Recommendations For You To Stream (Summer 2021)

Be prepared, there may be some animated shows on here but trust me, they ain't for kids.

Invincible (Amazon Prime)

If you have any kind of internet presence, chances are you've seen a handful of memes from this show. One in particular (THINK, MARK!) made quite the wave on Twitter. The basic summary is that Mark is the high-school son of Omni-Man, who is pretty much Superman and is world-famous for protecting the Earth every day. One day, Mark develops his father's powers and must learn how to cope with them. That's as bare bones of a summary as I can give because the tone and plot of the show changes a few times. The first big plot twist is at the end of episode one so I shan't say more. It's not as predictable as you might think it is, though. Was it good? Hell yes, it was awesome. It had animation that reminded me the old batman cartoons from Saturday mornings but it also had extremely dark themes and gore that reminded me of Happy Tree Friends. Give it a shot, it somehow tells a familiar story but makes it very fresh and oh my god look at the cast when you get the chance because its huge and amazing. Seth Rogan voices a random character and he has barely 2 minutes of screen time.

Tropic Thunder (Amazon Prime)

This is more of a reminder that Tropic Thunder is available on Amazon Prime (which I know you all have because you still use your parent's Prime account like me). One of the all-time greats in the genre of comedy. It's all-star cast, its iconic lines, it's absolutely ridiculous but somehow genius premise, it's all there. Most of you have probably already seen this and if you haven't, it's because you tried it and it's not for you. I never judge a person's preference when it comes to comedy because comedy is subjective (but you're opinion is wrong).

Mare of Easttown (HBO Max)

This sort of came out of nowhere for me. Shoutout to my sister for recommending it because wow was I impressed. If you like murder mysteries, enjoy movies like Gone Girl, or shows like The Outsider or True Detective, then you'll definitely like this. Kate Winslet plays Mare, a lifelong resident and detective in the small Philadelphia suburb of Easttown (see what the title of the show did there, someone got paid a lot of money for that). She's you're typical detective protagonist trope, an alcoholic with an attitude who knows their town like the back of their hand. One day, a teenage girl is found dead and Mare enlists the help of a young hotshot detective (Evan Peters) to help. Pretty generic, right? I shit you not, I was second guessing who the killer was every episode. Just when you thought the show might be going in one direction, it quickly pivots. I usually pride myself in my ability to narrow down who the killer is and this show laughed in my dumb face. It was certainly worth the watch and made incredible work of a stacked cast, compelling story, and masterful tension. Kate Winslet is getting an Emmy for this, I'm calling it now.

To Your Eternity (HBO Max)

If I could describe this show, it would be this: Emotional Masochism. It's will absolutely tear your heart out, yet you keep watching because of how beautiful and somehow awesome it is. It's currently on episode 5 on HBO Max and each episode is only 20-30 minutes, yet the first episode absolutely broke me. I dare you all to watch the first episode and not spend the 10 minutes afterwards with your head buried in your hands. Just let it out, man. The plot is very original. According to the story's narrator, who we only know as "The Beholder", we begin with an orb that falls from the sky and possesses the power to change it's form based on stimulus and how it observes it's surroundings. First, it became a rock, then it became moss, and then, as a dog lay dying next to it, it changes into the dog and wanders back to find the dog's original owner. And that's just the first 8 minutes. Throughout the show, the orb learns what it means to be alive, and eventually, how to even be human through meeting a wide range of characters and learning the joys and hardships of life. Be prepared to feel a lot of things because it somehow endears you to every character through short, well-crafted character development, some great and funny writing, and even some kick-ass action sequences. Yet, through it all, you will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster. Give it the first episode, and try to tell me you're fine afterwards. Oh, and the soundtrack is spectacular.

Argo (HBO Max)

Did you know this movie won the Oscar for Best Picture back in 2013 and some people were mad?! MAD?! You wanted the overly-long biography of Abraham Lincoln to win? Too bad nerds, not while this bad boy had anything to say about it. Argo is a well-written drama-thriller based off the incredible true story of how the CIA smuggled the hostages of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 out of Iran by...wait for it...pretending to be famous filmmakers making a sci-fi blockbuster. It's awesome. I can't imagine how the the CIA agreed to this bonkers idea that somehow worked. As awesome as the second half of the movie is where they actually smuggle the hostages out of Iran, my favorite parts are from the beginning where they actually hire Oscar-winning producers, directors, screenwriters, and makeup artists to be staffed on a fake movie. The modern-day equivalent would be like Quintin Tarantino, Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Spielberg worked with the CIA to trick Russia. To quote award-winning screenwriter Lester Siegel (played by the great Alan Arkin), "If I'm gonna make a fake movie, it's gonna be a fake hit."

No Sudden Move (HBO Max)

This is HBO Max's most recent release and I got to watch it last night and god damn it, did I miss Steven Soderbergh. If you don't know who Soderbergh is, he's the director behind some fantastic movies like Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Oceans's Thirteen, Traffic, and Contagion. This movie has an absolutely stacked cast with Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, David harbour, Jon Hamm, Ray Liotta, Kieran Culkin, and BRANDEN FRASER HIMSELF - THE KING HAS RETURNED! The plot revolves around a group of criminals who are brought together under mysterious circumstances and have to work together to uncover what's really happening. It's well-written and pretty complex, but done very well and it was definitely worth the watch.

The Green Mile (HBO Max)

Okay, this is the last emotional movie on this list, but it's an all-time classic in my book. One of my favorite movies of all time, it's based on one of Stephen King's Novellas and follows the story of a block of jail cells nicknamed "the green mile" as all of its inmates are awaiting a death sentence. One day, the prison guards are floored when a giant, muscular man named John Coffey is brought in for the rape and murder of two little girls. Yet, he has the personality and a small child. He's a sweet, caring man who is afraid of the dark and cries all the time. As the prison guards spend time with him, not only do they learn that there may be more to his story, but also that he possesses abnormal abilities. This movie has some of the most poetic lines I've ever heard and they pull all the right emotional chords. It's beautiful, it's heartbreaking, but above all else, it's kind of enlightening in a way. The late, great Michael Clarke Duncan delivers the finest performance of his career and reminds us that he was taken from us way too soon.

Bad Education (HBO)

I recommended this back when it came out towards the beginning of the pandemic but in case you missed it, watch this gem of an HBO original. It's a movie based of the true story of the largest public school embezzlement scandal in US history. Hugh Jackman plays the superstar superintendent of the school system who everyone in the community loves. Turns out, he's also embezzling a lot of taxpayer money as well, and who starts digging into what's going on first? The school paper. Pretty hilarious, but the story is tightly written, fun, dark at times, and handles the subject with just the right amount of seriousness considering a lot of it is rich people screwing over other rich people. It's a highly enjoyable time with a stellar cast.

Love, Death, and Robots (Netflix)

Season 2 is officially OUT and even though it is a smaller amount of episodes, it has some really good shorts to make up for it. If you don't know what this show is, it is an anthology series of short stories told through different kinds of animation styles. Some are abstract, some are so realistic it blurs the line between real and fake, and some are unlike any animation style I've ever seen. Each episode is between 10-20 minutes long, so here are my favorites to try out:

• Beyond the Aquila Rift: Story about a ship's crew awakening after traveling lightspeed to discover something about their destination isn't right

• Shape-Shifters: Follows an alternate universe where werewolves exist alongside humans and even fight in the military in Afghanistan, but as second-class citizens.

• Zima Blue: A renowned artist recounts his mysterious past before unveiling his final work

• Pop Squad: In a future where having children is illegal, an officer who enforces population control begins to question his morality

• Snow in the Desert: A mysterious man is hunted by everyone in the galaxy, but meets a strange woman who offers to help him.

Training Day (Netflix, HBO Max)

I can't believe it took me this long to watch this movie. With an incredible, Oscar-winning performance by my all-time favorite actor Denzel Washington, it follows a rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) who is taken for a ride-along with a veteran officer (Washington) who has some very morally-questionable methods for doing his job. If there's one thing this movie does very well, it's gradually build tension, which is mostly due to the awesome performances of its two leads. Tight writing, intense scenes, and a very interesting take on the "idealistic rookie and hardened veteran" dynamic - it's all there for this classic from the early 2000s.

Attack on Titan (Netflix, Hulu)

Hear me out with this one. I'll start off by saying this is now my favorite show of all time, and I'm not even joking. All I'll say about the plot is that mankind has been pushed to the brink of extinction by giant humanoid creatures called titans. The remainder of humanity has barricaded themselves inside a giant walled city and haven't seen a titan in 100 years until, one day, a 60-meter tall Titan appears out of thin air and knocks the wall down. That's all I'll really say about it, but that's just the first episode. Not only do plot twists happen every few episodes, but they're done in such a way that you're blindsided every time. The show even changes genres a few times and what seemed like something as simple as Humans vs. Titans turns into the most masterfully-crafted plot I have ever seen with not a single scene wasted. If violence and dark themes aren't your thing, maybe this isn't for you - but if you liked the complexity and thrills of shows like Game of Thrones, then give this show a chance. It also has what I'd consider to be the greatest soundtrack to a show I've ever heard. Don't believe me? According to IMDB, this show has the highest amount of episodes with a "perfect" rating out of any show ever - even more then Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. Like I said, not a single episode is wasted.