Four Recent Faves

This was a fun blog to put together.  Here’s the premise: You know when you watch something that is totally outstanding, something that you think about, talk about and tell other’s you’ve got to see.  I took four recent examples of this, shows (TV or movies) and figured I would share them with you.  This is by no means my all-time list of favourites (that would have taken me way too long to decide upon).  Instead, these are four recent examples of things that I have watched that were particularly impactful.  True, this is more of an insight into the sorts of things that resonate with me.  So, I challenge you to also list and describe your four recent faves, I’d be curious to see how they compare. But even better, it’s a great way to learn about awesome new (or newish) things to check out!

SNL - Washington’s Dream

I have a soft spot for Saturday Night Live.  Growing up, watching SNL was almost always part of our Saturday evening routine. And even today, we still PVR every episode.  One of the things I love about it is that you never know when you’re going to see something exceptional.  One of these moments happened on October 29^th, 2023 in a sketch called Washington’s Dream, featuring guest host Nate Bargatze. Though the premise of the skit was solid (the arbitrariness of units of measurement), what makes this piece awesome is the precise timing in the delivery of the lines.  Interestingly this skit almost did not make it. During the table read that week, when skits for the show are reviewed and decided upon, this sketch fell flat. The timing of the line delivery was off and no one around the table recognized that was the problem. It was debated to drop it altogether but ended up being placed late in the show, in a spot that is often dropped if the show is running late.  But in rehearsal in front of a live audience, the cast and Bargatze absolutely crushed it, and it was moved up to an earlier spot. If you’ve never seen Washington’s Dream, click on the link below (I think you’ll enjoy it).

The Studio – Episode 2 The Oner:

Despite his very annoying laugh, I really enjoy the various characters that Seth Rogen has played over the years.  In Rogen’s latest venture, The Studio, Rogen is pure Rogen. I particularly enjoy how he portrays the newly minted head of studio Matt Remick with a contagious enthusiasm and love for movies, which helps to draw you into his character. The recurring theme of his desire/intent to please everyone yet always ending up creating more problems is predictable, yet fun, and quite relatable.  In episode two, Rogen’s character makes an ill-advised visit to the set of the studio’s new lesbian drama flick that is directed by Sarah Polley. The big excitement is that they will be shooting a oner today and Remick wants to be there to take in the exhilaration and creativity that goes into shooting an extended scene in a single shot.  This episode really captures the complexity and pressure of pulling off this technique.  Of course, it sets up perfectly for the comedic incompetence of Rogan’s character. It also gives Polley who is playing herself a chance to portray herself in the exact opposite of her real-life persona.  Polley in this episode is really annoyed that Remick arrived on set unannounced, and is doing her best to hide her annoyance, but Polley as far too high strung to control herself and eventually erupts after Remick continually accidentally wrecks take after take. After watching this episode, I knew I needed to watch it again only this time with my friend Stephen who worked on Polley’s award-winning film Women Talking.  Watching Stephen’s reaction to this episode was pure gold. He really loved how they portrayed just how difficult and complex it was to shoot a “oner”. He also pointed out that Sarah Polley has such a calm and kind presence on the set, it was particularly funny for people who know and have worked with her to see her portray herself in such a high strung and volatile manner.  In the link below, Sarah talks about her experience playing this role on the Studio. One final important point about this episode. This episode not only was about shooting a oner, but it was also filmed as a oner too.  It was filmed in four segments that were patched together to look like a single shot.   And just like the actual episode, plenty went wrong, and they barely got the final seen done on the final day of shooting before the sun went down.

Adolescence

The four-part limited UK series Adolescence is a highly emotional story that totally draws you in from the moment it starts.  It’s a story of every parent’s nightmare, a 13-year-old boy is arrested for the murder of another child.  As awful and hard to take as the premise is, it probably is one of the most powerful television series that I’ve ever seen.  After watching the first episode, I was totally drained and in awe at the same time.  All episodes were filmed in a single shot, so you are processing and experiencing what’s going on at the same time as the characters do.  Its emotional and its gripping. It’s an important story that you experience from multiple perspectives, And the immersive way that it is filmed brings the viewer in as an observer amid this terrible situation. If you have not seen it, catch it on Netflix.  Only after watching it, check out the video below on how Adolescence was filmed.

Meeting Woody in the Hospital

Growing up when I did, it’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of Bob Dylan. His songs and albums intersect with many significant moments of my life.  It feels like I’ve always known Dylan’s story and his lore and have absolutely no idea of when I might have first learned all about him.  From the moment I read that they were making a movie about Dylan’s early years I was totally psyched.  In the lead up, every time I would see a trailer for the movie, chills would run down my back. We of course attended the first showing of A Complete Unknown on Christmas day.  And it did not disappoint. I loved every moment. As I watched the movie, I kept thinking to myself, wow this is incredible (I probably verbalized it a few times as well). But the scene (like for many) that stands out and totally blew me away, was Dylan’s visit to Woody Guthrie in the hospital.  With Pete Seeger sitting there, acting exactly the way you knew Pete would act, a nervous, yet gutsy Dylan responding exactly the way you would imagine or hoped he would, when meeting his hero in a totally vulnerable environment, then pulling out his guitar and playing Song to Woody! In a way, you felt like you were a fly on the wall witnessing a significant cultural moment. It doesn’t matter that the true-life event didn’t quite happen as portrayed, the raw emotions of that moment were perfectly captured and shared for all of us to experience and celebrate.

So, I repeat, I’m curious how these recent favourites compare to yours.  Either write them in the comment section below or post them in your preferred medium and link them to this blog.  I look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for taking the time!