Category: Whatcha Watching

Whatcha Watching, Geekly: June 2025

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Happy Wednesday! Since it’s Wednesday, we have another Whatcha post. Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. Today, the Geekly writers will share the TV shows and movies they watched over the last month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching, because you’re part of the Geekly Gang, too.

Kyra’s Shows

I’ve watched a handful of shows, but Good American Family may be the most noteworthy. Good American Family is another true crime documentary, but it doesn’t involve murder like my last month’s picks, just child abuse and neglect. Trigger Warning: If you don’t care to watch a show about child abuse, I would skip Good American Family.

This Hulu exclusive follows a real-world couple (Kristine and Michael Barnett) as they adopt a child with dwarfism (Natalia Grace). Good American Family makes an interesting choice with its narrative structure; it attempts to show both sides of the issue. This idea may work better in theory than in practice. Kristine (portrayed by Ellen Pompeo) and Michael (played by Mark Duplass) tell their story first. In fact, the first two episodes (which originally aired the same day, March 19, 2025) follow the Barnett’s sequence of events.

Kristine champions autistic children. She believed in her autistic son, Jacob, and helped him adjust to his neurodivergence and strives to do the same for other children like Jacob. Good American Family goes out of its way to paint Kristine as an angel of mercy in these first two episodes. The same can’t be said for Natalia (played by Imogen Faith Reid).

Natalia does some horrific things like putting her hands over Kristine’s eyes while she’s driving, decapitating her adoptive brother’s stuffed giraffe, and poisoning Kristine’s coffee. What makes matters worse is that Kristine believes that Natalia Grace is a twenty-two-year-old woman instead of a seven-year-old child. It’s like a scene from the movie Orphan. Natalia is getting close to Kristine’s husband, Michael. The first two episodes do a great job of setting up this conceit. It even appears that Natalia has gone through puberty (she might have a period and has pubic hair), so Kristine Barnett’s hypothesis sounds like it could be true.

But then we get Natalia’s point of view in Good American Family’s third episode. She is clearly a child, not an adult. Her outbursts are those of a troubled child with disabilities. What seemed to be understandable–if extreme–responses by the Barnetts in the first two episodes transform into horrific child abuse in the third episode. By the end of the second episode, the Barnetts legally change Natalia’s age to 22 and dump her in an apartment by herself. So, the Barnetts just abandoned their child. That’s terrible. Things get worse for Natalia as the Barnetts sprinkle in some torment (during the third episode and beyond). Spoiler Alert: Eventually, Natalia finds a supportive family, her life turns around, and she takes the Barnetts to court.

Again, I’m most interested in Good American Family’s narrative structure. While I like the attempt to show both sides of this story, the show’s structure holds it back. Many viewers said things like I can’t believe this 22-year-old duped this couple. Clearly, these viewers didn’t watch Good American Family beyond its opening night (when it released its first two episodes). Perhaps Good American Family should’ve released the third episode on opening day or consolidated the first two episodes. The second episode ventures into some nice psychological horror; I could’ve done without the first episode’s melodrama.

The point of view shifts to Michael Barnett near the end of Good American Family. This episode (or episodes) paints Michael as another potential Kristine victim. I never bought it. Good American Family hammers home the point that Natalia was the only victim in this story during its final episode. Ultimately, Good American Family obscured a heap of details during those first two episodes. It didn’t just show the Barnetts’ point of view; it sanitized the Barnetts’ wrongdoing. And what the Barnetts did gets sick.

Kyra’s Movies

I watched plenty of true crime documentaries. I won’t add another one to the movies I watched this last month. Instead, Captain America: Brave New World was added to Disney+. I didn’t watch it in theaters, so I figured I would give it a quick review.

Captain America: Brave New World wasn’t as bad as I feared, but it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. The Serpent Society barely played a role. The movie doubled down on traditional Hulk villains, Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (Red Hulk) and The Leader. While I still think Hulk villains in a Captain America movie makes little sense, I like that Captain America: Brave New World didn’t try to shoehorn more members of the Serpent Society. The movie’s villains could’ve been crowded.

Despite being a more focused story than I originally thought, Captain America: Brave New World requires a lot of MCU homework. Falcon/Winter Soldier, The Incredible Hulk, and Eternals. I could see a lot of people watching Falcon/Winter Soldier. That series did well enough on Disney+, but MCU fans would need to subscribe to Disney+ and watch an eight-hour miniseries.

The Incredible Hulk is eighteen years old by this point. Captain America: Brave New World does a good job of building up Ross and his daughter, Betty, but talk about striking while the iron is ice cold. Fewer moviegoers watched Eternals. I wouldn’t have watched Eternals if it weren’t available on my flight to London. I wasn’t going anywhere for eight hours. Why not watch Eternals?

I like how Captain America: Brave New World introduced adamantium by using Celestial Island (an event from Eternals). But I can’t help but imagine the MCU viewer who saw the massive body in the middle of the Indian Ocean and wondered if that was Galactus. There’s a lot of mandatory MCU homework for Captain America: Brave New World. In fact, this movie may have the most required MCU homework. By my count, one would need to watch about 40 hours. 40 hours? Yikes!

And while I said that Captain America: Brave New World’s story could’ve been far more scattered with additional Serpent Society members, that doesn’t mean that the movie has a tight script. It rambles. I thought the movie could’ve ended a handful of times before it did. And my final note is on Sam Wilson’s Captain America (who didn’t take the super soldier serum). The Wakandans did Sam a solid. His vibranium wings saved him multiple times. While that makes sense for the character and within the confines of the MCU, I didn’t like how little I feared for Sam’s safety.

I didn’t want Sam to get hurt, but he’s the one Captain America who didn’t take the super soldier serum, and he went toe to toe with a Hulk. I didn’t gasp once during his battle. It was as if Sam had taken the super soldier serum. Captain America: Brave New World may be a mixed bag, but I love Tim Black Nelson’s Leader. The Leader may have been worth an eighteen-year wait.

That’s all I have for this month. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been watching.

Skye’s Movies

After watching Goodfellas, I can see what everybody’s talking about. Goodfellas isn’t one of those movies I hear a lot about, but whenever I do hear about it, it’s always good things. I wouldn’t say Goodfellas is the quintessential mob movie (considering we live in a world where The Godfather still exists), but it’s still pretty darn good. Goodfellas does a great job of capturing the feel of organized crime, has gritty violence, is just the right amount of uncomfortable, and I loved it.

While not the whole story, Goodfellas does enough to show us both the glamour and danger of mob life. Also, the piano exit from “Layla” has been stuck in my head for weeks.

Some Like it Hot has been on my watch list for years. After watching it, I can confirm that I enjoyed Some Like it Hot, but not as much as I thought. To be clear, Some Like it Hot is still a very funny movie and got some genuine laughs despite its age, but I was surprised by how slow it could be at times. I was taken aback by the sudden romance that came halfway through. It wasn’t necessarily bad; I just wasn’t expecting it.

Even if Some Like it Hot wasn’t as bombastically funny as I anticipated, I still had a fun time with it. After all, nobody’s perfect.

The Seventh Seal is a classic in every meaning of the word. Even to this day, The Seventh Seal is one of those movies that’s studied in film schools around the world. This was my first time watching The Seventh Seal. Put simply, I wasn’t disappointed. I respected The Seventh Seal’s patient approach to suspense and thrills. Modern horror films overly rely on jump scares to make the movie seem scarier. The Seventh Seal‘s silence scared me the most.

If you haven’t seen The Seventh Seal, I highly recommend you treat yourself to one of cinema’s most revered classics.

Eraserhead is a movie I had already seen before this month, but I felt like I needed to watch it again. If you’ve never seen Eraserhead, you’d best go into this experience blind. This is a cinematic journey you’ll never forget. It’s difficult to go into details about what Eraserhead is because it uses shrouded symbolism, abstract storytelling, and deliberate imagery. Despite having seen Eraserhead three times, I still don’t fully understand it. What I like the most about Eraserhead is how you can watch it several times and always come up with a different explanation. That’s, without a doubt, David Lynch’s intention. Rest in peace, David Lynch.

If you’ve never seen it, make sure you watch Eraserhead on an empty stomach. You’ll thank me later. Also, keep telling yourself: “In Heaven, everything is fine.”

Season’s Movies

I’m not much of a movie watcher, but I did re-watch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & Part 2. No. I didn’t re-watch The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s been a while since I read the books, so I can’t remember everything in the books that got left out of the movies. I think Katniss singing “The Hanging Tree” was my favorite part across both movies. I think the movies did a decent job of representing the books from an outside perspective. As a viewer, I wasn’t completely inundated with Katniss’s every thought. The Hunger Games, in general, is definitely a good series to revisit, both in novel and film form.

Season’s Shows

I’ve been binge-watching Dead End: Paranormal Park the past few days, and I’m in love with it. It’s a cute show that combines accepting people for who they are and fantasy. Who doesn’t like fighting demons while having to deal with scary family/people situations in the real world? Dead End: Paranormal Park features LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent representation. There is one character who got gender binary-coded, which differs from the comic. This aspect of the show irritates me, but other than that, I’d definitely recommend Dead End: Paranormal Park for people who are looking for something fun and in the spirit of Pride.

Kyra Kyle here again. That’s what the Geekly writers have been watching this past month. Let us know what you’ve been watching, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Watching, Geekly? May 2025

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. It’s another Wednesday, and Geekly will be discussing the shows and movies we watched over the past month. I won’t be including Thunderbolts* in this post because I’ve already written a review about that movie. And as usual, we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching over the last month.

Kyra’s Shows

Ten minutes into watching Love & Death, it dawned on me that I had already watched a show with this same premise, Candy. So, I decided to do something a little different with this month’s Whatcha Watching. I rewatched Candy after finishing Love & Death and compared the two shows. Candy and Love & Death differ in two key ways: narrative structure and whose side of the story is told.

Candy (released in 2022 on Hulu) and Love & Death (released in 2023 on Max) follow Candy Montgomery, who was charged with the murder of Betty Gore in 1980. Candy pleaded not guilty based on self-defense. Both mini-series (with some alterations) share the basic details of the case. Candy Montgomery and Allan Gore (Betty’s husband) had an affair that ended amicably. Betty finds out about the affair a year later and accosts Candy with an axe, and Candy defends herself. Both shows also share specific details, such as Candy’s attorney quoting John Steinbeck in his closing arguments, but the two shows couldn’t be any more different.

Love & Death frames its story chronologically. This happens, and then this, and then this. It’s easy to follow. The structure and the time Love & Death spends on developing characters provide a window into who the characters (or real-life people) are and why they may do what they do, and when we finally see the death scene (which happens beyond the halfway point), the murder scene carries a lot of weight.

Conversely, Candy uses non-linear storytelling, bouncing from the present to the past and back again. I’m unsure why Candy chose this style of storytelling. Non-linear narrative structure is often nicknamed the narrative structure of trauma. Perhaps that was what they were going for. Candy shows the murder weapon within the first fifteen minutes and a glimpse of the murder within the first thirty minutes. It’s easy to get lost when something is supposed to happen because Candy shifts timelines.

Narrative structure isn’t the only way these shows differ. Love & Death attempts to stay neutral for all parties involved but leans toward sympathy for Candy Montgomery. Candy leans further into siding with the victim, Betty Gore. Betty’s ghost is even present during the reading of Candy’s verdict. What? There are some head-scratching choices made with Candy, but the show is still a good watch.

Before we move on, I have one other note: Candy uses the commonly seen “Based on a true story” at the beginning of each episode, while Love and Death uses the less common “This is a true story.” I didn’t know where to discuss this; it’s odd. The producers of Love & Death must be wagging their fingers at the producers of Candy. Tsk tsk. I’m unsure how I feel about Love & Death’s assertion, but I am sure that I prefer Love & Death slightly more than Candy.

Both are solid shows, and it was fun watching them back to back. Even though I watched Candy years ago, I forgot the show’s particulars. Watching Love & Death first before rewatching Candy allowed me to keep the timeline straight.

Candy’s narrative structure doesn’t help the story. There were scenes where I wondered if Candy’s husband was distant (like he was in Love & Death), and that’s why Candy cheated, or that Candy cheated on a man trying to make their marriage work (which seemed to be the direction Candy had gone). Candy’s non-linear narrative makes it difficult to track Pat Montgomery (Candy’s husband). Pat learns things about Candy, and he changes over time. Love & Death shows this well. Candy makes it unnecessarily murky at times.

Even so, I love Candy’s set design and atmosphere. Jessica Biel looks the part of Candy Montgomery. And I like that Candy is a trippy mini-series. But I lean toward Love & Death as the better series, even if they may be reaching with “This is a true story.” Biel may look more like Candy, but Elizabeth Olsen has the space and story to embody the character…I mean, real person.

I’ve watched other shows, but I wanted to share my thoughts on these two shows about the same topic that were released a year apart. Let’s see what Season and Skye have been watching.

Skye’s Movies

Blade Runner

I’ve been catching up on my movies. After several trips to my local Barnes & Noble, I’ve gotten a few DVDs. Among them is the original Blade Runner. This is a film that’s been on my watchlist for a while, and I’m glad I watched it, but I must admit I have complicated feelings. This is a movie I want to like, but I don’t know if I can.

I’ve heard an abundance of praise for the original Blade Runner, and I was hoping it would live up to expectations. Blade Runner’s look and feel are amazing, but plot-wise, I don’t know what it’s about. A few things likely went over my head. Before solidifying my opinion, I’d prefer to watch it at least one more time. I’ll gladly give Blade Runner a second chance.

Se7en

I’ve already seen Se7en, but I didn’t own it on DVD. Since I picked it up at Barnes & Noble, I needed to recapture the magic. Needless to say, Se7en holds up pretty well. It’s one of those movies that makes me question my reality and the value we place on morality. How do we determine objectively good morals, and how do we enforce them?

Since humans are imperfect, does anyone have the right to enforce morality? I know that’s deep, but these were the questions running through my head after first viewing Se7en. Of course, they came right back when I rewatched it. If you’re in the mood for an eerie, mysterious, and brutal tale detailing the human condition, Se7en is for you. Find out what’s in the box.

The Secret World of Arrietty

I’ve been on a Studio Ghibli kick, so it’s a great time to watch The Secret World of Arrietty. My favorite thing about the film is the worldbuilding. Focusing on a family of little people living inside a normal sized house, there’s a lot of inventive gadgetry they come up with to maneuver around the place. Each item was clever and cute when I saw them on screen.

Outside of that, I couldn’t get into The Secret World of Arrietty’s story. Mostly because there wasn’t much of a story. I respect The Secret World of Arrietty for trying to embrace a non-traditional plot structure, but in the process, it lost the personal connection. This movie is very cute (one that kids will love), but there unfortunately isn’t much substance to it. Since it’s a Ghibli film, you can bet The Secret World of Arrietty has plenty of breathtaking animation.

Season’s Movie

Hey, Geekly Gang! I’ve been watching more anime than usual lately, which isn’t something I’ve done in a while. I watched The Rose of Versailles (2025) because I saw some clips on Instagram and thought it looked interesting. I had no idea what it was about. The Rose of Versailles is a period piece set during the French Revolution in which a woman leads an army and storms the Bastille (which was a pivotal moment in the actual French Revolution). The Rose of Versailles follows the themes of empowering women and romance. Apparently.

I say “apparently” for the romance because I didn’t care for it. Spoiler alert: The female lead (Oscar) dies at the end of the movie and wants to be with the man she fell in love with. It wasn’t necessarily out of nowhere because the guy she fell in love with grew up with her. But it was shoved in toward the end after she was adamant that she wouldn’t marry and live for her country.

On a different note, Aya Hirano was cast as Marie Antoinette in the Japanese version. I enjoyed watching her in something again after she’d received threats from former fans. I watched a lot of anime she was in when I was a teenager. Some of her notable work includes Fairy Tail (Lucy), The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Haruhi), and Death Note (Misa).

Season’s Show

It was a matter of time before I started watching the Ranma 1/2 remake. I loved the original anime. This remake has a lot to live up to. Right off the bat, they faked me out with the intro song. It opened with Genma hitting a gong, but the song was completely different, so I’m docking points for that. Outside of that, the Ranma 1/2 remake stayed true to both the original anime and the manga. I’m watching the English dub first because that’s how I first watched the original when I was younger. I’ll probably re-watch Ranma 1/2 in Japanese at some point.

Speaking of the English dub, what the heck is up with Nabiki’s voice? Her voice used to be smooth and cool-sounding in the original anime, but they made Nabiki sound screechy in the remake. On the flip side, girl Ranma is more palatable to listen to this time. The original anime didn’t finish the manga’s story and ended in a weird place. I think this had something to do with the producer at the time. I hope the Ranma 1/2 remake sees the full story through to the end.

Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle again. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching over the last month, because you’re part of the Geekly Gang, too. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Watching, Geekly: April 2025

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This is our second new Wednesday segment: “Whatcha Watching, Geekly?” Today, the Geekly Gang will discuss which shows and movies they watched the prior month. Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Let’s give the Geekly Gang one criterion for this post; we won’t include any television shows or movies that we reviewed for JK Geekly. We obviously watched those shows and films. And feel free to share which movies and shows you’ve watched this past month. We’re all part of the Geekly Gang.

Kyra

Shows

Not gonna lie. I’m basic. I’ve been watching true crime shows. I binge-watched all eight seasons of Signs of a Psychopath on Max so fast that I could predict what the psychologists would say next. Shallow affect. Check. Refusal to accept any responsibility. Double check. See how the killer describes the details of a gristly murder like someone would describe their grocery list. Quadruple check. Frankly. I watched too many true crime shows this past month. I may have traveled too far down this rabbit hole.

While YouTuber KallMeKris may not be a forensic psychologist or pathologist like Signs of a Psychopath’s experts, she has more personality than at least three-quarters of the people on that show. And it doesn’t hurt that her platform is free. Crime. Conspiracy. Cults. Serial Killers And Murder. I guess I am one of those sick, beautiful, intellectually minded freaks, and I love it when Kris screws up her intro. Sick, intellectiful binded, anyone? Anyone? Kris is a popular YouTuber for a reason. If you haven’t checked out her channel and you like true crime, give one of her episodes a watch.

Staying on brand, I also binged Netflix’s The Residence. I highly recommend this whodunnit with plenty of comedic moments. The Residence will keep you guessing until the very end. The performances are stellar. Uzo Aduba as Detective Cupp is phenomenal. Ken Marino’s Harry Hollinger is a character you love to hate. The rest of the star-studded cast are brilliant. Giancarlo Esposito goes against type with his portrayal of A. B. Winter. I love Esposito’s performance, but it’s bittersweet. The Residence was supposed to be Andre Braugher’s final performance. The Residence is dedicated to him, and Esposito reluctantly took Braugher’s role. If you’re a fan of whodunnits with a comedic touch, you should watch The Residence.

Movies

I kept seeing YouTube clips of a 2006 Rom-Com, Wedding Daze, starring Isla Fischer (Wedding Crashers) and Jason Biggs (American Pie), and decided to watch it free with ads on YouTube. I vaguely remember watching Wedding Daze years ago. It’s a shameless cash-grab on Biggs’s and Fischer’s notoriety at the time. I’ve seen both actors in better movies/shows since. Biggs portrayed an intriguing side character in Orange is the New Black, while Fischer was excellent in Wolf Like Me. Wedding Daze makes little sense. I give the movie props for swinging hard into the absurd. I mostly “watched” Wedding Daze while I worked on my board game prototypes. But you can’t beat free. YouTube ads within movies aren’t that intrusive. At least they weren’t while I watched Wedding Daze.

Great! Now that I mentioned the show, I may need to rewatch Wolf Like Me.

I may have seen Monsters, Inc. and the previous movie the same day. I definitely watched them the same week. I must’ve been on a nostalgia kick. Monsters, Inc. (2001) holds up almost two and half decades later. Mrs. Geekly shared that one of the movie’s sound technicians followed the toddler who portrayed Boo and recorded whatever she said or sang. And Mary Gibbs (Boo) was allowed to explore the studio and do whatever she wanted. Mrs. Geekly insisted that the one sound technician had the best job in Hollywood. The only problem she could see was refraining from giggling. I have to agree.

I could include a few more movies and shows that I’ve seen and haven’t covered for Geekly this past month, but I’ll turn the post over to Season and Skye. I’d like to see what they’ve been watching. Thank you for reading.

Season

shows

Normally, I’m not a fan of shows (unless we’re watching them for Geekly). Most shows run an hour long for one episode. There are exceptions for me, but the way I see it, if I’m going to watch something long, I may as well watch a movie. That aside, I watch a lot of YouTube. I’ve been into obscure stories and gross-out content. Papa Meat has a lot of content like this. He creates his own set pieces, does food ranking videos, and discusses movies. I prefer the videos where he discusses new age health trends or deadly pranks. Also, his animation channel, MeatCanyon, is a cool showcase of his art. He pokes fun at celebrities and Disney Adults.

Keeping up with the YouTube trend, I fall asleep to ManlyBadassHero’s videos. He’s a horror YouTuber, but he seldom screams or gets loud. Sometimes, the game he’s playing will jump scare me, but his videos are calming. One of my favorite videos of his is when he covers the indie game Hunsvotti. Hunsvotti is about the traditional Finnish holiday of Juhannus (or Midsummer) in which the player runs around finding flowers to throw into a well to find their true love. The player character is bullied because they have black hair while the other villagers are blonde. If I remember correctly, “hunsvotti” is a slur in Finnish, but I’m not sure if it’s still in use. The video itself is about twenty-five minutes, so I won’t go into too much detail.

movies

I got hit with a wave of nostalgia and binged all four Shrek movies. I grew up in the early 2000’s and Shrek was a staple of my childhood. I used to get Shrek toys in my McDonald’s happy meals whenever a new movie came out. I’m not going to lie, I thought the making of next year’s Shrek 5 was a joke. I’m not jumping at the idea of another Shrek movie, but I will watch it. Because Shrek. It’s like me with the Jurassic Park series. I don’t like most of the movies, but I like dinosaurs, so I watch them.

I recently got the Shrek 2 video game for PS2. Skye and I used to play it together growing up. Time to relive the glory days.

Skye

Ah, now this is more up my alley. 😉

If y’all know me, you know that I love TV and film. Heck, I have a movie review blog. To keep things fresh, I won’t include anything you’ll see on Geekly or my other blog. Surprisingly, I enjoy watching a lot of stuff.

Movies

I have a list of movies and shows I feel I need to watch. There isn’t any rhyme or reason to what I decide to watch; I just see something I wrote down and go with it. I’ve meant to watch the Mad Max film franchise for years, and decided there’s no time like the present.

I’ve since seen the first two films, and so far, I’m having a good time with them. While I don’t always follow the plotlines or understand character motivations, the atmosphere of these movies is distinct. That’s easily my favorite aspect. Given that I enjoyed The Road Warrior more than the original, I’m excited to see if the franchise continues this trend of improvement. Naturally, the one movie I’m looking forward to the most is Fury Road.

Anime

I have an otaku side as well. Don’t we all? Since I adored the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime series, I was more than happy to dive into Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It’s been on my radar for way too long.

It’s great to see the Elric brothers again. The animation is as great as ever. The homunculi biding their time in the background gives me goosebumps, and Armstrong is my favorite character. Even in the first series, he always brought a smile to my face.

YouTube

Did I not tell you I’m a fan of online media too? Well, I am. I go through phases of watching my favorite channels, but right now my go-to channel is CoryxKenshin. Even while I write this, I’m listening to his Let’s Play of Murder House.

CoryxKenshin’s sense of humor, love of music, over-the-top reactions, and lovable wit are impossible to resist. It’s tricky for me to describe in this kind of format, but if you’re a fan of YouTube gaming, particularly horror, I’d recommend this channel.

That’s all we have for this week, Geekly Gang. Next week will be our Geekly Tunes post for the month. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.