Recommendations

Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his strange films, so I went into this one expecting more of the same. And it was strange, but not an an unapprochable way like some of his earlier films. The set design was fantastic, especially the bright streets of Lisbon. The fish eye shots are used to great effect. And, as someone who was also fairly recently diagnosed with autism, I appreciated the (intentional or not) spectrum parallels in the movie as well.

Canje is an extraordinary caribbean restaurant in East Austin. I learned about it from the Bon Appétit YouTube series "On The Line" and made plans to go with a friend almost immediately after watching. We ordered every dish featured in the video and they were all amazing. The salt fish accra, the wild boar pepperpot (pictured), the incredibly flaky roti, the jerk chicken, the maduros, and a few drinks. I can only describe the experience as transcendental. One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.

From the company formerly known as College Humor, a fun and quirky game show where the game is new and different every episode. Games range from escape rooms to innuendo competitions to Simon Says to improv karaoke to Bachelor and Survivor parodies. Including a rotating cast of contestants, most of whom will be familiar to those who follow the LA indie comedy and/or podcast comedy scene, and a host (Sam Reich) who exudes joy every episode, I can't recommend Game Changer enough.

I've thought these three boys were hilarious since they started uploading videos to Twitter during lockdown in 2020. I was ecstatic to see them hired by SNL, where we get to see a new, well produced short video from them nearly every week. I was skeptical that their 3 minute bits would hold up in a 90 minute form, but I think this film turned out fantastic. It has several laugh out loud moments that are only enhanced by other cast members, Meg Stalter, X Mayo, and Conan O'Brien (in his first film role not playing himself!), to mention a few.

There's been a small trend of new TV shows being written by and starring indigenous people in the past few years and I'm really glad because the writing and acting is amazing and the stories are hilarious and I'm learning a lot about a culture I didn't know a lot about. Reservation Dogs is, perhaps, the best of this new wave of shows. It's funny and heartfelt and engaging and real. It's final season just finished airing and was incredible. I can't recommend it enough.

The first season was a little slow for my taste. I still watched all the way through, but it was so slow that I was considering skipping the second season alltogether. I'm glad I didn't. It starts out more exciting than the first ever got and by the time you get to the linked episode, they're pulling sci-fi stunts on the scale of Game of Thrones. A very fun season that has me excited for the next.

With a menu full of African and African-American inspired barbecued meats and sides, you can't go wrong. The pork spare ribs and brisket are amazing. Situated next to a brewery and an outdoor stage with reasonable-volume music, it's a great way to spend an evening.

Season 2 is just as funny as season 1. A story about hustling and making it big in Miami, from killing snakes to farming prostate berries, Craig Robinson of “The Office” fame along with Claudia O'Doherty from Netflix's “Love” are a dynamic duo who take on local criminals, insane scam tycoons, and rich weirdos in the new season.

A fantastic little South Austin coffee shoppe, wine bar, and bike shop (hence the slogan “Espresso. Champaign. Chain Lube.”). The pizza is great and vibes are on point for a chill Saturday night.

A fast-paced season that will make you fall in love with gourmet restaurants and their inner-workings. Featuring a truly insane roster of guest stars, impressive writing, acting, and cinematography, The Bear has outdone itself. Somehow better than the first season.

The best tacos in Austin, Texas. I’ve tried a lot of tacos in town and these are my favorites so far. They’re big and filling and full of fresh ingredients. The atmosphere is great, with indoor and outdoor seating options (though I might avoid the latter in the summer months...)

Lauren Lapkus, Paul F. Tompkins, and Scott Aukerman — three comedians and real-life friends who have performed numerous times together — tell stories from their past and present while joking with each other. Listening to this podcast feels like spending time with good friends. My all-time favorite podcast.

A little taco spot on North Lamar with AMAZING carnitas. A plate piled high with a heaping helping of meat, a half-dozen tortillas, and assorted salsas is yours for about $12. What a deal.

A show that oscillates between a stereotypical sitcom about a dumbshit husband with a wife who is too good for him and a hard drama about a woman trying to get out of her relationship, with cinematography styles and canned laughter to match. King of Queens meets Breaking Bad. Annie Murphy from Schitt’s Creek stars and is incredible, as she is in everything.

I love anything post-apocalyptic and Silo most certainly fits that bill. With an actually compelling cliffhanger each episode and the right kind of sci-fi/dystopian vibes, this show is great if you’re looking for your next drama.

A weird and quirky show about a machine that mysteriously appears in a small town which claims to be able to tell residents their “life’s potential.” Each episode focuses on a different townsperson, painting really interesting vignettes and giving you quality time with each character in a way you wouldn’t normally get. Josh Segarra is the stand-out, as he is in everything.

A show about a relationship that feels all too familiar. I think I’ve had this type of close friendship a half-dozen times over the last 10-ish years of my life and it has consistently been my favorite. This show is a half-hour of remembering all those good feelings. Shout-out to the women in my life and all the goofy fun we’ve had together ✌️

A new restaurant from Chef Fermín Núñez on the east side, focused on Mexican seafood. Needless to say, it’s incredible. Chef Fermín recommends the Camarones “El Ricas” (pictured) — butterflied shell-on shrimp, lime, chile costeño garlic butter, and cilantro — which are fantastic. Great fish taco options (on Suerte’s amazing blue corn tortillas) as well.

A fun film about the weirdness and terribleness of Hollywood from Charlie Day.

Each season of Dave is somehow better than the last, but this one is really elevated. The guest stars, the stories, the performances from the core cast… Dave is out there looking for love, but he just can’t get out of his own way.

A show about a hitman turned actor. Barry has a lot of industry jokes that you might not get if you’re not familiar with the inner-workings of Hollywood, but it’s hilarious nonetheless. There were several episodes where I was laughing so hard I couldn’t catch my breath.

Why would anyone decide to take a tour on an active volcano? This documentary is morbidly interesting, if you like disaster. Especially interesting since it occurred in 2019, when there was firsthand smartphone footage available.

An incredible film about the rise and fall of a monumental company and the people who shaped the modern smartphone. Perhaps the most well-made big tech origin docudrama I’ve seen. Glenn Howerton’s performance as an Angry Man is unmatched.

Bridger Winegar invites guests on his podcast, explicitly asking them not to bring a gift, and they always disobey him. This one is a fun conversation between a comedy writer and his (often famous, yet disrespectful) guests.

A mockumentary show about jury duty where one person doesn’t know he’s on a TV show. A super interesting take on this style of show, with amazing performances from everyone involved, but especially James Marsden.

The revival is better than the original. I think there were laugh-out-loud moments in every single episode of this new season for me. Ken Marino steals the show.

Nickel Creek makes an album together about once every ten years and each one is a treasure. This one is particularly great, with Strangers pulling ahead as my favorite track of 2023.

I had the opportunity to see Lake Street Dive live while they performed some of these covers this week. Amazing energy. Linger is such a great cover, as is Automatic.

The first game console I ever asked for was an original Xbox, solely so I could play Spider-Man 2. This Spider-Man game is basically a remake of Spider-Man 2, mechanics-wise, so I’m enthralled. Swing around an open-world Manhattan, recreated to be close to identical to the real thing. This game has enough structure to keep me playing balanced with enough open-world exploration to pique my interest. Now that it’s available for the Steam Deck, it’s the only game I’ll be playing until I finish it.

An amazing taco spot on East 12th, with blue corn tortillas and all kinds of weird and fun menu items. My steadfast favorite is the duck carnitas taco, but they also have lots of great vegetarian options and seasonal aguas frescas.

The three creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia have a podcast! They host with fellow Sunny writer and Mythic Quest co-creator Megan Ganz and usually recap episodes of Sunny. However, my favorite episodes are the ones where one of the guys “comes in hot” with some topic to discuss or story to tell that derails the entire episode.

Nicole Parker and Paul F. Tompkins play the local realtor and local pharmacist of the fictional town of Dignity Falls as they read real Nextdoor posts and improvise about them with their guests.