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Hump Day Recommendations
Watch: “The Phonecian Scheme.” Wes Anderson’s latest film is everything we’ve come to expect from the quirky director: elaborate sets, stunning visuals, and, of course, Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks nailing basketball trick shots in an underground railway tunnel. The film follows ruthless businessman, Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro) and his misadventures as he tries to fund his latest venture. Throw in Superbad’s Michael Cera, who plays Norwegian entomologist Bjorn Lund, and you’ve got yourself a great weekend watch. — Lizzy
Read: “The Psychology of Money.” If – like many of us journalists – you’re not the best with money, then Morgan Hausel’s book is a fantastic guide on how to make yourself save, and where to put your cash. But this book is also a fascinating look at the psychology of why stocks rise or fall – or skyrocket and nosedive. If you want to actually understand the finance industry, and the drivers behind it, look no further than this digestible non-fiction. — Zac
Watch: The US Open. This week, golf fans are bracing for chaos as the US Open returns to Oakmont, one of the toughest courses in the world. The rough? Brutal. The greens? Lightning fast. It’s the 10th time the Pennsylvania course has hosted the US Open, more than any other. Expect high scores and golf that resembles your weekend scramble. Golf clap! — Nolan
Listen: To Mt. Joy’s new album, Hope We Have Fun. It’s got tracks worthy of the sunniest days, long car rides, and warm nights. I hope you have fun listening to it. – Riley
Watch: “Sirens,” a new limited series from Netflix. Think “White Lotus” meets “Dynasty,” and all the thrilling, campy, lavish images that conjures. It stars Julianne Moore as Michaela Kell, the socialite wife of a billionaire (Kevin Bacon!). Milly Alcock plays her ambitious young assistant, dogged by a dark past and a suddenly present sister (Meghann Fahy). Throw the whole bunch into an ocean-side mansion, add a falcon named Barnaby plus copious references to Moby Dick, and you’ve got a summer sizzler. – Tony
Watch: The Champions League final, this Saturday. Tottenham Hotspur’s triumph over Manchester United in last week’s Europa League final left one GZERO Media reporter delighted, but the quality of the football wasn’t the best in the climax of Europe’s second-tier competition. The final of Europe’s top competition – which pits Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain against American-owned Inter Milan – will be rather better. PSG’s band of fleet-footed wingers are a treasure to behold, while Inter’s never-say-die attitude has made for astonishing comebacks – just look at their semi-final against Barcelona. It’s a culture clash in both ownership and styles, and it’ll be a joy to watch. -- Zac
Listen: To the Blindboy Podcast if you're looking to relax and learn at the same time. Hosted by Blindboy Boatclub — a satirist, author, and musician from Limerick, Ireland – this podcast is like an intimate conversation, an enlightening lecture, and a hug all in one. He’s a one of a kind storyteller. – RileyWatch: The New York Knickerbockers are back in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, when they fell to the Indiana Pacers in six. Twenty-five years later, the same rival returns, sans Reggie Miller. Game 1 tips off tonight at 8pm ET at Madison Square Garden. Timothée Chalamet is ready. Are you? – Nolan
Scroll: The “Sidetalk” Instagram page. It’s only fitting, on the day the Knicks return to the Eastern Conference Finals, that we recommend New York City’s most outrageous social media channel. Sidetalk features the wildest characters from America’s largest and craziest city, many of whom are gathered around Madison Square Garden these days, waiting to celebrate a win for their championship-starved basketball team. Fair warning: There’s some vulgar content, but it’s well worth the ride. – Zac
Check out: Hurling, in case the Knicks break our hearts. This sport is like the love child of hockey, lacrosse, and chaos (in the best way). It’s super fast, insanely skilled, and totally thrilling from start to finish. Plus, it’s one of the oldest sports in the world, packed with Irish pride. I discovered it during a recent trip to Ireland and shall be making the trip up to Gaelic Park in the Bronx to see it again. – Riley
Watch: “Adolescence.” This four-part Netflix miniseries follows a 13-year-old boy in a northern English town who is arrested on suspicion of murdering a girl in the year above him. Though the pilot centers on the arrest and the boy’s day in custody, this isn’t a murder mystery. It’s about the myriad challenges that parents face as their children live alternative lives online, with their own ecosystem and own language. It’s a harrowing picture of the modern world, but essential viewing at a time when figures like Andrew Tate – who is referenced directly in one of the episodes – proliferate online. – Zac
Glance: Can a millennial pass the vibe check with Gen Alpha? Bet. Xiaoma, the 34-year-old polyglot who became an online sensation years ago for his language abilities, delivered an address to a group of schoolchildren in West Chester, Pennsylvania, using their own dialect. He lowkey slaps, no cap.
Purchase (preferably second-hand): A pogo stick. One trip to a random apartment in Park Slope and a $10 Venmo transaction later, I am the proud owner of a pogo stick – and no purchase ever made me feel like I leveled up in life. I took it to Washington Square Park and was immediately flocked by other adults wanting to take it for a spin and rediscover the childhood joy of defying gravity. Catch me boing boinging around Brooklyn. – Riley
Hot take of the week: “The cheaper the pickle, the better the taste.”
(Yes, dear readers, we used to call this Humpday Recs™ – but we’re trying out some new names, bear with us.)
Watch: Veer-Zaara: I recently rewatched this Indian cinema classic from 2004, and immediately remembered why it’s my favorite Indian movie of all. The drama unfolds as an Indian Air Force officer wrongly imprisoned for 22 years in Pakistan is given a chance to fight his case. In his story, we learn of his romance, just before he was arrested, with the betrothed daughter of a Pakistani politician. Two decades after its release, the film’s dialogues are as impeccable and timely as ever – a sensitive portrayal of the fraught relationship between India and Pakistan, two countries once again on the brink of war. - Suhani Lakhotia
Read:The Sparrow blends sci-fi and faith as Jesuits journey to an alien world, echoing real-world missions from centuries past to "undiscovered" lands like Japan and the New World. With the Catholic Church bidding farewell to its first Jesuit pope and now deep in conclave talks to pick a new one, the novel feels newly resonant—grappling with discovery, suffering and belief at civilization’s edge. - Alex Gibson
Listen: “Dr Death.” Not to be confused with the key witness in Errol Morris’ “The Thin Blue Line,” this documentary podcast series tells unsettling stories of untrustworthy doctors. It completed its fourth season earlier this year, but none match the original series, which follows the enthralling and harrowing tale of Dr. Duntsch, an unqualified neurosurgeon who keeps getting new jobs at Texas hospitals despite maiming dozens of his patients. – Zac Weisz
Hot-Take of the Week: Zac says “coffee tables are useless and should be banned.”
Hear: the sounds of lost souls. In 1964, as US involvement in Vietnam was deepening, the US army unveiled a terrifying new psychological weapon. Sound designers working with early audio editing technology made harrowing soundscapes featuring the “lost souls” of North Vietnamese soldiers whose bodies hadn’t been properly buried. The wailing and shrieking of these “souls” – in reality, they were the voices of local US army employees – was broadcast via speakers at night in the jungles around villages thought to be sympathetic to the Communists. The idea, cooked up by army psyop experts and Madison Avenue advertising mavens, was to tap into deep-seated Vietnamese fears about the spiritual anguish of being left unburied. This Radiolab episode tells the whole story and makes a (perhaps imperfect) parallel with the recorded voices of America’s own dead. – Alex K
Read: “Ministry of Time,” by Kaliane Bradley. If you are fascinated by the ill-fated 1840s explorations to find the Northwest Passage – an Arctic link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – you will enjoy this fictional, time-traveling romp, which focuses on Lt. Graham Gore, who was aboard the doomed HMS Erebus when it went missing. The “Ministry” of the title rescues Gore from death and throws him two centuries forward into modern London, where the story follows his struggle to understand today’s world amid a budding romance with an unnamed minder from the Ministry. It’s the debut novel from Bradley, a British-Cambodian writer who started it as a fan fiction of sorts. While you could poke holes in the plot, it’s intriguing, fast-paced, and will leave you wanting a sequel. Alas, she hasn’t committed to one – yet. (Perhaps the Ministry knows more than we do about this!) – Tracy
Read: “Too Much Happiness,”by Alice Munro. Munro never ceases to amaze me, and this collection of 10 short stories that my editor, Tracy Moran, plucked out of one of those free library boxes for me, is no different. Each is so full of humanity, empathy, and powerful portrayals of women’s experiences. If the election this week is inspiring you to read something Canadian, I highly recommend this collection. – Riley
Listen: This Guy Sucked. Are you, like me, nearly as big a history buff as you are a hater? Then this new podcast from Dr. Claire Aubin will be right up your alley. Every week, she and a fellow historian break down the myths and false memories surrounding some of the world’s most unfairly celebrated figures, from Voltaire (the 18th century’s Joe Rogan), to Charlemagne (Aachen’s most genocidal maniac), to Jerry Lee Lewis (Rock n’ Roll’s drunkest sex pest). You’ll laugh, learn, and hopefully come away a little less intimidated by the so-called “Great Men” of history. – Matt
Hear: the evolution of what you’re saying.If you’ve ever wondered how the Proto-Indo-European root word “h1ésh2rnom” evolved over thousands years to become the English word “iron”, or which popular profanity came from the root “pugnéh2nam”, you’ve gotta listen to self-taught linguist @arum_natzorkhang do his 10-second recitations of the words as they evolved from 5000 BCE to today. He also sings Greek tragedies in the original and has thoughts on the languages of Ancient Egypt as well. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s for you, you will NOT be disappointed – and that’s a h1ésh2rnom-clad guarantee. – Alex K.
Watch: “The Mehta Boys.” Directed by Boman Irani, who also stars in the film, this drama follows the relationship between a father and son, two hotheads who are barely on speaking terms. After the passing of his mother, Amay (the son) is stuck with his father after the latter’s flight gets delayed. The duo come face to face with their differences and are left with no choice but to navigate through them. I loved the acting and writing, and how the film shows the reality of a broken middle-class family in India. – Suhani