3 Streaming-Exclusive Shows - And One Movie! - That Are Worth The Price

How is it that we have more options than ever on TV,  but we still end up re-watching Brooklyn 99 or Frasier again? (C'mon, I know it can't be just me.)

I've been looking for new shows to get myself out of the re-watch rut, so today I thought I'd shine a light on a few of my recent favorites that are streaming-exclusive. I'm talking shows you have to pay for, that are WORTH paying for.

Ready?

Starting with the one, the only:

Ted Lasso

Apple Plus

I'm late to this fandom, but so happy to be here. Believe the hype, my friend; Ted Lasso is every good thing you've heard and more, plus incredibly binge-able. Hilarious, smart, and unexpectedly kind, you'll find yourself rooting for just about everyone on screen, not just Ted himself. The friendships in this show are a revelation, and will renew your faith in TV shows, if not humanity.

Don't let the sports backdrop scare you off; this is not a sports show. Ted Lasso is the warm hug of sit-coms: plenty of laughs, just enough dramatic tension to keep you hitting "play next", and an occasional sniffle from the best kinds of feels. It also has lots and LOTS of swearing and some sex, so despite the happy feels, this one's not for the littles, parents.

(One tiny caveat: Skip season 2, episode 9. It's a bizarre one-off episode focusing on a side character, and the show's far better without it, imo.)

Ted Lasso alone is worth buying a month of Apple Plus, but while you're there, also give Schmigadoon a try. John and I enjoyed it even without understanding most of the Broadway references, so if you're a big musical theater fan, Schmig is a must-watch.

****

Next on my list of clear-your-schedule-because-you-WILL-be-bingeing-this,

Only Murders in the Building
Hulu

If you grew up watching mysteries on PBS, this is your show. A thoroughly modern whodunnit with plenty of humor, twists, famous guest stars, and fabulous outfits. Martin Short was born to ham it up for this role, and Steve Martin is his perfect straight man - with Selena Gomez rounding out the trio as the aloof-but-exasperated twenty-something. Tina Fey and Sting guest star, and the mystery will keep you guessing 'til the end - which makes it extra hard to resist watching "just one more."

John and I zipped through Only Murders in under a week - and that was us trying to pace ourselves! The show resolves nicely but also leaves you with a big juicy teaser for next season - which they just announced is coming this year, woohoo! Ahhh, I can't wait.

*****

Next up:

My Top Ten Moments In Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Warning: this post doesn't just contain spoilers about Ghostbusters:Afterlife, it is ALL spoilers. Oh yeah.

Also this will be super confusing if you haven't seen the movie yet, so if that's you, go watch Afterlife first and come back. You don't have to be a huge Ghostbusters fan to love the new movie, but the more familiar you are with the 1984 original, the more references and Easter eggs you'll catch. Afterlife is a continuation of the same story and universe, so much like Force Awakens for Star Wars, it stands well on its own, but has plenty of extras for fans.

Oh, and this will be less of a movie review and more of a "let's fangirl together" top ten sixteen list, hope that's cool. I'll try to keep them in chronological order, too, so we can relive the movie together.

This is gonna be fun.

1) When I first realized it was Egon.

From the previews I knew Afterlife would be about Egon, but I never dreamed he would be in it. So when the light fell on his profile on the front porch, chills, y'all. CHILLS. 

2) Egon's study and its symmetrical book stacking.

There were a few times in Afterlife when I clearly heard a quote from '84 in my head. This was the first of those times, and also one of many Easter eggs throughout the movie.

 "You're right. No human being would stack books like this."

3) The chocolate bar wrapper in Spengler's jumpsuit

Just Phoebe finding the jumpsuits made me a little misty (I could almost have a separate top 10 of how many times I cried) but then the Crunch bar wrapper? MY HEART. This is another Easter egg referencing '84 when Peter gave Egon a Nestle Crunch bar, saying, "You... you've earned this."

4) The workshop lamp pointing to Egon's doctorates on the wall

Though clearly meant to be possessed by Egon's ghost, the workshop lamp felt like an adorable mashup of the Pixar lamp and Tony Stark's workshop robot arm. SO CUTE. This moment was a good chuckle, too; casually showing off his diplomas is VERY Egon.

5) The hilariously horrifying Death Whistle

10 Makers Of Fun & Funky Christmas Jewelry I'm Loving This Week

It's Black Friday, bots, so I bet a lot of you are bunkering down at home, eating leftover turkey, and - oh yes - shopping online. Woo woo!

So in the spirit of retail therapy that doesn't require elbow pads *or* pants, allow me to present some Christmas Jewelry Currently Endangering My Bank Account, or CJCEMBA, for short.

I'm not a big fan of traditional department store bling, so I went for a merry stroll down Etsy lane. I also did my best to focus on independent artists and makers, so we can help support some more small businesses while we shop.

Ready?

Then please... jingle this way.

First up, the sweet vintage designs of Lali Blue:

Gema has 35 different Christmas designs in her shop right now, from brooches to necklaces to earrings, and they remind me of vintage holiday cards in the best ways:

I spent way too long trying to decide which ones to show you, they're all SO GOOD.

Most of them are also dimensional, with stacked layers of wood or acrylic. So cool.

Be sure to visit her shop to see the rest!

*****

Disney fans, you'll want to bookmark Le Petit Mouse:

I can't get enough of these adorable gingerbread Minnie & Mickey pins:

She has plenty of non-holiday designs in her shop you'll love, too.

*****

If you're A Christmas Story fan, then Wilder Mind Design Co has the earrings for you:

In dangle or stud, and made of wood so they're not... fra-GIL-e. ;)

*****

Born 2 Blossom Designs is another shop tormenting me with too many awesome choices. LOOK:

For my Friends friends. Look at the glittery fez & mirror lenses in the sunglasses!

They also have A Christmas Story earrings:

The Big Beetlejuice Halloween Wrap-Up

John and I took an extra day off for his birthday yesterday, which was lovely and exactly the rest we needed, ahhhh. (We ate fancy take-out and played video games all day. Like adults.) So thanks for being patient while I shirked my bloggy duties, and for all the sweet birthday wishes!

And now I am BACK with a full report of our Beetlejuice Halloween shenanigans. Woot woot!

(If you missed them be sure to check out our Sandworm build and all the pretty reveal shots!)

 Halloween night was hectic, hilarious, stressful, so exhausting, and totally worth it.

First let me back up and show you a couple last-minute additions, because of course we kept crafting until the last second:

I covered a hardback book with brown craft paper, waxed the paper to darken it, printed the image, and cut & transferred the title with our Cricut. This was a great prop for photos, and honestly it'll be fun to have lying around the house later.

We also made the "Now Serving" sign - which lights up! - and some number strips for people waiting:

The sign is made of Dollar Tree foam board and posterboard, with two LED puck lights behind the numbers to make them glow.

We hung this on the garage door behind our chairs and coffee table - a make-shift "waiting room."

Our friends Traci, Arielle, and Karen all came in costume, so we had increasingly silly photo-shoots as the night went on. There were also several impromptu dance parties, as we kept the soundtrack blaring.

In fact, here are some video snippets of the silliness:

Our Beetlejuice Halloween: The Big Build Update!

 Y'all.

It's almost time for Beetlejuice Halloween!!

EEEEEEEEEEEE

So last week I showed you the biggest part of our project this year: the inflatable Sandworm arches and candy slide. Since then John and I've been busy crafting more movie-related props and silliness, and WOW do I have a lot to show you. Just... so much.

I should mention if you've never seen Beetlejuice most of this won't make sense. In that case I recommend stopping here, and, y'know, going to watch Beetlejuice.

But for the rest of you, iiiit's.... TIME TO START THE SHOW!

Starting with the iconic Beetlejuice marquee sign. John cut the shape from pink insulation foam:

Then installed patio lights from Amazon around the edge:

(The lights he ordered were way too long, so he cut the strand in half - which actually worked, woot woot!)

Here's what the back looks like, with all the wires duct-taped down:



We weren't going to have our sign pointing at Beetlejuice, though, so we changed the wording:


 (I may tell the kids to chant "candy" three times to get their treats.)

We cut the words with our Cricut, then used strips of red poster board for the raised edges.

This turned out SO STINKIN' GOOD, which is annoying because I keep saying we're throwing all this away after Halloween. You know, to save on storage space. Grrr.

I'm not the only one thinking John should be wearing fishnet stockings here, right?

:D

Last step was adding a stand at just the right height so the arrow points to the sand worm's mouth:

Watch The Robot Apocalypse With Bougie PB&Js

Top of the Tuesday to you, bots and tots. What's shakin'? Or jiggling? Multiple answers accepted.

Today I thought I'd share some cool stuff I'm watching and/or reading and/or eating, along with random photos from various Life Activities. Cool? Cool.

First, the movie John and I watched last night that I highly recommend:

The Mitchells vs The Machines

A family on a road trip gets waylaid by the robot apocalypse, and HIJINKS ENSUE. Super funny, extremely current with social media references and parodies galore, fabulously fun action, and heavy on the feel-good schmaltz - but not in a Pixar tear-jerker way, so we're good. I laughed out loud so many times with this one, definitely give it a watch on Netflix the next time you need some light-hearted laughs.

The Mitchells is made by the same folks behind Into The Spiderverse,  btw, so it has a little of that zany animation style. Less comic book and more story book, though. Also if they don't make a plush of the wall-eyed dog then I will RIOT. :p


Here's another way to add a little excitement to your evening:

Please tell me I'm not the only one who finds this adjective choice hilarious, because the people in line with me did NOT. Pthhp.

Also, really? A neck mask? Listen, I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but your neck looks awesome. Seriously. Save your exhilarating neck mask dollars for something better, like, uh...

Oh! These!

These were the snacks at our last Craft Night: three dollar wine from Aldi that everyone agreed tastes like a kids' juice box - but is somehow 8% alcohol so LOOK OUT - and Bamba Peanut Snacks from Trader Joe's, which taste like peanuts that have been transmogrified into Cheetos. Super weird, but good. And not too salty. Which could probably describe a lot of us here.

Kari, who brought the Cheeto Peanuts (Cheenuts? Peatos?) claims if you put both those and the wine in your mouth at the same time it tastes like a bougie PB&J, so there's your homework this week. Taste test and report back.

I'll have a proper update later, but John and I are still working our tails off most nights over at the rental renovation. Last night John was crawling around in the attic and suddenly slammed a screwdriver through the ceiling of the room I was in, so when people tell you the excitement fizzles after 22 years of marriage, don't you believe them.

Oh yeah, we keep it kooky.

Yesterday I set my phone down on the book I was reading, and it looked so pretty I had to take a picture. Which I needed my phone for, ha. But don't' worry, I made it work:

Movie Night's New Groove: Poison Potions & Tasty Pill Bugs

I've been scheduling weekly craft nights with a few friends lately, which has done straight-up wonders for my mental health. Our little group has been individually isolated all year, so it's good for them, too - and of course we're being smart about it, with masks and distancing.

Anyhoo, I was so excited for Emperor's New Groove movie night this weekend that I combined it with craft night. That way John and I had an excuse to make themed foods and drinks AND we could all make teeny potion bottles, like this:

Now with that all-important Llama label:

Oh, I can feel it.

Amazingly I already had everything in my craft stash: mini glass bottles, nail shimmer powders, epoxy to glue the corks in - plus I found a bunch of charm options in my jewelry stash, so we could get even more creative with it:

Legend, The 36 Year Old Movie That's A Love Letter To Tom Cruise's Thighs, And Other Thoughts

This review will be an extremely long read riddled with spoilers, a little snark, a lot of silly, some hilarious photos, and INTENSE NERD-DOM.

You have been warned.

So a week or two ago I suggested we watch the infamous 1985 fantasy flop, Legend, and discovered something alarming: John had never seen it.
 
That's right, he'd never seen Tim Curry in bull horns. Or Mia Sarah from Ferris Bueller dramatically flouncing through a Claritin commercial. Or Tom Cruise rescuing a fairy with a chicken foot for a hand out of a giant pie shell in hell.

This could not stand.

Let's get one thing out of the way first: Legend is not a good movie. Roger Ebert gave it two stars, and to this day it has a 38% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It flopped HARD at the box office, and is often blamed for killing fantasy movies in general until Peter Jackson came along with Lord of the Rings.

Nope, Legend is not a good movie.

But it is a GREAT movie.

Pretty much everyone agrees you don't watch Legend for the story, you watch it for the jaw-dropping visuals. And when I say jaw-dropping, I mean take-your-breath away STUNNING, even 36 years later:

If one of your aesthetics is "running barefoot through the misty moors in a shredded ballgown", then THIS IS YOUR MOVIE, fam.

I was amazed how well I remembered it, too, considering I haven't seen Legend in probably 20 years. I could even recite some of the dialogue, and immediately noticed when the version we rented cut Meg Mucklebones' scene short.

That cut scene nagged me, so I turned to Google... and immediately fell down a 20+ hour rabbit hole of all things Legend. (Haha, whoops.)

So now, in no particular order, here come my favorite fun facts and personal observations from this amazingly beautiful, amazingly bad movie:

- Legend Is a Love Letter To Tom Cruise's Thighs

Tom Cruise was 22 during filming and fresh off the set of Risky Business - the movie that gave us the world-famous underwear dance. Not to be outdone, the producers of Legend decided Tom would not only be pants-less the entire movie, he would also be prohibited from walking upright for most of it.

I Think You'll Agree, THE WIG WAS WORTH THE WAIT

PLEASE NOTE: If you're not in the mood to laugh today, I get it. But since you're here, I'm going to assume you need this ridiculousness as much as I do. I'm doing what I can with what I have in the midst of my own storm, and I can only hope it spreads a little light in yours. It's not enough, I know, but it's what I have.

Now, on with the silliness.

******

If you've been keeping up with Epbot Movie Night then you know we postponed our viewing of Princess Bride for a week because "John's wig isn't here yet." (John and I try to dress up to fit each movie's theme each week, and predictably, it's getting out of hand.) You were all so gracious that we were determined to make it worth the wait.

So we roped in my friend Karen, our quarantine buddy since nearly the beginning of lockdown, and the three of us got together Friday afternoon in my sweltering backyard to have the photoshoot to end all photoshoots.

First, let's take a quick look at The Wig:

If this photo had sound, it would be a lot like the shrieking eels.

(I know some of you were hoping for a John Buttercup, but we had one specific movie scene we reeeeally wanted to re-enact together, and I'm so glad we did. Keep going, you'll see. :D)

I hacked off about a third of the wig to get it roughly into shape, then John used some of the excess to make sideburns out of hot glue and duct-tape:

 

We convinced Karen to buy both a red dress AND a tiara - which, come to think of it, wasn't all that hard. :P

 

 

SOUND ON

The World's Most Unfortunately Timed Aladdin Shirt

I forgot to post this last week, but the new Aladdin trailer dropping today reminded me to share the giggle: I found something great at Disney's Character Warehouse, the big off-property clearance outlet. It's where all the out-of-date or overstock merchandise goes, along with anything being cleared from the parks, like all the toy guns last year when they banned them. Everything at the warehouse is 60% off or more, so John and I go pretty often to browse.

Anyhoo, just over a week ago, I found a bunch of racks there of this shirt. Anyone else see the issue?

Ohhhh BURN

I'm imagining the mad scramble to get these out of the parks while the whole world was blowing up over Will Smith painted blue, and it's making me laugh a little too much. Someone really didn't think that one through. (That, or someone in inventory was staging a subtle protest? Ha!)

Speaking of the new trailer, as of this morning John and I are officially a House Divided over the new Aladdin. John's onboard the CGI flying carpet, I'm over here sputtering about Boy Band Jafar who sounds like he sings tenor. What the actual heck. Jafar is supposed to OLD! And an evil hypnotist with a deep, villainous voice! Eh! Eh! ::flails::


In case you haven't seen it yet:

I'm pretty possessive of Aladdin, though; that's MY Disney movie. I saw it in the theater on my first date ever, then my friend Chris and I memorized the entire script and quoted it at each other religiously for the next many, many years. (Heck, we STILL do when we see each other.)

I will say the last few songs look great, and make me wish they were releasing a bunch of music videos instead of a full movie. Buuut after seeing the way John went starry-eyed over the last minute of the trailer, I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing it in the theater, no matter how much side-eye I throw his way, ha. 

Getting back to the Genie shirts: no, I didn't buy one. I bought this one, because it was cheaper:

The design is embroidered, and good news: it fit! Weirdly the neck was the only thing that's a little snug.

Here's one more clearanced shirt someone didn't think through:

I watched 3 people in a row read this shirt, pause, look confused, and then go "OHHH!" when I explained it to them. Which is a shame, because the design is awesome.

[UPDATE: Sorry, peeps, didn't mean to leave you hanging! Pinocchio's nose is long because he's lying; he IS there for churros.)

And finally, since I'm sharing random fun photos from the Outlet, check out this transforming Mulan purse!

So clever! And sparkly. GO GO SPARKLY BUNS.

Right, time for you to weigh in, Dizgeeks: who's flying with John to a whole new world, and who's side-eyeing from the sidelines with me?

And who's being all reasonable by waiting to see how the movie actually is before passing judgment? (C'mon, now, where's the fun in that?! :p)

Today I Learned: Mister Rogers Rocks

John and I finally watched Won't You Be My Neighbor last night, and wow. It lives up to the hype!

 (It's not free anywhere yet, but you can rent it at Red Box.)

I expected to be a sobby mess by the end, but I have so few memories of the show that I really only had one or two teary-eyed moments. Instead, I found myself... awed. I can't think of a better word for it.

Mister Rogers is awe-inspiring.

I never knew how intentional his life was: how he knew from the start what his mission, his ministry, would be. And somehow he managed to live out that mission without judgement, offering unconditional love and acceptance and respect to everyone - apparently both on camera and off.

After the documentary I watched a few episodes of Mister Roger's Neighborhood on YouTube, and seeing it as an adult, I gotta say, it's calming in the best possible way. Not mind-numbing like ASMR or even Bob Ross (who I also love), but comforting, because you feel more acknowledged. There's also some surprisingly great music (that jazzy piano!) and fascinating "How It's Made" type segments that I don't remember at all. (Did all his shows have these? Because I love factory visits!)

And finally, I watched the most amazing clip of Mister Rogers on The Tonight Show with... oof... Joan Rivers. The contrast between the two is illuminating, to say the least (ha!), and if you can get through the cringe-worthy moments, there's pure gold at the end:

Imagine being so at peace with yourself, so sure, so open and loving of all, that you could sing a love song to Joan Rivers in front of an entire audience of snickering adults. Imagine knowing your purpose in life that well, and being so filled with joy that there's no room for embarrassment. Instead everyone else feels embarrassed for laughing. That's Mister Rogers.

Talk about goals, y'all.

I want to live like that.

I want to love like that.

And on days like today, when I'm feeling a little lost in what my purpose is, a little useless, a little insignificant, it helps to see the difference Mister Rogers made. If I can remind you - yes, you - that you matter, that the things and people you love matter, and that there's still goodness in this geeky world of ours? Well heck, that's all I want. That's the only legacy I want to leave. Anything else is just gravy.



Here's to loving so proudly, so joyfully, so LOUDLY that everyone else is embarrassed they're not doing the same.

I love you guys. Pass it on.

::Big Smooshy Internet Hugs::

5 Reasons You Should See "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" Before The New Year

Let's get this out of the way first thing: I'm not really a Spider-Man fan.

I don't dislike him, either. Overall I'm pretty "eh" about the friendly neighborhood dancing kid in the onesie.

Cut to last week, when two of my closest friends spent a solid 30 MINUTES raving to me about this new movie I'd never heard of, Into The Spider-Verse. I was... intrigued. So yesterday John & I went to see it with some other friends and their kids.

To demonstrate John's level of excitement for this film, allow me to present his FB update, written IN the theater just before the movie started:

Yeeeeeahh.

Exactly two hours and 15 minutes later, John added this amendment:

Now, somehow neither of us saw a single trailer or image from the movie beforehand, so John and I went in with zero expectations - and I think that made it even better? So if you're as clueless as we were, and want to be completely surprised by an amazing movie, then close this tab and go see Into the Spider-Verse right now, before the rest of the 'net catches up and spoils it all for you. I can already see the groundswell starting, so I predict this is going to be the movie everyone's talking about for the new year. I mean, just look at the Rotten Tomatoes rating!

Daaaaaang.

If you're Ok with knowing a few things, though, and/or have already seen the trailer, then let me break down 5 of the things I loved most about Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse.

1. Characters You Instantly Fall In Love With

Miles Morales is the Peter Parker I've always wanted - I just never knew it. I loved Miles from the second he appears on screen, crooning away with his headphones on. He's not the wimpy shy guy you might expect; he's confident and charming and just the right amount of awkward. You really feel for him as he navigates a new school, and the embarrassment of having a loving-but-strict cop father. (I won't spoil it, but THAT scene with his dad was John's favorite, ha.)

Beyond Miles, though, it's fun and refreshing to see an out-of-shape, older Peter Parker, strong parents (plural!), and a whole cast of side characters that grab you from the beginning. The subplot with Miles' uncle was especially good, and left me wanting more.

 2. An Animation Style That Will Make Your Spidey Senses Tingle

I'll admit, I was worried at first. The opening credits blast you with a frenetic flickering that promises full sensory overload - or at least a headache. That calms down once the story starts, though, and ends up being a blend of Pixar-level 3D, Borderlands-style cell-shading, and classic comic book dot colors, word bubbles like "POW!," and typed-out thoughts. If that sounds insane, IT IS, but in the best possible way. I haven't seen something this different since Toy Story, and it's exciting!

One thing I didn't like: there's such a heavy use of blur and double-vision overlays that you sometimes feel like you're watching a 3D movie without the 3D glasses on: