Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

We still have time to mess this up!

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

The willow is too close to the house.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Bark louder, little dog.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

You are here: Home / Guest Posts / Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Recommendations

Medium Cool with BGinCHI – Recommendations

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In case you’re new to Medium Cool, BGinCHI is here once a week to offer a thread on culture, mainly film & books, with some TV thrown in.  We’re here at 7 pm on Sunday nights.

It’s time again to grace Medium Cool with your recommendations of what to watch, listen to, or read.

So, take a few minutes out of your busy schedule of adding pumpkin spice to things and tell us what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s mediocre.

In addition to naming names, please tell us a bit about the show so people can decide if it’s up their alley. And if you know where it’s available, please let us know that, too.

 

Reader Interactions

86Comments

  2. 2.

    BGinCHI

    Enjoying the show above (see trailer), Welcome To Wrexham, in which two actors (one American & one Canadian), buy a lower level football club (Wrexham, in Wales). It’s charming and wants to be kind of a real life Ted Lasso, and nearly succeeds.

    If you know how season 1 ends, please don’t spoil.

  3. 3.

    WaterGirl

    I am watching Bad Sisters, based on Betty Cracker’s recommendation, and I want to kill the bastard myself.

    (Comment posted before seeing BG at #2.)

  5. 5.

    BGinCHI

    Anyone watch Yellowstone? I think we had lots of comments on it last time we had this type of topic.

    We tried it and I couldn’t get past the first few episodes. Great cast and scenery, but too soap opera-style for my tastes.

    Maybe it changes?

  7. 7.

    Alison Rose

    Because I am me, I’ll give you all some recs of some fave books of mine thus far this year. (Not books published this year necessarily, just ones I’ve read.) I don’t want to c/p the synopses because then FYWP will eat it up, and I’ll add all the links in editing after I post this.

    Sistersong by Lucy Holland – Historical fantasy based (somewhat) on a traditional murder ballad with a witchy vibe

    The Beadworkers by Beth Piatote – Mixed-genre short stories by a Native American author about Native life and beliefs

    A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers – Utopian “hopepunk” sci-fi about a tea monk and a sentient robot (Trust me…the series is incredible. The first book is my favorite read of the year and I don’t think it’ll be outdone.)

    Recitatif by Toni Morrison – This is a short story, about 50 pages long I think, published after her death, with a really genius and clever device used throughout

  8. 8.

    BGinCHI

    @Tony Jay: Remember that Cheech & Chong skit where they’re at the drive-in and the detective is about to reveal who the killer is and the PA drowns it out by announcing that “the snack bar closes in 15 minutes”?

    I think about that a lot.

  9. 9.

    NotMax

    As Halloween approacheth, will recommend a slow-building creepy entry from the 1940s available on Prime, Ladies in Retirement. Stellar cast; shall forego linking to its entry on Wikipedia as that is rife with spoilers.

  10. 10.

    Starfish

    @Alison Rose: Those selections all look great. Would you consider any of them a light read? I have been reading more serious things and am way behind on my goal for the year.

  12. 12.

    Suzanne

    busy schedule of adding pumpkin spice to things

    I baked pumpkin bread today.

    Right now, Mr. Suzanne is showing our children a Donald Duck cartoon called “Trick or Treat”. It should be noted that I don’t get much control of the TV.

    Allow me to plug Mr. Suzanne’s podcast, which is called “Barks Remarks” and is all about the duck comics drawn by Carl Barks. A highly niche interest.

  13. 13.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Tony Jay:

    Don’t worry, I hate it when people reveal who the killer is too. 

    SPOILER: The killer was the guy doing all the murdering.

  14. 14.

    Starfish

    I am enjoying She-Hulk more than I expected to because I have generally missed most of the recent trend in all the superhero movies.

    I like the part where She-Hulk can control her ability to turn into a Hulk because if women were to go into uncontrolled Hulk rage, they would Hulk out every day when men catcalled them.

    I think it is endearing that she does not know how to dress herself, and her assistant is trying to get her to wear things that are not giant suits.

  16. 16.

    FelonyGovt

    Even though I normally hate lawyer shows, I’m enjoying Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. Young woman with autism joins a large law firm in Seoul. It’s different from anything out there, the young actors are charming, the production quality is very high, and the subtitles aren’t bothering me.

  17. 17.

    Ken

    @mrmoshpotato: A friend recommended Ann Cleves’ mystery novels set in the Shetland Islands. We then started looking up info about the Shetlands (as one does), and decided that Vaila would present the easiest mystery, as it has a population of 2.

  18. 18.

    Alison Rose

    @Starfish: The Becky Chambers books are definitely lighter reads. They’re novellas and since it’s “utopian” futuristic rather than the usual dystopian, they have a lovely comforting vibe all throughout. There is some emotional stuff (I fucking sobbed multiple times because certain elements hit me very hard) but it’s all in service of something very hopeful and uplifting.

  22. 22.

    oldgold

    I am watching House of Dragons. Tonight the final episode of season one is being aired.

    It is fine, but not up to the standards of the first four or five  seasons of Game of Thrones.

    One big problem is that there is no one to root for. All of the characters vying for the throne are deplorable.

  25. 25.

    Brachiator

    I have been enjoying “Andor,” on Disney Plus. It is a kind of prequel to the Star Wars movie “Rogue One,” but I don’t think you have to be a deep Star Wars fan or be deeply knowledgeable about the Star Wars universe in order to enjoy the series.

    The series is much more solidly dramatic and deliberate in tone than the action jammed movie serial adventures of the main Star Wars films. It actually reminds me of “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” in outer space. The narrative and acting are both excellent. It has been a surprising alternative to some of the other Star Wars series and is very well done.

    ETA. For some reason, I just don’t have the patience to read novels anymore. I think this really built up during the pandemic, where I would mainly watch short form shows and YouTube videos.

  26. 26.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Apologies if I mentioned these last week

    TV:

    Dahmer (Netflix)- Don’t believe the hype.  It’s actually extremely well done, avoids gore and gratuitous violence in most cases and in my opinion does a much better job of telling the victims stories than most True Crime series do.  It also really hammers home the way our Justice System fails marginalized communities and the way white dudes get free passes at nearly every step.  Honestly, I’d put this up there with Unbelievable and When They See Us as tv series that speak volumes about our American (in)Justice.  Episode 6: Silenced is well worth watching all on it’s own (and can be viewed as a stand-alone episode) and is one of the most heartbreaking, but also incredible episodes of tv I’ve seen in awhile.  Rodney Burnford does an Emmy-level performance as Tony Hughes, a Black, deaf model who unfortunately crossed paths with Dahmer.

    Little Women (K-drama, Netflix): very good and fun murder mystery that explores issues of Class in Korea.

    Movies:

    X (HBO)- First film of a horror trilogy where a group of young people in Texas go out to a ranch in order to shoot an adult movie and suddenly killings start happening.  It has sort of a campy 70’s B-movie vibe for the first hour then turns left into an avant garde horror romp.  Much better than I thought it would be.

    The Babysitter (HBO)- Samara Weaving plays the sexy babysitter in this horror/comedy that was also much better than expected.  She’s very good at comedy and this was a very fun flick.

    Fear Street: 1994 (Netflix)- another first chapter of a horror trilogy.  This one is about a town that is cursed by a spirit of a dead witch that appears every 27 years to commit murders by possessing someone.  Part two is 1978, Part three is 1666.  It has a very Stranger Things (but more scary) kind of nostalgic vibe.  Looking forward to Parts 2 and 3.

    We Have Always Lived In the Castle (Peacock)- Shirley Jackson’s last novel.  Good, dark and beautiful film.

    The Night House (HBO)- Rebecca Hall tries to piece together the mystery of her husband who committed suicide and had a secret life while struggling to process the trauma.  Very suspenseful and eery little ghost/haunting flick.

  27. 27.

    Gravenstone

    If you’ve not already seen it, I strongly recommend Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix. A 10 episode anime (4 hours to binge) set as a prequel to the CDPR game (Cyberpunk:2077). It was announced roughly in parallel with the launch of the game, but its overwhelmingly positive reception since release last month has largely redeemed the troubled game and renewed interest in it. As one might expect from the Cyberpunk universe, it is a dark and merciless world. The story at its heart is basically a tale of trying to fit into a world doing its best to destroy you, and the challenge of living your life for the dreams of others.

  29. 29.

    The Lodger

    @Starfish: I don’t know what you call a light read, but the Chambers stories are short and enjoyable.  Read Psalm first to understand the society where everything takes place.

  31. 31.

    Ivan X

    My favorite things that I’ve watched from the last couple of years are: Better Caul Saul (writing this as someone who gave up on Breaking Bad after 1.5 episodes), which, especially in its first 2-3 seasons, is sublime, and less about drug cartels and more about the law and the complexity of morality and the difficulty of human relationships and starting a small business and it’s just a great tragicomedy. I also loved Corporate, which no one saw, but is the most bleakly wonderful cynical existential despair corporate comedy ever made. Well worth seeing if you’re a cynical mope like me. The first few seasons of The Good Fight are just wonderful, and sometimes hilarious, for people of our political disposition, though it may give you TFG PTSD. All of these shows have the benefit of being superbly written. Oh yeah and I love the first season of Russian Doll, but then again I love NYC, and it’s very much that.

    Speaking of superbly written, now I’m not watching anything, but I’m just reading everything Ross Thomas ever wrote (not in order). I’m on the last of the 25 and I’m a little sad about it.

  34. 34.

    raven

    @WaterGirl:

     

    Becka

     

    Eve Hewson was born in Dublin, Ireland, the second daughter of activist Ali Hewson (née Alison Stewart) and U2 lead singer Bono(Paul David Hewson)

  35. 35.

    Brachiator

    @oldgold:

    One big problem is that there is no one to root for. All the people vying for the throne are deplorable.

    Despite the dreadfully disappointing final episode, I enjoyed the original Game of Thrones.

    Does this series involve more than the machinations of the Dragon riding family?

  36. 36.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @WaterGirl: The only good thing about my wife being out of town is that I can watch some of the really scary movies (actually none of them are super-scary).

  38. 38.

    Tony Jay

    @BGinCHI:

    Ah, now, you see, we didn’t get Cheech & Chong over here. We had to make do with Flanagan & Allen, a pair of big-haired Oirish warblers who toured the Folk circuit getting high on nettle tea and giving grannies hot flushes.

    Twas a more innocent time, it was.

  41. 41.

    Sure Lurkalot

    I’ve recommended this podcast early and often but it deserves the accolades it gets:

    Everything is Alive is an interview show in which all the subjects are inanimate objects. In each episode, a different thing tells us its life story–and everything it says is true.
    Ian Chillag is the host and creator of Everything is Alive. Previously he was a producer for NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and he co-created and hosted the NPR podcast How To Do Everything.

    The episodes don’t require a big time commitment (15-20 minutes) and they are equally funny and touching.

  47. 47.

    FelonyGovt

    @WaterGirl: The youngest sister, Becka, the one who’s interested in the young insurance guy. The actress is Eve Henson, and she’s Bono’s daughter.

  48. 48.

    kalakal

    We’re watching The Expanse, somehow never saw it despite recommendations. 3 episodes in, seems rather interesting so far

  49. 49.

    Ivan X

    @raven: That’s enough reason for me to watch! I’m one of the five people who’s a big fan of Odenkirk’s very silly movie Let’s Go To Prison. Who knew he’d turn out to be such a great dramatic actor. His Liam Neeson turn in the film Nobody was fun too.

    He also turned me on (via an NYT Book Review interview) to the funniest book I’ve ever read, at least in my adult life, Will Not Attend by Adam Resnick.

  51. 51.

    Ivan X

    Oh since people here like animals just a little bit, the Apple TV+ series Earth At Night In Color was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. I especially liked the episode about tarsiers, which are animals I had never even heard of.

  53. 53.

    Heidi Mom

    @Starfish: If it’s quick reads you need, here are some recommendations:

    The House Party by Rita Cameron–A group of high-school kids throw a party in an unoccupied, upscale house that’s being built in their upscale, suburban Philly town (New Hope, maybe?), and things go badly wrong.  The cops’ attempt to determine who was responsible fractures the town along socioeconomic lines.  I almost read this in one day, finally had to go to bed.

    City on Fire by Don Winslow–The mob has divided Providence, RI into Irish-American and Italian-American spheres, and everyone’s getting along just fine until a stunningly beautiful woman shows up on the beach, insults are exchanged, and everything goes to hell.  This didn’t seem as insightful as Winslow’s books on the drug wars, but it’s very propulsive (i.e., a quick read).

    Beautiful Things–This is Hunter Biden’s memoir.  It’s shockingly honest and very readable.

    Fencing with the King by Diana Abu Jaber–A Jordanian-American is invited back to Jordan for the King’s 60th birthday, to fence with him as they did when they were young.  (The King is the late Hussein, although that’s never quite spelled out.)  The American’s daughter accompanies him, and they learn that their Jordanian relatives are more complicated than they knew.

    The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian–A newly married ’60s movie star and her husband take friends and family along on their safari honeymoon.  Not all return.  Not Bohjalian’s best, but a definite page turner (if you can keep the names straight).

    Good luck reaching your goal!  I’m at 93 and the goal is 104 (2 a week).

  54. 54.

    Craig

    I might have mentioned this already, but The Outfit is excellent. Mark Rylance plays a bespoke suit maker in 50s Chicago who has a relationship with the mob. A small parlour piece with an great cast. Solid writing and direction. Gorgeous production design from Gemma Jackson of Game of Thrones. Thoroughly enjoyable. Streaming on Prime.

  55. 55.

    Wanderer

    I truly enjoyed Wrexham.  It is all about the sport culture and includes enough well edited game footage to give a good feeling for the game also.
    I have been watching Reboot on Hulu as well. A show about making a comedy show focused on the writer’s room and cast interpersonal relationships. Very funny at times.
    On Netflix I found Vatican Girl.  A well scripted documentary about a the kidnapping of a 15 year old girl.

  56. 56.

    NotMax

    @Craig

    “A tailor sews on buttons and hems trousers. Anyone with a needle and thread and 15 minutes can be a tailor. I studied for decades to be a cutter.”

  57. 57.

    lahke

    I want to second the K-drama recommendations–the production values are good, they are often female-oriented, and it’s very interesting to glimpse another culture, especially when people don’t react as Americans would–it’s great to be surprised.

    Extraordinary Attorney Woo is mostly a comedy, but there are some very poignant moments–I did some crying when her father tells her just how lonely it was to raise an autistic daughter who could provide him nothing emotionally.  Little Women is a real twist on Alcott–this is not a poor but happy family, these are people corroded by class and poverty.

  59. 59.

    Leto

    @Brachiator: Andor was made specifically as more of a spy style television show due to the nature of Rogue One, which I think works really well. It’s fitting into Disney’s vision of trying to find more stories outside of the 1)Skywalkers and 2) the main franchise movies. We really enjoyed it.

    We also enjoyed Amazon’s Rings of Power. It’s set about 3k years before the events in Lord of the Rings. The show couldn’t secure the rights for The Scimilarian or Unfinished Tales, so they’re sort of creating their own story with it. Honestly the best part is Elrond, Durin, and Durin’s wife Lady Disa. I could’ve watched an entire series with just those three. It was enjoyable and can’t wait for more.

    Edit: as far as books, I’ve read both of Madeline Miller’s wonderful books, Song of Achilles and Circe. Can’t recommend both of those highly enough.

  60. 60.

    Craig

    @NotMax: such a great line. I liked that even when I thought I knew what was going on I knew that I didn’t really know what was going on.

  62. 62.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @lahke: If you haven’t seen them already, Mr. Sunshine and Crash Landing Onto You are both really fantastic K-dramas, with a lot of humor and action too.  In addition to letting the women play bad-ass, independent characters it always impresses me how much K-dramas allow them to be silly in ways you usually don’t see from Hollywood.   K-dramas, in general, are much funnier than I would have ever guessed.

  64. 64.

    dnfree

    @BGinCHI: I have a friend who raved about Yellowstone, but I found it over-the-top, too violent (I’m not good with violence) and too improbable in terms of what the rich people get away with.

  65. 65.

    Brachiator

    @Wyatt Salamanca:

    Interview with the late, great Angela Lansbury in which she shares her experience making the Manchurian Candidate.

    Also a great selection of past interviews with Lansbury on the public radio program Fresh Air. Available online and the Fresh Air podcast.

  66. 66.

    Heidi Mom

    @Brachiator: I have to go on record as saying that I loved the final episode of Game of Thrones (esp. the last 5 or so minutes–the so-called montage).  Every character I cared about got an entirely satisfying ending.

  68. 68.

    MattF

    Another vote for She-Hulk. It deliberately goes contrary to various Marvel tropes and doesn’t take itself very seriously. I wouldn’t say it’s hilarious, but it’s good-natured and better than it has to be.

    Finished Naomi Novik’s Scholomance trilogy. An original take on the school-for-magic genre. Liked it, but not as much as her two previous novels. But I’m a Novik fan and wasn’t looking for flaws.

  71. 71.

    BGinCHI

    @Craig: Great little film.

    I’m always telling my screenplay students: if you can write a great script with one location, someone will buy it.

  74. 74.

    Kevin

    Wrexham is really good. I’m a soccer/football fan so that’s what drew me in but a lot of the story is about the town itself and the supporters and players’ back stories. Very well done. Just caught the last episode last night.

    I enjoyed the Longmire series on Netflix which is based on the book series and kind of a western/police drama. Good character although for a small town a lot of people get murdered!

    My favorite podcasts are:

    Heavyweight (Spotify only unfortunately) – each episode is about a personal story or connection. It frequently brings me near tears and the episodes are very well done.

    Flightless Bird: also on Spotify, part of the Armchair Expert podcast family. Host is a native of New Zealand and apparently stuck in USA during the pandemic and explores odd (to him) American stuff like shower curtains (that was the previous episode). It’s hilarious.

  75. 75.

    Dagaetch

    will recommend Karen Pirie, now streaming on BritBox. Younger woman detective gets handed a cold case because of a true crime podcast. Nothing super original, but very well done, has a nice sprinkling of very funny humor throughout, and I liked the characters and actors. Three ~90 minute episodes.

  76. 76.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    I recommend Showtime’s TV version of Interview with the Vampire.  First of all, the focus is on Louis.  Second, the time frame has been moved up to the early 20th Century.  Finally, Louis is obviously black rather than a vague whitish Creole, making his attraction to L’Estat and his choice of becoming a vampire and his vampiric outbursts with white society clearer and more poignant.

  79. 79.

    Yet Another Haldane

    Last weekend I went to a movie IN AN ACTUAL THEATER for the first time since the plague rolled in. We saw “See How They Run,” which was terrific. Think Agatha Christie meets Tom Stoppard. Saoirse Ronan is (of course) magnificent as an overeager rookie cop paired with the dissipated veteran Sam Rockwell. It’s set in London, 1953, and we watched it in a 1950s theater (The Riverview) and it was perfect.

  83. 83.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @oldgold: We just finished watching the finale of Killing Eve (Yes, we’re late) and had the same problem. Anyone I had liked was already dead, and everyone left was pretty much a psychopath. No one to root for.

  85. 85.

    scout

    @lahke: More Korean shows: can also recommend ‘Our Blues’ and ‘Dear My Friends’.  Currently enjoying ‘Live Up to Your Name’.

  86. 86.

    currawong

    If you want to see a bit of my world, there’s a wonderful movie on Netflix (at least it’s available here) called Healing. We heard about it through the local Zoos organisation who invited my wife to take part as an extra at Healesville Sactuary for the movie.

    The sanctuary is an open zoo for native wildlife and has a ‘Spirits of the Sky’ presentation twice a day with local birds of prey. One of these presentations was used in the film. It’s a story of a convict’s rehabilitation through the care of injured wild birds including a wedge-tailed eagle. The cinematography is beautiful with glorious views of the Victorian countryside. It’s a very uplifting film which we first saw at the premier in a small cinema on the outskirts of Melbourne along with lots of baby animals from the sanctuary.

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