Silver Linings Playlist
January 02, 2017
Happy New Year!
I personally couldn't be happier to drop-kick 2016 like an underinflated football, although I can't quite shake my suspicion that 2016 was just an elaborate viral marketing campaign for all the shit that's about to go down THIS YEAR.
Look, I uncovered the subliminal messaging in AMC's Walking Dead ads:
WATCH WHAT HAPPENS! LIVE! Or dead. Who even can say anymore.
If there was one super genuinely good thing from last year (besides my children and marriage and home and the fact that I have some pets that DIDN'T die blah blah blah), it was that I watched a lot of television. Here's one of those end-of-year round-up style posts that most people publish in December but I'm a rebel. Also because this idea just occurred to me this morning.
Reason I'm Secretly So Cool With Jason Hanging Out With His Friends Because I Get To Stay Home and Watch This Over and Over:
Reasons Neither of Us Are Allowed to Make Plans On Sunday Nights:
Westworld, Game of Thrones
Newest Cosplay Obsession:
Westworld
Most Novelty T-Shirt Tie-ins Purchased:
Shows I Am Over:
The Walking Dead, See Above, NEGAN, South Park
Show With Current Highest Ratio of Girl Crushes:
Saturday Night Live
Show That Is Still Really Fucking Good, Season After Season:
Shows I'm Hoping Will Stay Really Fucking Good, But Fingers Crossed:
Sense8, Stranger Things, Catastrophe
Other Random Shows Coming Back That I Hope Will Make 2017 Survivable:
Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Top of the Lake, House of Cards, Dave Chappelle
Top Thing I Just Learned While Making This List That Bummed Me the Fuck Out:
"Carrie Fisher's Final Role, in 'Catastrophe,' Shot Week Before Death"
Best Thing That Sounds Like a Christopher Guest Mockumentary But Isn't:
Worst Thing That Actually Is a Christopher Guest Mockumentary, But Sucks:
Mascots, boo
Shows I Stuck With Until the End But Now Wish I Hadn't Bothered:
The Fall, The Night Of, The Get Down, American Horror Story: Roanoke, The OA
Show No One Can Believe I Haven't Watched Yet:
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Shows I Started and Liked But Haven't Finished Yet Because It's All Too Overwhelming:
Fleabag, Luke Cage, Divorce, Insecure, Master of None, The Good Place, Mr. Robot, Good Girls Revolt
Show Currently Stressing Me Out Because I'm Not As Into It As I Feel Like I Should Be:
Atlanta
Shows Also Stressing Me Out Because I Used To Watch Them Obsessively But Now There Are All These Unwatched Episodes Piling Up And I'm Just Like Nah Not Tonight:
Bojack Horseman, Archer, Bob's Burgers, Homeland, The Americans, Mozart in the Jungle, Broad City
Show I Tried To Watch But Was Just Like Yeah That Whole Terrifying Premise Doesn't Seem Like Enough of a Stretch Anymore:
Man in the High Castle
Weirdest Amazon Pilot Watched:
Grown-Up Movies I Saw In the Movie Theater:
Deadpool and...yeah.
Kid Movies I Saw In the Movie Theater:
Kubo and the Two Strings, Zootopia, Finding Dory, Kung Fu Panda 3, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, bought tickets for Rouge One but refunded them after doing our research like responsible parents but waaaahhhh I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN ROUGE ONE
Movies My Kids Asked To See In the Movie Theater That I Straight-Up Lied and Said "Oh Sorry That's Not Playing Near Us:"
Angry Birds, Storks, Trolls, Ice Age Part Oh My God Who Cares About That Fucking Acorn Anymore
My Kids' Favorite Movies, None of Which Came Out in 2016:
Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, E.T., National Treasure
Movies I Had Really High Hopes For That Maybe Aren't Super Great But I Still Enjoyed:
10 Cloverfield Lane, Keanu, Popstar, Sausage Party
Movies I Am Told I Definitely Saw But Couldn't Tell You a Single Detail About Because Zzzzz:
Captain America: Civil War, Star Trek: Beyond, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, Maybe Colons in Titles: Should Be Some Kind of Sign
Overall Greatest Parts of 2016
Going to see Hamilton, listening to Hamilton, reading about Hamilton, documentaries about Hamilton, the Hamilton Mixtape, watching kids geek out over Hamilton
And because I'm clearly a total television masochist, please feel free to add more suggestions to the queue so I may spend even more of 2017 in a happy escapist couch cocoon.
Librarians. SO fun. We like the TV series better than the movies (season 1 now available on DVD, season 2 coming out tomorrow, season 3 currently on your TV now but who cares because we won't see it till it hits DVD.) If you're going to watch the movies, the 3rd is the best.
Posted by: Brigette | January 02, 2017 at 02:06 PM
Noah has such a good singing voice!! Also obsessed with Hamilton in our house
Posted by: Gigi | January 02, 2017 at 02:43 PM
1) I can't believe that is the same kid who said "A ball! A ball! Aballaballaball!" :)
2) The TV show "this is us." INCREDIBLE. Didn't see it on your list!
Posted by: Leeann | January 02, 2017 at 08:52 PM
Wait: why can't kids see Rogue One? My kids (ages 8 and almost 10) really enjoyed it, and the younger one in particular is not a fan of anything scary or violent.
Posted by: T | January 03, 2017 at 07:43 AM
"Show I Tried To Watch But Was Just Like Yeah That Whole Terrifying Premise Doesn't Seem Like Enough of a Stretch Anymore" ME TOO. OMG.
You should go see Rogue One on your own. It's awesome, and you might decide your boys can handle it. Either way, it's a good one for DVD later.
Posted by: liz | January 03, 2017 at 09:54 AM
Hell on Wheels and Marco Polo. DO IT!!!!!! :-D
Posted by: beekeebear | January 03, 2017 at 11:33 AM
I took my kids to see "Sing" over winter break and we all really enjoyed it, so you might want to check it out on one of these weekends when the weather is terrible . . .
Posted by: Elissa | January 03, 2017 at 11:34 AM
There is violence, although in my opinion it is no worse than the other Star Wars movies. There is also a "concept" that is probably a little much for Ike and maybe Ezra, but I think Noah would love it. My 9 year old Aspie thought it was a very good movie. If you would like to know the "concept," please feel free to e-mail me.
Posted by: Meagan | January 03, 2017 at 11:42 AM
R1 - I can see why half my friends said "omg no kids" and "omg why not?". My 5 and 7 year old will not see it because they are still at the age where when things get dangerous we tell them "it's OK, we won't show you a movie that doesn't have a happy ending" and this is a bit more..... nuanced than that.
Posted by: Julie | January 03, 2017 at 03:40 PM
Good Girls Revolt is on your list, but just wanted to give it a shout out. It was pretty damn inspiring before the election (girl power!), but now, post-election, Amazon announced they're not renewing for a second season. It all just seems too much like a slap in the face. But it was good throughout. I hope it comes back somewhere.
Also, only because I've seen everyone do it, but I keep getting a laugh when I see it written as Rouge One instead of Rogue One. I can just imagine everyone wearing lots and lots of blush while battling the Empire. :P
Posted by: Stephanie | January 03, 2017 at 04:15 PM
Ok, Angry Birds is actually fun for ME to watch w my 6 year old. It miiiiiiight not be giving great examples of behavior or some dialogue, but Joe doesn't seem too obnoxious after watching it, so. Unless you count that his new favorite song is "Never Gonna Give You Up" and he *literally* Rick Rolled his father over Christmas break
(Scene: Living room. Clutch is blasting from the stereo)
Joe: Alexa, Stop! Alexa, Play "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley on Spotify
(cut to two parents looking at each other and bursting out laughing while a string bean in elf jammies shakes his tiny booty)
Posted by: Sarah Peveler | January 06, 2017 at 11:35 AM