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TV Show Recommendations
One Day At a Time because it is easy feel good with humor and representation. Leverage because it’s about fighting back against people with undue power, and found family.
Married at First Sight. If you’re feeling that reality tv show itch, this is a good one to indulge in because all the advice from the marriage counselors are actually pretty legit.
The Tick, specifically the 2016 remake although the original cartoon is also very fun. It’s a comedic spin/satire of the superhero genre and it kept me giggling the whole way through.
Hannibal is a pretty cool crime thriller with lots of mind antics
Dark. One of the best sci-fi/drama to come out in a long while. It’s a pretty hard show to explain (much less fully understand), but I think it’s fair to say that it involves a fair bit of time travel, and is not for the light of heart. It is a an EXTREMELY well acted, filmed, and written show. All three seasons are available on Netflix.
Lovecraft Country – this show tackles America’s history of racism in the 50s through the lens of sci fi and fantasy troupes. The show is fun, campy, scary and informative
Gordon Ramsey Uncharted – available on Disney+. I think it’s worth watching because it features culinary dishes from around the world, and Gordon Ramsey has to eat ants and stuff every now and then. Also the episode in New Zealand features a famous Maori and bisexual chef who recently released an awesome book! She is such a bad-ass. She makes Gordon Ramsey look like an idiot sandwich.
Anime Recommendations
Beastars. It’s incredible plot and social commentary makes up for its sin of being a furry anime.
Don’t do it its awful.
The Promised Neverland. Just recently came out onto Netflix, and is an absolutely fantastic anime. It follows a group of orphans as they attempt to break out of their orphanage. I stress that despite its seemingly childish premise, it is not a children’s story. It is a remarkably dark and tragic story. Just watch until the end of the first episode and you will see what I mean.
Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro.
Mob Psycho 100: 25 total episodes with more incoming. A beautifully animated and colorful adaptation of a subversive, hilarious, and emotional™ manga. A super-powerful middle school psychic trying to deal with everything that entails. Not your typical power-hungry shounen.
Movie Recommendations
Yesterday. It’s a film full of Beatles music in an alternative universe where the Beatles didn’t exist. Drama and tension along the way, but a satisfying ending.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Extended edition marathon is the only way to go, baby.
Why you should watch it: The Lord of the Rings novels were the granddaddy of modern day high fantasy— you see inspiration from the novels everywhere, from Harry Potter to Bone to Dungeons and Dragons. The movies themselves are so fun to watch— even though they were made 20 years ago, the CGI still holds up today. Plus the soundtrack is awesome.
Knives Out is highkey a very clever and incredibly fun movie with a cool mystery and lots of suspense.
Spring Breakers
Pans Labyrinth. A fairy tale set five years after the Spanish civil war, at the beginning of the Francois period in Spain. Pans Labyrinth is a dreamy story about a young girl dealing with the trauma of the world around her while navigating a magical underworld called Pan’s Labyrinth, filled with mythical beings. Also on Netflix.
The Night is Short, Walk on Girl – An anime movie from the same director as Kaiba. An easygoing girl and the man who wants to ask her out have the longest night of their lives. Very funny, very magical-realist surreal. A lot of alcohol, strange pornography and paraphilias mentioned but not made especially explicit as I recall. If you like it, you may enjoy the 11-episode anime The Tatami Galaxy, set in the same universe.