In my humble opinion

Real honest opinions about what to hit and what to miss: TV, Movies, and Books.

Have anyone else’s favourite shows all ended in the last couple of weeks? Succession, Ted Lasso, Vanderpump Rules – don’t judge me, I only started watching it for #scandoval. If you don’t know what that means, that’s honestly nothing to be ashamed of. I got into Succession late and binge-watched it when I was stuck in bed for a week. I was as gripped by the final season as everyone else. Am I the only person who thinks the kids are better off without Waystar? 

Here are a few shows and books I’ve enjoyed lately and one to miss.

Hit: Platonic (Apple TV)

Starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogan as two forty-something friends who reconnect after their lives took different paths. This show is low on complication but high on the laughs. As someone who has had many male platonic friends over the years, many of whom I would often have drunken outings with, a slew of in-jokes, and generally hanging around making fun of other people we knew. This show is very accurate of such debauchery. Although I’ve never accidentally snorted a horse tranquilizer (not that I know of). Sounds juvenile, and it is, and I love it. 5 stars.

Hit: The Pharmacist (Netflix)

A four-part Netflix series, easily binged in one night. Documentary exploring the opioid crisis of the early 2000s (to now) in lower-middle-class America. One man against the system. Following the death of his son when he is shot in a drug deal gone wrong, a pharmacist sets out to solve the murder and prosecute the murderer after the police fail to act. Once solved, he then turns his attention to the opiate problem and doctors working in ‘pill mills’. Really enjoyed the “if nobody else will fix it, I will” mentality and the lengths he went to to make a difference in his community. 4.5 stars. 

Hit: Before the coffee gets cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (novel)

I saw this novel everywhere online about a year ago, but when I went to buy it I read the back of the book and didn’t like the idea of it: 

“It tells of a café in Tokyo that allows its customers to travel back in time, as long as they return before their coffee gets cold”

Time Travel. Weird. See also: not my thing. BUT WAIT. This is a beautifully written book, offering 4 short stories of kindness and love all intertwined and set within a small old Japanese coffee shop. It’s a short book, with short stories meaning you can read just a snippet a day. I borrowed it from the library. Worth a read. 4.5 stars. 

Miss: The Triangle of Sadness (movie, Binge)
I did not love this. I did not even like this. But did I watch the whole movie, whilst thinking about how terrible it was? Yes. The mega-rich (and the quite obnoxious) go on an uber-rich luxury cruise and treat those ‘below’ them terribly. The only scene I enjoyed was watching an influencer and her male model boyfriend fight over who was paying for dinner. 0.5 stars.