5 May 2022

April Recap

 


We got snow twice this month in Ontario so that's a new low, not that better weather would have us watching less TV or anything...



Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand

When the sun starts creeping out, I need an Elin Hilderbrand novel. Joke was on me because we got 2 more serious snowfalls after I started this so maybe next year I hold off a while longer. Review to come soon. - MG

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer 

I am currently stuck on this non-fiction book by blog favourite Kon Krakauer. I wanted to read Under the Banner of Heaven because FX is releasing a TV adaptation starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar Jones. It is a true crime book so I wanted to give it a read in advance. I stalled out on it because I had to read so many research reports for work, but will hopefully get back into it! - MH 



Life and Beth S1

This show was weird from a plot standpoint but I was excited to see Amy Schumer's new project and I have to say this is one my favourite things she's done. It was sort of dark and the humour was subtle and more embedded than her traditional in-your-face comedies like I Feel Pretty and I think this humour suits her WAY more. I thought the supporting cast (including Michael Cera and Michael Rapaport) were amazing. The episodes are only 30 mins and it's on Disney+ now. Would definitely recommend. - MG

Michael Cera and Amy Schumer in Life and Beth


The Ultimatum S1

This has to go down as the worst premise for a reality show in history but obviously I needed to watch it. Couples where one partner is eager to get married but the other is resistant go on a show and play the field to "confirm" they are ready to settle down. It's borderline emotional abuse for the partner who wants to get married, in my opinion, and NONE of these couples should be together, but alas. I would not waste your time on this but I'm sure many of you will anyways (then text me after to discuss). - MG

Kevin Can Fuck Himself S1

I had 0 expectations for this and stumbled upon it on Prime. I tried it out for Annie Murphy (Alexis from Schitt's Creek) but could not finish it. It is such a weird show, filmed half in a traditional old school sitcom format (think Reba) and half like a drama. The formats switch randomly mid-episode. I just really hated it, as well as pretty much the entire cast. I worry Murphy is someone who is maybe siloed into a particular character as Alexis was so iconic and I just could not wrap my head around her as a sitcom wife with a terrible accent. - MG

Anatomy of a Scandal 

This is a six-episode miniseries on Netflix starring Sienna Miller. There is an Instagrammer Meg and I are obsessed with who also recommended this show. She said it was worth watching for Sienna's beautiful, sleek ponytail alone. She couldn't have been more right. I flew through these 45 minute episodes and really enjoyed the series. It's about a wife whose politician husband gets caught having an affair and is then accused of rape. If you enjoy a courtroom drama or family drama, you'll dig this. - MH

Sienna Miller and Rupert Friend in Anatomy of a Scandal


Roar

Apple TV+ has quickly become a frontrunner in terms of original programming for me. They recently put out an eight episode anthology called Roar. Each episode is based on a short story from a novel and star a ton of amazing actresses (Nicole Kidman, Alison Brie, Cynthia Erivo, etc.) One of my favourite episodes was "The Woman Who Was Fed By a Duck" starring Merritt Wever. They are all extremely unique and weird, and are all women focused. - MH

Merritt Wever in Roar




Deep Water (2022)

This is an erotic thriller starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, maybe the most beautiful couple ever to exist. It's based on the novel by the same name by Patricia Highsmith which I just added to my list. They filmed this as their real life COVID romance was blossoming but don't go in with expectations of getting to see them have a bunch of sex because to your horror there will only be one practically PG-13 sex scene that hardly earns it the film its "erotic" label. I thought this was excellent but I'm willing to admit a large part of that opinion likely stems from how visually captivating it all was. Not only was the cast outrageously hot but also the setting in New Orleans and all of the homes featured were just beautiful. This is on Prime! - MG

a still from Deep Water, look at this beautiful house and family!!!


North Country (2005) 

This movie is from 2005 but I just watched it for the first time this month. It's based on the true story of the first big workplace sexual harassment case and it was pretty sad and hard to watch (and not just because of Charlize Theron's terrible mullet). I did like it though and if you like those Erin-Brockovich true-legal-drama style movies this is a great watch. It's on Netflix! - MG

The Northman (2022)

I WILL AVENGE YOU FATHER. I WILL SAVE YOU MOTHER. I WILL KILL YOU FJOLNIR!!! This has been the motto of our household since seeing Robert Egger's The Northman the weekend it came out. I am a big Egger's fan and have loved all his movies - but this one is definitely my favourite. It is a viking revenge story starring Alexander Skarsgaard, Nicole Kidman, and Ana Taylor-Joy. You have to see it in theatres!!! - MH

Alexander Skarsgaard and Ana Taylor-Joy in The Northman


Ambulance (2022)

I would never have expected the best person I could bring to the new Michael Bay movie would be my sister. But the two of us loaded up on movie theatre treats and enjoyed a matinee showing of Ambulance - a heist movie set in an ambulance on the streets of Los Angeles. I thought it would be a fun action movie, but was not expecting to laugh as hard as I did throughout. My sister and I looooved Jake Gyllenhaal in it and had a blast. If you get motion sick, prepare for some birds-eye / diving drone shots! - MH 

Flee (2021)

Ben and I went to see this really unique movie at the Imperial Theatre, but you can actually watch it right now on Amazon Prime Video. This is an animated documentary that tells the story of a young man and his family's escape from Afghanistan and Russia. The lead narrates his story, but anonymity is still critical because many of his family members are living "illegally" across Europe. This movie is heartbreaking, but has a very happy and beautiful ending. - MH

from Flee




We Can Do Hard Things "This is 46: Why I'm Pumped About Midlife"

I've mentioned Glennon Doyle's podcast We Can Do Hard Things before but I wanted to call out this particular episode that I thought was especially great. Doyle talks about moving into the next phase of her life and feeling like she's hit all her career goals. There is a lot of discussion about how hard it is to constantly move the goal posts on yourself and how to feel comfortable that you've "done enough". I always like Doyle and her crew for keeping it real and not trying to inspire me to do too much LOL and this was no exception. You can listen here. - MG

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