Whatcha Been Watching??

Hey all! (All like 2 of you that actually read my blog posts 😂) When I started this movie review blog I had a vision for how it would look like, but within a very short period I found myself way in over my head. See, I consume a boatload of content every week and with the detail and precision I was trying to put into each entry, I was doomed from the start. There was no way I could keep up with my viewings. There's also the small issue that sometimes I'll watch something and I don't have a strong feeling from the experience. It was either amazeballs; pretty good, decent, okay, pretty shitty or terribad and there's just not much more to say! I've come to the conclusion that not every film or TV show that I watch deserves a long winded post. So, with that in mind, I've decided to do a much, much more condensed version with the hope of covering more of what I'm viewing and possibly drumming up more conversation with all (2) of you! 

I was inspired by a movie review podcast I listen to called "Straight Chillin" and they have a segment where they go around and each speaker gives a brief summary of what they've been watching for that week. I find it incredibly interesting and enjoy the quick 30 second summaries that basically result in recommendations for me. I'm hoping I can make this blog a similar experience. 

We'll start with TV shows: 

"Yellowjackets", featured on Showtime. If you aren't watching this show you are most definitely missing out! This is the story of a group of high school seniors, most all soccer stars, but some ancillary team members, who are on a flight to Nationals when their plane goes down. What precedes is a consistent time jump from past to present as we see the kids as adults, dealing with the trauma they experienced following the crash. We are held in suspense of what happened after the crash and how on Earth they survived as long as they did. Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis star as some of the main characters and they do such a phenomenal job. I have been hooked from the very start and can't wait to see where it goes. (It has a strong "Lord of the Flies" feel to it.) I haven't read confirmation of a continuation of the series, but I would be pissssssed if they didn't get renewed. I have so many questions still!! The season finale is happening this Sunday, 1/16/22- so ya know, you got time to catch up 😁

 

"This Is Us" premiered season 5 recently early this month, which is slated to be it's final season. Starring on NBC, but I stream it next day on Hulu. This show is everything. Seriously. It is all the feels, it is romance, comedy, drama, maybe not much action... or horror... but definitely some suspense! It centers around a couple who has three children and all the challenges that comes with relationships, marriage, having children, and straight up surviving in this crazy ass world. What I love most about this show is the fact that at some point- no matter who you are or where you are in your life - you can find characters that you can relate to. Situations that make you cry because you can feel every emotion and detail within your soul. I don't know how the writers do it week after week, but they continue to tug on my heart strings every. single. time. No, not every character or story line is interesting, but that is just how it goes with pulp stories. You stick around for the ones you love. I am going to a sobbing mess when this show finally ends.

"School of Chocolate" is a complete guilty pleasure. Anyone who knows me knows my love for Food Network and lately Netflix has been basically my substitute FN Channel. They have so many fun cooking competition shows, which is exactly what this is. A number of talented chefs and pastry connoisseurs arrive at a chocolate competition to be judged by one of the best in the business. I just love learning how certain techniques are achieved, watching each competitor's final creation and how something that looks so perfect to me, can be picked apart by the judges. I find my horse (the person I'm rooting for throughout the show) and I'm all in for the season. Plus, this show had the additional benefit of a pretty handsome Frenchie with ESL. (He didn't even know what a lobster roll was! hahaha) I would definitely watch it just to watch him talk 😍

 

 

 

"The Witcher" has been my husband and I's latest addiction. There are very few shows we decide to watch all the way through with one another, a we've been a little stuck since GOT ended. There just hasn't been anything that has gotten both of us in the same way. The Witcher might be the closest second. (Found on Netflix.) It's hard to summarize this show, but basically it is a fantasy world where witches, demons, spells, curses and monsters all exist. The Witcher is a mutant who's only goal is to travel the world hunting for those who wish to pay him for his services. He rids towns and regions of the monsters that haunt them, but of course gets caught up in a whirlwind of trouble in the process. Henry Cavill is just delicious to watch (purrrr!) and the writing of this show is incredibly unique. Filled with so many twists and turns, jokes and surprises. It took a couple episodes to get really hooked, but so was the case with GOT. It seems like shows that are more involved with their world and characters in it, take some time to be introduced and make you start caring about what is going on. The show is an investment, but worth it. We are just about to start Season 2!

Okay. Judge all you want, but I am a die hard "Sex and the City" fan. When I heard they were bringing all the characters back for a new show, I couldn't resist. It's been 18 years since the show ended!! Seeing everyone back together in the same setting as they once were was such a wonderful experience for a fan to watch. I'm not a huge fan of the name "And Just Like That", but honestly I have been enjoying what they are doing with the series thus far. It is a bit "woke" which is annoying- but honestly, I am so in love with the characters that I can forgive the ridiculous writing and trying to be politically correct. It does reflect how much bullshit we all have to worry about when we speak these days. All I can say is, no, this is not the best thing out there on television but if you're a SATC fan, you will probably enjoy it. Thank you HBO. 

Okay, now onto movies:

2001's "The Hole": A film about four prep students who decided to skip a school field trip and party in an underground shelter of sorts instead. Unfortunately for them, their party becomes a nightmare as they end up trapped from the inside and well- as resources become slim, you can imagine how things unfold. I rented this movie on Amazon Prime for $3.99. I was mostly drawn to this movie because I love Thora Birch and truly wasn't sure if she had acted since "American Beauty". Keira Knightly was also listed as a main cast member which totally struck me off guard. This story just sounded so dark and visceral for her to be apart of. I'm used to the ultra feminine, pristine version of her like in "Pirates of the Caribbean" or "Pride and Prejudice". This was definitely an interesting screenplay for her to be apart of, but I will say her acting chops weren't exactly stretched. lol. 

2021's "The Alpines": This one is a psychological thriller about a close knit group of seven friends who lost contact with one another for many years following college, but were brought together for a reunion at a lake cabin. This was a freebie from Amazon Prime and I will say, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I am a sucker for movies that get into the crevasses of our heads and split open our deepest and darkest fears. When you have such a close group of friends, experiences, stories and secrets are bound to develop. This movie brought those secrets to the forefront and basically made every character confront them in a multitude of ways. It was incredibly intriguing and I was hooked from beginning to end. 

"The Unforgivable" is a 2021 Netflix original starring the great Sandra Bullock. It centers around her release from prison after 20 years behind bars for murdering a cop. She attempts to pick up the remnants of her life and find the one person she left behind - her sister. I thought this movie was very well done, but longer than it needed to be. The flashbacks to the past were kind of abrasive at the beginning (possibly intentionally?) but eventually it lessened and the picture became clear. Sandra gave an awesome performance - I truly think she has an incredible amount of range as an actress. The twists and turns were unexpected and I was very intrigued to see where it would all go. 

"Spree" is a 2020 horror/comedy which follows a social media influencer (Joe Keery) who wants nothing more than to increase his fame and viewership. This film can be found for free on Hulu. It's shot entirely from a first person perspective from his live stream cameras and is presented in a way that makes you question whether it's based on a true story. With the way social media impacts young teens these days, this story is not too far off the mark. Hell, even autocorrect is trying to tell me influencer is not a word, but for the 21st century, we all know very well that it is. Kurt develops a plan to finally make a name for himself and go viral, and he does it by becoming a live streaming murderous rideshare driver (but we can't use the names Uber or Lyft, oh no- that would be bad for business.) I really enjoyed the social commentary this movie was trying to make, but damn it took a lot of effort to get there. The story was long winded and slow going but I was intrigued enough to get to the finish line. I love Joe Keery from "Stranger Things" and it was awesome to see him as a much darker character. There are plenty of plot holes (where do all the bodies go!????) and at the end, he seems to have a 360 shift in sanity, but I'm open to discussion of what people thought!