January media diet

New year, same me! Arguably more of me, thanks to a few "barely leave the basement" days due to Covid. I do think this list is a good argument for better media curation. We are too fragmented these days. Need an Entertainment Czar to tell me what's worth my time. The only way I hear about new stuff is if someone tells me or I run across an article or social media post about it.

TV

For All Mankind, S3 - Apple TV | Alternative 2005: President Al Gore! A U.S./Soviet/North Korean/Private Industry colony on Mars! And enough soap operatic plot lines to satisfy any Dynasty fan. Solid escapist entertainment.

All the Light We Cannot See - Netflix | A faithful adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Anthony Doerr, told in four one-hour episodes. A lovely story about hope and resistance set in WWII France, starring Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie and introducing a newcomer who is either blind or does a good job acting like she is.
 
Life & Beth - Hulu | Carey heard about this series somehow (NPR?), so we gave it a shot. Just one season to date. It was created and written and stars Amy Schumer, whose comedy we generally both like when it’s not too explicit. This show was more existential in its humor as the approaching middle-aged title character ponders the meaning of her life. Some real “yeah, I’ve felt that way sometimes” moments.

The Morning Show, S3 - Apple TV | Hoo boy this is a melodrama! The scenes inside a network newsroom/control room still thrill me, but the ripped-from-the-headlines plot is a little too much. Lots of tight emotional face shots of high-priced actors Aniston, Witherspoon and Hamm. Kind of hoping it was a series finale, but Apple hasn’t said yet.

Fargo, S5 - FX on Hulu | Skipped season 4 of this anthology series (the one starring Chris Rock), but tuned in for this one with Juno Temple in the lead and Jon Hamm playing against type as an extreme sheriff/zealot. Dark, dark stuff, but lots of playful tributes in that Coen brothers spirit — as the Trumpian Militia rolls up to the sheriff’s ranch for their last stand, the director cues the Village People singing “YMCA.”

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, S1 - Apple TV | I do love a good M.U.T.O. (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism, look it up) story, though this one didn’t spend a lot of its budget on CGI Godzilla and friends. It’s more of a new generation tale, tied in with the mythology created in the quartet of earlier movies, particularly “Kong: Skull Island,” where they discover the alternate-dimension lair where all the monsters live.

Books

The Fury by Alex Michaelides | Had a lull between books I have to review, so picked this one off the shelf. It was sent to me randomly by a publicist. Turns out to be a mystery novel in the vein of Agatha Christie, but with a distinct narrative viewpoint. A classic page turner with multiple twists.

Fourteen Steps, edited by Margaret Atwood & Douglas Preston | Cool premise — accomplished writers each contribute a chapter to this “collaborative novel.” Big names like John Grisham, Celeste Ng, Tommy Orange, Mary Joan Osbourne. Written during the Covid lockdown in NYC, inspired by New Yorkers who assembled on rooftops, 6’ apart, to bang pots and pans in appreciation of healthcare workers. What if the people on one roof told stories to each other every night to pass the time? | My AP review.

Movies

Maestro - Netflix | Two thumbs up for this Bradley Cooper/Carey Mulligan biopic. I liked the lighting, especially the black and white at the beginning. Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein accent was a little tough to hear at times, but both actors went all in with their performances. Should win some Oscars.

The Holdovers - Peacock | Enjoyed this Alexander Payne drama set in a New England boarding school, starring Paul Giamatti as a stern professor put in charge of the kids who can’t go home for the holidays. “Real” characters that you root for and not a second of CGI.

Leave the World Behind - Netflix | Really enjoyed this Sam Esmail (“Mr. Robot”) film starring Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali, based on a 2020 novel about a mysterious cyberattack that takes America by surprise. The score and camera angles elevated the tension and the story felt like what really might happen when we are cut-off from the rest of the world and left to fend for ourselves.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Amazon Prime | Rock ‘em, sock ‘em robots and the booming bass voice of Optimus Prime (Ron Pearlman) uniting machines, humans and robotic animals in yet another battle to save Earth? Sign me up! The critics hate these movies, they’re always cheesy and entirely predictable, but what can I say, they’re a guilty pleasure.

Wonka - Theatrical | I caved and watched this with Greta and Carey during the final weekend of Greta’s holiday break. It wasn’t awful, if entirely fantastical. Fun to see “Downton Abbey’s” Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) sing! And I don’t swing that way, but I do see the charm of Mr. Chalamet.

Self Reliance - Hulu | Stumbled across this Hulu original and gave it a shot based on the casting — Jake Johnson (“New Girl”) and Anna Kendrick (irrepressibly cute in everything she does). Some real laughs and a plot that’s part “Squid Game,” part traditional rom-com.

Dumb Money - Netflix | Part of me loves the stick-it-to-the-man vibe of this film based on the real-life GameStop short squeeze, and part of me knows we invest our life savings money with Northwestern Mutual, who is in bed with many a hedge fund. But if I can afford two college educations and retire before I die, it’s a win for me, and the movie.

Somewhere in Queens - Hulu | Ray Romano always delivers. This heart tugger is about an Italian family with a socially awkward son who only comes to life on the basketball court. When a college scholarship is an option, Daddy Ray goes a little too far trying to make it happen.

The Baker - Hulu | Some of these I watch just so you don’t have to. Ron Pearlman plays a Grandpa Soldier, who would prefer to make bread and forget his past, but when his son is killed in a drug deal gone bad, he’s left to clean up the mess.

Lift - Netflix | Kevin Hart gets a big paycheck and doesn’t even have to make one joke about his height. Instead, he orchestrates a $400 million gold heist with a beautiful and diverse crew in exotic locales around the world. This one fit the Netflix Original Film formula perfectly.

The Creator - Hulu | Denzel Washington’s son (John David Washington) stars in this sci-fi thriller, which posits that AI, in its ultimate evolution, will look like humans with holes straight through the back of their heads, just above the neck. I guess that’s why it’s a Best Visual Effects nominee at the Oscars in March?