Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve updated with a monthly wrap up! So long that it looks like this one will just be a pre self-isolation wrap up…everything I’ve been watching and want to note since the year began. This includes everything from January 1st to now (3 weeks into self isolation) Stay tuned for what’s on my radar this month in the next post! You ready? Let’s go.

TV (Drama)

I’ve had quite a good time checking out the new to me French sci-fi series, Transfers (Netflix), and watching the Japanese time travel series, Erased (Netflix) which is based on a manga series that I have not read but want to now. Also new to me is the Korea zombie show, Kingdom (Netflix) which is quite a thrill ride! Highly recommend. I also quite enjoyed the graphic novel adaptation of Locke & Key (Netflix) even though I wasn’t a huge fan of some little things that were changed for the show. I understand why most of these changes were made. Some of them were…choices. Anyway, the show has been renewed for a season 2 and you bet I can’t wait to watch! As of last night, I started watching Dispatches From Elsewhere (AMC) which I hadn’t heard of until yesterday when I saw a promo for it while I was catching up on Doctor Who. Dispatches is so great. It’s so inventive and in its own lane, unlike anything else that’s on TV right now. Shout out to Eve Lindley, a trans actress who plays the love interest to Jason Segel’s character. We love to see it! Dispatches is currently airing its first season so once I catch up, I’ll have to wait week to week for new episodes.

The new season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix) is great, so if you watch that, keep watching. It’s really interesting to see what stories they choose to tell each season and I’ll just leave it at that. I tried to start season 2 of The Rain (Netflix) but it’s just not grabbing me in even a percentage of the way that season 1 did so I’m debating if I’ll try again or let it go. Altered Carbon (Netflix) season 2 was solid but it didn’t match up to season 1 for me. I know that Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger (Freeform) is done but I never got around to watching it, so I’m also making my way through that. I’ve been catching up on Queen Sugar (OWN) which I didn’t realize I was so behind on.

There’s a lot that I need to catch up on, like the new season of The Sinner (USA), the new Amazon Prime drama, Hunters, Truth Be Told on Apple, and the new HBO drama The Outsider. I’m holding off on Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu) until I read the book, which I’ve had since before it came out hahaha so that’s where I’m at on that.

TV (Comedy)

As for comedy, I’ve gotten into Everything’s Going To Be Okay (Freeform) which is just as heartwarming as it is hysterical, the sci-fi satire Avenue 5 (HBO) which I feel like was made for me oh my god, I LOVE this show. It is perfect. I started Feel Good (Netflix) and need to finish that. On My Block (Netflix) Season 3 delivered! But I’m mad at that ending, it felt like a cop out. There’s a difference between not being happy with an ending and being disappointed with an ending and I was disappointed here.

I stumbled upon Deadbeat (Hulu) which is adorable comedy that’s Ghost Whisperer if Melinda were a deadbeat man in the city. I’m sad I didn’t know anything about this show until now. Good job promoting your shows, Netflix. *insert major eye roll here* Ugh don’t even get me started on Hulu and their lack of promo for their shows (RIP The Path and Freakish and Future Man). By the way, Future Man season 3 as a whole is not as awesome as I’d hoped it would be but the series finale was fine, I guess. Anyway, I also want to mention Good Girls (NBC) which is so wildly under-appreciated. Seasons 1 and 2 are on Netflix, the rest is on Hulu. Get on it! It’s so much fun.

TV (Docu-Series/Based on a True Story)

As far as documentaries go, notable mentions go to the Mcdonald’s Lottery documentary series McMillions (HBO) which was… wow! The death row docu-series, I Am A Killer (Netflix) is quite something. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (Netflix) was really sad. I did get on the Tiger King (Netflix) train and whoa baby, what a ride. How did a documentary that was going to be about snakes turn into following a rivalry between these people who keep tigers for pets and then lead to murder? Wow. Wow. Wow. If you’re trying to hold off on watching this for some arbitrary reason, don’t. Just watch it. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (Netflix) was absolutely devastating.

I finally got to Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix), a four part food/travel series  which was really relaxing and actually helpful for a book that I’m revising haha. I took some mental notes haha. I also finally got around to Diagnosis (Netflix) which is based on Dr. Lisa Sanders’s column for The New York Times. It was quite fascinating to say the least.

As for based on true stories… Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (Netflix) was a valiant effort. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Not to mention, they really couldn’t come up with anything else other than to lean on colorism in this rivalry? That didn’t sit well with me at all. So, I watched this but I can’t recommend it to anyone. I’ll wait on the next Madam C.J. Walker project, because there is bound to be another.

Finally, there’s nor really a place to put this since I limit my reality/competition shows to as close to ZERO as possible these days but Nailed It France (Netflix) has helped me to smile and laugh with reckless abandon and I need that right now so thank you. Season 4 of Nailed It (Netflix) just premiered too so you know I’ll be watching that asap!

Movies

I definitely haven’t seen as many movies as I planned on seeing in these past two months and boy oh boy, you bet my behind will be in the movies for every single movie that I want to see once theaters are open. I have AMC Stubs so I don’t have an excuse. Before, I’d say I was tired but screw that. I love the movie theater experience and I want to make sure that I have it as much as possible. The last movie I saw in theaters was Jojo Rabbit on February 1st. I really wanted to see Jumanji 2 in theaters and never made my way out to see it but a friend bought it so I was able to watch it, thankfully. Otherwise, this no theater thing would have been even more disappointing.

I still want to see Fantasy Island and The Photograph among others. I’m bummed about Mulan, Antebellum, and A Quiet Place II, etc… being pushed back but I completely understand and am so pumped to see them all when they hit theaters.

As for movies not in theaters anymore…I finally saw Parasite (which is EVERYTHING) in January and it becomes available on Hulu on April 8th so definitely be on the lookout for that if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s worth the hype and so, so much more.

I made quite a dent in my Netflix queue, watching the old school monster movie Sweetheart starring Kiersey Clemons, the sci-fi movie Freaks which starts off slow but delivers, and another sci-fi movie Timetrap which was a trip. I really enjoyed it. I also watched the French film, Nothing to Hide, in which a group of friends all put their cell phones at the center of the table during dinner and decide that every message must be read aloud and every phone call must be answered on speakerphone. What could go wrong? Haha. This was so great. Pihu is based on a true story, the true story being about a 2 year old who must fend for herself in her home after both of her parents die in the home. This movie gave me anxiety oh my goodness. I also watched To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You which was cute but made me realize that I’m no longer the target audience for these movies.

My favorite movie this year so far goes to The Platform which made its way through the film festival circuit last year and finally made it to Netflix. This movie is absolutely fantastic. Highly, highly recommend. Somewhere on the list of favorites is The Invisible Man (Amazon Prime) which I hate saying because I don’t want to give Elisabeth Moss that praise since she’s a scientologist. Why does she have to be such a great actress? Ahhh.

I also mistakenly watched Godzilla: King of the Monsters on HBO Now because I thought it was the one with Brie Larson in it. Turns out, that one is Kong: Skull Island and it’s not streaming for free anywhere so I still have not seen it hahaha.

As far as documentaries go, Ladies First starts off with so much optimism and then by the middle, I was so angry with people and societal standards and I just wanted to cry. I also watched Fire in Paradise and tortured myself watching A 3 Minute Hug. Finally, my most recent watch was The Mars Generation which just made me bitter about the fact that I never got to go to space camp when I was younger. That bitterness aside because money so what can you do lol, I really did enjoy watching the documentary.

So that’s it on the movie front. I may have missed a movie here and there as I watched some stuff on a friend’s Netflix account too and didn’t keep track of what I watched there so those titles are list to me now haha. But I feel like I mentioned 98% of everything I’ve watched and wanted to mention here.

Books

Since the year began, I’ve been catching up on graphic novels (I finished Paper Girls! I’m caught up on Saga!) and I read a few celebrity books but my favorite read so far this year has been Scythe by Neal Shusterman (Add it to Goodreads).

Neal is one of my favorite authors, if not, my favorite YA author. This story is set in a world where death has been conquered so a number of people are selected to train to become scythes, those who kill to keep the population under control. I didn’t want to start this because I didn’t want it to end haha but I finally gave in and ugh I cannot wait to read book 2! I am going to zoom right through this trilogy during this self isolation, as I knew I would and then I will be sad again because I will have to wait for more books from him haha.

While the year started off super slow for me, I’ve been laid off due to COVID-19 and now we’re in self isolation, so I imagine I’ll be getting a lot more reading done now. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to mention at the end of April. You can follow all of the books I’m reading this year here.

I’m currently about to start  Jade City by Fonda Lee with my critique group, An Ember of Ashes by Sabaa Tahir with Alexandra Bracken’s Book Club and I’m currently reading Contagion by Erin Bowman. Stay tuned for next month’s wrap up!

What have you been enjoying so far this year in TV, movies, and books?