Movies

Five Things to Watch

I am almost mortified by how much television I’ve watched the past few weeks… it’s a lot. I had zero mental energy to read and instead just opted to let myself relax and watch a lot of shows. The great thing is now I have a ton of recommendations! Happy I could do the “research” for you 😉

THE VOW (HBO)

I am hooked on The Vow– HBO releases new episodes every Sunday and we’re about halfway through the season. So plenty of time to catch up. It’s about the “self-improvement” group NXIVM (aka cult). You may remember hearing about this on the news because it involves celebrities like Allison Mack. I’m fascinated by cults so it’s no surprise I’ve been into this series. It gets pretty intense… the basic of the group is a multi-level marketing (MLM) group but then escalates into a full-blown sex cult. Mind. Blown.

16 and RECOVERING (MTV)

I mentioned this show in my post on Friday but I had only watched the trailer. This weekend I caught up on the first three episodes and, wow, it’s such a powerful show. It documents the lives of students at a high school dedicated to substance abuse recovery. The opioid crisis is such a huge issue across the country– particularly for young adults. The show can be really difficult to watch at times, but I highly recommend it as it sheds a lot of light on a not-talked-enough-about problem.

LOVE LIFE (HBO)

A few of my friends recommended Love Life to me and I’m really glad I watched it. It stars Anna Kendrick and follows her character Darby’s love life through her twenties. The script is fantastic and pretty relatable. The first couple episodes felt a little flat to me, but then I was hooked. Each episode delves into a different “chapter” of her love life, as well as those of her friends. There are new beaus and some repeats. Overall, it felt very on the nose to me.

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA (Netflix)

Mike and I watched this together. The whole thing is about the dangers and pitfalls of social media. I have to admit that I was hesitant to watch it considering my job is social media. (I worried I’d watch it and want to throw my phone in a large body of water and then move into a cabin in the woods.) At times I was pretty horrified by my own self-reflection of social media usage (both past and present), but the documentary covers so many important and relevant topics that EVERYONE faces right now.

It didn’t make me want to quit my job, but it did make me reevaluate what I want my “relationship” with my phone to be and how I can better suit my experience for my own mental health. And I REALLY, REALLY appreciated the documentary’s perspective on how social media has played into politics in recent years. It was very well done. Everyone should watch, but especially if you have kids in your house too!

THIS IS PARIS (Youtube)

W. O. W. My sister in law recommended this to me and it blew my mind. I didn’t even realize Paris Hilton was putting out a documentary but it’s incredible. Whatever you think about her… you need to watch. I’ve always considered her THE original social brand and a super savvy businesswoman (she has a multi-billion dollar licensing business). But wow. This documentary takes you on a journey that will make you respect her in a whole new way. I was sobbing by the end of it, honestly. It is powerful, and though I obviously don’t know her, I’m so proud of her for doing what she’s doing.

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12 Comments

Ashley

I also really enjoyed The Social Dilemma. It make me angry at these tech giants as well as myself for playing into their hands so willingly. I didn’t delete my accounts after watching, but I did spend a good hour afterwards going through and checking/modifying every.single.setting. on FB and other social media accounts, as well as cleaning up my app permissions and notification settings. Definitely eye-opening and a must watch for anyone who uses the internet (everyone).

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Kristina Kral

Thank you for sharing, Carly. I don’t have a TV nor do I watch it but “the social dilemma” sounds like it’s not a bad choice.

Best wishes!

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Marcella

I also watched the Paris doc on Saturday!! Wow. So crazy how her parents didn’t think those events would leave her traumatized ??!! Also made me very glad I’m not famous hahaha because it seems very exhausting..

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M

Paris Hilton is a friend of a friend of my boyfriends sister, B.

B met Paris when she was with said friend at a concert. She invited them back to her place for a little after party. B was shocked how down to earth she was… and by how normal her voice was. Paris straight up told her “oh god that was just a character I do for TV, that’s not real.” B and my boyfriend grew up poor but they’re both gorgeous, and B used her looks somewhat to get ahead. She’s a very smart girl and did what she needed to do. I think Paris saw kind of a kindred spirit in her. They’re both beautiful blondes who let the world underestimate them to get shit done.

At the end of the night Paris asked B to come down to the chefs kitchen with her. There was a whole FEAST of leftover food and Paris wanted help packing it all up, which she did herself, to bring an area with a lot of local homeless people. B was so touched and impressed – Paris donates lots of money and she could have easily had her staff do this chore, but she was very hands on in doing it herself. B said she was such a genuine person who clearly was hiding some real hurt, but she was nothing like what we see on TV, in a good way.

B told me this story four years ago. I was so excited to hear about Paris’s documentary and so far (I’m half way through) it has not disappointed. I think it’s worth a watch for anyone who is curious about the real Paris. People mock her with terms like “poor little rich girl” but I can’t imagine that combination of abuse and pressure to live up to everyone’s expectations and always appear perfect. I think she’s a strong and fascinating woman.

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Julia

Hey Carly,

I was wondering where you got your mask with the blue flowers? I saw it in your birthday Instagram post and thought it was so cute!

Thank you!

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Becca

Seconding 16 & addicted! I have cried every episode but seeing the hard work the school puts in to these kids is so heartwarming too! There are good people out there trying to make the best of a bad system!

This is Paris is next on my list! I had heard it really shows more of her personality which is so different than the ditzy girl from reality tv.

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Dana

The greatest show I’ve watched in YEARS is on Amazon Prime and it is called The Bureau. It’s a French, spy-thriller. If you liked Homeland, this is 1000x better. It is so well done. I could not come up for air once I started watching it.

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Meghan

I’m adding the Vow and Love Life to my watch list! I was wondering if you’d be willing to share where your navy chairs are from? They’re beautiful and look so comfortable! Thank you!

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