What to Watch

Whether you are looking for a recommendation for a good movie or a series to binge watch, here is where you can find what other TWC members are watching. 

What is your favorite series or movie? Tell us about a TV show, movie or documentary you enjoy by emailing it to twc-webmaster@outlook.com.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

         Prime Video and Apple TV+

Always sartorially impeccable, soothing as a cup of tea, while providing a satisfying and heartfelt closure to our beloved saga. The Grand Finale is a worthy farewell, truly befitting the Crawley family and Downton Abbey.

The new film finds Lady Mary Talbot struggle with the ripple effects of divorce in 1930s high society as the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace.

Created by Julian Fellowes, who wanted to show that "families like the Crawleys, who survived into the modern world, had to redefine themselves, get used to the new way of things and see if they could live with it."

      Paddington in Peru

                        Netflix

Paddington in Peru is a 2024 live-action animated adventure comedy film and the third installment in the Paddington film series, based on the stories by Michael Bond.

Full of Paddington’s signature blend of wit, charm, and laugh-out-loud humor, Paddington in Peru finds the beloved, marmalade-loving bear lost in the jungle on an exciting, high-stakes adventure. When Paddington discovers his beloved Aunt Lucy has gone missing from the Home for Retired Bears, he and the Brown family head to the wilds of Peru to look for her. The only clue to her whereabouts is a spot marked on an enigmatic map. Determined to solve the mystery, Paddington embarks on a thrilling quest through the rainforests of the Amazon to find his aunt and may also uncover one of the world’s most legendary treasures.

        Arthur The King

Based on a true story, it's hard to deny Arthur the King's ability to tug at the heartstrings.

Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, Arthur The King, follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.

            Sunday Best

                         Netflix

While many remember Ed for introducing America to Elvis and The Beatles, his commitment to showcasing Black talent was just as bold, and arguably more impactful. During a time when segregation was still legal, and mainstream media often excluded Black voices, Ed Sullivan consistently featured Black musicians, comedians, sports figures, and change makers.

This film explores Sullivan’s powerful mark on music, media, and The Civil Rights Movement. Sunday Best, includes never before seen interviews from legends  like Harry Belafonte, Dionne Warwick, Berry Gordy, Otis Williams and many more, reminding us that integration didn’t just happen in courtrooms or lunch counters, but on living room TVs across the country.  By welcoming Black artists into one of the most watched shows in America, The Ed Sullivan Show helped reshape public perception, opening hearts and minds through undeniable talent.

The Thursday Murder Club

                    Netflix

The Thursday Murder Club is based on the best-selling book by Richard Osman and follows a team of retirees who just aren’t content with the standard retirement filled with painting, relaxing and jigsaw puzzles. This group, coined The Thursday Murder Club, finds cold murder cases from the past and puts their expertise together to solve these unsolvable cases. However, in the middle of a case, a part-owner of their retirement community is murdered, and the team puts their skills to the test on a live case.

What makes “The Thursday Murder Club,” an adaptation of the first book in the series, click is the casting. Helen Mirren is Elizabeth, whose polite bearing only just hides the spine of steel she developed as an MI6 agent during the Cold War. Pierce Brosnan is Ron, a former union head who’s no longer as rough and ready as he fancies himself. Ben Kingsley is Ibrahim, a psychiatrist who brightens with serene satisfaction every time he parses a solution from a clue. And Celia Imrie is Joyce, a new arrival at Cooper’s Chase, the retirement residence where Elizabeth, Ron and Ibrahim have been meeting once a week to take up real-life cold cases and try to puzzle them out.

  The Penguin Lessons                             Netflix

A distraught and antisocial teacher works his way down South America to Argentina. While the country is experiencing civil unrest, he takes an opportunity to go out and have fun. What was supposed to be a getaway ends up with him forced to keep a penguin. Little did he know that this penguin would change not only his life but the lives of everyone around him.

This movie adaptation of a memoir is inspired by actual events. The story is simple: Some friends come into our lives for just a season but leave a lasting impact. The movie has emotion, drama, comedy, and a penguin. Despite having a penguin, there is language and topics unsuitable for children. The one-hour and fifty-minute run time waddles by quickly. It is an entertaining watch for families with older children.

        Shrinking

                   Apple TV

In Shrinking, a feel-good therapy sitcom, Jimmy (a therapist played by Jason Segel) mourns the death of his wife while he helps others to overcome equally overwhelming circumstances. While the protagonist relies on friends and co-workers (especially Paul, played by Harrison Ford) to cope with the painful loss, he also tests an unconventional approach to therapy with his patients. Instead of giving objective insight to those that visit his office, Jimmy just shares with them his personal opinions and snide remarks over what he hears them say.  Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making big changes to people’s lives including his own.

Watched by Barb Shea

The Secrets of Penguins 

Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime

Explorer Bertie Gregory uncovers the Secrets of the Penguins in a stunning new documentary series.

From the winning waddle to the warming huddle, penguins have always held a special place in our hearts. But besides being cute, these loveable flightless birds are also resourceful and resilient, as explorer Bertie Gregory reveals in his globe-trotting new wildlife documentary series all about penguins.

From South Africa and South Georgia to the Galapagos, Namibia and Antarctica, Secrets of the Penguins captures remarkable behaviour from different species in contrasting habitats as they negotiate life's challenges, including finding a mate, rearing chicks, catching food and evading predators. And, most importantly for the iconic Emperor penguins featured in episode one, keeping warm!

Watched by Robin Stuck

           Nonnas

                      Netflix

Nonnas is a heartfelt drama, inspired by the life of Joe Scaravella, who, after losing his mother, opened Enoteca Maria on Staten Island in 2007. Still thriving two decades later, the restaurant became famous for the grandmothers or nonnas in the kitchen. Each of them cooking dishes from different Italian regions.

“You need to feed your grief. It’s the only way through.” The film tells the story of a grieving son, played by Vince Vaughn, who creates a place where grief is transformed into a haven, one spoonful at a time. By the end, we find a parallel for that first quote: "Food with family and friends will heal you."

Watched by Roz Callahan

   The Last Rodeo

Joe Wainwright is a former bull riding world champion who risks it all to save his grandson who needs an expensive invasive surgery on a brain tumor that Joe's military veteran benefits and the family's insurance do not cover. Facing his own painful past in which he had broken his neck riding a bull while drunk, he enters a high-stakes bull riding competition organized by Professional Bull Riders that is open to former legends with $750,000 prize for the first prize, as the oldest contestant ever, and has to sign an insurance waiver. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter, who had to take care of him after his injury and given up on her own professional pursuits and proves that true courage found in the fight for family.

Watched by Robin Stuck

           The Friend

                     Apple TV

Based on Sigrid Nunez’s novel.  In The Friend, writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 150 lb. Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend's problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life.

Recommended by Barb Shea

           Ludwig

             BritBox Season 1

Puzzle setter John 'Ludwig' Taylor's life of solitude is upended when his identical twin, DCI James Taylor, disappears. Drafted in by his sister-in-law Lucy, John reluctantly assumes his brother's identity as a detective in the Cambridge Police Authority in order to find clues to his brother's whereabouts. John is tasked with infiltrating the Major Investigations Team, gathering information and solving a completely unconnected murder all whilst remaining in character as his brother.

We really enjoyed watching – clever plot and excellent acting. 

Looking forward to a Season 2.

Reviewed by Barb & Craig Patterson