I've really been enjoying this series where I talk about the shows and movies that I have recently been watching. I really appreciate 
Lucky for you, it is Winter in Michigan, so 
I'm actually a bit surprised that we have been able to consume so much media since I wrote my last post in this series, but here we are. Let's get to it!
As soon as I finished my last post in this series, we started watching this show on Netflix. We had just watched "Emily the Criminal" and I remember I think it was 
I'll be the first to admit, I don't mind watching a good romantic comedy and while I entered this show with a bit of skepticism, I honestly ended up really enjoying it. My wife had heard it was good from a friend of hers, so I figured why not give it a shot.
All through watching the first couple of episodes, I really started to feel like there was something "familiar" about the show. It wasn't that I had seen it before or even seen something similar, it's just that there was something comfortable about the show.
It wasn't until I saw the name "Darren Star" and jumped over to IMDB that it all clicked. Darren Star is the creator of Emily in Paris. I knew I had heard that name before and upon further investigation, Darren Star was also the creator of Sex and the City. A show that really enjoyed back in the day.
It made a lot of sense after that point. While not quite (I use that loosely) as provocative as Sex and the City, Emily in Paris definitely has a really comfortable feel to it that is reminiscent of SATC. It's been really fun to watch and my wife quickly flew through the three seasons that are currently available on Netflix. The episodes are only half an hour and there are only about 10 in each season, so it doesn't take much to fly through them.
We had this completed in just about two weekends.
"Where the Crawdads Sing" was another one that my wife had picked out. I remember when the book came out her, her mom, and her aunts were passing it around so that they all had a chance to read it. Unlike
Based on what I had seen and the fact that the book became a bestseller, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be the kind of mindless action movie that I usually enjoy. Also, given the fact that my wife prefers stories that are firmly rooted in reality, I had a feeling there would be zero sci/fi or fantasy elements to this movie.
I was right on all accounts. What I didn't expect was that I would thoroughly enjoy this story about a young woman who basically raised herself in the swamps down on the east coast of the US (North Carolina), and suddenly finds herself wrapped up in a murder investigation.
The story is really well told and if you stick around to the end there is original song written and performed by Taylor Swift. If you know me, that was a big plus for me...
Given this takes place in the past, they could have thrown any number of stereotypes at you and while they did to some degree, that wasn't the main plot point of the movie. It was a great watch, the characters were well played, and I will admit, the end had me choked up a little.
When we finished my wife exclaimed that "it was just as good as the book". Which coming from her I think is high praise.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I watched the Superbowl this past weekend. Well, at least the first half of it. I'm not going to give you all the details here. If you want to read more about that, you can head over to my 
Trust me, it will be worth checking out. If you know me, you know I don't cheap out on my content.
I've never seen something that Steve Carell has done that wasn't a comedy. Between the "40 Year Old Virgin", and "The Office", I really feel like Carell is one of the masters of comedy. That's why I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked "The Patient" for my wife and I to watch. It was actually going to be between this and "Under the Banner of Heaven" that I was going to watch, but at the time my wife didn't seem too interested in the latter.
Given the fact that she is a counselor (specifically an LMSW in an elementary school), I thought she might like this story of "a therapist who finds himself held prisoner by a serial killer". Those are the words of IMDB, not mine.
Anyway, like I said, I have never seen Carell in a serious roll before. I know he has done several of them and the comments I have seen about his performance have always been good, but I honestly wasn't expecting this.
He was fantastic. I honestly can't give you a ton of details without spoiling most of the story, but I will say this is some heavy stuff. Even the side plots are deep and intense. While the previews I had seen give this show a lighter feel, that definitely isn't the case. It's deep, and raw, and intense. Probably not to the point of something like Dexter, but I am just saying be ready for the "heaviness" of this going in.
At only 10 episodes with each one being about half an hour long, you can easily watch this in a weekend. Maybe even an evening if you are so inclined.
I definitely recommend watching this show. Just be ready, because if you are expecting Michael Scott, you aren't going to get that.
Believe it or not, I actually have a few more shows that I need to talk about. I am going to save those for another post though since this is getting long. Check back in a couple of days when I finish up my list.
All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or
