What I’ve Been Watching

Quick Update:

I have been meeting with producers and directors so hopefully I will get one of my screenplays produced soon! I have also been writing for a small production company and those screenplays are currently in development or production.

In the few months that I haven’t posted, I attended online film festivals and screened hundreds of films for film festivals across the country.

I also am just getting over COVID. I have been sick for almost a month and I am just starting to recover now. COVID is a seriously crazy illness. Stay safe! Now back to the regularly scheduled program…

What I’ve been watching recently:

Being sick, I have had time to watch a lot of movies, T.V. shows, and random shorts and videos. Additionally, I got Disney+ which made the recovery process a lot more enjoyable. Here is some content that I watched over the past few months:

WandaVision

This series was so hyped up. I have to admit, the style of the episodes and the writing is very interesting and unique, but I still wanted more. After watching the whole season I realized what Marvel was doing. They wanted to make the events that happened in the episodes not so instrumental so people who have not watched them would still be able to understand their upcoming films. Not to say that the ending of the series is boring, but I felt like not much really changed from the beginning to the end. Yes, there were bad guys (and girls) but I guess I was let down that there was not a Thanos. But can anyone ever compare to such a good villain?

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier

Two of my favorite characters! Although I have not watched all of the episodes in this series yet (because they are not all out) I have loved watching the characters outside of their normal “superhero” lifestyles. The Falcon visits his sister, Bucky tries to right his wrongs, and of course they get sucked into saving some people. The concept is interesting and puts the super characters in the context of their everyday lives. It’s almost like visiting a celebrity’s Instagram and getting to know them better than just watching their very stylized interviews. That’s what I feel these episodes have done for these characters. And I’m into it.

Hamilton

Do I need to say more?

Suite Life of Zack and Cody

I am a Disney channel kid and have been spending way too much time rewatching episodes of all the Disney Channel classics. They are still brilliant all these years later, it’s really surprising actually.

Lizzie McGuire Movie

Gordo! Paolo! And terrible Italian accents! I started this movie thinking that I would end up turning it off after 15 minutes but before I knew it, I finished the movie. The screenplay and directing could use a lot of work, but something made me keep watching this film. I am still trying to figure out why that is. I think it has something to do with nostalgia, but I am just guessing here.

New Girl

Seasons 1-3 are my favorite. Nick Miller. Winston. Furguson. True American. I can’t find my driving moccasins. Shut your soup hole. Bathtubs are medieval filth cauldrons.

My SXSW Picks:

I attended the online SXSW 2021 Festival and it was such an incredible experience. I met so many people, attended a handful of roundtables, learned a lot, and gained a lot of confidence in pitching myself and my creativity. Here are some of the films/shows that stood out to me. I recommend that you check them out on IMDb, YouTube, Instagram, wherever you can watch these creative masterpieces!

Inbetween Girl

A wonderful feature film with a strong Asian female lead that is powerful, realistic, and not stereotypical. This story is so refreshing, relatable, and so terribly needed. I wish I saw this film when I was in high school. It would have made me feel better about myself and realize that no one has their life figured out. Not everything goes as planned. You get back up and keep going. Directed and written by the brilliantly talented Mei Makino.

Parked in America

Written by another incredible female creative (Kayla Lewis), this T.V. pilot left me wanting to watch the whole season. When a Korean teenager moves to America after dealing with a family tragedy she is confronted with the differences in culture while also dealing with personal grief and home problems. Even though that description may sound extremely serious and dramatic, there is so much comedy in the writing and expressed through the actors. Well done!

Marvin’s Never Had Coffee Before

This short was created by the great Andrew Carter and Kahlil Maskati. Marvin has never had coffee before and he feels left out, so he decides to try coffee. Only to realize that some of the people around him have also never had coffee before. A heartfelt, comedic tale told in a very gentle way that expresses the important message that we all just want to fit in.

Pretend Partners

Need a reason to laugh? Watch this T.V. pilot. When two friends are tired of being single and being bothered by their friends, they pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Quickly they realize that this might have been the best idea ever, or the worst. Only time will tell. Staring and written by Ron Najor and Kristin Erickson.

TTYL (Talk to you later)

Thanks for reading! I missed writing posts and I hope that I am back to stay.

Let me know what posts you want to see and what new movies I should watch and review for you!

Hope you have a great day,

Arianna 🙂