Top Five Wednesday: Current Favorites that Aren’t Books

This week’s Top Five Wednesday topic is Current Favorites that Aren’t Books. From the title, it’s basically just things I am currently loving right now that are not books. It’s pretty self-explanatory so without further ado, here are my favorites that are not books.

Films

I have been studying films on my own for two years now and I love it more than ever. For me, film is the marriage of visual art and literary art and every single element of film is fascinating. For the past couple of years, I have been familiarizing myself with the greatest pieces of cinema and the people involved in the industry. It has been such a great learning experience for me – trying to introduce myself to cinema, learning and experiencing different kinds of films. From studying films, I also felt like my test regarding art and film in general has evolved and I would like to continue doing that.

Last year, I watched 103 new films and I would like to challenge myself further. So, for this year, I am planning on watching 150 films. I am also hoping that I would be able to study more Foreign cinema since I am more familiar with American cinema.

Black Mirror

Black Mirror is an anthology created by Charlie Brooker that is set in the future in which every episode tackles an aspect of the society and its relationship with technology. It shows how technology affects every single one of us in a negative way.

Each and every episode of Black Mirror is nerve-wracking and thought-provoking. Watching this show always put me at the edge of my seat and wondering what’s going to happen next. The thing about this show is that it presents the positive side of technology in our lives during the first part of the show. After a while, the story then shows the negative effects of technology to human beings and how it can ruin people’s lives. With that pattern, you just know that something bad is going to happen and it will surely be horrifying.

It is also thought-provoking because once they show the negative effects, you start to think how we are deteriorating as a society while technology is progressing. This is not just a form of entertainment but a caution that shows us what could happen if we stop being decent human beings.

Other than the compelling story, it has amazing production design and cinematography. The technical aspect of this show is top notch. It is always evident that the team behind this great show pays attention to details and the execution is always spectacular.

Now, where is season 4?!

Hamilton

Last October 24, 2016, I started listening to Hamilton. Listen, I have put off listening to this because of one reason: I believed that I should watch the musical first before listening to the album. And since I live in the middle of nowhere A.K.A. Asia, I knew that I would never get the chance to see Hamilton live. So, here we are, a couple of months later, and I still cannot stop thinking about this musical.

Every song is guaranteed to be stuck in your head after hearing them, every character is interesting and lovable, basically everything about this musical is great. It has show-stopping music and heart-wrenching story about an immigrant who changed America. Ever since I heard the first note to the last one, I could not stop listening and singing every song in this musical. There was even a month when I could not listen to any other album other than Hamilton and I regret nothing.

Life is Strange

Life is Strange is a decision-based game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Square Enix. It follows the story of Max Caulfield who has the ability to control time and change things for better or worse.

This game tackles a lot of issues that society is facing right now like bullying, depression and suicide, and even family problems. To be frank, Life is Strange has minimal gameplay but it gives more significance to the story/narrative.

I love this game because it is a decision-based game. I love feeling that all my choices matter and every thing I do will cause a butterfly effect that will change the course of my life. I also love the message that this gives to its players: You cannot and should not change the past. Things happen for a reason and that is part of life. Sure, the past might be horrible but what’s done is done. There is nothing you can do about it anymore even though you regret doing that certain thing. And that is what makes life strange.

I finished this game about a month ago and I am still crying about it.

BookTube

Technically, this is still related to books but it is not entirely about books. I have been drowning in BookTube videos lately and watching people talk about books. It is always fascinating to watch people talk about something they are passionate about so maybe that is why I love watching BookTube videos. I love seeing their eyes twinkle whenever they talk about their favorite book. I love hearing their sassy remarks about a book they hated. I love every single moment of it. BookTube is such a great community where people are free to share their own thoughts by making a creative content.

This side of YouTube is honestly so great and full of great people who love what they are doing. This community grows bigger and bigger as each day passes and I feel glad that these people have found their space to share their thoughts and talk about this one thing that everyone is passionate about: Literature.

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And that is it! This is my first ever Top Five Wednesday post and honestly, I am proud that I survived. This is a lot of fun and I cannot wait to write more.