Labor Day is like another New Year’s and other Stranger Things…
The unofficial end of summer marked by Labor Day weekend has always felt sort of like another – actually more real – New Year’s to me. It seems that after a few months of putting out so much passion for the sun, the mind and body naturally begin to shift orbit with the first hint of autumn nights.
That seems doubly so this year. All around me at Groundwork!, I see or hear everyone transitioning this week. The reasons are varied: Different choices; new opportunities; wilder dreams. There seems to be a collective reckoning happening and a new path being forged.
Many of us are finishing up big summer projects. A new website here; the ending of an art exhibit there; exciting plans on the drawing board here again. It’s all quite thrilling – but it’s also something else.
A little bit exhausting – and I must admit that it seems like a lot of people – including myself – appear to be in desperate need of this holiday weekend. It may also be because I read on Facebook that Mercury is in retrograde – which sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
So, rather than offer a rundown of activities and locations, with Hermine on our doorstep, here are some suggestions for re-charging the batteries with a few Netflix binging options.
1) “Stranger Things” – Yes, you’ve probably heard all about this hit series all summer – but if you haven’t seen it yet, I can’t think of a better time than during a tropical storm. Set in the early ’80s, it will take people from around these parts back to Hurricane Gloria with a huge dose of Spooky Southcoast thrown in. Plus, Winona Ryder!
2) “The Get Down” – I just interviewed New Bedford filmmaker Ben Gilbarg for a future post about the hip-hop group, New Bedford YAP. Why not check out the roots of the musical genre with another talented filmmaker, Baz Luhrmann? Been hearing lots of good things about this series…
3) I’m a huge Sherlock Holmes geek – and thanks to Benedict Cumberbatch, much of the known world is now, too. Netflix has all seasons of the PBS series “Sherlock” plus lots of behind-the-scenes mini-episodes and the controversial “The Abominable Bride” special. The game is afoot.
4) “Narcos” may be Donald Trump’s worst nightmare – Latino drug lords run amok! – but it’s also riveting TV. The second season landed on Netflix today.
5) Groundwork! member Nicole Pupillo just pointed out on Facebook that with all the great white shark sightings off the Cape AND a tropical storm heading up the coast, we’re perfectly positioned for…a sharknado! “Sharknado 3” from the SyFy channel is now streaming…just in case you want to avoid the real thing when Hermine hits.
And finally, 6) Few actors have enjoyed a post-Bond career as good as Pierce Brosnan’s. Okay – maybe Sean Connery. But Brosnan got downright funky post-Bond and started doing some quirky and original films like “The Matador.” One of my favorites is his elder statesman spy thriller, “The November Man.” It’s as rip-roaring as a Bourne film but a damn site cooler now that Pierce is shaken and not stirred…
BONUS: Member Shelley Cardoos pointed out that the original version of this post didn’t contain any comedy – inexcusable since I’m actually such a funny guy. Just look at my face! Ba-da-bum-ching.
So here’s a few: “St. Vincent” with Bill Murray is a bittersweet comedy that will uplift your mood; any episode of Showtime’s “Shameless” (4 seasons on Netflix) is a laugh riot of un-PC situations; and yep, “The Interview” with James Franco and Seth Rogen is as silly and hysterical as…”This Is The End” – which had me rolling off the couch with laughter (but unfortunately is not on Netflix).
There you have it. When Hermine hits, remember to Netflix and chill because Tuesday, September 6 starts a whole new season, if not year…
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