5 From Fitch: February 2025
You know those friends you have who always offer great recommendations for books to read, movies to see and places to go? That’s us! Every month, our intrepid writers will share five recommendations based on their current favorite things. Have you read a riveting book lately? Seen a movie or show that deeply affected you? Eaten a new take on an old classic? Check out any interesting art installations? Please drop us a line in the comments!
Dorothy Pomerantz
📺 Rewatching: “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (Streaming on Netflix)
What is it?
The comedy series from Tina Fey ran from 2016 to 2019 and followed the adventures of Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper), a woman rebuilding her life after spending 15 years trapped in a doomsday cult bunker. Yes, she was kidnapped at 14. Yes, weird stuff went on in the bunker. But also yes, it is hilarious.
Why I love it.
For so many reasons, we all need to laugh now, maybe more than ever. I turned back to “Kimmy Schmidt” hoping that it would hold up and it totally does. Kimmy manages to be eternally sunny without being sappy because that optimism is her secret weapon that kept her unbreakable in the bunker. The humor is absurdist (and perfectly encapsulated by this clip of Kimmy’s roommate Titus auditioning with a song about teeth) but still sweet. I insist that you watch the opening credits in full for every episode. There are few lines more inspiring than “Unbreakable, they alive, damnit! It’s a miracle! ‘Cause females are strong as hell!”
Liz Wishaw
🌮 Traveling: Oaxaca, Mexico
What is it?
An exploration of Oaxaca City through delicious food, rich culture and stunning natural beauty.
Why I love it.
Oaxaca is a feast for the senses! My trip included an incredible food tour with Club Tengo Hambre. Imagine sampling memelas, tlayudas, tamales, tacos and tejate — a culinary deep dive into the local flavors I still can taste. Beyond the food, there is plenty to do outdoors: We biked to the legendary El Árbol del Tule, a truly massive and ancient wonder, in the neighboring town of Santa María del Tule and took a cheap taxi ride to the ancient ruins of Monte Albán outside the city. And it is easy to soak up the Oaxacan arts vibe daily with street murals throughout Centro and Jalatlaco neighborhoods, as well as the free galleries and museums to explore at your leisure.
Kristin Kloberdanz
📺 Watching: “The Agency” (Streaming on Paramount +)
What is it?
A moody spy thriller that tracks a forlorn undercover CIA agent (Michael Fassbender) upon his return from Africa to London where he illicitly rekindles a romance he should have left behind.
Why I love it.
Spies, love, lust, intrigue. Oh, and a pissed-off Richard Gere! This show feels like an old-fashioned cat and mouse game where you really aren’t sure who is deceiving whom by the end. It’s a ton of fun, with a satisfying ending — although not so satisfying that it doesn’t leave a couple cliffhangers for the newly approved season two.
Will Palmer
🎥 Watching: The films of Akira Kurosawa (Criterion Channel)
What is it?
Criterion is a movie lover’s paradise, with thousands of the best classic and contemporary pictures from the greatest directors and loads of insightful special features including filmmakers commenting on each other’s work.
Why I love it.
We signed up for a year of Criterion at the January special offer price of $80 per year. It’s already paid for itself. We’ve delved deeper into favorite directors like David Lynch and John Cassavetes and discovered others like Jacques Tati, but the best has been exploring more of Japan’s maestro Kurosawa, beyond longtime favorites like “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai.” These beautifully restored movies (23 of his 30 titles are currently streaming) are always rich, fascinating character studies that draw on influences from Shakespeare to American westerns, and themselves influenced people like George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino. My favorite new discovery has been “High and Low,” a 1963 urban drama and police procedural that is entirely different from the samurai films I knew before. Like a majority of his pictures, it stars Toshiro Mifune, one of the great faces in movie history. And then there’s the other star of every Kurosawa flick: the rain.
Christine Gibson
📺 Watching: “Dark” (Streaming on Netflix)
What is it?
A German sci-fi thriller series.
Why I love it.
It’s like “Lost” if it had paid off. I can enjoy a time travel plot without thinking too hard about paradoxes, but “Dark” is the rare example that makes sense of its complexity (although by the end of Season 3 you’ll need a chart to keep the relationships straight).
It’s more than a logic puzzle, though; what originally drew me in were the moody settings — misty forests, rainy highways, cozy living rooms — and compelling characters, whose stories dovetail across a century and a half of heartbreak and destiny.