Spring Playlist: Bardcore Magic ✨
Recently I’ve been super into music that is all about those medieval folksy fantasy vibes and this playlist has bought me unmeasurable joy these past few month of Spring.
Best Films and TV Shows of 2019
It’s that time of year again, this is my list of the best of all the movies and tv shows I watched in 2019.
Films
All the films I am listing have had their wide release in the UK in 2019, so films like Burning which was released in Korea in 2018 still counts for 2019
Joker
Joker may have been the most buzzed-about film of 2019, well besides Avengers: Endgame that is. It’s the compelling proposition of Joaquin Phoenix as Joker that put the film on my radar when it was first announced.
A bleak and unforgiving look at how society and mental illness can warp a man. This is the darkest incarnation of the iconic Batman villain yet. Of course Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t surprise with his unflinching portrayal as a man at rock bottom. The film also rejuvenated my faith in DC as the Justice League Movie was underwhelming and while Aquaman was fun I do like a dark brooding superhero story. So this feels like a hark back to the Nolan trilogy in the best way possible.
Burning
A Korean film based on a Haruki Murakami short story. A winning combination if you ask me and if you add into the mix Director Lee Chang-dong and actors Yoo Ah-in and Steven Yeun, then you have one of the best thrillers in recent memory. It’s a poetically shot film with a powerful underlying sense of dread that builds and builds until it all comes to a crescendo at the end. I reviewed the film back at the beginning of last year so have a read if you want a full unpacking of my thoughts on the film here.
Midsommar
This film is more than just a film it’s an experience, a WTF am I watching experience that just keeps giving you weirdness after weirdness. It’s also one of the best experiences I’ve ever had watching a film at the cinema as the audience was audibly cringing and gasping together at the craziest parts of the film. My sister kept leaning over and whispering in my ear ‘what are you making me watch?’, well dear only one of the best movies of the year!
Ad Astra
James Grey’s Ad Astra is a slow study on loneliness and emotional wounds that is beautifully complemented by a symbolic journey into the furthest parts of our galaxy. Existential and awe-inspiring, Ad Astra also feels so thoroughly human and personal. Family is at the heart of the film which challenges the audience to take a closer look at what is just in front of them rather than miles and miles away.
Exit
Thanks to the London East Asia Film Festival, I won tickets to the European premiere to see this rather hilarious and smart film from Korea. Exit is a disaster action-comedy, yes that is a thing, and yes this film balances all of these genres tremendously well. The film follows Yong-nam a talented but unemployed rock climber as he tries to save his whole family and his crush from a deadly gas that has been unleashed in downtown Seoul.
Knives Out
Funny, clever and thoroughly entertaining. Knives Out is an all-star comedy whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie but for the modern age. Ana de Armas stole the film as Marta a nurse caught up in the mystery, and Chris Evan’s first post-Captain America role as Ranson the spoiled playboy of the family was a refreshing and thoroughly un-typecasted role for the actor. Twists and turns abound and no more can be said so go watch it!
TV Shows
Watchmen
HBO’s Watchmen is a fresh and compelling entry in the myriad of superhero centric stories out there at the moment. Rather than be a retelling of the graphic novel, the Watchmen series is its own thing with a storyline that centres around race rather than the cold war. Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night is one of the best black female characters I have ever seen on TV. I also think the show was absolutely fantastic, exciting and kept you guessing and in wonder, as the plot twists unfolded.
The Witcher
While Game of Thrones was epic, brilliant, groundbreaking TV it lost its way towards the end due to rather strange creative ideas regarding the plotting of events and the most lacklustre ending of Bran being the one to claim the iron throne. But not to fear Netflix swoops in with the exact remedy we all were seeking, an exciting new fantasy series in the form of The Witcher. This series is so much fun, Henry Cavill is amazing in the role of Geralt of Rivia, not just because he is mind-blowingly handsome but because he inhabits the role so convincingly. Also, the crisscrossing timelines create an interesting jigsaw puzzle of events that you have to slot together to make sense of the story which makes for an enjoyable watch. Love it: the humour, the cinematography, the world-building, the character development, everything.
Chocolate
Heartwarming, tragic, life-affirming are a few ways to describe the Korean language drama Chocolate. The drama follows Lee Kang and Moon Cha-young, a neurosurgeon and a chef as they fall in love while working at a hospice together. They have a complex history that adds another layer of intensity to the story, but the magic of the show is in the way everyone’s lives at the hospice intersect and everyone ends up teaching each other a valuable lesson about life, from the patients with limited time to the cold Lee Kang who softens over time. And at the heart of the show is food, the characters eat according to feelings and elevate food to more than just sustenance, its a way of bonding, of remembrance and of recovery. I wept my eyes out at most episodes because the story touched my heart so much and it became a cathartic and heartwarming moment each week for me, and the soundtrack is beautiful and it’s the only one I’ve listened to on repeat since One Spring Day and Something in the Rain. I will hands down say that this is one of my favourite Korean dramas to date, and I have watched an awful lot of them so that definitely says something about this one.
Winter 2019 TV Watchlist
The Witcher - Netflix - Dec 20th
A new fantasy series to fill that very large Game of Thrones sized void, staring the always delectable Henry Cavill as a monster slayer…Sign me up! I have not read the books or played the highly popular video game adaptation but I am intrigued by this world that we have glimpsed at through the trailers and it looks promising.
The Expanse Season 4 - Amazon Prime - 13th Dec
The Expanse may just be the best show on TV about space right now and I am so thrilled that Amazon Prime saved this gem and by the looks of it boosted the budget quite profusely. I am quite a new fan of the show as I only started watching it last December after my sister’s boyfriend recommended it, I binged the show in like 2 weeks.
Avenue 5 - HBO & Now TV - January
And now something else set in space but dealing with a wholly different subject material…Space Tourism. This looks to be one of the funniest shows hitting our screens this season as creator Armando Iannucci the man behind Thick of It and Death of Stalin is writing and directing and Hugh Laurie is leading the show.
The Valhalla Murders - Netflix & RÚV - End of Dec
Ooh, serial murder in Iceland! In the grand tradition of the Nordic crime thriller, The Valhalla Murders looks to be just the chilling serial killer drama we all want this winter.
You Season 2 - Netflix - Dec 26th
Joe will be back and creepier than ever but there isn’t a trailer yet!!! I found You to be utterly creepy and extremely addictive viewing so here’s hoping to an equally disturbing season 2.
초콜릿 (Chocolate) - Netflix & JTBC - Already Airing!
Two episodes have already aired and I am in love with the vibe of this drama, it’s nostalgic, emotional and sweet. It’s also just like eating chocolate or having a cup of cocoa on a cold Winters night, it’s heartwarming and like a little slice of happiness to get through this cold season. The story focuses on a Neurosurgeon and a Chef who met by chance when they were kids and by chance, they encounter each other again.
사랑의 불시착 (Crash Landing on You) - Netflix & tvN - Dec 14th
Hyun Bin (Memories of the Alhambra) and Son Ye-jin (Something in the Rain) in a romantic comedy together, yes, please. Ever since this drama was announced, I have been counting down till December. Both actors have been in some of my favourite dramas this past couple of years so it’s awesome to see them in something together, and judging by the trailers it is going to be romantic and hilarious!
That’s all the TV shows I’ll be watching this Winter, no doubt the list will grow as more TV shows get released but I think this uncanny mix of Sci-fi & fantasy, Crime and Romance will get me through this dark and dreary season.
Let me know in the comments section what TV Shows you’ll be watching this season too.