TV & Films Recommendations

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of August 8th to 14th

Movies​

#Saburo
FIlm: Upstream Color (2013)
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
IMDb Synopsis: A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.

%IWouldPreferNotTo
Film: Kicking & Screaming (2005)
Genre: Comedy, Sports
IMDb Synopsis: Family man Phil Weston, a lifelong victim of his father's competitive nature, takes on the coaching duties of a kids' soccer team, and soon finds that he's also taking on his father's dysfunctional way of relating.

%noct
Film: I, Tonya (2017)
Genre: Mockumentary, Black Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

+elchunko
Film: Red Cliff
Genre: War
Description: A colossal watch at almost five hours, but well worth every second, Red Cliff is a Chinese war epic recounting the events that took place at the end of the Han imperial dynasty in the years 208-209.

+tomatopeeler
Film: Quantum of Solace (2008)
Genre: Action, Spy, Thriller
IMDb Synopsis: James Bond descends into mystery as he tries to stop a mysterious organisation from eliminating a country's most valuable resource.

Television​

#Soft Flex
Show: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Comedy
Description: Normally I try to recommend something I've seen recently myself that I feel was underrated, or slipped under the radar altogether, or even just released that I want to tip people off about while the hype train is fresh, but as I'm caught up on most of those, I will now recommend an old classic that I think all comedy fans should have seen that I'm rewatching in my spare time!

Parks and Recreation is an excellent and eventual "classic" sitcom. It uses the "mockumentary" style of filming, and often gets compared to The Office for that reason in addition to being shot primarily in an office/work setting and having a short and less appreciated first season. The show hits its biggest stride at the end of season 2 when a couple new regular characters join the cast and stays pretty strong for the rest of its run. Characters are hilarious, writing is on point and really it's just a great show worth watching!

%RavioliQueen
Show: Grimm (2011-2017)
Genre: Fantasy, Crime, Mystery, Drama
Description: Homicide investigator Nick Burkhardt of the Portland Police Department learns he is descended from a line of guardians known as Grimms, charged with keeping balance between humanity and the Wesen, or mythological creatures of the world . Throughout the series, he must battle against an assortment of dangerous creatures, with help from his Wesen friend, Monroe, and his partner, Detective Hank Griffin.

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Film:

Movie: Jojo Rabbit
Genre: Comedy/Satire
Description: A satirical take on Nazi Germany from director Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit follows a young boy struggling with growing up in Nazi Germany.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of August 15th to 21st

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Thoroughbreds (2017)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
IMDb Synopsis: Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems - no matter what the cost.

#Soft Flex
Film: Booksmart
Genre: Comedy, Coming-of-Age
Description: Booksmart is a fantastic coming-of-age comedy helmed by Olivia Wilde in her feature-length directorial debut. In many ways, the film follows the same plot as Superbad (two high school best friends chase one last hurrah at the end of their senior year with the threat of separation anxiety looming over them in the coming summer) but the characters and jokes are as unique as they are well-written. Everyone is hilarious and in my opinion it features a much more realistic take on a school setting than most young adult comedies, where characters aren't confined to their cliques/inner circles and constantly clashing with everyone else around them in their peer group.

@ Toxtricity-Amped
Film: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.

%skies
Film: The Florida Project
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Memoir
Description: The story follows a ragtag group of kids navigating growing up in Florida while their parents struggle to keep up the facade that everything is okay. It recounts the story of a girl, Halley, who hides a lot about herself for her daughter's safety, and her daughter, who manages to stay busy through it all.

Television​

#Buffy
Show: Titans
Genre: Comic Book, Action, Drama
Description: A gritty take on the Teen Titans, this show brings together different levels of different characters and for a show with a bunch of characters with special abilities, they are incredibly relatable. The script is just nailed perfectly and the acting is spot on as well. Just a very well put together show that's quickly becoming one of my favorite shows of all time.

%IWouldPreferNotTo
Show: Chuck
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Action
IMDb Synopsis: When a twenty-something computer geek inadvertently downloads critical government secrets into his brain, the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. assign two agents to protect him and exploit such knowledge, turning his life upside down.

%noct
Show: Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
Genre: Comedy, Absurd
IMDb Synopsis: Two comedians, average nobodies, and celebrity guest stars perform bizarre low-budget comedy sketches.

%RavioliQueen
Show: Teen Wolf
Genre: Drama, Action, Fantasy
IMDb Synopsis: An average high school student and his best friend get caught up in some trouble causing him to receive a werewolf bite. As a result they find themselves in the middle of all sorts of dramas in Beacon Hills.

+elchunko
Show: The Eric Andre Show
Genre: Comedy, Absurd
Description: Two comedians, Eric Andre and Hannibal Buress, invite celebrity guests onto their show under the false pretense of it being a normal talk show. This is FAR from the truth.

+yackback
Show: Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Horror
Description: From Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Samurai Jack, Clone Wars 2003-2005, and Dexter's Laboratory, comes a new show about a human and a dinosaur trying to survive in the unforgiving, brutal world of nature. Winner of 3 Animation Emmys, Primal is gory, beautiful, and stunning. RT Critics: 100%, 9.1/10, 23 reviews. RT audience score: 97%.

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Show: Only Connect
Genre: Quiz Show
Description: Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts a quiz show, where 2 competing teams must find the link between a group of clues.

 

[BenzMafia]

Film: The Frighteners 1996
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Fantasy
Description: A con man who can communicate with the dead pretends to exorcise houses for a fee after his ghost friends scare the residents. Meanwhile, after his execution a serial killer continues to rack up his scores as a ghost.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of August 22nd to 28th

Movies
​

#Saburo
Film: Primal Fear (1996)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
IMDb Synopsis: An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.

#Soft Flex
Film: Free Guy
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Description: Free Guy is the story of an NPC who becomes self-aware inside the MMO video game world he lives inside of, and the conspiracy he accidentally gets involved in after chasing the player avatar of his dreams. The film is a unique blend on the listed genres, and is hilarious throughout. The cast are all great, the jokes are well-written, the visuals are vibrant and the soundtrack fits the mood perfectly.

Television​

@ Toxtricity-Amped
Show: Cobra Kai
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again.

+elchunko
Show: BattleBots
Genre: Game Show
Description: This is an American robot combat series, and it's just as insane as it sounds. Participating teams design and control seriously impressive robots built for the sole purpose of destroying other machines.

+yackback
Show: Broadchurch
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama
Description: "The body of an 11 year old child was found on Harbor Cliff Beach at Broadchurch... We will find the person responsible." Small town crime drama, done really, really well. Starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whitaker, David Bradley.

 

[BenzMafia]

Film: Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
IMDb Synopsis: Martin Blank is a professional assassin who is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time. What will he tell them if he attends: "I killed the president of Paraguay with a fork. How've you been?"

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Show: 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown
Genre: Comedy Quiz
desc: a take on the british game show Countdown, Jimmy Carr hosts a panel of 2 teams, captained by Sean Lock and John Richardson, who play a game of Countdown while joined by various comedians and public figures. Hijinks ensue

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of August 29th to September 4th

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Blue Ruin (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
IMDb Synopsis: A mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance. Proving himself an amateur assassin, he winds up in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family.

+Alore
Film: Thank You For Smoking (2005)
Genre: Satire, Comedy, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year old son.

+elchunko
Film: Big Mama (2000)
Genre: Comedy, Action
Description: FBI agent Malcolm disguises himself as Big Mama, an old lady, in order to catch a bank robber.

Television
​

#Soft Flex
Show: Chernobyl
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Description: Tells the events of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and how the fallout affected the lives of thousands of people either directly or indirectly. This miniseries tells the story in a way that's both clear, concise (only 5 episodes) and brutal without sugarcoating any of the details they chose to include. A few alterations were made to ease the process of narration but they are addressed in a summary at the end of the last episode. Definitely a valuable history lesson for folks like me who hadn't delved too deeply into the finer details of the catastrophe on their own time.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of September 5th to September 11th

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Willow (1988)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
IMDb Synopsis: A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.

#Soft Flex
Film: Pain & Gain
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Description: Pain & Gain recounts a series of crimes carried out by a group of Miami-based ex-cons/bodybuilders (dubbed the Sun Gym Gang, and based loosely on real events).

"Mastermind" Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) recruits his buddies Paul (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie) to help kidnap and extort money/property from one of his clients at Sun Gym. The effects of the fallout eventually escalate to insurmountable levels and much of the film is spent doing damage control and covering the tracks of their hastily-carried-out operation.

Though the film is primarily a crime comedy/drama, there are some surprisingly dark moments backed by an outstanding soundtrack from composer Steve Jablonsky that adds emotional weight to the otherwise, at times, absurd and over-the-top story events.

%IWouldPreferNotTo
Film: Are We There Yet?
Genre: Comedy, Family
IMDb Synopsis: To impress a foxy divorcee, ladies' man Nick offers to take her kids on an extended road trip, unaware of the torture he's in for.

+Alore
Film: American History X (1998)
Genre: Drama, Crime
IMDb Synopsis: A former neo-nazi skinhead tries to prevent his younger brother from going down the same wrong path that he did.

+elchunko
Film: Blind Side
Genre: Sport, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Television​

+pluralist
Show: Doom Patrol
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: The adventures of an idealistic mad scientist and his field team of superpowered outcasts.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of September 12th to September 18th

Movies
​

#Saburo
Film: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: Sam and Jonathan, a pair of hapless novelty salesmen, embark on a tour of the human condition in reality and fantasy that unfold in a series of absurdist episodes.

#Soft Flex
Film: Searching
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Description: Searching is an exceptional mystery flick starring John Cho as a father whose daughter goes missing one day and follows his quest to discover her whereabouts before the trail goes cold. The entire film is filmed and told through various laptop and cellular applications which, while presumably challenging to write and plan for the writers, do a fine job giving the audience all the information they need at just the right times to keep them in the sweet spot of thinking they know what's coming before subverting expectations and adding new elements to the story.

%Alore
Film: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Genre: Comedy, Music
IMDb Synopsis: When aspiring musicians Lars and Sigrit are given the opportunity to represent their country at the world's biggest song competition, they finally have a chance to prove that any dream worth having is a dream worth fighting for.

Television​

@ mdm 234
Show: Daredevil
Genre: Action, Crime, Fantasy
IMDb Synopsis: A blind lawyer by day, vigilante by night. Matt Murdock fights the crime of New York as Daredevil.

+elchunko
Show: Black Books
Genre: Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: Bernard Black runs a book shop, though his customer service skills leave something to be desired. He hires Manny as an employee. Fran runs the shop next door. Between the three of them many adventures ensue.

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Show: Lucifer
Genre: Crime/Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: Lucifer Morningstar has decided he's had enough of being the dutiful servant in Hell and decides to spend some time on Earth to better understand humanity.

 

[TheAura]

Show: Arrested Development
Genre: Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of September 19th to September 25th

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Begin Again (2013)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
IMDb Synopsis: A chance encounter between a down-and-out music-business executive and a young singer-songwriter, new to Manhattan, turns into a promising collaboration between the two talents.

@ Toxtricity-Amped
Film: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Bondie
Film: Stardust
Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Description: It's an amazing good-bad-movie with a surprisingly star studded cast. Superb if you want a film to cringe to :)

Television​

#Soft Flex
Show: The End of the F***ing World
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Description: A misfit teen girl forms an unlikely connection with a nervous boy at school who happens to be a self-diagnosed psychopath. He plans to murder her on a road trip to locate her estranged father but the two become close as they find themselves at the center of major crimes committed along the way.

I RARELY get invested in on-screen romances, but the unpredictability of this one is so compelling, which makes the news (to me) of this series cancellation all the more disappointing. Still, it's a great ride for 2 short seasons and a very easy series to binge in a short amount of time.

%Alore
Show: Ted Lasso
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sport
IMDb Synopsis: Follows an American football coach Ted Lasso who heads to the U.K. to manage a struggling London football team in the top flight of English football.

+elchunko
Show: Only Connect
Genre: British, Game Show
Description: This fiendishly difficult gameshow pits two teams against each other in a scramble to work out what links various sets of seemingly random clues.

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Show: Sex Education
Genre: British, Comedy, Drama
IMDb: A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

This show is fantastic for what it is, tackles a lot of real issues well, and the characters are interesting. Watch it

 

[TheAura]

Show: Recess
Genre: Animated, Comedy
IMDb: Comic tales of a group of good friends, four boys and two girls, during breaks in primary school, as they grow up, relate to each other, and have brushes with authority.

A show I grew up watching, was always fun and interesting, do recommend it, and also the movie Recess: School's Out!

 

[BenzMafia]

Film: Kind Hearts and Coronets
Genre: Crime, Black Comedy
Description: A distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering Alec Guinness eight times who stand ahead of him in the line of succession.

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of September 26th to October 2nd

Movies
​

#Saburo
Film: Mystic River (2003)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
IMDb Synopsis: The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them has a family tragedy.

+elchunko
Film: Into the Wild (2007)
Genre: Adventure, Drama
IMDb Synopsis: After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Television​

#Soft Flex
Show: Jeopardy!
Genre: Game Show
Description: No sneaky picks today, just a shoutout to the best game show of all time and a late tribute to the greatest game show host of all time - Alex Trebek (R.I.P.)!

 

[BenzMafia]

Film: Cape Fear (1991)
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Imdb Synopsis: A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

 

[CynicCyndaquil]

Show: That Damn Michael Che
Genre: Comedy, Sketch
Description: Short series produced by HBO Max featuring SNL Head Writer Michael Che, the show uses vignettes and sketches to show the world through the perspective of Che in a humorous way, while tackling real issues like falling in love and police brutality.

 

[TheAura]

Movie: Searching (2018)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Description: After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
A unique movie where the entire movie's told through the eyes of electrical devices like Laptops/Phones/Security Cameras and a really good thriller even without the cool gimmick!

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of October 3rd to October 9th

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Her (2013)
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
IMDb Synopsis: In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

%Alore
Film: Raging Bull (1980)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
IMDb Synopsis: The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

%skies
Film: Little Women (2019)
Genre: Coming-of-Age; Period Drama
IMDb Synopsis: Jo March reflects back and forth on her life, telling the beloved story of the March sisters - four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

(also Timmy slays in this)

+elchunko
Film: Christopher Robin (2018)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
IMDb Synopsis: A working-class family man, Christopher Robin, encounters his childhood friend Winnie-the-Pooh, who helps him to rediscover the joys of life.

+pluralist
Movie: Halloweentown (1998)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Family
IMDb Synopsis: When a young girl living with her good-witch grandmother learns she too is a witch, she must help her grandmother save Halloweentown from evil forces.

Television​

#Soft Flex
Show: Squid Game
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Description: Today I recommend the show you've either spent all week raving about or all week sick of seeing as you scroll through your various social media feeds - Squid Game! Do not let its overexposure in such a short time fool you, however - this show is fantastic in every aspect from the acting, characters, writing, settings, soundtrack, cinematography and pacing.

The premise is simple: a large number of Korean civilians living under the effects of crushing debt are offered a chance to compete in a series of simple children's games to make back what they owe and then some. Naturally, the circumstances surrounding the games and their organizers are much more sinister under the surface (because I wouldn't be recommending this to you if they weren't!) and many truths are uncovered over the course of the competition.

If you're into darker dramas, you'll have a blast binging this series. And if at all possible, watch with its original Korean dialogue/subtitles - I've caught various clips of the dub since completing my own first time binge and in my own opinion, it just doesn't compare to the original when maintaining the tone of the show.

%IWouldPreferNotTo
Show: Scrubs
Genre: Medical, Sitcom
IMDb Synopsis: In the unreal world of Sacred Heart Hospital, intern John "J.D." Dorian learns the ways of medicine, friendship and life.

 

[BenzMafia]

Film: Bringing Up Baby
Genre: Screwball Comedy
IMDB Synopsis: While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist (Cary Grant) is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress (Katharine Hepburn) and her pet leopard, Baby.

 

[TheAura]

Show: Only Murders in the Building
Genre: Mystery, Comedy
IMDb Synonsis: Three strangers who share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves caught up in one.
A funny show that starts off as a parody of true crime fans but ends up being a genuinely interesting mystery at its core!

 

[Toshinden]

TV & Films Recommendations for the week of October 10th to October 16th

Movies​

#Saburo
Film: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
IMDb Synopsis: Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.

#Soft Flex
Film: Happy Gilmore
Genre: Comedy
Description: Adam Sandler plays a hopeless amateur hockey player who takes a swing at the professional golf circuit after being cut from team tryouts in yet another off-season. This is one of the greatest classic comedies in my opinion, and one of my top 2-3 comedy films personally - I never get tired of rewatching thanks to the great cast and writing.

%IWouldPreferNotTo
Movie: Iron Man (2008)
Genre: Superhero
IMDb Synopsis: After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

Television​

+elchunko
Show: The Rain
Genre: Apocalyptic Horror
IMDb Synopsis: After a brutal virus wipes out most of the population, two young siblings embark on a perilous search for safety.