While we're spending so much more time at home social distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19, it can be easy to get burnt out watching the same stuff we always binge. Have no fear — Akron-Summit County Public Library’s Culture Manager Bob Ethington gives his recommendations that we should start watching right now.
Between Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ or the free streaming services at the library, we have access to more TV and movies than one could possibly watch in a lifetime. So how do you pare it down?
For something new to sink your teeth into, Ethington reccomends Netflix's new show "Tiger King."
"It is an incredible documentary series, seven parts, about these people who raise wild jungle animals," Ethington said.
"Once you start watching it, you can't turn it off," he said.
Or there's "Los Espookys" on HBO. It's a mostly Spanish language comedy cocreated by Fred Armisen about a group of upstart horror pranksters with a telenovela flare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAbaVE8BDxk
Take a deep dive
Ethington recomends immersing yourself in a show that has season after season to binge.
There's long-running sitcoms like "Friends," "Martin," or "Will and Grace."
Or you could make your way through neo-classics like "The Sopranos" or "Mad Men."
For Ethington, he's finishing the "Breaking Bad" prequel "Better Call Saul."
"It is a good excuse to watch some of these things that are immersive and take forever because you have the time to do it," Ethington said.
Want something that will take a month or more to finish? How about the sci-fi classic "The X-Files." With 200+ episodes (if you count the reboot seasons) there might not be a better way to fill evening after evening.
Pro tip: knock out an actress or director's filmography
Are you newly-obsessed with Cynthia Erivo? A big John Waters fan? Or maybe you're into the wide, weird world of David Lynch? Why not binge all of their work?
"See how they develop as an actress, see how they develop as a director," Ethington said.
If you want a classic Hollywood experience, Ethington suggests starting with actresses like Barbara Stanwyck or Katherine Hepurn. Or why not watch everything modern-day acting powerhouses Meryl Streep and Frances McDormand have ever been in?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ZEOHxs_rE
Want to learn more about the films of the French New Wave? You could start with the works of Jean-Luc Godard or Agnès Varda.
As for me, I'm working my way through the filmography of director Spike Lee, starting with what many consider his masterpiece: "Do the Right Thing."
No matter where you start, Ethington thinks this time most of us are spending at home could have a silver lining.
"I hope we all eventually get back to our normal lives, but in the meantime look at this as a chance to catch up on some things and indulge yourself in some things that you would not have the time to do otherwise," he said.
