#84: "a sufficiently awesome vibe"
Welcome to issue #84 of THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU, brought to you by extreme amounts of caffeine, piles of legally prescribed pharmaceuticals, and countless rituals to dark horrors that shall not be named. As the old folk saying goes:
Okay, let’s fire this baby up!
Scottovision
“3, 2, 1… Chachipistachi” (2026) - In this frenetic and hilarious animated short, Professor Chachipistachi takes a couple kids on a wild series of escapades. I wish I could describe this in more detail, but uh, it’s in Spanish without subtitles so I have only the whirlwind experience of a thousand audiovisual gags to guide me in this recommendation. The comments on the film indicate that even for native Spanish speakers, the language goes by so fast that it’s incomprehensible to some; I found I didn’t need to understand it to get a sufficiently awesome vibe off the piece. Created by Spanish animator Rafillo.
“Earworm” (2026) - A man gets a clinical case of an earworm that he can’t shake, and his doctor prescribes a Britney Spears record to help him get rid of it. It doesn’t work, to the detriment of the man’s sanity. Writer/director Patrrik Eklund slips in enough zany little bits to puncture this film’s disguise as a psychological horror film.
“How Was Your Weekend?” (2026) - In this Severance-style workplace parable, a man disturbs the equilibrium of his “work family” by providing an honest answer to the titular question. Turns out you don’t speak truth to coworkers. Written and directed by Cam Banfield.
“JESUS 2” (2026) - Official description: “In the future no one can die and no one wants to live anymore. Two space pirate brothers must destroy an evil messiah to break the curse of immortality and deliver Humanity to its final resting place.” The understated nature of that description belies the absolute sheer wall of violent, hysterical insanity that animator Jesse Moynihan (writer/storyboard artist for Adventure Time and art director for The Midnight Gospel) unleashes on us here. The piece was developed for a year as a pilot for Cartoon Network who ultimately passed, but thankfully Moynihan released it into the wild.
“Level 5” (2026) - Prog rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are inexplicably releasing an EDM record, and the video for the first single is the story of cultists who endeavor to resurrect a long-dead comrade. You’ll be surprised by what happens next! Directed by Hayden Somerville.
“Sages” (2025) - Icelandic producer Ólafur Arnalds and Swedish pop singer Loreen came together as SAGES for an EP last year, and this short film accompanied the music. Inspired by the Dancing Plague of 1518, the film shows an outbreak of uninhibited dancing that spreads from one unlikely environment to another, artfully captured by director Thora Hilmarsdóttir.
“The Cosmic Dope” (2018) - In this send-up for ‘60s-era science filmstrips, a team of scientists doses an enthusiastic subject with the nectar of an unknown orchid species. Hijinks ensue! Written and directed by CLEMENTE.
“Violet And Marlowe Rob A Bank” (2026) - Two gun-toting revolutionary rabbits face off against big city fascists in this bloody animated film from writer/director Wesley Wang. The fascists have stolen the only carrot seeds left in their dystopian town, and Violet and Marlowe intend to get them back. The violence is a Matrix-style onslaught but, you know, it’s bunny rabbits, so.
Exit Music
Sending you out this week with a live DJ set by The Orb that was recently posted, accompanied by a VJ set by Stuart Warren-Hill (aka one half of Hexstatic). Warren-Hill is projecting onto a holographic fabric in front of the band throughout the set, but it’s perfectly pleasant to ignore the visuals and just enjoy the music. They’re not playing an “Orb’s greatest hits” set, but the trippy ambient dub on hand is tasty nonetheless.
Here's the YouTube playlist with (most of) this issue's recos. Please enjoy responsibly.
Until next time, I remain your friendly correspondent, thinking of you,
Scotto
Scotto Moore is the author of WILD MASSIVE, BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES, and YOUR FAVORITE BAND CANNOT SAVE YOU.
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