1. Animal Control - I only watched the first few episodes, but it's super cute. I doubt it will last very long because none of Joel McHale sitcoms last very long, aside from Community. Obviously, the animal aspect is a big part of my enjoyment (kangaroos! bears! snakes! cougars! rabbits! I love them ALL!), but I also really, really instantly adore this cast. Aside from McHale (who plays a similar character to....uh...every sitcom character he has done, but he's really good at it), there are GREAT supporting characters and it's already so hard to pick a favorite among them - although I'll probably pick Grace Palmer as Victoria because she's super hot and she has an accent (check and check!). I also love that Vella Lovell is in a much chipper role than My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (although she was hilarious in that role, she reminded me a bit of April Ludgate from Parks & Rec). They all have such great chemistry so quickly, which I think is rare for sitcoms (a LOT of sitcoms need a whole season for the chemistry to work - Parks & Rec is a perfect example of this). It's also laugh-out-loud funny.
2. Copenhagen Cowboy - This is exactly what you'll expect if you're familiar with Nicolas Winding Refn projects. You can literally put on any scene in the mini-series and instantly know that it's Refn's. It's a neon soaked noir-thriller - a visual feast with Refn's signature camera-work, a measured pace, an excellent soundtrack, and perhaps most importantly, a really memorable outfit for the main character (that cobalt blue track suit & puffy jacket is so intense and memorable). The story starts off really strong (I watched the first three episodes in one sitting), but it meanders a little too much for my liking and unfortunately I just got a little tired of it - it also hurts that it's in Danish because the combination of it being really slow, and having to read the captions just really falls apart by the 5th episode. BUT, I still think it's worth watching if you are a fan. There's some terrific acting, especially the lead actress (Angela Bundalovic), and some scenes that are absolutely stunning. It just probably could have been condensed into 4 episodes.
3. Cunk on Earth - Uhhhhh this is hilarious. I don't really see many people talking about it and I don't think Netflix has advertised it at all, but it's really, really funny. I watched it because I recognized the woman from that Ricky Gervais show After Life, and she was my favorite character on that show. Her name is Diane Morgan and apparently she did a version of this show a few years ago called Cunk on Britain (I'm going to have to seek that one out!) and has played this character, Philomena Cunk in other projects and seems to be pretty popular in the UK. Maybe with this and After Life, she'll become more popular over here because she is absolutely hilarious. This series is basically a satire of history channel docuseries type shows about the history of civilization, but she asks really silly questions and is a bit of an airhead about it all. I have to emphasize how insanely silly it really is, but it's also sort of refreshing to just laugh at the dumbest things imaginable. I literally cried from laughing so hard, which hasn't happened in a while. I find it hilarious that she brings up "Pump Up the Jam" regularly and then plays a snippet of the video for absolutely no reason at all - it gets me every time. I also think the experts are just really good sports - nobody seems to want to hurt her feelings or call her dumb, they just look at her a little bewildered and skeptical, but still try to answer her in a serious way. I can't wait to watch more of her. I wish she was my best friend.
4. Daisy Jones and the Six - I can't even express to you how much I didn't enjoy this book. Just so poorly written, contrived, cliched, and lacked all emotion necessary to click with these characters. I adore Riley Keough, though. So, I decided to give this a try. I watched the first four episodes and I'm not convinced that it's any better than the book. The casting is a HUGE problem. First, I'll focus on Keough as Daisy because in theory I can see why she was cast - as the granddaughter of the biggest musical act of all time, I think she must have an inherent understanding of this rockstar lifestyle. But, a big part of this character is that she's one of those women that has a *presence* that you can't ignore; that California cool girl who rolls out of bed not knowing what day it is but somehow succeeds in everything she does. Keough does not fit that description - her Daisy feels measured and planned. There is zero chaos to her. After I read the book, I looked up some more reviews (because I was baffled at the praise), and I found out that it's thought to be based on Stevie Nicks. So, basically Fleetwood Mac fan fiction and for some weird reason people like to read fan fiction (isn't that how that Fifty Shades of Grey book came about?). Changing the character to someone a little more smarter and nuanced, isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, Daisy also becomes very, very boring. Next, Sam Claflin (how on Earth did I not know his last name Claflin? I always thought it was Caflin). I think I've mentioned it before, but I'm in shock that he's as young as he is. He's late 40s in my head (which is not an insult - men almost always look better as they get older). He's a strong actor, but watching him play someone in his 20s is laughable. There is also a scene in which I think he's supposed to be a teenager (LOL). The two of them are supposed to have this INSANE chemistry, and while their interactions have been limited in these first four episodes, I just don't think it's going to happen for me. Also, both of them have nice voices, but....not anything to rave about?! The supporting cast is Suki Waterhouse & Camilla Marrone, both of whom are only as famous as they are because they dated Bradley Cooper & Leo DiCaprio, respectively. I've seen Waterhouse in something else before and she was terrible, she's even worse in this. I also think it's funny that she made a point in an interview that she reached out to her friend, my husband, Taron Egerton (they were in a movie together - the one that she was terrible in), for advice on taking on a role as a musician, as if she's undertaking some big challenging role and...uh...she's barely in it and I don't even think she's had any performance based scenes??? (and also, STAY AWAY FROM HIM. I think she's dating RPatz now? Hopefully.). But Marrone is the only interesting actor of the whole bunch. She kind of reminds me of Diana Silvers (who I love), and she's acting circles around everyone else in the cast. Anyway, I probably should not have watched this considering I don't like the book and the story is dumb and cliched, but as I said, the cast really dragged me in and now I'm even more disappointed.
5. Poker Face - As expected, I love this! It's a very fun mystery-of-the-week series, with a loveable lead and interesting characters. I think I just get blown away by the hyperbole that some projects have thrown at them, though. My friend from work kept telling me I HAVE to watch this, it's the best show ever, Lyonne is a QUEEEEEEN, etc., etc., etc., and when I finally started it (I say "finally" but I literally started it maybe a month after it started airing), I told her that I like it and she was like "Isn't it the best?!" and I was like "no, but it's good", and she couldn't compute. I think it's a societal effect of social media - to massively exaggerate everything, so saying something is "good" somehow means it's awful. Anyway, I do love Natasha Lyonne and I've been a fan of hers since Slums of Beverly Hills which came out when I was a teenager. But also, my husband is IN LOVE with her. I find it fascinating, because he doesn't really like any celebrities (I can name the most beautiful women in the world - Scarlett, Angelina, Halle, Salma and he's like "meh"). He didn't really know of her until I was watching the first episode of Russian Doll and he came home and sat on the couch and watched the rest of the episode. I figured he hated it (he hates everything *rolls eyes*), but after it ended he was like "who is that??" and also "I want to watch the rest of this so don't watch it without me", which rarely happens. He now listens to all her podcasts and interviews and when this was announced he was like "DO NOT watch that without me". When I made fun of his crush, he said "oh yeah, so surprising that I love a sassy, Jewish, New Yorker who has wild hair and a filthy mouth" and then STARED at me. And then it all made sense. I'm not saying that I'm like Lyonne (I'm certainly not as cool), but there are a lot of similarities. Maybe I'll dye my hair strawberry blonde and take up smoking. I'm sidetracked now, but back to the show - I like a lot about it. I like that it has a strong overall story that is the background of each episode, with her on the run, driving through small town America and solving different crimes. It has a great pace, a distinct style, and I like that the audience knows more than her so the fun part becomes about watching her figure it out. And Lyonne is PERFECT in this - I definitely agreed with the internet push to get her cast as a modern day Colombo. I think this is as close as we're going to get.
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