Mating by Norman Rush

This fictional account of an anthropologist in Botswana in the early 80s is a masterpiece of literature - I’ve never read any other novels by the author but one gets the sense that anything he writes would be worth reading, although it is worth mentioning that this is a very demanding, difficult read, spanning many languages and allusions. 

grey gardens (1976)

This is a famous documentary about some weird relatives of JFK living an isolated and sad life in the east hamptons, and while I wouldn’t go into it looking for an action movie, it is actually surprisingly entertaining and quite thought-provoking. 

moxyland by lauren beukes

Altho pieces of it feel a little dated (pretty common for a near-future sci-fi written more than a decade ago) and the plot is sometimes a bit contrived, the world building and action of this heavy dystopian thriller make it a page turning success. 

light by john harrison

I was intrigued and entertained by this atmospheric hi brow sci-fi alien space exploration tale, but ultimately a bit let down - it was just too much navel gaze, not enough substance.

ferris bueller’s day off (1986)

Look it’s a cult classic but not like, that that classic, you know, like some things didn’t age well and some of the joy of it is lost in a rewatching but it’s still got some wonderful moments and great characters. 

the ant king and other stories by benjamin rosenbaum

A few of the first stories in this collection are really special, and some of the last few are really cool and weird, and the whole thing has a lovely borgesian flair, but also this is really a collection of unfinished ideas as much as it is a collection of stories. 

hearts and minds (1975)

This vietnam doc came out right after the war and it’s frequently an engrossing time capsule look at the way people back then thought and felt about the war - but be warned, it’s also filled with incredibly heavy, violent footage.