Rylie:
Twin Peaks: “Twin Peaks” was created by David Lynch and Mark Frost in 1990. The show starred Kyle MacLachlan as FBI agent Dale Cooper who has been sent to the town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a teen girl, Laura Palmer. The show seems pretty straightforward, but once you begin watching, you realize there is much more to the town and its people than what’s on the surface. The show is accompanied by a gorgeously, haunting soundtrack written by Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch with some vocals from Julee Cruise. The show was revolutionary for its time though it was cancelled after its second season but 25 years later the show was revived for the perfect lynchian conclusion. The show completely changed the way I view film and television. I would highly recommend it to any fans of strange, eerie films and television.
Mulholland Drive: “Mulholland Drive” directed by David Lynch follows a woman who cheats
death twice when she is almost shot by her driver when a car of teens hits the vehicle, killing
everyone but the woman. She suffers memory loss and stumbles into a random apartment where she meets Betty. She is assumed to be Rita, Betty’s aunt’s friend, when Betty quickly finds out this is not true. The two set out on a journey to discover Rita’s true identity while Betty tries to chase her Hollywood dreams. In true David Lynch fashion, all is not what it seems and the story evolves deeper and darker as the film progresses. The film keeps you guessing what is real and what is imagined. The first night I watched this film, I was so uneasy but I could not look away. I watched it again the next night and caught even more the second time. This film is one of David Lynch’s most recognized films and for good reason.
The Sopranos: “The Sopranos” directed by David Chase follows Tony Soprano’s life balancing
being a high-ranking member of the mafia in New Jersey and a family man. When Tony begins
having panic attacks, he starts seeing a therapist who makes him question things about his life
and who he is while he is still committing crimes. We want Tony to struggle with family problems
and “Family” problems within the mob while constantly questioning our thoughts on him.
Tony Soprano is played by James Gandolfini who blurs the line between where he ends and
Tony begins. After watching the show, I cannot look at James Gandolfini and see him as anything else than Tony. Though, he was known to be an amazingly kind man. The show debuted in 1999 but still has a large following and is still discussed today. For it being a mob-based crime drama, the show is deeply thought-provoking while managing to be very comical at times. The show is currently streaming on “Max.”
The White Lotus: “The White Lotus” follows a different group of rich vacationers staying at The
White Lotus hotel where they are wrapped up in a murder mystery. The show changes its cast
and destination each season and makes us look hard at the less desirable traits the rich and even all humans may possess. The show just began its third season and has already been renewed for a fourth. Though the season has begun, there is still time to jump in and enjoy it streaming on “Max.”
Logan:
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: When I saw Spider-Man for the first time, I thought to myself, wow this guy is so cool! Now after seeing him for the thousandth time, I still say, wow this guy is so cool! This show is certainly no exception, it takes a more comic-book approach to the superhero. Although I am still not the biggest fan of the art style, the characters and story far outweigh the cons of the art style. The Peter Parker in this show is hands down the best portrayal of him as Spider-Man, and how he really understands why he got his powers. It shows how he owns up to his mistakes, and throws his life out on the line to save ordinary people, without asking for anything in return.
Invincible: When I first watched this show a little over a year ago, I thought this was going to be your traditional superhero show. But I have never been more glad to be wrong in my entire life. This show is also based on a comic book, and a very rich story and graphic one at that. This show follows Mark Grayson and his rise to become a vitrinite, a superhero who his father Omni-man says is to protect Earth from any threats. However, Mark learns that what his father told him was nothing but a lie. So now it follows how Mark uses his powers for good, rather than killing anyone who resists to Viltrumite takeover. This show has three seasons, and for the past couple of weeks a new episode has dropped on Thursdays. This show certainly shines in its animation, insanely detailed, graphic visuals and voice acting. While the quality of animation has gone down in season three, the story being told makes up for it.
Charlotte:
Rashomon: It’s Marywood’s midterm week so I don’t have a whole lot of time to watch things, but I watched this 1950s Japanese murder mystery directed by the amazing Akira Kurosawa. It was my first time viewing it, so I didn’t know much about it like who the murderer was, and I love the fact that I still don’t. There are spoilers in this paragraph so watch the movie if you want to try and figure it out on your own! The film is a critique of humanity’s untrustworthiness and its desire to seem perfect. Each perspective of the murder always highlights the teller’s ego, with the bandit telling his perspective as a tough, cunning womanizer -although that can be argued-, the wife telling her side as loving and devout and the samurai’s story showing his honor as he kills himself after his wife’s betrayal. Lastly, the woodcutter says what he saw and it was the most embarrassing part of the previous perspectives, however, he gets caught in a lie. So truly, the whole murder is up to your interpretation of everyone’s lies.
Rachel:
Love Is Blind US and UK: I’m still watching the current season of “Love is Blind” and have pretty much been watching since it first came out. The premise of the show is that single men and women go on dates in pods. The catch is they don’t know what the person on the other end looks like, so they are forming an emotional connection with them. The partners meet each other after getting engaged.
After the engagement, they take a trip together and meet everyone else who made it to the island. After the island they live in an apartment together and eventually go meet each other’s families and friends. Finally, they decide if they want to marry each other at the altar. Believe it or not, there are some success stories from this show.
The US and UK versions are pretty much the same except the UK version speeds up filming a bit. I tried watching the Japanese and Spanish versions of “Love is Blind” but the dubbing was too awful for me to look past. “Love is Blind” is on Netflix.
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