“Thursday Trails” is a feature dedicated to linking TV, movies, and music as a trail to book recommendations. To read how it works, click here.

This Week’s Topic: Back to the Past

Music
Note: Thursday Trails Spotify Playlist is Here.

“What You Own” from Rent Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Amazon, iTunes

Anybody who knows me knows that I LOVE Rent. One of the things that fascinates me every time I watch the film (and every time that I saw the show when it was still on Broadway) was how timeless this piece of work is. It might be set in the 90s but the issues that these characters face are more relevant each and everyday. If you haven’t seen this yet, go see it. Yes, the show is better than the movie but the movie will still resonate with you.

Movie

12 Monkeys
Amazon, iTunes, Netflix

Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time. This sci-fi masterpiece from the genius mind of Terry Gilliam is a modern-day classic.

TV

Being Erica
Hulu (Seasons 1 & 2), Amazon, iTunes

Being Erica is a one-hour series that explores the life of Erica Strange, a woman who has been given a wonderful gift. Every episode, Erica goes back to relive a regret from her past, in order to come back and make a positive change in her present.

In the pilot episode, we learn that Erica is 32 years old, perpetually single, making barely enough money to get by. Her friends are busy getting married, buying their first homes and climbing the corporate ladder. They’re moving up and on in their lives and leaving Erica in the dust.

Over the course of the first episode, Erica suffers a series of mishaps that ultimately land her in the hospital, where she meets the mysterious Dr. Tom – a therapist who seems to know a lot about her. He issues a bizarre challenge – if she wants to fix her life, he can help her. Desperate, Erica accepts his terms and after a brief and bizarre therapy session, during which she provides him with a list of her life’s greatest regrets, she finds herself launched back into her own past to make different choices this time around.

Through these time-tripping therapy sessions we see Erica become worldlier, more accountable, and more skilled in Dr. Tom’s unique brand of therapy. Season three was about transformation. Everything in Erica’s life – her job, her love life, even her therapy with Dr. Tom – started anew, and was turned upside down in the process.

Novel

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Goodreads
This is my favorite Harry Potter book and the time travel has a lot to do with it. I still remember what I felt like reading this book and getting to that part and reading as fast I as I could to see what happened next. I love this book so much. It’s one of my favorite books ever.

Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It’s assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney’s ghoulish predictions seriously?

OTHER PARTICIPANTS
1. Stormy @ Book. Blog. Bake.