My favourite way to unwind after work or on a weekend with nothing planned is to watch something. I like to just switch off an immerse myself in a different world, the same reason I love reading. There is always something to watch no matter my mood, whether I want something lighthearted or mindboggling or knee-tremblingsly shaky. Like many, I have subscriptions to multiple streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney +, and as I live in the UK I have access to All 4 and BBC iPlayer too. Here are the series and films I watched over the past few months, and what I thought of them. Share in the comments what you have ben watching too.
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The Bold Type {NETFLIX} ★★★★★ Set in New York City, this show follows three strong women, Jane, Kat and Sutton, who are best friends and work for a huge women’s magazine called Scarlet. Think Sex and the City meets Devil Wears Prada for millenials.
I found this show entirely by accident and it was like a breath of fresh air, I felt inspired and excited, but most importantly thoroughly entertained. Shows set in New York City are my kryptonite, because Gossip Girl – the original series – has left an indelible mark on me to this day. Watching this show made me want to write and post on here, and it also made me want to quit my job and beg Refinery 29 to let me work for them, because there definitely is that glossy, picture perfect, aspirational quality to it with glamorous parties, gorgeous clothes and lots of pretty people. What I like most though is that the characters are likable and relatable, which is key to any good series in my book.
Breathe: Into The Shadows {AMAZON PRIME}★★★★★ A psychiatrist finds his six year old daughter has been kidnapped during her friend’s birthday party. The kidnapper demands he kill the people on his list in order to ensure his daughter’s safety and get her back.
My cousin recommeded this show to me and I was hooked from the beginning. I didn’t expect certain twists and turns and found myself empathising with the protaganist and the antagonist. I recommend going into this one blind. it is an Indian series. It was so good and I can’t wait for the next one.
After Life{NETFLIX} ★★★★ A black comedy drama created and written by Ricky Gervais who plays Tony, a man struggling in the aftermath of his wife’s death and how he finds the will to keep going.
The first two series were brilliant and I enjoyed the third and final series this month. It was bittersweet for it to come to an end, this is what I call a “quiet” series, I don’t hear much about it but it left an impact on me, even more so since my Mum’s passing. Grief is a real bitch, I tell you. I just wish there was more, I really liked Tony and there were so many unexpectedly funny moments in this show.
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window{NETFLIX} ★ Satirical comedy of psychological thriller classics. Anna, our unreliable protagonist, swears she witnessed a murder. Join her in figuring out what the hell is going on with her shady neighbour.
This recently came to Netflix and I watched it one day, the episodes are short. All in all, although I adore Kristin Bell and pyschological thrillers are one of my favourite genres this one massivey missed the mark for me. Instead of it being an acumulation of a variety of thriller tropes, it felt very much like a knock off of A Woman in the Window. Down to the set up, setting, phobia and even the culprit. Completely missable. Do not recommend.
The Apprentice{BBC IPLAYER} ★★★Competition reality show where 12 candidates fight to be Alan Sugar’s business parter by undertaking a number of group challenges to prove they have the business savvy to make it big.
It has been a long time since I have watched something weekly. I am firmly entrenched in the binging culture, but Apprentice is a show we used to watch as a family when it came on once a week. It is also one of the few shows my brother and I both find enjoyable, so it is something we watch together. I enjoy it, competition reality shows like Drag Race, Project Runway, Glow Up etc. are a favourite of mine. I enjoy them immensely. There are some real plonkers on here though, be warned.
Celebs Go Dating{NETFLIX & ALL 4} ★★★ A reality dating show where your Z-list celebrities join a dating agency to brush up on their skills and g on dates with ordinary British civillians.
I am a realtiy TV show watcher, I enjoy most and I am not ashamed. I watched the latest series available on Netflix, and then when Made in Chelsea finished (yes I watched that too last month), I realised it had been replaced with a new season of Celebs Go Dating, so started to watch that on All 4. It’s a show I watch when I am overthinking or worried and find it hard to focus or start something new. It makes me laugh and helps me unwind, particularly if I have had a stressful or long day.
Eastenders{BBC IPLAYER} ★★★ I don’t know how to explain this, it is a long-running soap series on BBC set in Walford. Follows a community while they deal with every day struggles.
My Mum watched most British soaps, she watched Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Eastenders. Last year over Christmas, my brother and I joined her in watching them because over Christmas and New Year is when shit really hits the fan in these household soap shows. I was missing my Mum and decided to watch the Christmas episodes of Eastenders and then just carried on watching. I surprised myself by enoying it, it reminds me of when I was younger because we used to watch it with my Mum and Dad a lot when we were little, but also because of how different it is to Netflix shows. These are ordinary people, they look ordinary and they dress ordinary and I think there is something really beautiful about that. They have wrinkles and imperfections, different body sizes and ethnicities and that makes me feel good. I found it quite shocking watching it, which goes to show how out of touch you can feel when you are only consuming certain content. Even though I watched about a month’s worth of episodes I still don’t have a clue what they are on about half the time which is part of the fun.
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A few weeks ago my cousin stayed over for a sleepover and we love to watch movies and eat snacks together. We got all of our movie recommendations from @maddikoch on Tik Tok. Here’s what I thought of them below and where I watched them.
An Incident in a Ghostland{AMAZON PRIME}★★ A family experiences a traumatic event in an old house they inherited.
This movie was not good, however, I found it quite disturbing and creepy. I hate dolls, I found the antagonists to be quite unsettling so for that reason if you like horror movies or movies that give you that weird unsettling feeling this might be a good match for you. I would not watch it again.
What Happened to Monday{NETFLIX} ★★★★ A dystopian sci-fi movie about seven identical sisters (septuplets) who are born into a society where ony one child per family is permitted. Their grandfather tasked with their care after their mother died in childbirth, decides to hide them from the government and society. He names each child after a day of the week and allows them out on the day of their name, so no one suspects they are not the same person. But what happens when Monday doesn’t come home?
This was so good. I really enjoyed this. I thought the acting was brilliant, and although the plot and ending were not a surprise, I appreciated the journey so much that I didn’t even mind in the end. Highly recommend.
Vivarium{NETFLIX & ALL 4} ★★ While buying their first house, Tom and Gemma get stuck in a maze of identical houses. They can’t seem to escape. Then they are presented with a package containing a child they are expected to raise. How and will they get out?
I was morbidly intrigued, but found myself getting distracted watching this. I didn’t see the point and the ending was not satisfying in any way. Missable, if you ask me.
Fractured{NETFLIX} ★★★★ On the drive home his daughter experiences an injury, when Ray takes his little girl to hospital to get a scan she doesn’t come back out. Nor does his wife. Ray is determined to find his missing wife and child and uncover what has happened to them, but the hospital staff swear that his wife and child were never there.
This was a film I was quite surprised by, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. It kept me on the edge of my seat, I was engaged throughout and kept changing my mind as to what I think happened to the family. Recommend this one 100%.
Thank you so much for reading and catching up with what I watched recently, I hope you enjoyed this. Please comment below what you have watched recently, I am always on the lookout for recommendations. Let me know if you have watched anything listed above or plan to. Hope you are having a great weekend. Take care.