by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer
We all have that feeling. You know the one: you finish watching a movie and something about it hits you in just the right spot. Whether it was the theme, the story, or even the characters, there was a quality about it that almost makes you want to turn around and go back a second, third, or even fourth time!
Bar the reality of living in the movie theater for the rest of your days, you turn to the rest of pop culture and start to look for other avenues where you can find that same feeling.
Well I’m here to make this plight easier for all. Each month, I take a piece of pop culture that was prevalent in the social consciousness — whether it is a movie, TV show, or something else — and then recommend other forms of media for those who want to stay in that world a little bit longer.
Welcome to your One Stop Pop, internet!
Hello, folks! We are back for another year of shining content recommendations! That’s right, I am once again here as your humble servant in all things media and consuming. So what, pray tell, is the first movie on this year’s list? Why, it’s none other than our girl, M3GAN.
About a killer doll, AI paranoia combined with the horror of Annabelle has created a movie that has wowed, entertained, and garnered fans all over the world. So I’m certain there are so many of you chomping at the bit right now, and wanting to stay in that realm for just a little while longer.
So, let me help you with that.
Book: The Illuminae Files Series byAmie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
AI gone wrong isn’t exactly a new territory. It has already been explored across books, movies, and TV shows — really every type of media. So when one form of that content comes around and manages to introduce something different into it all, you have to sit up and pay attention.
The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is a trilogy of companion space opera epistolary young adult novels told through a series of documents, including classified reports, censored emails, and interviews. The first, Illuminae unveils a story set in 2575, where teenage colonist Kady Grant and her fighter pilot boyfriend Ezra Mason become refugees while being caught in a political crossfire. At the center of it all is also a rogue, and infinitely dangerous, AI that has begun to develop consciousness.
These books are simply thrilling, telling a tale that is worthy of careful study and unequivocal enjoyment. Although hefty in their size due to the unique narrative structure, you’ll find yourself flying through the pages as you unravel each thread of its complex mystery.
Just like M3GAN’s descent into a killer isn’t black and white, Illuminae takes you on a journey of philosophical twists and turns that will have you questioning your humanity and morality all at once.
I don’t want to say too much more; however, if this has intrigued you at all, I highly recommend jumping toward your favourite bookseller or library and beginning your very own out-of-this-world journey.
TV Show: Humans
Let’s now go to some content which shares more than a few similarities with M3GAN. One that would also have your goosebumps showing, and your brain going into overdrive.
I am of course referring to the British science-fiction series, Humans. Set in a parallel present, the latest must-have gadget for any busy family is a “Synth,” a highly-developed robotic servant that’s so similar to a real human, it begins to transform the way people live.
Starring such names as Gemma Chan, Katherine Parkinson, and Colin Morgan, this show is one of the creepiest ones to exist out there. It really takes the immovable, unempathetic face of an AI, and plays on how the uncanny valley of it all is enough to drive us regular humans to the edge of insanity.
In terms of being quite similar to the Movie of the Month, this is like its older, wiser, and more put together twin. Where M3GAN has meme-ability, Humans has philosophical discourse on what it means to be a person, or to have consciousness. Can we ever trust something that is our creation? Or will it ultimately serve as our inevitable demise? There are definitely many thoughts that are provoked by a series of this nature, and is sure to have you pondering episode after episode.
Interested? Watch all three seasons on Amazon Prime Video now.
Album: Lover by Taylor Swift
I know it’s a strange one, but bear with me. When the trailer for M3GAN released, it was paired with a song from this album, “It’s Nice to Have a Friend.”Its twisted, poppy beat perfectly evoked the story that would be soon told by the movie that followed.
After all, what is M3GAN, but a friendship doll that takes her job a little too seriously. So with that, this 2019 studio album by Ms. Swift is the quintessential musical pairing for the film.
Chock-full of almost too up-beat songs, and a general frivolous feeling, if you start to think about the makeup of this album in a slightly more sinister way, all the words, notes, and beats start to shift in their meaning.
There’s a reason this album has been used across these psychological thrillers since its inception, and none does it serve more than this film. It’s also just really fun to listen to, so when you’re needing a bit of a pick up, I recommend checking it out.
Available on Spotify or Apple Music for you to non-violently dance the night away.
Video Game: Dollhouse
Okay, maybe it wasn’t the music or the AI element that attracted you to the movie. Maybe what you wanted to desperately see more of the simple horror at its center: a killer doll.
It’s a trope as old as time, and so it has become one of the most loved ways of scaring the absolute bejeezus out of viewers across many forms of content. M3GAN just advances the technology behind it. Well what better way to do this than to really get into the nitty gritty of it all by playing a game called Dollhouse?
A controversial game, to be certain; in it, you play as Marie, a detective who must survive a horrifying trip down memory lane, created in the style of a film noir. The things hunting you down? Creepy haunted dolls. That’s right; dolls, plural.
Throughout the gameplay, you will find creepy messages like, “Please standby. I’m chasing you,” projected on every wall around you, and a lilting female voice taunting your every step. The only light source is the flash of a camera, and the only consequence is your life!
Yes, that’s all very overdramatic, but let’s be honest here: It’s a haunted house game starring haunted dolls. It’s going to be quite intense in tone and gameplay.
Sound like something you’d like to try? Well then download it now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC.
So there you have it: some recommendations to further your love of a maliciously kind toy. Next month, we’ll see what February gives us to pull apart and put back together. But until then, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop, and we hope to see you again soon!
You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd