Blogocentric Formulations

January 2023 Watch List

To qualify for my Watch List every month, the following has to be something that I've watched that's new to me. It doesn't necessarily have to be a current show, but it can't be reruns or rewatches of something I've already seen. So if I'm including it in this list, it means this month is the first time I've watched it. I'll put "DNF" (Did Not Finish) next to anything that I stopped watching and have no immediate plans to finish.

Movies
          Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
          Blonde
          DC League of Super-Pets
          Strange World

Television
          Bluey (Seasons 1-3)
          New Amsterdam (Season 1)
          Stranger Things (Season 4)
          Wednesday (Season 1)

I was really happy with all the television I watched this month, and less enthusiastic about the movies.

With the exception of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA, which I do think Marvel fans will really enjoy, the other three movies I watched this month were pretty blah. I had high hopes for BLONDE but found it to be pretty tedious (2 hours, 46 minutes!) and aside from Ana de Armas' performance it seemed more spectacle than substance. DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS was an okay animated kids' movie, and STRANGE WORLD wasn't exactly as bad as its box office performance suggests, but it wasn't great either.

After a third season that I liked but didn't love, the fourth season of STRANGER THINGS made me fall in love with the show all over again. It's just so good, and it built on the mythology built by previous seasons. I'm really excited for the fifth season coming up. On the less sci-fi side of things, NEW AMSTERDAM is a medical drama which are shows that my wife loves and I found this to be a pretty good one. The characters are great, and the stories are really touching. I love the Addams Family and at first I was a little wary that WEDNESDAY wasn't going to live up to the incredibly high standards that the Addams Family movies from the 1990s set, but it ended up being a really good show. Jenna Ortega was amazing in the role and I can't wait for the next season.

The real revelation this month, though, was BLUEY. It's an Australian children's program with a family of dogs. Each episode is only six or seven minutes long and it teaches a lesson, but it's written in a way that makes it enjoyable for both kids and parents. Our entire family will sit and watch episode after episode of the show, my wife and I laughing alongside our kids. It's truly delightful, and I love it when we find an "all ages" program that's actually enjoyable for all ages.

TOP PICK: Bluey