January 18, 2019
Thom Carroll /PhillyVoice
The Netflix logo imposed over a photo of snow clogging the streets on North Bucknell Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.
This weekend the Philadelphia area is expected to be hit with an onslaught of snow, rain and other not-going-outside types of weather. If you're lucky enough to be homebound during the storm, your kitchen already fully stocked for hibernation, you'll still have some important decisions to make.
Specifically, one big one: What should you watch while stuck inside all weekend?
Instead of spending an hour considering all your options, take a look at our selections below, whether you're in the mood for 30-minute comedy, award-winning dramas, or a revisit to some guilty pleasures.
It's a strange paradox, but I often find myself not wanting to commit to the full narrative of a two-hour movie, opting instead for TV show binge that culminates to the equivalent of, say, five two-hour movies. Hibernating this weekend is the perfect excuse to catch up on a light comedy, rewatch a favorite, or finally see what the buzz is about with that new show.
Hulu is finally up-to-date with Comedy Central's "Broad City," meaning you can watch – or rewatch – all four seasons ahead of the fifth season premiere, which airs Thursday, Jan. 24. Season 5 brought some infinite classics to a show already packed with series favorites. "Witches," directed by co-creator/star Abbi Jacobson, is the Season 4 standout.
Along with Hulu's newest content finally comes the second season of "Atlanta," which originally aired last spring. Unfortunately, Season 3 isn't expected until 2020, so you'll have to be held over by these. Above all else, make sure to watch episode six of Season 2, "Teddy Perkins," and you'll have a new found appreciation (or puzzlement) for this weirdly wonderful moment at the 2018 Emmys.
Two full seasons of gorgeous costumes, sets of 1950s New York and Paris, and a foul-mouthed housewife-turned-mid-century-comedian are now streaming, and it's not a coincidence that "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" has also been sweeping the comedy categories since the Emmys last year. If you're a fan of Gilmore Girls (which, by the way, is also fit for a snow day watch/re-watch), Amy Sherman-Palladino's latest will not disappoint.
Penn Badgley solidifies his niche of playing an online stalker guy in "You," which is getting a lot of buzz for Badgley's legitimately creepy performance and as an interesting conversation-starter for talks about obsessive, possessive relationships.
In the same way some people must watch "Star Wars" every Christmas, a cozy snow day inside also calls for something of equally classic caliber. Check out some movies you can rewatch, or maybe these are films you can finally cross of your list of ones you should have seen by now.
If the weather is actually as bad as some forecasts are predicting it to be, you'll definitely have the time to carve through all three movies, spot a young Robert De Niro, and finally understand the catchphrases everyone is always using. Go to the mattresses, indeed.
Oh, Robin Williams. Things are not going well down here without you. Revisit the movie that gave the world Matt Damon (and Ben Affleck, whatever) with a cute Boston accent and a bad attitude. How 'bout them apples?
It's certainly not for everyone, but Quentin Tarantino's 1994 movie is a classic, and it's hard to argue with facts.
Is she the original manic-pixie dream girl, gone French? Perhaps. Something to think about when you watch.
Still meaning to see that movie that won Best Picture at the Oscars that one time? Want to see how they turned the life of Tonya Harding into a moving cinematic masterpiece? Want a head start on the current award season? Here's your chance to catch up.
Margot Robbie is somehow transformed into 1990s Tonya Harding for the rise and fall of the Olympic skater's career. Yes, Nancy Kerrigan still wins silver.
The egregious slip-up at the 2017 Oscars aside, "Moonlight" really did win the best picture award, and unlike "The Shape of Water" last year, it actually deserved it. See the role that earned Mahershala Ali his first Oscar, too.
Maybe you just want to see Michael B. Jordan in that waterfall scene again, which is fine. "Black Panther" was recognized at the Golden Globes, raising the question of whether the box office success will earn a nod from the Oscars next week, too.
Greta Gerwig's directorial debut is a coming-of-age story set in 2003 Sacramento, when jobs were bad and "Crash" by the Dave Matthews Band was still considered an acceptable song.
Speaking of coming of age ... this one is set right now, in the age of iPhones and SnapChat, and it's worth every minute, though it may be tough to revisit just how horrifically awkward it is to be a tween.
Lakeith Stanfield stars as a telemarketer in an alternate version of Oakland, California, where he has to put on a "white voice" to make any decent sales at work. Stanfield stars opposite Tessa Thompson.
In this dystopian comedic drama, you either find your lobster or ... become a lobster. Colin Farrell has 45 days to find his soulmate before he grows claws and some tentacles.
Kumail Nanjani and Emily Gordon's screenplay debut, based on how the real-life couple met during a comedy show in Chicago, is the perfect rom-com to make you laugh on an otherwise frosty day.
This is a pre-Gossip Girl 1990s classic about rich New York teenagers – who basically look like 25-year-olds – doing terrible things to each other whilst keeping cocaine hidden in their crucifixes. It's not quite as edgy when watched in 2019, but with age comes a certain kind of campiness to it.
Feel like learning something new while putting in minimal effort? Want to be inspired for maximum effort to clean your closet? Then here we go.
A day of nothing but eating and watching movies is fun at first, but may leave you restless a few hours in. Why not switch gears and see how you should be folding shirts on Netflix's new reality show? One episode in and you'll be inspired to spark joy in your overly stuffed closet.
Ever find yourself looking through houses you cant afford on Zillow? That just me? Okay, regardless, this show takes real estate porn to the next level, traveling around the globe, the latest season visiting Spain, India, Norway, and Israel.
As if the mystery surrounding the disastrous Fyre Festival weren't enough of a story, two competing streaming channels dropped a documentary about it during the same week, and either is bound to paint a picture of what was going on that led to the not-luxurious music festival that turned into a legal and PR nightmare for everyone involved. Can't decide which one to watch? NPR lays out each one's strengths and flaws, but in the end asserts that either documentary will do.
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