Blogocentric Formulations

February 2024 Watch List

To qualify for my Watch List every month, the following has to be something that I've watched that's new to me. It doesn't necessarily have to be a current show, but it can't be reruns or rewatches of something I've already seen. So if I'm including it in this list, it means this month is the first time I've watched it. I'll put "DNF" (Did Not Finish) next to anything that I stopped watching and have no immediate plans to finish.

Movies
          Argylle
          Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
          The Killer
          The Marvels
          Saltburn
          Upgraded
          Wonka

Television
          Colin in Black & White
          Echo
          Fleabag (Season 2)
          Star Wars Rebels (Season 2)
          True Detective: Night Country

The two movies that I really enjoyed this past month were The Killer and Wonka, although they both had their faults and weren't perfect. Still, they were really enjoyable compared to the other features that I watched last month, each of which had a significant weakness or missing element. Argylle got too slapsticky and contrived toward the end. Aquaman was another DC mess that felt like it was phoned in. The Marvels was just okay, but I had a really hard time working on that film, so I think I probably enjoy it less thanks to the work memories I have of it. Upgraded was an incredibly generic romantic comedy that was released directly to streaming, and Saltburn was an incredibly weird movie. It was intriguing, but also pretty offbeat.

On the television side, I finally finished watching Echo, and finished out Fleabag when I completed the second season. I have to be honest, I don't see the big deal about that show. A lot of people are calling it one of the smartest shows ever written with memorable characters and I found it pretty middle-of-the road. Star Wars Rebels continues to be one of my favorite Star Wars properties despite being an animated television show aimed at kids, but it's exceptionally well done and the characters are incredibly memorable. Colin in Black & White was a fascinating docuseries on Colin Kaepernick and his younger years, and it was supplemented with information about American history as it relates to the experience of black citizens. It was really well-produced and touching. And True Detective: Night Country was a phenomenal show. I never really got into this anthology series for the first few seasons, but this one is set in Alaska during it's extended period without daylight, and has a great mystery surrounding it that's equal parts conventional crime and supernatural mystery. I highly recommend it.

For the first time in a long time, I'm calling my top pick a tie between a nonfiction series and a narrative series.


TOP PICKS: Colin in Black & White AND True Detective: Night Country