Offline Time: The Content I've Been Obsessed With
Movies, music, books, plays, essays...here's what's worth it in media these days.
I am a passionate consumer of content in all forms. In addition to writing on here, I also read a ton of other Substacks (116 to be exact). They range on topics from data trends to the state of venture investing to the use cases for GenAI to creative writing to cooking blogs (I don’t even cook. I just like to read the steps.) It’s fair to say, I know a lot about strangers on the internet.
One blog I’ve particularly enjoyed recently is
where publishes a weekly: “10 Offline Things I Did This Week.” The list holds “the little joys, realizations, and spontaneous acts that filled my heart and connected me to the world...” In an ode to Lee and her weekly lists that I devour, the spirit of unplugging during the Holiday season, and the core principle of this blog to be anti-niche, here is a list of offline content – the plays, movies, books, articles – that are stuck in my brain.OFFLINE CONTENT I’VE CONSUMED & ENJOYED RECENTLY:
Movies, Movies, Movies!
When I think of Fall, I think of movies. For nine months of the year, I won’t step foot in the movie theater, covering my eyes to the constant release of Marvel movies and Disney remakes. But then fall comes, and I’m there almost weekly, submerging myself in the year’s finest flicks as they rush to release before the Oscars.
We Live in Time — Worth the watch. Beautiful story. You will cry. Florence Pugh is an actress I trust. If she’s in the movie, I’m there. The story is a bit clichéd and Andrew Garfield’s character is written to be pretty flat, but the dialogue is strong, and it’s a truly beautiful picture. The skating scene has stuck with me.
Anora – If you liked Uncut Gems, you’ll like this. Otherwise, save it for when you have the option to turn it off. It’s too polarizing of a movie. Some people really loved it – I didn’t. The hype around the star, Mikey Madison, is completely justified, however. She crushes.
Wicked – This was genuinely awesome…all two hours and forty minutes of it. I went in negatively-biased because I think movies split into two parts are a money-making scheme, but this movie rocks. I’d commit another three hours and $15 dollars to watch it again.
Saturday Night – It’s an entertaining story, especially as a big fan of SNL, but it’s nothing too special. If I could go back in time, I’d skip the theater trip and wait for its release on streaming platforms.
A Real Pain – An honorable mention because I’m dying to see it but haven’t yet. Like Florence, I love Jesse Eisenberg and trust anything he does.
Books
I’m reading four books at once right now and some screenplays, which also means I’ll also probably not finish any of them. However, I recently enjoyed the book on modern irrationality, The Age of Magical Overthinking. Specifically the essay, “What It’s Like to Die Online” about dying girls who share their journeys with terminal illness on the internet (this is a public, older version of the essay).
is sort of like a modern Chuck Klosterman, with her ability to analyze and synthesize today’s pop culture trends.Music
I returned to LCD Soundsystem again this year. I missed Maggie Rogers in New York but heard she was awesome (and am openly the biggest fan of her live performances). I saw Kaleo at Pier 17 and 49 Winchester at Bowery Ballroom. I was reminded how great of a venue Bowery Ballroom is.
Here are some artists I’ve been jamming to:
Angie McMahon — It’s decided: Letting Go is my song of the year. Serotonin, Divine Fault Line, and Just Like North are runner ups. Angie is reminiscent of Florence and the Machine. Her music makes me want to dance with the entirety of my arms.
Jo Hill’s album girlhood — Specifically “Where Did Ella Go?”, “Rude Awakening” and “Big Boys Cry Too” Am I in my girlhood era past its trend? Maybe.
In the spirit of Wicked, I am also reminded of the very cold take that Defying Gravity (original Broadway version) is truly one of the best Broadway songs in existence. Not only is it a banger, but the way the song expands on character depth and pushes story plot while also just sounding freaking amazing has gotten me replaying it, replaying it, and replaying it… Apologies to my roommate.
Theater
Sorry, non-New Yorkers. This one has geographic limitations. Recently, on Broadway, I’ve seen JOB, Illinoise, Eureka Day, The Hills of California, Kimberly Akimbo, and Water for Elephants.
Out of all of these, I’d enthusiastically recommend Water for Elephants. I feel like Broadway is trying to take more risks and engage in more storytelling mediums (cough, cough Illinoise…) and Water for Elephants is an example of success here. It’s a combination of the musical chops Broadway is known for, plus an acrobatic spectacle. My mom is convinced that if the gymnast who plays the horse leaves, they’ll have to shut down the show. This is probably a fair take.
If you were to have visited New York a month ago, I’d also recommend JOB (now closed.) It’s still worth buying the play though. Max Wolf Friedlich is very talented. JOB is the first time I’ve seen the impact of social media on culture effectively communicated and interwoven with dialogue.
Writers writing about New York
A forever fan of Didion’s “Goodbye to All That” and then pushed into the rabbit hold by some good essays like
’s here, I’m now deep into this essay compilation of writers writing about New York — a topic that might be the most covered subject out there. Some themes I’ve noticed: writers in New York are obsessed with space, specifically apartments, and also trying to afford it. The trauma of financial insecurity brought on by New York’s high cost of living seem to stay with people long after it ends. I guess that makes sense — I certainly thought about money less when I was living in Boston.
Honorable Mentions (…or things that came to mind when writing this)
THIS skit on partying by Jane Wickline for SNL. Very funny and a catchy song.
THIS essay, “Dark Shit” about living in New Hampshire’s Upper Valley by a Dartmouth graduate student.
THIS essay, “The Opposite of Loneliness” from Marina Keegan on leaving Yale, which should be mandatory reading for all college seniors.
If you have any recommendations for me or thoughts on the content I mentioned, let me know!
Love me a good list of what folks are reading and watching! I need to watch We Live in Time. Also read and loved the essay on loneliness by Keegan and the book on New Yorkers writing about New York (which I read right around the time I left New York, I think, so it was fitting). Wicked was delightful even though I never watched the musical or read the book, just grew up around theater nerd classmates singing Defying Gravity.