Hey there, reader.
It’s time for another top ten list. Like most people, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands the past few months, and I’ve consumed a LOT of content, so, here’s some what I’ve liked:
· The Great, Hulu – Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are amazing in this show. Visually, it’s like eight hours of Marie Antoinette (Sofia Copolla, 2006), but tonally, it’s much more. This series has it all: humor, grit, and a breeziness to the storyline I wasn’t expecting. This show may not be for everyone you know, but great for everyone that got the Copolla reference earlier and has a good sense of humor.
· The Old Guard, Netflix - Great for everyone, seriously. It doesn’t matter that it’s basically a fantasy conceit about a bunch of assassin types that live for hundreds of years, nope, this is an action movie for everyone. Charlize Theron is a badass in this movie, and I can’t imagine a bigger action movie star right now. If you haven’t seen it, watch it—even if your Uncle Steve who hates everything refuses to leave the room. I guarantee he will like it too.
· Warrior Nun, Netflix – I liked it. A LOT. It’s far from perfect, but it works and works really well for me. The lead, Alba Baptista, is as charismatic as they come, and Toya Turner is a battle-hardened mentor-type that commands the screen from the jump. It was shot in Spain, and the locations are bananas—seriously beautiful stuff. Give it a watch if you liked The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and season 2 of The Order.
· Speaking of which … The Order (Season 2), Netflix – I’ll be honest—I did not like the first season. This isn’t a critique blog (obviously), so suffice it to say, it just didn’t work for me. Season 2 did—in a big way. I guess the show figured out what it wanted to be and mashed the pedal down to eleven all the way across the mixed metaphor expressway. It’s a tongue in cheek show for geeks who like hidden SciFi and Fantasy gems like Grimm—geeks like me. The casting choices are just *chef’s kiss* amazing. This isn’t for everyone, but definitely tell your writing group, they’ll eat it up.
· The Umbrella Academy (Season 2), Netflix – The squad has traveled back in time to 1960s Dallas, TX and has a lot of what you liked about Season 1 while still keeping it fresh. Although there’s no talking chimp mentor, we still get glimpses of young Pogo here and there, and there’s a talking fish in a man suit—not bad. Aiden Gallagher grounds the show in a homicidal Robin from Teen Titans kind of way (that’s a compliment, btw). The guy can seriously chew up scenery, he’s good. Ritu Arya is the bright spot of the new season, for me. Her take on Lila (the adopted daughter of The Handler) is brilliant and had me pulling for her regardless of where she landed on the good guy/bad guy scale.
Of course, Robert Sheehan’s Klaus steals the show once again. He finds himself at home as a cult leader using lyrics from TLC’s mid 90s anthem “Waterfalls.” I’ve been a big fan of Sheehan since Misfits, which if you haven’t seen—go find it!
I’m beginning to think Netflix is making programming specifically for me.
Ok, so, this isn’t actually a top ten list. Sucker. The bullet points should have given it away. So, my other quarantine discoveries and recommendations are found on YouTube (at least in the US).
TaskMaster – created by Alex Horne and hosted by Greg Davies, the panel show pits five comedians against each other to complete strange tasks for arbitrary points and prizes. I swear to god, I could watch unlimited seasons of this show.
8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Remember the unlimited seasons comment from above? Well, this one pretty much has it, which is great because it’s addictive.
(ed. note: there are actually 125 episodes, I looked it up)
Countdown isn’t a show in America, but apparently, it’s a big-brain institution of a game show in Britain. Only this version is with comedians. If you like TaskMaster (or the Big Fat Quiz of Everything), you’ll find a lot of the same comedians on this show. With the exception of Nick Helm. I’d never heard of the man before this show, but he is incredible. His poetry is both heartbreaking and hilarious and most of the time no one knows what to do with themselves while he’s reading it to a very game Susie Dent.
So there it is, another blog in the bank. We did it. Next week, I’ll probably write about The Chicks’ new album. Spoiler alert: I love it. I just want to dedicate a whole post to it.
I love you, bye.