#show rec

[avelera]

I watched "Extraordinary" on Hulu last night, which is basically, "My Hero Academia" if the protagonist with no powers was instead a 20-something year old woman in the UK and also it's a comedy.

And I think the strongest recommendation I can give it, because let me be clear, I want to recommend this show to the fucking sun and back, it is so fucking funny, is that I kept waiting for it to stop being funny.

Like, I'd never heard of this show before, even though it's a comedy set in a world where everyone has superhero powers? Like, how? How had I never heard of this show unless it wasn't good??

And it just kept being really fucking good. Fantastic writing, hysterical plots, I was howling laughing at least once an episode. It's 8 episodes in S1 and it's renewed for S2, so easy to binge in an evening. I was not expecting to binge it in an evening, but my S.O and I were hooked and couldn't put it down.

Seriously, do yourself a favor and watch "Extraordinary" if you need a fun, funny superhero story where the focus isn't on saving the goddamn world again.

(Oh, and also , the main character's mom is played by Siobhan McSweeney aka Sister Michael from Derry Girls and she absolutely kills it in this show too.)

[artsekey]

Recommended Media | 2024 Roundup!

Hey, everyone! I decided to collect a list of my top media of 2024; I'm very picky about how I spend my limited free time, and everything on this list gets a 10/10 recommendation from me!

I don't do reviews often, but I personally prioritize strong storytelling over everything else... though as a professor of animated film, I'm a sucker for strong technical execution, too! The media included on this list were not necessarily released in 2024, either-- I personally experienced them for the first time this year.

Best Shows:

These pieces of media are exemplars of storytelling and objectively excellent technical execution; I'd recommend them to most.

Blue Eye Samurai was captivating from start to finish-- so much so that I watched it three times all the way through! I'm not one to re-watch shows, but this was a true gem. The style didn't draw me in at first, and I'm not a huge fan of the genre, but the tight writing, clear themes, and artistic execution make this a much-watch for me.

Unsurprisingly, Fortiche's Arcane makes the list. Not only did the team do a great job of creating an immersive world and compelling characters, but the art direction on this show has been phenomenally influential in the animation world. Everything-- from the editing, camerawork, animation, voice acting, foley-work, score, and pacing-- is excellent. I use sections of this show in my Master's level courses because the use of film theory is so consistent and well executed!

Pluto is a beautifully animated adaptation of the 2003 Award-Winning Manga by the same name that discusses the horrors and aftermath of war through the lens of a futuristic sci-fi murder-mystery. Though it gets off to a slow start-- demanding a three episode investment before it truly has you hooked-- its beautiful visuals and compelling narrative act as a wonderful tribute to a touching and poignant story.

Best Games:

Big Mode's Animal Well is the indie studio's debut title, and as someone who loves story, this game... has none. It's on this list because despite my aversion to story-light games, I could not put it down. It's a reasonably priced, beautifully art-directed puzzler that rewards exploration and experimentation in a way that few modern games do.

Atlus's Persona 4: Golden has my whole heart. I played Persona 5, enjoyed it, but picked up Persona 4 while on vacation. It is, by far, my favorite Persona game. You arrive in a small, rural town on the heels of a gruesome murder and slowly collected a group of misfit teenagers who are truly struggling to figure out who they are. Every character feels well-rounded, and at over 150 hrs of playtime, this dated title-- available on Switch-- is worth every penny, even in 2024.

Hiding Spot's Beacon Pines is a touching story about a kid slowly unraveling the dark history of his hometown. Though it's a short experience, the mechanics offer a fun and unique twist on the visual novel genre that had me coming back for more over and over again! The art is adorable, the music is sweet, and the story is a compelling delight that gives the player the convincing illusion of agency.

[rhombiee]

My fave white collar women <333

(Now on Netflix 👐)

[jenneferofjengaberg]

Seriously though, if you haven't watched Dead Boy Detectives yet, please do. It will not disappoint. It took me an episode or two to really get into it but it's worth the investment. So cute and sweet. Absolutely charming characters, every single one I just want to keep in my pocket forever.

[plutoloulou]

Thinking of making a Brilliant Minds side blog, I'm enjoying it so much!

I love Ericka, she is lowkey a girl boss! She knows what she's doing 😌

[watchingthestarss]

Hi guys if you're super duper ready for the next season of Dead Boy Detectives you should go watch school spirits on Netflix. i think i binged the whole show in a night and a half and it was soso good. it folllows the same font of dbd's with the whole ghost and being dead aspect and has quite a bit of mystery to it as well. i really want a season two from school spirits as well so go check it out :)))

[ineffectualdemon]

Watched the first episode of Ludwig last night with my husband

It's a murder mystery show starring David Mitchell. The premise is he is a master puzzle maker and his twin brother is a detective. His brother goes missing and his sister in law enlists him into pretending to be his brother to find out why and what happened. While impersonating his brother he has to do his brother's job: solve murders.

It's in many ways quite silly but!

1. Intentionally or not Ludwig (and from what we have gleaned in the first episode: his brother) are autistic coded as fuck. It's hard to tell if this is intentional at this stage but as someone autistic I felt very seen in many places.

2. They do some of the best representation of what it's like it have a panic attack/sensory overload that I've seen. It was intense and a very well done

3. The production is very good. It's beautifully shot and the soundscape is amazing. They really use it to best affect

4. There is real heart to this show. You get pieces of the main character's backstory in the first episode. Enough that your heart bleeds for him. You can tell that John (the main character) has really closed himself off from his brother and his family but that he also cares about them deeply.

5. The mystery is intriguing. This is clearly going to be a murder of the week show as he solves murders as his brother while investigating what happened to his brother. But the background mystery is extremely compelling

I highly recommend it if you like murder mysteries and cinematography

Also I noticed in the season trailer/preview that they have actors from previous murder mystery shows showing up as characters which I think is fun. They are just very good actors so I don't know if it's on purpose but I enjoyed it

[whumpdoyoumean]

beloved show/movie rec (whumpy or otherwise)

Limitless (2015) is one of my favorite and most re-watched shows! Which isn't that much of an accomplishment as it's only a single season haha, but it is SO good. Good humor, a touch of angst, occasional whump (but with lots of potential for so much more), and I love pretty much all of the characters! Plus the dynamic between Brian and Rebecca is PHENOMENAL. There are a lot of shows from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s that have a similar thing going (eccentric, goofy, lovable man with unusual skills paired with a female law enforcement officer that has to keep him in line) but this is by far my favorite. They let Rebecca be a bit goofy as well, and she's just great! And their relationship is entirely platonic! :D Plus they took one of the movie's biggest weaknesses (having a protagonist that is kind of unlikable) and turn it into a strength (putting him into a more antagonistic role) and fixed a weird plot hole. Anyway, I adore it and am so so sad it only lasted a season, and that the fandom is pretty small. It's super underrated. Everyone should go watch it!

Thank you for the ask! I hope you don't mind this long-winded answer hahaha

[sunwarmed-ash]

aaaaaaaahhaha im in danger

im on the finale of s1 of QAF and I am NEVER ready enough for the last moments...

this show is FUCKING INCREDIBLE THOUGH, and if you haven't watched it you really REALLY need to

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Any other shows/books/fics/movies like ipk that you liked as much? i mean in the same genre and with similar checmistry bw the leads?

i think 50 shades actors have a descent chemistry but cant find anything else that is AS GOOD!

CHAND JALNE LAGA

(ofc they had to screw it up in 45 episodes but WHAT 45 episodes those were)

[etoiile]

to all people who watch kdramas:

im korean but i have never watched more than 5 episodes of a kdrama and it was with my family. ive realized that ive come to know a lot of japanese words and phrases from watching anime and seeing as im korean, im hoping to do the same with kdrama!!

THAT BEING SAID!! i need recommendations!!

i typically gravitate towards light fluffy romance and comedy with fashionable feminine characters and beautiful masculine men lol but im open to trying wtv you think is good! but im really easily scared so if there's a thriller/horror/mystery element i probs cant watch it 😭😭

any rec is appreciated <33 thanks sm!!

[eliteseven]

I feel Serena and Jen would be devastated (in a good way) with the Haunting of Bly Manor (would definitely recommend if you haven't watched!), from what you've said I think it has things for them both. Gothic romance, mystery, found family, difficult choices, ghosts, moonflowers 🫠

Oh hell yeah I kinda remember my Pedretti era 😭🙌

Excellent choice, esp for the Shadowheart vibes! Could see them cuddling up and watching all cozy together with little Ebony curled up between them 🥰

[avelera]

So I spent the weekend watching “For All Mankind” on Apple TV with my love, and had a few thoughts:

- I think I would have watched it much sooner if I’d known it was created by Ronald D. Moore of “Battlestar Galactica” (reboot), “Outlander” (though I haven’t seen it), and DS9 fame. It definitely made the fact that Apple made this particular show make more sense.

- I somehow completely missed what the premise of the show actually was from the little marketing I saw for it. I think I clocked it as some sort of atomic age sci-fi adventure story but really it’s about the Space Race and it’s a whole alternate US history of what would have happened if the USSR got to the moon first and made the US spiteful enough to keep competing with them there.

- It’s basically a whole alternate history of the 1960s-90s (so far) and does a fair number of interesting and plausible alterations of the timeline.

- IMO the story is at its best when it cleaves closest to reality and makes you go, “Oh yeah, sure, that could easily have happened!” If only because then when they do make bigger leaps you can see how they’re grounded.

- The story is also at its best with its character stories. In particular Margo, Aleida, Molly (and Wayne, my beloved), and even surprisingly Karen after the first season arc really deal in a lot of pathos and I got choked up over them more than once.

- The show does a good job of showing the personal things going on in a character’s life and the struggles they’re going through before and during major history-altering decisions they make. In that sense, it’s a very empathic show AND it builds a good causal chain for why some of these events happen. You almost always at least understand why a certain decision was made.

- That doesn’t mean you AGREE with every decision. By the time we got to S3, my chorusing cries of, “GURRRRLL NO” and “OH BUDDY, NO” respectively had become a familiar chant.

- There were one or two plotlines and decisions I disliked (mostly because they struck me as cliche, like Kelly’s in S3, or a bit culturally questionable even if they made sense thematically, like lauding the US pilgrims in one of the S3 voiceover monologues which makes SENSE because the show’s about exploration but also… no. Eh. Maybe pick a group a little less steeped in religious zealotry and colonialism, much as I understand their mythological place in the broader American zeitgeist, and how colonialism and exploration ARE hard to extricate when addressing broader themes AND since no life has been discovered there (yet), space exploration doesn’t carry the same controversy around those aspects of colonialism, and I get how as a writer of a space exploration show, you’re trying to address the spirit of daring and all but…. Yeah. It’s tough to find good parallels to wax poetic about without stumbling upon some complex legacies, shall we say)…

- BUT I will say as a writer that they made up maybe 10% at most of the show which is an objectively very small part of such a sweeping and ambitious narratives and I liked a lot more than I disliked.

- I don’t know if EVERYONE will like it but I do think it’s a solid sci-fi show that I find much more enjoyable and solidly written than, say, “Silo” and one with a great answer to the “so what?” of the story with its couching in the great events of the latter half of the 20th c and it’s intimate focus on well-depicted and complex characters.

[giantkillerjack]

Have folks seen this show? It's so fucking good!

[jenneferofjengaberg]

I've been watching SurrealEstate on Hulu and really enjoying it. It takes a couple episodes to really get going, but when it hits its stride, it's really good. It's another one of those quirky, fun, poorly promoted (I had never even heard of it until I stumbled over it on Hulu well after the first season had completely finished airing) SYFY shows, but it's definitely got something special as far as the writing and cast are concerned.

The show stars Tim Rozon (Wynonna Earp, Schitt's Creek) as Luke Roman, a real estate agent who deals with "challenging properties", re: haunted or cursed houses.

Together with his motley crew of unusual weirdos, including new hire Susan Ireland (Sarah Levy, Schitt's Creek), he takes on haunted houses, cursed properties, and occasionally demons or other malevolent entities.

It does very well blending humor and horror. And unlike many television paranormal shows this one has actually produced some genuine jumps and gasps from me. It can be quite scary sometimes. It also has made me tear up a few times, although it avoids the treacly pitfalls of some shows that deal with ghosts. You're not going to have to hear an extended sob story of some dead person every week and witness them "crossing over to the other side" in a shower of heavenly light. This is not Touched by An Angel. In fact, for a show that does routinely deal with haunted houses, it's oddly, but satisfyingly more concerned with the living than the dead.

If you like paranormal shows, and especially haunted houses, this is definitely one you should check out. Apparently, the show was briefly cancelled after season 1, but SYFY changed their minds and uncancelled it. Season 2 began airing on October 4th.

[bitter-goodbyes]

Hey hi!!!!

You should watch Skull Island!!!!

It’s an animated show set in the Monsterverse!!!! It follows the main characters Charlie, Mike, and Annie and is absolutely amazing!!!!!