Television
The Simpsons (Disney +)
You know who I am loving lately? Ralphie Wiggum.
He is unhinged in the best way.
Abbott Elementary – The Crossover Episode (Hulu)
This was practically perfect in every way.
Sure, the gang was toned down, but it really worked for Abbott. I hope this means that on the Sunny version that the school crew gets a little out of control.
You know Melissa got messssssy when she visited Paddy’s.
My favorite storyline was Charlie and Barbara. Given the ending of the episode and how many other teachers got involved, I think that was the main storyline. I love that it took a recurring bit from Always Sunny (Charlie being unable to read or write) and improved it. I dunno what other word to use aside from “improve,” but if you watch the episode, I think you know what I mean.
I am interested in seeing if Charlie’s new skill will bleed over into the new season of Always Sunny.
The Traitors S3 – E1-3 (Peacock)
This cast is sensational.
Bob the Drag Queen.
Boston Rob.
A bunch of people I don’t know who have big personalities.
And Carolyn from Survivor season 44.
She was one of the only reasons I didn’t stop watching earlier. She is so comfortable with herself and unafraid to say what’s on her mind. She’s got a quick brain, too. Both of these things could work either for or against her. In the position that she’s in, I think she should thrive, although one of her teammates might make that difficult for her.
I’m loving the new twist so far and am excited to see where they all go.
Two more things:
- the fashion is the main reason I watch this show. Not just Alan Cumming, but everyone does the most and I am here for it. This would be such a fun show to be on. Like almost as fun as the original Mole.
- This show is all about manipulating the viewers emotions. Normally, that would annoy me, but I give into it with this show and it’s worth it. It’s fun to cosplay as that person for a while. It’s easy on the brain, for sure. This show is masterful at it, too. Between the music and the tease-y edits, The Traitors takes you on a roller coaster of emotions.
Severance – Rewatch (AppleTV+)
We’re watching this in anticipation of the new season.
There is so much hallway walking, but I feel like that is important to both the story and the vibe of the show.
Here are some other handwritten notes I took while watching:
- There is no way I would do a job without knowing what I was actually doing. My brain needs to know the whys. Always.
- The use of reflection in this show is masterful.
- There were smizing lessons in episode 5.
- The innies are in the light, and the outties are in the dark. I mean literally, when the setting is at the severed workplace, the lights are bright, almost blinding. When they are away from work, everything is dark and drab. This show is so good at details.
Mr. In Between (Hulu)
I’m done and this was a great show. I won’t make it into my favorites, but I’ll be thinking about Ray for a good long while.
The penultimate episode was heartbreaking and the finale was great.
Pop Culture Jeopardy (Amazon Prime)
Again, the highlight of my week. Colin is a great host. I love seeing the themed costumes.
This show makes me feel smart. Me and Aubz keep talking about what costumes we’d wear if we were on the show together.
Haven’t talked about a team name yet, though.
Australian TV (Or Dropout TV)
Very Important People with Vic Michaelis (Dropout TV)
I have taken to this show very hard. It is like the cherry on top of the dessert of my day.
Movies
Flow (Film Independent Membership)
This movie got me, y’all. I went in not knowing much about it. I knew it was a Latvian film that was made 100% in Blender, a free, open-source 3D creation suite. The software was released in 1998, and this is the first full-length movie (that I am aware of) to accomplish this feat.
I didn’t know I would be yelling at the screen multiple times.
The way the director/writer/everythinger Gints Zilbalodis made me immediately care about each new character almost instantly blew my mind. Even more than that, he was able to establish clear character traits and personalities within, like, 30 seconds of screen time. It was magical.
There wasn’t a single word of dialogue, and it didn’t need it.
There was no emotional manipulation, which is something that really annoys me about animated films. It simply presented a story and let the audience have a natural reaction to it.
I loved it. It has earned its place on my “Top Ten Movies of the 2025 Awards Season” list.
A Real Pain (Film Independent Membership)
Kieran Culkin was fantastic. He went after this role with a light, human touch, and it really worked. He was warmer and more healed than Roman Roy, but still quite broken. He was loveable and likable but also hateable.
I think Jesse Eisenberg will be one of the great writer/directors of his generation in the next ten years or so. This was an impressive film.
I’m go back and watch his first one, When You Finish Saving the World.
September 5 (Film Independent Membership)
This was fine.
The tension level was wrong.
I have seen this story so many times from different perspectives already.
Eh.
In The Summers (Film Independent Membership)
This felt deeply personal. A solid debut.
The storytelling device of the four summers was nice.
I love movies like this one. You know, ones I wouldn’t have heard of or watched without my Film Independent membership. I like watching all of the nominees so that I can do my due diligence when voting for the awards.
René Pérez Joglar is a standout as the father, but I really thought the entire cast was full of fresh talent.
It just felt a little heavy-handed to me, which would probably be the exact problem I would run into if I ever made a movie loosely based on my own younger days.
