By now, you have probably watched the premiere of The Last of Us on HBO Max. I haven’t yet, but that’s just because there are so many news shows and returning shows that I am making my way through. I am also binge-watching Veronica Mars for the first time and watching Hunters.
Anyway, I am a HUGE fan of post-apocalyptic television shows and movies. I feel that everyone is watching The Last of Us, even people who aren’t big fans of post-apocalyptic media. So, I figured I would put together a list of some of my favorites for you to watch while you are waiting for the next episode of The Last of Us.
I haven’t beaten The Last of Us on my Playstation yet, I do plan on getting back into it again soon, but I do recommend picking up the first one as it is only $20. It’s a beautiful and terrifying game.
28 Days Later
Resident Evil
World War Z
Zombieland
Zombieland 2
The Divide
The Domestics
Birdbox
I Am Legend https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/dtKMEAXyPkg
Water World
This Is The End
A Quiet Place
Shaun of the Dead
Snowpiercer
The Maze Runner https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/AwwbhhjQ9Xk
The Hunger Games
https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/mfmrPu43DF8 The Last Man On Earth https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/-biQK8le1wI
The Walking Dead
Fear the Walking Dead
The Leftovers https://web.archive.org/web/20230125042943if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/FLT3YUALJno
This is a website about television shows and movies, not music. But then again, this website can be about anything that I want it to be about. Music plays a huge part in my life. I play music, I love going to live shows, and I love listening to music.
This list is my favorite albums, in order, from 2022.
Silk Sonic – An Evening with Silk Sonic. I just found out that this album came out in November 2021, but it really got popular in 2022. In fact, duo swept at the Grammys which made me almost believe that music was real again. This collaboration between Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak is absolutely fantastic. It sounds like a mix between James Brown and the music styling of that time, mixed with Childish Gambino’s Redbox mixed with Sesame Street, mixed with Outkast. These two have a residency in Vegas and I want to just travel there
2. Matisyahu – Matisyahu. This self-titled release I guess was technically my favorite album of 2022 as it actually came out in 2022. I’ll have to post an image of my Spotify Wrapped because most of the songs from this album were in my top 10. I was super excited to see him perform on this tour. It was my third time seeing the New York native and the first time I had seen him in years. Not only does he put on a fantastic show, but he has such a talented band. This album is one of those albums where you don’t want to skip any tracks.
3. The Head and the Heart – Every Shade of Blue. I saw these Seattle natives play on this tour and it was my fourth time seeing them live. I had seen them a few times at Red Rocks and again at a super tiny venue in Denver. They never fail to impress me live. Their harmonies, breakdowns, and just the amount of talent from each and every member of this band leaves me in awe. This is very much a breakup album, even the name of it implies that. There are some sad songs, and some uplifting songs, and the Oohs and the Ahhs of this band will leave you singing along.
4. Wild Rivers – Sidelines. This Canadian trio
5. Blue October – Spinning the Truth Around Part 1
By now, you are probably missing Black Mirror and wondering when season six is coming out. There isn’t a release date yet, but we do know the cast will be bigger (Aaron Paul, Zazie Beets) and there will be more episodes than in the previous season.
It is rumored that Charlie Brooker wasn’t working on any new seasons until the real world (Trump and the Pandemic) was settled down and we weren’t all living in our own episode of Black Mirror. Totally understandable. Well, hopefully, the world is more settled down by the time season six drops and we don’t have another reality show host turned president.
Anyway, I have been watching and re-watching some shows that keep me saying, “This is a great show to watch in place of Black Mirror until the new season hits Netflix.” And I decided I would share that list here.
Show: Fantasy Island
Where to watch: Fox/Hulu
Synopsis: People who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
About: I started watching this show randomly one day. I thought it was going to play out like a soap opera. It is far from. I never watched the original show from my parent’s time, but I did watch the horror movie version of the show that came out within the last few years. The new show is technically a continuation and follows the same plot: People arrive at the island to make a dream come to life and then they go back home feeling restored. The show also follows the staff on the island and how they make everything possible.
Show: The Peripheral
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.
About: I reviewed this show already on this website, but this show is such a cool show done by the creators of West World. It is super violent and super techy. The premise shows us what the world of VR could be like. Not really, but still, check it out.
Show: Upload
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death, by having his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets used to his new life and befriends his angel (real-world handler), questions about his death arise.
About: This show has Black Mirror written all over it. It’s actually quite similar to San Junipero, one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes that also received an Emmy nomination. This show is super fun, super funny, and the special effects are really strong. I didn’t love the second season, though.
Show: Made For Love
Where to watch: HBO Max
Synopsis: A young woman, on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire, suddenly realizes that her husband has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track her every move.
About: It might sound like a reality dating show, but it is far from that. This show also has been reviewed before on our site! And Cristin Milioti is in both shows! This show is wild. I don’t know how it didn’t get renewed for season three. Basically, what if Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk had an offsite compound where they lived and worked and haven’t left in ten years and their wife wanted out, but they made that impossible due to a new piece of technology? Some of the tech and special effects in this show are super interesting. And Ray Romano and Patti Harrison are great additions to this cast.
Show: Severance
Where to watch: Apple TV
Synopsis: Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
About: Tom originally reviewed this on our website! I just watched it the other day. The season ends on quite a cliffhanger, so much so that I wish I knew before I watched the show or else I would have waited for the new season to come out. Also, there is no information on when the new season will come out, but it has been filmed!
My review of Avatar: The Way of Water – The film is visually stunning. The aquatic scenes are breathtaking, especially the ones at night. The sea life that James Cameron brings to life is unique and wonderful. The film is long but didn’t drag on. The score is beautiful and, like the first one, there are some nods to previous James Cameron work. The movie is incredibly violent and has some humorous parts to it. This sequel is not just setting up the rest of the franchise, it has depth, and character development and the whole third act will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I can’t wait to see what the sequels have to offer especially because they will continue to focus on the aquatic theme and because James Cameron will keep introducing new technology for each film in the franchise.
My much shorter review: Imagine going to the aquarium super high.
I have not been to the movie theater much over the past few months. There have not really been any new releases that I wanted to see. And this is coming from someone who loves going to the movies and has an AMC membership, so going to the movies is kinda, sorta, not really “for free.” I finally went to the movies recently and I saw Black Adam. I will just say it was not not awful.
Even though the past few months for theatrical releases were a dud for me I am looking forward to quite a few movies before the end of 2022.
The list below includes movies coming out in November and December. Some of these releases are coming to theaters, some to streaming services some to both.
Wakanda Forever
Release date: November 11th
Where? Only in theaters
Synopsis: The people of Wakanda fight to protect their home from intervening world powers as they mourn the death of King T’Challa.
Synopsis:Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, a young man named Sammy Fabelman discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
Synopsis: Ten years after her happily ever after, Giselle questions her happiness, inadvertently turning the lives of those in the real world and Andalasia upside down in the process.
Synopsis: A young couple travels to a remote island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.
Synopsis: Follows a donkey who encounters on his journeys good and bad people, experiences joy and pain, exploring a vision of modern Europe through his eyes.
Synopsis: An adaptation of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.
Synopsis: Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the planet of Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet.
Synopsis: A grumpy widower whose only joy comes from criticizing and judging his exasperated neighbors meets his match when a lively young family moves in next door, leading to an unexpected friendship that will turn his world upside-down.
Synopsis: Back from war in Afghanistan, a young British soldier struggling with depression and PTSD finds a second chance in the Amazon rainforest when he meets an American scientist, and together they foster an orphaned baby ocelot.
Premise: Reboot is about the dysfunctional cast of an early 2000s hit sitcom, Step Right Up, who must face their unresolved issues and navigate social media cancel culture when a young writer pitches a reboot of their show.
Cast: Keegan-Michael Key, Johnny Knoxville, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, Krista Marie Yu, Judy Greer, Paul Reiser.
What it reminds me of: The show reminds me of 30 Rock, Great News,Unreal, and Episodes. I am a big fan of behind-the-scenes shows.
Why I like it: The show is created by Steve Levitan who created Modern Family, so that is a start. The cast should also be enough to get you interested in this show. You will recognize the cast from many things, but if Calum Worthy is a newer name to you, he was fantastic in Hulu’s The Act and Netflix’s American Vandal. I can’t believe it took so long for a show like this to come out. This show gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it is like be the cast and crew of a reboot of a 90s sitcom.
Last year was the year of television shows and documentaries on scam artists and shady company founders. You probably saw one or two, I happened to watch all. Or so I believe. Here is a little bit about each other, in case you haven’t seen it!
WeCrashed
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: AppleTV+
Premise: WeCrashed is an American drama streaming television miniseries that premiered on Apple TV+ on March 18, 2022. The series stars Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway as Adam and Rebekah Neumann, the real-life married couple at the heart of WeWork, a coworking space company whose valuation reached $47 billion in 2019 before crashing as a result of financial revelations. The series is based on the podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork by Wondery.
Cast: Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway.
Trailer:
Inventing Anna
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Netflix
Premise: Inventing Anna is an American drama television miniseries created and produced by Shonda Rhimes, inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin and the article in New York titled “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People”[1] by Jessica Pressler. The series was released on Netflix on February 11, 2022.[2][3]Julia Garner starred as Anna Sorokin, the title character. The series received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances (particularly Garner) but criticized the inconsistent tone.
Under the assumed name Anna Delvey, Russian-born Anna Sorokin is able to con members of New York City’s upper crust into believing she is a German heiress with access to a substantial fortune. She uses this persona to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, goods and services while working towards her goal of opening an exclusive art-themed club.
Cast: Anna Chlumsky, Julia Garner, Arian Moayed, Katie Lowes, Alexis Floyd, Anders Holm, Anna Deavere Smith, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney, Laverne Cox
Trailer:
The Dropout
TV show of Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Hulu
Premise: The Dropout, based on the ABC Audio podcast of the same name, is a series about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. The show touches on experiences that likely motivated Holmes’s deceptions and lies in a linear fashion, starting from her preteens and all the way to her exposure as a fraud.
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews.
Trailer:
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: HBO
Premise: The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is a 2019 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alex Gibney. The film revolves around Elizabeth Holmes and her former company Theranos. It is considered a companion piece to the book, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.
Cast:
Trailer:
The Tinder Swindler
TV show or Movie: TV show
Where to watch: Netflix
Premise: The Tinder Swindler is a British true crime documentary film directed by Felicity Morris and released on Netflix on 2 February 2022.[1] The documentary tells the story of the Israeli conman Simon Leviev (born Shimon Hayut) who used the dating application Tinder to connect with individuals who he then emotionally manipulated into financially supporting his lavish lifestyle on the pretext he needed the money to escape his “enemies.”
Premise: Former “Saturday Night Live” head writers Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider are the creative forces behind “The Other Two,” a scripted series centered around two siblings desperately seeking their lot in life. Aspiring actor Cary is struggling to land better auditions than “Man at Party Who Smells Fart,” while his sister Brooke is simply struggling in general. As they work toward self-improvement, their lives are turned upside-down when their teenage brother Chase becomes an internet sensation overnight.
Cast: Heléne Yorke, Drew Tarver, Ken Marino, Case Walker, Molly Shannon, Josh Segarra, Wanda Sykes, Brandon Scott Jones
What it reminds me of: The show and the plot are both very original. What I like in a television show or movie is a cast that always wants to make it and be successful and never does. And that is this show.
Why I like it: Ken Marino and Molly Shannon. Need I say more? This show is super funny. The premise is essentially: what if Justin Bieber had two siblings that were absolute messes and lived in his shadow. Also, their mother loved all three of them equally and saw them all successful in her eyes.
