January/February Entertainment Review: TV Series, Movie & Books

 Here's the lowdown on what I watched and read in January/February 2022:

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TV Series: Search Party on HBOMax

John and I watched all five seasons over the course of a month or so, although I honestly lost track of exactly how long it took us to watch. He had already watched season one and I happened to be sitting with him while he was watching a season two episode and he said he thought I'd like it. He offered to re-watch season one and off we went.

I really have to say that the first two seasons and probably the third were GREAT. I really enjoyed the four main characters and how each brought a different facet to their friendship. Meredith Hagner (the blond on the left in the above image) is the airheaded actress and pulls it off magnificently. But the star of the show? The one who made me LOL? John Early who plays Elliott (the one in the yellow suit and sunglasses in the above image.) I mean, roll on the floor, laugh your ass off. 

However, when seasons four and five came along, even Elliott's amazing sense of humor couldn't save the show. Classic example of "jumped the shark." Let's just say that I did not invest all that time to have the series end in a zombie apocalypse (::major eyeroll::) I am not a zombie person to begin with, but this just totally went off the rails. 

So, feel free to watch seasons one-three and then find something else!

If you watched it, what did you think?

Gilded Age on HBOMax

This will be quick as we didn't even make it through the first episode.

Julian Fellowes, who created Downton Abbey, also created this series. I thought, "Brilliant! I loved Downton, so I'll love the Gilded Age." And you can't go wrong with Christine Baranski!

Major snooze-a-palooza! Way too slow. 

If you watched it and enjoyed it, I'd be interested to hear what specifically you liked about it.

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Movie: The Tender Bar on Amazon Prime

So many things to love about this movie. A lot of it was shot on the North Shore of Massachusetts/Cape Ann, which is where I live and work, so it was fun recognizing landmarks in scenes. It took place in the 70's/80's- my era. Ben Affleck. Already has a "real" Boston accent, so no need for a cringe-worthy fake accent. Lastly- a well written "slice of life" story. 

Watch it- you'll thank me.

If you watched it, what did you think?

Books: Here is a book that I've read since the beginning of the year and rated an A+, A or A-.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Description: Gifty is a fifth-year candidate in neuroscience at Stanford School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school athlete who died of a heroin overdose after a knee injury left him hooked on OxyContin. Her suicidal mother is living in her bed. Gifty is determined to discover the scientific basis for the suffering she sees all around her.

Rating: A. While this isn't exactly "light" reading, it's an extremely well written story about real life issues. I was empathetic to the characters and when Gifty wanted her mother to get out of bed so so much, I could feel that longing. The only reason I didn't give it an A+, was the somewhat random interjections of biomedical jargon- almost like an excerpt from a science textbook.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? 

What good books have you read lately?