What I'm Watching This Week

New series Alert - every Monday or Tuesday I'm going to try and compile a list of what I watched the previous week and whether I think you should too. This encompasses all my loves - movies, TV shows, and Sports. Following the conclusion of Severance Season 2 - I've had time to dive into some other shows I've been wanting to catch up on, one excellent movie I've been dying to see that finally was added to a streaming site, and of course some exciting games in the world of Sports.

The White Lotus - Season 3, Episode 7

Stream on: Max

The penultimate episode of the 3rd season of Mike White's series The White Lotus was, for me, wildly disappointing. I thought we were finally turning the corner after the 5th episode in terms of making things happen, but the 6th and 7th episodes have kept things slow. There's a lot of interesting storylines that they've planted the seeds to, but with only the finale remaining, I'm worried there isn't enough runway to finish each one in a satisfying way. The season as a whole hasn't been bad, but I think a complaint about the series as has been a lack of story movement. But this season seems like that slowness has peaked - but I do think there's enough good acting and outlandish plot to keep people interested (it's keeping me interested).

What's frustrating me is that Mike White has set-up really interesting situations that simply aren't amounting to anything. THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING FOR EP 7 - SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS. Walton Goggins' Rick and Sam Rockwell's Frank go to meet Sritala and her husband - the man that killed his father. When he's finally face-to-face with the man -- he pushes him over in his chair and runs away. The ending scene of Tim and Victoria has zero juice because we know the gun is gone. All that comes of Gary's party is we learn he's a cuck and he offers Belinda $100K to be quiet. An opportunity for a real conversation with Jaclyn and Kate becomes a quick goodnight. Shoutout Carrie Coon (and her boobs) for actually doing something - the post-sex conversation with Alexsei asking her for money and her ensuing escape was hysterical. But the Lochlan and Piper storyline is a bore, Chelsea hasn't done anything but call Rick/tease Saxon in 4 eps, and Tim just slugs Lorazepam and envisions murdering his whole family/un-aliving himself. I'm most intrigued by what Gaitok will do now that he's identified the robbers as Valentin's friends, the fallout with Belinda and Saxon with Gary (I think the cuck story is made up/a plot to isolate Saxon to kill him), and what Rick does next. Let's hope the finale delivers.

Daredevil: Born Again - Episodes 1-4

Stream on: Disney+

Was a little late to the boat with this show when it first released on Disney+, but is a very rare Marvel project I was excited about. 90% of releases since Avengers: Endgame have been absolute trash (Shang-Chi, Spider-Man, Loki and Guardians of the Galaxy 3 are the exceptions), but the original Daredevil series that was released in 2015 (which was not associated with the MCU) was exceptional. Season 1 specifically is some of the best action, superhero-based TV ever created. I was skeptical about this "reimagining" being under the MCU-umbrella, but through 4 episodes, I'm satisfied and on-board.

Charlie Cox as Daredevil and Vincent D'Onofrio as Kingpin are two performances and performers I'll never get tired of. And this is a true continuation from the original series which I appreciate. Curious to see where the story goes -- they have 18 episodes to pull together some interesting storylines -- but I've enjoyed what they've given us thus far, especially the inclusion of Jon Bernthal's Punisher character, and the heavy-focus on the legal side of things. (Legal drama mixed with Superhero content done correctly - take notes She-Hulk, aka the worst product the MCU's ever put out).

The Studio - Episode 1

Stream on: Apple TV+

I only got to the first episode of this new Apple TV+ show, but there are currently 2 episodes available. I thought this was going to be more of a sitcom type show, but it's clear by premise and cast that this has higher ambition. Created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and their team, this is a show about a newly-appointed Studio Head (played by Rogen) and his mission to appease celebrities, appease his bosses, and produce great, meaningful films.

Now the story begins and ends with the cast list, which if the first episode is any indication will be 99% for cameo roles, but is probably the most star-studded ensemble ever on TV. It features Kathryn Hahn, Catherine O'Hara, and Ike Barinholtz in recurring/season-long roles. In episode 1 alone we saw Bryan Cranston (playing a cuckoo executive at the Studio), Martin Scorsese the fucking GOAT, Charlize Theron, Steve Buscemi, and Paul Dano. The IMDB cast list is bonkers.

I love the potential of this show, despite not always loving Seth Rogen's recent projects. I think the premise of the show is incredible and I'm so excited to see all the cameos - because the episode 1 cameos were not only hilarious, but believable and intriguing.

If you don't want any spoilers or context about the Pilot episode of The Studio, STOP READING NOW. I'm going to dive into some specifics and plot - so if you want to come in fresh, AVOID BELOW.

The Premise of episode one -- once they get through the Seth Rogen character's promotion, is so funny. 2023 was the boom for "IP movie-making" - where studios purchased famous IP and turned them into films. Barbie is the best example (and is referenced many times throughout the ep) as Rogen's character is tasked with developing a project around the IP of Kool-Aid. But he thinks he's an artist and wants an Oscar contender so he buys Martin Scorsese's script for film about Jonestown -- you know, that story about the cult mass un-aliving themselves by drinking Kool-Aid -- he thinks he found it. The chaos that ensues is anxiety-inducing but hilarious.

Abbott Elementary - Season 4, episodes 1-12

Stream on: Hulu

For fans of The Office, Parks and Recreation, or any other workplace sitcoms - this one's for you. Abbott Elementary is one of the best comedies on TV that lives up to the work-place greats before it. Each season they've found new and creative plots that never let the show feel stale. It's core of main characters -- Janine (Quinta Brunson), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Ava (Janelle James), Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) -- are all interesting, different, and can carry an episode (even though I'm not a huge Melissa fan).

Things I've really enjoyed about this season:

• The crossover episode with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was hilarious. My favorite bit was Barbara helping Charlie learn how to read.

• Jacob gets funnier every season to me - I like that they build his character more in S4.

• The "Dad Fight" episode is hysterical - a Dad tries to fight Gregory because he gave his kid a pencil.

• Janine/Gregory dating finally is kind of like when Jim and Pam start dating - but the way the teachers and students around them react is a lot funnier to me.

• Every Tariq (Zach Fox) scene is so fucking funny. He's the PTA President now and his bits are great.

• Ava is great, new angle with the IT O'Shon is interesting. Always great watching her roast Janine and Jacob.

• Not all in season 4, but this show is the best at cameos - Ayo Adebiri, Eric Andre, Leslie Odom, Taraji P Henson, Eagles Players, Kevin Hart, It's Always Sunny cast, Bradley fucking Cooper.

  • (The #1 spot for cameo's is the show Dave - Jack Harlow, Drake, Don Cheadle, Rachel McAdams, Brad PITT)

The Prestige

Stream on: Hulu

I've had several of my friends recommend this under-appreciated Christopher Nolan film to me, but it's never been on a streaming site for me to watch. That is until I was scrolling Hulu, saw it, and dropped everything else to watch. And let me tell you, holy fucking shit.

If you are the type that doesn't want to know a thing about the movie before you watch, skip the below, but this is a fully spoiler-free review - but the skinny is I think it's great.

Now here's the premise: two rival magicians who were once partners/associates, now bitter enemies in pursuit of being the best magician in the world. One of them is able to pull off the ultimate trick, and the other works desperately to learn how he does it, they try to take each other down, chaos ensues.

Crazy premise, yes. Not what you think of when you hear a Chris Nolan movie, sure. But when I tell you this lives up to the Nolan mind-fuckery of Interstellar, Tenet, Memento, etc - I mean it may even exceed all the others. The ending of this movie had my brain in a pretzel. Every time I thought I knew what was going on -- which happened several times, and to my credit I was correct on a few -- the ending came in like a shovel to the face to remind me I'm an idiot. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are the leading men, the rival magicians. The supporting cast is made up of a stellar Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and Rebecca Hall. (I also like Andy Serkis' small side role as Tesla's assistant).

I left this one without a single complaint. It was perplexing, exciting, intense -- all in all was a satisfying movie I thought. I'm not sure satisfying is the word many would use to describe it - being that the ending is fully-dependent on a twist that you either buy into or don't - but it made enough sense to me, I liked how it was carried out, and was surprised. The Major Magic Trick at the center of the movie - teleportation - is also amazing. Nolan is the best visual director to ever live and the way he portrays the trick is terrific. 10/10, highly recommend.

NCAA Tournament - Sweet 16 and Elite 8

While I did watch a few Cubs games over the weekend, I won't bore what I imagine is a Cardinals-heavy-reader-base with my thoughts. But the Birds are 3-0, so that must be fun for you guys! (The Twins are a joke).

The NCAA Tournament on Thursday-Sunday had some pretty great games Lots of people aren't loving how chalky the bracket played out to be (all 4 1-seeds in the Final Four) but it's been better basketball for the most part. Florida/Texas A&M, Texas Tech/Arkansas, Houston/Purdue, Duke/Arizona was pretty exciting toward the end, as was Michigan State/Ole Miss. And I think the 4 best teams in the country (by a wide margin) are the ones remaining in the Final Four - Duke, Auburn, Florida, and Houston.

My brief-ish predictions for how the final 3 games will play out are as follows:

• Duke looks head and shoulders above the field. While Houston excels defensively, they don't have the size to answer Duke's. And they sure as shit don't have the offense - 69 and 62 points in their last 2 games compared to Duke's 100 and 85. I think Duke wins easily, somewhere in the 75-58 range.

• Auburn is battling injuries, but a lot can change between Monday at 5:06 pm when I'm writing this to gametime Saturday. If Johni Broome is healthy and good to go, I love Auburn's chances against Florida. The Gators beat a Maryland Team with 5 guys and a coach halfway out the door, then they struggled mightily with a solid Texas Tech team . I think it'll be a good game regardless, but if Broome is limited by injury, the Gators roll. If no limitations, War Eagle.

• That would leave me with a Duke vs Auburn Final because I'm assuming Broome will play. This is both a nightmare and ideal for me personally as two of my best friends are an Auburn-Diehard and a Duke-Fair-Weather fan (kidding Ben!). I hate everything about Duke from their players to their fans to the White Lotus Characters that are Alumni. All that being said, Auburn can't hold Duke's jock, and neither can Florida. The SEC continues to not win Championships while beating their chest about how great they are, the ACC wins in the worst year of their conference's history, and as always, the only real loser is me. Duke 87-79.

And that's all folks! I want this to be a weekly blog, so if there are any shows or movies in particular you'd like to hear my thoughts on - please comment it on here or on Instagram.

If not, next week you'll likely see my thoughts on The White Lotus Finale, next couple of episodes of The Studio, hopefully a movie or 2 (hit me with recommendations that are on streaming), and ideally will get caught up on a couple shows like Reacher, Invincible, or The Righteous Gemstones.

There are also so many great TV shows on the docket for April and May -- The Last of Us returns, as does Andor, I may hop back in on Hacks, and maybe Season 7 of Black Mirror if there's a couple good eps.