A Friend Recommended It.

Of all of the people you meet in your life, there always seems to be that one friend of yours that has always recommended different tv shows and films to you endlessly. Almost whenever you are hanging out, they find a way to bring up that one movie or show. Or if you liked that, you’ll love this, etc.

That friend is me.

I have been that friend, for as long as I can remember. I would recommend some shows or movies to my friends, but it would either be too obscure for their own tastes or something they felt like they couldn’t get into. (Even though some of my recommendations were British shows such as The Inbetweeners, or even something well known as Doctor Who, they thought of them as too much of a language barrier)

That was until I met my friend Saul, that I found a kindred spirit, and someone who had never watched American Horror Story until I told him about Asylum.

Even though we’ve been friends for the last decade,Saul and I have made recommendations to each other and have broaden our horizons.

2020 being no exception.

here are a few gems we discover along the way and hopefully you'll like them too

Twin Peaks

Out of the two of us, I have been more of the movie buff. When it comes to classics like Spielberg's Duel, to Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, my friend has always kept an open mind when it came to my suggestions of movies without unrelenting action or zombies. When he asked for a television show that he could get into with a compelling story, my mind automatically went to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s seminal work; Twin Peaks.

Trying to explain what Twin Peaks is in the most simplest terms, is like trying to explain a rainbow to a blind person who just somehow gained their sight back.

Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is called to the titular town of Twin Peaks to solve the murder of high schooler Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), who may not have been the girl next door everyone thought she was.

To try to explain the story any further would rob you of yourself from trying to decipher what is truly going on. The only thing I am willing to let you know is that without this show, we wouldn't have the type of television shows such as The Sopranos’, Lost, and True Detective

You see, what Twin Peaks did was blur the lines when it came to television/movies with its storytelling. Along with its surreal style, mix of genres, and the captivating cast of quirky characters, Twin Peaks went mostly unappreciated while it was on the air, which led to the series being canceled after season two. But that didn’t stop it from becoming a cult classic well before the age of the internet.

With a prequel movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me released a year after the show's cancellation it looked like that was all for the mystery of the small town. Until in 2017, almost twenty five years later, the show returned. Coincidentally titled Twin Peaks: The Return, the series returned to critical and commercial acclaim.

Even though we are only a quarter way into the second season, Saul is loving the series. Even if he is sort of confused about what is going on once and a while, he can not not know who killed Laura Palmer.

Sonic The Hedgehog

When Saul recommended we watch the new Sonic The Hedgehog movie, I was hesitant at first.

Not just because everyone, including myself, knew about the backlash over Sonic’s original design, it’s just universally believed (to gamers and fans mostly) that any sort of video game adaptation is doomed to fail.

Boiling it down to two factors, it’s the vast difference between the two mediums. With games, you interact with the story while with movies you simply overserve them. What movie adaptations of games do is take that control away. Not to mention the artistic license most studios take.

But after watching Sonic, I was genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Here was a movie adaptation of one of (our) my favorite childhood video games, and I didn’t hate it. The characters were almost identical to the ones they were based on (especially a hilarious performance by Jim Carrey. Throwing his own spin on Dr.Robotnik), and the story was so universal that older fans and newer ones could easily enjoy it.

That’s when I started to remember all of the other video game movies that came before. I thought of DOOM (2005), Silent Hill (2006), Street Fighter (1994), and my personal favorite Mortal Kombat (1995). What do these movies have in common besides being bad videos game movies that vary in one person's own opinion(Saul loves the Rampage (2018) adaptation because the arcade cabinet was at our local Pizza Hut, and his family would go there every other week.)? None of these movies would have been made, for bad or worse because of the Super Mario Bros. Movie

In May 1993, ten years after the release of the original game, Super Mario Bros. released to poor reviews and poor box office numbers. Of the many factors that came into play, the main one being the story having almost nothing to do with the original game. And that’s saying something about a game where you jump on turtles and eat mushrooms.

Roland Joffe, the producer who pitched the idea to Nintendo, wanted to make a dark edgy Mario. Much like Tim Burton’s Batman, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie years prior.

I could go on, but one of the main things about the Mario Bros movie is that it was the very first video game movie. Yes, it had its fair share of problems, but it was an experiment. Like most experiments, someone had to start somewhere. Even though it's just a movie to have on in the background, or to watch ironically, it did change the way Hollywood gave attention to video game storytelling. Along with how not to make a movie.

Anthologies

One of the things that surprised both Saul and myself was our love for anthologies. Either it be movies or tv shows like the original Twilight Zone to the different seasons of American Horror Story (which Saul has a certain fondness for Coven while I love and will defend Asylum).

So, it came as a surprise, to the both of us, to learn that there have been series we haven’t shared with each other. Mainly due to the sporadic nature of our tastes and schedules, we do tend to watch stuff on our own. It’s only when we have the time to watch stuff together, which was less rare during our individual quarantines, that we sat down and showed each other what we have been holding each other out on.

Creepshow (2019)

Based on the film series created by George A. Romero and Stephen King (I didn’t even know there was a third movie), Creepshow the series, much like it’s predecessor, is about short terrifying tales. From killer mold to a New England version of the Lochness Monster, this series respects the original movie, (even with Stephen King adaptation of his short “Grey Matter”) and the EC comics that inspired them.

One episode in particular I like and showed Saul was episode three of season one. All Hallows Eve/The Man In The Suitcase.

Even though the first story was alright, a usual by the numbers revenge story, it’s the second one that remains one of the reasons I love this show.

Much like the title of the story, a young down on his luck man finds a man contorted in a suitcase. Not knowing how he got in there, the young man tries to get him out. Only it hurts the man in the suitcase so much that a gold coin pops out of his mouth . A simple story about greed, but done in the Creepshow fashion makes for a really good story. Along with some of the call backs to the original movie’s transitions and practical effects, Saul loved it, and we binged the entire season in one day.

Love Death + Robots

After we finished Creepshow, Saul was checking out Netflix. He was scrolling for a little bit when he came across Love, Death, + Robots.

Not knowing what it was about, and just simply wanting something else to watch, clicked on it.

What I can say about Love Death + Robots, it’s everything you’d expect from the directors David Fincher (Fight Club, Gone Girl), and Tim Miller (Deadpool), and so much.

Made up different animated shorts from different directors and writers, Love Death + Robots is a vast spectrum of genres. From horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and even comedy there was something for Saul and I to love, and more

My personal favorite being “Three Robots” which has three robots on vacation in a world where an apparent apocalypse has wiped out humanity. While Saul’s favorite being Sonnie’s Edge.

“Pokémon on steroids in the Blade Runner world” as he described to me as the credits rolled.

Room 104

HBO being a big player with it’s original content with the likes The Sopranos, The Wire, and most of all Game of Thrones, there’s other series that come and go unnoticed most of the time.

Crashing, the story of a homeless comedian making his way through everyday life.

Warrior, a crime drama set in the gang filled streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown in late 1800’s. A Chinese immigrant martial arts prodigy becomes a hit man for Chinatown’s most powerful crime families.

Bored to Death. A struggling writer who decides to become a private detective after reading mystery novels.

These shows are on so many different levels, but it’s my opinion that Room 104 is one of the best.

Room 104 is another anthology series I stumbled upon. Like the title, all of the stories take place in an unnamed hotel’s room 104.

From one story about a couple bizarre sex game, a guest who sees the ghost of his dead best friend and asks advice for his crumbling marriage, to a babysitter who seems to have more than a split personality.

I can see why most people didn’t really hear about this show. Game of Thrones, West World, and Silicon Valley did cast quite a shadow. That, and it’s such a strange premise, only few would be willing to stay tuned.

The show ended in Fall of 2020, but for the creators, the Duplass Brothers, it was all they really wanted and more.

This may not be for everyone. There are a few episodes that left Saul, and myself scratching our heads, or just wondering what kind of story would actually form from this one idea. But it’s something you’d have to make your way through and see what you find that makes you want to check into Room 104 yourself.

Well, I hope these selections are enough for you , for now at least. I could recommend more shows and movies, but we'd be here for a long time. But if anyone asks where you heard of these shows or movies, just say a friend recommended them.