Things I've been watching

Some shows of note that I’ve been watching:

Queen’s Gambit

As good as all of the hype surrounding it.  Anya Taylor-Joy is marvelous in this, it wouldn’t be nearly as good without her.  I want to see her Emma now, something I had zero interest in before.  (Gwyneth Paltrow’s version is perfection in my book.)

That said, I don’t need to watch the whole thing over again.  Her personal story is absolutely necessary for the whole thing to work, but there are only a few scenes that I have been revisiting over and over:

The speed chess scene is transcendent in its joy, and that song has been stuck in my head forever:

The match with the unbeatably elegant and gracious Levertov:

Advice from her friends:  (This is so like Dragonball; Everyone Beth Harmon defeats ends up becoming her training colleague.)

Day 2 of the final Borgov match:

The final scene in the park.  The smile she gives as she takes off her gloves is perfection.

Midnight Diner

I’m utterly enchanted three episodes into this series.  The owner of a tiny hole-in-the-wall diner in Japan stoically gives wise advice to his motley crew of regulars while cooking up delicious food on request.  It’s charming, sentimental, hilarious, and whimsical all at the same time.  Can’t wait to watch it all.

Mindhunter

The first season was okay.  I love how the production team, led by David Fincher, executes all of the serial killer interviews.  Those are breathtakingly spellbinding.  The rest is so-so, which means I won’t be watching season 2.  (Cameron Britton was nominated for an Emmy for his performance as Ed Kemper.  I don’t see how he could have lost.)

Food Wars

Food as sex in this hilarious, over the top anime.  The first two seasons are wonderful, the third and fourth less good (I hate Control and their bullying ways). The fifth goes completely off the rails in a bad way.  Still, I have no regrets about watching all of it.

Love is War

I don’t know where this anime has been all my life.  (Kudos to my wife for finding it.)  Two high schoolers can’t admit that they love each other, and scheme to get the other to reveal their feelings first.  It’s got a sense of humor that I haven’t seen anywhere else, and I can’t get enough of it.  Can’t wait for the second season to come to our shores.  

Jupiter Ascending

I just rewatched the criminally underrated Speed Racer, and wanted to see more Wachowski action.  Sadly, this completely bored me and I quit midway through the first interminable chase scene.  

Terminator: Dark Fate

I’ll keep watching these because there’s always at least a kernel of something enjoyable in them, whether it’s a well executed chase scene, an exciting hand-to-hand fight, or Arnold doing something amusing tongue-in-cheek.  But overall, meh.