Charlie Wallin – “The Queen’s Gambit”

Content Warning: This show references to drug and alcohol addiction

This Netflix mini-series follows newly orphaned/chess prodigy Beth Harmon as she saunters her way to the top, makes some friends and enemies along the way, and deals with her global rise and her struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. This 11-time Emmy and 2-time Golden Globe award-winning show deserve all of the hype it gets, and will leave you glued to your seat.

Patricia Novak – The Godfather

Mostly known for its movies, The Godfather is a classic novel written by Mario Puzo. The book follows a family, the Corleones, that built itself inside the world of organized crime in the early to mid-1900s, known commonly as the Mafia. People all over the United States go to the “Don”, or head of the Corleone family, and ask for favors. These favors are usually ones that cannot be solved or justified through the legal system in America. However, the book is less about the favors themselves, and more about the family itself. It explains the dangers of the life that the family has become quite powerful in. Constantly dodging assassinations and treachery, the family finds a way to stay powerful, and prosperous and still help those who ask for help. 

Emma Vorasorn – Beetlejuice

With Halloween on its way, I definitely recommend Beetlejuice, the Tim Burton cult classic. Starring Winona Ryder, this movie follows a girl, Lydia, who has just moved into a house haunted by the spirits of its previous owners. I love this movie’s pure randomness and peculiarity, and honestly, you can never go wrong with Winona.

Leah Dennison – Late Night Drives With Friends

Ever bored and want something simple yet entertaining to do? Go on a drive with your best friends. This is time (and gas money) well spent. It gives you a chance to unwind and talk about things on your mind with the people you trust most. Stop at a gas station and pick up snacks while you’re at it. Play your favorite music and roll down the windows. Pull over in a parking lot, turn on the car lights, and just talk. I guarantee you and your friends won’t regret it.

Sobia Shamim – Midnights by Taylor Swift 

At midnight on October 21st, Taylor Swift is releasing her first new album since 2020! The track list contains thirteen songs and a feature of Lana Del Rey. Each song represents a sleepless night in Swift’s life. The song titles were dropped on Tiktok through a series called “Midnights Mayhem with Me.” I would definitely recommend listening to it because it’s Taylor Swift. You can never go wrong with Taylor Swift.

Ben LeGrand – Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

A classic Scooby-Doo iteration from Cartoon Network’s golden age, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated still holds up over 12 years after its release. In one of the more modern adaptations of Scooby-Doo, The Scooby-Doo Crew sets out to solve the mysterious happenings of the supposedly ‘most haunted place on Earth’ Crystal Cove. As they solve mysteries, the gang also has to fight their parents’ wishes and other high school problems. While previous Scooby Doo shows might seem shallow or simple to an older viewer, this series features overarching mysteries and plenty of spooky recurring characters that definitely kept me hooked throughout the 3 seasons.

Jack RS – Robot Chicken on HBO Max by Adult Swim

Binge-watching as an activity has become televised media’s most popular and common way of watching TV shows and movies with the spike in popularity in streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+. Along with this trend, however, is the adverse effect of individuals losing track of time as they spend hours watching the shows they enjoy given the medium’s easy access to various content. While it would be hard to stop watching television through streaming completely, there are still solutions to limit the amount of time spent by people watching TV by changing the content they watch. Robot Chicken is an example of television that is concise and comical to the point where individuals get a sense of conclusion to their time watching TV as every 10-minute episode ends with a funny skit. Robot Chicken’s style of media uses short skits that have separate plots to make a 10-minute compilation of them all as an episode. It’s not like other content where episodes or length is so long that people lose track of time after watching. Robot Chicken as a TV show is a suitable replacement for people who are struggling with maintaining productivity in their life and enjoying media through television.

Lily Ha – Carve a pumpkin

It’s officially Halloween season, meaning it’s the perfect time to celebrate with pumpkins. Although it may seem like a boring and childish tradition, carving pumpkins with your friends can be a great way to relieve all the stress you have from school. Take a Saturday afternoon to chill out in your backyard, a park, or a pumpkin patch to carve out your favorite design and light them in the evening. It can also serve as decor for the spooky season and trick-or-treaters who might stop by.

Camila Reyes – A visit at Keller’s Farmstand

As the fall season has finally arrived, new experiences are in store. Whether it be with friends or family, Kellers Farmstand has a variety of fall activities for all ages to enjoy. From a free hay ride tour through the wide fields to endless apple picking, hours can be spent making memories. Many love the open pumpkin patch full of numerous unique pumpkins to choose from and the huge corn maze with different routes of uncertainty. And let me not forget the unforgettable cider donuts, famous kettle popcorn, and delicious apple cider, among other treats, to enjoy on your visit there. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Jake Panek – Possibly in Michigan

Modern humor, particularly that of Gen Z, has generally turned towards the bizarre and morbid, and there isn’t a piece of nostalgic media that fits that mold more than “Possibly in Michigan.” Cecelia Condit’s VHS fever dream follows three people who all share the same proclivity for violence—particularly cannibalism—and perfume: Sharon (played by Jill Sands), her friend Janice (played by Karen Skladany), and Arthur (played by Bill Blume), a masked stalker following the two around a shopping mall. However, after Prince Charming follows the girls home, the predator becomes the prey. “Possibly in Michigan” has been made into a handful of viral soundbites on TikTok, but it remains an incredible and effective artifact of distorted surrealism, violent feminism, and sardonic musicality in its own right. (Available to watch on YouTube)

Ava Nelson – Coraline

Since it’s Halloween time, Coraline is the perfect movie to watch. It has a creepy element with a touch of adventure and mystery. Coraline is one of my all-time favorite movies. It is easy to watch and keeps you engaged the whole time. If you’ve never seen Coraline or, if you already have, I strongly recommend you watch it this fall!

Ayel Kikama – Candy Corn

Candy corn tastes great and I will not budge on this. Since it’s around Halloween time, it should be that hard to find. If you don’t like candy corn, I’m gonna push you to try it again because this sugary snack doesn’t deserve to be considered bad. So if you haven’t eaten candy corn in a while, try it again and see if your taste buds have changed for the better!

Adam Hristov – The McDonald’s app

The Mcdonald’s app is the best thing that was ever invented for broke high school students who need food. The app has a collection of deals on food and beverages that refresh daily and have probably saved me a fortune by now. The app also has points that you get any time you scan your deal or scan the code that the app gives you, and those points go towards free food rewards that I use probably 3 times a week. The app also allows you to get yourself a mobile order so you can skip the lines and get your food when you arrive. Making a mobile order with the app also gives your account points for rewards as well. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on decent food then I would recommend that you get the McDonald’s app.

Sanchali Pandey – Pumpkin Bread

As fall has started to settle in, there is no greater pleasure than baking a warm batch of pumpkin bread. While I am not a huge fan of pumpkin myself, I bake this for my family all the time, and they love it. Especially as school starts to pick up, you need something to ease the stress of your mind, and there is no better way to do so than bake! Pumpkin is a classic fall staple, so why not spread some of that fall cheer to your own house by baking this amazing pumpkin bread? Tasty has the best recipe.

Viraj Desai – Vannies House

Vannies House is, in my opinion, the best boba tea place in this area. It has the widest variety of flavors, and the inside ambiance is really pleasing. Even if you’re not a fan of boba tea, you can get fruit tea, iced tea, hot drinks, and slushies. Next time if you and your friends want to hang out, head over to Vannies and try their wide variety of teas. Don’t forget to snap a picture with the iconic “You are Beau-tea-ful” sign on the way out!

Logan Brown – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Being based on one of the biggest video-game flops of 2021 (Cyberpunk 2077), I was not expecting much from this show, but it kept showing up in my Netflix recommendations, so I figured why not give it a shot? And boy, did it deliver. The first thing that struck me was the beautiful and unique animation, the vibrant colors and fluid animation alone made this show thoroughly entertaining. The plot follows a boy by the name of David Martinez as he tries to make it in the fictional urban sprawl of Night City following his mother’s death. I don’t want to give away too much about the story itself, but I really enjoyed it. Another thing I liked about this show was that I didn’t need to play the game to understand what was happening in the plot. Everything is well-explained and I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything by not playing the game. Anyways, if you’ve got any free time on your hands this fall, I recommend you give this show a watch, it will be well worth your time.

Sean Kirchner – Suits TV Show

This show is fantastic and somewhat sparked my interest in becoming a lawyer. I think it is best classified as a drama. The main character Mike Ross is a lawyer who never went to law school and he works at the law firm Pearson Hardman which only hires lawyers that went to Harvard law school. The longer the show goes the more intense it gets and I loved every second of it. It is interesting to watch the legal chess game they play with each other.

Zahra Ladak – Haunted Houses 

As we transition into the spookiness of fall, haunted houses are a memorable and enjoyable experience to get into the spirit of Halloween. This is a fun way to spend some time with your friends and family with an unforgettable memory and it’s the best time of year to do it! With blood-curdling screams and frightening pop-outs, a local haunted house with most definitely be an experience you won’t forget and the perfect way to spend your fall season. I definitely recommend this activity and cannot wait to go to many of them myself soon! 

Virginia Cohrs – Dopesick

This 8-part series on Hulu is based on the inception and tragic consequences of the OxyContin epidemic in America. The series tells a fictional narrative combined with true events surrounding Purdue Pharma, whose profits grew significantly when the Sachler family took ownership. The plot of the series is centered around how strongly Purdue Pharma pushed the drug by incentivizing its sales reps. At the same time, the pharmaceutical company deliberately covered up how addictive the drug was. Instead of curtailing the doses after countless overdoses, Purdue Pharma, under the leadership of the Sachler family, increased strengths and recommended higher doses. The Hulu series dramatizes the downward spiral of rural people from all walks of life. The series won several awards including Michael Keaton winning The 2022 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance. This is a good one to binge, as winter is coming.