From Archduke Rudolph to Jeff Bezos and Amazon, the ultra rich are never so close to sympathy as when they sponsor the arts. This year’s Amazon Prime Day begins on June 21, and the tech giant is advertising it with an insanely lavish concert trio from Billie Eilish, Kid Cudi, and HER.
Each of the three films has cinematic ambitions, and each seems to have a budget that wouldn’t seem out of place at Sundance. Eilish’s, for example, is called A day in Paris, and was co-directed by pop star and Sam Wrench. Whether it takes place in Paris itself or whether it is a detailed recreation, the atmosphere evoked is unmistakable. Eilish watches the rainy streets from the balcony of a fancy hotel, frequents cafes with her brother Finneas, jumps in the back of her beau’s moped and goes to a big old cinema just steps from the Eiffel Tower. Throughout, she sings old and new songs, from recent singles “My Future” and “Your Power” to clips from her debut album such as “All the Good Girls”.
Unsurprisingly, Kid Cudi’s setting takes the form of a sci-fi epic. It opens with the words: “Breaking News: Later today, astronaut Kid Cudi will take off from the Orpheus launch site.” The program aims to establish a new human colony on the moon. Today history will be written. As he sings excerpts from each of his albums The man on the moon trilogy, he dresses up, takes off and finds his spaceship deteriorating as Mission Control (played by Seth Rogen) fails to help him.
For his part, the R&B songwriter has created a lavish musical seemingly inspired by films like Midnight in Paris. The film begins in modern times in Los Angeles, but it quickly goes back in time. As HER explains in the opening narration, its destination is “The Dunbar Hotel.” The heart of black culture and music in Los Angeles has its own particular history… Legends like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, have graced the scene here. When they weren’t accepted anywhere else, the Dunbar’s doors were always open. What I didn’t know was that I would end up there. After a show, she gets in the wrong car and is dropped off at the Dunbar during her heyday. With the help of an eccentric hotel manager (Taraji P. Henson), she lets go and feels at home.
All three movies are only viewable on the Amazon Prime Day Show website. Check out the full listings below.
Billie Eilish’s new album Happier than ever falls on July 30, while HER In the back of my mind arrives Friday June 18th. As for Cudi, he recently wrapped up his emo rap trilogy with Man on the Moon III: The Chosen One.
Billie Eilish Song List:
My future
So I am
All the good girls
Lost cause
All i wanted
Your power
Kid Cudi Setlist:
Shots of tequila
Sad people
4 Da Kidz
Mr. Rage
Pursuit of happiness
SA Setlist:
I can not breathe
Mine
Self
Come through
Best part
We created it
Fight 4 you