Recommend something less well known

[Ashley]

Let's get our hipster on!

 

Recommend something you like that you don't really hear people talking about much, but would like to.

 

This could be TV, films, games etc but also a restaurant, a small village in Thailand, a type of bike lock...whatever! I know we'll probably gravitate towards media and I've just done TV below, but let's try and think of all sorts of things.

 

And as great as Breaking Bad is, we all know about it. Try and think of things most people may not have heard of.

 

Halt and Catch Fire

 

It's a TV series set in the computer industry in the mid-80s.

 

People have mixed reactions to season one (the worst seems to be they find it boring, rather than bad) but I enjoyed it. They were trying a bit too hard sometimes to be Mad Men, but they eventually found their own way. Season two however has been pretty universally praised as they really amped the storytelling up and without spoiling it too much, they managed to make some great observations about women in the industry then vs now.

 

Intro is pretty awesome too:

 

 

And a

which obviously explains things a bit more. Kerry Bishé's character is not just the nagging wife she appears to be in this trailer.

 

I believe the first season is on Amazon Prime and certain Netflix territories.

 

Fresh off the Boat

 

A sitcom about an Asian-American family in the 90s based on the chef Eddie Huang. It's not ground-breaking comedy, but it's one of those nice 'easy to watch' comedies. Plus the first season focuses a lot on the 10 year old Eddie whose love of hip-hop and numerous 90s references (Shaq!) gives the show (and its soundtrack) a unique feel. Where else would you find a kid quoting Nas on TV? The second season expands to focus more on the whole family (which works because Constance Wu is amazing).

 

 

(@Goron_3 I sent that clip to Saad once saying it's basically a younger him)

 

It's not available in the UK unfortunately.

[Serebii]

Wii U

 

The Wii U is the latest console from Nintendo but nobody really knows about it which is part of why it hasn't sold. It's got a great library of games and just oozes fun

 

 

:p

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

KillJoys

 

Here's something I've been watching lately and really liked. It's a show on SyFy called Killjoys. Essentially about Bounty Hunters in a solar system in the future. It's great sci-fi fun.

 

[Julius]

Still not known to the masses.

 

Casey Neistat

 

 

Easily the best vlogger on YouTube. Go on, watch just one.

You're hooked, aren't you?

 

Also the guy (along with Jesse of BFvsGF fame) responsible for that NYC snowboarding video during that hurricane a month or two back..

 

 

Go check Casey out!

Edited April 7, 2016 by Julius Caesar

[Shorty]

Hm, I have never been and will never be interested in any youtube vlogger or celebrity of any kind :p

 

[Cube]

Codenames

 

 

A great word-guessing party game. Each team consists of a spymaster and some guessers. There is a grid of words, and the spymasters have a card to show them which words are their's. There are also some neutral ones (which ends your turn) and an assassin (instant lose).

 

The spymasters gets to say one word and a number. The word is a clue, and the number is how many cards the word applies to. Then the guessers then select their answers - if they get one wrong (neutral/other team) then their go ends.

 

In the above example, "lightsaber 2" could apply to "force" and "laser" for red team. For blue team, I would choose "bird 3" as my guess.

 

7 Wonders

 

 

It seems daunting at first, but once you get used to the icons, it can be quite quick (even with 7 players). It's a drafting card. You build one card from your hand then pass the rest onto the next player. You all reveal at once and perform your action.

 

Most of the time, you're dealing with people on either side of you (you fight the people to the left and right at the end of the turn, and can buy any of their resources), but some cards (mainly in expansions) let you deal with other players.

 

The goal is to build up your civilisation to score the most points, with lots of different valid tactics.

 

Thunderbirds

 

 

It's a co-op game similar to Pandemic (same designer) but is different enough to be it's own thing. You have to move the Thunderbirds (both people and vehicles) around the world (and space) to solve disasters. These require a roll of two dice, but you can add to your roll by moving people/vehicles to the correct areas (listed on the disaster card).

 

Along the way, you have to gain the correct resources to defeat The Hood.

 

Colt Express

 

 

An incredibly fun western game. You draw a deck of cards which contain actions: move, shoot, pick up loot and punch (which causes people to drop loot). In turn, you place the action you want, which can sometimes be face-down so nobody knows what you've done.

 

After 4 or 5 cards each, you then go through the actions one-by one. This can easily turn into a chaotic mess as turned-down cards mess up your plans or you miscalculate where you end up and do something you don't want to do.

 

Dark Moon

 

 

It's similar to a board game called Battlestar Galactica (brilliant game). In this, you're working together to repair a damaged base on a moon. However, one or two of you are secretly trying to sabotage it for everyone, so you have to do so in a way that isn't obvious (or you'll be stuck in quarantine).

 

You have an couple of actions per turn, then comes to the main part: you select a crisis. Then people opt in or out. The people who opt in roll their dice (which have positive and negative sides) behind a screen, so they're secret. They have to submit at least one. The amount on the dice get added up and you have to gain a score marked on the card.

 

As the dice are secret, you have no idea if someone has submitted a negative one because they're all negative, or if they're all lying.

[MoogleViper]

The Prisoner

 

Great piece of classic British television. Is is kind of well known in that a lot of people have vaguely heard of it, but I've met very few people who have actually watched it.

 

 

Keaton Henson

 

If you're into Indie Folk give this guy a listen.

 

 

Shenmue

 

[bob]

The Prisoner

 

Great piece of classic British television. Is is kind of well known in that a lot of people have vaguely heard of it, but I've met very few people who have actually watched it.

 

 

I've not seen it, but I've been to the place it was filmed.

 

Does that count?

[Charlie]

I don't think I'm cool enough to know about anything less well known. Been racking my brains for ages and can't think of anything. I'm far too mainstream.

[Guy]

Of everything, Hayseed Dixie spring to mind here. Dunno if they're considered relatively unknown or particularly obscure, but they're a hillbilly rock tribute band - by chance I saw 'em play live a few years back and guzzle their way through an entire fridge full of beer. Fun!

[bob]

I think Chris Moyles used to harp on about Hayseed Dixie back when he was on the afternoon slot. They did sound great though.

[MoogleViper]

I've not seen it, but I've been to the place it was filmed.

 

Does that count?

 

I think that means you'll be listed on IMDB.

[bob]

Maybe I am...

 

¬_¬

[Goafer]

Of everything, Hayseed Dixie spring to mind here. Dunno if they're considered relatively unknown or particularly obscure, but they're a hillbilly rock tribute band - by chance I saw 'em play live a few years back and guzzle their way through an entire fridge full of beer. Fun!

 

Hayseed Dixie are amazing live. I've seen them a few times and they're always amusing and really seem like they're enjoying themselves. Their support acts tend to be good too.

 

Speaking of which, people should check out Mike Willis.

[Julius]

Hm, I have never been and will never be interested in any youtube vlogger or celebrity of any kind :p

 

 

He's originally more a filmmaker and photographer, his vlogs are the things of beaut. For example, check this one out (be sure to stick around to the thirty second minute mark just to see the title sequence!).

 

 

unlike many vloggers, it's all quality over quantity with him.

Edited April 7, 2016 by Julius Caesar

[Rummy]

Highly highly support @Cube's recommendation of Codenames. Discovered it a whilst back through our regular tabletop host - played a few times with different groups since and people absolutely love it.

 

(also 7 wonders has been in my arsenal for quite a few years Cube, and we've recently played colt express through said tabletop host a few times - both excellent for the tabletop fans!)

 

I don't think there's anything else I particularly indulge in outside of tabletop that's not very well known, so my own recommendations for the thread are pretty non-existent :p

[Serebii]

I too support @Cube's suggestion of Colt Express. That game is ridiculously fun.

[drahkon]

Coincidentally I attended an IAMX concert last night (see the "How was your day?" thread)

 

They have a very dedicated fan base but outside of that they aren't very well known, which is sad...

 

 

 

 

 

[bob]

Speaking to Flink made me realise that not enough people have seen Megamind.

 

It's brill, one of my favourite animated films. It came out the same week as Despicable Me, and I feel it was overlooked a bit because of it. I feel it's a travesty that DM got two sequels and Megamind got nothing.

 

It features a great cast: Will Ferrell, David Cross, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and has some classic lines. Me and the wife are always quoting it.

 

Also, and most importantly, Hans Zimmer. It has an amazing score with some quality tunes. I used to listen to it on repeat when writing up my PhD, and it got me through the hard times.

 

Aaaaaah. Grand.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I don't know if this stuff is well known or not, but I'm recommending it anyway.

 

Goran Gora and the Yrs - Glow

 

We have a playlist on Spotify that is entitled A-Z. Each band or artist has to start with A, then B, etc. About the fifth time around I was struggling with a G and found this artist who I really, really like. He's Latvian and I guess it's considered Europop. But, it's catchy and there's just something charming about it.

 

MaybeSheWill - Red Paper Latterns

This song only has 59,000 views, which is absolutely criminal. It's one of my favourite songs of the past few five years. I think it's beautiful and it's the sort of music that I want to make myself. I love it. They're a reeeeally good band.

 

If These Trees Could Talk - They Speak With Knives

 

Another post-rock type of band. The album in question is Red Forest, which I really rate. I like the theme of the band and the titles of their tracks, but this one is especially a knock-out. It's really well put together.

 

Final one...

 

Ólafur Arnalds - Þú Ert Jörðin

 

Hnnnnnngggggggggggg. I think this might be a bit more well known, or at least I hope so. Hnnnnngngg

Edited April 8, 2016 by Fierce_LiNk

[Sméagol]

Speaking to Flink made me realise that not enough people have seen Megamind.

I have not seen Megamind, but here's a fun fact for you:

Here in The Netherlands, Megamind was almost released on the same day as Mega Mindy.

They probably changed it to avoid confusion.

[bob]

I've not seen or heard of Mega Mindy...is it good?

[Sméagol]

I've not seen or heard of Mega Mindy...is it good?

I have not seen any of the Mega Mindy films either. I'm not part of the target audience of Mega Mindy, I'm taking a wild guess you're not either.. But you never know. Here's a trailer for the latest one (don't mistake this for me recommending something less well known :p). It's in Dutch, so that's already a problem for you.

 

[Nolan]

Anyone that wants clear and concise delivery of Dark Souls and Bloodborne lore (which it can be a little difficult to delve into all of the lore) should check out VaatiVidya's videos. He's made a lot of videos just talking about the stories and lore of different characters in the games and the bosses. He was apparently also approached by From Software for Darks Souls 3 to give input on the lore.

 

Even if you've played the games his videos are interesting to watch.

[Goafer]

Speaking of which, people should check out Mike Willis.

 

Following on from this, I'm finally at a PC, so I can post actual videos.

 

Mike Willis

 

 

 

Matt Woosey

 

 

 

Sam Martin

 

[Dog-amoto]

Rectify

 

TV show about a man trying to put his life back together after being released from death row after 19 years. It's got a very Justified esque vibe so anyone who enjoyed that should love this.