What We're Watching: In Quarantine with Friends, April 2020
I’m Leah, and I love watching TV and movies. I also have a hard time choosing what to watch. If we have any of that in common, then I’m here to help! I’ll be writing guests posts with “What We’re Watching”, I hope you enjoy my picks!
Watching movies and tv shows can be such a social activity. I love to watch people watch movies I love, or bond with friends over a shared favorite TV show from our teens or watch a brand new movie with people who had all been looking forward to it. Since we’ve been social distancing, I’ve missed doing that. Luckily, I started seeing a lot of tweets about the Google Chrome extension “Netflix Party,” which syncs up your Netflix stream with one or more other friends and provides a group-chat. This selection includes some of my suggestions for online binges with your friends. Happy Netflix-Partying!
Frances Ha (film, directed by Noah Baumbach, written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baubach)
Celebrating female friendship, and all the ups and downs that comes with it, with your friends? What could be better?
This movie makes me feel creative and inspired, which is really hard to come by right now. The core romance of this movie is really the friendship between the title character, Frances (played by Greta Gerwig) and her college best friend Sophie. Sophie and Frances’ relationship is complicated and hard, but beautiful and tender. It’s how I think about my own friendships, and it’s nice to think of nice memories with friends. Plus, anything co-written by and starring Greta Gerwig is worth a watch.
Roswell: New Mexico (TV, created by Carina Adly Mackenzie)
I’m an absolutely sucker for a fun supernatural CW show, and I am loving Roswell: New Mexico. This is the second show based on the Roswell High young adult book series, the first being a short-lived cult classic that aired for three seasons from 1999 and 2002 on The WB and UPN, which have since combined to form The CW. If you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural, like I do, or even the original Roswell TV series, then you might enjoy Roswell, New Mexico.
Season two has just started airing on television, so it’s the perfect time to catch up on season 1 now on Netflix. There’s romance, aliens, allegories for real-world issues, sex and drama. What could be better? Watch with your friends, fight over ships, develop fan theories together and speculate whether aliens are real in the Netflix Party group chat.
Echo in the Canyon (film, directed by Andrew Slater)
This 2018 documentary about the music scene in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles in the mid-60s is perfect for watching with that friend you always talk about music with. Instead of being at a bar together late talking about your favorite bands, you can enjoy the same feeling over a stable wifi connection and a bowl of popcorn.
When I was a kid, my parents played a lot of ‘60s and ‘70s folk in the car, but I didn’t know a ton about its history. It’s fascinating to watch how folk got more electric and how the bands of the era all intermingled and influenced each other. “Neil Young was in so many bands!” is a text I sent to about seven people after finishing this movie. This doc also included some of my modern favorite artists, like Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple, playing covers and talking about music. Plus, it might inspire your next quarantine playlist.
Jeopardy (TV, created by Merv Griffin)
Okay, hear me out. I think this could be a fun game in the group-chat, where you all try to beat each other and send the answer first. This suggestion is perfect for the friend groups that are suffering from some major bar trivia withdrawal, like I am.
Good Burger (Film, directed by Brian Robbins, written by Dan Schneider, Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert)
I’ve found myself returning to a lot of childhood favorites for comfort lately and you know what? A lot of them are still totally funny and good! It’s fun to see a baby Kenan Thompson, and to see how much of this movie you really remember. This is a great to watch with that childhood friend you’ve been reconnecting with lately, or just anyone who has an appreciation for the classics.
Band Aid (Film, written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones)
Band Aid is about a couple that decides to form a band and sing their arguments instead of yell at each other all the time. It’s as funny as it sounds, but it’s also an incredibly heartfelt story of love, marriage and family. Plus, the crew was made up entirely of women, which is something writer/ director/star Zoe Lister-Jones insisted upon. Watch through the credits for a soothing list of names.
Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife (Film, directed by Jay Karas, written by Ali Wong)
Laugh with your friends! It’s okay to want to tune out the news for an hour and watch some stand-up comedy. Now would be a great time to rewatch any of the stand-up specials you and your friends quote back and forth. If you don’t have a favorite comedy special, that’s fine, too. Now’s the time to try some out and laugh with your friends over a newfound favorite.
My recommendation is Ali Wong. She’s so sharp, so accessible, so funny and so astute. She’s also gross, and I love when women allow themselves to be gross. It’s as funny as it is freeing. When you’re done, watch her first special, and every movie she’s been in and read her book (I especially recommend the cartoon she was on with Tiffany Haddish, Tuca & Bertie, also streaming on Netflix).
Good Luck and Good Watching!
ABOUT WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
What We’re Watching is our guide on tv and films from our team at the Light Leaks. Finding new things to watch shouldn’t feel intimidating- too many of us have been bombarded by bro-y film culture telling us what’s good. This column is our way of introducing you to new (and maybe some familiar) favs to watch. Happy viewing!
Leah Williams is a social writer and lover of film and television. She also loves the midwest, independent bookstores and watching videos of other people cooking. Find her on Twitter @leahgwilliams.