By John Tustin
By no means is this new news; we are under quarantine. It’s been going on for a little over a month now and we’ve all come to terms with it and accept the stay-at-home orders (except for some people who want to protest the protective measures, like idiots).
The coronavirus has no doubt affected just about everyone, and we are all bored as hell. Even if school is giving us more homework than we would normally have, or if we’ve gotten more chores to do around the house, we are bored—we need fun things to do. But you can’t go out to a theater to watch a movie, go to a restaurant, or hang out. So what are you going to do to keep your mind busy? You are going to consume media. It can be movies, tv shows, music, podcasts and of course the internet in general. And I would like to recommend some things to watch and listen to during quarantine.
Ever since I was born I have been watching TV. It may not be healthy, but it’s true. I could tell you about The Office, Friends, Parks and Rec and Seinfeld, but you’ve probably either watched them all or have heard enough about them. I want to recommend things that you have had no intention of watching, but should.
Cheers is one of the most iconic TV shows ever created, the bar where everybody knows your name, the show that had blessed us with Sam, Diane, Cliff, Carla, Norm, Coach, Woody, and Frasier. Cheers is a happy feel-good, funny show that has defined 1980’s television to the greatest extent. Cheers has 11 seasons that will keep you busy for a good while with it’s interesting characters and story.
Now Frasier, in my opinion, is even better. Frasier is the Cheers spin-off that follows Seattle’s favorite radio psychiatrist, Frasier Crane along with his narcissistic brother, common man father, and his father’s strange yet likeable health care worker Daphne. Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce play the competitive brothers “Frasier” and “Niles” and their ridiculous pompous one-upmanship antics are what really makes the show. The best part is that you don’t have to watch Cheers first to follow the plot.
King of The Hill, is one of America’s favorite animated shows. You the viewer follow the life of Hank Hill and the people of Arlen, Texas. Hank can probably be summed up in this quote, “Hank is set in his ways and afraid of taking risks, but generally a good person. Although he is traditionally conservative in his attitudes, and in how he dislikes change and novel situations, he can adapt to them quite well, quickly mastering unfamiliar social milieus.” You not only watch Hank, you watch and come to love his thoughtful son Bobby (loosely based on the series’ creator as a child), his elitist Vietnamese neighbors, and Hank’s folksy pals Boomhauer, Dale, and Bill. All except his wife Peggy, I hate Peggy, everybody hates Peggy. The other tv shows I would recommend I have already touched upon in previous articles, specifically Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.
As for movies, I really only watch the classics, and the famous ones, because I believe that it is hard for a good movie not to be well known. The Shawshank Redemption is considered one of the best movies ever made for a reason. It’s incredible acting, story, and overall direction make it a masterpiece, not to mention that it is the reason we all know Morgan Freeman for his skills as a narrator. If you wanna watch a prison movie, watch the one that defined the genre.
Goodfellas is another one of those movies that have incredible performances and a great story. It’s lighter than The Godfather, but I believe that it similarly captures the pure essence of all Mafia movies.
One film genre that I have watched way too much of is comedies from the 2000s. I’ve seen too much of Paul Rudd, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Jack Black. But from that era there is real gold among all the mountains of dirt. Zoolander, Superbad, The 40 Year Old Virgin, The Hangover, Napoleon Dynamite, and Pineapple Express are the gems from this time, and any one of these will give you a couple of enjoyable comedic hours.
The last movie I recommend is actually a trilogy of films. I’m talking about the Austin Powers movies, which are amazing and iconic. Mike Myers’s performance as both Dr. Evil and Austin Powers (the villain and the hero of this movie trilogy respectively) are what these films are all about. If you want to have a great day, watch the Austin Powers saga. It’s more than worth it.
The last category of entertainment media is Podcasts. Of these, I only have one to recommend. The Supermega Podcast, run by Matt Watson and Ryan Magee. With about 200 episodes under their belt Matt and Ryan will give you hours of stories and conversation. Honestly I love the dynamic between the two of them and all the gags. It’s a very easy to listen-to podcast, just something that you can put on when completing school work or while on a walk. Back when going to school was still a thing, I would listen to their podcast every day on my commute to and from school.
Anyway, all the above are just some pieces of media that I have really enjoyed, and believe that others might like as well. Also, all of these vary in parental advisory ratings from “family-friendly” to “adult,” so keep that in mind.