Anything Happen While I Was Gone?
September 23, 2023 9:12 AM
My dad has lived in the Alaska bush for most of the last 40 years with books and radio as his only media sources. Now he has a computer and an internet connection and wants to catch up on what he's missed. What's he missed? Looking for movies and television shows available for free viewing or on one of the major streaming services in the US.
Please give me your recommendations covering world events and politics, but also pop culture, the arts, and the human experience. Fiction and non-fiction treatments are welcome, and he's interested in everything from serious to lighthearted fare. He'd prefer non-violent content generally, but you should still recommend possibly violent documentaries if integral to understanding recent history. Dad is quite far-left-leaning, but interested in multiple viewpoints. Bonus points for movies and tv shows that show some of the cultural shifts around subjects like race, disability, class, religion, gender, etc. Lastly, if you have iconic recommendations that are purely entertainment, rather than bringing him up to speed on what's happened while he's been out of the loop, those would also be welcome. He's also especially interested in content about animal intelligence/communication, first-contact stories (terrestrial or otherwise), fantasy.
Please give me your recommendations covering world events and politics, but also pop culture, the arts, and the human experience. Fiction and non-fiction treatments are welcome, and he's interested in everything from serious to lighthearted fare. He'd prefer non-violent content generally, but you should still recommend possibly violent documentaries if integral to understanding recent history. Dad is quite far-left-leaning, but interested in multiple viewpoints. Bonus points for movies and tv shows that show some of the cultural shifts around subjects like race, disability, class, religion, gender, etc. Lastly, if you have iconic recommendations that are purely entertainment, rather than bringing him up to speed on what's happened while he's been out of the loop, those would also be welcome. He's also especially interested in content about animal intelligence/communication, first-contact stories (terrestrial or otherwise), fantasy.
With access to radio, I believe that your Dad was not so sheltered from world events after all.
However, telling your Dad about Wikipedia would be a great start, he could explore various rabbit holes to his heart’s content! I also recommend the Criterion collection of films (and consulting IMDB) for a curated set of movies deemed significant.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:36 AM on September 23, 2023
However, telling your Dad about Wikipedia would be a great start, he could explore various rabbit holes to his heart’s content! I also recommend the Criterion collection of films (and consulting IMDB) for a curated set of movies deemed significant.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:36 AM on September 23, 2023
he could also delve into the archives of...Metafilter!! so many great threads of books/movies/shows recommendations. I use it all the time myself.
posted by supermedusa at 10:02 AM on September 23, 2023
posted by supermedusa at 10:02 AM on September 23, 2023
From your last sentence I think your dad would really enjoy the movie "Arrival" (2016).
If he wants to get a better grasp on the current state of the Internet and how people relate to each other, he might try watching "The Social Network" (2010). Things have evolved since then, of course, but it still gives a sense of how this mess we're in got started.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:03 AM on September 23, 2023
If he wants to get a better grasp on the current state of the Internet and how people relate to each other, he might try watching "The Social Network" (2010). Things have evolved since then, of course, but it still gives a sense of how this mess we're in got started.
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:03 AM on September 23, 2023
Forty years is a long time to catch up on!
Just to catch up on basic history and pop culture, CNN made a pretty decent series of miniseries around decades, and he may want to check out The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s. They seem to be available right now on CNNgo with a cable login.
Interested in fantasy? Then he'll probably be psyched to know that the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy got a good movie treatment.
But, wow, covering 40 years is a great mental exercise. I'll pop back in if I think of more stuff.
posted by General Malaise at 10:21 AM on September 23, 2023
Just to catch up on basic history and pop culture, CNN made a pretty decent series of miniseries around decades, and he may want to check out The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s. They seem to be available right now on CNNgo with a cable login.
Interested in fantasy? Then he'll probably be psyched to know that the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy got a good movie treatment.
But, wow, covering 40 years is a great mental exercise. I'll pop back in if I think of more stuff.
posted by General Malaise at 10:21 AM on September 23, 2023
Movies dealing with tech concerns:
Blade Runner
Her
The Truman Show
Eternal Sunshine of the Forgotten Mind
Movies dealing with black oppression/activism:
Do The Right Thing
Whose Streets?
The Kalief Browder Story
John Lewis: Good Trouble
TV by/about native Americans:
Reservation Dogs
Rutherford Falls
Tv/Movies about LGBTQ:
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Boys Don’t Cry
Paris is Burning
Sort Of
Feel Good
Plant/Animal movies:
Grizzly Man
My Octopus Teacher
Fabulous Fungi
I also think your dad might give Studio Ghibli a shot. They’re not just kids movies, they’re very beautiful, and they sort of fulfill the animal communication and fantasy briefs: My Neighbor Totoro, The Secret World of Arietty
Finally, depending on how much he’s been following, I’d look for documentaries about the spread of the internet and internet culture, the rise and urbanization of China, the fall of the Soviet Union (maybe the Adam Curtis documentary Russia 1985-1999 Traumazone)
posted by hungrytiger at 12:02 PM on September 23, 2023
Blade Runner
Her
The Truman Show
Eternal Sunshine of the Forgotten Mind
Movies dealing with black oppression/activism:
Do The Right Thing
Whose Streets?
The Kalief Browder Story
John Lewis: Good Trouble
TV by/about native Americans:
Reservation Dogs
Rutherford Falls
Tv/Movies about LGBTQ:
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Boys Don’t Cry
Paris is Burning
Sort Of
Feel Good
Plant/Animal movies:
Grizzly Man
My Octopus Teacher
Fabulous Fungi
I also think your dad might give Studio Ghibli a shot. They’re not just kids movies, they’re very beautiful, and they sort of fulfill the animal communication and fantasy briefs: My Neighbor Totoro, The Secret World of Arietty
Finally, depending on how much he’s been following, I’d look for documentaries about the spread of the internet and internet culture, the rise and urbanization of China, the fall of the Soviet Union (maybe the Adam Curtis documentary Russia 1985-1999 Traumazone)
posted by hungrytiger at 12:02 PM on September 23, 2023
Bonus points for movies and tv shows that show some of the cultural shifts around subjects like race, disability, class, religion, gender, etc.
Schitt’s Creek is a pretty good example of the cultural shift around sexuality. A show that specifically addresses a similar situation as your father’s - being out of touch for decades - is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:38 PM on September 23, 2023
Schitt’s Creek is a pretty good example of the cultural shift around sexuality. A show that specifically addresses a similar situation as your father’s - being out of touch for decades - is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
posted by MexicanYenta at 6:38 PM on September 23, 2023
NOVA is still around and has a lot of full episodes going back to 2001 on their website. (Unfortunately some are behind a donation-wall.) For example: What Are Animals Saying?
One idea is to focus on Oscar-worthy films and documentaries, because they often follow the zeitgeist of the year they were nominated, and are usually accessible to a wide audience. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime (lists may be out of date)
I'd be interested in what he thinks of Happy People: A Year in the Taiga but maybe he's had enough of the bush.
Make sure you tell him about the dangers of social media / YouTube, how the content is often unreliable, and the rabbit holes down which an "algorithm" can send you.
posted by credulous at 8:14 PM on September 23, 2023
One idea is to focus on Oscar-worthy films and documentaries, because they often follow the zeitgeist of the year they were nominated, and are usually accessible to a wide audience. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime (lists may be out of date)
I'd be interested in what he thinks of Happy People: A Year in the Taiga but maybe he's had enough of the bush.
Make sure you tell him about the dangers of social media / YouTube, how the content is often unreliable, and the rabbit holes down which an "algorithm" can send you.
posted by credulous at 8:14 PM on September 23, 2023
Fall Out Boy did an updated version of “We didn’t start the fire” that continues from Billy Joel’s 1989 original.
Covers a lot of what happened since then.
posted by my-username at 2:01 AM on September 24, 2023
Covers a lot of what happened since then.
posted by my-username at 2:01 AM on September 24, 2023
When I say bush, I mean B.U.S.H. He lived alone off-grid 20 miles down river from Ruby AK, ~200 people. Closest neighbors were miles away by dog team or canoe.
2 years ago, he moved into the big city: Galena, population ~500. He lives in a dry cabin: that is, he has electricity but no running water/plumbing. He's only had a computer for a few months. His internet access is borrowed from a neighbor's satellite internet.
Because he had radio in the bush, he is not unaware of what's been happening in the world, but I want to expose him to media that allow him to take a deeper dive or fill in the gaps. Also looking for stuff that's just plain fun!
Several have mentioned helping him to understand the dangers of unreliable content, scams, how algorithms work, etc. I'd love to know of any specific online resources that cover these topics well, in your opinion.
Thanks for the suggestions so far, and please keep them coming!
posted by QuakerMel at 6:44 AM on September 24, 2023
2 years ago, he moved into the big city: Galena, population ~500. He lives in a dry cabin: that is, he has electricity but no running water/plumbing. He's only had a computer for a few months. His internet access is borrowed from a neighbor's satellite internet.
Because he had radio in the bush, he is not unaware of what's been happening in the world, but I want to expose him to media that allow him to take a deeper dive or fill in the gaps. Also looking for stuff that's just plain fun!
Several have mentioned helping him to understand the dangers of unreliable content, scams, how algorithms work, etc. I'd love to know of any specific online resources that cover these topics well, in your opinion.
Thanks for the suggestions so far, and please keep them coming!
posted by QuakerMel at 6:44 AM on September 24, 2023
The Frontline documentary called Growing Up Trans (YouTube link) really helped me understand the topic. It’s from 2015 so maybe a little dated… but I don’t think so. I think they did a really good job. Also, on the same topic, but a fictional treatment, is Amazon’s Transparent, despite problems that emerged with the actor Jeffrey Tambor.
In fact, ALL the Frontline documentaries are usually amazing. They cover many topics and issues.
+1 to the Netflix doc Fantastic Fungi.
Max (HBO) has Raoul Peck’s amazing documentary I Am Not Your Negro. From the description on the platform: “a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.”
There was a really good doc about inequality that I think I saw on HBO within last 5-7 years, I can’t remember the name.
Also I think he needs to see something about the terrible state of US healthcare but nothing comes to mind except Michael Moore’s Sicko, but that’s already dated way back to 2007.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 9:49 AM on September 24, 2023
In fact, ALL the Frontline documentaries are usually amazing. They cover many topics and issues.
+1 to the Netflix doc Fantastic Fungi.
Max (HBO) has Raoul Peck’s amazing documentary I Am Not Your Negro. From the description on the platform: “a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.”
There was a really good doc about inequality that I think I saw on HBO within last 5-7 years, I can’t remember the name.
Also I think he needs to see something about the terrible state of US healthcare but nothing comes to mind except Michael Moore’s Sicko, but that’s already dated way back to 2007.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 9:49 AM on September 24, 2023
Here: Frontline again, The Healthcare Divide
posted by SomethinsWrong at 9:52 AM on September 24, 2023
posted by SomethinsWrong at 9:52 AM on September 24, 2023
Just a quick follow-up: the film about inequality I mentioned above is called American Winter and it came out in 2013 which means it’s already 10 years old (!). Unfortunately it’s no longer on HBO, but I see it is available through my library on Kanopy.
Might want to see if your father can sign up for Kanopy through his public library (if he hasn’t already), since it has lots of good stuff. But I know the content availability will differ depending on library.
By the way, I reread your question and want to strongly recommend Black Mirror on Netflix for all the cultural and fantasy and pure entertainment reasons.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:40 PM on September 26, 2023
Might want to see if your father can sign up for Kanopy through his public library (if he hasn’t already), since it has lots of good stuff. But I know the content availability will differ depending on library.
By the way, I reread your question and want to strongly recommend Black Mirror on Netflix for all the cultural and fantasy and pure entertainment reasons.
posted by SomethinsWrong at 5:40 PM on September 26, 2023
This thread is closed to new comments.
I can also recommend a Roku TV if he hasn't settled on a television yet, they make streaming pretty easy.
posted by TimHare at 9:24 AM on September 23, 2023