This Week’s Binge | January 2022
I binged a lot of TV in the month of January. Unfortunately, I found myself unexpectedly on bereavement and found that watching TV was one of the few things I wanted to do. So, as usual, below are five detailed reviews with bite-sized reviews of all others at the end.
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Watch | Series
Yellowjackets
Showtime
A girl’s high school soccer team gets in a plane accident in the late 90s and gets stranded in the wilderness. Flash-forward to the present day and it’s kind of a psychological thriller, kind of a whodunit. It goes back and forth between both time periods and it’s sooo good!
It’s giving me The Wilds and Lost vibes, but with a spin.
The cast is amazing! Since Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis are quintessential actresses from the 90s the flashbacks really transport you. And the series is confirmed for a season 2!
I am: Obsessed
Station Eleven
HBO Max
This limited series is based on the best-selling book from 2014. However…it feels like it could have been written a lot more recently than that since the premise is based on a flu-like virus taking out a significant portion of the population in what results in a post-apocalyptic world.
I thought this was sci-fi, but knowing what I know now…maybe it’s just fiction? Timelines flash between pre-pandemic and post-pandemic and I found it so interesting to see how societies manage, and how they form from the rubble.
I am: Obsessed
Watch | Movies
Eternals
Disney +
A new movie from Marvel Studios with no Superheros I have ever heard of before, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Eternals.
This is a long movie clocking in over two and a half hours, and the first, let’s say 30 minutes, was on the slower side. But then it really picks up and I was thoroughly entertained.
It makes sense that it’s so long. There are a lot of characters, who we don’t know. Marvel has the difficult job of developing each and every one of those characters while at the same time telling the central story. They’ve done a great job and I’m interested to see where this new group of superheroes will go.
P.S. don’t forget to stay for the two post-credit scenes.
I am: Entertained
Don’t Look Up
Netflix
With an all-star cast, Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett just to name a few, this movie starts out as one thing but ends as quite a different film.
So while I won’t give anything away, because you know I am spoiler-free over here on Very Obsessed, I will say it’s an entertaining and interesting take on social commentary.
I am: Entertained
Read | Books
The Last Dance of the Debutante
Julia Kelly
As I big fan of historical fiction, it dawned on me that 1950s London isn’t a time period I’ve read much about.
The Last Dance of the Debutante is an interesting novel by Julia Kelly set in London in the late 1950s when women being presented in the Queen and coming out to society officially came to an end.
The story is written focusing on one young woman who does the season as requested by her family and a look at the relationships she forms along the way. It’s a little slow in the beginning, but by the end, I couldn’t put the book down.
As an American, born into a middle-class Midwestern family, I realized I had no idea how involved the coming-out season was, what it meant to the entire family, and how life-changing it could be for the girl. And that’s part of the reason I love historical fiction. I undoubtedly learn something new and am entertained along the way.
I am: Entertained
Disclosure: #gifted
What Else I Binged…
Here’s a quick review of what else I binged this month
- Imposters | Think of this as a fun suspense series. From episode one you learn that someone has been massively decived by his wife. There are so many twists, turn and surpises. It won’t win any awards but it’s good. | Entertained
- The Matrix Resurrections | A fourth movie in The Matrix franchise, I like the new cast and the resurrection story, but there are too many action scenese. I’m excited to see where it goes. | Entertained
- Hawkeye | A new original Marvel series, I wasn’t super familiar with Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, but like Hailee Steinfeld’s younger POV. | Entertained
- The Witcher | I had heard rave reviews on this fantasy series, but as someone who claims they don’t like sci-fi I didn’t start watching until the second season came out. Think of this as a lighter version of Game of Thrones. | Obsessed
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife | A great throwback to the original with a fresh perspective. I pretty much love anything that Paull Rudd is in. | Entertained
- Wolf Like Me | Josh Gad and Isla Fisher co-star in this limited series dark comedy set in Austrailia. It won’t be for everyone, but I’m hoping it comes back for a second season. | Entertained
- After Life | A 3 season dramedy from Ricky Gervais, it’s a series about an English man who loses his wife young and how he goes on. I not only found it wildly entertaining (I love a British sense of humor) but also somehow comforting while I was grieivng myself. | Obsessed
Looking for more to binge? Check out:
- Best Netflix Originals Comedy Series
- Binge-Worthy Netflix Originals Drama Series
- Best Netflix Originals Movies
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