2023 Favorites: Music, Movies, and TV

 

The blogging year is coming to a close, and I thought it was time to go over some of my favorite things from 2023. This concerns media—books, short stories, music, movies, and TV shows—that I read, watched, or listened to this year. In this second part, I’m focusing on music, movies, and TV.

Music

There was so much good music that was released in 2023. My top albums and Eps released in 2023 were: Sweet Justice by Tkay Maizda, So Much (For) Stardust by Fall Out Boy, A Reckoning by Kimbra, Going…Going…GONE! by Hemlocke Springs, Tension by Kylie Minogue, and Feed the Beast by Kim Petras. I also enjoyed Holiday Sidewinder’s Forever or Whatever, Wednesday Campanella’s expansive backlist, The NYChillharmonic’s album 1, and Marina’s The Family Jewels. Along with songs by Halle (Angel), Caroline Polachek (Bunny Is A Rider, Dang, Caroline Shut Up, and Welcome To My Island), METTE (Van Gogh), Doechii (Pacer), Aurora (Your Blood) and Allie X (Black Eye and Girl With No Face).

Movies and TV

I didn’t watch as much this year as I thought I would. For movies, some of my favorites were: Barbie, The Haunted Mansion, and The Portable Door. As for TV, I’ve mostly been watching: Mystery Science Theater 3000, SurrealEstate season 2, Svengoolie, and a number of classic shows like Murder she Wrote.

And, with that, there is my list of 2023 favorites. If you want to check out the first part, you can use THIS LINK.

Happy reading!

What I've Been Watching

I wanted to do one more What I’ve Been Watching post before the year was over, because October and November were busy months in terms of TV and movie releases. Here’s everything I’ve watched.

Cooking Competitions

• Every year, I really enjoy the holiday specific baking competitions that are aired on Food Network. The Halloween ones are a particular favorite of mine, but I also enjoy the Christmas ones too.

Wendell & Wild (Netflix, 2022)

• I love stop-motion animation, and when I heard about this project (plus Henry Selick and Jordan Peele’s involvement with it), suffice it to say, I was hyped. Wendell & Wild was fantastic. The animation was stylish and fit the tone of the movie. It was spooky and fun, combined with serious and somber topics. It was also a coming of age tale, following Kat Elliott's turmoil and guilt after the death of her parents. Her issues were real and hard-hitting, while the supernatural aspects added the eerie imagery and a slight comedic element that broke up some of the tension—especially with the titular duo, Wendell and Wild. The voice performances were great as well, and I really enjoyed the music. All-in-all, I had a great time watching this movie. I know it’s easily going to be another Halloween favorite that I revisit every year, just like Coraline.

Heroes & Icons

• There is a channel I’ve gotten into lately (thanks Adri!) called H&I. I’ve been watching shows like the original Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver, and Star Trek as well as Vega$ among others.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow (Netflix, 2022)

• The Curse of Bridge Hollow arrived right on time for Halloween. I liked this one. The comedic moments arrived at the perfect times, and it made me laugh. The story—while simple with Halloween decorations brought to life by accident—was enjoyable, particularly because it had a great cast. I also liked the overall messaging.

Mr. Midnight: Beware the Monsters (Netflix, 2022)

• I love stuff that incorporates folklore and magic as well as mystery, adventure, and comedy. And, Mr. Midnight checked all the boxes. It was so good! The supernatural occurrences were episodic with an overarching plot that continued till the end. The folklore and magic elements were pretty awesome. I loved the effects and the design of the spirits, other creatures, and the overall look and setting of the series. The characters were just as interesting too, and the connection developed between the main and reoccurring cast was one of the highlights. Everyone had a fully developed personality with their own goals, fears, and secrets—something that was embellished by the great performances of the actors. So even when the characters clashed, it made for interesting situations with a number of emotional and heartfelt moments. The dynamics between the core group—Tyar, Ling, Nat, and Zoe—who were collectively Mr. Midnight, was fun. There was plenty of camaraderie (and friendship) between them, which was also tied-up with the supernatural occurrences they ultimately got involved with. All-in-all, I really enjoyed this series, and I ended up binge watching all thirteen episodes.

Business Proposal

• In November, I decided to check out a Korean romantic comedy called Business Proposal, which was in my Netflix recommendations. I haven't read the webtoon it's based on, but that didn't stop me from watching it. It's an office romance, and I loved this series! I laughed so much at the antics of the characters, the situations they found themselves in, and the bright and colorful comical effects that sometimes appeared in the background. It was ridiculous, heartwarming, and romantic. (Even the side characters had a lot going on.) I had a lot of fun watching this series!

So that’s some of what I’ve been watching. There’s even more stuff that came out, which I haven’t gotten around to yet. But, since my break from blogging is coming up, I expect to do another one of these posts early in 2023. What have you been watching?

Thought Corner: What I've Been Watching (2021)....

It’s been a long time since I last talked about the TV shows and movies I’ve been watching. To be more specific, I haven’t done anything since my 2020 Favorites: Media post back in December 2020. So it’s been a while. There’s been some good stuff lately, and I want to talk about a few of them.

 

• A Discovery of Witches season 2 (2021)

I really enjoyed the first season of A Discovery of Witches, and I was interested in the second one. At the time of writing this, I haven’t read all of the first three books—only the second one with a copy of the third on my shelf. So I was interested in seeing how the show would transition from a wholly modern setting to the historical era during the time traveling portions of the story. And from what I remember of Shadow of Night (and it’s been a while since I read it), season 2 was a really good adaptation of the source material. Much of the cast stayed firmly in the present day timeline, while the second and probably one of the most vital parts of the narrative concerned Diana and Mathew. Specifically, it followed Diana’s study into her abilities, the search for the book, adventures in the past, and her deepening relationship with Mathew. Generally speaking, I like the somewhat literary take on the fantasy elements, as well as how much the events of the story are influenced by the book, Ashmole 782. The second season has already finished airing.

• SurrealEstate (2021)

I am a sucker for house stories, and SYFYs recent paranormal drama series (which began airing in July), SurrealEstate, satisfied that craving. It’s a show that leans into its cheesy and fun side—the jokes and witty one-liners are good—while also delivering on the spookier side of the shows concept. All around, it’s a fun series so far with episodes that revolve around surprisingly heartfelt stories. The show is pretty episodic, as each week it tackles a story about a different house (or houses) the Roman Real Estate agency plans to help get sold, despite its, um, supernatural issues. Overall, the team dynamic and spooky atmosphere is excellent, and I want to see more from this series.

• Legend (1985)

I have, at long last, watched Legend. This was one of the movies I was really excited to give a try, since I’ve been working my way through some of the classic eighties fantasies—think Labyrinth and the original Dark Crystal. Legend was the third one from that list. Overall, I liked the film. It was fun and campy. There were a few plot holes here and there, where some of the earlier villains just disappeared from the narrative and it was never explained. However, I liked the fantastical elements as well as how hard the film dug its heels into the dreamy fantasy aesthetic, particularly with its setting.

That’s what I’ve been watching recently. What series or movies have you been enjoying lately?