Week 21, 2018 – Every once in a while, a shortlist of 5 things that caught my interest lately, with a few notes.

1. Best movie I’ve seen lately

With no doubt, Isle of Dogs is my best pick of the week. If you like Wes Anderson, you will love this movie. I’ve been reading around that this stop-motion animated movie is not for children (it’s strangely PG-13 in some countries, including USA for “thematic elements and violent images”) but I found this untrue: my 8-years old daughter really enjoyed it (the film is not rated here in Italy). The story is not too intricate, has nothing too “violent”, while the film statement against scapegoating, corporate greed, and corruption is quite clear even for kids. Yes -without spoiling- the film has definitely much more to say, so it’s worth watching if you haven’t already.
And -unless they’re still enjoying Peppa Pig- bring your kids with you.

2. Most interesting read

I’m not a big fan of self-motivation books, but on my road to tech detox in order to find more time for me and my family I came across this little book by Fumio Sasaki, Goodbye, Things (I’ve read the Italian translated version of course, link here.) The author decided to embrace a minimalist lifestyle and live with as little as he could in order to focus more on his life and relationships, and he shares his experience and thoughts through this book. In a less extreme form (Sasaki lives in a one-bedroom apartment with less than 150 items) this book can still be very inspirational.
Interested in minimalist living? Here’s a video, too.

3. What I’ve been listening to

To me, one of the greatest British bands ever is The Animals. The CD (yes, I still listen to CDs) An Introduction to The Animals has been playing for all week in my office. Their Sam Cooke’s Bring It On Home To Me cover is still my favorite, way better than the original.

4. New habit I’ve started

As I’m working on a new and quite stressful project, I’ve installed a WhatsApp autoresponder called Whats Bot that basically answers people I’m busy when they try to contact me and asks to reach me via email if it’s an urgent issue. Incredibly, I found out that almost 90% of the messages I get daily are just NOT urgent. Not being obsessed with checking my smartphone every 10 minutes for new messages is such a time (and stress) saver. Great app.

5. A website I’ve been using

agoodmovietowatch.com is a great website I often check to discover new/old movies and shows available through streaming platforms that have been overlooked by the media. You can search and browse by mood and genre, or check the Staff Picks which offers a good selection.
Very useful when you don’t want to dig the whole Netflix catalog.