Hello, friends. Happy Friday! It's currently sleeting here in Boston (that's when it rains ice), so I will be staying indoors this evening and enjoying some quality streaming time.
Before I share this week's top picks, here are a few things coming up:
- Today - Sweet Magnolias, the show about three adult best friends living in a small town, is officially back on Netflix. The question is, should I start it tonight and finish it tomorrow? Or save it for a treat after work next week?
- Friday, February 11 - Ahead of Valentine's Day, Netflix is dropping more episodes of the insane dating show Love is Blind.
- Friday, February 18 - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel will be back on Amazon Prime. Actress Rachel Brosnahan has been promoting the return heavily on he Instagram and I am here for it.
- Monday, February 21 - Below Deck: Sailing Yacht comes back to Bravo. Ahoy, Captain Glenn!
- Thursday, March 3 - Top Chef returns! I am elated. This time, the chefs will be stationed in Houston, TX.
- Friday, March 25 - The countdown is on to season two of Bridgerton. Members of the cast are on the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week, and I might just have to buy the issue.
1. Woman in the White House (Netflix) - The official name of this show is Woman in the White House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window and as the name suggests, it's a satire about murder mysteries.
Kristen Bell stars as Anna, a woman grieving the end of her marriage and the death of her daughter. Her daughter was eaten by a serial killer.
Bell is incredible in this part. She knows exactly when to play it straight and when to ham it up. For example, her character has developed a fear of the rain and every time she tries to go outside in those conditions, she dramatically falls to the ground and faints. In the middle of the road.
Tom Riley plays her handsome neighbor, Neil. He's just moved in with his little girl and Anna can't decide if she has a crush on him or if he's a murderer.
Not only did this show make me laugh, but unlike the shows and movies that inspired it, it wasn't actually scary. The final episode does have some intense physical violence, but it ends after a few minutes.
The way the that last episode closes leaves room for a season two and I hope they get it!
2. Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness (Netflix) - Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has a podcast by this same name and now he's brought that concept to television. There are six episodes, each about 30 minutes, in which Jonathan deep dives into a particular topic.
What makes the show fun is all the celebrity guests he features. Padma Lakshmi joins him to eat bugs (yes, really), Ayanna Pressley sits down to talk about hair confidence, Christian Siriano talks about dressing non-binary people, and Michelle Kwan and Gracie Gold show off their figure skating magic. I was also a little jealous when Jonathan got to go to the Entemann's factory for his episode about snacks.
Let me say this, Netflix has put the episode about bugs first; do not watch that first! I watched the hair / wigs episode first and that was the perfect introduction to the series. This is light, entertaining, easy viewing.
3. The Fallout (HBO) - I learned about this movie in an email from HBO Max. It just premiered last weekend and it co-stars Jenna Ortega and Maddie Ziegler as two high school students with a deep bond after surviving a traumatic experience.
Vada (Ortega) and Mia (Ziegler) are in the girls bathroom together when a shooter enters the building. They scramble into a stall, hold each other tight and pray for it to be over. The movie is about what happens in the days and weeks after.
The girls were not friends before and now only want to be around each other. No one else really understands what they went through, so they stick together to move through the fear.
Lumi Pollack plays Amelia, Vada's younger sister. Their relationship reminded me so much of Rue and Gia on Euphoria.
The movie has a great supporting cast, including Julie Bowen as Vada and Amelia's mom, and Shailene Woodley as Vada's therapist.
While this isn't a happy topic, the movie is well done and will leave you thinking.
4. Murder on Middle Beach (HBO) - A friend recommended this true crime documentary to me and it was my favorite thing I watched this week. There are four, one-hour episodes and I was so gripped that I watched all four in one sitting.
The film is made by a young man named Madison who is seeking answers about the death of his mother. She was murdered outside her home and the case has never been solved. Madison spends six years interviewing family and friends, reviewing emails and court documents, and trying to work with the local police to solve this crime.
At the end of the first episode, I was convinced her father did it. At the end of the second episode, I started to suspect his aunt. At the end of the third episode, I was sure his sister did it. The way he tells the story keeps you guessing the entire time.
Adding another layer of fascination to the story is the fact that his mother and many other family members were part of a MLM called the "Gifting Tables." There were lawsuits around that, separate from the murder, and some of the women involved did jail time.
This is a complicated family that suffered a significant tragedy. While it's deeply sad, I was also in awe of Madison's courage and bravery as he fiercely pursued the truth. If you haven't watched this, I highly recommend you do.
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Amazon) - One of my 2022 New Year's resolutions is to watch ten movies from before I was born. Earlier this month I watched Annie Hall, and last weekend I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's. I did not mean to pick two movies set in New York City, but what can I say? Many of the greats take place in the Big Apple.
This movie originally came out in 1961. It's based on the book by Truman Capote. It stars Audrey Hepburn as the eccentric Holly Golightly. In the opening credits, I saw that her wardrobe for this movie was curated by Hubert Givenchy. How glamorous!
The thing that stuck out to me most was how bright and colorful this movie is on screen. From the costumes to the apartment decor to the yellow cabs on the street.
My favorite scene was the one where Holly and her neighbor Paul spend the day walking around the city doing things they've never done before.
The movie is also known for the song "Moon River." I had no idea it was from this film. I've always associated it with Sex and the City. Carrie and Big dance to the song in his apartment his final night in New York before moving to Napa.
I'm glad I finally saw this, since it's such a cultural touchstone. This resolution has been wonderfully fun so far.
There you have it! This week's top streaming suggestions. Stay warm, everyone!
*Images courtesy of Unsplash, Glamour UK, NBC News, Distractify, The Observer and Glamour.
