Monday Musings: It’s Met Ball Day! Fatally Un-attracted, Wes Anderson, The #1 Streaming Platform Is…
A Most Fashionable Monday! 👗
Happy Monday!
The Met Ball Is Here! 💎
Today is the most stylish Monday of the year! The first Monday in May is infamous for being the day when the annual Met Ball takes place, bringing together the buzz-worthy tastemakers of the previous year (aka those invited by Vogue’s Anna Wintour). While the belle of the ball Blake Lively will not be in attendance this year, expect plenty of stars from TVs most talked about series walking the carpet of the Met like those from The White Lotus and The Great as well as the event’s co-chairs Penelope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, and Dua Lipa. Paris Hilton is expected to make her Met Ball debut and you know fashion queen Cara Delevingne will be there. The Met will pay tribute to legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld so expect stars and models from his Chanel past to be in attendance — maybe Kristen Stewart? Naomi Campbell? Shalom Harlow? Kudos to anyone who dresses up as Karl’s cat Choupette.
If you want to know more about the Met Ball, watch the documentary The First Monday in May streaming on Amazon Prime and Hulu. It takes viewers on an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the Met Ball’s two big events on The first Monday in May — the legendary ball and red carpet and the fashion exhibition for The Costume Institute at the Met.
The Met Ball’s live red carpet will be streaming on Twitter and on Vogue’s website and social media beginning at 5:30pm ET.
My favorite looks of #MetGala2023
Dua Lipa wearing 1992 Chanel bridal dress that Claudia Schiffer wore on the runway.
Taika Waititi
Nicole Kidman wore the dress from her Chanel Beauty campaign
Liu Wen
Glenn Close
Jessica Chastain
Karen Elson
Jared Leto
Best Accessory: SNL’s Chloe Fineman’s bejeweled cat purse 😸
Met Ball co-chair Michaela Coel
Fatally Un-Attracted To The New Fatal Attraction Remake 🐰
I streamed the first two episodes of Paramount+’s new series, a remake of the 1987 film Fatal Attraction that starred Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. The first three of eight episodes are up now for streaming. What did I think? I did my best not to compare it to the original film, watched with new eyes, but alas in the end I found myself wondering why they would attempt to remake this story.
#1 it’s a tale as old as time. Man cheats on wife. Girlfriend becomes obsessed. Someone dies. How can you refresh this story to make it new and interesting? Let’s make it a murder mystery, frame it as one big flashback. It’s very similar to the way Showtime's The Affair started, however that had some intrigue and suspense to it and it was just one tiny element of the bigger story. Fatal Attraction starts off really dry, they almost should’ve started with the murder to create more of a visual impact that carries us through the story, much like every other murder mystery — (or Law & Order episode). #2 the chemistry between reboot Dan Gallagher (played by Joshua Jackson) and reboot Alex Forrest (played by Lizzy Caplan) is DOA. Between the lukewarm dialogue between them and their flat character personalities, it’s really hard to ooze any type of sensuality and desire on-screen. While I admire Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan as actors, I can honestly think of a dozen other people they could have cast in these roles. Casting is about choosing actors so right for the role that you can’t imagine anyone else filling the shoes (like the cast of Ted Lasso). #3 the pacing of the series is way too slow. The movie told the story in two hours, Paramount+ is trying to stretch this out to 8 hours. That’s a big undertaking and instead of filling the plot, they decided to build on character. None of the characters are compelling enough to watch for eight hours. Will I continue to watch? 😫 Of course. This is one of those shows (like American Horror Story and The Morning Show) that is not necessarily great, but now that you’re in it, you’ve got to see it to the painful end.
Happy Birthday Wes Anderson! 🥳
Wes Anderson turns 54 years young today. He is definitely one of my favorite directors. Most people either love or not into his films, and I can totally understand that. His films are a vibe — quirky and aesthetically pleasing that seem to all have the same Instagram filter over every scene.
Here are my favorite Wes Anderson Films and where to stream them:
The Royal Tenenbaums: rent or buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime
Bottle Rocket: stream on HBO Max
Rushmore: rent or buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: rent or buy on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime
Moonshine Kingdom: stream on Amazon Prime
His next film is Asteroid City featuring as always, an all-star cast: Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Maya Hawke, Matt Dillon, Steve Carell, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum. In theaters June 23, 2023.
The #1 Streaming Platform Is… 📺
Nielsen came out with a list of the most watched streaming platforms and it is no surprise that once again Netflix takes the top spot, followed by Amazon Prime and Hulu. Netflix has a ton of content. They have the money to throw at nearly every project. They also are a platform that promotes binge-watching, uploading the entire series at once with cliffhangers at the end of each episode so you push through and be done streaming a series over a weekend and will need something new to watch. Hulu and Amazon Prime tend to release episodes one each week so you have something to look forward to the next week, building up momentum for the series and giving it a longer streaming life.
Here are my thoughts on the streaming platforms…
Netflix: so much content and so much of it is not great. Lots to weed through, but a staple every household must have. Great kids content and eye-opening documentaries.
Amazon Prime: for how much money this company has, they do not have a lot of quality content. You would think they would have a ton of award-winning content, but the frequency in which they release new material is quite slow compared to other streamers. Again, it is a necessity mostly because you get free shipping on Amazon.
Hulu: I felt like Hulu used to be a lot better than it is now. Have they past their prime? I feel like they are still trying to figure out what to do with themselves now that they have added Disney to the mix. Need more series like The Great & Only Murders In The Building to keep this platform vibrant.
HBO Max: Am I annoyed that they have merged with Warner Bros. and Discovery+ and added all this random content to their prestigious streaming platform? Yes. However, HBO Max still has the highest quality of shows and throw the most money at their productions attracting the best talent, writers, directors to their original series and films.
Apple TV+: Not a ton of content, but very high quality. Great series like Ted Lasso and films like CODA. I highly recommend you add this platform to your streaming list. It’s one to watch.
Paramount+: Tons of TV content from CBS, originals are okay, great for watching classic films, and now that it is merging with Showtime, it’s a must as Showtime has the best documentaries.
Peacock: I only watch this for The Real Housewives
STARZ: what is going on with this streaming platform? They used to have tons of new content. I think Lionsgate is getting ready to sell it. Only watch for Outlander.
AMC+: Honestly, you get a lot of bang for your $8.99. Not only do you get series and films from AMC, but also content from Sundance, Shudder, BBC, IFC Films and Acorn. It’s also the home for Mad Men and The Wine Show so it’s a great platform at add-on.
Disney+: Great for kids and fans of Marvel and Star Wars films, but if you’re into National Geographic documentaries then you will definitely want to check out their NatGeo channel on the platform. Also, wish they would stop adding ABC crap like Dancing with the Stars on Disney+.
MGM+: Not a ton of content, but their original programming is good and their documentaries are some of the best. Laurel Canyon is one of my favorite documentaries which streams here.
On My Bookshelf 📚 : “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
I just finished reading “Lessons in Chemistry” and I really enjoyed this novel. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a novel this much. I loved each and every character, especially the feminist hero Elizabeth Zott, who even in 1961 stood up to her male counterparts in the male-dominated world of science and television. The writer did a fantastic job of giving her large cast of characters different voices and balancing their presence on the page. Interestingly enough, the book is about a cooking show and it just so happens the author’s agent is Felicity Blunt who is Emily Blunt’s sister and is married to Stanley Tucci who hosted a cooking and travel show on CNN that you can stream on Hulu and HBO Max — Searching For Italy. Looking forward to the Apple TV+ series adaptation starring Brie Larson coming this Fall.
Just Getting Started 📺 … Bad Sisters
I just started streaming Bad Sisters on Apple TV+. I’m two episodes in and find it quite funny and charming. The lead sister, Eva is played by Sharon Horgan (tallest sister in pic) who helped develop the series and is also the writer/creator of Amazon Prime’s Catastrophe and HBO Max’s Divorce starring Sarah Jessica Parker. When we talk about the use of flashbacks for a mystery, Bad Sisters does a great job using flashbacks as a device to not only flesh out the plot and foreshadow, but fully develop the characters.
Everyday Wine 🍷 Under $20 - Francis Ford Coppola Director’s Cut Cabernet Sauvignon
Coppola’s Director’s Cut is a friendly, everyday sort of wine that you could open up on a Monday night and hopefully last you through Wine Wednesday. It’s a little more on the fruity side with notes of cherry, blackberries, and plum. You’ll get a hint of vanilla resting on an oaky foundation. The flavors are well balanced and there isn’t much bite to it, so its easy to just drink alone without a meal while you live stream the Met Ball.
Streaming Tonight: 📺
White House Plumbers (HBO Max)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ attention! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stay Tuned For the May 2023 Binge Calendar — coming at you TONIGHT!!! It will feature every new series and film streaming this month on every main streaming platform. You’ll definitely want to keep it handy as your modern TV guide.