Top 10 Favorite TV Shows

  Time to take a break from all of the movies and give you guys some TV recommendations! These are my top 10 favorite shows of all time. Obviously, I haven't seen every show in existence, so I am only judging off things I have seen and adored. If you don't see your personal favorite here, that's okay. We can still be friends. Either way, I hope you enjoy this list! Here we go, in order of least to greatest!

10. New Girl

  A show about a girl that moves into an apartment with three dudes, all the while dealing with a breakup and trying to navigate the world of dating. 

  New Girl has some of the quirkiest, funniest characters around. It stars the talent of Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Mad Greenfield, Hannah Simone, and Lamorne Morris. 

  This lighthearted comedy never misses an opportunity for a tender moment within all the laughs. This is definitely one to add to the list.

9. Downton Abbey

While I'm not usually a fan of period pieces, this character-driven show won me over with its gorgeous set production, beautiful cinematography, fantastic cast, and moving script. Downton Abbey gives every character a story with depth as it interweaves between plot-lines through several decades. It isn't always fast moving, but it is always interesting. If you are a fan of Jane Austin, give this one a try!

8. Breaking Bad

  I for sure wasn't emotionally prepared for this show when I started it, but if you like, dark and gritty dramas, Breaking Bad is for you. With one of the best screenplays on television, Breaking Bad breaks ground. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul are soooo much fun to watch as they try to get out of the impossible, high stake scenarios their characters wind up in every episode. It's a heavy show, and the tension they build makes you feel like you're living right in the action with them. This is a show that stays with you long after you turn it off.

7. Avatar: The Last Airbender

  Looking for a gateway drug into anime? Give this AMAZING show a try. Not only does Avatar: The Last Airbender have one of the coolest concepts out there, but it's also super hilarious and entertaining. What I love most about this show is the genuineness and purity of its message. It's a show about unity, love, redemption, and sacrifice. So don't let the atrocity that was the live action M. Night Shyamalan movie turn you away from this gem. Go check it out!

6. How I Met Your Mother

Looking for a way to spend the next several weeks? Try binge watching HIMYM. This charmingly relatable comedy about romance and friendship is, yes, I'm going to say it, much funnier than Friends. How I Met Your Mother is sweet and honest when it needs to be, and outright hilarious the rest of the time. It is also the show that coined iconic phrases like, "Bro Code", "Legendary", and "Suit up". HIMYM is a must see!

5. The Andy Griffith Show

Yep, I'm throwing it back to the 50s. As a kid, I grew up on a lot of black and white television, but The Andy Griffith Show was always one of my favorites. From the hilarious performances of Don Knotts, Jim Nabors, to the parental figures of Andy and Frances Bavier, this wholesome series has earned its spot in my heart and in my top 5. It's rare that a show can be so funny while maintaining its class and substance, which is why I'm glad that this little slice of the 50s got to be a part of my childhood.

4. Black Mirror

Let me just say that Black Mirror is one of the most unique shows out today. The best way of describing it is as the modern version of the Twilight Zone. A dark, twisted, social commentary on technology and ethics with different plots and characters every episode. Black Mirror isn't afraid to go the most uncomfortable, and honest route, making sure that the audience is left with something to think upon.

My favorite thing about this show is the writing. It's genius and relevant. It also has some of the best performances and cinematography you will see on TV. If you have a tough stomach, make this one a priority.

3. I Love Lucy

Looks like we are taking another leap back into the 50s with this iconic show. If you haven't seen this show, you need to rethink your life because it is honestly one of the best things that has happened to us. Lucille Ball's comedic timing and array of over the top faces, never fail to make me laugh, even all these years later. I Love Lucy proves that comedy doesn't have to be crass and raunchy to be good, and that is why it is number 3 on this list!

2. The Office

For a story about a bunch of white-collar workers who don't actually do any work, The Office is my favorite comedy of all time. Largely due to the comedic genius of Steve Carrell, this show managed to make me laugh for 9 seasons straight, and I could not get enough of it. The Office's satire is cringey 98% of the time, but that's part of what makes it so great. Unlike, the British version, The Office is quite optimistic in its approach to the characters and their interactions. It's sentimental when it needs to be, and in those moments you will realize how much you have fallen for these characters.

1. Bates Motel

We have made it to my #1 favorite show of all time! This prequel to the iconic film Psycho wins on so many levels, but the two that immediately comes to mind is the acting and the writing. The way the story perfectly encapsulates everything I loved about Psycho, while also adding its own twists and turns makes this show stand out. It isn't afraid to dive deep into the soul and mind of it's twisted, tortured characters, providing one of the best character studies of mental illness I've ever seen on screen, period. 

  Freddie Highmore and Vera Famiga's chemistry in this show is out of this world. They deserve every award imaginable for their portrayal of these characters, bringing raw emotion to every single episode.

  I can't say enough about the quality of this show. It's moody, and terrifying, and beautiful, and sad, and sometimes even funny. Bates Motel will take you on a roller coaster of emotions that is well worth your time.

  

Tomb Raider Review (2018)

Tomb Raider 

  Before I begin this review, I should state that I've never seen any of the previous Tomb Raider movies or played any of the video games. 

  I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing other than that it starred Alicia Vikander who I absolutely loved in Ex Machina and Light Between Oceans. Unfortunately, I wasn't that impressed with her performance here. 

  To her defense though, I think her average performance had to do more with the bad script, which was my biggest problem with the movie.
  For starters, they did this thing where Character A will tell Character B information that Character A already knows just to fill in the audience instead of organically revealing the information. It was super annoying and they did it several times. On top of that, the story didn't really make much sense, and you don't really have a reason to care about any of the characters.
  In a movie like this, you'd hope at least the action would be entertaining. But nope. There was probably two cool sequences, and the rest feels extremely date, bringing nothing new to the genre.
  If I were to sum up Tomb Raider, I'd say it was the estranged love child of Prince of Persia, Indiana Jones, and The Mummy, but without any of the charm that made those movies likeable. 3 out of 10 stars (Watch At Your Own Risk)

Thoroughbreds Review (2018)

Thoroughbreds

  Every blue moon a film hits theaters that isn't quite like anything else. Introducing, Thoroughbreds. A psychological, teen thriller starring Olivia Cook, Anya Taylor-Joy, and the late Anton Yelchin. 

  What is it about? Well, it's about a wealthy, overly emotional girl who strongly dislikes her stepdad, and calls upon her extremely unemotional friend to plot out his murder.

  For starters, this is a very character driven story and it takes its time to get where it's going. Some may think the pacing is too slow, others might not. Either way, the performances are absolutely amazing and these talented girls keep your eyes glued to the screen the entire time.
  I enjoyed a LOT about this movie. From the production design, to the soundtrack, to the camera angles. It's an extremely stylish film that still manages to have substance.
  Thoroughbreds deals with themes of moral relativism, privilege, and the horrible things humans can do to each other when they lack empathy.
  It's a bold, pretty messed up movie, but it works, and you aren't likely to forget it even if you never want to watch it again. Thoroughbreds gets a 8 out of 10 stars from me. (I'd Buy It)

Annihilation Review (2018)

Annihilation

  After watching several analysis videos of this film and seeing it twice in theaters, I think I'm officially qualified to write this review.
  Directed by Ex Machina's Alex Garland, and starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac, we are lead into The Shimmer. What happens in The Shimmer? Nobody knows. All we know is that everyone who goes inside dies. Well, except for one person. Now a group of female scientists with nothing to lose, go inside to see for themselves what they can learn.
  This film's concept fascinated me from the beginning, and the first two acts of it is actually pretty straightforward. Despite some of the side characters not being as fleshed out as I might have liked, you are fully engaged with them, and you want to solve all of these mysteries as much as they do.
  Annihilation's cinematography is very strange, in that it's really beautiful, and yet really ugly at the same time. The color grading induces this sense of disorienting unease and nasuea that I believe is intentional and works to fill the audience with dread.
  What I love about Annihilation, is that it isn't afraid to take big concepts and run with them. It's a smart movie for a smart audience, and it asks a lot of questions we don't necessarily get answers to. Like Inception, you will probably have to watch this movie at least 3 times before you fully understand everything. Honestly though, those are my favorite kind of movies. Movies that provoke thought and conversation long after you leave the theater. For that reason, I give Annihilation a 9 out of 10 stars (I'd Buy It On Blu-ray)
  

Game Night Review (2018)

Game Night

  Not sure which was funnier, the over-the-top laugh of the lady behind me, or the hilarity that was this movie. Starring the wonderful talent of Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Sharon Horgan, Kyle Chandler, Billy Magnussen, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, and Jesse Plemons, we are invited to join game night. Hosted by Annie (McAdams) and her competitive husband Max (Bateman), things take a turn for the worst when Max's brother, Brooks (Chandler), decides to do a murder mystery at his house, and the kidnappers turn out to be real.
  I really liked the tone established in this movie from the jump. It never takes itself seriously, which makes it easy to suspend belief (and believe me, you will need to).
   Game Night is a quick-witted, delightful movie with big laughs and low-stakes. Does the script come together perfectly in the end? Not quite, but Game Night has enough going for it to earn a 7 out of 10 Stars (Very Good)