Ask Lemmy

Mr. Robot

Blake's 7.

The world is shit. Fascism keeps coming back from collapse. Everyone is out for themselves. Peaceful revolution falls apart immediately. Violence actually gets results. Stupid people and stupid decisions bring everything crashing down.

The only part that doesn't feel true to life is all the space oddities that exceed anything on Earth.

“Mythic Quest”. It very much mirrored the work place dynamics at the creative place I worked at for a decade. It made me question whether I was too broken and far gone to function outside of it. Time will tell.

“The Studio” is another one. I actually had to stop watching the show, because of how much anxiety it was causing me. It’s really well done.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Back when I was single and living alone, I did my share of nature photography, mainly landscapes and wildlife. Sitting for hours, waiting for the perfect moment, was my meditation. And yes, there were times where I just lived for the moment, rather than taking the pucture.

I saw the movie a few years after I settled down, and it triggered my only occasion where I questioned my life choices and wondered what might have been if I remained alone and unattached.

Firefly. Perfect combination of space and wild west.

Primer

It has a vibe. A proper science fiction / mythology / tripping / mystic / religion vibe. Reality shakes. The world crumbles away to reveal something else.

Matrix and Chronicle have it a bit too, but lesser.

500 Days of Summer. Had no idea what I was about to do to my relationship. In a way, it just sped up the inevitable, but damn. I was not ready to see our relationship resonated down my throat that hard. Still hurts.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Yeah life is rigged. What're you gonna do, cry about it? Or get all your buddies together and turn to face life, and say "Who the hell do you think I am?". Row row, flight the power.

Not my all time favorited but truly an unforgettable gem:

The Good Place.

Not only does it tackle the toughest questions in life, its the perfect thought experiment: okay, let’s say you have a heaven, what then?

Logan

Watching Professor X mentally decline hit so fucking close to home. When it came out, I had just lost my grandad (who raised me), and it was like watching a home movie in certain parts. Stewart nailed the fog of dementia that can ebb ad flow, and the relationship between him and Wolverine was pitch perfect.

The Good Place - Excellent characters, excellent humor, brilliant commentary, and one of the most thoughtful endings I've ever watched.

Ted Lasso - Excellent characters, people who hate sports can still love this show, unexpectedly hilarious (not funny, not humorous, I almost died laughing a few times), the worst character becomes one of the best characters, the nicest character becomes the most tragic characters.

Pachinko - Absolutely perfect in design and execution, the best period piece I've ever watched (covers multiple periods, as well), biting (almost damning) commentary on Imperial & Post War Japan, characters you either side with out of the gate or grow to understand and empathize with.

Season 1 of The Last of Us. I was very close to my dad, and my real dad isn't my biological dad. I miss him and I'm often in !dadforaminute@lemmy.world

Watching a daddy daughter relationship develop was really powerful for me, I have NEVER connected with a show or film so much. They weren't biological and started as strangers just like me and my real dad, but they fiercely were at the end. I couldn't watch s2 because s1 is perfect for me and I don't want to change that.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The hardest part of life is the problems you can't just decapitate with a sword.

They didn't make me a manager until I had been on the job for over a decade.

One day I look at an old favorite, "The Dirty Dozen."

Early on, the Major is ordered to meet with the General, who tells him he has to train twelve condemned prisoners for a suicide mission behind the German lines. The Major obeys the orders, but opines that whoever came up with the plan must be insane. The General tells him to shut up and go; then the General tells his staff that the idea is insane.

Then the Major has to meet the troops and convince each man that it's in his best interests to join the mission.

Being given stupid orders and then having to lead a bunch of psychos and idiots to achieve the goal is the essence of being a middle manager.

Farscape and Fight Club. I love the slow decline in mental stability shown by the main characters. John Crichton (Ben Browder) Farscape does it so well, trying to keep it together when thrown so completely out of his comfort zone. Unnamed Narrator/Tyler Durden, just a complete nut bar that doesn't even know who they are. Would love to see this from an outside view see how he did some of the things he did, it all made a weird kind of sense til the end then I was just confused.

edit: would love suggestions for similar themed shows/movies

Anne with an E was a surprise favourite of mine. I mostly just resonated with the stiff/gruff characters being totally undone by a loud mouthed girl with a heart of gold and a strong sense of justice. It kind of speaks to the idea that most people are shaped by their hard and tragic lives, but are only a few steps away from being good to one another if shown how.

I also like the unbeatable spirit of the main protagonist who somehow does not let the world get them down, rises to every challenge with spunky defiance, makes friends of their enemies, and sports orange. If Naruto and Anne of Green Gables ever met on the battlefield, I'm not sure who would be left standing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_the_Legendary_Heroes

Ryner just wants to take a nap but he's the main character. He literally gets thrown in jail and is OK with it so he can nap. He writes essays on napping.

I, too, just wanna nap

This one is really good, we watched it also.

Northern Exposure, I think it captures something universal about living in a small town.

This is us is so wholesome it made me cry almost at every episode. So many good vibes, it came out at the right time for me: needed it.

Ted Lasso season 1 is exactly what my soul needed during the pandemic.

The Station Agent

Somebody Somewhere reminds me of me after college. Felt like I was just on auto pilot, wouldn't go outside my comfort zone unless pushed, and used alcohol to numb the pain.

Life is better now :)

Detectorists is perfect in every way. Incredibly chill with dry humor.

Lazor Wulf.

It's about a wolf with a laser on his back. And also pizza rolls are held in high regard.

Really loved Bad Monkey with Vince Vaughn. Despite being a black comedy it just seemed to hit me in the right place. Vaughn is always so positive and chatty in it even to the bad guys and it just cracks me up.

And the narrators voice is 👌

Naughty Nurses 6

Damn. This series really made me cry so hard, especially >!when the granma died (reminded me of my grandparents) and when the husband died (reminded me to spend time with my dad).!<

Edit: covered the spoilers, sorry bout that...