Top 10 Things You Missed in February 2024

Nearly 20 years after Wallace and Gromit captured hearts the world over with their 2005 feature film debut, “Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” Aardman finally announced their return in 2022. And this month we got our first details about the plot ahead of a Netflix release later this year. The still-untitled adventure will see the pair dealing with Wallace’s new invention, a garden gnome that gains a mind of its own and starts to cause trouble. It sounds quintessentially Wallace and Gromit, but also…familiar. “The Simpsons,” a show with an eerie track record for predicting the future, parodied the duo with a gnome-centric segment all the way back in 2011. We don’t know if the writers are just that savvy, or actually supernatural, but we’re calling another accurate prophecy from the Springfield crew.

As arguably the biggest rock band of all time, it seems odd that The Beatles have yet to receive the big screen treatment in the ever-popular biopic genre. But then again, it’s tricky enough distilling one life and career into two hours, let alone four. Well Sam Mendes has a solution. Rather than produce a single Beatles film, the British film and stage director announced not one, but four movies, each focused on a different Beatle, all to be released in 2027. Mendes is an acclaimed director with a number of prestige awards to his name. We hope he’ll combine his film expertise with his background in directing stage musicals to put a unique spin on each film in his ambitious biopic series.

Pre-debut author Cait Corrain sent shockwaves through the fiction community in late 2023 when it was revealed that they had created numerous fake Goodreads accounts to review-bomb other new authors whom she viewed as competition. And who were, overwhelming, people of color. In a lengthy interview with The Daily Beast this month, Corrain blamed their behavior on a neurodivergence and a mental health episode, while claiming that the apparent targeting of POC was coincidence. The affected authors have taken to social media to push back on claims made in the interview and highlight their own struggles as a result of Corrain’s actions. The whole incident has also been used to call out the problematic environment of Goodreads as a platform. And you thought book drama was the stuff in between the covers, huh?

No award show in recent memory has made as big a stink as the 2024 Hanteo Music Awards in South Korea. And we mean that literally. The ceremony was spread over two days in mid February. While day one seemed to go smoothly, day 2 took a foul turn. Audience members report someone defecating in the standing section, splattering bystanders' clothes, and generating a stench that filled the venue and caused several artists in attendance to lose their composure. Needless to say, tensions were already high, and when fans of the group Zerobaseone started pushing to get closer to the stage during the group’s performance later on, a violent altercation broke out in the crowd. Petty Grammy drama seems quaint by comparison.

When Amazon announced in 2023 that it intended to introduce an ad-supported tier to its Prime service it felt like a frustrating, but inevitable development. However, the implementation of their new model in January of 2024, defaulted all accounts to the ad-tier, with the uninterrupted streaming experience only being available for an additional fee. This infuriated users who had already paid for yearly subscriptions under the previously advertised terms of ad-free streaming. In February customers used all the extra time they had during ad breaks to file a class action suit in California federal court alleging false advertising and breach of state consumer protection laws. Though a victory will only amount to a slap on the wrist for Amazon, we applaud the effort to stand up against this frustrating bait and switch.

It’s no secret that streamers don’t always promote their shows well. Add in a case of superhero fatigue, and it’s all too easy for shows like 2023’s “Extraordinary” to fall through the cracks. The British series distributed through Hulu in the US is a fresh and funny take on a world where most people are super powered, yet its first season attracted little notice. Though it was renewed around the same time it premiered, fans have learned that nothing is guaranteed. Thankfully, February 2024 started with the happy announcement that our heroes were indeed returning, with a March 6 release date for season 2. A trailer dropped several weeks later, priming us for more Extraordinarily relatable laughs and groans with this lovable group.

When it comes to human rights, it sometimes seems like there’s more bad news than good these days. However, the Greek goddess of the rainbow was flying high over Athens on February 15th as the nation’s Parliament approved a bill legalizing same sex marriage. The measure, which passed with a decisive 176-76 vote, makes Greece the first country in Southeastern Europe, as well as the first with a majority Eastern Orthodox religious base to legally protect the rights of all people to marry as they see fit. Additionally, the bill legalizes the ability of same sex couples to adopt children. We can’t think of a more perfect Valentine.

Canadian music legend Joni Mitchell won her first Grammy award in 1969 for Best Folk Performance with her album “Clouds.” In the intervening decades she has become one of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of her generation, racking up numerous Grammy nominations and awards, and serving as an inspiration for countless other artists. But it wasn’t until the 2024 ceremony on February 4th that she made her debut as a performer on the Grammy stage. Accompanied by a number of notable musicians, the 80 year old Mitchell gave an evocative performance of her most famous song, “Both Sides Now.” The more mature quality of her voice brings the themes of the song even more vividly to life, creating a rendition that would bring a tear to even the most unsentimental eye.

This story of a 1980s teenager and the 1830s bachelor she accidentally brings back from the dead arrived in theaters right in time for Valentine’s Day. Written by Diablo Cody, and inspired by everything from German Expressionism to John Waters, Zelda Williams’ feature film directorial debut was a Goth-camp triumph. Its dark, irreverent sense of humor and a bloody romance were never going to be to everyone's taste though, and low box office numbers had commentators declaring it DOA. Much like the love story at its center though, we think “Lisa Frankesnstein” is destined to rise again as a beloved cult classic like its spiritual sister, “Heathers” or Cody’s own “Jennifer’s Body.”

Actor and musician Bridgit Mendler used to be all over our TV screens as the star of Disney Channel hits like “Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Lemonade Mouth,” and “Good Luck, Charlie.” But if her work onscreen impressed you, you’ll be blown away by what she’s done off it. Mendler would go on to earn a Bachelors at USC, a Masters and a PhD at MIT, and a law degree from Harvard. Feeling unproductive yet? On February 20th 31-year-old Mendler announced the launch of Northwood Space, a company she founded with Shaurya Luthra and her husband, Griffin Cleverly. The company hopes to mass produce groundstations that collect satellite data, while hoping to overhaul the industry technology sector for better efficiency and accessibility. Talk about reaching for the stars.

How about you? What caught your eye this month that no one seems to be talking about? Share in the comments.