In the age of the internet and social media, booktok, filmtwt, booksta and whatnot. Filled with aesthetic, prose, and the same five authors (not you Suzanne Collins). One of the greatest struggles of these “sub-communities” is the lack of variety. I could ask for movie recommendations on Twitter (or X, but for the sake of clarity I’m saying Twitter) and get ten people saying Fight Club or Knives Out. Ask Tumblr and they’ll say Everything Everywhere All At Once or anything starring Timothee Chalamet. These aren’t bad movies but soon you will have watched every movie and read every book they’ll recommend. Then what? Do you try to find your own? Search ‘Unpopular Book Recs’ on Tiktok and you’ll get the same books, maybe a few new ones and then you’re back to nothing. So how do you find something new?
- Filmography/Bibliography
I found one of my favorite shows, Years and Years, by skimming the IMDB page of Maxim Baldry. I had just finished watching Rings of Power, where Baldry starred as Isildur, the future King of Gondor, but in Years and Years he played Ukrainian Refugee Viktor Goraya, who falls in love with Daniel Lyons, one of the show’s main protagonists. Written by Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T. Davies and an all-star cast that I can trace to other favorite shows and movies. I find that discovering new media from your favorites to be a wonderful way to find new things. Pull up a list of projects by your favorite actor or writer and choose whichever one sounds the most interesting.
- Letterboxd/Goodreads
As someone who is mildly insufferable, I use Letterboxd, which is where I discovered Shin Godzilla. The 2016 Japanese Kaiju film, directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, tells the story of the 2011 Fukushima Tragedy and government incompetence. We follow Deputy Chief Rando Yaguchi as a strange creature appears in Tokyo Bay. The creature, mutated by nuclear waste dumping, ventures into the canals, flooding the streets as it grows bigger and bigger, a god of destruction. Sites like Letterboxd, and the book version Goodreads, are both excellent ways to find media liked by people who like the same things as you. Through rating systems and user made lists, you can find both well known and lesser known media.
- Local Events
Ann Arbor is home to plenty of authors and filmmakers, the key is how to find them. The Michigan Theater hosts both blockbusters and Indie films, notably a collaboration with the UMich Center for South Asian Studies through their monthly South Asian Film Series. Across the street, Dawn Treader Book Show is home to used and rare books, with sections ranging from history to fantasy. Just a few blocks away, Literati Bookstore host author talks and has a wide selection of new titles. Finally, the Ann Arbor District Library has both books and films, with five locations and numerous events ranging from film screenings to writer workshops the Library is a great place to find new media. (also anyone living within AAPS boundaries can get a library card free of charge, all you need is a photo ID.)
- Friends and Family
Some of your best recommendations can be found in the people closest to you. I discovered my favorite film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, through my parents, and one of my favorite books, Babel by R.F. Kuang, was a gift from a friend. It may be cheesy but I highly recommend watching that movie your friend is raving about, or reading that book you mom said she read forever ago. You never know if you’re going to love it.
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