Because you don’t have time to find your horizons (let alone broaden them), we give you Meanwhile Elsewhere: InsideHook’s essential guide to cultural happenings, including our monthly Spotify playlist. Enjoy.
READ: When to Rob a Bank
Subtitled “131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants,” this sequel to Freakonomics applies economic theory to day-to-day life. Amongst the new debates: Do middle names determine how likely you are to commit a crime? Is hate worth five dollars? What lessons could crack dealers learn from Walgreens? Anger-provoking and entertaining. (May 5)
LISTEN: Django Django
Following up on their critically acclaimed 2012 debut, Born Under Saturn finds the Scottish four-piece continuing their endearingly oddball mix of dark synths, huge Beach Boys-esque harmonies and piano with bits of jazz, house and post-punk guitar seeping in. Artful but never pretentious. (May 5)
BUY: The Frank Sinatra Collection
Happy 100, Ol’ Blue Eyes. A good way to celebrate the late singer/actor: this new five-film set, culled from the Chairman’s peak years and featuring three Blu-ray debuts. A mix of Gene Kelly musicals and Rat Pack adventures (Anchors Away, On the Town, Guys and Dolls, the original Ocean’s 11 and Robin and the 7 Hoods), this set’s packed with wonderful extras, including Frank’s guest stint as a Tonight Show host. (May 5)
WATCH: Sunshine Superman
Carl Boenish overcame near-paralyzing childhood polio to become the father of BASE jumping, the radical sport of parachuting from fixed objects (read: Buildings, Antennae, Span and Earth). Marah Strauch’s debut — a perfect companion to Man on Wire — captures both Boenish’s exhilarating hobby and the passions that ultimately consumed him. (May 22)
Nota bene: Don’t forget The 13 Must-See Films of Summer, our guide to the season’s best and not at all blockbuster-y movies.
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