friends

Some screens I watched recently, in alphabetical order, all on Netflix:

Abstract: Each hour-long episode features a different artist in a different medium and examines their approach to making art. Totally fascinating. Highly recommended.

Another Life: Bad SF. I watched twenty minutes of this, but the writing was terrible, the world building vacuous, and my beloved Katee Sackhoff completely devoid of charisma. Does star that beardy Teen Wolf guy, though, if you're in the market.

Archer: I used to randomly watch this on FX, and so I sat down and started over at the beginning so I could see the whole thing. The comedy style is more insulting than I enjoy now, but I could listen to H. Jon Benjamin talk all day. This was also how I learned Jessica Walter died in 2021 and it hit me unexpectedly hard.

Diplomat: Watched season three, and it was so good I regretted not rewatching season one and two before the new season. Though how Kate hasn't figured out she's exactly like her husband is a hilarious mystery. Like the moment one of them isn't getting enough attention they do something completely fucked up. Highly recommended. Contains (in part): suicide.

Four Seasons: I felt pretty sure I wasn't going to be into these middle-age married people's problems (two white straight couples, and a mixed race gay couple), but it's Tina Fey so I had to try. I liked it more than I thought I would! It was a pleasant diversion and I liked the set up of two episodes per season (Earth seasons, not TV seasons) as these old friends get together for visits and vacations. Contains: divorce, grief.

High Town: Set in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and filled with drug use, drug dealers, party queers, depressed fishermen, and cops. High production value and a hot gay woman of color as a lead (Monica Raymund as Jack), but after an episode and a half I didn't care about any of the characters. It's no The Wire.

Wayward: Starring Mae Martin. Also created, written, and executive produced by Martin, so me with my Mae Martin problem spent the entire time very distracted. But, my love for Martin's beautiful pointy face aside, this drama/thriller about a small town and its cult-like reform school lead by a chillingly maternalistic Toni Collette is very watchable. Also gory, violent, upsetting, and pointlessly set in the early 2000s, but the dog makes it. Recommended. Contains: drug use, shitty parents, child harm/death.

Wick is Pain: I've never seen a single John Wick movie, but I enjoyed this behind the scenes look at how action films get made, particularly this series with its signature gun fu style and, of course, Keanu Reeves, who does the majority of his own stunts and fighting and who is interviewed along with the directors, producers, and stunt personnel involved with the films. Contains: violence, guns, cinematic death of a dog.

The Woman in Cabin 10: Started this solely on the strength of Keira Knightley's presence, but even she couldn't rescue this glossy but limp woman-sees-something-alarming-but-literally-no-one-believes-her thriller. I watched this in twenty minute increments over three nights, swearing I was done with it every night until, on the third night, Keira Knightley did something so unforgivably stupid I immediately deleted it from my continue watching list.