Lifestyle of a Fashionista

Five on Friday

August 5, 2022

“People give people money for all sorts of reasons– guilt and love are two of the biggest.” – Anna Delvey (Anna Sorokin)

One: Scammers and Con Artists

Some of 2022’s most discussed topics include scammers and con artists, and I can’t stop watching documentaries, movies, and series about them.

From Vulture, “Scamming is so hot right now. The confidence arts have been lighting up Hollywood, and networks and streamers are practically overflowing with content about grifters, fraudsters, and gougers. This year alone, scam-hungry viewers have been served Inventing Anna, The Tinder Swindler, WeCrashed, Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber, The Dropout, Worst Roommate Ever, Bad Vegan, and The Thing About Pam.”

If you share my interest in scammers, read about the different ways you can feed your obsession. https://lifestyleofafashionista.com/2022/08/05/scammers-and-con-artists/

Two: What to watch

Netflix:

Don’t Blame Karma – (original movie) From IMDb, “When her younger sister and high-school crush get engaged, Sara must find out whether her alleged bad luck is the real culprit behind her misfortunes.”

Trainwreck: Woodstock ‘99 – (documentary, 3 parts) From Rolling Stone, “The three-part Clusterf**k: Woodstock ’99 series, premiering August 3 on the streaming service, uses unseen home movie footage, commercial archive, and artist video to present the story of the festival that promised to celebrate the legacy of the 1969 event but instead delivered bedlam and bad vibes.” FYI: HBO had a similar documentary that was released last year. See info below.

From Datebook, Review: Netflix’s Woodstock show chronicles a legendary music festival gone wrong. “The fiasco continues to fascinate: Last year brought the HBO Max documentary “Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage,” and now comes the three-part Netflix docuseries “Trainwreck: Woodstock ’99,” a leaner, less flashy and more focused account of how poor planning, profit-mongering and dudes gone wild led to one giant mess of a music festival.”

HBOmax:

Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage – (Documentary released in 2021, 1h 50m) From IMDb, “Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults.“

Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Max Original season-two premiere – (reality series) From IMDb, “An honest and unique look into what it means to be young, black, and in constant pursuit of one’s dreams in the heart of South Los Angeles.”

Prime Video:

Licorice Pizza – (movie) From Guardian, Licorice Pizza review – Paul Thomas Anderson’s funniest and most relaxed film yet. The movie earned three Oscar nominations earlier this year, including best picture and best director.

Thirteen Lives – (biography, drama, thriller): From IMDb, “A rescue mission is assembled in Thailand where a group of young boys and their soccer coach are trapped in a system of underground caves that are flooding.“

Disney+:

Lightyear – “Legendary space ranger Buzz Lightyear embarks on an intergalactic adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby, and his robot companion, Sox. As this motley crew tackles their toughest mission yet, they must learn to work together as a team to escape the evil Zurg and his dutiful robot army that are never far behind.” From Rotten Tomatoes

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation – (short) “Finn’s plan to spend summer vacation with his friends Rey, Poe, Rose, Chewie, BB-8, R2-D2, and C-3PO goes wrong when he’s separated from the group.“

Peacock:

They/Them (movie) From Vulture, “The latest from Peacock and Blumhouse is a queer horror movie starring Kevin Bacon as a seemingly straight (and creepy) camp counselor. The creepy vibes become justified when you realize from the trailer that Bacon is hosting a conversion camp for LGBTQ young people. On top of all that, a mysterious killer is terrorizing the grounds. Honestly, if the killer isn’t Bacon, what’s the point?“

The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise (Peacock Original) – “The Hillside Strangler: Devil In Disguise is a four-part docuseries, directed by Alexa Danner, that recounts the terror that women around Los Angeles felt during 1977 and ’78 as victims’ bodies were found in an area of East Los Angeles that included Glendale. The docuseries not only goes over the murders of the 8 women that were found during that time period, but also the investigation that took until 1979, when Bianchi was arrested in Washington state after murdering two women there.” From Decider

Paramount+:

Mike Judge’s Beavis and Butt-head   – (series) From New York Magazine, “On the heels of the recent streaming movie Beavis and Butt-head Do the Universe, Mike Judge’s bonehead bosom buddies return with the first of (at least) two planned new seasons of idiocy.” —Jen Chaney 

Hulu:

Prey – (movie) From IMDb, “A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.” A Predator prequel.

FX’s Reservation Dogs, season-two premiere

Apple TV+

Luck – (movie) – From Apple, A new film from the creative visionary behind Toy Story and Cars.

In Theaters:

Bullet Train – (Action/Adventure,  Suspense/Thriller). From Fandango, “An original movie event, Bullet Train is a fun, delirious action-thriller from the director of Deadpool 2, David Leitch. Brad Pitt headlines an ensemble cast of eclectic, diverse assassins – all with connected yet conflicting objectives – set against the backdrop of a non-stop ride through modern-day Japan.“

Easter Sunday – (comedy) “A man returns home to celebrate Easter with his riotous, bickering, eating, drinking, laughing, loving family.“

Three: What to wear

Designer-inspired Sunglasses – protect your eyes, look like someone famous, and look stylish.

If you want the name brands seen on tv scammers, buy away if you have the money to spend, but you can find stylish designer-inspired glasses that still work for your fashion and sun-shading needs.

Women:

Looks inspired by Anna’s glasses:

Marc Jacobs 57MM Square Sunglasses $180

For more options, read The 32 Best Pairs of Sunglasses for Summer 2022. “Hide-Your-Face Oversized Frames–If you want to hide half your face with your preferred pair of sunglasses, this style is for you. Massively oversized sunglasses are everywhere yet again in 2022, most recently spotted on celebrities like Ciara.” 

Men:

Four: What to Try

Get Zapped:

From PureWow, Permanent Bracelets Are the Summer Trend We Didn’t See Coming (But Are Totally Loving); “We love the idea of having a sleek, goes-with-everything piece of jewelry on us “forever” that won’t tarnish or turn your wrist green. The service is performed at select jewelry stores, and if you ask us, is totally worth trying out.“

Five: What to do

Protect Yourself:

While traveling:

17 CIA tips on how to think like a spy and stay safe while on vacation. From https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/ask-molly-travel-tips/, “Trust your instincts. We know from experience that when something doesn’t feel right, it often isn’t. Someone standing too close to you, following you across multiple locations, loitering outside your room—if a situation raises your suspicions, remove yourself from it or seek help.“

Protect yourself from scams:

https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes

Reports of romance scams hit record highs in 2021. “Romance scammers weave all sorts of believable stories to con people, but their old standby involves pleas for help while claiming one financial or health crisis after another.“

Use a password manager and security software:

The Best Password Managers “Almost everyone should use a password manager. It’s the most important thing you can do—alongside two-factor authentication—to keep your online data safe. We’ve evaluated dozens of paid and free password managers, and we’ve concluded that 1Password offers the best combination of features, compatibility, security, and ease of use. You don’t have to pay for a good password manager, but if you can, 1Password is worth the $36 per year. If you prefer free software, Bitwarden does everything you’ll need and doesn’t cost anything.”

Best Antivirus Software of 2022 .“Although surfing the web or watching a video can seem harmless, there are cybersecurity risks to your computer lurking all over the internet. Various types of malicious software, otherwise known as malware, can be used to monitor what you do online and perhaps steal your personal information in an effort to commit identity theft. That’s why you need antivirus protection.“

From Ask Molly: Cybersecurity, “I asked our CIA cybersecurity experts for advice, and they highly recommended a unique resource from our colleagues at the Department of Homeland Security called Stop.Think.Connect.” Stop.Think.Connect – USA