Category: Watch

Two generations of viewpoints on “Friends,” now on Netflix

For many Gen Xers, the TV show Friends defined an era, our era.

The show started airing in September 1994, during my last year in high school.

Netflix all ten seasons just this month, January 2018, coincidentally my teenage daughter’s last year in high school.

To me back then, the show served as a special preview of “the world out there,” i.e., adult life. For my daughter, with whom I watched some episodes, it serves as a point of conparison between the issues she faces today and those I faced during my formative years.

The story kicked off when spoiled “daddy’s girl” Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) runs out of her wedding and (while still in her wedding dress) goes looking for her high school best friend (Monica Geller).

Monica, despite having lost contact with Rachel after high school, good-heatedly welcomed her into her home and into the gang composed of Monica’s brother Ross (David Schwimmer) who was traumatized by his divorce from his wife who turned out to be a lesbian, the boys who live across the hall Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) who was Ross’ roommate in college and struggling actor Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), and Monica’s cooky ex-roommate Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow).

Throughout the show’s ten-season run, the six friends navigated their way through life in New York City: found and lost jobs, started and ended relationships, and found and reinvented themselves.

While today, my daughter and her peers found the show’s jokes about “Fat Monica,” homosexual relationships and transgender identity problematic, back then, I was amazed these themes were being shown at all.

I was inspired by Monica’s transformation from an obese teen to a slim and confident chef (and I’m still perplexed as to how she was able to maintain her size despite being constantly surounded by food).

I found the decision of Ross’ ex-wife to raise their child with her lesbian partner, and later Rachel’s to be a working unwed mother brave.

I understood Chandler’s resentment of his father Charles’ transition to Helena Handbasket; after all, the announcement of her separation from Chandler’s mom was done after Thanksgiving dinner when Chandler was nine, hardly the epitome of sensitivity to the child’s sensibilities.

Despite the differences in the lenses that we view this iconic show, some themes are constant: the importance of friendship, acceptance of oneself and others, and growing up.

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Grimm Season 6 now streaming on Netflix

At last! After nearly a year of waiting, the final season of Grimm is now streaming on Netflix here in the Philippines!

I have faithfully followed this show since it started in 2011, never missing an episode despite work or family obligations.  As can be gleaned from the fangirlish tone of various episode recaps I found myself posting, it’s safe to say that I have a (hopefully!) mild obsession for this show.  I guess that Grimm can be considered one of my guilty pleasures.

When its final episode aired on March 31 last year, I was almost heart-broken.  I knew I would be missing Nick Burkhardt’s (mis)adventures as well as those of his Wesen and human friends.  I was overjoyed to discover that Seasons 1 to 5 are available on Netflix and lost no time binge-watching the series every chance I got.

For those who are not familiar with the series, Grimm is a TV show that originally aired on NBC in the US (Universal Channel on SKYcable in the Philippines).  It basically consists of modern retellings of the Brothers Grimm fairytales as well as folklore and mythical stories from varied cultures.

The show follows the adventures of Portland police detective Nicholas Burkhardt (played by David Giuntoli) just as he finds out that he is among the line of Grimms, a special breed of humans with the ability to detect Wesen, or supernatural beings.  Grimms are tasked to maintain the balance between humanity and Wesen, and oftentimes, Grimms have taken brutal measures against the creatures, making them highly feared in the Wesen community.  Nick’s role as a Grimm is further complicated by his being a cop; while he is usually able to meld his duties to both roles, there are times when he has to choose which dictates to follow.

He is aided by a strong cast of supporting characters such as Monroe (his last name was never revealed, played by Silas Weir Mitchell), his Wieder Blutbad (reformed werewolf) BFF, his cop buddies Hank Griffin (played by Russell Hornsby) and Drew Wu (played by kababayan Reggie Lee) and his love interests/nemeses Juliette Silverton (played by Bitsie Tulloch) and Adalind Schade (played by Claire Coffee).

Its setting in Portland, Oregon is also very on-point.  Its verdant forests, mild climate and slogan “Keep Portland Weird” provided a lush background for the supernatural situations the characters found themselves dealing with.

I love how this show is able to adapt fairytales and myths into modern situations, influenced not just by Germanic folklore (from which most of the Brothers Grimms’ stories are collected from) but also by other cultures such as Latin American (“La Llorona” and “El Cucuy“), Native American (“Wendigo“), Egyptian (“Anubis“), and, of course, the one closest to my heart, Filipino (“Aswang“).

The show had a few faults, such as the wonky special effects involved in showing how the Wesen morph from their human forms to their mythological forms and vice versa, as well as convoluted side plots involving a European Royal Family and a set of keys passed down from the Knights Templar. I also consider Juliette’s journey to the dark side and killing of a pivotal character the show’s “jumping the shark” moment, as it weakened part of the show’s heart.

Still, what kept me tuned in were the depictions of Nick’s rich and nuanced relationships with his Wesen and human allies.  His “bromance” with Monroe, in particular, grew from a reluctant partnership to a deep and abiding friendship that enabled Nick and Monroe to oftentimes defy the dictates of their natures to help each other.

Grimm has been a part of my TV habit for seven years and it left quite a big void: I haven’t found a new series that comes close to its appeal to me.

Until then, I will satisfy myself with watching and re-watching this series on Netflix.

Why you should watch Outlander

Historical romance received some flak a few years back, with the genre often dubbed as “bodice-rippers” by some of its critics. However, the genre has produced several notable oeuvres, one of which is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander which has been adapted into a TV series by Starz starring Catriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.

Outlander begins in 1945, when Claire Beauchamp Randall, a British World War II nurse, is on a second honeymoon with her husband Frank in Scotland to reconnect with each other after being separated by the war. While exploring the mystical standing stones in Inverness, she is taken back to 1743 where she meets her husband’s dastardly ancestor Black Jack Randall, the series’ main villain, and the dashing Jamie Fraser, the young heir to the Scottish estate Lallybroch who is in hiding among his MacKenzie relatives following some misadventures involving the British forces occupying Scotland at the time. Circumstances forced Claire and Jamie to marry each other (despite Claire’s prior marriage to Frank in the 20th century), and the two found themselves falling in love amidst the challenges brought about by witchcraft accusations against Claire, Black Jack’s wicked intrusions in their lives and the upcoming Jacobite rebellion.

Outlander is a highly complex and engaging show which deserves your binge-watching hours due to the following reasons:

  • A complicated love story. Claire and Jamie come from very different time periods which shaped their very different points of view. Things are further complicated by Claire’s conflicted feelings for Frank whose existence she must protect by ensuring that his ancestor Black Jack Randall does not meet his demise until he has already fathered a child.
  • A strong and smart female lead. Claire uses her wits, her knowledge of history and her medical background to navigate and survive 18th century Scotland. She is outspoken (sometimes to her detriment) but she stands by her principles and has an overwhelming drive to help others.
  • A hunky and “woke” male lead. Jamie Fraser is a product of his time, with a strong inclination to protect his loved ones, particularly the women in his life. He even took a flogging to protect his sister from rape. However, as he gets to know Claire, he grows to appreciate her independent nature and even believes her when she confesses her time traveling.
  • Sex scenes that are hot but not lascivious. Outlander’s sex scenes are often said to be made for the female gaze as opposed to the male’s. The camera lingers on Jamie’s physique as it does on Claire and the on-screen love-making are in turns hot, tender and funny.
  • Writing that does not shy away from and builds on the shock value. Black Jack Randall is among the darkest characters on TV and his dealings with Jamie, particularly in the episode “To Ransom a Man’s Soul,” is riveting yet almost painful to watch.

Outlander episodes are available on Amazon Prime.  Not yet on Amazon Prime? <a href="http://<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/primesignup?ref_=assoc_tag_ph_1402131641212&_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=pf4&tag=dyelibins-20&linkId=87549f105d0eca734855bc19926bdf2b">Join Amazon Prime – Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime – Start Free Trial Now</a>""Start your 30-day free trial today!

 

Why Lucifer Morningstar is Totes Adorbs

Charming. Charismatic. Devilishly Handsome. These are just some of the words that describe Lucifer Morningstar, erstwhile Ruler of Hell but currently owner of Luxe, the most happenin’ club in Los Angeles, and consultant for the LAPD.

Beyond these endorsements, Lucifer (naughtily portrayed by Welsh actor Tom Ellis) has so much more to offer, and here are some of them.

  1. He has a wicked sense of humor. From his funny teasing quips (“You give your child money everytime she swears? Bravo, detective!”) to his wickedly arched eyebrow, Lucifer is in on the joke and more importantly, he wants to share it with it you.
  2. He is loaded. As the owner of a successful night club, and judging from his spiffy attire and his luxury cars, he obviously has moolah to spare and he seems like he wouldn’t mind spending it on you.
  3. He has great taste in music. Check out his playlist on Spotify. And wait ’til you hear him sing while plays the piano.
  4. He knows your deepest and darkest desires. Or he can make you spill them.

Lucifer is based on the Vertigo Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg. Jerry Bruckheimer serves as one of the show’s executive producers.

Where have we seen the members of the Justice League before?

The movie event that the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has been leading towards since 2013 is finally here.  The first batch of DC superheroes are coming together in the wake of Superman’s death in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) to face an even graver threat against the world.

While the DCEU had a rocky start with the dour Man of Steel (2013), the uneven Suicide Squad  (2016) and the aforementioned Batman v. Superman, inclusion in the superhero franchise is still a feather in the cap for many of the actors involved.  For those of you wondering where you’ve seen these actors prior to Justice League, here’s a recap of some of their notable works:

Ben Affleck

Role: Batman/ Bruce Wayne

Prior to his role as the Caped Crusader, Ben Affleck took on the mantle of another superhero in Daredevil (2003).  He was also in School Ties (1992) with Brendan Fraser, Armageddon (1998) with Bruce Willis, and, more recently, Gone Girl (2014) with Rosamund Pike and The Accountant (2016) with Anna Kendrick.

Henry Cavill

Role: Superman/ Clark Kent/ Kal El

Before he was The Last Son of Krypton, Henry Cavill was best known for his work in The Tudors (2007). He was also in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) with Jim Caviezel, Stardust (2007) with Charlie Cox, Immortals (2011) with Luke Evans and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) with Armie Hammer.

Gal Gadot

Role: Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince

Before her career-making role as Diana of Themiscyra, Gal Gadot played femme fatale Gisele in four installments of The Fast and the Furious franchise, starting with Fast & Furious (2009). She also starred in Date Night (2010) with Steve Carell and Knight and Day (2010) with Tom Cruise.

Jason Momoa

Role: Aquaman/ Arthur Curry

Before his role as Aquaman, Jason Momoa was best known for his role as Dothraki chief Khal Drogo is Game of Thrones (2011).  He also played the lead role in Conan the Barbarian (2011).

Ezra Miller

Role: The Flash/ Barry Allen

Aside from his cameo appearances as The Flash in Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman, Ezra Miller also recently starred as the Obscurial Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016).

Ray Fisher

Role: Cyborg/ Victor Strong

Aside from his came as Cyborn in Batman v. Superman, Ray Fisher was in the short film The Good, the Bad and the Confused (2008) and the TV series The Astronaut Wives Club (2015).

Justice League opened in theaters November 16.

Photo Credit: Justice League Movie Official Website