SHOWS + MOVIES
Before the pandemic our time spent watching the news often ran over into the time we would have normally been watching shows. We were behind on SO MANY shows that people were talking about. COVID times really allowed us to catch up! We finished up old shows that we abandoned and dove into several new ones. Here are just some of our faves.
Shows:
Ozark (Netflix) - This is a very compelling, yet dark show that makes Breaking Bad seem like the Brady Bunch by comparison.
The Last Dance (Netflix) - Highly engrossing story of the rise of the NBA dynasty that was the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s that builds a strong case for Michael Jordan being the greatest of all time.
Tales from the Loop (Amazon Prime Video) - A beautiful and unique collection of connected sci fi stories based upon an equally unique series of paintings by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) - The "Feel Good" show of 2020! An American football coach moves to England to coach a failing soccer team despite having zero knowledge about the sport.
Better Things (Hulu) - An engaging show about an actress and single mom raising three daughters that is hilarious, heartfelt and often heartbreaking. Produced, written and starring the amazing Pamela Adlon.
The Mandalorian (Disney+) - Baby Yoda (Grogu) is the best thing ever. Period.
Movies:
The Social Dilemma (Netflix) - A scary documentary about data collection and radicalization through social media. EVERYONE should watch this!
Hunt for the Wilder People (Netflix) - A wonderful movie from Taika Waititi about an orphan sent to live with an eccentric couple in the wildlands of New Zealand. Hilarious and heartbreaking.
Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Prime Video) - The latest cringeworthy masterpiece from Sacha Baron Cohen that shines a spotlight on the problems in America while remaining funny AF.
The Trial of the Chicago Seven (Netflix) - An fascinating examination of a dark chapter in recent American history from writer/director Aaron Sorkin that is more relevant than ever in today's divisive political climate.
Palm Springs (Hulu) - A hilarious Groundhog Day-style time loop movie set in our adopted home town starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti.
GAMES + WATCH PARTIES
Shortly after the pandemic set in, we began having weekly game nights with several of our friends from around the country, literally playing ALL of the Jackbox Games collections together over Zoom. We have not missed a single week since March 2020. But, after a couple of months, we evolved to include watching movies together using Amazon Prime's new "Watch Party" feature after a few rounds of games. Inspired by Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the How Did This Get Made? podcast, our criteria is "so bad that they're good" flicks. It turns out that Amazon Prime is ripe with plenty of real doozies which leads to a lot of hilarious commentary from our crew of funny friends. Alcohol also helps. Below is a list of just a handful of the ones we like the most.
Jackbox Games:
Drawful 2 - Super fun if you love to draw, but even funnier if you don't.
Quiplash 3 - Quip to quip combat. This game is like quick Mad Libs!
Fibbage 3 - Lie. Lie. Lie.
Trivia Murder Party 2 - One wrong answer and you're dead. But, don't worry your ghost can still play.
Joke Boat - Fancy yourself a comedian? Climb aboard!
Watch Party Movies:
Samurai Cop - Worth it for the amazing wig work alone.
Barbarella - Campy, sexy sci fi classic starring Jane Fonda.
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble - Embarrassingly bad, yet unintentionally hilarious movie starring a young John Travolta.
Birdemic - You will not find it hard to believe that this movie only cost $10,000 to make.
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo - Street kids look to save their local rec center from greedy developers using the power of dance and dance and dance...
JIGSAW PUZZLES
So many good things to say about puzzles! They can be meditative, team building and they get the brain juices flowing. Nice escape from screen time too! Even before the pandemic, there seemed to be a resurgence of jigsaw puzzle love and as a result you can find some really cool (and challenging) designs. Here are the puzzles we have conquered or have on deck for the near future.
Mondo "Planet of the Apes" 1000-Piece Puzzle
Mondo "Die Hard" 1000-Piece Puzzle
Mondo "Back to the Future" 1000-Piece Puzzle
Inner Piece "Vacation" 500-Piece Puzzle
Charlie Harper "The Desert" 1000-Piece Puzzle
BONUS POINTS: Area Ware "Gradient" 500-Piece Puzzle - Not for the faint of heart or the colorblind. We are still building up the nerve to attack this one.
MUSIC
We have leaned heavily on music the past year to keep our spirits up. One band in particular, Band of Horses, has really kept us going through this pandemic. But, with amazing music streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify, it is easy to pass the time by going down the rabbit hole discovering new and old music. Here are some playlists that we made.
Playlists:
Desert Supreme: Quarantine Survival Playlist - Apple Music | Spotify
Desert Supreme: Songs of Resistance - Apple Music | Spotify
Best of Band of Horses - Apple Music
PODCASTS
The wide world of podcasts can make it hard to find something worth a listen. Seems like the best come recommended by friends. Here are a few we found to be engaging and/or a great way to think about something else for an hour or two.
Smartless - If you have ever enjoyed the ball breaking between Will Arnett and Jason Bateman... well here is a whole hour of it along with a third co-host Sean Hayes. The hosts bring on surprise guests for a chat and work in any opportunity to drag each other in the most loving way.
WTF with Marc Maron - We are long time listeners but it has been especially touching to hear Marc process the grief of his 2020 and through it all he still interviews like a master.
Lovett or Leave It - Jon Lovett of Pod Save America provides plenty of laughs while covering super stressful topics like politics, our national divisiveness and the pandemic with games, bits and guests.
Wind of Change - This podcast explores the real possibility that the C.I.A. actually wrote The Scorpions' hit song "Wind of Change" as a propaganda tool to help topple the Soviet Union.
Dolly Parton’s America - If you don’t love Dolly Parton now, you will after you hear this podcast. Even more, all the stories in this series really remind us of what connects us as Americans. Good medicine for divided times.
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