What I'm Watching Now

written by Betsy Flak on 2017-04-21

I've been a little...ahem...focused on getting The Impossible Creation and its bonuses up to snuff, so I have to admit that I haven't been watching a ton of TV lately (at least not when compared to my winter holiday amount). Nevertheless, I do have some TV shows to share and, sadly, only one movie.

So here's what I've been watching.

TV:

• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Season Two
  • In a nutshell: A lawyer leaves NYC and moves to West Covina, CA (a Los Angeles suburb), based on something her long-lost summer fling boyfriend says. Dramedy meets musical.
  • Watch if: Witty, dialogue-driven dramedies are your thing. Also if you like musicals. Also if you live in LA.
  • Skip if: You don't want adult humor or topics on your TV. Also if you absolutely 100% cannot stand people singing in movies or on TV. But even then, I recommend you give it a try.
  • My score:
    • Season 1: 5/5 (I loved it!)
    • Season 2: 3/5 (I liked it)
  • Disclaimer/notes: As shown above, I adored Season 1. Season 2...not so much. I can't say why (spoilers!), but I liked it enough to watch Season 3. Although, I probably will wait until Season 3 comes to Netflix, rather than buy a season pass.

• 3%
  • In a nutshell: Dystopian world where 20 year olds from a poor area compete to join a utopian society where they'll never want for anything ever again.
  • Watch if: You liked Hunger Games. It's kind of like a TV version of that, only with more political intrigue and more than one main character.
  • Skip if: You can't deal with violence and murder on TV.
  • My score: 4/5 (I really liked it)
  • Disclaimer/notes: None.

• Westworld
  • In a nutshell: Futuristic world where there's an Old West-themed adventure park staffed by robots that appear human. Visitors can do whatever they want to the robots without risk to themselves.
  • Watch if: You like dystopian TV shows, movies, and books, particularly with mind-bending twists that make you want to watch it all over again.
  • Skip if: You can't deal with violence, murder, and other adult themes on TV.
  • My score: 5/5 (I loved it!)
  • Disclaimer/notes: None.

• Game of Thrones, Seasons One and Two
  • In a nutshell: Um, we all know what this is. But sure, here's my overview: In a medieval land, four families fight for the throne. Meanwhile, magic is returning to the land, and with it, something evil that threatens everyone's life.
  • Watch if: Um, watch it. The end.
  • Skip if: You hate epic fantasy with magic and dragons and evil villains (human and not).
  • My rating: 5/5 (I loved it!)
  • Disclaimer/notes: Ok, this is really what you want. Why did I wait so darn long to watch it? The answer: I'm a book purist. If a movie (or TV series) is made about a book I want to read, I'm going to read that book first, then watch its film adaptation. So, I stubbornly waited for The Winds of Winter (Book 6 in the series). And waited. And waited. And now that I've waited for something like five years, I've given up. So it's on to the TV series and all the spoilers! Thus far: no regrets. :)
    
    

And now the lone movie that I saw in the theater:

• La La Land
  • In a nutshell: A musician and an actress meet in modern-day Los Angeles. Romance ensues, but their careers get in the way.
  • Watch if: You adore classic musicals from the 50s and 60s...but don't get your expectations too high.
  • Skip if: You don't particularly enjoy musicals.
  • My rating: 3/5 (I liked it)
  • Disclaimer/notes: As a big classic movie musical fan, I had super high expectations going in. La La Land failed to meet them. I mean, it was good, but it wasn't great. For me, there were times when it crossed the line from an homage to those classic musicals into copying them. The plot also wasn't my favorite. I did like it though! It just doesn't compare to West Side Story or the various Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals like I thought it would.
    
    

And that's it. I don't have roller derby this weekend (for once), so hopefully the hubby and I can get a date night in and maybe go see Beauty and the Beast. Have a wonderful weekend!