Somehow I did not watch a single movie last month. I think that was mostly due to paralysis by too many choices. There were plenty of nights when I scrolled through the various streaming services we pay for, searching for a movie that jumped out at me for 30–45 minutes then gave up and watched a show.
Movies and Shows
The Office
I got into a little Office jag in late August and it continued into last month. I ended up setting the DVR to record everything Comedy Central was showing, thinking I would work through the good seasons in order. It wasn’t until I was deep into season three that I realized CC either doesn’t own rights to all the shows anymore, or were only showing parts of whole seasons. That said, I knocked out most of season two and big chunks of seasons three and four over the past six weeks. I could just flip over to Peacock and watch any episodes I want. Despite being Xfinity customers, it still takes forever for Peacock to load and then find what you want to watch.
A
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
The show’s final season, delayed by Covid and rewriting to bring in some police reform plot lines. Ending with an hour-long Heist episode was a great way to go out. Always a solid show with moments of brilliance, but never completely great.
B+
Bobby and Giada in Italy
The first two episodes I watched in August, which took place in Rome, were wonderful. But the final two in Tuscany were even better. I don’t think it’s possible to film bad TV in Tuscany. Giada is 51, you know. That’s some crazy stuff right there.
A-
Archer
I’ve watched the first two episodes of season 12. I’m interested to see where it goes with the agency facing big money problems and Lana’s husband willing to back the firm. Must she stay in a marriage she doesn’t want to be in to save her career and the careers of her coworkers? Oh, and Archer is physically impaired, which has already led to all kinds of funny stuff.
B+
Lost Track Atlantic, episode four
Torren and Ishka end their journey in West Africa. They only casually mention it, but it sounds like their trip took place in early 2020 and was cut short as Covid was forcing the world to shut down. Once again this is filled with dazzling images and a wonderful soundtrack.
B+
The N Y Friars Club Roast Of Chevy Chase
Sometimes the old YouTube algorithm spits out a beauty. I had read somewhere that this roast was particularly savage. I didn’t think it was any worse than others I’ve watched. A younger, less well known Stephen Colbert steals the show.
B+
Ted Lasso, season two.
The four episodes in September featured three that ranged from good to very good, and one that was completely confusing and distracting. You can read my Lasso thoughts here.
A-
Shorts
Why You’ll Fail the Milk Crate Challenge
I’m just lucky that I haven’t seen one of these that resulted in a grotesque injury, right? (Please don’t send me any of those.)
A-
Every Sport a Bowling Ball
A lot of these are pretty dumb but the field hockey one made me laugh.
C+
Guerrilla Grazing
Very mixed feelings about this. Admiration and respect to this dude for living his life this way. At the same time, it seems kind of insane to live this way. He’ll be laughing at me when our society collapses after the next presidential election.
B+
The Ice Ball
This is fascinating, although I’d like to have seen more about how the ice houses work. As in, see them in the middle of the summer when the ice has been stacked for months yet it is still providing cooling and refrigeration.
B+
The Diamond
This did not go as I expected. Filmmaker Caitlyn Greene profiles people who hang out in an ancient volcano in Arkansas looking for diamonds. I figured it would be a profile of wacky people who spend their time digging through mud in hopes of finding life-changing jewels. Somehow she got her subjects to share intimate details of their life, making this a compelling watch.
A-
Senegal’s circular gardens hold back the Sahara
Who knows if this, or projects like it, have any chance of working. But relatively simple methods that allow locals to attempt to reclaim their land from climate disaster need a lot more attention and support.
B+
Run the Line: Retracing 43km of hidden railway
My Beau Miles video for the month. I enjoyed his encounter with the local police as he ran through private property to retrace an abandoned railway.
B+
This Alligator Will Die From 860 Volts
Electric eels are no joke.
B
Podcast
SmartLess
An old friend recommended this on Facebook. It might be the best thing anyone has recommended to me this year. Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes talk to other famous people. I guarantee you will laugh your ass off if you give it a try. I’m working through old episodes. Favorites so far are George Clooney, Will Ferrell, and Conan O’Brien.
A+