Streaming Spotlight: Hulu

Hey Film Fans!

With the current situation we're in, I am sure a lot of you like myself are stuck at home most days and need entertainment to help pass the time. I've circled around and back through all the streaming services, adding certain shows and movies to my watchlists, some old that I've seen and some new that I wouldn't have if I didn't have this much free time on my hands. Now truth be told I haven't completed watching ALL of these shows and movies but I spread them out to A: have some variety and B: keep my time filled. Without further ado, here is today's Streaming Spotlight!

HULU

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

Based on the film directed by Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement, What We Do In The Shadows is a vampire comedy in the vein (ha) of The Office, in which a documentary crew follows three vampires who live together in Staten Island, New York. Hard to pick a cast that could match the characters in the film, this series finds its own footing after the first few episodes. I was cracking up hysterically at "creepy paper...". It's available on Hulu now and Season Two starts airing on FX next week!

RICK AND MORTY

Think of anything and this cartoon has got it and more. This series that follows the adventures of a boy and his grandfather through space and different realities is ridiculous on every level and that makes it so much. Every episode through Season Three is available on Hulu and the Fourth Season returns on Adult Swim in May!

LEGO MASTERS

Ah now this is definitely my cup of tea. A show built (ha) around a lego building competition, hosted by Will Arnett. Lego Masters started airing this February on FOX and has quickly become one of my favorite shows, and seems like such an obvious idea that should have been done YEARS ago.

MY HERO ACADEMIA

Powers are called "quirks" and they've become quite commonplace these days. So common that Izuko Midoriya is born without them and he's the odd man out. Determined to become a hero despite having no ability, he forms a friendship with the greatest hero All-Might which sets him down a path of greatness. Like I've said in a previous article, I've never been a huge Anime fan. But this show felt more geared towards my personal tastes and I find it absolutely fun to watch.

FOOD WARS

Another anime I was turned on to by friends, Food Wars is set at Totsuki Saruyo Culinary Institute and follows the journey of Soma Yukihira, a talented young chef who doesn't realize the seriousness of the world he's just entered. Food is taken seriously in this series, I mean super serial. Cooked meals are looked at as if they are pure gold, scenes of intense description of how a meal made the eater feel, it's all so very stylized and fascinating to watch. It's certainly made me want to be a better cook myself.

FUTURE MAN

A Janitor (Josh Hutchinson) finally beats the game considered by all to be unbeatable. He is then approached in real life by the game's two lead characters who recruit him to fight in the Biotic Wars. As it turns out, the game is based on real events in the future and sent into the past to find the greatest warrior to fight for the future. Future Man is executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, so you know the humor you're getting, but this is one fun show and crew of characters to spend time with. The third and final season just premiered on April 3rd!

Streaming Spotlight: Disney+

Hey Film Fans!

With the current situation we're in, I am sure a lot of you like myself are stuck at home most days and need entertainment to help pass the time. I've circled around and back through all the streaming services, adding certain shows and movies to my watchlists, some old that I've seen and some new that I wouldn't have if I didn't have this much free time on my hands. Now truth be told I haven't completed watching ALL of these shows and movies but I spread them out to A: have some variety and B: keep my time filled. Without further ado, here's today's Streaming Spotlight!

DISNEY+

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO JEFF GOLDBLUM

When Disney+ launched on November 12th, 2019, it launched on the backs of its original titles as a push for subscribers. One of those titles was 'The World According to Jeff Goldblum', a reality series co-produced by National Geographic starring the famed Dr. Malcolm himself. I can't tell you how much I love this series for its wide variety of topics that are covered, but also for its zany host. Jeff Goldblum brings a childlike curiosity to each episode, doing as little research on the topics as possible. This gives us as the audience an opportunity to learn with Jeff Goldblum, and not from him. From Sneakers to Tattoos to Korean BBQ and more, this is definitely one of my favorite shows the service has offered so far and is definitely worth the binge. Season 2 is expected later this year!

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN

I can't talk about this series without first thanking some of those who worked on it. Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Taika Waititi and a long list of hard-working, dedicated filmmakers who brought this show to life. The Mandalorian is easily the best piece of Star Wars media since 2005. Set 5 years after Return of the Jedi, the series follows Din Djarin, a bounty hunter who is given a job that changes his fate. It is Star Wars in a spaghetti western coating, and it is certainly delicious. Another title that launched with the service, Season 2 is also expected later this year.

THE IMAGINEERING STORY

Another Disney+ original, The Imagineering Story details the growth of the Disney company's animatronic and theme park divisions. Starting when Walt Disney first started dreaming up the idea for Disneyland, going to the expansion of theme parks around the world all the way to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in Anaheim and a tease of what's to come in the future. it's a nice peek inside how Disney magic has been made and evolved over time. If you're a fan of Disney and the parks like myself, this is surely not one to miss out on. 

FUTURE AVENGERS

Scrolling through everything Disney+ has available, I stumbled upon this series that first aired in Japan in 2017. Future Avengers is an anime that follows three genetically modified teenagers raised by Hydra to believe that the Avengers are the real villains. I've never been a huge fan of anime but in the past few years I've been introduced to many different shows by friends. My Hero Academia, Food Wars and One Punch Man being among them (I’ll cover those tomorrow for my Hulu spotlight). I haven't seen ALL of the episodes just yet but I've enjoyed it enough so far as to say it's a good bet I can recommend this one!

THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES

If you're looking for a more traditionally-animated, mostly faithful adaptation of the source material, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes might work for you. This series started airing in 2010 on Disney XD and featured a more faithful lineup to the team seen in the comic books. Mostly aimed at kids but there are some great stories told for each individual Avenger in this series. The episode in which Black Panther fights the team at Avengers Mansion is one of my personal favorites!

SPIDER-MAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Yes, of course I had to put this on the list. This is the show that really sold me on the concept of Spider-Man. This is the show where I learned about Peter Parker, Aunt May, Mary Jane and the like. This is the show that inspired my comic book reading, I wanted to know more. This series was also the basis for a really kick ass video game for the original PlayStation, narrated by the one and only Stan Lee, which I played endlessly. Spider-Man: The Animated Series, which aired in the early '90s, is an almost perfect representation, not only of Spidey's small corner, but of the larger Marvel Universe as a whole. Filled with cameos!

DISNEY/PIXAR'S ONWARD

Originally opening in theaters on March 6th, Onward was quickly released on digital platforms as well as Disney+ not too long thereafter due to the current pandemic. My full review of the film will arrive later this week, but I'm putting it on the list because I have to say this film is full of heart and creativity. I wasn't a huge fan of director Dan Scanlon's first outing with Pixar, Monsters University, and while parts of this film feel like a lesser DreamWorks Animated feature, there's enough Pixar magic here to say it's a fun way to spend an hour and a half of your time. 

THE SIMPSONS

Yep. Disney owns The Simpsons. They've even produced a new animated short titled “Playdate with Destiny” (which premiered in front of Onward in theaters), which will premiere tomorrow on the service. Thirty glorious seasons of the family from the town of Springfield, (your state here) are available now. Just hook it to my veins!

Streaming Spotlight: Netflix

Hey Film Fans!

With the current situation we're in, I am sure a lot of you like myself are stuck at home most days and need entertainment to help pass the time. I've circled around and back through all the streaming services, adding certain shows and movies to my watchlists, some old that I've seen and some new that I wouldn't have if I didn't have this much free time on my hands. Now truth be told I haven't completed watching ALL of these shows and movies but I spread them out to A: have some variety and B: keep my time filled. Without further ado, here's today's Streaming Spotlight!



NETFLIX

THE TOYS THAT MADE US

This Netflix original is all about the many different toy lines from the '80s and '90s that we and our siblings grew up with. But this series doesn't just detail the figures and playlets themselves, but dives into the history of each IP and how the toy line evolves from there. Episode highlights for me are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Star Wars, Transformers and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers! The makers of this series also produced a spinoff titled "The Movies That Made Us" going behind the scenes of movies like Die Hard and Ghostbusters, also available on Netflix.

THE OFFICE

Not sure what I can say about this series that hasn't already been said. The right cast in the right place at the right time. It's comedy gold and never gets old. However, it does leave Netflix in 2021 and heads over to NBC's new streaming service, so get on it!

TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM & MADNESS

Okay so this is one of those shows that everyone has probably already watched but I'm going to recommend it for any of you stragglers. It's like if Napoleon Dynamite was real, and just for the hell of it the producers were on a coke binge making it. *sniffffff* "so...what if this happened? Then this. Then THIS. THEN THIS. AND THAT." Watching it makes it so hard to believe its all real! Each episode peels back more and more layers, and there are confirmed reports of a new episode coming soon! Watch it, don't watch it, one thing is for certain - Carole Baskin fed her husband to those tigers.

SCOOBY-DOO ON ZOMBIE ISLAND

In the late '90s-early 2000's, Warner Bros. filled the shelves with animated, direct-to-video Scooby-Doo movies. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is easily the best among them. Admittedly I haven't seen it for many, many years but it was such an amazing rediscovery. I'll say it...this is a much better Scooby movie than both live-action films. Movies like this and Space Jam bring back a lot of memories. Speaking of Space Jam...

SPACE JAM

It's a classic amongst a specific generation, it actually faces the performance enhancement issue head on, it features the greatest basketball star and some of the greatest cartoon characters together for 1 hour and 28 minutes, it's on Netflix now AND if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience, the original 1996 promo website is still up if you go to spacejam.com! Available on Netflix now, but I'm not sure how long it will be.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE

As a young fan growing up during the Sam Raimi-Tobey Maguire era of Spider-Man films, I never thought it could get better than Spider-Man 2. In 2018, Sony Animation released Into The Spider-Verse, re-examining what it means to have confidence in yourself and rise to the challenge of being a hero. Spider-Verse has the humor and the heart in a fantastically animated package. It also features John Mulaney as Spider-Ham, and you can't get better that.

AUSTIN POWERS TRILOGY

Three movies that could only happen at the time they were made. Filled with so many quotable lines it's insane. Featuring four different comedic performances from Mike Myers over the three films. These were personal favorites of mine to frequently rent from Blockbuster. Ah, the good 'ol days.

THE GOOD PLACE

Now here's a concept: Over your life, the choices you make either can earn you points, or lose you points. After your death, your points are tallied and if you reach a certain amount you get to go the Good Place (essentially, Heaven!) But if you're unable to reach those points, you're sent to the Bad Place (hell). Now take that concept and throw in Kristen Bell, the ever charismatic Ted Danson and so many twists and turns Shyamalan would get jealous, well you've got a show that is perfect to binge in a time like this. The first three seasons are available on Netflix now.