Category: Film

If you are looking to watch something equal parts entertaining, crazy, and just plain ridiculous, well Tiger King is absolutely for you. This show had me saying “What the…” probably every 5 minutes, and it kept me absolutely hooked until the very end. I could not believe these were real people, and that these were real problems that they had while running some of the most exotic and crazy private zoos in the US.

As I am sure you must have watched this show already, (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?? Seriously!), you know that the story has a totally unexpected ending, which you may or may not agree with. But here are some fun facts that I learned as a result of this show going viral. First, they are re-opening the case of the disappearance of Carol Baskin’s first husband. Second, the creators of this show actually meant to trace the underground world of the snake trade, but just stumbled upon the man in the first scene who had a tiger in a cage in the back of his truck and decided to change their show’s trajectory. And third, which I think is the most crazy, is that the filmmakers were actually filming as the whole story unfolded, and were following the trials and sueings in live time, so they could not have predicted how the show was going to end either!

My favorite part about this mini-series was definitely all of the crazy characters. I could not believe how ridiculous some of them were, from the girl who continued to work at the zoo after her arm was bitten off by a tiger (and went back after only 5 days in the hospital!) to the man who willingly admitted, on camera, that he had been asked and had agreed to assassinate one of the zoo owners’ rivals. I could not believe some of the side stories and anecdotes they were telling with an absolutely straight face, and I was aghast at some of the goings-on at these zoos that was not good for the animals or the people working there. However it is amazing the kind of power that several of the zoo owners seemed to hold over their employees that just kept them working there even though it sounded like an absolute madhouse or sounded like there was no way it could be enjoyable.

Despite all of the human drama, the tigers were absolutely beautiful and majestic. I especially loved the shots of the little ones, who were so cute just scampering around and being played with by the people on screen. I was amazed at how calm some of the zoo workers were around these giant beasts which sometimes were much larger than their handlers. I also loved all of the other animals featured, including lions, elephants, apes, and monkeys.

While I would not recommend this show to anyone who is an absolute animal lover, because there is some very sad animal abuse, I would say this was one of the most intriguing shows I have watched in a while. And now that the show has been released, even more fantastic and wild information is being uncovered about the people who star in it and their lives now. So its like the tv show never ends, which is both a little scary and very exciting to follow!

When I first heard of a new figure skating-based Netflix drama called “Spinning Out,” I knew I needed to watch it. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for sports TV shows and movies, for better and for worse. Growing up, I watched Olympic figure skating religiously. So “Spinning Out” was an easy choice to binge, and it was one I didn’t regret.

The premise of “Spinning Out” is similar to many other figure skating books, movies and TV shows I’ve seen. Kat (Kaya Scodelario) is a 20-something figure skater who was training for the Olympics before an injury gave her the yips, a psychological condition where she is unable to complete her jumps. An eccentric Russian coach, Dasha (Svetlana Efremova) encourages Kat to try pairs skating instead with Justin (Evan Roderick), a spoiled — but hot — fellow skater who can’t keep a partner. A significant subplot includes Kat’s relationship with her bipolar mom and sister, Serena (Willow Shields) who has taken Kat’s place as the skating star of the family.

Though the storyline is cliché, Spinning Out has a surprising amount of depth on many issues relevant to society today, including mental illness, self harm, infertility, sexual assault, racism, family pressure, sports injuries, infidelity and homosexuality. While the first few episodes were a bit hard to get into due to the formulaic nature of this storyline, the depth of the show and the characters increased as the season went on and dove into Kat’s relationship with her family, friends and coaches. Several of these storylines were very compelling; I especially enjoyed the characters of Marcus (Mitchell Edwards), Kat’s co-worker, and Dasha.

The main thread of the show was the trauma that Kat is dealing with in the way her singles career ended, especially as someone struggling with bipolar disorder. Kat conceals her disorder from everyone except her family due in large part to the insular nature of the figure skating world — it’s not just about how you skate, but how you look. Kat believes she would be ostracized if she reveals her illness, but concealing it of course leads to more problems.

Kat’s relationship with Serena is also layered and complex. Serena has become the new golden child, a title she has a complex relationship with. The sisters love each other, but their relationship is strained due to their mom’s toxicity. As someone with a sister, though one I’ve always been close to, this storyline really resonated emotionally.

As for the skating itself, the technique wasn’t Olympic-level, but I’m saying that as someone who regularly watches Olympic figure skating, and getting multiple stunt doubles who can actually skate at that level is impractical, so I was willing to let it slip. Other than that, the portrayal of the sport was decently accurate and better than many other sports-themed TV shows or movies I’ve seen.

By the end of the season, I couldn’t put my laptop down, and I even cried a little. At the beginning I wasn’t sure about this show, but it pulled me in and by the end I was sold. The worst part of Spinning Out is that it was canceled by Netflix after one season and I agonized over the season-ending cliffhanger for nothing.

Alas, Spinning Out is still worth watching for anyone who enjoys sports-themed dramas that hit surprisingly hard.

If you haven’t heard of this show, or mentions of Carol Baskin and her dead husband, you must be sleeping under a rock! The mini-series on Netflix was released on March 20th, and is only 7 episodes long, which are each about 45 minutes. It follows several very eccentric exotic animal owners, especially big cat owners, and their interactions with each other and with other people in their communities. Every person filmed is a real person, and they all contribute to the wacky story that unfolds.

Watch now on Netflix!

Wow. If you are looking for a show that you literally cannot turn off, then this is one you should watch. It is only 4 episodes, each an hour, and I watched all 4 of them in the same sitting (which I did not plan to do)! I even convinced my mom, who was watching with me, to stay up much later than she usually would and watch as well because we were both so fascinated with and invested in this show.

First off, the subject matter is interesting, as it is a society most do not get a glimpse at. The story follows a young ultra-orthodox woman who flees to Berlin after her unhappiness with her life in Williamsburg, New York in her secluded community. Although the story begins with her leaving, we get plenty of flashbacks to her old life, and get to watch some of the customs, choices, and frustrations of a group of people who tend to keep to themselves. The story focuses on her journey in Berlin, once she realizes that staying with her mother (who had also fled the community many years before) is not an option anymore.

One of the reasons I think I liked the show a lot was because the main character was so easy to empathize with, and so eager to learn about the world. She wanted to perform music, and she found such joy in both listening to it, watching it, and learning how herself. I am also a musically inclined person, and I really connected to that part of her. I also think she was appealing because of her fascination with everything she sees in the world, because she had lived in her small community her whole life and had never gone anywhere else, so everything was new to her. I loved her child-like fascination and joy at so much of what she saw in Berlin.

It was also very satisfying to watch her shed her old life and start new while literally and emotionally letting go of what had burdened her in her old life. You can see her becoming more happy and more her own person as the show goes on, with not only the way she dresses, but the way she interacts with those around her and her mannerisms. I loved watching her learn how to be unconstrained, and really have fun in the way that she wanted.

But what really kept me watching the show was the drama and thriller of the members of her community who went after her. This was not only her husband, who did a very good job of making me hate him, but a mysterious other member of the Orthodox community who seemed to have a shady past as well. As they followed her, we got to see sort of parallel stories where her and her husband learned some of the more ugly parts of life outside of their neighborhood. And the emotional scene when they finally found her was definitely one of my favorite parts of the mini-series, although there were a lot of really good, dramatic moments.

Overall, I would urge you to watch Unorthodox, and watch the “making of the show” after episode, which was an awesome compliment to the show. It caught my attention from the first episode until the end, and was full of drama, intrigue, and a unique perspective that is not often brought to light or discussed by the general public. Make sure you give yourself a 4 hour block though, because you will want to watch it all in one sitting as soon as you start!

Unorthodox follows the story of a young woman who tries to escape from her Orthodox community in Williamsburg, New York. The story follows her to Berlin, where her mother lives (who also fled the Orthodox community), and the adventure that she experiences as she wrestles to find her real place outside of the only place she’s ever lived. The Netflix miniseries is loosely based on the book Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, an autobiography written by Deborah Feldman.

Each episode is only an hour long, and there are 4 of them, so it is a quick watch. However it already has high ratings, so I am excited to see it and tell you all what I think!