The Youth Lab

THINGS TO WATCH

• Boiling Point, for many, was one of the best pieces of TV/film of the last year (released in 2021). It follows the busiest night of the year at one of the hottest restaurants in London.
• Everything Everywhere All At Once. We can’t sum this one up, but it’s a visual spectacle not to be missed.
• The Playbook series on Netflix profiles legendary coaches as they share the rules they live by to achieve success in sports and in life.
• Triangle Of Sadness is a new award-winning satirical black comedy film that deals with themes of inequality and social hierarchy. *Warning - prepare for a 15 minute long vomiting scene.
• Hacks on Amazon Prime is about a Joan Rivers-type character and a woke Gen Z comedy writer. It’s very funny and has lovely character development.
• White Lotus Season Two from HBO follows the guests and employees of a fictional luxury resort and their various psychosocial dysfunctions. It’s been taking over social media the last few weeks!
• Bad Sisters series on Apple TV is a black comedy that follows a close family of sisters in Ireland who are on a mission to save themselves from an unsavoury family member.
• A Storm for Christmas is a warm and heartfelt series on Netflix follows the story of individuals stuck in an airport for Christmas.
• Get your inspiration for holiday dancing from Wednesday on Netflix (a story inspired by The Addams Family, from the imagination of Tim Burton), which has exploded over the last few weeks.
• The stunning Succession S1-3 (Now TV/HBO) follows the Roy family who control one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. The greatly anticipated S4 is coming in 2023 so a good time to catch up!

THINGS TO READ

• The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Monttimore. Great book about living your life now because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow.
• Listen to the Land Speak by Manchán Magan follows on from his mission to protect and connect us with important words within the Irish language - this book explores our connection with the land through the Irish language.
• The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg is an anthology of essays from leaders all over the world and is arguably one of the most important books yet on climate.
• The Overstory by Richard Powers is a phenomenal novel rooted in environmental principles, following the story of 9 different people and their relationship with trees.
• The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell is an amazing fictional portrait of a young duchess that brings you through the world of Renaissance Italy.
• The Creative Legacy of Gifs, a deepdive into the cultural and creative significance of Gifs over on ITSNICETHAT. An engaging read discussing how “the invention of the Gif transformed creative practices overnight, and gave birth to a whole new medium of expression”.
• Look Here by Ana Kinsella is a book about the joy of city life and the delight in everyday interactions.
• Technogentrification Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3, a series of essays from Technomaterialism asks the question: what is the relation between nightlife and the urban spaces it occupies? The pieces analyse the evolution of techno through a critical lens and community engagement.
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, a New York Times Bestselling novel, is a sweet revenge comedy.
• The NTS Discord Chatroom reading list has plenty of great suggestions, including poetry, how to books, short stories, and more.

THINGS TO LISTEN TO

• ​​'Where Have All The Preppies Gone? With Avery Truffleman' on You’re Wrong About takes listeners through the history of “preppy” fashion and its ties to racial and class structures in America, as well as its spread worldwide. Trust us, you’ll learn about more than just clothes.
• Zakia’s NTS Morning Show archive is the perfect soundtrack for preparing plenty of food, reading a book, or just doing nothing. Listen back and enjoy.
• The Outrage + Optimism Podcast - arguably the best podcast about solving the climate crisis, co-hosted by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac who oversaw the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, and CDP founder, Paul Dickinson. It’s one of our favourite sources of PLANET thinking and updates.
• ​​The Coming Storm podcast from BBC captures the madness of US politics and culture, through the lens of QAnon and the dark undergrowth of modern America of the last few years.
• The Adam Buxton Podcast: UK Comedian Adam interviews interesting & well known people in culture.
• ReWives is a podcast where one of the most famous and successful Real Housewives revisits iconic episodes with famous friends - a perfect intro to the cult-following pop culture franchise.
• SOS, the new SZA album, as Pitchfork puts it, ‘solidifies her position as a generational talent, an artist who translates her innermost feelings into indelible moments.’
• Fred Again & Romy’s single ‘Strong’ is the song we’re putting at the start of on our party tracklist, because dancing is always a good way to recharge.
• We also can't wait for yoga with Adrienne's annual 30 day yoga challenge, which launches on January 2nd on her YouTube.
• Listen to THINKHOUSE’s Strategy Director Purpose & Planet and Purpose Disruptors Ireland Lead, Laura Costello, present to the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) Committee on Environment and Climate Action - an inspirational six minutes outlining how the advertising industry can do less harm and reapply its creative effectiveness toward more life-affirming outcomes in line with a 1.5 degree world.

WANT MORE?

There’s also no better time to read back through some of our previous 52INSIGHTS editions via our website here.