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I like apocalyptic films, if they're done well. I also love a well-done drama (Sophie's Choice, IMHO, is #1), good horror, sci-fi, dystopian stories, dark comedies.
I'm also a sucker for political drama (e.g. W) and documentaries.
Favorite TV show of all time: Breaking Bad. I consider myself a viewer who watched that show correctly. ;) Hint: Walt becomes evil and his wife is the only one of the two who truly does things for her family. I will argue with people about this for the rest of my life! :P
Older favorite TV shows: MASH, ER, St. Elsewhere, All in the Family, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, Roseanne and The Twilight Zone.
More recent favorite TV shows include: Six Feet Under, House, Dexter (until it self-destructed), Shameless, Orange is the New Black, Mad Men, The Walking Dead, South Park, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Real Time with Bill Maher.
I plan to get on the bandwagon with Game of Thrones and House of Cards.
Favorite actor ever: Meryl Streep. <3
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An error has ocurred. Please try againI haven’t yet watched some of the stuff you may be fuming about: Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Wire and others. I’m gonna.
Reviews
My 600-lb Life (2012)
I would fail
I watch because I'm fascinated by the patients who succeed. I could never do it.
Dr. Now likes GI surgery. People? Not so much. He's firm, which is necessary, but he's a bit cold.
The weight-loss program doesn't cover all the bases. Psych care should be mandatory. Patients should be provided with recipes and food prep tips. There are ways to make healthy food tasty. Ever had a roasted Brussel sprout? Yum!
As I write, Octavia's on the screen reaming Dr. Now about not addressing underlying issues and simply giving patients "a piece of paper." Go girl!
Invariably, these patients are surrounded by obese friends and family on high horses. It rarely occurs to them that their diets aren't exactly exemplary. They'll scold and belittle the patients with a mouthful of deep-fried ice cream. The worst part of these stories!
West Side Story (1961)
Watch for Rita Moreno....
...if for nothing else. This film is a stunning classic - this coming from someone who dislikes sappy romance and appreciates very few musicals.
West Side Story can be viewed as tale of caution: hate and division leads to violence, just like Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet, on which this is based. Hardly irrelevant to our times or, perhaps all of human history.
The romance is simply a prop to support the story's premise - if you can see it that way.
Personally, I would watch this film every day just for Rita Moreno's performance during the musical score, "America." Other musical segments, scenes and the entire cast are epic. Don't skip this one.
The Handmaid's Tale: Progress (2021)
My Least Favorite Episode
Did this have to be a soap episode?
Not sure I can come at this objectively. I hate the love triangle subplot, but have strong feelings about it and am sucked in. Damn the Luke vs. Nick discussions which arise, because they degrade what is otherwise a very thought-provoking series.
Here's the thing: June's scenes with Luke are always shadowy or dark. The characters are tense and uncomfortable. June appears dampened by her trauma and rarely lets loose a smile. Then suddenly, she's with Nick and the world has never been sunnier. She beams as if she has no cares in the world.
The contrast is over the top. This should be much more complex. June should struggle more with this. The writing only allows Luke to be teary-eyed and helpless, so I suppose we are to see him as a washed-out rag.
I'll withhold my feelings about Nick and just say that Luke is a great guy. Amazing, actually. Waited for her. Raising her baby from another man. Tries so hard to please her, yet give her space. Worked to find Hannah (we see the massive stockpile of info he's accumulated.)
Then, in a very emotional scene, he tells June to visit Nick in person. It's not just another iron in the fire in the search for Hannah. It's permission. He gives her sexual and emotional freedom. He walks away, quietly devastated. She looks at him as he goes, with a face that says, "What an idiot." Then she smiles about seeing Nick again.
June should be in awe of Luke, no matter her feelings about Nick. His face should elicit memories of happiness and normalcy. It should remind her of Hannah. The three of them.
If she can't muster up any appreciation for Luke, then June's character can only behave compassionately when it suits her.
You know what would rough things up and maybe rinse off some of the soap? Acknowledging that Fred's apparent fertility means he could be Nichole's father. Fred would never be out of June's orbit. More legal and diplomatic issues, too. Then we could return to the dystopian features of this adaptation of a dystopian novel.
Oh, everything else in the episode was more than palpable. The last scene? It's the episode's redemption.
Centigrade (2020)
Frustratingly Dumb
There's a sunroof in this car which neither of these people even touch. It takes about 3 weeks for Mr. Hey-Let's-Just-Wait to attempt to dig through the snow, when he's at death's door and doesn't have the strength. And he only tried because his wife broke the window, which should have been done 5 minutes in.
If you see sunlight, you dig, dummies! It wasn't an avalanche! Extremely frustrating to watch. My only emotional investment was for the baby, who somehow survived despite two idiotic parents.
The Handmaid's Tale: The Crossing (2021)
Emotionally Devastating
This may be the most gut-wrenching episode to date, with shocking and tear-jerking moments in virtually every frame. It's a beautifully executed directorial debut for Elisabeth Moss. Careful. This one hurts!
The Lobster (2015)
Warped, Dark, Sadistic and Deadpan Funny
If your sense of humor can be a bit morbid, this one is well worth the viewing. Uniquely silly and smart at the same time. Deadpan delivery. Absurd ideas. Not for the faint of heart, nor those who crave a more formulaic story composition. Some quoteworthy lines and memorable scenes.
How to Get Away with Murder (2014)
Diminishing returns
Starts out interesting and compelling. It presents as a smart mystery and warrants continued viewing...at first.
Eventually the mysteries are dulled by the fact that most of the drama happens to a very small group of people, so it becomes too much like a soap. Add the fact that sex is used as window dressing, even when it does nothing to develop the characters or the story, and it becomes too glossy and plastic.
I won't lie. I'm still watching. But by watching, I mean it's on in the background. I'm still a bit interested in the story, but can't suspend enough disbelief.
Some of the best scenes involved the main character, Annalise, in professor mode. Those scenes are under-utilized. They tease us with the idea that we'll get into mind-blowing legal concepts, but then take a back seat before disappearing.
Bummer.
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
It's not supposed to feel good - and it doesn't
Though we don't know how many seasons this brilliant series will last, nor how the story will go, we do know one thing: this is based on a dystopian novel. It's not a happy story. That is the very point. It's a cautionary tale. It is NOT science fiction. There are no aliens, magical powers, no space travel nor mythical creatures.
As author Margaret Atwood reminds us, this is speculative fiction - as everything in the novel (and, presumably, going forward in the series) has happened or is happening somewhere in the world. We are also continuously reminded that this theocratic totalitarian regime didn't happen overnight. It came in dribs and drabs. Fear was used to slowly chip away at individual freedom, under the guise of keeping everyone safe.
Specifically, they used the threat of terrorism to infringe upon human rights. *ahem*
So if you read that there's no backstory as to how this new society took over the United States, please remember that's wrong. We know the short answer right away. More details are revealed episode-by-episode, via flashbacks.
As is true to life, hopes are dashed, then raised, then crushed. Some viewers are getting upset because the story isn't taking happy turns. These viewers need to find a different show. IF there's some happy resolution by the series' end, it will be the series' end. The point of dystopian fiction is not to say, "Don't worry. It will be okay!"
It's not okay and not for the faint of heart.
The Good Place (2016)
If you don't like comedies, watch this anyway!
I haven't been into comedies for a long time. Dramadies, yes. Otherwise, nope.
One night, I was looking for something on Netflix, but didn't want to spend a lot of TIME looking. I saw this title, read the description and hit play.
I ended up watching both seasons over a matter of three days. After finishing Season 1, I found Season 2 On-Demand (Comcast.)
Laugh out loud funny. You will want to devour every episode.
The Handmaid's Tale: June (2018)
Ouch!
So much horror and terror in this one episode, it's hard to imagine what might be left for the rest of the season. An American icon, repurposed, will start you off in shock.