After seeing The Rise of Skywalker twice, I wanted more Adam Driver media to consume. His portrayal of Kylo Ren was outstanding. One of Adam Driver’s roles was in the HBO series Girls, written by Lena Dunham. After getting access to Amazon Prime, I decided to dive right into watching this show. Many of the main characters in Girls are extremely unlikable. This made me wonder, to what extent do our characters have to be “likeable” to be able to sympathize with them?

Before I go through answering this question, I wanted to provide background on this show. Girls is a Sex in the City for this generation. It tells the story of four 20-something’s living in NYC after graduating from college. Hannah (played by Lena Dunham), Marnie (played by Allison Williams), Jessa (played by Jemima Kirke), and Shoshanna (played by Zosia Mamet) are the main characters this show focuses on. The girls go through breakups, hookups, and career shakeups throughout the series.

Each of the four girls is unlikable in a different way. Hannah can be selfish regarding her view on relationships. Marnie can be super judgmental. Jessa is flaky, and Shoshanna talks extremely fast to the point where it’s hard to carry on a conversation with her. It became difficult to continue in the series because I never felt I could relate to their struggles.

There are a couple of shows I like where the characters aren’t likeable, but I’m not sure what makes Girls different. For example, I watch The Big Bang Theory. However, if you pay closer attention to the four male friends, they make fatphobic jokes towards Howard’s mother and act misogynistically towards women they find attractive. I like the show, but the characters can be awful at times.

One reason why I believe Girls became hard to watch was because I didn’t see the girls maturing into better human beings. Hannah can’t take personal criticism when she goes off to graduate school. Marnie sleeps with men in relationships while Jessa is rude to her friends. Shoshanna is probably the most likable girl in the bunch, but I don’t see her maturing either. For me, I don’t want perfect characters in media, but I want to see them learn from their mistakes and become better human beings. I didn’t feel this way from watching Girls. 

Let’s go back to Adam Driver’s character. His character is also named Adam, and for most of the show, he’s dating Hannah. Adam’s character is a douchebag who only sees Hannah as a hookup. He’s a slob and has quite a bit of growing up to do. As the seasons progress, Adam starts to develop. In season #2, we find out Adam is in AA. This information makes me love Adam’s character. When Hannah is having an OCD episode, Adam makes his way across the city to comfort her. Adam isn’t a perfect character, but he’s the only character who has grown up throughout the seasons.

I stopped watching Girls mid-way through season #4 because I discovered this show wasn’t for me. I don’t regret watching the show because I believe Girls does a couple of things right. The sex positivity in this show is what makes watching the first couple of seasons worth it. Lena Dunham doesn’t have the stereotypical Hollywood body, and it’s refreshing to see a different body type on TV. Some of the sex scenes were hard to watch, while other scenes felt accurate.

If you want to watch Girls because of Adam Driver, go for it. I recommend watching seasons #1-#3 because that’s where you will see the best of Adam Driver.

When I watched the No Man’s Land scene from Wonder Woman, I had chills go down my spine. This truly starred a female superhero, and despite Steve’s appearance in the scene, Diana held her own. As a DC fan, it gave me hope that DC could establish its own superhero universe. As soon as I saw the announcement of the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer being released, I kept tabs on social media so I wouldn’t miss it. This trailer was epic.

When Kristin Wiig was first cast as Cheetah, many fans were unconvinced. I trust the casting behind this film, and I didn’t want to pass judgment until a trailer was released. I believe Kristin Wiig was a great choice for this role, and I liked her overall look in the short moments within the trailer.

Steve Trevor is back! Gal Gadot and Chris Pine’s chemistry felt authentic in the first film, so I’m glad to see he’s back in some capacity. I’m intrigued as to how they will explain how he survived and appear “youthful” in the 1980s. Comics are a weird medium, as in various comic characters get killed and then are brought back, so bringing back Steve Trevor doesn’t feel odd to me.

Wonder Woman is one of my favorite superhero movies. Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot are a power duo in superhero filmmaking. This trailer has gotten me more excited for this movie, and it’s giving me a reason to look forward to 2020.

This was the first time I had a four-day weekend in my professional career. In my previous role, I had to work on Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Besides playing The Sims 3, I have been watching a lot of New Girl. New Girl is a comfort show that I can put on whenever. One crucial takeaway from watching the show is the importance of individuality.

Jess (played by Zooey Deschanel) is the lead of the show. She moves in with three male roommates after she discovers her boyfriend cheating on her. Nick, Schmidt, and Winston give Jess realistic advice while the roommates start to get to know her. Jess and Nick (played by Jake Johnson) have great chemistry together that builds from their friendship.

Jess’s personality may seem over the top, but I appreciate how she’s always herself. Her male roommates will tease her constantly over it, but Jess hasn’t ever backed down or been less of herself. As much as I pride myself on being comfortable with who I am, I have my moments. For example, at my new job, I was telling my team how much I love reading comics. When I thought back to this moment, I felt regret. I regret it because I don’t want my new coworkers to think I’m weird. However, I don’t want to be someone I’m not.

In these last five years, I have grown immensely as a person. I have become more confident in myself, but the insecurity is there. Watching New Girl allowed me to realize how I’m not alone. I would highly recommend watching New Girl because it’s a great show, but also, it’s a gentle reminder that it’s okay to be yourself.

I drove fourteen hours to get back to Minneapolis from Denver and I’m happy to be home. Colorado was breathtaking with the sight of the snow capped Rocky Mountains. I plan on writing up a post about my trip specifically with all the hiking we did. During my time, I stayed with a friend that I grew up with. We decided to watch some Halloween themed movies because he also appreciates a good slasher flick. He suggested we watch Halloween, the newest movie in the Halloween film franchise. I went into watching this movie with little expectations, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this movie.

Halloween is a modernized take on the slasher genre. True crime podcasters Aaron Korey and Dana Haines go to see Michael Myers in the Sanatarium to try and talk to him about the murders. Flash forward to Laurie Strode who’s living an isolated life away from her family. She has redesigned her home to be a safehouse which gives her a little ounce of safety from Michael. Laurie has trained herself in the off chance that Michael does become free to kill again. Unsurprisingly, Michael does escape from the Sanitarium where he heads to Haddonfield to kill again. The difference is Laurie’s grand daughter lives there and Laurie will do whatever it takes to protect her family.

As I mentioned, Halloween feels modern despite the fact that it’s still an old fashioned, slasher horror movie. The addition of the true crime podcasters feels updated and believable. There are many various true crime podcasts to pick from nowadays (my favorite being Once Upon a Crime). It helps make the Halloween franchise feel relevant with the current wave of horror movies.

Another positive note with this movie is how it’s filmed. There are scenes where Michael is seen walking around as more of a background image and then he reappears behind his victims making it more scary to watch. I felt this movie was scary, but I’m also a “jumpy” person. As I was driving home, there was a creepy rest stop I drove by that I didn’t stop into based on a certain sequence in this film I had watched earlier.

I’m not sure how many horror movies I will watch by the time Halloween comes around, but if you’re a slasher movie fan, I recommend checking out the latest Halloween film. It’s entertaining, modern and provides a fresh look at slasher films.

Promoting on Facebook is one of the best ways to market a blog or a TV show. I had seen ads about Prodigal Son almost every day as I scrolled through my Facebook feed. Serial killer TV shows are my jam as I’m a lifelong fan of Criminal Minds. Eventually, I caved into the ads around me and watched the first episode of Prodigal Son. Of course this is right up my alley and I’m curious to see how the show plays out.

Prodigal Son follows Malcolm Bright (played by Tom Payne), a gifted FBI profiler. He’s fired after punching a police officer, but soon recruited by NYPD lieutenant, Gil Arroyo (played by Lou Diamond Phillips). Both Gil and Malcolm are called to investigate a series of grisly murders. These murders are eerily familiar as they are identical to the killings committed by Malcolm’s imprisoned father, Martin Whitly (played by Michael Sheen). Malcolm is forced to visit his father in prison to get his expertise as to who committed these murders. Their communication doesn’t stop and in fact triggers PTSD memories in Malcolm from the time his father is caught by the NYPD when he was a young boy. There’s something amiss within Malcolm’s memories which includes a woman in the box that no one seems to know about.

Michael Sheen can do no wrong in his acting range. He’s creepy in his positive demeanor and erratic bursts of anger when his son doesn’t communicate with him. Bellamy Young appears as Malcolm’s mother. She plays the part of the innocent mother, but I believe she knows more than what she lets on. There’s Detective Dani Powell (played by Aurora Perrineau) who is the most sympathetic to Malcolm’s struggles. It seems the show is trying to build a romantic relationship between the two, which I hope doesn’t happen because Malcolm needs therapy, not romance.

Prodigal Son has set up a nice build up being only two episodes into the first season. I’m wondering whether there is a woman in the box which is what Malcolm seems to think or if it’s a delusion. Prodigal Son airs Mondays on Fox.

When I heard DC was filming a Birds of Prey movie with Harley Quinn leading the charge, I was skeptical. Suicide Squad was a fun movie, but had inconsistencies including the over the top performance by Jared Leto. I didn’t mind Margot Robbie’s version of Harley, I hated how she was dressed in the movie. It’s ironic because I have cosplayed Suicide Squad Harley multiple times this year. However, I bought the “Daddy’s Little Monster” crop top at good will for $3 and if that’s not thrifty cosplay, I don’t know what is. The first trailer of Birds of Prey was released in the beginning of September. Here are my thoughts when I watched the trailer.

Harley’s new neon outfit is fun. It’s a departure from the “jester” origins, and it doesn’t look as hyper-sexualized like the Suicide Squad movie portrayed her as. She has her mallet which is certainly Harley’s weapon of choice, and I like the eyeliner black heart on her cheek. She comes into camera saying, “I’m so  f****** over clowns.” I’m glad the DC cinematic movies are bringing her into their universe, while allowing her to get away from being the Joker’s side kick.

We see a short clip of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress who I think looks bad ass. She takes off her hood and we can see the cross bow being unleashed on an unseen enemy. Right after the appearance of Huntress, there’s a clip of Black Canary in golden leather pants. Ewan McGregor was cast as Black Mask and I adore him, so I’m into it. He looks like a spoiled rich boy and even though it doesn’t seem like Black Mask from the comics, I’m still interested in how he plays his role.

The Bird’s of Prey logo appears and that’s when we can see some of the cast members walking around in what appears to be an abandoned warehouse. Towards the end of the trailer, Harley is sucking on a lollipop with the words “see you soon” flashing on screen which signals the end of the trailer.

As a fan, I do my best to reserve judgement. I have been proven wrong on casting choices too many times to count. As a prominent DC fan, I can’t wait for this movie. Birds of Prey is one of my most anticipated movies in 2020.

Without a doubt my favorite Stephen King novel is Carrie. She is the protagonist I would constantly root for as she gets revenge on her bullies, yet she’s a villain because of her methods. Plus Carrie features the absolutely terrifying fictional mother I have ever read about. Since reading Carrie in high school, I tend to gravitate to his books. When my fiance took me to see It, I was blown away by how great the movie was. The child actors they picked could act despite their age and Bill Skarsgard became this demonic clown creature. As more is being revealed about It Chapter #2, the more excited I become to see this movie in September. 

The newest trailer dropped at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). After watching the trailer, one of the things I loved was the soundtrack. In horror movies, the music makes the movie. It’s creepy and the theme music stays with you.

Another reason I’m personally looking forward to this movie is the casting. Besides Bill Skarsgard, the “Loser’s Club” is perfectly cast. Bill Hader is the older Richie incarnated. Richie is this humorous, slightly nerdy kid, and Bill seems to adapt his personality well. Jessica Chastain seems to embody the adult Beverly with her red hair and how she holds the whole group together. James McAvoy plays Bill Denbrough which is another excellent casting choice. The sequence in the trailer with James McAvoy in the fun house mirrors chasing after the little boy who is also being targeted by It is fucking scary.

I’m not a horror movie fan, but I can’t wait to see this movie opening weekend. It Chapter #2 opens on September 6th, 2019.

Me and my brother loved watching Law & Order SVU in middle school. Law & Order SVU is the show I watch when doing chores or when I need a distraction from a tough day. Lucifer is a Law & Order-inspired show with demons thrown into the mix.

Lucifer is the literal king of hell played wonderfully by Tom Ellis. He’s the owner of a nightclub and finds amusement in having sex with beautiful women and drinking copious amounts of booze. After one of Lucifer’s friends is shot and killed, he meets Chloe Decker, an LA homicide detective who’s assigned to this case. Chloe, played by Lauren German, is unique because she’s immune to Lucifer’s gifts. His “gifts” include being able to persuade people to reveal their deepest darkest secrets. Chloe uses this to her advantage to solve crimes throughout Los Angeles.

Each season of Lucifer has a larger subplot intertwined throughout the season. The first season involves Lucifer getting shot by Chloe and he starts to bleed. Lucifer is immortal, so why is he bleeding from a simple gunshot wound? Meanwhile, Chloe is trying to build a case surrounding a supposed corrupt cop. The plot twists in the first season were shocking.

Lucifer is a favorite show of mine because of the characters. Lucifer can be an asshole, but he also has good intentions despite being the retired ruler of hell. Chloe is sassy to Lucifer while using her cunning investigative techniques to seek the truth. I cannot forget to mention Trixie, Chloe’s cute daughter. Trixie adores Lucifer which is hilarious since Lucifer hates kids. His apparent hate for children doesn’t stop Trixie from giving him hugs throughout the season.

I wanted to give a special shout-out to the fans who utilized the internet to save the show. Lucifer originally premiered on Fox until it was canceled. Fans were irritated and created a petition to save the show. Netflix realizing they could make money off of Lucifer fans, swooped in to renew the show at the last minute. I wish I was a part of this legion of fans, but I only discovered Lucifer a week ago.

Lucifer is a fabulous show featuring demon drama in downtown LA. I finished season one a couple days ago and I plan on watching season two either today or tomorrow. I’m trying to slowly get through the show as I don’t want to wait for new episodes.

I have been stuck in a TV-watching rut. I tried watching Castle Rock and Homeland this year and couldn’t get into these shows. Whenever I watch a show I can’t get into, it puts me in a funk. Thanks to Hot Date, I found an amusing show with sketches that realistically depict sex, dating, and marriage.

Originally, I discovered Emily and Brian after listening to Not Another DnD Podcast. I don’t normally listen to DnD podcasts because I find if I “zone out” a little bit, I’m lost in the DnD story. However, Not Another DnD Podcast, is hilarious and I have no trouble listening to the voice actors for a two hour episode. At the end of each episode, the hosts usually plug their current books or other projects they have been working on. This is where I discovered Hot Date. 

Hot Date centers around Emily and Brian’s relationship and how it evolves through social interaction and taking on responsibilities. Each episode is roughly twenty minutes long with numerous sketches occurring in between Emily and Brian’s bits. One of my favorite sketches is where Emily and Brian feel they need to “spice up their relationship”. They visit a sex store where they purchase a sex swing. Things go awry when they don’t read the instructions and get stuck in the sex swing. This sketch sticks with me because I feel there is a stereotype for couples in long term relationships to try and “spice up their relationship.” I am perfectly content with my relationship, but I feel this insecurity every now and then.

Regardless if you’re single, in a relationship or married, I think anyone could find this show entertaining. I like that it’s not a huge commitment to watch the show as there are only ten episodes in season #1. Before watching Hot Date, I would recommend listening to Not Another DnD podcast because then you can get an idea on Emily and Brian’s humor to see if Hot Date would be for you. As far as what to watch next. . . I’m thinking about re-watching Doctor Who or I heard Good Omens was good. I’m glad to be out of my TV watching rut.