Hello, friends. Happy Friday! It was a long work week post-Thanksgiving, but we made it.
There is so much good TV coming out in the next few weeks and I am giddy about it!
- Today- The Great British Baking Show is back on Netflix with a holiday-themed competition. Enjoy!
- Friday, December 10 - This a big movie day. Netflix will release The Unforgivable, which stars Sandra Bullock as a woman recently released from prison and in search of her little sister. This is also the day that the Steven Spielberg remake of West Side Story will hit movie theaters.
- Wednesday, December 22 - Whether you love it, or love to hate it, Emily in Paris returns to Netflix for season two. Get those croissant emojis ready.
- Friday, December 31 - It was just announced yesterday that the sixth season of Queer Eye will hit Netflix on New Year's Eve! This time the Fab Five are headed to Austin, TX. Giddy up!
- Friday, February 18, 2022 - This one is far out, but I've been waiting so long I had to mention it! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will be back on Amazon Prime!
Since the last streaming round up, I have watched a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. Let's get into it.
1. Respect (Amazon Prime) - I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin. My mom, my sister and I would blast her albums in the car and while we cleaned up the kitchen after holiday meals and parties. She is the soundtrack to my life.
When I heard Jennifer Hudson would be playing Aretha in a movie about her life, I knew I would see it. My mom and I decided to wait to watch this until we could be together, which happened to be over Thanksgiving weekend.
Hudson is amazing, as you would expect. Simon Cowell is still kicking himself he let her get eliminated on American Idol. Not only are her vocal performances stellar, but her acting in this is powerful too.
I was blown away by the dramatic acting of Marlon Wayans, who plays Aretha's first husband, Ted White. Wayans is know for his comedy, but here he plays a hothead who will do anything to cling to Aretha's coat tails.
The movie is too long (two hours and 25 minutes). The highlight is the middle of the film, when Aretha switches record labels and her new style starts climbing the charts. You get to hear all your favorites, plus learn how involved her sisters were in her music, as song writers and back up singers.
If you make it to the very end, watch the credits where they show photos and video footage of the real Aretha, including her performance at the Kennedy Center Honors.
2. Tick Tick Boom (Netflix) - I decided to watch Tick Tick Boom after Andrew Garfield's interview with Stephen Colbert went viral. During the sit down, he talked about how filming this movie helped him process the grief of losing his mother.
Tick Tick Boom is a musical written by Jonathan Larson, who would go on to pen the music and lyrics for RENT. Garfield plays Larson in this film adaptation, which is directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
It is my belief that Andrew Garfield will be nominated for a Golden Globe and Oscar for this performance. He becomes Larson. So much so that at the end of the film, when the credits roll and you get to see real footage of Jonathan Larson, you'll have to squint to decide if it's him or Garfield.
This movie is a true musical, so if you were expecting a bio pic about Larson's life, you'll find yourself in a very different mode. Many Broadway stars make cameos in the film - Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Chita Rivera, André De Shields, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Phillipa Soo (the Schuyler sisters!), Judith Light, and more. For theater geeks, this is a dream come true.
The film is mostly about the desire to create something great and the impatience that comes with trying to make it happen. In real life, after years and years of struggling, Jonathan Larson died the night before RENT previewed on Broadway. He never got to see it staged or know that it ran on Broadway for 12 years. If you love RENT, this will give you even more appreciation for it.
Lastly, Steven Levenson is the screenwriter for this movie. I had the chance to meet him a few times in Washington D.C. and I still can't believe someone I met has achieved this level of fame. If you don't recognize his name, he won a Tony Award for the music for Dear Evan Hansen.
3. Selling Sunset (Netflix) - I had been counting down to the premiere of season four of Selling Sunset for weeks and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!
When we are reunited with the women of the Oppenheim Group (and shorties Jason and Brett), Chrishell is on the hunt for a home of her own, Christine is about to give birth, Amanza is in a nasty custody battle, Mary has just signed French Montana as a client and two new faces join the brokerage.
Vanessa, an agent from Malibu, is new to the team and becomes fast friends with Christine. Before she knows it, she's in the middle of a ragging dispute between Christine and Mary.
Emma, the other new agent, is a real life Elle Woods. She grew up in Scituate, MA, and now flies back and forth between Boston and Los Angeles. She owns an empanada business (allegedly in Hingham, MA), but is ready to devote more time to real estate.
The show is produced by Adam Divello (of Laguna Beach, The Hills, The City) and it has the perfect mix of glamour, luxury, sky high stilettos, and cat fights. As with all of Divello's shows, it also has amazing music.
I thought this was the best season yet. It was great to see Chrishell so confident, especially compared to season one. Since we know she's now dating Jason in real life, I hoped they would show that (no dice).
Also, for my birthday in 2020 one of my besties got me a Cameo video from Maya. I still re-watch it all the time. That Israeli accent!
4. Blown Away: Christmas (Netflix) - This is very niche, but my mom and I are addicted to Blown Away, the glass blowing competition on Netflix. There have been two seasons so far and they just released a small batch of episodes with a holiday theme.
All stars from the first two seasons return to compete, with Queer Eye's Bobby Berk as host. I love Bobby and I think his design skills are unreal, but in every single episode of this show he had horrible bed head! I couldn't believe anyone let him onto set looking like that.
This show always reminds me of what a challenge it is turn glass into beautiful (recognizable) shapes and forms. These artists have both creativity and incredible physical strength.
There you have it! My top picks.
I finally bit the bullet and paid for Apple TV+, so next week I will share my thoughts on The Morning Show. I have just two episodes left of season two.
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, CNN, The New Yorker, Glamour UK and Entertainment Tonight.
