Pat Taub
If you’re like me, evenings set aside for video watching frequently spiral into frustration. You make a selection but three minutes in, you know it’s not for you, so you try another film followed by another and another until after multiple failed attempts, you throw the remote across the room, give up on the video hunt and/or re-watch an old favorite.
To take the irritation out of your video searches, I’m offering my selections, all staring kick-ass female protagonists. Snuggle up with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy!
FOR LAUGHS:
RUSSIAN DOLL (Netflix)
An overnight hit series featuring a fast-talking hip Manhattan single woman played by Natasha Lyons. This highly engaging series has an unusual premise, which I won’t give away.
Natasha Lyons, the madcap star of “Russian Doll”
MOTHERLAND (Amazon Prime)
A British TV series featuring three frazzled mothers and one stay-at-home dad who, despite their best efforts, comically fail at parenting. In one scene, the school notifies the protagonist, Julia (Anna Maxwell Martin) that her son can’t swim because he’s missing swim trunks. Julia’s response, “Can’t he swim in his pants?”
GRACE AND FRANKIE (Netflix)
There are now 4 seasons of this series starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as two older women thrown together through their divorces. It doesn’t shy away from the ageism and sexism that plagues older women. Lily is a treasure and my reason for returning to this series.
Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda in “Grace and Frankie,” which besides being funny is a testament to women’s friendships.
SPARKLING DRAMA:
ROMA (Netflix)
This critically acclaimed film is generating a lot of Oscar buzz. It tells the story of a year in the life of a middle-class family’s maid in Mexico City in the early 1970’s. The maid is played by Yalitzia Aparicio, a 25-year-old Mexican who had never acted before yet delivers a stunning performance. Keep the Kleenex nearby.
Yalitzia Aparicio, who plays the nanny in “Roma”
HOWARD’S END (Amazon Prime)
The popular ’90’s film was newly adapted last year into a mini series. It features two forward-thinking sisters in Edwardian London who lead an unconventional life full of surprise and delight. If I had a time machine I’d join one of their bohemian lunch gatherings.
DISOBEDIENCE (Amazon Prime)
A riveting film staring Rachel Weisz, a photographer based in Manhattan who returns to her London Orthodox Jewish community for her father’s funeral. Weisz is a persona non-gratia having been shunned for her attraction to her childhood friend, played by Rachel McAdams, now a married Orthodox wig-wearing wife. Once reunited sparks fly between the two women.
Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams in “Disobedience”
THE CHILDREN ACT (Netflix)
Based on the novel by Ian McEwan and starring Emma Thompson in a powerhouse performance. Thompson plays a judge who agonizes over a case where she has to decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer over his family’s refusal to accept medical treatment on religious grounds.
THRILLERS:
KILLING EVE (Amazon Prime)
If you take heart medication be sure to have a dose ready for this edge-of-your-seat BBC thriller starring Sandra Oh in the role, which won her a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV series.
BODY GUARD (Netflix)
A BBC crime thriller starring Keeley Hawe as the demanding, unpopular British Home Secretary who barely survives several assignation attempts. Her bodyguard, Richard Madden, heroically defends Hawe as he struggles to keep his opposing politics at bay.
DOCUMENTARIES:
MC QUEEN (Amazon Prime)
An amazing look into the wildly creative and too short career of the British fashion designer, Alexander McQueen. His imaginative designs and jaw-dropping runway shows had me glued to my seat.
An Alexander McQueen runway show from “McQueen”
ALWAYS AT THE CARLYLE (Hulu)
For sheer romantic indulgence this glimpse into Manhattan’s esteemed old world Hotel Carlyle won’t disappoint. While I’ll never be able to afford a stay at the Carlyle I vicariously was in residence as I watched this charming documentary.
FOR FOODIES:
SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT (Netflix)
Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat travels the world in search of delicious easy-to-make recipes. A must watch if you’re tired of all those precious chefs churning out intimidating dishes. Watching Samir is like cooking with your best friend who’s funny and unpretentious.
Samin Nosrat, the chef star of “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”
