Tag: binge
The 8 best Chicken Shop Date episodes to binge
Amelia Dimoldenberg has been dating like it’s her job. She started her “Chicken Shop Date” series as a university student, taking British rappers out to eat and then stonewalling them with a silly questions and a straight face. In the past two years, she’s taken her awkward charm to the red carpet, hosting interviews at the Brit Awards and the Golden Globes, where she had very real chemistry in a widely-viewed exchange with Andrew Garfield.
As an Amelia stan (a chicken shop chick? A nugget? One of Amelia’s Bedelias? Still workshopping a fandom name…) I thought it only right to point new fans in the direction of some of her best poultry-focused work.
1. Chunkz and Yung Filly
I’d never heard of Chunkz or Yung Filly before watching their Chicken Shop Date and now I’ll never forget them. Between explaining the meaning of “bundas” and razzing Yung Filly’s raucous laugh, the duos’ date is one of Dimoldenberg’s most-watched for a reason.
2. Jack Harlow
Harlow and Dimoldenberg have real chemistry, though from what I’ve seen of Harlow on red carpets, he could have chemistry with a brick wall. It’s hard not to be charmed by his bad British accent and natural humor, and Harlow’s charisma comes close to making Dimoldenberg break character.
3. Louis Theroux
This iconic video may have birthed the top TikTok sound of 2022 — the tune “My money don’t jiggle, jiggle” — but Dimoldenberg and Theroux’s sit down is one of her deepest meals to date. Theroux is almost too earnest for Amelia, creating a vibe that’s more wholesome than romantic.
4. Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer could narrate paint drying and be entertaining, so pairing her up with Dimoldenberg is a sure-fire win. They feel more like besties than baes but the love is still palpable.
5. Aitch
Despite their date going less than swimmingly (it’s hard to come back from telling someone they resemble a prawn), Amelia and rapper Aitch must have had chemistry outside of the chicken shop because they ended up dating IRL. Amelia appeared in his music video for “Baby” and, though it was probably a PR stunt, we can always hope the love was real. The pair has since broken up, but remain friendly. When “Baby” was nominated for song of the year at the 2023 Brit Awards, Amelia congratulated Aitch on the red carpet with a box of items he had left at her place.
6. Nella Rose
Nella Rose, the bubbly YouTuber behind the viral “Are you not ashamed of yourself, are you not embarrassed?” meme brings out Amelia’s best physical comedy. The two dance, giggle, and stumble over their words in this truly delightful match up.
7. Dutchavelli
One of the top comments on this video is “I love how she gets tough men [to] giggle like school boys, it’s hilarious” and that pretty much sums up Dimoldenberg’s tete-a-tete with rapper Dutchavelli.
8. Daniel Kaluuya
Daniel Kaluuya walks into the chicken shop ready to get his flirt on. He makes eyes at Dimoldenberg but deflects her questions about having time for a girlfriend, playing hard to get. The signals are mixed, but the chemistry is definitely there.
Bonus: Jesse Lingard and Bernardo Silva
Although not technically a chicken shop date (it takes place in a stadium cafeteria), this double header contrasts a softspoken and sometimes confused Bernardo Silva with the more outgoing Jesse Lingard. It’s one of Dimoldenberg’s best attempts at scoring a boo.
A Google Doc ruined my Age Of Empires II binge
This year, I decided to make a New Year’s Resolution for the first time in my life. I’m 21 and my knees click, which means I must be turning into stone faster than someone having a staring contest with Medusa. So, I vowed to exercise a few times a week. Then, during my first week back at work, vid bud Liam told me to try Age Of Empires II. Never before has a New Year’s Resolution been abandoned so fast. I really wanted to stick with it. Promise.
But! After my first match, the following 30 hours vanished quicker than the Galaxy Caramels in a box of Celebrations. I became obsessed. I mastered AOE II’s low AI difficulties and quickly used the Advanced Techniques tutorial to learn build orders. Before I knew it, I had a Google Doc filled with step-by-step plans for various playstyles, the perfect strategies for any scenario. But that Google Doc ended up ruining everything for me. If that recent Xbox release with the good gamepad controls has you tempted to revisit Age Of Empires II on PC, do not make a Google Doc. You’ve been warned.
The best shows to binge watch over the holidays in 2022
This year was a bit of a reset for the entertainment industry, with more people returning to theaters and more must-watch TV shows hitting streaming networks. That’s a fairly major change from 2021, when many movies hit services like HBO Max on the same day as theaters. But if you’ve gotten used to catching up on everything on your couch, don’t worry — there’s still plenty to watch over the holidays. (And be sure to check out our recommendations from last year, which are still good, I swear!)
HBO Max
Station Eleven
Perhaps the best piece of media I’ve seen this year, Station Eleven is an adaptation of Emily St. John’s novel about a society-collapsing swine flu epidemic. Wait, don’t run away! While the series may evoke the worst of our COVID experience at first, it also transforms into a hopeful tale about the power of stories (and pop culture!) and human connection. It delivers something we could all use right now: Hope.
Tuca and Bertie Season 3
After being unceremoniously canceled by Netflix in 2020, the cartoon duo of Tuca and Bertie found a new home on Cartoon Network last year. The third and (unfortunately) final season of the series aired this year, and it remains a delight. Created by Lisa Hanawalt and executive produced by Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), it follows a pair of friends as they deal with life, love and simply existing in their ’30s.
Also on HBO Max:
The White Lotus (Season 2): Mike White’s series on the exploits of privileged resort guests, this time in Sicily instead of Hawaii, remains a delight.
Harley Quinn (Season 3): This show remains one of the best DC series currently airing. Tune in for a comedic and more adult spin on your Batman faves.
Disney+
Andor
Yes, it’s another Star Wars show, but Andor ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the year. Created by Tony Gilroy (who helped transform Rogue One into a stellar film), it centers on Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a small-time thief with a healthy distrust for the Empire. The show follows his journey towards becoming a member of the rebels, and in doing so it also serves as a blueprint for taking down authoritarian systems.
Fire of Love
Katia and Maurice Krafft were a rare couple, two expert volcanologists who were also madly in love. They dedicated their lives to documenting active volcanoes, often by directly confronting lava flows, rock explosions and acid lakes. Fire of Love unearths their original footage to show just how far they went in the name of science. But it also paints a portrait of a truly rare couple, one whose contributions we still owe much to.
Also on Disney+:
Tales of the Jedi: A short animated series that gives us a bit more backstory on Ahsoka Tano and… Count Dooku? If you’ve been interested in the Star Wars cartoons, but don’t want to slog through tons of old episodes, this is a good start.
Bluey: This remains the best kids show on TV. Bluey’s latest season is as funny and poignant as ever. It’s the rare show that can teach both kids and their parents.
Netflix
Cyberpunk: Edgeunners
Cyberpunk 2077 had a notoriously rocky game launch, but the setting of Night CIty was always compelling. Edgerunners is an anime spin on that universe, centering on a plucky street kid who finds himself equipped with a military-grade spine implant. You know, typical teenage stuff. Will his newfound power keep him on the wrong side of the law? And will he ever get revenge against the people who ruined his life? The show doesn’t do much new, but it features genuinely compelling characters and some of the best animation in recent years.
The Midnight Club
Mike Flanagan can do no wrong. The talent behind Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep, and the excellent “Haunting of…” horror shows on Netflix has now set his sights on a Christopher Pike adaptation, and the results are glorious. The show, co-created by Leah Fong, follows a group of terminally ill teenagers as they tell spooky stories and explore the supernatural mysteries of their hospice mansion. It’s a meditation on the power of storytelling, but also yet another Flanagan exploration of the value of life.
Also on Netflix:
Wednesday: Come to see Tim Burton finally get his shot at The Addams Family, stay for Jenna Ortega’s perfectly deadpan performance.
Hulu
The Bear
Can an award-winning chef truly come back home and save his family’s beleaguered sandwich shop? Or is he just trying to work through the death of his brother the only way he knows? The Bear captures the energy and madness of kitchen life better than any TV show — forget all the glossy stuff you’ve seen on Chef’s Table. But amid the insanity, it’s the story of a found family banding together to mourn and save the place they all love.
The Dropout
What makes Elizabeth Holmes tick? This series, which stars Amanda Seyfried as the notorious Theranos founder, paints a more complete picture of Holmes than the 2019 HBO documentary The Inventor. We see Holmes’ early life, as well as her initial connection with Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews, perhaps the best TV adaptation glow-up any South Asian man can hope for). After proving her smarts in college, she sets off to build the world’s best blood testing machine with Theranos. We all know how that went. When the hype around Theranos starts to fall apart, The Dropout turns into a fascinating portrait of self-deception.
Also on Hulu:
Fleishman is in Trouble: Toby Fleishman is going through a divorce. But as he starts to rebuild his own identity, he also needs to deal with the wreckage of his marriage (and find his missing ex-wife).
Apple TV+
Severance
Taking the idea of work/life balance a step too far, Severance follows a group of people who’ve received a procedure that completely splits their memories between home and office life. The result is two completely separate personalities within the same body, both trapped in their respective cages. Severance is a bit of a slow burn, but it’s a fascinating exploration of corporate control akin to Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. (Be sure to check out our interview with the creator of the show, Dan Erickson, on the Engadget Podcast.)
Pachinko
An adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel, Pachinko follows a Korean family across several generations starting in 1917 and reaching into the late ‘80s. We see a young fish seller fall in love and make her way to Japan as an outsider, while her grandson struggles to maintain his identity in the pressure-filled business world. Pachinko has almost everything you’d want in a family epic: Children struggling to live up to their parents’ standards, forbidden love and the constant threat of generational trauma. Also, it has one of the best opening sequences of the year.
Other things to watch
The Good Fight (Paramount+): Over its six-season span, The Good Fight tackled the insanity of our current social and political environment better than any other TV show. It’s first and foremost a legal procedural, but coming from the minds of Michelle and Robert King, it ends up being so much more.
Gangs of London (AMC+): Now on its second season, Gangs of London is one of the most brutal crime shows on TV. It’s part gangster epic, part martial arts smackdown (it comes from Gareth Evans, director of The Raid films). While the plot becomes increasingly ludicrous, it’s worth a watch just for the sheer ambition of its action sequences, many of which go far harder than anything we’ve seen in American films lately.
New On Hulu In December 2022: It’s A Wonderful Binge, Nolan’s Batman Trilogy
In the upcoming month, Hulu has a lot of cool stuff coming out on the streaming service. There’s plenty of original content, which include comedies, documentaries, and Santa-related content. Below, you’ll find everything coming to Hulu for the month of December and a few recommendations.
People keep saying they don’t make comedies anymore, but on December 9, Hulu is taking a wild swing on the Christmas-themed It’s A Wonderful Binge. It’s a pretty strange movie with a delightfully odd cast including Danny Trejo, Tim Meadows, Paul Scheer, and a synopsis reads in part: “In the near future, all drinking and drugs are banned except for one glorious day known as The Binge… This year, that day happens to miraculously land on Christmas.” The movie promises to be a holiday adventure complete with magical story books, catchy songs, stop-motion animation, and in a package “like you’ve never seen before.” Check out the trailer below.
On December 12, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises all hit Hulu. The final film in the Christopher Nolan trilogy is marking its 10th anniversary, and there have been so many other takes on Batman–and more in the pipeline, though with fewer people donning the cowl–that now’s actually a pretty good time to revisit Nolan’s take on Gotham with some healthy distance and fresh eyes.
The best shows to binge watch in 2022 from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and more
‘Loot’ review: Maya Rudolph shines in a sitcom that makes for a great weekend binge
Many of the best sitcoms of recent years follow the same basic formula: Assemble a crew of distinct and lovable characters, then have them work together to make the world a better place. Notable examples include Abbott Elementary, Parks and Recreation, and The Good Place.
Now, Apple TV+’s Loot, starring Maya Rudolph as a billionaire attempting to be a philanthropist, is also trying its hand at that formula. While its first season doesn’t completely reach the levels of shows like Abbott Elementary, Loot still has a ton of charms and laugh-out-loud moments guaranteed to make it a comforting sitcom binge.
All hail Maya Rudolph!
Credit: Apple TV+
First and foremost, Loot is a reminder of what a star Rudolph is. (As if we’d ever forget.) She plays Molly Novak, the wife of tech billionaire John Novak (Adam Scott). Early on in Loot‘s first episode, Molly discovers John has been cheating on her. She gets $87 billion in the subsequent divorce, then spends her time clubbing with her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster) everywhere from Berlin to Phuket to Rio.
However, Molly’s partying comes to a halt when she realizes she has a philanthropic foundation. Determined to do something with her life (and also stick it to John), she decides to get more involved in the foundation’s efforts — much to the chagrin of its no-nonsense director Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez).
Whether Molly is mourning her husband’s infidelity or giving a disastrous speech at a charity event, Rudolph keeps us locked in. She plays Molly not as a billionaire caricature, but as a someone with genuinely good intentions whose out-of-touch lifestyle keeps getting in the way. Rudolph also delivers some killer comedic set pieces. A scene where Molly goes on Hot Ones and promptly loses her mind is a perfect showcase for Rudolph, as well as a nice callback to a Saturday Night Live sketch that sees Rudolph as Beyoncé struggle with the spicy gauntlet.
Loot‘s ensemble is a treasure.
Credit: Apple TV+
Rudolph may be Loot‘s main character, but she certainly isn’t the only one shining in this show. Rodriguez, so excellent in Pose, finds hilarity in Sofia’s intensity. Her earnestness and devotion to the foundation make her a perfect foil to Molly, especially in the early episodes where Molly is not quite as dedicated as she claims she is.
Elsewhere, Booster’s ability to fire off one-liners like nobody’s business serves him well as Molly’s devoted assistant Nicholas. However, as the season progresses, Nicholas begins to let his walls down around certain foundation members, giving Booster a chance to sink his teeth into Nicholas’s softer side. He crushes it.
Rounding out our ensemble cast are Ron Funches as Howard, Molly’s cousin who works at the foundation, and Nat Faxon as Arthur, the foundation’s accountant. Funches’s Howard is a ray of optimism and enthusiasm throughout, and he and Booster play exceptionally well off of each other as Howard and Nicholas become unlikely friends. Faxon is a nicely low-key contrast to the show’s other performances. Arthur is as mild-mannered and sweet as they come, and he and Molly hit it off in what is sure to be Loot‘s sitcom-required will-they-won’t-they romance.
Loot is predictable, but it has potential.
Credit: Apple TV+
Just like with Molly and Arthur’s blossoming romance, Loot treads sitcom ground we’ve seen before. Plotlines and character beats are clear from the jump, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing — it just tones down the excitement a bit.
Loot is most interesting when it’s exploring the challenges Molly and Sofia face when trying to make positive change. Molly can’t just throw all her money at a problem to make it go away: There’s red tape to cut and hoops to jump through. However, there’s also a cynical undertone to Loot‘s approach to billionaire philanthropy. This undertone surfaces in a satisfying way in Loot‘s Season 1 finale, cutting through all the show’s yachts and jet-setting and extravagance. It’s a great way to end Loot‘s inaugural season, and a sign of good things to come for the show’s already-announced second season.