rome to Venice to Paris to London over the span of a month. The latter half of this trip, I passed in solitude. It was enriching on many levels.
On the second-to-last-day of my experience in London, I walked from my hotel in Paddington to the famous Abbey Road crossing, and popped in my earbuds to zone out for a while. When Maxwell’s Silver Hammer came on, I happened to be standing where Paul, John, George and Ringo walked all those years ago.
Now, I’m not the biggest Beatles fan. I fall somewhere in the realm between heard them growing up and know the hits by heart, but still Sir Paul is a definitely a creative inspiration, particularly when you consider the long-term collaborations he held with some of the most famous artists in the history of rock-n-roll.
Anyways, if you wanna hear a great song, listen to Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. And if you wanna learn about a great songwriter, watch Peter Jackson’s Get Back series and see a master at work.
You can follow the full playlist here.
The Movies Watched List
I watch a lot of movies. A LOT. Here’s the highlights from the past week:
This week I watched…
Top-Gun: Maverick with my pal Scotty at the Universal CityWalk IMAX theater in LA! Check out the full video of our adventure on Scotty’s channel below:
Top-Gun: Maverick (2022) Solid, predictable, simple, corporate sponsored military propaganda starring Hollywood’s most likeable maniac. Jennifer Connolly is completely wasted, and the cinematography is so dedicated to realism that it actually lacks a lot of sauce. But oh my god, the IMAX experience is definitive here. The sound design floored me in a premium format, and the sheer scale of the spectacle was brilliantly realized on a multi-story screen. Although if I’m being honest, between this and Kosinski’s latest work, F1 is better. ★★★
For more of Elliot’s film reviews, follow him on Letterboxd.
And that’s it! Thanks so much for reading Under the Paperweight, I’m glad you’re here. Please consider subscribing if you haven’t already, and I’ll see you soon. ♥
the amount of busy-ness, work and traveling that you all do together is lowkey highkey inspiring :D
Wow I never knew you were such a Beetles MEGA FAN!