A look into 2020

We Made It!!

Some of you had a fantastic 2019, some of you just barely limped to the finish line. Whatever your status was in 2019, we at Full Metal hope that this year brings you good health, fruitful relationships, new discoveries, and fat pockets! We’ve decided, in this newsletter, to up your (much needed) optimism for the year, by sharing some of the things we’re looking forward to the most!

Music

Moses Sumney – Græ
Sumney’s “Aromanticism” a concept offering about a world without romance blew us away in 2017. His newest offering, “Græ” is set to release this year and will pair the singer’s high pitched moans with over 40 collaborators, including Jill Scott, Thundercat, and James Blake.

Matt Berninger – Serpentine Prison
Did you know that Ben is a massive fan of The National? Do you care? Either way, news that the frontman for the, sometimes indie/sometimes alt/sometimes folk outfit, is releasing a solo album gets us excited. The fact that it’s being produced by the legendary Booker T Jones should be enough to get anyone excited!

Noname – Factory Baby
When Noname announced she was done with music, many a heart broke. Her discography, which only consists of two albums, was an illuminating highlight in hip hop in the last decade. This makes her upcoming and supposedly last album that much more of a vital listen. Here’s hoping “Factory Baby” won’t be the end of her musical endeavors.

On the Big Screen

Wonder Woman 1984
The first “Wonder Woman” film was (and arguably still is) DC’s best offering since “The Dark Knight”. We’re super pumped to see Gadot’s uber charismatic heroine kicking ass in the mid 80’s. Throw in the brilliant Kristin Wiig as villainess, Cheetah and you’re looking at what may be the best film of the summer. What really makes this special? Patty Jenkins is back in the director’s chair. 

The Personal History of David Copperfield
We don’t really give a damn about David Copperfield as a piece of Dickensian classic lit. We certainly don’t give a damn about him as a popular 90’s TV illusionist. What we DO give a damn about, however, is Armando Iannucci’s incredible writing and directing. If you’ve ever seen “In the Loop”, “The Death of Stalin”, or “Veep”, you’d know that the writer/director is one of the wittiest, most introspective minds in film. Combining that with the talents of Dev Patel, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, and Ben Whishaw should make for one of the best films of the year. 

No Time to Die
Daniel Craig’s time as Bond has had exceptional highs (“Casino Royale”, “Skyfall”) and forgettable lows (“Quantum of Solace”, “Spectre”). But with “True Detective” (season 1) and “Beasts of No Nation’s” Cary Joji Fukunaga at the helm, and Lashana Lynch and Rami Malik joining the cast, this upcoming installment, which is also Craig’s last outing as James, holds a lot of promise to be an epic finale. 

On the Small Screen

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens
Coming off her historic win at the Golden Globes, Awkwafina is solidifying herself as Hollywood’s newest darling and her half hour comedy about her experiences growing up in Queens couldn’t come at a better time. 

Star Trek: Picard
Any other Trekkies in the house? “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was one of the biggest shows of the 90’s and a benchmark for the franchise. News of Patrick Stewart reprising the role of Captain Picard for CBS All Access’ new series sent fans into a state of bliss rarely seen. The inclusion of several classic TNG characters (and “Star Trek: Voyager’s” 7 of 9) makes this one of the most anticipated titles of the year. 

Run
If you’ve seen “Fleabag”, “Killing Eve”, or “Crashing”, you know that Phoebe Waller-Bridge can do no wrong. So let’s hope Vicky Jones, her frequent collaborator and the Co-Artistic Director of Waller-Bridge’s theatre company, DryWrite,  has the same magic touch. The HBO comedy stars Merritt Wever and Domnhall Gleeson as old flames, who decide to make good on a childhood pact to step out of their boring adult lives and run away together. 

Want to Play a Game?

Cyberpunk 2077
This is by far the most anticipated game of this year. If stellar graphics, engaging gameplay, and what looks like an unusually captivating story weren’t enough, the inclusion of Keanu Reeves has got the hype cup overflowing for launch day.

Deathloop
This was, in Jonah’s opinion, the most interesting trailer to come out of E3 last year. Two killers stuck on the island of Blackreef where they’re forced to kill each other over and over, one that revels in it while the other calling it hell. The visuals were more than dynamic, and the two main characters seem intriguing. Bethesda seems to have another hit on their hands.

The Last of Us 2
The hotly anticipated sequel to arguably the best game released on the PS4. With the PS5 dropping late this year/early 2021, this is going to be the end cap of this generation of consoles. And what a closing chapter this is going to be.

What About Tech??

Japan’s Robotic Moon Base
Japan has been planning to build a 2 billion dollar moon base that would be built and operated completely by autonomous robots. According to SSERVI, the robots would “be equipped with solar panels, seismographs to investigate the moon’s inner structure, high-def cameras, and arms to gather rock samples, which will be returned to Earth via rocket.” This has all been part of a plan that began years ago and has about 4 years of tests/research under its belt, with a plan to complete building by THIS YEAR! Not a bad way to start the robot apocalypse!

The 5G Network
Many expect the long awaited 5G network to begin it’s ascent in 2020. Some even say that it’ll make wifi obsolete. What is 5G? According to Qualcomm, “5G will elevate the mobile network to not only interconnect people, but also interconnect and control machines, objects, and devices. It will deliver new levels of performance and efficiency that will empower new user experiences and connect new industries”.

NextMind (Neurotech)
And now for something that none of us really thought we’d see in our lifetime! The geniuses over at neurotechnology company, NextMind, are already sending out development kits for its latest device, a noninvasive head-mounted sensor that allows you to control objects using your thoughts. MIND CONTROL! (in a sense) forbes describes the device’s functionality, saying it “picks up signals as they cross the wearer’s visual cortex and can translate them in real-time into digital commands. Machine learning algorithms are used to decode the signals…” 
The applications for such a technology are endless, but we could see the robotics, prosthetics, and medical fields get a lot more interesting, once NextMind is implemented. 

2020 Through a 70’s Lens.

Back in the 1970’s, the Seattle Times had it’s writers create predictions about the year 2020. Recently, they dug them up and shared them with the world. Some of them are fantastically absurd, while others are quite close. For example, writer’s Don Duncan and Wayne Johnson wrote, 
“’With a flick of a switch and punch of a button, (people) can make available any diversion they desire at the moment: the greatest music by the greatest musicians; the greatest plays by the greatest actors; the greatest anything by the greatest performers,” he wrote.
The movie house will “go the way of the marathon dance and the six-day bicycle race,’” Check out the article for more!

Thank you for reading and Happy New Year to all of our readers and collaborators! We look forward to sharing lots of amazing things with you in 2020!