What I'm Watching | April 2020
Since working from home, and well, being home basically all the time since this pandemic happened, I’ve been binging a lot more TV shows and movies online. Since all of you are in the same boat, I wanted to share what I’m currently watching (or recently finished) on all of the streaming services we have. It may seem like a long list, but some of them are shows that I finished in the last few months and enjoyed. Many of the shows I’m watching are older, but I still wanted to share them!
The streaming services I use are Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney + and Apple TV. Keep in mind, I am in Canada, so if you’re not, your options may be different.
Netflix
The choice
Ugh this movie is one of my new favourites. It’s a Nicholas Sparks movie about a man who falls for his new neighbour, but they’re both already seeing other people. It follows them as they fall in love and go through many different trials and tribulations. I especially loved the scenery in the movie. They live along a lake in little lake houses, and there are many scenes that include boating, nature and their special island. There isn’t much more I can say about the movie that won’t give it away, but I loved both characters and their personalities so much, and if you haven’t seen this movie, it NEEDS to be on your list.
Nights In Rodanthe
This is another Nicholas Sparks movie, so you know it’s about love and loss. It follows a recently separated woman as she looks after her friend’s B&B on the beach. A doctor from out of town comes to stay at the B&B, and as the movie continues it reveals why he is there, and what she was dealing with in her marriage. They have a little romance at the B&B and continue to write letters to each other after they go home. Aside from the love story, I also loved the scenery in this one, and loved the quirky (and huge) B&B on the ocean. Nicholas Sparks movies are often full of beautiful scenery and usually set along some kind of body of water- and I love it.
Locke & Key
I finished this series a couple months ago, but recently started rewatching it because it’s THAT good. It’s about a mother and her children that move into her husband’s old family home after he dies. The kids discover keys throughout the house that all do something different and magical. This show had a lot of little twists and an interesting plot line. I look forward to season 2!
Blacklist
I’m only a couple of episodes into this, but loving it so far. It’s about a criminal mastermind who surrenders himself to the FBI and offers to help catch deadly criminals, with the condition that he only work with one agent- the new recruit Elizabeth Keen. I’ll post an update in my next “What I’m Watching”!
Endless Love
This movie has been on Netflix for a long time and once I saw it, it soon became one of my favourites. If you haven’t noticed by now, I can’t resist a movie that centres around Summer love. It’s about two recently graduated teens in their Summer after high school. They both come from very different worlds- her from a rich/upper class family that expects her to become a doctor, and him from a humble lower class household. It basically follows them falling head over heels for each other while her father does everything he can to keep them apart.
Full House
This is CLEARLY an oldie, but I needed something comforting and full of nostalgia. I’ve rewatched it several times, and its one of my go-to comfort shows along with Friends. Mason has recently been binging Full House too, so we’ve been enjoying watching it together. I like putting shows like this on in the background while I’m cleaning because I don’t need to sit and pay attention to them.
Grace & Frankie
This is a show I started watching before Christmas, and just recently returned to it. It follows two women, Grace & Frankie after their husbands decide to leave them for each other. It’s just a really funny light hearted show that I love to throw on occasionally.
The Goop Lab
Goop is one of those websites/companies that you either LOVE or HATE. I hate to admit it, but I love Goop. YES some of the advice comes across as extremely pretentious, or maybe not well researched, but I believe it all comes from a good place. The Goop Lab follows Gwyneth’s team as they try out different health and wellness trends (ex: the vampire facial, etc). I found it interesting and enjoyed seeing GP’s team try out different things. I also listen to the Goop Podcast, which covers some of the same topics.
Grey’s Anatomy
I’ve finished all of the seasons available on Netflix for Greys, but still go back to certain episodes every now and then. If you’ve never watched Grey’s before, now would be a great time to start! I had a really rough month in February and found myself re-watching the most dramatic or intense episodes when I needed a cry or a distraction.
Nailed It
There is a new season of Nailed It on Netflix! I love this show for when I need something light hearted that I don’t need to concentrate on. These are the kind of shows that I put on when I need to work or focus my attention on something else because they are easy to follow along with and just fun to watch.
Dirty Dancing
This is my ALL TIME favourite movie, and I could watch it a million times and never get bored of it. I won’t go into detail of what it about because I’m sure most of you have seen it (If not- WHY!?). It’s one of my favourites to watch in the Summer especially because it just gives me feelings of nostalgia and longing for love and Summer.
White Chicks
I’ve seen this movie a hundred times, but it’s one I always go back to when I need a laugh. I watched it a few days ago and it was a much needed laugh and distraction
Virgin River
I finished this one a couple months ago, but wanted to include it in case you’re on the fence about watching it. It’s about a nurse practitioner who moves to the small town of Virgin River to start a new life. If you like Lifetime-like tv shows that include a bit of drama and a budding romance, you’ll like this. It’s a bit slow paced, but I enjoyed it and wasn’t bored.
Amazon Prime
Younger
I finished this series a few months ago, but occasionally throw it on in the background. I really hope more seasons are coming out, because I LOVE it! It follows Liza- a woman in her 40’s who is recently divorced and trying to get back into the working world. When she gets mistaken for a woman in her 20s while at a bar, her friend gets the idea for Liza to lie about her age to look more appealing to potential employers in the publishing world. The series follows her making friends with woman in their 20s (like co-worker Kelsey played by Hilary Duff), and trying her best to hide her secret. She also has a college aged daughter that she keeps the secret from, and a new younger boyfriend. It’s a funny series, but I especially loved it because of its focus on the publishing world
Back To the future 1,2 and 3
This has been one of my favourite trilogies since I was a kid. I can watch them over and over without ever getting bored, and I’ve gotten my 6 year old son into them too. I won’t explain them too much because they’re classics that most people have seen, but I just wanted to let you know that they are on Prime :)
Red Eye
I LOVE Rachel McAdams, and Red Eye has always been one of my favourite thrillers!
Smallville
This used to be my favourite show when it first came out- so much so that I named my dog Chloe when I was 14. Mason’s dad started watching the series again, and since I’d never actually finished it, I’ve been watching along. It’s just another one of those nostalgic shows that you go back to over the years.
Apple TV
While looking through my phone recently, I noticed the Apple TV app and for curiosity sake clicked into it. Once inside the app, I discovered that when I got my new iPhone for my birthday in December, it came with a free year of Apple TV! Apple TV only has a few free shows, and many paid options for buying or renting movies and episodes of shows. Since I’m new to the app, I’ve been sticking to the free content. Here is what I’ve watched so far:
Servant
Okay, so this show needs a disclaimer- it deals with the loss of an infant. Normally that would be a deterrent for me, but it’s done in a supernatural/thriller type way that makes it a little easier to watch. The show centres around a woman who goes through a psychotic break after her baby dies. Her husband, along with her family and a close friend decide to keep the death a secret from the outside world, and give her a reborn doll to help her with her grief. She believes the doll is really her baby, and treats it as if it were alive. The fact that they’ve kept it a secret from the outside world makes it easier to keep this up, because no one is asking her about the death- and as far as everyone on the outside knows, nothing has happened. To keep this illusion going for the sake of her mental health, they hire a nanny. The nanny, is a young woman with a mysterious past herself, and much to the dismay of the father, she begins to also act as if the doll is real, even when the mother isn’t around. It’s an interesting and dark show with many twists and turns, and I really enjoyed it. Hoping for a season two!
The Morning Show
This one, I was REALLY excited for! I actually JUST started it, so I don’t have a lot to say about it yet- but it stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston which are two of my favourite actors, so I know its going to be amazing. I’ll update you on how I like it with my May “What I’m Watching” post!
Disney +
We LOVE Disney +- especially Mason, so there are different shows being watched over and over all the time - The Toy Story movies, Moana (my fav!), Frozen 1 & 2, any superhero movie, etc, so the ones listed below are just the stand out movies that I personally watched on my own in the last few weeks.
Twitches 1 & 2
I was on a bit of a Halloween kick earlier this month and watched both Twitches movies on my phone when I was cleaning. It was a fun blast from the past (as most movies on Disney + are!)
All of the Halloweentown Movies
Continuing on my Halloween kick, I went through all of the Halloweentown movies. These will always be some of my favourite movies, and it’s always so fun to watch them!
The Parent Trap
I can’t decide if I like the parent trap more, or It Takes Two, but both of these movies are on rotation often at our home. Also- HOW did Hollywood let two almost identical movies get made around the same time? A mystery that may never be solved.
Never Been Kissed
I LOVE Drew Barrymore, and this is one of my favourite movies. I tend to enjoy any movie that has characters that work for the media (newspapers, magazines, tv stations, etc) because that’s where my interests fall, but the plot line for this one is super fun, and just a classic lat 90s rom com.
What have you guys been watching during these crazy times? Give me your recommendations in the comments!
D