What to watch when you're under quarantine.
We're all "hunkered down" so let's at least stream something good...
Welcome to Highly Transmissible, written and edited by me, Benjamin Reeves!
Thanks to this pesky coronavirus going around, things may feel a bit chaotic right now. Yet once the panic-buying and hand sanitizing have ceased to titillate the senses, we’ll be left searching for entertainment like a wandering tribe of hunter gatherers in search of their next meal.
Finding the right movie or show for yet another night of quarantine (or let’s be real, day) is nothing less than an existential quest. And nothing is worse than scrolling through the endless thousands of movies and shows arguing with your significant other (roommates, cat, dog, houseplants, appliances etc.) about what are we going to watch.
Yet we must not surrender to fear and panic.
In the interest of helping my friends old and new avoid this fate, I’ll be writing a short daily newsletter about what you should watch when you’re under quarantine. Each day I’ll choose a show or movie from the streaming archives and give you the low-down on why it’s worth watching. And from time to time, I may include guest posts by other writers and Q&As and recommendations from some of the top people in the entertainment industry.
Why am I qualified to do this?
If it’s been a while since we last spoke, here’s a quick refresher: I am an award-winning screenwriter, journalist and media consultant. I write about business, politics, entertainment, and tech for publications including The Wrap Pro, Vice, Worth, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Talking Points Memo and many, many others.
I am also in the final months of an MFA in screenwriting at the Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and have written four feature screenplays, an hour-long pilot, TV spec scripts, and I am the co-creator of a short form premium drama.
TODAY’S RECOMMENDATION: “Baywatch” (2017)
Typically I’ll give an in-depth review with some actual thought and—you know—analysis, but honestly, there’s not much to say about “Baywatch” other than that you won’t regret watching it. It’s the perfect movie for right now because there’s literally nothing more escapist than marveling at The Rock saving people from the waves while dozens of painfully attractive actors run around in bathing suits. There’s a motorcycle, some juvenile jokes about genitalia, Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff, and great sunglasses. And there’s LOTS of slow-motion.
And the secret standout performance? Priyanka Chopra is a fabulously cheesy villain bent on defeating our plucky team of lifeguards turned murder investigators. Trust me, you won’t regret spending a couple of hours with this crew.
Currently streaming on Amazon.
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In the meantime, tell your friends!