September 2025 Watch

Friday, 3 October 2025

Ah, what a month! I traveled, moved, finished a master's program, and started a new job. Honestly, I was busy. But also I just struggled to watch things at times. Anything I felt even mildly negative towards, I just stopped watching, so the responses this month are all fairly positive. There's definitely some more constructive feedback in there, but I liked every show or movie enough to finish. I'm excited to have more time to work on my own projects now, which includes my website! I've also finally linked an email on here, so you can contact me more directly.

Ed Wood (1994, dir. Tim Burton)

There was about a week this month that I couldn't manage to get through any show or movie I started. For shows, it was mainly a time and accessibility thing while traveling, but there were a few nights I set aside to watch a film and just struggled to get through them. Finally, I found one I enjoyed enough to keep watching, and I did so under a full moon in Brighton, watching alongside the sunset to night sky from my hotel room after a lovely day at the beach. The movie, I have to say, was solid. I'm sure I've mentioned before in a review or two that I'm not a Tim Burton fan. He has interesting visuals in some of his projects, but overall his narratives lack a lot of the complexity that I look for. I'm not sure this one delivered on complexity, but it captured my attention in its narrative structure.

Ed Wood begins with a small group of creatives, most prominently the titular Ed Wood; he soon comes upon an opportunity to direct a film about a transsexual woman, a chance he jumps on as he is himself a transvestite and identifies with her story. He very quickly changes the film into something more autobiographical, thus setting off a progression of his career as he begins to make films with the famous Bela Lugosi and a group of friends. Primarily, they are working on a sci-fi flick and the group grows and shrinks during its production and distribution.

It is this structure of sort of endlessly working on films to no discernable end that garnered my interest; the film is a biographical exploration of the real-life Ed Wood, his films, and his friends. That shows in the structure, where there is conflict but no real narrative arc or driving plot. After Ed's first film is made, we have this extended sequence of the second. It makes sense, but there's this slightly off-kilter feeling as I adjusted to the format. But I found that this works to its advantage, becoming a surprisingly distant character study of sorts.

Sing Sing (2023, dir. Greg Kwedar)

This is an increasingly rare case of being told a film is so good and then it actually is so good. This movie had me crying on a plane—not just that but it fully captured my attention on said plane, such that I could not turn away from it, even when my seat was in a boxing match with the person behind me.

Sing Sing follows the production of an original play by a theater program at Sing Sing, a maximum security prison in New York. It simultaneously deals with the production, involving new and experienced members of the troupe, and the personal lives of some of the members.

As I mentioned, this movie really got my attention. I would argue I watched in what is the least conducive environment for watching movies, despite the ubiquity of the practice, and I could not take my eyes off of it. I would argue it's relatively simple in terms of visuals and plot, but this is not a bad thing at all. It was really interesting how it was shot and edited; you mainly see this style of answering a question or prompt in successive individual shots in things like documentaries or high school comedies. But it doesn't have the same effect here at all, instead giving weight to each character, even the secondary ones. Similarly, I want to praise the minimalism of the plot, which is quite straightforward but is no less artful for that.

The visuals and plot provide a clear and grounded backdrop for some beautiful performances and are well-done in their own right, just not extravagant. I also really appreciated the tone of this movie—it's resonant and sincere and inspiring without being cheesy or over-the-top. The performances and dynamics between performers were genuinely enamoring. The humble character of the rest of the film makes room for these to really shine, expressing the importance of art and its resonance to the men depicted. I think that's what really makes the film work: this balance of theatricality with humility, of emotional complexity with groundedness.

Being John Malkovich (1999, dir. Spike Jonze)

To continue my strange movie-watching locations, I also watched this film on a plane, although it was quite different from my previous experience. This film did not capture my attention in the same way, but it did have an effect on it. I unfortunately watched the end of this movie aligned with the end of my flight, which meant the last twenty minutes or so were constantly being interrupted by cabin announcements. However, I don't actually think it made that much of a difference, as the film had already pivoted into its final act by that point.

Being John Malkovich is about a puppeteer who discovers a portal to John Malkovich's mind at his new workplace. With the help of another employee in the building whom he has a crush on, he turns this into a business. However, his wife becomes increasingly obsessed with living the life of John Malkovich and begins a sexual relationship with the puppeteer's coworker, a progression of events that eventually leads to the puppeteer's jealousy getting out of hand.

I always struggle a bit with reviews for movies like this, which are technically fine but just do not resonate with me at all. In the past I've just skipped over these movies when writing reviews, but I want to give it a shot this time. After all, I was by the end of the film certain I wanted to finish it to see what happened. I was curious about the lore, but I admit that my motivations were curiosity mixed with the knowledge it would be unlikely I will ever watch this film again. Mainly my curiosity came from this pivot in the final act, where we go from this very surreal opening and middle to a surprisingly thought-out and explained ending.

The thing is, lately I've considered that surrealism in film just is not for me. I like the aesthetics and often tone of it, but it often lacks the poignancy I want out of film. Most of the time this has come up in the climax, and this movie is no exception. That sudden explaining of the lore—not fully or scientifically, but more how it interacts with the world of the film—felt so jarring and took me out of the film (yes, before I was literally taken out of the film). The balance of this standard film moment of a climax competes with the surrealist feeling of the start and middle of the movie, but doesn't really do anything with it. It didn't even feel particularly out of place, which is why I think I'll just distance myself from this type of film for a bit.

Sirens (2025, created by Molly Smith Metzler)

I have been in such a slump this month with movies and shows but for some reason this one captured my attention immediately. I'm not even really sure what initially tempted me to watch it, as I saw the trailer a few months ago and thought it looked boring. I'm really not into cults in media because I find them incredibly boring and similar, but it's actually barely present in the show. There are references to it at the start, but they move away to make room for exploring different character dynamics instead.

Sirens is a 2025 limited series about two sisters, Devon and Simone. Dealing with their father's declining health alone, Devon seeks out Simone, who is living and working on a small island for the wealthy Michaela Kell who she looks up to with ardent admiration. Devon, fearing the potential danger Michaela presents towards her sister, attempts to insert herself into life with the Kells, and what we get is essentially a study of the different characters and their relationships for the rest of the season.

This show is my favorite brand of drama-comedy—I could watch this type of show for hours, and it's probably the reason I ended up liking it as much as I did. Comparing it to others of its type, this one was not as funny to me, despite the fact that jokes definitely took precedence much of the time. Rather, I was actually interested in the plot; parts of it were formulaic for sure, but something about it just drew me in. I wanted to know what was going on and I have to say I really like how it ended.

The show continuously uses visuals, music, and dialogue to suggest something larger is happening despite the reassurances it's not. The general tone demands curiosity and possibility, even as questions are answered with mundane reasonings. I started the show really wanting for that magical turn, but I'm glad it never came. It gave the show a genuinely interesting feeling, these dreamlike scenes, airy music, and spoken misdirects. That feeling of compounding evidence that amounts to nothing complemented the story of Devon and Simone, which ends in a similarly lackluster way. But I say that with the highest compliments: this ending worked for me.

And I am so conflicted writing this part of the review because I actually hated them, but the costumes did exactly what they needed to. I especially liked Devon's clothing journey; I actually found her starting grungy look more offensive to my eyes than the Lilly Pulitzer dresses (saying a lot, I know) due to how costume-y it felt, so I enjoyed seeing her progression. I felt a similar way about the interior visuals and music choices where I was just kind of rolling my eyes, but this show would not be the same without them. While I personally dislike the aesthetic, and found it about a decade out of date, I appreciated the direction the show took with that, as it is so different from anything else I'm watching. This was a fun and quick weekend watch; it's definitely not a perfect show, but I enjoyed my time with it.

The Other Black Girl (2023, developed for television by Zakiya Dalila Harris and Rashida Jones)

I came upon this show in a list of drama comedies when I decided it is absolutely all I was going to watch for the rest of the month. I was really drawn in by the prospect of a psychological thriller comedy; I've watched things of a similar genre and felt mostly middling about them but the little information I had on this show convinced me to give it a shot. When I say that, I'm referring to the fact that I had no idea it was a psychological thriller at all and I thought it was exclusively comedy from what I'd seen about it online.

The Other Black Girl is a limited series based on a novel of the same name that blends comedy, mystery, and thriller to discuss racism in the workplace as it follows Nella Rogers through part of her journey in the publishing world. Working as an editorial assistant, Nella is introduced to new girl Hazel as her career is in the process of monumental shifts. As the two women strike up an occasionally tumultuous friendship, Nella deals with mysterious messages and visions advising her to leave the company she works at.

The thing that kept me watching this show despite my initial uncertainty was the mystery aspect. It's very clear from early on there is a conspiracy going on, and you're fairly certain all the pieces connect but they might be red herrings, but I found it initially difficult to place what the reveal would be. This was a bit surprising as I actually felt it was pretty formulaic, mostly towards the start but also as it progressed. It was easy to guess most of the plot beats, and while I eventually figured out the mystery far before it was revealed, I certainly did not know it in the first few episodes. I want to attribute this to solid tension because I enjoyed the show, but I will admit there was a red herring I don't believe was ever addressed. That said, it keeps you watching.

The standout aspect of the show is the characters. They are really fun and engaging, both individually and in different dynamics. I especially loved Brittany Adebumola as Malaika, both her performance but also the way the main character Nella's life and social sphere were fleshed out. This is something that comes from watching a lot of horror but I can get frustrated when a character's personal life is just there to be an unambiguous obstacle. It works fine in some stories, but often just feels like it's there because it has to be. Nella's group, though small, provided a solid counter to the drama occurring at work. It spoke to a life outside her job but also the way it pervades her time away—both literally with the conspiracy she was embroiled in and allegorically. I'm really glad I got the chance to check this show out! If you're looking for something that's both funny and tense, this is a great limited series to give a go.

Palm Springs (2020, dir. Max Barbakow)

I decided to watch this on a whim despite it being past my bedtime just starting it and being in the middle of trying to become a morning person. I was also dealing with the most severe case of dry eye I've ever had, which was no fun, and I needed to be in a dark room with a humidifier on, and this made for a great accompaniment.

Palm Springs is a sci-fi romcom about two strangers, Sarah and Nyles, stuck in a timeloop during a wedding in Palm Springs. They go through a period of hanging out before developing feelings for each other, though this is quickly put on the backburner as they must confront their past mistakes.

The thing about timeloop movies is that they're often really similar. I don't want to boil it down to "the lessons the character[s] learn" being similar, because I think they're often doing a little more than that, but also that's kind of exactly what it is. The type of story can be really limited, but because of that, it's also flexible enough to put into many different genres. Also, I just like the type of story and the character development it inspires. This is a pretty solid entry into the timeloop canon. The way it plays with the narrative structure by actively making a character (Sarah) put into place the perspective she comes to have, and really considers complexity in characters even as they initially may appear as distinct archetypes, were just nice progressions in a good story. It's very small reworks to the formula, but they work to make the film feel fresh. That's complemented by strong performances and funny jokes—I like romcoms well enough, but I rarely find them overtly funny.

There was a surprising amount of funky visuals from this movie as well. It definitely nailed the sense of place, and adding in the very occasional fantasy visuals just made it all the more fun. Somehow "Find your Irvine," worked in this movie as emotionally resonant, that's all I'm saying. It takes a solid foundation to get my to feel anything but seething hatred for the suburbs, so kudos for that.

How to Die Alone (2024, created by Natasha Rothwell)

I was so excited to finally find a comedy series I enjoy. I really like comedy television but I'm so picky; I was a bit worried about this one at first, but I stuck around for Conrad Ricamora and I'm glad I did.

How to Die Alone is a short comedy series that follows Mel, an employee at JFK International Airport who survives a near-death experience and vows to change her life. It has an ensemble cast, but the episodes that bookend the season focus on Mel's growth and situation.

I don't think I've ever been able to pinpoint with such immediacy my issue with this show: it needed to be longer. I really enjoyed my time with it; I thought it was funny and well-set up. I liked the characters and the progression of the plot, both generally and the specific episode premises. It's very much in the vein of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend with a clear main character and a larger cast around her you really get to know; they can be characters at times, but in other moments they are pretty down-to-earth. It's a solid structure that I don't see as often, but that usually really works for me. That said, I have never seen a show so clearly restricted by its short length. Even just a handful more episodes would've really let this show shine and given us the time to explore the characters in more depth. The pieces were all there—the bookending format, the occasional glimpses into Mel's family life, the shifting friend group—but it sadly was not given enough time to really delve into this world, and I felt at a distance even when I was already so invested.

The cast and comedy writing of this show is why it stood out to me. I found it quite funny, and it balanced those moments of heartfelt musings with humor in a way that made it feel consistently grounded. This was echoed in the straightforward visual style, but also contrasts a recurring element of the show I didn't feel was quite realized: the fantasy scenes. This is one of my favorite things to see in a comedy; I find them really fun and allow us to explore the character quite a bit. However, Mel's fantasy moments felt really underwhelming at times; I'm not necessarily expecting grandiosity, though I'd argue that is what the technique implies, but something to highlight her point of view in a different way than we're seeing in her day-to-day. Rather than created in the set or the world, they were mainly done in post-production as far as I can tell, but I say all this because I'm not sure they were needed at all. Natasha Rothwell's Mel and the true-to-airport visual simplicity characterized her life plenty. It's a bummer this show got canceled, as I had a fun time with it. It definitely could've been longer, but it was nice in the time it lasted.

No Good Deed (2024, created by Liz Feldman)

So due to my change in living situation, I am going back to my old routine of watching television during dinner with my family. This means that I try shows I might not normally watch, but also that I have to stick with a show I might not normally finish. This was not exactly one of those cases, but it's hard to say since that's how it played out.

No Good Deed is a 2024 black comedy series about several families looking to buy the same house in Los Angeles and the family who lives there currently, whose son died in the home. As the truth around his death is slowly revealed, these four families struggle with personal issues tied to their goals of buying this house.

So right off the bat I will say that the creator and showrunner is Liz Feldman, who also created and executive produced No Good Deed, a show I really love. I would be remiss to skip pointing out the similarities between the shows. The genre, tone, and style being clear ones, but both shows also deal with similar themes in grief, community, and real estate. I think that's both why I liked the show to keep watching without complaint even why I realized just how similar it is, and why it fell short for me. The thing about Dead to Me as well is that after I watched it, I was like "I want to watch something just like this." But in fact I didn't; I actually found it occasionally frustrating that it didn't differentiate itself much in terms of style. The story was different, but predictable, so that fell short as well. It's not at all that" these things were bad, the show just lacked that "something new" spark for me.

With that said, the cast was a lot of fun. I like several of the actors and I was excited to see them in this project. It was funny throughout, although it did in a few instances have that quality where the writer's comedic style really bleeds through the actors' performance. This doesn't usually bother me unless it's really egregious, which it wasn't here. I liked the dynamics between all of the families, and I was always excited to see where their journeys took them. Honestly this felt like the heart of the show more than the semi-mystery element; there was an emotional core to all of them that really stood out, especially at times when the mystery was treated as more complex or mysterious than it really was. The performances carried it and I felt like the intrigue writing could've been tighter. This was a nice watch, but I wouldn't write home about it.