We’re closing in on the end of the year and trying to wrap up on a few things we’re in the midst of watching. I’ve got my Netflix queue down to under six things in my list and trying to nail down those final couple of movies within it. Catching up on somethings like the Cloverfield Paradox movie and not even having the energy to write about it reveals some of what’s in my queue. But there are some really good things as well.
The best, for me, was the arrival of the second season of Home for Christmas. This utterly charming Norweigan series really had me in love with its first season that I found earlier this month and the second batch of six episodes, clocking at thirty minutes each, puts our lead through the wringer once again with problems of her own making, of others, and family in general. It really left me hoping she would find true love by the end of it and that it went for the non-conventional choice really made it all the stronger of a show as she went for what made her the happiest. It’s an utterly delightful series that I recommend
I had added the eight-episode La Révolution series to my list a bit ago based on the trailer and the fact that it was an actual French production. With it being about a viral outbreak amid the aristocracy of 1787, it goes in some unusual directions and takes a bit of getting into in order to connect with the hierarchy of everything, but it’s really engaging show. There are some absolutely stunning visuals – just the one of the horse in the first few months with the splattered paint along is breathtaking – and I love what it explores between those that rule and the little people below. There are great performances throughout with some strong scenery-chewing that’s utterly worth it.
I can only do a couple of episodes at a time of Big Mouth but I’m excited to have the fourth season arrive for the series. Opening on summer camp and all the issues there and having Seth Rogen get basically a version of himself to mess with is definitely fun. The struggles of friends who get separate during the summer enters here but we also get things thrown for a loop when one of them ends up in the same camp. The vulgarity and honest is as strong as it ever was and that just goes into some pretty hilarious places with mental visions of how it all works. Just the tampon stuff along had me laughing in fits on the floor.
One of my favorite musicians is Leonard Cohen and I was able to recently pick up the documentary piece for Words of Love that focuses predominantly on the 60s and between him and his muse, but giving Marianne much greater place in the scope of things than often done. It’s a fascinating piece that really reaffirms that the 60s were a wild time for a great many and the paths we take are uncertain in their destinations. I’m enjoying the heck out of it but wish we had a larger full-live documentary to explore Cohen’s life past this period and what else he did.
I’m a sucker for certain types of films with certain types of actors. Bringing Meryl Streep together with Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest and I’m sold. Give me some time with Gemma Chan, a vastly underrated and underutilized actress, and even more so. Put it in Steven Soderbergh’s hands as they took a trip across the ocean with an actual and active ship? I’m game to see where all of these people go and become along the way. It goes for a bit of a darker ending to some degree but I liked a lot of what we got here overall even if it’s not really about happy endings but more just understanding the larger journey that is our lives.
