Sunday, January 31, 2021
Saathoff, Desarae (MW) Case Closed 50
Case Closed (also known as Detective Conan in Japan) follows the story of Jimmy Kudo, a high school detective. After solving a case in an Amusement park, he had a run-in with a couple of men in black making a puzzling deal. While he was investigating, one of the men knocked him out and fed him a mysterious poison with the intent to kill. Instead, it transformed him into a child! The now pint-size Jimmy Kudo goes into hiding as Conan Edogawa. He continues the search for these mysterious men in black while helping Detective Richard Moore and his daughter Rachel. The show can be found on Crunchy Roll and through the San Marcos Library.
Fabsits, Jeffery (MW) Night Stalker, The Hunt For A Serial Killer 50
Night Stalker, The Hunt For a Serial Killer is a great Netflix exclusive show. And just another example of Netflix showing they can produce premium content. Night Stalker is a documentary like show that follows homicide detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno as they recount the events of the serial killer rampage. The show starts at the very first Night Stalker attack and follows it through all the way to the trial. This show is very interesting as it describes all the events of the investigation, it talks about how the killer, Richard Ramirez, was such an unpredictable person that for a long time they could not link the crimes together or to him, so the investigation took a long time. The show is in chronological order of how the events took place in 1985 and follows the homicide investigators race against the clock to stop the clock to stop this nocturnal monster on his path of not only murder but also numerous sexual assaults.
Perez, Ayleen (TTh) Heartland 50
Heartland is a Canadian show, about a Family saga that focuses on the main character Amy Fleming as she discovers she has her mother's gift of helping horses. The show also focuses on her family pursuing forgotten dreams and challenges as their strength is tested against personal struggles.
Powell, Alayna (MW) The Wilds 50
The Wilds is an Amazon Prime Video original series that follows a group of teenaged girls who are on their way to a luxury women's empowerment retreat. On their way to the retreat, the girl's plane crashes and leaves them on a deserted island left to figure out how to use their unique skill sets to survive. Little do they know they are the main subjects of a social experiment. The second season is to be shot later this year and broadcasted later in the year or early 2022.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbfUMT1wGic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbfUMT1wGic
Ciapi, Danielle (TTh) Superstore 50
Superstore is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC. It revolves around following a group of employees at a fictional big-box retail store called "Cloud-9", where it highlights their work life shenanigans and the different stereotypes of workers that exist in our society. While the show aims to be comedic and humorous, it still follows relatable real-life scenarios and showcases hardships that occur within the modern American society, such as young marriage and pregnancy, divorce, familial struggles, internal struggles, and more. The sixth and final season premiered in October 2020, which is centered around the concept of being an "essential" worker in a pandemic when you aren't exactly treated as such. The series has an Office or Parks and Recreation feel when it comes to the comedy, with slightly more stupid or PG jokes and dumb humor. The show is an easy binge comedy, while still providing the touching storylines of real American struggles.
DeAnda, Isaiah (TTh) Kengan Ashura 50
In this anime series, the world is run by extremely rich and powerful underground corporations in which disputes between the companies and their competitors are settled via a death match. In these "deathmatches" the winner's company takes all. As disputes and tensions grow higher, a Kengan Annihilation Tournament, where each corporation will select their best fighter to duel to the death, is held between the top 32 corporations to see who will rule them all and come out victorious!
Charlesworth, Freya (MW) - Kingdom of the Mummies 50
Kingdom of the Mummies is a docuseries which follows a team of archaeologists as they uncover unknown tombs in Egypt. The team is led by the esteemed Egyptologist, Dr. Ramadan Hussein. This show consists of four episodes in one season. Each episode reveals another part of the mysterious discoveries found within these untouched burial complexes. Each discovery is revolutionary as they lead to increased knowledge of an ancient society that is known so little about. Kingdom of the Mummies is available across many streaming services including Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, YoutubeTV, and Google Play Movies and TV.
Brooks, Ashley (MW) We Are Who We Are 50
We Are Who We Are is an exclusive HBO original show about teenagers being raised on an American Army base in Italy. The show centers around five teens -all from different backgrounds enjoying the freedom and excitement of that life offers them. All while simultaneously trying to sort through their own issues, coupled with drugs, sex, and alcohol it seems they sometimes may not know their limits. The show also delves into the lives of their parents and the struggles they face and the things they must do to keep it all together. All living in the same gated base with its own homes, stores, theaters, and schools.
Sherman, Omar (TTh) Lovecraft Country (50)
Lovecraft Country is a blend of fantasy, horror drama, and historical fiction. It finds a perfect way to connect magical times to the harsh realities of racism in the 50's. The main character of the show is Jonathan Majors and the Producer of the show is Jordan Peele, who has produced cinematic hits such as "Get Out" and "Us". Lovecraft Country is based on the 2016 novels by Matt Ruff and I would recommend this show to anyone because of how Jordan Peele helped bring this novel to life. The show is a subscription-paid network on HBO Max.
Sturges, Austin (MW) For Life 10
From producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and creator Hank Steinberg, For Life premiered on ABC on Feb 11, 2020. For Life loosely chronicles the true story of wrongly incarcerated Isaac Wright. In this legal drama, we watch as Aaron Wallace, played by Nicholas Pinnock, becomes a lawyer in jail to help other inmates with their respective cases. Aaron then begins to set the record straight about his own case in hopes get back to his family. This series, in its second season, is a week to week nail-biter with some action, family drama and legal corruption.
Duncan, Tori (MW) Unsung 50
The TV series Unsung is a documentary-based show that highlights great performers who are no longer making music or have passed. It's a "Where are they now?" for many "one-hit wonders" and explains their career along with insights from close friends and/or other performers. It's interesting because it gives a lot of Black artists biopics even if they were only popular for a short period.
Erwin, Natalie (TTh) Agents of Shield 50
Agents of Shield is one of Marvel Studios' crossover series, a spinoff after the Avengers united in New York to take on Loki and the whole world discovered that they weren't alone anymore. Shield stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, and was designated to go discover and investigate what threats to Earth are out there and determine how to deal with them wherever that may be. It follows agent Phil Colson - after he is brought back from the dead after the attack in New York - along with agent May, a martial artist, two very intelligent scientists, Fitz and Simmons, and Daisy (or Sky), a computer hacker, as they embark on their journey to protect others who can't protect themselves from potential threats. Agents of Shield originally aired in 2013 and concluded with its seventh and final season in 2020. It is a sci-fi series unlike any other and explores many story lines from Shield facing HYDRA, their own agents going rouge, Inhumans and others with different superhuman capabilities.
Eerkes-McCarthy, Reilly (TTh) Cobra Kai 50
Kobra Kai is a show that is a continuation of the Karate Kid movie series. The show follows Johny Lawrence and Daniel Larusso thirty-five years after the first movies last fight scene. Throughout the first season, Johny brings back the Cobra Kai dojo with the help of his new student Miguel Diaz. As the show progresses it offers a backstory into Johnys past that was not revealed in the Karate Kid movie. The rivalry between Johny and Daniel is still prominent throughout the show, however it is handled in a more adult manner. The show started as a YouTube original but is now on Netflix.
Garcia, Madelyn (MW) The Promised Neverland 50
The Promised Neverland is a Japanese Animation show that first aired in 2019 and directed by Mamoru Kanbe. The story is about a group of children that are raised by what they call the "mother" of their adoption home. However, the story takes a dark turn when two of the oldest kids learn that there's more to the adoption than it seems. The protagonists of the story thus commence an escape plan to save everyone from their ill-fate. If you're a thriller fan, then this is the show for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV0p9X8878k&ab_channel=AniplexUSA
Saturday, January 30, 2021
Ealy, Ariana (MW) Tiny Pretty Things 50
Based on the popular YA novel by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, Tiny Pretty Things follows the lives of various young dancers who try to maintain their focus on their craft while enduring a serious investigation—one that the school's highest-ranking administrator would rather sweep under the rug. Honestly, it's not too difficult to forget entirely about the pursuit of justice for Archer's much-maligned student because there is simply so much going on Affairs, sex, profoundly inappropriate relations between staff and underage students, more sex, and a complex trafficking ring. This show portrays the twisted world of ballet.
Giannuzzi, Stephanie (TTH) The Haunting of Bly Manor 50
The Haunting of Bly Manor is seen to be a classic ghost story, but it's also a story about love that is intertwined with a mansion in Bly Manor flooded with disturbed spirits. Once the new au pair arrives to Bly Manor to refill the previous position and to tend to two young children who just lost their parents, she arrives with her traumatizing past that haunts her along with discovering the embedded historical hauntings of the mansion.
Guillory, Haley (TTH) Itaewon Class 50
Itaewon Class is a South Korean show featured on Netflix. The show's main character Park Sareyoi experience's pain and loss from the very beginning. However, he continually rises above every obstacle that he encounters, and each one makes him stronger. He gains ambition to rise above his enemy and become one of the most successful businesses in South Korea despite the unjust conditions that he must face.
Williams, Havlyn (MW) Living Single 50
Living Single is an African American sitcom centered around six friends who share their professional and private experiences while living in urban Brooklyn. The sitcom showcases a trio of young women: Khadijah, Synclaire, and Kim, living together - along with their friend, Erika, who often visits them. The show also presents T.C. and Overton, a pair of young men who have remained friends since their childhood.
Friday, January 29, 2021
Morales, Sophia (MW) Julie and the Phantoms 50
Julie and the Phantoms is a Netflix Original about a teenager, Julie, that is dealing with the passing of her mother and losing her love for music. Julie accidentally summons three ghosts once known as the band Sunset Curve, who died 25 years ago. The phantoms help Julie reignite her passion for music while Julie helps the phantoms become the band, they did not have the chance to be. The ghosts, Luke, Alex, and Reggie must also figure out what their unfinished business is on earth so they can cross over before it is too late.
Cox, Kylee (MW) Virgin River 50
This show is about a girl named Mel who is a burse practitioner and midwife. After the death of her husband, she uproots her life in the big city and moves to a small and remote town called Virgin River. Thinking she is going to leave her painful past behind her, she has another thing coming. Upon her arrival she is not particularly excepted by the town and especially by her new boss, Doctor Mullins. Mel is ready to pack up and go back home after not being welcomed and finding out the cabin she was promised to stay in is a total wreck. That is, until Jack, owner of Jacks bar, swoops in and changes her mind. Mel realizes that before she can move on and live in virgin river she has to heal herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMNjH5MlQXc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMNjH5MlQXc
Kaiser, Samantha (TTh) Unpolished 50
Unpolished is a reality TV show on TLC with one season under its belt and a second season in the making airing more episodes in February 2021. It began airing in November of 2019 and each season has 6 episodes. In this series, you will find the Martone family. They are an Italian family living in Long Island, New York. The family consists of Lexi, who is an extremely talented nail artist, her sister Bria, who does some of the best colorings of hair, as well as their mom and grandma who also work in the beauty business. With 3 generations of fun-loving and over-the-top beauty experts, they run their own Salon called Salon Martone and the show depicts their everyday life, which is anything other than mundane. From clients who want something so insane to the crazy family and relationship drama, this series is unlike any other reality TV show.
Brand, Haley (MW) Lost 50
Lost is an American drama and mystery series which aired from 2004-2010 and has 6 seasons with over 100 episodes in total. After Oceanic Flight 815 crashes on a mysterious island with no radio signal or any possible way of communication with the outside world, the survivors of the crash set up camp on the beach, hoping someone will realize their plane did not reach its destination. Each day brings with it new challenges such as savage "others" (a colony of people already living on the island), a murderous illusive monster, mysterious underground bunkers, a deceptive scientific experiment turned terribly wrong, as well as the survivor's own personal dark secrets becoming known.
Ealy-Pulido, Kattiana (MW) Sister Sister 50
Sister Sister was an American television sitcom starring identical twins (now on Netflix). The premise was that Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell were separated at birth and one was adopted by a single mother while the other was adopted by a couple, although the mother died afterwards; 14 years later the two accidentally found each other and reunited.
https://youtu.be/ewcfkfYIjXo (skip video to 2:00)
https://youtu.be/ewcfkfYIjXo (skip video to 2:00)
Esquivel, Aspen (MW) JU-ON: Origins 50
JU-ON: Origins is a Netflix Japan Original rooted in the legendary horror franchise that is Ju-On or The Grudge. This series sets out to tell the "true story" behind the Ju-On mythology (inspired by the urban legend of Kayako) through the likes of a paranormal researcher who searches obsessively for a cursed home. JU-ON: Origins focuses on the decades leading up to the story as we know it, filling in gaps and explaining how the iconic haunted house became the home to a malicious spirit. JU-ON: Origins expands the horror mythology of the curse through overlapping narratives and following an ensemble of characters across time periods in one big spider-web of interconnected atrocities.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJqHpN9b0U4
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Nivens, Trinity (TTh) Unbelievable 50
Netflix's "Unbelievable" is a mini-series that tells the horrifying true story of Marie Adler, an 18-year-old girl, who is tormented by police and charged for lying about being assaulted and raped by a masked home intruder. Meanwhile, two female detectives investigate a spate of attacks that are eerily similar to Marie's, ultimately uncovering the path to the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gZ7GCnlHc
Rodriguez, Ginger (TTh) Phineas and Ferb 50
Phineas and Ferb is a show on Disney+ about stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb who are determined to have a great summer vacation. To do this, the two boys invent many contraptions, travel through time, and go on many different adventures together; however, their older sister, Candace, always tries to bust their schemes. Through all of this, Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus, Perry, goes on secret missions to defeat the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz while the boys are busy with their shenanigans. The show was initially marketed towards Disney's young audience but with such great production and writing, the show is a great watch for adults and people of all ages.
Elmore, Anna (TTh) Wandavision 50
Wandavision is a Disney+ exclusive continuing the storyline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After the events of Marvel's Avengers Endgame, we find Wanda, The Scarlet Witch, and Vision in an idyllic 50's style sitcom. The two super-powered beings soon suspect that everything is not as it seems. Bouncing through the decades in each episode as well as subtle nods to classics like I Love Lucy and Bewitched this show definitely keeps your attention. What really makes this show worth the watch, however, are the small clues that show the audience what could really be going on in Wanda's now seemingly perfect life. Based on the comic book series House of M and The Vision, there are also plenty of easter eggs for comic book fans. Though the first season has not completed airing all episodes, at roughly 30 min per episode it is perfect binge-worthy material.
Stigger, Krystal (MW) The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez 50
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is a Netflix documentary series directed by Brian Knappenberger that examines the abuse and ultimate death of an 8-year-old boy at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend in 2013. The six-episode series brings to light how the system and those working for it repeatedly failed to adequately protect an innocent child.
Catherman, Austin (TTh) Crypt TV 50
Crypt TV is a YouTube original. It began as a small YouTube channel created to bring back horror to the horror genre. Season 1 consists of several short films that incorporate classic horror movie tropes/themes and an intensely terrifying monster. The most interesting part of this series is that each story takes place in the same cinematic universe. Fans of Crypt TV enjoy the short storytelling of each episode. I think where Crypt TV shines the brightest is by removing all the filler, and sometimes cliched storytelling, that you would find in the next box office horror movie. I thoroughly recommend keeping eye on Crypt TV, if you are a horror fan, and see what they have coming next.
Godfrey, Jadon (TTh) Dexter's Laboratory 10
Dexter's Laboratory is an animation about a genius kid that has a laboratory in his house. Each episode is packed with him building gadgets and being annoyed by his sister who is also a genius. He competes with his next-door neighbor who continues to try and win the love of his sister. This show is defiantly a classic; this one of my favorite scenes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVlV38CaVnE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVlV38CaVnE
Butler, Evonne (MW) Double Crossed 50
Double crossed is a show that airs on a network called Allblk, which can be downloaded onto any Roku device . Created by Howard Gibson and Christel Gibson. This is a show of modern day siblings who take it into their own hands to stand up against child abduction and child sex trafficking. The show really gets to the root of the siblings real motivations behind their actions. The plot reveals itself in such a breathtaking way that you want to keep watching. The good news is that it's only just into the second season.
Neeley, Jacob (TTh) Samurai Champloo 50
Champloo is an Okinawan phrase, when removed from the context of food, refers to improvisation or "make it up as you go. ShinichirÅ Watanabe's Epic follow up to Cowboy Bebop is a hip-hop laden samurai journey full of style and grace. All backed by a legendary soundtrack produced by the late and great Nujabes.
Johnson, Jadon (TTh) Now and Then, Here and There 50
Now and Then, Here and There (1999) is a dystopian sci-fi adventure anime about a young boy, Shu, who, after getting involved with a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru, is transported to a desolate world on the verge of solar annihilation. Lala-Ru and Shu are imprisoned at Heliwood; a mangled techno-fortress run by a megalomaniacal despot who commands an army of unwilling child soldiers. Shu and Lala-Ru struggle to escape the clutches of Heliwood and put an end to the one-sided war that plagues the already doomed desert. The series is available on Amazon Prime Video, in English.
Here's the link to a 1-minute trailer:
https://youtu.be/BsYY0ReMGz0
White, Jordan (MW) Skip and Shannon: Undisputed 10
Skip and Shannon: Undisputed is a sports debate show based in Los Angeles featuring journalist/analyst Skip Bayless and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe. They discuss the biggest news in sports mostly the Cowboys, Lebron James, and Tom Brady. They give their best insight on games and pro players futures. Skip and Shannon are really insightful and are rarely wrong with their predictions. They both have personalities that mesh really well for debate format and they constantly trend on twitter for their funny commentary and character. The only real rival they have is ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman. Skip Bayless use to be on First Take with Stephen A. Smith before moving onto FOX and starting his own debate sports show with Shannon Sharpe.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Moore, Mason (MW) Warrior 50
Warrior is a show based on a turned-down pitch from the 70's by the late Bruce Lee. The show is even co-produced by his daughter, Shannon. The main character, Ah Sahm, is a martial-arts master who immigrates to San Franscisco from China in the late 1800's to find his lost sister. Almost immediately, Ah Sahm gets wrapped-up in the middle of a feud between Chinese gangs. This action series has a lot of fight scenes and dialogue influenced by Bruce Lee, as well.
Mendoza, Leslie (MW) Someone Has to Die 50
Someone Has To Die is a mini-series that entertains anyone. It has a plot of the 50s in Spain after a war. It shows the life of rich people in Spain with good jobs in government and in social life. All the protagonists have some hidden fear or secret that could be their downfall. The mistreatment between the family and the shame of society is what takes this family to a terrifying level.
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