What We’re Watching, Vol. 8
At The Attic on Eighth, we are obviously a multimedia bunch, with our regular reading discussions and film lists. In fact, some of our very first interactions as friends were excitedly messaging scene for scene reactions to some of our favorite shows across oceans and time zones. In this monthly series we paraphrase group chats surrounding our most recent views. Nothing keeps us together like binge-watching together, even if we’re not in the same room.
December always seems to arrive in a flurry, doesn't it? As the first chill or snowflake quickly turns to streets lined with snow and piles of flannel at the ready, so too does the quiet of November instantly drop the second midnight chimes December 1st and we find ourselves surrounded, holiday cheer and panic and rush all abound. But, December is a most beloved time of year, with Christmas treats and televised trinkets just a sampling of what we look forward to this sparkling month.
From current series to holiday favorites and exciting releases, here’s what we’re watching this month:
Rory Mara
I was born on December 20th so I am a Christmas child at heart. Every year, I have to measure my enthusiasm for the season or I’d end up watching Christmas movies as early as September!
My favourite rewatches of the season are the films from childhood. This might sound a bit unconventional but I love the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street (I love the original too, of course!). I don’t think that I could ever watch this without feeling like a little kid. That ‘90s aesthetic - the coat that Susan’s mom wore is so iconic; Mara Wilson who would later embody Matilda; the house and decorations at the end of the movie! It’s like a hug for me.
Another classic - one that I watch with my dad every year - is Little Lord Fauntleroy. Adapting Frances Hodgson Burnett’s novel, the film tells the story of a child that travels from New York to England to meet his grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt. Ceddie’s arrival changes everything and the old Earl (played by Alec Guinness) is inspired to welcome love in his life again.
While I have to wait a little bit longer to be reunited with my family for more Christmas classics, I cannot wait to go to the movies with my friends here to watch Frozen II. I have avoided all the spoilers and haven’t even watched the trailer - I want to be surprised!
I guess, this Christmas, I am truly embracing my inner child and I couldn’t be happier.
Rachel Tay
Guess what — I’m alive! I’m alive despite my radio silence, which has largely been due to an inundation of work in one form or another in the past few months. But now that we’re seeing the end of all that, I’ve been taking some time out for myself, for some cosy evenings in bed, with some tv — candles, wine, and junk food included — to conclude the year well. Of course, and this goes without saying, I cannot wait for Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women, which I’ll — with any luck — be watching on Christmas Day. But until then, I’ve my queue of TV shows to boot. So what have I been watching?
I’ve recently marathoned the latest series of The Crown, just about a few weeks after everyone else had stopped buzzing about it. To echo the internet hive-mind’s sentiments, the new cast is certainly spectacular, and Helena Bonham Carter’s an absolute delight to watch as Princess Margaret. I did also enjoy seeing the new additions, Princess Alice and Princess Anne, get up to their shenanigans tremendously. (Can we have more of that? I, too, think the producers’ decision to not include Princess Anne’s kidnapping attempt was a misstep.) But I must say, Claire Foy and Matt Smith have both endeared themselves to me so much as the Queen and Phillip respectively that it felt a little jarring to hear a Smith-like voice emanating from my laptop, only to find someone else who vaguely looks like him (sorry, Tobias Menzies) on screen. And yet, I don’t think I’ll stop watching this series any time soon, even if only for the luxuriant cinematography.
Speaking of which, how stunning does His Dark Materials look? I could go on for ages about how much I appreciate how faithful an adaptation this is of Pullman’s novels, though I have to point out that it’s rather jarring and funny to watch James McAvoy rant on about “scholastic sanctuary,” only to remember that you were reading about academic freedom at the tender age of uh… six. Who’d have thought that these seemingly esoteric concepts would be so pertinent to your life all these years later?
And here’s one more blast from the past: High School Musical The Musical The Series. I hate to admit this, but I’m not-so-secretly obsessed with this show at the moment. The thing is, it doesn’t capitalise on the nostalgia factor (cringe!) as much as it parodies it — and then sanctions our reactions to its self-awareness, for which it preempts. And I know it all sounds far too “clever” right now — I’m not usually a fan of media that winks at you from behind the curtain — but there’s such an earnestness to it that I can’t disparage any of it, as much as I want to. (On a side note, can we talk about how immensely talented this current cast is, and how the disparities between the quality of the TV series and that of the movies are embarrassingly representative of the generational gap between millennials and Gen Zs?) In any case, I never thought that I’d be sincerely recommending this show to anyone, but here I am.
Sam Cohen
When it comes to getting into the holiday spirit, I’m usually a few steps behind the rest of the crowd. Years of working in retail showed me how easily one can tire of Christmas music before December even begins, so I’ve since eased into the holidays throughout the course of the month. I save my favorite holiday movie viewings for mid-December once the twinkle lights are up and I can settle myself into a pile of cozy blankets with a mug of hot chocolate. Before this magical awakening begins, I rely on my regular viewing schedule to get me through the darkened winter nights. My partner and I are currently watching Elementary, which is an American adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and the dazzling Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson, this update on the classic is equal parts thrilling and humorous. I am a Sherlock Holmes fanatic and I enjoy the changes that were made for this CBS show.
I have also gotten back into some old favorites for a sense of nostalgia and comfort. Re-watching Grantchester has been a wonderful journey despite already having seen each episode at least four or five times. I love the chemistry between James Norton and Robson Green, and the absolutely stunning scenery of each episode makes for perfect wintry viewing.
Gearing up for my holiday movie bingeathon, I have a few treasured films lined up. The Holiday has been a staple in my pre-Christmas viewing schedule since the first time I watched it in 2007. Kate Winslet is one of my favorite actresses, and I love how the movie unfolds. Each character is enthralling, and I find new things to appreciate with each viewing. In addition to my standard obsession with The Holiday, I enjoy watching The Grinch with Jim Carrey, the Downton Abbey Christmas specials, and I always sneak in at least one viewing of The Family Stone. To me, The Family Stone is such an underrated holiday film and I love the sweetness of the story and the lessons taken away once it’s over. And for a somewhat holiday vibe, I re-watch one of my absolute favorites, Stuck in Love, starring Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Greg Kinnear, and Nat Wolff.
Olivia Gündüz-Willemin
December! It’s hard to believe that a month that can be so warmly anticipated and filled with so many cozy moments can also be so hectic. Like Rachel and Rory, I’ve tried to counter-balance busy days with cozy evenings over the past few weeks, and to say that we’ve been spoiled with a wealth of options when it comes to evening viewing would be an understatement. Like just about everyone on earth, I watched The Crown when it came out, and like every other year, I struggled to get into it. I too was attached to Claire Foy and Matt Smith and can’t say I’ve adjusted to the new cast just yet… especially having finished my viewing of Outlander just before and finding Tobias Menzies on my screen once again. Like Rachel though, I was taken with the new additions, and honestly, I would love to watch an entire prestige miniseries on Princess Alice alone.
I’ve also been watching His Dark Materials, though to me, the show is a discovery. I neither read the trilogy nor saw the 2000s film. My husband is very into it though, and I am quickly learning to love it. The aesthetics don’t make it hard.
Otherwise, I’m embracing December as the month of unashamedly watching whatever holiday movie Netflix throws my way. I’ve been through the two latest Christmas Prince films and the much-discusses A Knight Before Christmas so far this year, and I’m looking to turn back to our Holiday Adjacent list to get to a few less saccharine picks. I will say though that for all its linguistic intemporalities, A Knight Before Christmas was rather enjoyable. I like to see good things happen to ridiculously wholesome people, and there’s nothing like an outlandish plot to make something feel like a medieval romance.
Next up: the brand new season of my very favorite show, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. I’m very excited to see what Midge and crew up to, but of course most looking forward to the shenanigans of Abe and Rose.
Raquel Reyes
December is always about re-watching my favorite Christmas episodes, and this year I was quick to do that almost as immediately as I had my last bite of Thanksgiving dinner. Happy Endings, a favorite old sitcom I’ve talked about before, has a couple that my brother and I quote at each other every holiday season, with plotlines surrounding Christmas birthdays, eggnog addictions, and gingerbread Love Actually dioramas. As always, my only disappointment is that the show didn’t go on forever.
Dollface, a new sitcom with very Happy Endings vibes that I completely adored, had a spectacular Christmas episode in its recently released first season, and for sure I’d say it will be a highlight of the season.
In regular viewings, I also got around to watching The Politician after Olivia’s recommendation last month, and was thoroughly pleased with the series. The perfection mirrored in every character’s surroundings as well as the way things so dramatically fell apart is exactly the fun chaos I expect from Ryan Murphy and I’ll probably end up watching it at least one more time before it returns (hopefully soon!). Along with its glorious set designs I fell madly in love with the wardrobes of the female cast and like McAfee kind of want to spend every day in a brightly colored suit from now on. That seems reasonable, right?
But speaking of perfect costumes, I’m also writing this on the last leg of binge watching the just-released newest season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I don’t want to spoil anything (admittedly I always have one disappointment or another with each season — a conversation for another time) but overall it remains as a favorite in the shows I’ve seen this year and ultimately my favorite season of the show itself. Abe and Rose! The tour! LENNY! Midge’s hats! Can I say LENNY again?! Better than ever. I’ll definitely have to rewatch each episode more slowly to fully inhale every detail while I wait on the edge of my seat for whatever the next year brings.
In a personal essay, Elizabeth Slabaugh visits the disappointments and realization of tempered dreams around traveling to Oxford after not being able to spend a semester at the university due to chronic illness.