What I'm Consuming, Spring 2023

From Scratch

This is a niche drama about a couple and their journey together. If you love shows like This is Us you may love this. I don't normally watch those shows but found this rather interesting, and it had me in total tears at the end.

God of War - Ragnarok (PS5)

This is probably my new favorite video game of all time. The story is incredible and it has some great twists. The character development is great, and it was a lot of fun to play too. This may be my first PS5 platinum trophy.

Rings of Power

The first couple of episodes are slow, but I warmed up to this show. I was a big fan of some story lines (I would die for Galadriel, and I loved the Southlands stuff. The hobbits were a slow storyline, and the dwarf/elves stuff was hit or miss with me.)

The Royal Tennenbaums

This movie was funny, but I struggle with movies like this. Alex loved it though, so now we'll probably do a round of all those kinds of movies.

Cunk on Earth

Absolutely hilarious take on World history. I hope they can do future seasons of this. Only complaint is that this is too short.

Ted Lasso, Season 3

This show is so well-written, and the characters are good. I think I know where this season is headed. Every time I watch this show, I hear something different. I see myself in a few of the characters and it's so edifying to me. I see myself in Ted and learning to accept help, and to show his emotions. I see myself in Rebecca and learning to put the past behind me. I see myself in Coach Beard and being loyal to others. Update in June: this show delivers. I didn't realize until now how much this show has references to old shows, ranging from The Wizard of Oz to Cheers. There's a book club just with books referenced in the show. Very, very classy. I'm sad to see the show end, but I thought it wrapped up in the best way.

Hogwarts Legacy (PS5)

This game is fun. The animation is not top notch, and neither is the voice acting. But is it the best gameplay of anything Harry Potter-related? Absolutely yes, by leaps and bounds. The spells are fun (and you get to learn the unforgiveable spells), and it has some nice lore facts to the books if you look around enough.

Horizon: Burning Shores

Guerilla Games gets better every time. This game, as a contrast to Hogwarts Legacy above, has much higher production values. The writing, combat, lore, and animations are top notch. Also worth noting, the sound quality is great.

Dope

This show dives into the drug crises around the world, especially those surrounding illegal drugs. Our teenager found this series enlightening. She found it especially insightful that you really cannot trust the people who are peddling drugs. They're trying to earn money, but many of them have no idea how much fentanyl, cocaine, or other things are in the wares they're selling. They just keep adding as long as people keep coming back.

Pokemon: Indigo League

My 8 year old has really taken to Pokemon. This show holds up well with time and is fun to watch. Very, very funny.

Pokemon: The First Movie

This movie feels like the plot would have been conceived nowadays. The plot on paper is pretty dark - Mewtwo wanting to control clones of Pokemon to take over the world because they have been harmed or mistreated elsewhere. However, there's a scene where each Pokemon is fighting its clone to happy music, and it is really not that dark? Kind of strange, but nice by today's standards.

Shrinking

We gave in from the ads on Apple TV+. It's hilariously funny, and it's a good watch as a parent. It made me feel like I was adulting/parenting/coping okay. I thought it had a Ted Lasso feel because you really can't hate very many characters. It's also one of those shows where you can see different people in different characters. Sorry to my coworker who never told us about her family. I called her a Paul.

Super Mario Bros, the Movie

I took all of my kids to see this, and it was their first movie theater experience since COVID! They enjoyed it, Raegan snuggled up. It wasn't super funny, but it was incredible nostalgic to watch.

Jack Ryan, Season 3

This is a guilty pleasure show, to be clear. The plots are kind of unimaginable, and you have to suspend disbelief. I also think that the production values have gone down since the first season. The writing is not super good, but the acting is pretty decent. I still enjoy this like I enjoy a Tom Clancy novel - they are at least clever in some way, and they are easy to watch.

Daisy Jones and the Six

I thought this show was somewhat predictable, and I could not relate to any characters. But it told a good story and the ending was pretty well-crafted. My wife loved it - and loved the music too.