This Week’s Binge 3.12.21

Murder Among the Mormons

Netflix

Set in Salt Lake City, this is a shocking docu-series about multiple bombings in the mid-’80s. I want to say it’s the LDS Church version of The Da Vinci Code, but that might be a bit of a stretch. With only 3 episodes, if you like murder mysteries, this is an easy binge.

Is it just me or is Salt Lake City having a moment? Between a new murder show and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, I feel like it’s everywhere? Although I did love Big Love and The Book of Mormon, so maybe it’s just the curiosity that is so fascinating about SLC.

I am: Entertained

Coming 2 America

Amazon Prime Video

33 years after Coming to America, the initial cast reunited for the sequel, Coming 2 America.

The original Coming to America has Eddie Murphy playing an African prince who decides to come to America (Queens, in fact) to find his bride. He’s accompanied by his sidekick, played by Arsenio Hall, and hilarity ensues. I’ve seen the original countless times, it’s worth the watch if you haven’t seen it.

The sequel picks up 33 years after when he is a happily married prince in Africa but finds out he left an illegitimate son he didn’t know about back in Queens. You get the drift. He goes back 2 America. But honestly, most of the movie takes place in Africa. Leslie Jones and Tracy Morgan are great additions to the cast, and I was thoroughly entertained.

There are some inside jokes and a lot of throwbacks to the original movie but I don’t think you need to have seen the original to be entertained…but it definitely helps. Nostalgia works in crazy ways.

I am: Entertained

The Cactus

Sarah Haywood

As one of my favorite podcasts, Bad on Paper, says, this is a DNF. Did Not Finish. Which rarely happens for me in a book.

I could chalk this up to a COVID casualty since I started reading this in early 2020 before the pandemic hit. But the fact is that I’ve read several books during the pandemic. The Cactus just wasn’t that interesting and so it never dawned on me to go back to it when there are so many other books I am eager to read.

The premise is interesting, a mis-understood 40-something that seems a little prickly…I can relate. And it was a Reese bookclub pick. I got through 4 chapters and had yet to get to the endearing part. When you don’t love any characters, it’s hard to want to read. So I didn’t.

I am: Annoyed