Hello,
A huge announcement. I have created an accompanying Instagram Account for C-Ritically Acclaimed (@c_ritically_acclaimed). I’ll post my top ten faves of the month along with mini reviews along the way. I’ll also post my infamous Tik Tok Thursday - it will be an aggregation station!! People with shorter attention spans will now be able to enjoy my content as well!
In worse news, I’m in a bit of a slump. Last week was a suffocating heat wave in Los Angeles and the area right outside my apartment has been under construction for the last four weeks. The combination of heat that would not lift (I didn’t feel a single breeze) and the constant drilling, painting and yelling outside my apartment drove me mad. I was driving around like a chicken with my head cut off moving from cafe to cafe (one would have wifi, one would have outlets, but no cafe has both). My mood deteriorated throughout the week and not even my pink scarf that I’m knitting could cure me.
Luckily the rain fell down and woke my dreams and when I woke up yesterday, it was 20 degrees cooler. Pha-yew.
Luckily LUCKILY there were so many good shows and books this month.
TV:
Motherland (BBC/Sundance)- As part of Sharon Horgan September (she created Bad Sisters too!) I watched this show and fell in love with the characters. It’s about a working mom trying to figure out child care and the motley crew of friends she reluctantly makes along the way. My mom was actually triggered watching it and did not find watching stressed out working moms be stressed enjoyable. As someone who has only had a stressed out mother but has not been one, I loved it! It was a hoot. So many LOL moments. 5/5 (I’m going back to a normal rating system because it’s easier with the new Instagram!)
Bad Sisters (Apple TV+) - Another part of Sharon Horgan September, this show has sisters being bad, a wanker, a MURDER, funny dialogue, and a romance. What more could I ask for? Oh yes, and it’s Irish. Such a nice accent to listen to. 5/5
Everything I Know About Love (Peacock) - OMG, a coming of age comedy about a girl who has a BLOG ABOUT TV and gets a job as a REALITY TV STORY PRODUCER. Jeez, on the nose much? Know your audience, much, Peacock? Of course I give this 5/5.
Echoes (Netflix)- A twisty thriller about twins who trade places and are terrible at lying (shockingly so!). It keeps you on your toes and has the feel of a classic mystery/thriller that you read in one day. 4/5
Mindy (Hulu)- I’ve been noticing a lot of 2015/16 nostalgia on Tik Tok and I think it’s because it was the last time the world as a whole didn’t feel so scary. I wanted to feel nostalgic so I watched Mindy. She really is a funny writer. I mean, if I wrote my own show, I would also make every cute actor my boyfriend at some point and have no other female leads. Some stuff doesn’t hold up at all like the endless fat jokes but the rest is pretty fun. 3.5/5
New Game of Thrones Show (HBO) - I’m lit-rally too lazy to google the name of this show but I watched the new dragon show on HBO verrryyy reluctantly but by the end was very intrigued. I’ll probably keep watching but don’t worry, I won’t share any hot takes because GOT fans are mean and territorial. I’m not going to put a rating cause I don’t want any ‘tude.
Industry (HBO)- The GOAT (can you tell I’ve been listening to a lot of Ringer episodes lately? lol). I’m still gutted by the harrowing sibling episode (Meth, not even once!!) and am really hoping for some levity soon. 5/5
Tell Me Lies (Hulu) - So I was going to review the book version (below) and talk about everything I wish was different about the story but the show premiered this week and addressed all of my criticisms! As we know all too well (Tay Tay on my mind), dark academia is my #1 favorite genre and this one does not disappoint. Prepare for OTT sex scenes, though. 4/5
Unscripted
Keep This Between Us (Freeform) - I’m really enjoying Freeform documentary series lately!! The Teal Swan documentary was on Freeform as well. This one is about a woman who was groomed by her high school teacher and ended up “dating” him from age 16-19. She returns to her hometown where people would prefer not to revisit the past and to keep things quiet. 4/5
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Bravo) - Of course RHBH is back in my good graces. I’m HOOKED on the Kathy Hilton tequila tasting drama. How dare they dismiss her! 4/5
Untold, Manti Te’o (Netflix) - The original catfish story about college football maven (that’s the right term I believe), Manti Te’o (whose name I spelled so wrong initially that when I googled it, nothing came up). He’s the sweetest, most naive Hawaiian guy just trying to make it in the big leagues and gets catfished by a peer! 4/5
Southern Charm (Bravo) - IDK why I’m watching this but I keep watching. Naomi and Whitney relationship was a major twist. Kathryn always wins me over. Austen and Craig’s friendship continues to tickle me. 3/4
BOOKS
Being Lolita by Alisson Wood- The author was featured in “Keep This Between Us” and her book is about being groomed by and dating a male teacher when she was 15 who constantly compared their relationship to Lolita. Her writing is beautiful and really has stayed with me! 5/5
Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 40,000 people told me to read this book, so I finally did. I get the hype! I really want to see it as a TV show, which I’m sure it will be in the next year. 4/5
Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering- I coincidentally read this right before the show came out. All of my complaints about the book (why is the college in California? Why did the mystery surround an ancillary character from her past and not someone we met at the college?) were amended in the TV series. 3/5.
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead- I’ve been waiting patiently for this book to come out since I heard about it last winter. Remember that Sarah Lawrence cult from 2014 or so? This is the fictionalized, dark thriller version of that story. It’s GRIPPING and already 5 star territory.
Ok TTYL! Follow the Instagram for cute lil mid-week updates!