We Recommend: Your Friday Freebies
Junkee-endorsed bits and bobs to make your weekend better. Includes a Star Wars app, some informative documentaries, and an excellent Craigslist ad.
Each Friday, our contributors send in a bunch of (legally) free stuff they’ve come across this week, to help you waste your weekend. You’re welcome.
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Podcast: ‘WTF with Marc Maron: Bill Hader‘
Recommended by: Kyran Wheatley (‘14 Best New Hidden Features Of IOS 7‘)
Marc Maron’s podcast ‘WTF’ is up to 400 episodes now. There have been interviews with everyone from Louis CK and Robin Williams to Nick Cave and Thom Yorke, but 400 episodes is a lot and it can be a little hit and miss.
However, during these last few months some stand out episodes have cropped up: Simon Pegg, Josh Homme discussing the new Queens Of The Stone Age record, and one particularly good episode with Bill Hader. If you’re a student of Saturday Night Live history, then this is a must listen. Hader talks about starting out, working with the enigma that is SNL producer Lorne Michael, and the struggle to actually get on screen once he was there.
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Film: The work of British filmmaker, Adam Curtis
Recommended by: James Robert Douglas (‘What Even Is Tim Winton’s The Turning?‘)
Power-mad in the sense of being mad about power, its use and abuse by our institutions, and its effect on how we think about what it means to be human, British filmmaker Adam Curtis could be the best gonzo historian we have. He mixes terrifying insight and stranger-than-fiction yarns with a liberal dose of BBC archival footage, rad soundtracks (big up Brian Eno) and his own clipped, calm English affect.
Find his BBC blog here, and find some of his films archived here.
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App: Tiny Death Star
Recommended by: Chris Harrigan (‘The Seven Worst TV Spin-Offs That Breaking Bad Should Learn From‘)
When Disney bought Star Wars last year, fans were outraged that some money-hungry hack was going to start tampering with their childhood memories (boom tisch!). We’ll have to wait until next year to see whether J .J. Abrams does a worse job with the franchise than George did (lest ghost Yoda starts tap dancing, this seems unlikely), but the first slew of Disney-ised merch has hit the shelves with Tiny Death Star, and it ain’t terrible.
Based on the addictive Tiny Tower iOS app, the game lets players build their own (tiny) Death Star one floor at a time, adding Mos Eisley cantinas and Jabba’s Palace karaoke bars to attract customers and make-eh the space money you need to keep the renovations a-coming. It’s all terribly inane (and retcons the original film something chronic), but who are we kidding: the 8-bit graphics are cute enough to distract us from Candy Crush for a couple of fleeting moments.
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Article: ‘‘Patrick’ and ‘Mystery Road’ Might Disprove Your Argument’, by Lee Zachariah for Vice
Recommended by: Glenn Dunks (‘Five Attempts at Oscar Glory That Didn’t Go According to Plan’)
Given Junkee was only just discussing how to solve a problem like the Australian film industry, I think it’s appropriate to make light of this article by Lee Zachariah about the two most recent Australian features to somehow make their way through the maze of local film distribution and onto cinema screens for the (hopefully) paying public. Industry doomsayers have been with us for decades and almost always seem to spruik the benefits of ‘genre’ on our filmmaking fortunes. Now there are two — Ivan Sen’s western actioner Mystery Road and Mark Hartley’s horror remake Patrick — so are you gonna go? I hope so. Both have received very positive reviews, including here at Junkee.
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Documentary: Black France
Recommended by: Matt Banham
Black France is a three-part documentary series made by Al Jazeera, which examines the history of black people in France. It shows the long and difficult struggle for black French to be recognised and treated as equals, from the abolition of slavery right up to the present day. It’s incredibly educational, sad and inspiring, and you can watch all three parts here.
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Craiglist: FREE HUMAN SIZE HAMSTER WHEEL (BROOKLYN)
Recommended by: Steph Harmon
FREE HUMAN SIZED HAMSTER WHEEL AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE PICK UP. CAN ACCOMODATE UP TO 200 LBS. FULLY FUNCTIONAL. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR HOUSES WITH SMALL CHILDREN OR ANIMALS. 50 LBS OF SHREDDED NEWSPAPER ALSO AVAILABLE.
I WILL NOT HAVE THIS IN MY HOUSE ANY LONGER.
TAKING APPOINTMENTS TO VIEW THE WHEEL THIS WEEK.
516 547-0632
SANDRA
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Human: Andre Drummond, basketball demi-god
Recommended by: Rob Moran
Sure, it might seem odd that I’m recommending a human for this week’s ‘Friday Freebies’, but bear with me, he’s worth it.
The NBA season is currently in pre-season mode, with the regular schedule set to begin in less than two weeks. Needless to say, my excitement has already reached idiot levels. Even if you don’t give a shit about basketball, you need to know one thing: the NBA’s all about personalities, and one man is the ultimate embodiment of ballin’ joy and youthful exuberance at the moment. That man is 20-year-old, Andre Drummond.
After a promising rookie season last year, the 2-metre-tall man-child made a name for himself in the off-season by instagramming funny inanities, posting goofy Vines, and romantically macking on Nickelodeon stars. As a lifelong (and recently long-suffering) fan of the Detroit Pistons (Drummond’s team), I literally raised my fist and punched the air last night after reading this incredible passage in Grantland‘s recent write-up of the high-flying youngster:
Andre Drummond is a monster. Born from fire and sent to earth to alley-oop you into oblivion. He is a keystone member of America’s team. He will miss thousands of free throws this year (37 percent from the line last year), only to grab his own rebounds and dunk on your entire team’s frontcourt. He is Amar’e before the knee injury. He is Biggie before Ready to Die. He is Francis Ford Coppola in 1972 and this season is his Godfather. There will be bodies everywhere when Andre Drummond is finished this year. The whole league is getting baptized starting in two weeks. Do you believe in God and LeBron James the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth? No, sorry, I believe in Andre Drummond.
Also, he’s adorable as a f**kin’ puppy.
Join the party now.
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Music playlist: Pretty Much Amazing
Recommended by: Andy Huang (‘Arcade Fire Made Another Epic Video. It Features Bono. It’s Really Weird.‘)
In every friendship group, there is always that friend, the one with excellent taste in music, forever introducing us to stuff by obscure bands whose names are usually something stupid (it’s ironic, yo). Well, Pretty Much Amazing is that friend. I chanced upon this music blog years ago, but only recently discovered they do a weekly playlist that is the trifecta of awesome: it’s free, legal, and even though it features some bizarro music hybrid genres by Random Artists I Don’t Know, the songs are all pretty great. Happy listening, folks.
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