It’s been a couple of weeks since my last Weekly Reel… I bet you’re wondering what I’ve been watching, yeah? Well, you don’t have to twist my arm, let’s go on with it!!
Weekly Reel
When it comes to TV, I was feeling like we were hitting the end of a bunch of great shows and that we’d enter a lull. But we have not. Two great shows are back!
Dexter (Season 9). The first chunk of seasons were from 2006–2013. TV-MA
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them. Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall stars in the hit SHOWTIME Original Series.
Well, well, well. Dexter Morgan. Our favorite good psychopath killer. Season 9 is back with Dexter living in a small always-cold snowy town. Two episodes have dropped thus far. I am mildly entertained so far and hoping things pick up… but my loyalty to Dexter will have me watching this either way.
Yellowstone (Season 4). 2018–Present. TV-MA
Oscar and Emmy winner Kevin Costner is the marquee attraction of the ensemble cast in this drama series, starring as the patriarch of a powerful, complicated family of ranchers. A sixth-generation homesteader and devoted father, John Dutton controls the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. He operates in a corrupt world where politicians are compromised by influential oil and lumber corporations and land grabs make developers billions. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect, Dutton's property is in constant conflict with those it borders -- an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America's first national park.
We were shopping in Whalers Village the other day… (long pause for my Letterkenny fans). While my partner went shopping for the finer things in life, I proceeded to discuss them. Gospel, who worked at the store, and I got to exchanging feels on the new season of You and I could not help but suggest Yellowstone. It’s one of the greatest shows that somehow manages to be timely, current, and not canceled… Yippeeee.
Before I get to the movies I liked, I feel inclined to say I’d skip:
Apex (Bruce Willis). Just skip it. It’s bad.
Red Notice. 2021. PG-13. Action/Adventure/Comedy.
In the world of international crime, an Interpol agent attempts to hunt down and capture the world's most wanted art thief.
Netflix tried super hard to take three very currently-popular working professionals and get them into the same film. They succeeded in that… but that’s about it. This is a good, brainless, who-dun-it kind of comedy/crime movie. It wasn’t terribly bad but it wasn’t terribly good. It felt like a really cheap attempt at a new Indiana Jones. The reviews rolling in are pretty harsh, pegging the movie around 30-40% audience approval but I think if you really like one of these three actors then you will likely enjoy it. It’s relatively fast-paced, doesn’t require deep attention, and has lots of big-budget visuals.
Life 2.0. 2010. Not rated. Documentary.
This feature-length documentary follows a group of people whose lives are dramatically transformed by a virtual world -- reshaping relationships, identities, and ultimately the very notion of reality.
There is a ton of talk about Facebook’s new “metaverse” and it has been reminding me of a documentary filmed back in 2010 that dives deep into the real lives of people who live very full digital lives. As COVID has accelerated a move towards working in our homes or from remote locations, we continue to make steadfast progress towards reducing our presence to avatars both personally and professionally. From social media and our cropped profile pictures to our work that is being transformed into tiny profile icons in chat windows and expense reports, things are shifting. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck. Without physical, real-life interaction, I can’t see a difference between what we see in Life 2.0, the book/movie Ready Player One, or reality. Life 2.0 is a fantastic exploration (10+ years before its time) on how people live, work, and play in a digital world and, almost, stomach the times they have to engage in the real world. I so highly encourage watching this film. You’ll need to get past the first 10-20 minutes which I found might turn some folks off but if you do then I think you’ll be pleasantly intrigued by just how bizarre and real people can be.
That’s it for this week… I’ll have some more amazing recommendations in the coming weeks.
Episode 42: Life is Strange
Episode 42: Life is Strange
Episode 42: Life is Strange
It’s been a couple of weeks since my last Weekly Reel… I bet you’re wondering what I’ve been watching, yeah? Well, you don’t have to twist my arm, let’s go on with it!!
Weekly Reel
When it comes to TV, I was feeling like we were hitting the end of a bunch of great shows and that we’d enter a lull. But we have not. Two great shows are back!
Dexter (Season 9). The first chunk of seasons were from 2006–2013. TV-MA
Well, well, well. Dexter Morgan. Our favorite good psychopath killer. Season 9 is back with Dexter living in a small always-cold snowy town. Two episodes have dropped thus far. I am mildly entertained so far and hoping things pick up… but my loyalty to Dexter will have me watching this either way.
Yellowstone (Season 4). 2018–Present. TV-MA
We were shopping in Whalers Village the other day… (long pause for my Letterkenny fans). While my partner went shopping for the finer things in life, I proceeded to discuss them. Gospel, who worked at the store, and I got to exchanging feels on the new season of You and I could not help but suggest Yellowstone. It’s one of the greatest shows that somehow manages to be timely, current, and not canceled… Yippeeee.
Before I get to the movies I liked, I feel inclined to say I’d skip:
Apex (Bruce Willis). Just skip it. It’s bad.
Red Notice. 2021. PG-13. Action/Adventure/Comedy.
Netflix tried super hard to take three very currently-popular working professionals and get them into the same film. They succeeded in that… but that’s about it. This is a good, brainless, who-dun-it kind of comedy/crime movie. It wasn’t terribly bad but it wasn’t terribly good. It felt like a really cheap attempt at a new Indiana Jones. The reviews rolling in are pretty harsh, pegging the movie around 30-40% audience approval but I think if you really like one of these three actors then you will likely enjoy it. It’s relatively fast-paced, doesn’t require deep attention, and has lots of big-budget visuals.
Life 2.0. 2010. Not rated. Documentary.
There is a ton of talk about Facebook’s new “metaverse” and it has been reminding me of a documentary filmed back in 2010 that dives deep into the real lives of people who live very full digital lives. As COVID has accelerated a move towards working in our homes or from remote locations, we continue to make steadfast progress towards reducing our presence to avatars both personally and professionally. From social media and our cropped profile pictures to our work that is being transformed into tiny profile icons in chat windows and expense reports, things are shifting. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck. Without physical, real-life interaction, I can’t see a difference between what we see in Life 2.0, the book/movie Ready Player One, or reality. Life 2.0 is a fantastic exploration (10+ years before its time) on how people live, work, and play in a digital world and, almost, stomach the times they have to engage in the real world. I so highly encourage watching this film. You’ll need to get past the first 10-20 minutes which I found might turn some folks off but if you do then I think you’ll be pleasantly intrigued by just how bizarre and real people can be.
That’s it for this week… I’ll have some more amazing recommendations in the coming weeks.