What am I watching?

It's time for a ~bonus post~!

Photo Courtesy of @nessnessphotography

As an actor and creator myself, I make sure to do my homework by reading and consuming all the media I can! Here are some thoughts and recommendations from the year 2022 (with no spoilers)...

• Hulu

  • Along with Shark Tank and other comfort watches, here are some other shows and films I've been loving this year along with the lovely Heather...

    • Abbott Elementary

    • Only Murders in the Building - fun fact: a former student of mine is on the show!

    • Gravity Falls

    • The Worst Person In the World

    • The Dropout - standout performance by Seyfried!!

  • And... some that I watched but wasn't a huge fan of...

    • Pam & Tommy - good but not great - props to the acting though!

    • Not Okay - yeah.

    • Death on the Nile - good but not great - and with Armie Hammer?? I don't really remember this one.

    • After (all of them) - comically bad, but Heather loves to hate-watch it!

    • Spencer - lovely cinematography and a cool acting job by Stewart but overall barely scratched the surface of who Diana was. I wish we got more!

• Netflix

  • Favorites Included...

    • Bridgerton - duh.

    • Community - duh pt. 2 - but f*** Ch3vy Ch@se!

    • New Girl - duh pt. 3 - but I finally finished it with my roommate!

    • Squid Game - duh pt 4.

    • Key & Peele - duh pt 5 - I've been binging it!

    • Crashing - anything Phoebe Waller-Bridge writes and/or acts in I'll adore and this was no exception.

    • You - if you're able to look past the um... idk glorification/sexualization of murderers, I really enjoyed the show and writing. Shoutout to a fellow Victoria!

    • Ozark - What started out as a really engaging quarantine watch turned out to be a really solid five (?) season run. I was engaged the whole time. Plus, I love Jason Bateman and Laura Linney!

    • zach stone is gonna be famous - super entertaining!! I love Bo Burnham!

    • The Great British Baking Show - a lovely comfort watch with Heather :).

    • The Empress/Die Kaiserin - This historical German series (which I'm enjoying with my mamá and brother Marc in the original language, German), is beautifully-made! I have to say, I'm not a *huge* fan of historical dramas, but this one is pretty interesting so far.

    • The Watcher - not the best show nor the most fulfilling, but engaging and entertaining from start to finish. I enjoyed it!

  • Those That Fell Flat...

    • Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - alright... I see the nods to Agatha Christie once again, but this film fell flat for me. I think it's an alright stand-alone film but when compared to Knives Out, it flops in my eyes. The whole covid time setting in the beginning was unnecessary, especially given that they got rid of the masks 15 minutes in with a strange unexplained covid-eraser device. I also found this story to be a lot more predictable and less interesting than the original Knives Out. It was a tad overhyped and disappointing overall. Rian, get me in the writer's room, I'm here!

    • Emily in Paris - not my cup of tea. Cringey dialogue and plot lines, not-great acting, but gorgeous scenery (hello filming on location!)

    • Stranger Things - not a bad season!! Overall good! I'm just over it for now. I think it's a tad overhyped.

    • Murderville - I didn't finish this one, but I had high hopes for it! It felt somewhat boring and too simple? Unsure. This one didn't click for me.

    • Dahmer - no doubt well-made and well-acted... but did we need another serial killer reenactment? I felt for the victims' families :/.

    • The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window - I get it was satirical and well-acted by Bell, however I wish it leaned more into that. It fell flat for me.

• HBOMax

  • Favorites Included...

    • The White Lotus - as if you haven't already heard enough about this one! There's nothing I can say that wasn't already said, but all in all, I really enjoyed the writing, casting, and acting in both seasons. Chef's Kiss! 5 stars!

    • Euphoria - Rue still owes so much money and I'm nervous for her!!

    • Search Party - I binged all seasons this year and absolutely loved all of them (though we got a little... weird at the end there LOL). Absolutely incredible show.

  • Those that fell flat...

    • Last Night in Soho - meh... slightly frustrating.

    • The Staircase - Toni Colette did all she could, but I felt like this series got boring so fast.

    • The Sex Lives of College Girls - unpopular opinion but I just can't get past the really stilted dialogue and cringey moments. Not my cup of tea.

    • Don't Worry Darling - interesting and entertaining from start to finish... but the amount of plot holes in the world, Styles' acting (which wasn't bad per se but I know there was a better actor out there for the role), and all the drama made it not the most fulfilling watch.

    • Elvis - cool acting and beautiful cinematography but meh overall - I learned nothing new about Elvis ://. Last 10 mins of the film were the best but the rest fell flat.

BUT my favorite TV show of the year was indeed... drum roll please... Severance (Apple TV+). What an innovative show with incredible writing!! And casting a largely comedic actor like Adam Scott in the lead dramatic role was an amazing decision. Every single actor was beautifully cast. Every line was purposefully written. Very Black-Mirror-esque and right up my alley. THIS is the kind of work I'd love to make one day. Absolutely amazing! I cannot recommend this one enough.

That's all from me, folks! Have any recommendations in film/tv? Did I leave anything out? Leave a comment below to let me know or contact me directly here. Much love and until next time... Happy New Year!