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I’m tearing through the list of stuff to watch that I put together ahead of the national lockdown.
What started out as an opportunity to finally make it through that ‘movies and series’ note (you know the one, it’s on your phone), is now an anxiety-inducing exercise in spacing things out so that we don’t find ourselves devoid of decent entertainment too quickly.
Thankfully, there are people out there doing the Lord’s work, by digging up content that we hadn’t thought to stream, or had forgotten about.
The staff at Rolling Stone are such people, and they’ve compiled a selection of series and doccies to fill the hours.
We selected five of our favourites:
Belgravia
If you need a reminder that there were indeed ‘before times’, and also that having to deal with other people can be taxing, then tune in to this new costume drama from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
The highbrow soap opera-ness of it all — watching pretty people wearing pretty clothes in pretty homes connive and machinate with pretty accents — can be gratifying under the best of circumstances, but right now, it’s downright delicious.
If you like this, you’ll also like The Great. It’s a comedic take on Catherine the Great’s rise to power.
What We Do In The Shadows (The Series)
You loved the 2014 mockumentary from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, so now watch the series.
A gaggle of vampires, each centuries old and equally petty and immature, share a decrepit mansion on Staten Island. A film crew follows them as they hunt for victims, bitch about who did or didn’t do the dishes, and attempt to throw the perfect vampire orgy.
Forget about glittery vampires and werewolf feuds. This is where it’s at.
War of the Worlds
We can finally put that dumpster fire of a movie starring Tom Cruise behind us.
British television writer Howard Overman’s new adaptation, which debuted in France and recently arrived stateside, is a strangely comforting viewing experience during this shut-in. With the action taking place in France and the U.K., we can mercifully ignore the ineptitude of the United States altogether, as government entities fail and a few hardy individuals — played by the likes of Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern — fight to survive by staying inside and avoiding the marauding menace beyond their doors.
Yes, a take on H.G. Wells’ 1898 alien-invasion novel (and radio show) that we can get behind.
The Wire
Hands down one my favourite television series of all time.
Through five incredible seasons that tackle the enmeshed worlds of policing, politics, labor, education, and media — and the criminal enterprises that infect them all — the nearly 20-year-old series stands as a testament to the power of individuals to fight a corrupt system, or to work cannily within it, or, more often, just to be human in the face of crushing bureaucratic defeat.
The Wire is a must-see if you haven’t yet, and totally worth a rewatch if you have.
Planet Earth
Experience the outdoors through incredible camera work, while taking in the soothing tones of Sir David Attenborough.
This award-winning documentary series explores the ecology that shapes each of these landscapes and the ridiculous ways animals survive — and sometimes don’t — within them. Whether witnessing the power and stealth of snow leopards foraging in the Himalayas, the nurturing ways chinstrap penguins care for their young, or the curious mating rituals of the giant sloth, each episode is a beautiful, fraught, refreshing reminder that the Earth has been here for millennia, human problems are just part of the picture, and nature is bigger than the sum of its many spectacular parts.
To check out the full list, head here.
Just remember to take a break from the couch every now and then.
[source:rollingstone]
