Seven Shows to Watch on Netflix

Travis and I are always tired at the end of the day and the one thing we want to do after the kids are in bed is to sit and barely think about anything.

So of course we watch tv.

A couple weeks ago I suggested the movie Chef, which I really enjoyed, but I've actually been compiling a list for a few months of shows and movies I have enjoyed and wanted to suggest to you. These aren't reviews and I obviously don't know exactly what you are sensitive to and how sensitive you are to it, and keep as a frame of reference that a short list of my favorite movies / shows are:

3:10 to Yuma
Sherlock
Jane Austen novel adaptations
Doctor Who
Life
Friday Night Lights
Silver Linings Playbook
The Walking Dead

So westerns, period pieces, zombies, crazy people, BBC stuff, Riggins, and a zen guy who loves fruit.

Not your cup of tea? Then you can probably safely pass these all up.

Sound good?  Then let's get started!

I didn't like the novel Jane Eyre when I read it in high school and I've never cared about any of the film adaptations I've watched before but this one was perfect. The spooky parts were spooky, the writing was fabulous, the locales were perfect, and the acting was superb. Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Mr. Rochester made me finally understand the character. Mia Wasikowska was perfectly perfect. And the moors were great. (I've watched it about three times in as many months.)

I am a sucker for a good Jane Austen period piece movie and this baby delivered. Death Comes to Pemberley was better than the novel, I thought. Matthew Rhys was an excellent Mr. Darcy. Clara, I mean Jenna Coleman was perfect as Lydia. And I love Anna Maxwell Martin and she did a wonderful job as Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. (She's also really great in The Bletchley Circle, which is also on Netflix, fyi.) The story is a great who-dunnit but is even better because I love the Darcys and good manners.

Turn. Oh dang. We just plowed through the first season of this AMC show and we loved it. It takes place during the American Revolutionary War and it's really cleverly written and very interesting. The character Anna Strong drives me crazy, but I love Caleb Brewster so it kind of balances out. The main character in the show is Abraham Woodhull and he's not perfect though he is very well acted by Jamie Bell (who plays St. John Rivers in Jane Eyre). I also really like how they use a lot of music in the show - songs that are appropriate to the period are often sung or performed, but the theme song sounds a lot like The Walking Dead, as a complete aside.

Broadchurch is probably not for everyone. It takes place in a small coastal town in Britain and centers around the death of a boy and the investigation that follows. I didn't predict any of the twists and I found it to be well written and well acted. It was a bit suspenseful, but not too much so (too much suspense gives me nightmares), and another great who-dunnit. Also, David Tennant is the lead so a big yay for Doctor Who fans everywhere. If you have watched The Bletchley Circle and you enjoyed it I do think you'll enjoy this one.

If you liked Broadchurch then you'll like Hinterland. This show a lot like Wallander or even Sherlock at its more intense moments, except this show is a bit creepy and makes Wales seems really, really creepy. I loved it. It's intense, smart, edgy, and its characters have a lot of back-story and dimension. Great writing and wonderful acting.

(Okay, totally cheating and throwing this in here. If you like mysteries / detective shows that aren't as flashy as Law & Order and you like westerns, but not so much these Brit shows I'm telling you about then you should watch Longmire. Travis and I both enjoyed it. A lot.)

And now for something totally different: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. For very different reasons than Hinterland  this show is not going to be for everybody but I thought it was hilarious. The theme song has been stuck in my head for over a week now. The show is almost silly, the characters are kooky, and the cultural jokes are often spot-on and really funny. The show pokes fun at everyone, which I appreciated, so no one can feel like they're being ganged up on, and overall I think the show just exists to make us laugh. If you liked 30 Rock you will enjoy this.

I love Good Eats because it combines useful information, delicious food and drink, and campy humor. This is a show I think the whole family can watch and everyone will enjoy - science, humor, recipes, history - it's all there!



Okay, another cheat:

Begin Again was on Netflix for awhile but is no longer so you'll have to go to your local video store to find this one, which is what we did because I was binging my way through Doctor Who for the third time while it was online. Travis picked this one up and brought it home to me after a long rough day, thinking it looked like a movie I would like. He was right.

The movie is about a singer-songwriter (Kiera Knightley) whose musician boyfriend (Adam Levine) breaks up with her, leaving her stranded and alone in New York City. She finds her friend (James Corden) which leads to a washed-up producer (Mark Ruffalo) hearing her perform. And in between it all some really wonderful things are said and the right people end up with the right people and I just really enjoyed it.


Okay. Enough. Thank you so much to Kelly for hosting the link-up. Have a great weekend, everyone!

7QT: Riptide, Sheen relic, window clings and cake

1 - Totally weird video. Don't let your kids watch it until you've watched it and you know you're okay with it. The song though, the song is so great.


2 - I've been checking out a lot of the blogs that were nominated for the Sheenazing Awards and I was delighted when I saw a related post at The Breadbox Letters. Nancy writes that because the awards were named for Sheen she began to dig into his works and writings a bit. Part of the reason I host the awards is to raise awareness of Venerable Fulton Sheen, his holiness and love of God, and his cause for canonization. The fact that Nancy looked into Sheen and was moved by his writings because of my simple little awards - that's just so great. Praise God.


3 - Speaking of Sheen! Check out what one of my blog readers sent me recently:

Look at that, friends! A second class relic! Boom!

Travis and I had *just* been discussing how we wish we had something of Sheen's to pass on to JF one day and literally the next day I got an email from a kind woman named Sharon offering to mail me a book she had that was autographed by Sheen. Love it!

PS - I have no idea what it says...


4 - Awhile ago I asked some questions about make up and I got some really wonderful answers. I also was told repeatedly to NOT USE BAR SOAP ON MY FACE!!! I've been doing a new regimen but I still have a question:

BB Cream wearers, do you put on sunscreen first? Is there a magical BB Cream with sunscreen in it?


5 - Here is an image of two things I love:

window clings and my butterfly bush.

The butterfly bush. One of the best decisions about this house I ever made was planing that bush by the window. Late spring, summer, and early fall it is covered in bright purple flowers and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Late fall, winter, and early spring it is bare but often filled with sparrows, cardinals, and even other birds. As I sit on my sofa I can watch them all and it is awesome.

I know the window cling thing is lame but they are so dang bright and cheery and festive. We've got them for Valentine's Day, 4th of July, and Christmas. I'd like to get some for Easter because I'm adorable like that.

6 - The school carnival was a couple of Saturdays ago. I signed up to make a cake for the cake walk and decided on a 4 layer yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, all made from scratch. Here's hoping whoever ended up with it thought it was good!

Our kitchen is the coldest room in the house in the winter and by the time I was frosting the outside of the cake my buttercream frosting had firmed up so much I could barely spread it.

True story.

7 - So it turns out that I'm going to be able to attend the Edel Gathering in Austen this summer. A HUGE thank you to Jen and Hallie for planning it! Really. I am so pumped. I'll admit that when I saw the list of everyone who is going to be a part of the day I immediately got a stomach ache and felt anxiety over how beautiful and smart and funny and cool everyone is. Eek!

But then I decided to just get over it. I'm going and I'm going to have a blast. Because you know what, people are NICE and it's going to be FUN!

Oh it's all just so Sheenazing!

Downton! Oh it was so good. But you know what was better?

Sherlock!  Travis and I cracked up through most of it. I looooved when John and Sherlock were playing the "Who am I?" game with the names on their foreheads. So funny. I was honestly a little bit disappointed in last week's episode - even though it was good, maybe my expectations were too high? - but this week's made up for it and then some.

I am Sher locked.

Finally, Monday is the last day to vote for the Sheenazing Awards. Go vote for your favorite bloggers and maybe find a couple new blogs to add to your list.

Winners will be announced Wednesday.

10 Shows to Love on Netflix

Snow day? Sick day? Introvert-post-social-function-recovery day? Wanting a show to watch, episode after episode? Or maybe you're just looking for a new show to enjoy a little at a time, not something to binge on in one day.

Whatever your reason, if you're looking for some good television viewing here my top ten picks, all of which are available for streaming from Netflix.

(Disclaimer: Some of the shows have mild language, some scantily clad women, some guns. I don't know what will offend you or be fine by you but I am definitely not encouraging you to sit down with the whole family and a bowl of popcorn before you preview them for your kids.)

Life

Detective Charlie Crews was framed for murder, spent several years in jail, and was then exonerated. After prison Charlie gets a whole lot of money and his job back, where he begins to investigate who framed him and why. The show is told a bit like a documentary, especially in the beginning as they are establishing Crews' back story. The things I love about this show: how quirky and funny it is. While in prison Charlie missed some advancements in technology (like phones have cameras), he really missed fresh fruit, and he picked up Zen thinking to help him cope. I'm not sure why this show was cancelled - it's so good! - but the writers saw it coming and were able to wrap the show up nicely by the end of the second season.

White Collar

Smart, witty, beautiful: this show is really different than a lot of television. White Collar follows Neal Caffrey, a con artist who does white collar crimes like art and bond forgery, as he works off the remainder of his prison sentence by serving as a consultant to Peter Burke, the head of the FBI's white collar division in New York City. Things I like about this show: the characters are all smart and are pursuing important pieces of art, history, and culture. (I know that sounds snooty but you'll like it too.) Peter and his wife have a really great marriage. Also, Tiffani Thiesen stars in it and that makes me happy to see "Kelly Kapowski" again. The best part about the show: MOZZIE! 

The Walking Dead

Zombie apocylpse, at it's best. The Walking Dead is based on the graphic novels by the same name. It follows police officer Rick Grimes and the band of survivors as they try to find a safe place to live and try to thrive in a world filled with the living dead. The show is gory, scary, and gruesome and, speaking as a parent, the premise is 100% horrifying. The first time I watched the show I literally watched through my fingers as I covered my eyes with my hands. The show is interesting and really well done. It's scary but it's worth the lack of sleep.

Friday Night Lights

"Clear eyes, full hearts can't lose." Okay, really I never know what Coach Taylor is talking about when he says that but I was never an athlete. Yet I still love this show. Despite the fact that it's about high schoolers and some of the characters are just annoying (Jason, Lyla, Julie). Reasons to love it: Coach and Tammi Taylor's relationship, Tammi Taylor, Landry, Seracen, Seracen's grandma, football. It's a sweet show about relationships, small town life, and how sports can build community.

Lost

A plane crashes on a mysterious island and the survivors try to figure out what the heck is going on. You try to figure out what is going on. And then it ends and you're still trying to figure it out. But just enjoy the ride. There's so many interesting, likeable characters and I found myself really invested in what happened to them. The other nice thing about Lost is that so many of its actors have gone on to star in other shows. I love flipping on the tv and bumping in to an old friend from the island.

Sherlock

A modern retelling of Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's classics, which I've never read so I have no idea if they "get it right" and quite frankly I don't care. Sherlock is brilliant. Each episode is movie length and those 90 minutes are filled with excellent writing, clever characters, fantastic dialogue, and British accents. What is not to love?! And please allow me to go on record and state that I love Molly Hooper.

Jericho

If you're looking for a more family friendly end of the world type show this is it. Jericho isn't a very slick show, it's simple and sweet, though, and a nice watch. It takes place in a small town that remained safe from a series of nuclear bombs that took out all major US cities. It's borders on cheesy from time to time but, quite frankly, I'd prefer some more cheesy, sentimental, "we'll-pull-through-it-together" type shows. Some books are "light reading" - this is "light viewing."

Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks just might have been the perfect show about teenagers ever. It's the most real account of high school and adolescence I've ever seen and watching it is like looking at old pictures from my family album. I appreciated Lindsey and Millie's friendship, Mr. and Mrs. Wier's marriage, how the show talks about sex, and Bill's peanut allergies. It's funny, sweet, and really well done. The only problem with the show is that there just one season. And how it ends (What the heck, Lindsey?!?). So two. There's two problems. But that's not bad for tv!

Doctor Who

The Doctor is an alien, of the Time Lord race, who travels through all of space and time in his Tardis - a spaceship that is disguised as a blue, British police box. He travels with companions and they go about saving the day. Also, he can regenerate so start with the 9th Doctor (I know, living mannequins, but it gets so much better.) and hold on to your hat. The show is a little silly, a little goofy, a little sentimental, and a lot of fun. Watch it and finally get all the jokes about Whovians, bow ties being cool, things being fantastic, and not blinking. Allons-y!

The Chicago Code

The Chicago Code follows a small group of police officers as they work to bring down the most powerful and corrupt city alderman. Good writing, good acting, and a really good story - my husband and I are still unsure why this show was cancelled. If you usually like cop shows then you should definitely watch it. If you don't usually "do" cop shows you should still give it a try, especially if you love Chicago.



So there you go. My ten favorite series, all available for streaming on Netflix.
Did I pick your favorites? Did I overlook any? I'd love to hear about your faves in the comment box.

And happy viewing!

Because I love you

and because I am Sher Locked

(get it?)

I wanted to share this with you:

The Personal Blog of Dr. John H. Watson

You have to read the comments on the post "The Woman" - they're hilarious!

Okay, I have to go now and tend to my home and children. Enjoy, you lovers of Sherlock!

Eight Images That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About This Blog

Jennifer Fulwiler posted a hilarious list of the ten images that best represent her blog and what she writes about. She encouraged other bloggers to do the same. 

Challenge happily accepted.

I went through the pictures from ye olde blog and found the ones I thought were the best representations of what I write about. So here goes...

{ a good example of this sentimentality }

{ read this }

{ this and this are my two faves on this topic }

{ Not necessarily the ones above, but I do get geeky about things. Like Lost, Doctor Who, and Sherlock.}

{ Peter Mark }

 { Most related post }

{ zombies in general }

{ and I love it and hate it }

Jen was right, it was a lot of fun to do this post. Let me know in the combox if you wrote one too.

Seven Quick Takes

1 - Yes, more The Head and the Heart. Why?

2 - Because my awesome friend Jen sent me their new cd because she's awesome.

I'm so happy.

In love.

Ahhh! However nice it is to just download a song (which is what I did with their other albums) it's so. great. having the actual cd. Open it, read the liner notes, pull out the lyric book, it's an experience really.

Oh Lord, yes. Let's be still. These are my kind of people.

Oh my gosh! The cd is in a sleeve! Like a record! Seriously! I love this!

Kendra, you tell your best friend to tell her brother that I LOVE his band. And tell her to tell him that I am so glad they don't swear in their music. Really. It's so nice to have thoughtful, well-crafted lyrics that don't have to be edited, to have a cd I can listen to with my little kids. 

Not that it will matter to her or him that some stay-at-home, Catholic, Midwestern mommy blogger loves The Head and The Heart. But maybe it will be be nice to hear.

3 - Today I made a batch of cookie dough. I baked one cookie sheet of it so I could make up a plate as a birthday gift. I didn't have time to bake the rest since I had to leave to get L from school so I put it into a container to take to my parents' home to bake and share since we were spending the evening there. I remember carrying the container out to the car along with the plate of cookies, Resa, her bottle, a paci, and my earrings. I remember setting the container on top of the van to open the door. I remember putting the paci and earrings on the front seat, buckling in T and giving her the bottle.

I have no idea what I did with the container of cookie dough. I cannot find it in the car and I drove slowing through town and around every bend on the country roads between our home and L's school. The kids and I didn't spot it in any ditches.

So if anyone finds a container of chocolate chip cookie dough on some country road - or even on the streets in town - please let me know. It's probably mine.

4 - My friend Laura is crazy 'bout 2 things: cats and quilts. Gosh that sounds kinda lame but she's like a hipster, Chicago-living, stay at home momma with lots of tats and so when she does or likes it it's cool. Anyways, she has an awesome quilts Pinterest board. I love seeing her new pins and I want every fourth quilt she pins. These are not your grandma's quilts either, people. Anyways, check out her board and follow along for all kinds of crazy, gorgeous blankets.

5 - Looking for some ideas on celebrating All Hallow's Eve? Check out my post. And if you have any great ideas or blog posts on the same topic please be sure to leave them in the combox!

6 - Related to #5. Watching the videos of myself I realized something: I can't have Travis film me. I felt so much more at ease when it was just me in the nursery with the camera propped up on the play grocery store. Before I filmed with Travis I had a 4 minute giggle-fest because I felt so nervous. I can definitely tell that I'm more stiff in the Halloween video than in the Intro one, but maybe I'm lucky and it just comes off as more professional.

Buuuuuut - probably not.

7 - Amen.