What I've Watched in 2022 (Part 2)

To some, I am a source of recommendations for movies & TV shows. So, the fact that those same people are lapping me in watching new shows and movies lately, means that I've lost my edge. This is me trying to redeem myself. Shout-out to the Day-One Readers who actually read all of these blog posts - not to get sentimental but I would literally kill for you. Anyways, please DM with thoughts. opinions, and other recommendations for me.

House of the Dragon (HBO Max)

I'll be the first to admit I was one of the naysayers in the months leading up to the premier. As if I was scarred from a toxic relationship, I was not ready to give HBO and George R. R. Martin another chance at the utter devotion I once had for everything Game of Thrones. I was very wrong. Season 1 of House of the Dragon was everything I missed about Game of Thrones. While GoT ramped up the spectacle as the seasons went on, giving us expensive battle scenes and jaw-dropping set pieces. However, it came at the expense of the political scheming that I got addicted to in the first place. Them actually PLAYING the GAME of THRONES was the reason everyone suddenly became fantasy fans. To everyone's relief, the showrunners revived the long lost universal love everyone had for this fantasy world. I can't tell you how much I missed the hours of debate that followed each Sunday night episode, followed by hours of YouTube analysis videos with titles like, "Why Daemon ate a Bagel - The History and Lore of Bagel-Eating in Westeros." This is on track to become the show everyone talks about on Monday morning meetings in the office again, so hop on the bandwagon while you can. Next season won't release until 2024 so you have awhile before the book fans attempt to spoil literally everything on Twitter.

Severance (Apple TV+)

Apple TV+ dropped Severance a few months back and not enough people watched it. It got nominated for a bunch of Emmys and even most nominated actors admitted their favorite show this year was Severance. By far, one of the most addicting shows this year, it stars Adam Scott as the head of a department at a mysterious medical technology company. In order to work in this department, employees must surgically separate their personal memories from their work memories, essentially creating a split personality that activates when they come to and from the office. The show follows the 2 versions of each character, one that exists on the inside, and one that exists on the outside, as they both try to discover the truth of the company in their own ways. It's unique, super original premise and perfectly placed episodic cliffhangers will have you finishing this suspenseful mystery in one day.

Fleabag (Amazon Prime)

Shoutout to Katy Warren for this recommendation. I had always heard good things about this show but never gave it the time of day (very sexist of me). I am pleased to say that this is one of the easiest watches you'll ever have. The show follows our protagonist, who we only know as Fleabag, a struggling café-owner with a lot of baggage that she copes with by speaking to us directly and breaking the fourth wall. The best way I can describe Fleabag's fourth-wall-breaking is a mix between Jim Halpert from The Office and Francis Underwood from House of Cards. It's a type of storytelling that was insanely entertaining to watch and made for some great comedic moments. Gentlemen, this show may seem like something you wouldn’t normally watch, but I urge you to give the first couple episodes a try. Fleabag ended up being an extremely relatable character. With only about 12 episodes at 20-30 minutes each, you'll blow through this in one sitting.

NOPE (Theaters)

Jordan Peele was born to direct. Get Out and Us were both original takes on the horror genre and I love a director who can convince a big studio to throw money at an original idea. NOPE's plot was pretty vague so I came in with no real expectations. What I got was the natural successor to Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. First off, this movie was incredibly shot. Combined with a fantastic score by Michael Abels, I was treated to some top tier scenes that somehow become some of the coolest Western scenes I've ever seen (people who have seen the movie know exactly which scene I'm talking about). The movie follows OJ, played by the always fantastic Daniel Kaluuya, and Emerald, played by my new favorite actress at the moment, Keke Palmer. When I say that True Jackson, VP stole every scene she was in, I am not exaggerating. The pair own a failing ranch that trains horses for film and TV productions. They soon begin to deal with something resembling an alien that lurks in the area and see an opportunity. The movie deals with themes of Man vs. Nature and I've got to be honest, it's one of the most interesting takes on the alien story I've seen in a long time. It subverts expectations, so it may not be for everyone, but it's definitely worth a try when it becomes available to stream.

Barbarian (Theaters & Hulu)

This was the sleeper hit of the season. I got to see this in theaters without even seeing the trailer because I had heard that the less that you know about this movie ahead of time, the better the experience will be. That proved to be correct because I could not guess what was going to happen next to save my life. It was one of the most unhinged, darkly hilarious, and chaotic horror/thriller films I have ever seen. The movie starts out with a woman arriving in a shady Detroit neighborhood to discover her Airbnb has been accidentally double-booked with a mysterious man. That's all I'll tell you, because that covers the first 15 minutes and from there you just have to buckle in and enjoy the ride. If you need a good Halloween movie, I'd recommend giving this a try and watch with friends...not because it's super scary, but because everyone's reactions to the unhinged story turns will be half the fun.

Arcane (Netflix)

I know that I recommended this in my last post, but I just re-watched the first season and I feel like I need to repeat myself. Arcane is, without a doubt, one of the best first seasons of television I have ever seen. It's a steampunk fantasy that has literally everything you could want; incredibly well-written characters, political scheming, amazing action scenes, heart-wrenching drama, and above-all, some of the most beautiful animation I've ever seen. It mixes 3D and 2D animation for a type of feel that rivals Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. This show is STILL the only Netflix show to maintain a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it's been out for over a year. At LEAST give it a try and report back to me please I need to have people to discuss it with before season 2.