SCREENSHOTS #7: 6 excellent movie recs - and other things I loved
Movies, series, books and more: everything I've watched, listened to, read, and tried in October.
First of all, sorry for my absence last week - I just got back from a trip to Tokyo and Seoul, and instead of just coming up with some random content, I decided to skip it. The good news is that because of my trips - I also visited Tenerife before heading to Asia - I was able to watch a loooooot of movies, and I'm bringing a lot of recs for you!
Movies
American Fiction
I remember this movie was nominated for some Academy Awards this year, but, to be honest, I had no idea what it was about. I would describe it as a "dramedy" around Monk, a frustrated author and novelist who's tired of establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. He then writes a "Black" book of his own, under a pseudonym, to prove his point, using all the stereotypes and formulas he criticizes. Suddenly, he sees himself in the middle of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Past Lives
We’ve grown so accustomed to movies with predictable scripts, where stories are romanticized, and endings are perfect—almost like “happily ever after” fairy tales. But this movie is far from that concept.
Past Lives is a romantic drama that follows the lives of two childhood friends, Nora and Hae Sung. They grew up together in South Korea, but when Nora emigrated to Canada with her family, the two lost touch—only to reconnect 24 years later.
It made me reflect on so many things. I mean, we all scroll through social media and sometimes stumble upon the profile of someone who used to be close but is no longer part of our lives. That’s exactly what happens with these two. And it makes you wonder what could’ve been if certain people had stayed in our lives or how we grow apart as we follow different paths
Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Young Woman and the Sea
I had such a great time watching this video - and perhaps I cried A LOT. Did you know that the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel was Trudy Ederle and she was a New Yorker with immigrant parents? And that she did that in 1926, against all the odds, since women didn't have a lot of rights at that time? The movie is around her journey and it is such an incredible and emotional story and the cast is so good. I absolutely loved it!
Available on Disney+.
Arthur the King
Let's talk about crying while watching a movie… OMG. I absolutely love movies based on true stories (and as a dog owner, I also love stories about dogs, of course!). During the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic, a pro adventure racer, Michael Light, develops a strong bond with a scrappy street dog dubbed Arthur. As Light and his team push to their outer limits of endurance in the race, the dog redefines what victory, loyalty, and friendship genuinely mean. I loved this not only because of the beautiful and emotional true story but also because I had no idea competitions like this existed.
Available on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Inside Out 2
Gotta love animations that actually speak more with adults than kids, lol. Everybody needs to watch Inside Out, and the second movie did a great job introducing new emotions that we are all so familiar with - hello, anxiety!
Available on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Wolves
Can a movie starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney be bad? I don't think so. Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high profile crime. But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up, and the two are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected. Yep, it has some cliches, but it's so entertaining, and I couldn't predict the end. Plus, it's set in New York City.
Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Series
Respira (Breathless)
From te same creator of Élite, this Spanish series takes place in a public hospital in Valencia. The show follows the intense lives of doctors and residents working in the fast-paced emergency room while they are starting a major strike. I love how they developed the main story while telling the personal challenges of the characters. It could be compared to Grey's Anatomy in some way.
Available on Netflix.
Ali Wong: Single Lady
I love Ali Wong and she is absolutely hilarious on her new original comedy special, talking about the joys of being single in her 40s.
Books
In an effort to improve my Spanish skills, I decided to listen to La Sociedad de La Nieve. This book brings the testimonies from the survivors of the accident that took place in 1972, when a Uruguayan Air Force plane crashed in the Andes Mountains.
The survivors, mostly young people around 20 years old, were stranded at an altitude of 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) in extreme conditions without proper clothing or food.
On this book, the author, Pablo Vierci, brings together testimonies from the survivors and they share the world they came from, the moments leading up to the accident, the experience on the mountain, the decision to survive by consuming the bodies of their companions, the expedition to seek help, the days after the rescue, and the lives they led after the tragedy. It's fascinating.
Podcasts
Love this episode about skincare where the host and the guest cover everything from lasers to mature skin type myths, why medical-grade skincare matters to the most important ingredients to consider in your products, and some tips on skincare routine.
Such a powerful and important episode! Mel Robbins shares her breast implant story and how everything went horribly wrong. She uses her story to talk about regret and shame - so many great reflections and thoughts!
On the blog
6 packing hacks to travel with a carry-on only - I'm getting better and better with my packing hacks and I share some of my favorite hacks on this post.
Canary Islands trip: why Tenerife should be your next getaway from NYC - I don’t remember much of what I knew about the Canary Islands before traveling to Tenerife, the largest and most famous island in the archipelago, last month. Now that I’ve been there, I’m left wondering why it’s not more popular—it absolutely deserves all the hype it can get.
On my IG
Some of the posts that deserve your attention:
Let me know if you have good recs on movies, TV, podcasts, books… I'm all ears! And let me know if you have followed any of these tips that I share here :)