Media Diet: October 2023

I did a lot of traveling this month and spent a lot of time on airplanes – so it’s a very long media diet this month! I’m happy to be back home for most of November and spend more time in the city.

🎥 Red, White, & Royal Blue - I wanted something light and fluffy. This delivered! Perfect for a lazy evening on the couch. (A-)

📺 Ahsoka Season 1 - I have been a Star Wars fan for most of my life but have been disappointed in most TV releases from Disney. Ashoka continues this trend. Nothing special. (B)

📚 Dawn by Octavia E. Butler - Read as part of my Sci-Fi and Fantasy Book club. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it incredibly disturbing at the same time. I wonder if I’ll read the rest of the series. (A)

📺 Only Murders in the Building Season 3 - I love both the cast and the idea of this series. Such a fun and ridiculous romp. (A)

📺 Beckham - I wasn’t interested in football/soccer until later in life, so I didn’t follow Beckham’s career. It made the docuseries riveting to watch as I didn’t know his story. It’s such a great story told very well. (A+)

📺 Messi in America - The inverse of the Beckham docuseries. It only covers Messi’s move to Miami in the MLS and feels like an advertisement for Apple TV and the MLS the entire time. I couldn’t finish it. (F)

🎥 Matilda the Musical (film) - I always enjoyed Tim Minchin and had no idea he made this! Fun and easy-to-watch movie. (A-)

📺 The Long Shadow - Riveting from start to finish. A dark, true story I knew nothing about. (A-)

📚 An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka - A good friend introduced me to Benedict Jacka’s other series, which I loved. It was a blast to read the first book in his new series. I couldn’t put it down! (A)

📺 Shoresy Season 2 - Sadly, Letterkenny is ending, but Shoresy is a worthy successor. He has a lot of heart for how silly a show it is. (A)

🎥 The Holdovers - I’m a huge fan of Alexander Payne and was very excited to see a pre-screening. It was incredible; it is one of my favorite shows I’ve seen so far this year. A must-see. (A+)

🎭 Kimberly Akimbo - I went into this musical knowing nothing about it. I picked it because it had won a few Tony awards, and had high hopes. I found it very underwhelming and forgettable. (C)

🎭 Gutenberg! The Musical - Picked only because its stars are Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells! She was better than Kimberly Akimbo but wasn’t anything special. (B+)

📺 Band of Brothers (Rewatch) - I watched it originally over a decade ago and started a re-watch because “Masters of Air” is coming out in January. It’s still absolutely incredible 22 years after its release. (A+)

📺 The Pacific - I somehow missed this when it was first released and only discovered it because of “Masters of Air.” It’s not as amazing as Band of Brothers, but it’s still a good watch. (B+)