#ngcblog

Published on June 19, 2018, by Ailish Elzy.

Or as others might call it, Gravity 2 because Sandra Bullock still doesn’t need George Clooney’s help. She can land a spaceship and steal over $100 million worth of jewels without his help thank you very much. The biggest thing I learned from this movie is that when Sandra Bullock says she’s gonna do something SHE’S GONNA FUCKING DO IT! Don’t sleep on Sandy! Also, don’t sleep on women because bitches really do get stuff done. This movie proves it.

It’s the story of a heist and bunch of smart ladies. There are no love interests, just a ton of amazing outfits and all of these actresses playing their peak character. They’re all a heightened version of what we know and love them as. Rihanna is a badass blunt smoking hacker, Anne Hathaway is a ditsy actress, Mindy is a celebrity-obsessed talented jeweler. It all works, the characters and the heist.  Honestly, if you had 5 years to plan a heist, wouldn’t you be able to plan it out perfectly?

Drink When

Published on June 29, 2018, by Stephanie Méndez.

Here are a few of Stephanie’s favorites across the genre boards. Songs include original samples and the contemporary songs they were flipped into. 

Listen to Then & Later on Apple Music or Spotify. 

Published on June 21, 2018 by Stephanie Méndez.

First of all, today is Stephanie’s birthday!!! SO LET’S ALL MAKE SURE TO WISH OUR FAVORITE HYPHY GEMINI A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Thank you for always comin thru with the best music for every mood. And thank you for sharing your gift of photography, and all around amazing personality with us, too. We love you! 

In honor of her born day, Mos Steff (as we know her on the internet) has blessed us with a playlist of the initial influences that made her love music as much as she does now. 

Listen to the playlist “Mos Steff” on Apple Music or Spotify. 

Note: it’s best if you hit shuffle! 

Published on June 18, 2018, by Ailish Elzy.

I wanted to write this food show edition of Weekly Watch for a little while now and was taking my time with it so I could watch all the shows and get a real feel for what to suggest. And then Anthony Bourdain died and it made me think about these shows more seriously.

We’ve always had the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, but we’ve recently had an upsurge in the quality of these shows and I really think you can trace it back to Bourdain. Whether you were an early fan of Parts Unknown or No Reservations or you just recently got into Chef’s Table or Ugly Delicious, you have Bourdain to thank for that.

There’s a lot that has been written in the past week and will continue to be written about in the years to come because Bourdain had a profound impact on the food industry, on the food documentary and on how we see different parts of the world. I only recently got into his shows in the past three years, but I very quickly fell in love with his passion, his sense of adventure and his honesty. He was an incredibly inspiring and fascinating dude to watch.

I’m not here to talk about him in depth, mostly because I don’t feel like that’s my place. I want to talk about the impact I’ve seen on food television because of him and his legacy. This will be a slightly different Weekly Watch. It’ll all be food shows I love and recommend watching because this is a large umbrella of a genre that’s worth exploring.

The real reason I wanted to write this in the first place was that I recently acquired two new books. One about Wine called Wine. All The Time by comedy writer and leisure enthusiast Marissa A Ross. A book I highly recommend no matter how much or how little you know about wine (I know very little). The other book I acquired was Cravings by supermodel and well-known internet person Chrissy Teigen. Both books are very dope and enjoyable in different ways.

Since I’ve been reading them, I’ve subsequently stopped watching scripted shows and fallen down a very enjoyable hole of watching shows about food and wine. It’s really hard to watch these shows and not immediately think you’re a talented chef yourself. Shows about food and cooking are highly underrated in my opinion. It’s not just your mom’s Food Network anymore either, it has really expanded.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the influx of well-produced food-related documentaries on Netflix or channels expanding on their brand and adding a food show. It’s not even just on TV. YouTube holds some very well produced fooding shows (which is what I feel like we should be calling them) from channels like Tastemade or Bon Appetit as well as homemade shows by regular-ass kids.

I gotta say I am totally here for this! Food shows are a wonderful break from scripted TV. You can throw them on in the background when you’re cleaning but you can also sit and watch them like you would any other show. You can even watch them when you’re cooking, although you might feel inferior depending on if you’re watching Chef’s Table and if that’s the case, maybe just throw on Nailed It when you’re making food to feel a little better about yourself. I will say the one place I don’t recommend watching these shows is at the gym. It should be pretty obvious, but I thought I could handle it and then immediately got SO hungry and had to make a pizza. 

If you need it, here are some shows I recommend, where you can find them and a solid episode you can start with if you’re unsure.

Nailed it

Why it’s good: This show is almost everything I’ve ever wanted a competition cooking show to be. It’s silly, it’s realistic, it’s short, and they win money. The premise is home cooks try to recreate all those things you see on Pinterest with people making cakes that look like emoji’s or Spongebob. Nicole Byer, the host, is EASILY the best part and really the only reason to watch it! 

A dope episode to start with: Honestly the first one. The episodes are short and you’ll get right into the vibe of it. 

Where you can watch it: Netflix babyyy!! Also they just got renewed for season 2

Chef’s Table: Pastry

Why it’s good: If you love high quality docu-series AND food, you’ll love this. It’s got that cinematic quality goodness mixed with a really heartwarming story about someone trying to achieve their dreams. They really do a good job of weaving a narrative into these people’s stories of success.

A dope episode to start with: Milk Bar. It’s fun, it’s really American, and it shows you a very approachable way to cook delicious and simple desserts.

Where you can watch it: Netflix duh!

Bonus: Pastry is the fourth season, the other three seasons focus on non-pastry foods, or what they call in the biz, food. There’s a fantastic episode about Nancy Silverton (season 3 episode 3) that has such a great dramatic arc it really seems more like a narrative show than a documentary.

Ugly Delicious

Why it’s good: I was particularly drawn to this series because they focus on one type of food per episode. And they really know how to get you. Episode titles include: Pizza, Tacos, Stuffed and Fried Chicken. Honestly, unless you’re a vegan, what’s not to like? They take you all around the world. They eat the highest quality, the lowest quality (usually fast food) the weirdest and the least expected versions of whichever food they’re profiling. You’re definitely going to learn something new about a food you’ve loved. The style of this show is also particularly cool. They’ll do a parody genre, or have a section just be animated. They really have fun with it which makes you as a viewer have fun with it!

A dope episode to start with: I’d say pick whichever food you like the most and go from there.

Where you can watch it: Netflix (obviously!!)

Frankie Cooks

Why it’s good: If you’re into Italian home cooking, but you’re a little intimidated, BUT you also want to learn about why you’re supposed to do the things you do while cooking, Frankie is your dude! His hyper-enthusiastic personality will draw you in, but his pasta knowledge will keep you coming back for more. I’m a HUGE fan of pizza and pasta and have had many of his meals made for me by my boyfriend who is both obsessed with his videos and the one who introduced me to 

A dope episode to start with: As will become clear with a lot of these, it’s best to find the food you want to learn more about and start with that, but the one that got me into Frankie was this video.

Where you can watch it: Youtube, baby! Here’s his personal channel and here’s where you can find him on Tastemade.

Good Times with Jen

Why it’s good: Another Tastemade person! Jen is such a delight. She specializes in Filipina food and comfort foods that are easy to recreate at home. Her personality is fun and authentic which can be really rare with these kinds of videos (trust me, I watched a lot). She has a lot of great videos of her getting stoned and making or attempting to make food which is so fun to watch. But I really love her videos because I feel like I learn more about Filipino food and they’re actually dishes I can eat and enjoy (I’m allergic to a lot of foods).

A dope episode to start with: A funny video to start with is this one, but a good food video is this Filipino bacon recipe.

Where you can watch it: On Tastemade’s youtube!! Or just follow those links.

Huang’s World

Why it’s good: I think this was the first cooking show on vice that I ever watched and I really loved it. I was REALLY apprehensive about vice show at first, especially shows about food. I guess I just didn’t trust that they knew what they were talking about. Boy, was I proven the fuck wrong. Eddie is a fucking G. He really knows his shit, but he’s also really open to learning about the culture where he’s visiting. I think that’s what I enjoy most, how open and respectful he is about where he is. The food they eat is also really great.

A dope episode to start with: I personally loved the episode in Japan.

Where you can watch it: Viceland! (Either Youtube or on cable I guess)

F*ck That’s Delicious

Why it’s good: This is the type of show I actually expected from Viceland. Something raw, lots of cussing, smoking weed and just eating a bunch of food. This show is really all over the place. It’s hard to describe, but that’s also why it’s so fun.

A dope episode to start with: A while back The New Yorker had a great write up about a specific episode which is a really solid one to start with to get a feel for what this show is all about.

Where you can watch it: Viceland probably or maybe on YouTube.

Parts Unknown

I would be remiss if I did not include an Anthony Bourdain show on this list. There are so many good episodes and they’re all good for their own reasons. One of my favorite episodes is Season 8 episode two called Hanoi. This is the episode where he famously interviewed Barack Obama. My other favorite episode is Season 6 Episode 5 titled Bay Area. Because If Bourdain goes to Oakland, I obviously have to know where and what he ate. I was not disappointed!

Published on June 13, 2018, by Stephanie Méndez.

Listen to Hella Long Drives on Apple Music or Spotify.

Published on May 31, 2018, by Stephanie Méndez

Listen to Smooth Raps on Apple Music or Spotify.

Published on May 28, 2018, by Ailish Elzy.

Dear White People

When this season came out someone in an article (honestly it was probably a tweet) said that this season was both timely and timeless to which I fully agree. I was watching Blazing Saddles recently and all of the race humor is still eerily relevant which I feel will (unfortunately) be like Dear White People in a decade. It also doesn’t help that there are moments in this season where they’ll bring up an issue, and then flash back to Winchester in different eras where the issue was also relevant. All of that aside, this season is solid! It’s everything I liked about the first season but more. More characters you love getting screen time, more parties, more dope guest stars, more references. SO MANY REFERENCES. It’s honestly worth a second watch with subtitles on just so you can pause it and Google in order to catch everything. I really really really like this show, but I’m also it’s targeted demographic. So, this is for all the white folks, people in interracial relationships, and all my friends over 40. I think you’re the people who will benefit most from watching this show. 

Where can I watch this?  Netflix

The Let Down

I originally wanted to watch this when I found out Celeste Barber was in the cast. (If you don’t know who she is, go check out her Instagram and then come back here). Although this show is funny, I feel like the best humor comes from being able to relate to it, as a mom, which I am not. It’s got some painfully honest moments, some of which turn into jokes but some don’t. I think this is the first true dramedy I’ve watched in a while. The show follows Audrey (played by one of the show’s creators) as she attends mother classes, meets a handful of new friends, and struggles with adapting to motherhood. I think this show is funny and honest in a way we don’t really get to see on TV. We gotta give our mom’s respect and understand all the bullshit they went through to raise us and I think this show does a perfect job of illustrating how hard it can be to be a new mom or just a mom of a new baby. Where can I watch this? Netflix

Zack Morris Is Trash

These videos absolutely kill me every time. If you’re unfamiliar with Saved by the Bell, the show is about this absolute garbage person named Zack Morris and his sweet and all too forgiving angels of friends and the shenanigans they get into in middle and high school. If you grew up watching if you probably have fond memories of it. But this series will ruin those memories. SBTB is a show that does NOT hold up which is best illustrated by how shitty Zack is and how many truly illegal schemes he gets away with. Especially ones that involve the school and his friends. The narrator Dashiell Driscoll does his homework and is ruthless in his breakdown of Zack. My question after all of this is just what the hell do the show’s creators think of it? (Honestly probably nothing. They’re absolutely sleeping in a bed made of money)

Where can I watch this?  Youtube, FunnyorDie.com Amazon Prime

Vox Explained

Published on May 21, 2018, by Ailish Elzy.

Weekly Watch is Back Baby!! 

Basically, this is where I write about some things I watched this week that I liked and some things I think you’d be chill skipping.

We only have so many hours in the day to watch all 4 Million episodes streaming on Netflix so hopefully, this can help make your decision a little easier. Also, I told my parents I’d keep giving them TV and Movie recommendations after I got my master’s degree so here we are.

Check this shit out!

Ali Wong’s Special: Hard Knock Wife

First of all, if you haven’t seen Baby Cobra, I’m not saying you have to see that special first, but it definitely helps. This is weirdly a sort of sequel to the first one. Just like in Baby Cobra, Ali’s also pregnant in this special. But unlike Baby Cobra, she never mentions her current pregnancy. She pretty much talks about what it’s been like to be a new mom, making more money than her husband and being more famous. Also, I love that Ali is kind of becoming an old-school catchphrase comedian with “Trap his ass” and “I have suffered enough.” I would love to go to a live show of hers where it’s just call and response. Ali: “Ladies, when your man does this, what are you gonna do?” Audience: “TRAP HIS ASS!” Ali: “When your baby shits her pants right as your husband comes home from work and he doesn’t wanna change her, what do you say?” Audience: “I HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH!”

This special is 15% Ali showing us her underwear, 55% butthole jokes and the rest is her talking about what happens to vaginas after having a baby. Honestly, we need WAY more comedians like Ali Wong. Where can I watch it?  Netflix duh!

Deadpool 2

Your boy Deadpool is back and just as funny as he was before. I really don’t want to spoil anything about this movie, but I will say that if you enjoyed the first one you’re bound to enjoy this. There’s a lot of new fun characters, but honestly, we’re mostly all here for Zazie Beats as Domino. I suggest you read my drinking game review of this movie and play that as you’re watching. But fair warning, you will get very drunk. Where can I watch it? In the theaters, preferably a crowded one so you can audibly hear your neighbors understand a reference.

Killing Eve

You know when you watch a show and you’re like, “shit I didn’t know I wanted this”. This is how you’ll feel with Killing Eve. It’s an incredible…spy dramedy…? I’m honestly not sure what genre it would fit in but that doesn’t really matter. It’s the story of Eve (Sandra Oh) who is a mostly desk-bound spy/ security officer. She’s investigating a murder that will soon lead her to Villanelle, a French killer who is much smarter than the people she’s outsmarting expect of her.

It’s the attention to detail in the mundane or overlooked stuff in this show that keeps me on my toes. Not in the mundanity of things like in Fargo, it’s very different than that. If you liked Fleabag at all, then it’s that attention to the mundane you’ll love. Without giving away too much it’s a show you’ll quickly become obsessed with. One of my favorite moments from the first episode that really hooked me was watching Eve wake up screaming because both of her arms fell asleep. The show gets better with each episode.

Where can I watch it? The BBC America App and the AMC app. You need a cable log in for both, so ask your mom.

Barry

I know I’m late to the train, but I’m here now. And I love it. This show is really a testament to Bill Hader as an artist. He co-created the show, stars in it, and directed the first three episodes. I know we all know Hader is a comedian, and this role isn’t inherently a funny one, but still, he’s truly hilarious in this because he’s playing a bad actor so well. He has to be so subtle and have these tiny reactions that mean much more than they do and he does it SO well. 

The Podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour described this show as Breaking Good. This show is about a hitman who’s REALLY good at his job, but is broken as a person and can’t find any meaning in his job. Then when he finds this thing he loves but is kind of shitty at it he feels like he’s found the purpose he’s been looking for. It’s really fun to watch this unfold in a kind of backward way. Where can I watch it?  HBO. Either Go or Now. I’m not sure which is the freer one if you don’t have a login. But again, go ask your mom.

I watched this so you don’t have to:

Breaking In

Honestly, this just isn’t a smart movie. Like I’m not convinced they planned out how this heist movie was gonna work. There are so many flaws, and so much sexism it’s truly cringe-worthy. The two things that make this movie watchable are seeing it in a crowded theater to hear people’s reactions and to play the drinking game I made up for the occasion.