Anna Daniels
CS Recommends: Doom Eternal, Plus Books, Music & More!
Stuck inside? Don’t know what to watch/read/play/listen to? ComingSoon.net has got you covered. In this week’s CS Recommends our staff gives you solid tips on the best media to consume during your downtime, including Deadly Class & more. Check out our picks below!
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MAX EVRY’s RECOMMEND: The Movies That Made Me: Pandemic Parade
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My favorite current movies podcast is The Movies That Made Me, hosted by cult fav director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The ‘burbs, The Howling) and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Josh Olson (A History of Violence) who ask their illustrious guests to talk about the films that were particularly inspirational to them. This week they have several past guests talk remotely about the films they recommend people watch while under quarantine. Guests include comedian Dana Gould (Stan Against Evil), screenwriter Daniel Waters (Heathers), screenwriter Scott Alexander (Ed Wood) and director Allison Anders (Grace of My Heart).
KYLIE HEMMERT’s RECOMMEND: Deadly Class Season One
Based on the comics by Rick Remender, Deadly Class remains one of the most underrated series ever and I still have a hard time forgiving Syfy for not renewing this stunning piece of work for a second season. From co-creators Miles Orion Feldsott and Rick Remender alongside executive producers the Russo Brothers, Deadly Class is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the late 1980s counterculture. The main teenage character, Marcus (Benjamin Wadsworth), is recruited off of the streets into a storied high school for assassins. There he meets other outcast teenagers he can kind of relate to, all with their own disturbing childhoods who strive for a sense of normalcy even as they are constantly surrounded by violence and death.
The storytelling elevates each episode not only in the writing and the stellar performances but in its unparalleled visuals, including graphic flashback scenes revealed through animated sequences. One of the best parts about the show is how it challenges TV norms not just through its diverse cast, but by highlighting domestic violence, abuse, consent issues, drug use, grief, trauma, the weight of morality and more complex issues facing these teens without ignoring the impact those themes have on the young characters. Deadly Class is bloody, bonkers, funny, gut-wrenching, and touching as these doomed kids face adolescence in the most dysfunctional setting. The show may have only aired for one season, but its 10 colorful episodes are worth the time (and money).
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GRANT HERMANNS’ RECOMMENDATION: Parks and Recreation – The Complete Series
The sitcom genre has seen numerous duds over the years, but one of the best and most rewatchable series since the genre’s inception was NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Combining a stellar blend of brilliant ensemble stars with intelligent characters, pointed satire with appropriately low-brow humor and plenty of one-liners and fourth wall breaks, it has set itself above the network’s other iconic sitcom The Office in the years since its debut. In a time where everyone could use a good laugh, there’s no going wrong with the Pawnee Parks and Recreation crew, namely Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson, who is the ultimate level of mood we can all experience on a daily basis.
MAGGIE DELA PAZ’S RECOMMEND: Bad Genius (Thai Film)
Inspired by true events that happened in Thailand, Bad Genius follows a group of high school students led by top student named Lynn, who makes money off by helping other students cheat on their exams. On their senior year, the stakes will get higher as they enlist the help of Lynn’s fellow top student Bank to pull off a big-scale cheating operation in the STIC, which is an international test for university admissions. Bad Genius is a coming-of-age heist thriller film that had premiered in 2017, where it received numerous positive reviews from critics and had become the highest-grossing Thai film of that year. The film had also garnered international recognition at award-giving bodies including the 20th Fantasia International Film Festival for Audience Award-Most Innovative Feature Film and Cheval Noir-Best Director.
What I like about the film is that it offers a new look at the heist genre as it creatively shows how a simple thing like taking a test can be something so thrilling and nerve-wracking for students. In her first acting role, lead star Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying’s performance as Lynn is really one of the film’s driving forces. So if you’re a fan of the Ocean’s 11 films and coming-of-age stories, Bad Genius is definitely something what you’re looking for. 
JEFF AMES’ RECOMMEND: The Jack Ryan Collection
Tired of watching the world’s battle against the coronavirus? Then strap in and watch four different actors kick ass as Tom Clancy hero Jack Ryan. Start with The Hunt for Red October, the 1990 classic from Die Hard director John McTiernan that features Alec Baldwin as our main man, who takes on Sean Connery’s super-submarine wielding Russian (!) captain in a taut, intelligent action drama that features more dialogue than action, but still manages to entertain with each viewing. Next, enjoy post-Indiana Jones Harrison Ford taking on terrorists, drug dealers, and corrupt politicians in Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994) — two remarkably entertaining action films that feature Ford at his very best … when he actually gave a damn. You can also watch Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman try really hard to make The Sum of All Fears (2002) work; and then pop in the Chris Pine-Kevin Costner feature Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) if you’re really bored.
My advice? Watch Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, then skip all the other Ryan adaptations — including Amazon’s ho-hum TV show with John Krasinski — and wait for Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan later this year. Or just read the damned novels. Enjoy!
PREVIOUS CS RECOMMENDS:
CS Recommends: Doom Eternal, Plus Books, Music & More!
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Written by: CS
