There's no better way to welcome the weekend than with a good movie, show, album or book. Right? Right. This week's Windows Central media recommendations feature a film about dragons that has nothing to do with "Game of Thrones;" a Spanish album that's really catchy, even if you don't speak the language; and a book about an elaborate terror attack on the City of Love.
We recommend everything here, but if nothing really snags you, the link below contains many more recommendations from weeks past.
More media recommendations from Windows Central
Movies
Recommended by Al Sacco, managing editor
It's kind of hard to fit this movie in a single genre. It's basically a crime-drama-comedy, about two hitmen from London who do a job and then have to go hide in Bruges, Belgium … where they drink beer and go sightseeing. That's really about it, until their boss orders one of them to kill the other.It's a slow movie, but it's genuinely funny, and at its heart is a moving message. Colin Farrell is great as a moody Dubliner who really does not like Bruges. The scenery is beautiful despite Farrell's dislike for the place. You really don't see too many American movies set in Belgium, but this one captures the look and feel of one of its oldest cities quite well.
Recommended by Sean Endicott, news writer and app reviewer
This is the conclusion to the charming How to Train your Dragon trilogy of movies. It centers around an older Hiccup who is off to face his destiny to find the lost hidden world of the dragons. But a villain is on the hunt to rid the entire world of dragons. In addition to the action, the film tosses in some romance and some clever background humor with the never-ending antics of Toothless and his silent humor.
Recommended by Matt Brown, staff writer
Undoubtedly my top among the film archives, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey remains an unmissable sci-fi classic even 50 years later. Sleek cinematography and concepts for the time shaped modern space blockbusters, revived in full by last year's 4K anniversary re-release. I just picked it up — and it's definitely worth a buy.
TV
Hank Azaria -- known for his work voicing myriad characters on The Simpsons -- stars as Jim Brockmire, an alcoholic has-been professional baseball announcer who was fired from his job in the big leagues due to a live rant about his cheating wife.After a few years off the map, he's hired to call minor league baseball in Morristown, where a struggling team can barely make ends meet. Brockmire is still just as crass and drunk as his prime years (perhaps even more so), but he finds a friend in the team's owner, played by Amanda Peet. I find the show hilarious despite not being a big baseball fan, and I'm quite glad it's been renewed for third and fourth seasons.
Recommended by Rich Edmonds, staff reviewer
Lost is one of those shows that captivated me into watching it to the end. I just sat through seasons 1 through 6 for the fourth time since the finale aired and I'm finding out new things I never noticed in prior viewings. If you've yet to see the critically successful series by J.J. Abrams, it's a must-watch.The mysterious drama follows 48 survivors of Oceanic Air flight 815 after crash-landing on an unknown island. After having to deal with the aftermath of an aircraft accident, the band of survivors quickly realize they're not alone, and not everything is as it seems on the island.
Music
Recommended by Dan Thorp-Lancaster, news editor
I've been learning Spanish in my free time recently and, at the suggestion of my partner, I've carried this over into consuming Spanish media to get more familiar with the language. While searching for music, I stumbled upon Alborada by Uji, an album that has become my go-to for chill music while working.What initially drew me in was a track called La Descarría, a song that I can't help but play on repeat occasionally. It's got a haunting feel that never gets dull thanks to the pleasing mix of a laid back dance beat and delayed guitar strums that somehow manage to make the track feel like it came out of an old-west dance club.I've only recently started diving into the rest of the album, but it's got some great relaxed dance vibes going on throughout. If you want something that you can easily throw on without being too distracting, Alborada is worth a listen.
Recommended by Rich Edmonds, staff reviewer
Carpenter Brut offers some heavy-hitting trance beats and Trilogy has to be the best compilation of synth I've come across to-date. Housing some killer beats including Sexkiller On The Loose and Disco Zombi Italia, you'll need to turn your sound system up to 11 and prepare to buy some new speakers.All these tracks come from French DJ and music producer Franck Hueso. Trilogy is a compilation of tracks from 3 EPs, renamed EP I, II and III. Each track is awesome and worth enjoying.
Books
Recommended by Al Sacco, managing editor
This fast-paced novel is about an unfolding large-scale terrorist plot in Paris, and the story is told literally almost minute by minute during a single day. It features a large cast of characters, including some familiar faces from other Pavone novels such as "The Expats," and it's not always clear who are the good guys and who are the bad ones — which is often the case in real life, too.The book is a clever take on a somewhat played out scenario. And the author's in-depth knowledge and love of Paris really shines through. It's technically a sequel to "The Expats," but you really don't have to have read the earlier book to follow the story. If you like thriller or spy novels, or you just like Paris or French, this is well worth a read.
