Kevin’s Culture Picks: What kept our culture expert busy in May?

Every week, I’ve been doing a deep dive into cultural issues, usually theater-related, that are bothering me or that deserve a second look. But who needs another thinkpiece, right?

I host two weekly programs on my theater company’s Faceboook page (Facebook.com/EpicTheatreCo) where I ask guests what has been keeping them creatively engaged or excited, and I thought I could put together some of the movies, television shows, books and music we discuss. I’ll do this at the beginning of every month (until we’re out of … this), and hopefully it’ll keep you busy as we start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

So, here’s what I enjoyed in the month of May:

Movies

The Mitchells vs. The Machines (Streaming on Netflix)
Shiva Baby (On Demand)
Together, Together (On Demand)
WeWork (Streaming on Hulu)
Cruella (Streaming on Disney+ and in Theaters)

Television

“The Real World Homecoming: New York” (Streaming on Paramount+)
“Last Chance U: Basketball” (Streaming on Netflix)
“Girls5Eva” (Streaming on Peacock)
“Mare of Easttown” (Streaming on HBO Max)

Books

The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Olympus, Texas, by Stacey Swann
Yes, Daddy, by Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Music

Rosegold, Ashley Monroe
Outside Child, Allison Russell
Sour, Olivia Rodrigo
The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, Damien Jurado
The Marfa Tapes, Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall