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!
As per usual, January isn’t exactly the most lush month when it comes to film distribution. It’s a time for limited releases to become wide, and for the general public to get a feel of what’s about to be in conversation for the big award shows.
However, there was one movie that did set the internet on slight fire: the movie adaptation of the musical adaptation of the 2004 classic, Mean Girls. Revamped for the modern generation, this film combines its success on the Broadway stage with the sleek depiction of the film reel to some nostalgic success and some failure.
Regardless of this, it still was popular enough that some might have watched it, and either want more, or don’t yet feel satisfied. Well, no use mincing words — it’s time to get started…
Book: Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Let’s start somewhere comforting. Mean Girls is about the trials and tribulations of high school, and what is more high school than a young adult coming-of-age novel about a girl and boy going on a road trip… and possibly falling in love?
Morgan Matson tells the story of Amy Curry, who has just about had the worst year imaginable. Her father died in the spring and now her mother is making her move across the country. Her task? Get their car from California to Connecticut and embark on a new chapter of her new life. On this journey, she is joined by once-upon-a-time friend, Roger, who is dealing with shadows of his own…
This book is all about the nostalgia of being young and the process of quite literally going on a journey in order to find some direction in your life regardless of what might be holding you back. It’s about holding onto secrets and letting them go, and most importantly, it’s a very cute, light read that will give readers insight into how the expectations of being young can affect the realities that life sometimes has a tendency to crumble right in front of you
Oh, and the fact that it’s very music-focused makes it relatable in yet another way. Peppered throughout its pages are the playlists that Amy and Roger slowly assemble on their drive, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in the book’s world for as long as they want.
A little warning: This book might have you catch a road trip bug upon reading the last page…
TV Show: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
Speaking of nostalgia, let’s talk about one of the arguably most successful IPs ever to come from the Disney Channel: High School Musical.First gracing our screens in the naughties, the movie became one, then two, then a franchise, which now includes a three-season television show.
However, this isn’t the Disney Channel of our childhood. This is more like if Glee was a little less cuckoo with its storylines, and the actors were actually trying to get to the next stage of their singing career after this — as evidenced by the first couple of seasons hosting none other than the now infamous Olivia Rodrigo (and the boy who inspired her record-breaking album).
It’s fun, it’s poppy, and it very much fits the vibe that anyone who enjoyed Mean Girls can get on board with. The first season follows a very similar story that we’ve seen across many different Disney-fied stories, while the second and third bring in a summer camp setting, as well as an aspect of Hollywood to add further dimension and conflict to an otherwise pretty easy life for the characters.
Oh, I should also mention that High School Musical — the movies — do exist in the universe of this show. So there’s some fun meta cameos and references that will get true fans’ hearts beating.
Album: Beetlejuice (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Mean Girls is just one of many, many, many different movies who have gotten the Broadway treatment to great success. Groundhog Day, Legally Blonde,and Heathers are a few others. However, today I want to recommend the cast recording (and the seeing of any professional productions happening near you) of the Beetlejuice musical.
Having commenced off Broadway in 2018, this musical has quickly become an international sensation, drawing crowds who are both Tim Burton fans of yore, as well as those who needed a little something extra in order to really sink their teeth into it.
For those that don’t know any version, Beetlejuice tells the story of Barbara and Adam, a married couple who live in the home they love. There’s only one problem: They’re dead, and there are new people who have moved in and taken over.
Of course within that is the man/ghost/ghoul of the house, Beetlejuice himself. Played by Michael Keaton in the movie and Alex Brightman in the musical, he is as zany, crazy, and wacky as a character can get. This is only emphasized in the musical adaptation, which takes the story and really pumps it to the next level.
Even listening to it outside of the stage evokes the same high-energy sensations that you’d hope such a story to have, and are also highly singable. Similar to Mean Girls, the songs uniquely fit into the hyper-realistic world we’re presented with in the original movie, making many wonder why it hadn’t been a song-and-dance epic this whole time?
Video Game: Oxenfree
Now that we’ve gotten past the nostalgia, the zany and the colorful, let’s land on a recommendation that is more to do with the whole coming-of-age thing that is kind of important in the Mean Girls story.
Now, I’ve already recommended a few of these throughout my columns, but I’ve found one that really has fun with colour, storytelling and unlikely heroes: Oxenfree.
Taking a trip down to the supernatural side of things, Oxenfree follows a group of friends who make a series of unfortunate decisions that result in their opening of a ghostly rift. Now you must try and fix the rift and the calamity at hand before all goes even more wrong and you don’t survive.
An independent adventure game, this wonderfully colorful experience has elements of ’90’s nostalgia, paranormal elements, and the teen films of childhood wrapped up into one game. With art made by Disney alum and a hauntingly unique musical score, this game will leave any audience member entranced and racing toward the end to see if you could possibly untangle the mystery of it all.
Mysterious, and engaging, this is for those looking to chill out a bit, and help solve the many questions that plague our characters before time runs out.
So we got a bit zany, a bit musical, a bit nostalgic with this series of recommendations. We looked at a variety of stories meant to evoke a person that might have been once upon a time, and needs to be revisited every now, and again as well. We’ll return in February to see what shenanigans have made headlines. However, until then, thank you for visiting SiftPop’s One Stop Pop. We hope to see you again soon!