The Sandman, The White Lotus, and More Shows on Netflix and HBO Go

The Sandman on Netflix

The Sandman was released on August 5. I was really interested in it because it is based on the books and graphic novels of Neil Gaiman. I really loved the film Stardust and I started to read some of his books (I will write more about this later this year). Also, I knew about Sandman because of one of my good friends was really interested in it many years ago and I got him one of the graphic novels as a Christmas gift. As such, I made sure to watch it when it became available. I gotta say, it's very dark, most especially Episode 5. I actually had to stop watching after that because of how intense it was (which is also why  it took me a while to complete the ten episodes). Interestingly enough, the last couple of episodes had moments that were almost comical but they were actually pretty insidious. I acknowledge that this series is not for everyone. While I think I'm not exactly the target market given how dark I found it at time, I did enjoy it and I will keep an eye out for the next season.

The White Lotus on HBO Go

I remember seeing The White Lotus on HBO on cable TV a while back but I didn't watch it back then. Since it only has six episodes and has been in my HBO Go list for a while, I decided to finally see it and it was such a revelation! I initially thought it would be light and something easy to watch but very soon, I started to find it unsettling yet very intriguing and compelling. The characters were all flawed and the dynamic they had with each other was very complex and interesting. As I finished the show, I remember thinking that I thought it was weird but good. However, I found myself thinking about the show and the characters a lot even after I had seen it and the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. The music, especially the opening theme, is also incredibly good. As it turns out, The White Lotus has won multiple awards already. I'm not surprised.

The Umbrella Academy

I know this show has been around for a while and while I subscribed to Netflix about a year ago already, it was only recently that I watched The Umbrella Academy. I just finished Season 1 and I really enjoyed it. I loved the many interesting twists and turns in the story. I haven't started Season 2 just yet but I plan to watch it soon.

Other shows

I watched Sea Beast on Netflix, which kinda had How to Train your Dragon vibes. I've always been interested in Inkheart because of the premise that whenever the lead character (played by Brendan Fraser) reads a book, he can bring characters from that book to life. Now that I've seen it, I think it is just okay. I don't regret watching it though given that it is available on Netflix.

I also got to rewatch some films on HBO Go, including Paycheck, Nanny McPhee, Legally Blonde, and Hot Fuzz. I actually have a DVD  of Hot Fuzz but I can't get my DVD player to work anymore so I'm happy it was on HBO Go. Now if only they can add Shaun of the Dead as well...