Netflix/Prime/Hulu/BritBox Binge Watching: Coronavirus Edition

[LeafOnTheWind]

Anyone remember when comedies were supposed to be funny instead of incredibly boring and more on the drama side? Me too.

Don't bother with Downhill starring Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Hulu. I don't have a problem with Will Ferrell doing a different kind of movie than his normal over the top goofy comedy. In fact, I appreciate him branching out and showing a different side of himself. I just don't feel like this movie qualifies in any way as comedy.

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Summary: A couple start fighting on their vacation after he runs away from an avalanche and leaves the wife and two kids behind.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Second episode of Season 3 of Picard in, and I'm enjoying this immensely.

Yes, I liked ep.2 very much, even with the least surprising surprise revelation in the history of TV. And I like Seveon of Nine much better than in the earlier seasons of Picard.

 

[misskarne]

Watched episodes 1-6 of Drive to Survive today and had to stop because I was too angry and upset at the end of episode 6 to finish the last ones.

Spoiler

Full disclosure: I am a huge Daniel Ricciardo fan, love Mick Schumacher and adopted Oscar Piastri while he was still in F3 so...episodes 4-6 were like being put through the emotional wringer as all three of these guys get put through it.

If Gene Haas and Gunther Steiner thought episode 4 was going to show them in a good light and make it look like their decision to drop Mick Schumacher was justified...they're in for a rude awakening. Mick, who wasn't in season 4, comes across as sweet, intelligent, thoughtful, grounded, and well aware of the pressure on his shoulders and the size of the shadow he walks in; Haas and Steiner, in contrast, come across as narcissistic, incompetent bullies who should never have hired a young driver because they're not prepared to accept the mistakes and issues that sometimes happen. The episode of course does not shy away from hitting us in the feelings with the talk about his father, and his mother coming on the radio to tell him how proud she is when he scores his first points is an absolute tear-jerker because you know who it should have been...but if ever there was speculation that Steiner signed Mick because of his last name and then expected him to be his father, this episode confirms it.

Otmar Szafnauer, the team principal at Alpine, should be nicknamed Houdini for how Netflix lets him get away with the colossal mismanagement and incompetence at Alpine that led to them losing both Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri. Alpine paints both of them as disloyal traitors who broke contracts and agreements, when the problem was actually that Alpine didn't actually offer either a contract for 2023. By the time Alonso announced he was leaving, Oscar already had another contract. But Netflix don't call this out, and let Otmar completely get away with it. This is REALLY BAD for Oscar because he's a rookie this year and this is the media image he now has.

And then finally there's the parts of the episode that talk about Daniel. Poor Daniel and his endless struggle with that useless tractor McLaren. Of course, problems he faces with the car, the terrible strategies he's put on, and the myriad of team orders issued to him are totally ignored by the series; they opt to swallow Zak Brown's slimy little story hook, line and sinker, that everything that went wrong at McLaren is Daniel's fault, that he lost it, that he's slow now. And I know he isn't.

Ugh. I'm so upset and angry.

 

[Mugs]

I watched one episode of Finding Anna and I was planning to watch more but I just didn't. I guess it didn't really grab me.

I watched the series and thought it was awful. I was actually annoyed with myself for wasting my time watching it. If the writers of Finding Anna had removed all the unnecessary F bombs, there would have been one less episode, and that would have been a good thing. Be glad you stopped at episode one; you missed nothing.

 

[sk8pics]

I am totally loving Shrinking on Apple TV+. I am laughing hysterically at some point in every episode. Harrison Ford is so funny! I just finished the 4th episode and he’s singing in the car with another therapist, a Black woman who was rolling her eyes at his choice of song, but it is SO funny!

I’ve put a couple more series in my Next Up queue. Pretty much everything I’ve watched on Apple TV+ I’ve really enjoyed.

Meanwhile, I’d put in a discount code for Paramount+ in my account, about a week or two ago, knowing the renewal date was coming up. It said it took the coupon but it was hard to be sure. Last night I got the confirmation on my credit card that I’d renewed for $37 and change, as opposed to $49.99, for the year. I have the tier that has commercials but they don’t bother me too much because they don’t last very long. It’s nice that current subscribers were eligible for this promotion, since usually that’s not the case.

 

[MacMadame]

I have the tier that has commercials but they don’t bother me too much because they don’t last very long.

And most of them are just for other Paramount+ shows. I think of them as trailers like at the movies.

 

[MacMadame]

Okay, I give up. I cry, Uncle. The Last of Us has sucked me in! To the point that I am in the process of watching all the episodes that I missed before I started really watching it with dh. The story is very compelling and the acting is fantastic. I have the hang of it now so I don't spend the whole episode sure the jump scare is going to happen every second as well.

 

[Aussie Willy]

I just saw a trailer for Arnie's new show on Netflix - FUBAR.

Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to his action movie roots in Netflix’s FUBAR

FUBAR.

www.theverge.com

I am looking forward to this one. I follow him on FB and he seems like such a genuinely good person who does not take himself too seriously. He also has a miniature horse and donkey that he lets run around his house.

 

[Bunny Hop]

Watched episodes 1-6 of Drive to Survive today and had to stop because I was too angry and upset at the end of episode 6 to finish the last ones.

Just finished ep.4 and yeah, this is going to be rough.

 

[misskarne]

Just finished ep.4 and yeah, this is going to be rough.

I think a lot of people got particularly attached to Mick because, you know, Tragic Backstory. The fact that he's a total sweetheart helped (and the fact that he's grown up stunningly gorgeous definitely helped his popularity among certain demographics).

Spoiler:

Spoiler

They don't actually close his storyline? They finish the series with a NEXT SEASON thing and show a series of clips. They show "out with the old" and a clip of Mick sitting in the seat saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger", then "in with the new" and a clip of Hulkenberg sitting down in the chair, and kind of leave you to imply that Mick loses his seat. But if you didn't know, it'd be hard to figure out what happened to him. And there's no mention of how he and Ricciardo picked up their reserve roles at all. I guess that'll be in season 6.

Also, they don't show any of his season after Silverstone and I can't help but think that was super deliberate because his driving dramatically improved after that, but also, he lost a lot of points/good finish opportunities because Haas messed up, not him.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

If you want good cute hilarious fun you need to watch We Have a Ghost on Netflix. Wait for the TikTok segment.

It's a great watch for when you want a feel good unresolved ghost mystery. The script could be better and scenarios feel forced and contrived but the actors do what they can with it. Ernest and Kevin have a great friendship that makes it worth the viewing and there are some really fun moments in the beginning of the movie.

David Harbour (Jim Hopper from Stranger Things) is Ernest the ghost. He doesn't get to talk but goes a good job with the facial expressions.

 

[genevieve]

I got to watch all os S1 of The White Lotus on my flight yesterday - so great! Now have to find a way to get S2

 

[Cachoo]

I finished the latest CB Strike series on HBOMAX. Good mystery and the two leads have great chemistry.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

Baby Yoda is back!!!!!

They are still trying to get us to call him Grogu. How cute.

 

[genevieve]

The GF has AppleTV so we are watching Ted Lasso. It's much different than I thought and kind of adorable.

I have only watched 4 eps, but was happy to see Giles (BTVS) in a guest role!

 

[Allskate]

The GF has AppleTV so we are watching Ted Lasso. It's much different than I thought and kind of adorable.

I have only watched 4 eps, but was happy to see Giles (BTVS) in a guest role!

I am not into soccer, so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this show. (IMO, the last half of last season wasn't as good, but I'm still looking forward to next season.) The show is funny, and the acting is really good. Plus, Ted is very nice, and I don't care if he is unrealistically nice. It's a feel good show in many ways, and sometimes that's just what I need.

 

[Spikefan]

I’m re-watching Ted Lasso during my lunch work-outs and it’s still great on re-watch. I think we are going to hold out on S3 until all episodes are out.

 

[LeafOnTheWind]

I will definitely be waiting for all of the episodes in Severance and Ted Lasso's next seasons. I only had Apple tv from a 3 month trial offer. I will look for another trial offer then.

 

[sk8pics]

The GF has AppleTV so we are watching Ted Lasso. It's much different than I thought and kind of adorable.

I loved Ted Lasso and I don’t care about soccer at all. I thought the second season was quite interesting, too, as it starts to get into the backgrounds of some of the characters and why they act the way they do. So there’s the hilarious comedic aspects and then there’s a deeper drama at play.

Same for Shrinking. I thought Harrison Ford really kicked it in episode 7. Devastating scenes at the end of the episode.

My current free trail ends in mid-May right when I go on my cruise. I don’t know how many episodes of Ted Lasso will be in season 3, but I may not get to see all of them before that. So I might wait until I come back and then binge the whole season on another free trial, or I may even pay for a month.

Meanwhile, I did not love episode 3 of Star Trek: Picard. But of course I’ll keep watching.

 

[Seerek]

I watched the series and thought it was awful. I was actually annoyed with myself for wasting my time watching it. If the writers of Finding Anna had removed all the unnecessary F bombs, there would have been one less episode, and that would have been a good thing. Be glad you stopped at episode one; you missed nothing.

I did watch all of Inventing Anna and was surprised that were able to to stretch out to story out to 9 episodes, designed to give all of Anna's friends and "business associates" their own spotlight (I guess in order for the viewer to develop sympathy for those that were "duped". )
It resulted in a very bloated plot structure.

 

[Allskate]

I’m re-watching Ted Lasso during my lunch work-outs and it’s still great on re-watch. I think we are going to hold out on S3 until all episodes are out.

I will definitely be waiting for all of the episodes in Severance and Ted Lasso's next seasons. I only had Apple tv from a 3 month trial offer. I will look for another trial offer then.

Yeah. I don't have Apple+ right now. I think I'll wait until all the new Ted Lasso episodes are out, look for a free trial or pay for just one month, and then binge watch the entire series.

 

[sk8pics]

Yeah. I don't have Apple+ right now. I think I'll wait until all the new Ted Lasso episodes are out, look for a free trial or pay for just one month, and then binge watch the entire series.

I think I said this before recently, but Best Buy has a 3-month free trial of Apple TV+ available. If you go to their website, to the section on digital offerings, you’ll find it. You just put it in your cart and enter credit card info for when the free trial is up and then checkout. There’s no charge at the time of the order and you’ll get an email with a link to activate the free trial.

 

[Bunny Hop]

I finished the latest CB Strike series on HBOMAX. Good mystery and the two leads have great chemistry.

Completely agree and I like how the characters have moved forward throughout the series (better than in the books in my opinion).

Spoiler: Minor spoiler

Also glad she's finally ditched the annoying husband.

Meanwhile, I did not love episode 3 of Star Trek: Picard. But of course I’ll keep watching.

I see what you mean. It was a lot of nothing and painful conversations before it got anywhere. Though I did get a laugh out of Worf going through his whole lengthy "I am Worf, son of Mogh" spiel only to end it with "I have made some chamomile tea...".

Also, why do all science fiction shows now have to be so dark in terms of lighting these days?

 

[sk8pics]

I see what you mean. It was a lot of nothing and painful conversations before it got anywhere. Though I did get a laugh out of Worf going through his whole lengthy "I am Worf, son of Mogh" spiel only to end it with "I have made some chamomile tea...".

I thought Worf was the best part and I loved his new zen attitude!

Also, why do all science fiction shows now have to be so dark in terms of lighting these days?

I don’t know. I have been watching the Ready Room and they were talking about having to take some existing sets and make them look different, so maybe that’s part of it. The editing on the Ready Room is horrendous, though, with commercials at odd moments, so I didn’t finish watching the one that went with the second episode. On to the third episode!

 

[ilovepaydays]

Did anyone else watch Chris Rock’s live special (Selective Outrage) on Netflix tonight? The last ten minutes where he addressed “the slap”, Will, and Jada were 🤩.

 

[sk9tingfan]

Season 2 of Next in Style began yesterday on Netflix. Seems like Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn have aged out and have been replaced by Gigi Hadid and Tan France. The last three standing are in their own way, very talented. I was rooting for one particular individual and they won(pronoun deliberately changed to protect the identity of the winner)

(Whoops, the aforementioned show was Making The Cut. Mea culpa)

 

[Bunny Hop]

I think a lot of people got particularly attached to Mick because, you know, Tragic Backstory. The fact that he's a total sweetheart helped (and the fact that he's grown up stunningly gorgeous definitely helped his popularity among certain demographics).

So @misskarne was it you sitting with a Piastri voodoo doll for the first race of the F1 season (I know it wasn't Ricciardo, as he's too nice).

 

[Miezekatze]

I'm watching Red Rose at the moment. I really enjoy it and am glad it's not too scary, since I'm very sensitive with horror
I like the cast and actors and atmosphere, very unique.

For light fun I'm watching Girls5Eva, that's very funny and charming.

 

[Private Citizen]

A friend of mine wanted to watch "Fall" on Netflix. I can deal with horror, blood, guts, gore, etc., but this may be the most terrifying movie I've ever watched. (Context: two women climb to the top of a 2000 foot / 600 m tower and get trapped there.) There were many points where I literally had to cover my eyes and look away. I became dizzy and disoriented, weak in the knees, my whole body was sweating, and I was drenched in cold sweat by the end of the movie. I think I had curled into a fetal position at one point.

I'm not afraid of heights per se (planes, skyscraper windows, lighthouses, high enclosed spaces are all fine), but I don't deal well with unenclosed high spaces. I've never had such a physical reaction like this before.

If you're sensitive to heights, I would recommend either AVOIDING this film, or watching it if you like to be terrified. I'm tempted to watch it again and see if I can use breathing exercises or similar to try to get over this phobia.

 

[misskarne]

So @misskarne was it you sitting with a Piastri voodoo doll for the first race of the F1 season (I know it wasn't Ricciardo, as he's too nice).

No! I love Piastri and I want him to do really well - it wasn't his fault he got caught up in Alpine's incompetence and McLaren's snakiness.

Netflix did poor Piastri SO dirty by letting Otmar lie like that. It didn't go down like that at all.