a list of television and movies
to illuminate the void
it’s fine, i can think about things other than colonialism, the genocide, the flooding, the fires, and the school shootings.
Van der Valk { dutch { prime
“turns out god couldn’t kill himself. he needed us for that.” the best serial police procedural/investigative show i’ve watched in a while. not brilliant but in the best episodes doing something with wit, intelligence, and ultimately heart for human life. the murder mystery plotlines are more interesting than the other procedurals i’ve poked my head in on. the scenery of Amsterdam, the up close street shots, the shops, the apartments, and of course the canals and cobblestones, have convinced me i need to go to Amsterdam, where John Irving (a favorite) was inspired to write a few novels. the second episode of ‘plague of amsterdam' made me cry at the end- so good. this show introduced me to Baruch Spinoza and i’ll be ordering his book Ethics. i love the lead actor’s face, and the canny unmakeuped unBotoxed face of his beautiful investigative (queer) partner. i love that the protagonist carries a heavy, heartbroken weight but keeps doing the best he can to be a good person and to help the broken world around him; that is in fact my favorite plotline of any show. i can’t get enough of remembering how to hold on. uneven writing, which seems to sometimes revert to really cold and clipped. worth it!
Bram Stoker’s Dracula { prime
i paid to rent this for Ever and i and am so glad i did. such a perfect way to start October, and so far removed from life as we know it that it doesn’t trigger series of thought and emotions of now. i forgot Keanu Reeves was in this! the old style of film is given great homage and i love it. the music, the over the top vampire sex, the colors, the wind sounds, the castles, the dresses. Winona Ryder is perfect for this characer she plays and looks like she was born to wear those corseted dresses with her hair in fancy updos. what a beautiful, wonderful, wonderful face she has. also, is the girl who plays Ryder’s best friend the same actress who plays the mean girl character in so many movies nowadays? she was one of the three sisters of the evil stepmother in Cinderella? the monster who rapes her is actually terrifying. this is the most grown-up movie Ever has probably ever seen. the rape scene with the werewolf was definitely a conversation. it was a very short scene and while upsetting it’s not particularly graphic. deep monster lore.
Addams Family Values { prime
this movie is underrated. the sets alone are fantastic. the writing is at times hilarious, the actors perfectly cast, and the plotline is funny and interesting. also: Joan Cusak. Ever said. “ I love that woman’s face. I love her in everything she’s in. I wish she was in everything. She has the best face. And voice! “ I 100 % agree. And Morticia. ICONIC.
The Lesson { prime
this is a movie starring a beautiful actor with intelligent, observant eyes. i’m glad i watched it and it was interesting, beautiful to look at (English countryside manor), and i will watch almost anything that is about the literary world or writers. reviews were more glowing than i agree with but it’s solidly good. smart and well acted. a young writer is hired to go tutor a young lad trying to get into fancy uni, young writer finds the lad’s dad is most revered novelist in country and once in place at the house for the summer, realizes the family is fucked up and he’s somehow being put in the middle.
monsieur spade { english&french { prime
one of my favorite shows of the last few years. absolutely gorgeously moody beautiful cinematography of a small French town just after WW2. i knew i was going to love this show somewhere in the first or second episode when the camera lingers on a thunderstorm brewing over a field blowing in the wind, and the colors of the sky and the shushing wind are enough to make you cry, and then monsieur spade turns and says, “thunderstorm.” not afraid to be slow, not in a hurry, long shots, lots of silence and human faces and homes made of stone and wood. the writing gets very good as the storyline deepens, and the secondary plotline of one former soldier’s life in the village after serving in the war is absolutely fantastic, deeply moving, and made me sob. the over-stylized speaking ( i know it’s a whole genre) almost made me stop watching it in the beginning bc that’s not my thing usually. i’m so glad i didn’t.
slow horses { british { appletv
gary oldman! that’s all i needed to know. you might also like to know this is a spy drama but what really makes it something you crave to watch is the characters and their cranky, clever interactions- the acting and the writing. wonderfully cast. gives me that good escapist feeling. London! the theme song is perfection. i bought the first book this series is based on and so far, so good with that, too. i really like the face of one of the leads who plays River Cartwright, an unusual mix of boyish good looks and keen observational eyes, intelligence and a kind mouth. his character is wonderfully developed. kristin scott thomas is also wonderful here.
bad monkey { appletv
vince vaugh was made for this role. the humor here is so deadpan and so sweet and i LOVE IT. ultimately a fluffy show with funny characters and witty dialogue which is elevated by vaughn and the setting in ( sob ) Florida Keys.
heartstopper season 2 { british { netflix
i bought Ever this whole graphic novel series about two boys who fall in love- and their (generally) queer friend group- as an xmas gift last year and she loved it, and now loves the show, too. we watched it together and the second season just dropped so we are watching it. this show is again, slow ( a theme with my preferences i guess ) and from an adult pov almost looks like the plotlines are just excuses to teach teens how to communicate about the hard things in their life. it’s a deeply gentle and sweet show and the actors are great. Ever and I have already had two good convos while watching it, one about how your brain can try to ‘trick’ you into staying silent when you are having a mental health issue, and one about how people smell when you are attracted to them haha