Stuff We Like — The Night Manager
Good looking people, even better looking locations, and chilling suspense make The Night Manager an incredible miniseries.
Tom Hiddleston plays Jonathan Pine, a seemingly non-threatening night manager at a hotel in Cairo. It turns out that Pine is a former British soldier and is recruited by British intelligence operative Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) to catch Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie), a ruthless arms dealer. All three actors were recently awarded Golden Globes for their roles, and the series itself was nominated for best mini-series.
Another standout is Roper’s androgynous, depressed girlfriend, Jed (Elizabeth Debicki). She eventually learns what Roper is really up to and, of course, falls in love with Pine, the hero come to rescue her.
While there are some formulas followed and clichés abused, there are also many unpredictable moments and enough suspense to keep you hooked enough to binge watch all six episodes.
Stuff We Like — The Night Circus
By Jessica Pickering
Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus has been my go to book recommendation since it came out in 2011.
The unconventional love story follows Celia Bowen and Marco Alistair from their childhood as they train to battle each other in a contest of magical ability. It’s all very romantic until you remember the loser will die. Originally a National Novel Writing Month endeavour, this is a beautifully written story with a spellbinding (ugh, I’m sorry, I had to) plot. Anyone who’s a fan of magic stories, romances, and/or plots they can’t predict will find a staple to add to their personal library with this book.
Stuff We Don’t Like — Thomas Sanders post-Vine
By Jessica Pickering
When Vine died, so did Thomas Sanders’ career. Don’t get me wrong, I love him as a person and his six second videos are hilarious, but with the medium dead, Sanders doesn’t stand a chance.
I came to this conclusion after watching his latest vlog. In the video, Sanders talks about his love of Disney movies alongside one of his famous characters, The Prince, and a personification of his anxiety. While this had more than enough potential for comedy genius, it fell flat. Super flat.
His sense of humour just isn’t cut out for prolonged periods of time. He needed the short time slot. Without it, Thomas Sanders just doesn’t know when to stop.
