#26: Tyler, Alex, & Serey (Perfectly Imperfect)
Steve McQueen's New Series, Last Pick Athletics Club, & the Best Disposable Masks
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Welcome to Perfectly Imperfect #26!
This Thanksgiving will be weird— a lot of us are spending it at home or with a very small group. So while you may not be seeing loved ones or drinking at a bar with old friends, at least Perfectly Imperfect is here to distract you. But for real, it’s been a tough year for many
Without further ado
Tyler Bainbridge (instagram, twitter, letterboxd, last.fm)
Wow, 2020 is really shaping up to be a sneaky good movie year! Written, directed, and co-edited by it's 22-year-old star, Cooper Raiff, this debut film captures the emotions & change of being a college freshman better than any film I've seen. It's deeply relatable, hilarious, vulnerable, and there's a beautiful hour stretch that feels like Before Sunrise (1995) in a college setting (just trust me, it totally works). Rarely is modern young love & the Instagram DMs, dating apps, and JUULs that come with it, captured with so much heart & without feeling corny.
Steve McQueen is one of the most important storytellers working today & he's back with five full length films as part of his new anthology series titled Small Axe. The first of the bunch, Mangrove, tells the frustrating true story of the Mangrove Nine— this is an important film, especially in 2020, as the fight against police brutality & race-driven hatred is still ongoing 40 years later. It’s a masterpiece with incredible performances, cinematography, and direction, and there are still four more on the way.
This hilarious cult classic series follows John Lurie, legendary jazz musician & actor, as him & his friends go fishing— an extremely simple premise that's enhanced by the fact that John barely knows how to fish & his pals are all city dwelling artists. Whether he's shark hunting with director Jim Jarmusch, ice fishing in Maine with actor Willem Dafoe, or on a row boat in Jamaica with musician Tom Waits— John crafts silly stories from the hours of footage & adds Robb Webb's narration to create something super ahead of it's time. If you don't have Criterion (which you should) all the episodes are on Youtube.
Gahdamn this recipe is delicious, I really can’t recommend it enough! It's easy to make, you probably have all the ingredients at home, and you can have a lil sip of vodka as you make it! Def going to be staple in my comfort food rotation as we move into the cold darkness of winter— just be sure to take your time with the last few steps & make the sauce super thick n' creamy.
🍾 Forthave Spirits Red Aperitivo
I know I know, Andrew Chen just rec'd another spirit from Forthave last week, but it's just because they make such good shit!! This Red Aperitivo is continueing to get a lot of use as we make the transition from Negroni to Boulevardier season. As much as I love some classic Campari, this is great for when you wanna support a small business while ~elevating~ your 3-ingredient cocktail just a lil bit, give it a shot!
🔖 Good Reads
David Fincher’s Impossible Eye (NYT)
Is the DTC brand aesthetic bad for business? (Retail Dive)
Meet Shameika Stepney, Inspiration to Fiona Apple (Pitchfork)
❗ Cut for time
Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks, BEAMS Plus Brown Popcorn Sweater, Lorde’s Photo Book, Bree Runway - 2000And4Eva (Electropop, Trap), Bandcamp Live Streams, and this Paris Texas License Plate Shirt
Alex Cushing (instagram, twitter, last.fm, goodreads)
🥘. Maple Roasted Brussels & Acorn Squash
Happy TGiving PI-crew! In honor of all things food, imma kick things off with a recipe —
Last week, my wife and I were looking for the perfect “fall” side to go with our apple chicken sausage (👌). Nothing says Fall like squash, so we knew where to start. We decided to follow a recipe we found for maple roasted brussels and add in the acorn squash chunks to the mix. When I say that this was delicious, I mean it was de-li-cious. HUGE rec here, huge. Quick and easy to make, and 10/10 delicious.
📕 You Have Arrived at Your Destination - Amor Towles
Towles has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This year I’ve read A Gentleman in Moscow, Rules of Civility, and now this short story. This one’s pretty different from the other 2. While Moscow and Civility both have a calm/relaxing “everyday life” tone to them, even during the more hectic scenes, this one reads a bit more fast paced and frantic. The story explores gene manipulation and basically “nudging” your child into a future of your choice. To avoid spoilers on such a short read, I won’t go into more detail on the plot but it’s a reeaal fun and quick read.
Hockney is a mega influential British artist with absolute elite status for a reason. Just taking a digital stroll through his works you can get a taste for just how colorful and bold his style is, without it ever feeling like too much. My favorite of his works I’ve seen are his paintings from the 70’s, specifically “Three Chairs With a Section of a Picasso Mural”. I highly recommend checking out his work if you somehow haven’t.
I’ve been following “Last Pick Athletics Club” on IG for a few years, LPAC is an athletics club for Londoners, started by the very fashionable Tayler & Koen Prince-Fraser. Now they’re starting a clothing line branching off their last pick brand, and so far I’m big intrigued by the glimpses we’ve gotten of the first collection. From the first look it seems to be “Gorpy outdoorsman wear” in the vein of something like Reese Cooper.
🎵 Chris Stapleton - Starting Over
If I’m being honest, I didn’t expect to like this one as much as I did going into it. It starts things off with the “radio hit” title track, which is a cute little diddy you can’t get out of your head. Moving on from there you get the works: a few classic western guitar riff jams, some super well done classic covers, and a heartwarming/heartbreaking song about a dog (Maggie’s Song) that makes you want to go hug your own little pup. This is one of those albums that just feels like a classic in the making.
📣 Shoutouts
Check out all our newsletter’s book recs so far in one place - free shipping all weekend
Serey Morm (instagram, twitter, vsco)
Okay, I’m sorry. I know no one wants another mask rec, but after 6 months I think I’ve found it. This one is it y’all. The fit is perfect, the adjustable bands basically makes it impossible for any air to come in or out of the mask. I stopped using surgical and cotton masks because they don’t provide the same protection that you get from these KF94 masks (according to this study). KF94 is the Korean standard to the American equivalent KN95 to ensure that protection is there. Oh, they come in black too!
💆♀️ Black Sugar Mask Wash Off
If you’ve got an extra 20 minutes in the evening, this exfoliator is it. It’s an exfoliator to clean, brighten, and instantly softens your skin. The minute you wash it off, you’ll feel how much softer your skin is, and in the morning, if your face gets a little red like mine does, you can tell that it’s a lot brighter. I’ve been using this for about a year now, and it’s one of my favorite once or twice a week thing.
I’m a sucker for perfection in its class things, and this stuffing is one of them. Yes. I will make this every Thanksgiving, and even when it’s not. This recipe by the legendary Victoria Granof, who you should follow on Instagram by the way, is one of my favorites because of the aroma of fresh herbs used. Oh, and you’ll be rewarded with crispy corners!
This absolute rollercoaster of a show tackles racism in America in the 50s through horror and fantasy. It’s honestly one of the wildest shows I’ve seen this year. For someone who grew up in New England, I couldn’t stop thinking about how the Jim Crow era was just 70 years ago. I really enjoyed how the storyline weaves in historical events often neglected in classrooms. Jordan Peele directed this show (with J.J. Abrams), and if you’ve seen Us or Get Out, it’s very on-brand for Peele. In addition to the amazing storyline, his choice of music for the show was impeccable. Fair warning though, nothing is off the table for this show, expect the unexpected (and a ton of gore).
🗞: Extra! Extra!
Over the sink, roll up dish drying rack - tiny kitchen gang, wya?
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