The Quarantine Diaries: Content, Content, Content!

In these crazy times, I thought it would be good to reflect upon things I have learned during the quarantine rather than dwell on the dangers. For today’s segment, I will be breaking down all of the movies and TV shows I have watched thus far.

Quarantine has opened up a lot of time, which although sometimes can drag, is easy to fill up with all of the available content on streaming services that I otherwise struggle to find time for. It has been a refreshing and valuable change of pace, and the content has kept me busy and entertained in these otherwise dreary times. Below I discuss some of my favorites.

Some Other Great Content I’ve Watched: Match Point, Knives Out, Uncut Gems, Frances Ha, Marriage Story, Room, Miss Americana, an extensive rewatch of the Disney Princess catalog, and lots more.

M O V I E S:

  • I, Tonya: I never got around to seeing Margot Robbie’s powerhouse sports drama when it was originally released in 2017, but three years later, I am so glad I did. Besides giving new context to one of American sports’ biggest villains, I, Tonya is a movie that is an acting showcase for women, both Robbie and Allison Janney, who ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress as Tonya Harding’s mother. It’s a fun and high-energy movie, and gives A League of Their Own a run for its money as the best female-centric sports movie.

  • Lady Bird: I ADORED Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation of Little Women, so much so that I rushed to see her 2017 debut, Lady Bird. Starring the incomparable Saoirse Ronan, the film is a smart, heartwarming, and refreshing coming-of-age tale that features a protagonist who in confident in herself and her choices, even if she doesn't always make the best ones. Lady Bird joins the ranks of films like Clueless, Mean Girls, Easy A, and the 2019 film Booksmart as “teenage” movies that surpass the tropes and formulas of the high school genre.

  • Bridget Jones’s Diary: Renée Zellweger had a terrific comeback to Hollywood with her Oscar win for portraying Judy Garland, but before that, Zellweger was one of the late 90s-early 2000s most sought after leading ladies, and Bridget Jones’s Diary may be the perfect display of why that is so. Fun. witty, and very British, the film, lead by Zellweger as the perfectly imperfect Bridget Jones, is a delightful time that I am so glad I finally got around to watching, and plan to add to my list of “go-to” movies to watch again and again.

  • Jerry Maguire: Speaking of Renée Zellweger, I also watched her breakout role of Dorothy Boyd in the sports flick Jerry Maguire. From Cuba Gooding Jr.’s eccentric and self-absorbed Rod Tidwell, to Zellweger’s adorable son, to the titular character, played by Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire perfectly hits all the feel-good beats of a sports movie and a romance, and mixes them into one amazing (and highly quotable) viewing experience.

T V:

  • Dirty John: The podcast that the Los Angeles Times did on the real-life crime story of Debra Newell, a successful businesswoman who went from being unlucky in love to marrying a man that she soon realized was not the person she thought him to be was masterful, and so I was excited that the television series that was adapted from the podcast hit Netflix. While the limited series does not reach the highs of the podcast, it is incredibly binge-worthy and dramatic, and still leaves you with the question: how is this a real story?!

  • The Crown: 20th century British royalty and politics may not seem like the most riveting premise, but The Crown took me by complete surprise. Led by brilliant performances from Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Vanessa Kirby, the show makes coronations and dinner parties thrilling and exciting. In all honesty, the scenes that focus more on British politics and less on Foy’s portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II are not as strong, but it is a series that cannot be missed. I am also sad to say goodbye to Foy at the end of season two, but excited to watch season three and see what recent Oscar winner Olivia Colman brings to the role of the beloved monarch.

  • Ozark: Perhaps my favorite TV show in recent memory, Ozark is a gift from the Netflix gods. Starring Jason Bateman in a dramatic turn as Marty Byrde, a financial analyst from Chicago who has to go on the run because of his money laundering dealings with the cartel, Ozark grips you from the opening scene and never lets go. Every character is complex, full of contrasting characteristics and loyalties, and the show finds a way to have its characters find realistic ways to escape, while also finding realistic ways to continue to raise the stakes. Laura Linney and Julia Garner boost the spectacular ensemble, and make Ozark another classic of the 21st century’s “Golden Age” of television.