Category: Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: After Armageddon (2010)

The idea of Armageddon has been preached since the beginning of humanity. But what would happen if it were reality and not just an abstract concept?

The History Channel docudrama After Armageddon was released in 2010. A COVID-19-like virus has spread all over the world. The Johnsons, an average middle-class family from Los Angeles, have to find a way to survive in a world that they no longer recognize. Interspersed in the fictionalized drama are experts who explain the breakdown of the government and the infrastructure that we don’t think twice about.

When it originally aired 16 years ago, it was just a “what if”. But, after going through the pandemic, the “what ifs” feel real and scarier than any fiction writer could create.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: Tournament of Champions (2020-Present)

Watching professionals at the top of their game compete against one another is thrilling.

Tournament of Champions has been on the Food Network since 2020. Hosted by Guy Fieri, 16 of the best cooks in the world compete for the title of champion. Set up via a variety of challenges, they must use every tool in the figurative and literal culinary toolbox to climb to the top and claim the win for themselves.

What keeps me watching is the thrill of it all. Who will rise, who will fall, and who at the end of the season, will be able to wear the belt with pride?

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: The Invisible Woman (2013)

It sometimes amazes me how one relationship can change the course of our life.

The 2013 film, The Invisible Woman, is based on the book of the same name by Claire Tomalin. Ellen Ternan (Felicity Jones) is a young actress who is having an affair with the much older and very married Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes, who also served as director). Though she is in love, Ellen is very aware that she is the other woman and the capriciousness of their relationship.

I enjoyed this movie. Both Fiennes and Jones are electric. Despite knowing that they should not be together, there is a chemistry and a connection that cannot be ignored.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The Invisible Woman is available for streaming on Hulu.

Throwback Thursday: Licorice Pizza (2021)

When the one you love does not respond in the same way, it may take some effort on your part to get them to reciprocate your feelings.

Licorice Pizza was originally released in 2021. In 1973, in the San Fernando Valley, Gary (Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a teenage child star who is surprisingly mature for his age. Somehow, he can convince Alana (Alana Haim), a 25-year-old bored photographer’s assistant, to go out with him. They try to keep their relationship platonic, but it becomes more.

What I liked about this film was the positive depiction of Jewish women. Although it is entertaining, I don’t know if I would see it again anytime soon. Though it is nice to see a May/December heterosexual relationship where the woman is older than her male partner.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Licorice Pizza is available for streaming on Netflix.

Throwback Thursday: Beetlejuice (1988)

Some people will do anything to stay in their home.

In the 1988 film Beetlejuice, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara (Geena Davis) are an ordinary couple who wake up one morning and find out that they are deceased. A new family has just moved into their house. Lydia (Winona Ryder) has just moved into their abode with her parents, Delia (the late Catherine O’Hara) and Charles (Jeffrey Jones).

Adam and Barbara call on a malicious soul Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton), to remove the new residents. Only it does not go as planned when he takes an interest in Lydia.

What can be said about this movie? It is brilliant, it is funny, and it holds up nearly 40 years later. As the titular character, Keaton is spectacular in a performance that is satirical, funny, and slightly psychotic (in the best way possible).

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

The curveballs that life can throw at us are sometimes needed in ways we did not expect.

In the 2016 film, The Fundamentals of Caring, Ben (Paul Rudd) is a writer who has lost his way. Needing an income, he takes a job as a caregiver for Trevor (Craig Roberts), a disabled teenager. While his bank employee mother, Elsa (Jennifer Ehle), is at work, Trevor proves to be a difficult charge.

Ben takes Trevor on a road trip. They pick up a hitchhiker, Dot (Selena Gomez), whose presence expands both their world views.

This film’s superpower is that it is both quiet and powerful at the same time. The changes that the characters go through feel minimal in the short term. But by the time the credits roll, it is clear that they are not the same people we met at the beginning of the story.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

The Fundamentals of Caring is available for streaming on Netflix.

Throwback Thursday: Serial Killer Earth (2012)

Mother Nature can be as cruel as she can be kind.

Serial Killer Earth aired in 2012. This 10-part documentary series used archival footage and eyewitness interviews to compare more recent natural disasters with those of the past.

Watching this show is a reminder that the ground under our feet is not always solid. Once in a while, it needs to be pointed out that humanity is not in control.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: Extinct or Alive (2018-201)

Looking at Mother Nature, it is easy to wonder about the creatures that seem to only exist in myths.

Extinct or Alive aired on Animal Planet from 2018 to 2021. Host Forrest Galante traveled the globe, looking for animals that were previously believed to have long since left this Earth.

It’s an interesting program. For those of us who believe that preventing extreme climate change is necessary, it is a reminder that despite the damage we continue to inflict, the environment will always find a way to bounce back.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Throwback Thursday: Miracles Decoded (2014)

Humans have been telling stories of miracles for many generations. The question is, is there a scientific answer, or is it beyond human understanding?

Miracles Decoded aired on the History Channel in 2014. Each episode tells the story of an unexplained phenomenon. Turning to both scientists and non-believers, each delivers an explanation that turns the supernatural into the logical.

I can’t say for sure if I agree with either the hypothesis or the final result. But it provides insight into our eternal curiosity that separates us from the other creatures we share our planet with.

Do I recommend it? I am leaning toward yes.

Throwback Thursday: Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire (2008)

For every beginning, there is an end.

Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire aired on The History Channel back in 2008. This docudrama/mini-series tells the story of ancient Rome and the events that led to the empire’s eventual downfall.

I think this program is very interesting. It is also a reminder for this era that even the mightiest and most powerful of nations can disappear into the history books.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

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