To watch and watch for: Week of Nov. 17

Slowly but surely, we are inching our way closer to the end of the semester. These final few weeks come fast. Fall recess lulls you into a false sense of security before the merciless onslaught of study nights, final exams, papers, presentations and more that all happen only within a couple of weeks. During those precious days of rest leading up to and during fall recess, however, we encourage you to seize the time to relax and unwind with some of these hand-picked, timely media recommendations.

Fall recess, for many of us, means reuniting with family — some of whom we may not have seen since last holiday season. When is it better to watch a family-themed movie like Rental Family, which follows an American actor in Tokyo working for a rental family agency? Alongside the movie’s main character, take this opportunity to rediscover the meaning of human connection.

No matter what we may wish, the 21st century isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stick, or at least for the next 75 years. In the meantime, it’s wise to learn as much about this era we’re living in as possible. By reading Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century by W. David Marx, you can do precisely that. Examining the cultural standstill of music, fashion, film and more, this book is bound to help you learn a little more about yourself by studying the era in which you live.

Tate McRae is one of those artists who you can’t escape these days, but few seem to be mad about it. This week, respark those old ear worms with the release of a deluxe version of an existing album: SO CLOSE TO WHAT??? (deluxe). While the clock may be unable to tick backward, you can at least replay some old favorites and pretend it does just this once.

Hopkins could not be Hopkins without our world-class libraries and collections. This season of gratitude, show your thankfulness to those collections by attending their virtual lunch for introducing recent acquisitions, during which you can also adopt a book and help them out by underwriting the costs. Invest in yourself by paying it forward and buying yourself some good karma.

When you’ve finished all of these recommendations — or if, somehow, none of these float your boat — then see below for more:

To watch...

Rental Family, directed by Hikari — Nov. 21

Cactus Pears, directed by Rohan Kanawade — Nov. 21

Blue Eyed Girl, directed by J. Mills Goodloe — Nov. 21

Kokuho, directed by Sang-il Lee — Nov. 21

STZ, directed by Matthew Clark “Ghost” — Nov. 21

To read...

Blank Space: A Cultural History of the Twenty-First Century, by W. David Marx — Nov. 18

Beasts of the Sea, by Iida Turpeinen — Nov. 18

Captain’s Dinner: A Shipwreck, An Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History, by Adam Cohen — Nov. 18

Mexico: A 500-Year History, by Paul Gillingham — Nov. 18