By Lauren Siegel ‘23 and Vittoria Socolof ‘22, Arts and Entertainment Editors

After the crazy year we’ve had, this winter break should be a time of rest and relaxation for all members of the NA community. So, we’ve interviewed students and faculty about what they love to watch/read in order to help us decide what to binge this break. We hope this guide gives you some inspiration!

Movies:

Anika Verma ‘22

My favorite movie is War Dogs because it has one of my favorite actors, Jonah Hill, and I can literally watch it 1000 times without getting bored. I just love the comedy; it genuinely makes me laugh out loud and not many things do. It’s also interesting because it’s based on a true story. The fine line between doing illegal things and making money can be really funny. Obviously it’s dramatized, but the whole concept of the movie is grounded in real life. The fact that the movie is also on Netflix now is a huge game changer. 

Arsema Berhanu ‘24

The Devil Wears Prada is a stylish, hilarious, and captivating movie about Runway and the people on it. The main character’s rise to recognition in this foreign world is guaranteed to keep anyone entertained, regardless of their interests in fashion. You can watch this movie on Hulu or Amazon Prime.

TV Shows:

Trisha Bala ‘22: 

One of my current obsessions is this docu-series called Bad Sport on Netflix. The show follows cheating scandals in a bunch of different sports. The episode that I just watched follows the 2002 Olympic pairs figure skating competition. A French judge was pressured to rank the Russian team over the Canadian team even though it was obvious that the Canadian team had better performances. You see pictures, live footage, and old interviews, which makes you feel like you’re in the thick of it all, experiencing this whole scandal. It makes it more emotional and gripping than if you were to just see it on the news. 

Harold Fullilove ‘23:

Atlanta is a perfect mixture of comedy, drama, and social commentary. Not only are the characters extremely entertaining and well written, but the direction and cinematography is also phenomenal. In fact, Atlanta has by far my three favorite episodes of television ever, with two in the first season and my personal favorite in the second. I’m not going to say which ones they are because I think everyone should just watch the whole thing. There are currently two seasons with 10 episodes each, making it extremely easy to binge. It’s currently streaming on Hulu, but if you don’t have a subscription, I can send you some websites you can watch it on that are only slightly sketchy.

Evan Breckman ‘25

I Think You Should Leave is, in my opinion, the best written sketch show of all time. Tim Robinson is one of the most talented comedians working today, and every sketch is as funny as the last. I think what makes this show, and others like it, so entertaining is that the artist genuinely cares about the audience. The T-Rex scene in Jurassic Park or the poison wine scene in the Princess Bride are examples of where the artist does not try to spoon feed the audience a certain story beat, but instead immerses their audience in the atmosphere and world they created. I Think You Should Leave can be found on Netflix. 

Books:

Matt Catrambone ‘22: 

Tribe by Sebastian Hunger is a book about how people exist in groups and communities shared by a common interest or a trait. The book talks about how humans survive and thrive in environments where they feel included. These smaller communities are more difficult to see in our modern society, suggesting ways we can reconnect and take advantage of existing support systems. I like this book because it pushes me to think about the connections I have in a different way. You can get this book on Amazon; however, I strongly encourage everyone to checkout local bookstores first.

Ms. Mahoney:If you haven’t read it yet, let yourself get immersed in the beauty and plot undulations of Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven.  While the subject matter is a little too familiar (a group of performers roam an apocalyptic US after a devastating pandemic), the writing and the precision and layers of the world-building are accompanied by characters who are utterly fresh and plot machinations that offer both surprise and deep satisfaction.  HBO is releasing a limited series by the same name on December 16th.  I will likely reread before I binge!