[LIST] AUGUST STAFF PICKS ⋆

Check out what the Geek’d-Out staff is watching and recommending this month!

Muriel Truax: The Twilight Zone, Season 4, Episode 1, “In His Image” (1963)

Increasingly, I’ve been watching TV episodes instead of full-length movies, as the brevity is much easier to fit into my schedule. A recent favorite series has been The Twilight Zone. “In His Image” (season 4, episode 1), is my favorite episode so far. Robot/android stories are perhaps my favorite type of science fiction, and I love the ’60s themes at play in this one. Furthermore, there are particular similarities to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein–one of my favorite books in high school–which makes me appreciate the episode even more. Personally, I am of the opinion that the final scene should have been cut and the ending left ambiguous; it would have made the show perfect. But if you watch “In His Image,” let me know what you think!

Anelise Farris: The 100 (2014-2020)

I’ve spent the last few months (and likely the next few months, as well) recovering from knee surgery–which requires a lot of at home physical therapy, and, by equation, a lot of TV time. The difficult thing, though, when one is in excruciating pain and working out more than they ever have in their life, is to find a show that doesn’t make you hate all of the characters who act like it’s the end of the world over petty drama. I want it to be the end of the world. I want characters who are training hard and fighting for their very lives, as that is what recovery feels like.

So, needless to say when I started The 100, I knew I had found my jam. It’s like Lost meets Game of Thrones in space. Essentially, Earth has been uninhabitable for years due to radiation, so entire generations of people have been living in space. In order to find out if Earth is safe again, an expendable group of troublemakers (“The 100”) are sent on an exploratory mission. Turns out, mutated deer and radioactive-lit butterflies are the least of their worries. There’s a lot to love about this sci-fi, post-apocalyptic drama, but what really drew me in was the people. I instantly empathized with the characters, especially Raven Reyes who is coping with her own leg injury, and I felt stronger psychologically, as well as physically, as their fight for survival inspired my own. (All seven seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.)

Michael Farris: The Swarm (2021)

How far does someone have to go to make a dream reality? That’s the central question behind the horror flick The Swarm that recently dropped on Netflix. The movie (in its native French or dubbed in English) follows a widow named Virginie who is trying to support her two children in an unusual way–by farming locusts.

She struggles to make ends meet–until she takes the “blood” part of pouring your blood, sweat, and tears into a small business a little too seriously. As her bloodthirsty locusts grow in size and volume, Virginie’s obsession begins to overtake her life. And it’s only a matter of time before her swarm becomes too dangerous to manage.

I loved the dissonance between the relatable aspects of a struggling small business owner with the unusual choice of profession, but more than that, there’s some interesting relational drama between mother and daughter that gives this film extra heart. Definitely recommend.

Check back next month as we share what Geek’d-Out staffers are enjoying in September!