People are pickier with their watchlists than their dating rosters. With social media’s echo chambers and the Letterboxd-ification of film and TV, there’s few safe spaces left to admit you still watch Marvel movies or crappy Netflix originals. But if you’re willing to go against the grain, here are some shows and movies that might surprise you — just hear us out.
“Miraculous Ladybug”
I’ve been watching “Miraculous Ladybug” since I was 10, and I can confirm that there’s nothing more entertaining than watching Ladybug and Cat Noir fight around Paris whenever someone gets upset. I don’t care that it’s a children’s show — there’s heart, surprisingly progressive LGBTQ+ representation and the craziest love square imaginable. And don’t sleep on the theme song, either.
— Dani Biondi, Film & TV Editor
“The Kissing Booth 2”
I’m not ashamed to love “The Kissing Booth” trilogy, but one is significantly better than the rest. “The Kissing Booth 2” has the drama every movie wishes it could have — a love triangle, a long-distance relationship, Thanksgiving dinner, girl best friends, an epic dance scene… need I go on? Sure, there is some cringey dialogue, but who doesn’t love the mess that Elle (Joey King) drags everyone into?
— Isabella D’Erasmo, Deputy Managing Editor
“Once Upon a Time”
For a show about fairytales, “Once Upon a Time” has incredibly high stakes. At some point, you get so invested that you forget that you’re watching Snow White and Captain Hook team up to stop Peter Pan — who is both evil and also Rumpelstiltskin’s absent father. You just pray that they can get back to Storybrooke and chill in a diner with werewolf waitress Red Riding Hood. This show has impeccable casting, beautiful styling, a great sense of humor and an interesting premise.
— Oshmi Ghosh, Contributing Writer
“The Company of Wolves”
When I first watched “The Company of Wolves,” I expected another hasty rehash of “Little Red Riding Hood.” But Neil Jordan’s Gothic reimagining doesn’t hand out easy morals. No huntsman comes to the rescue, only grandmother’s cautionary tales of wolves and strangers, instilling desire and fear in Rosaleen as she navigates girlhood. Despite these warnings, she finds kinship with the wolves in the forest, who prove far more decent than those scheming and ruthless humans.
— Petunia Hu, Contributing Writer
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“Revenge of the Fallen” is an absolute masterpiece. It perfectly captures the energy of 2009 and the angsty, testosterone-fueled teenage boy, then casts Shia LaBeouf to counter literally all of that. Megatron comes back from the dead, again, Optimus Prime dies, again, and Bumblebee refrains, this time, from pissing on a human. If you look past the crude humor and evil sex robots, and can enjoy the loud metal mess, there’s moments of love, laughter and some insane late-2000s lens flare.
— Roshan Rao, Contributing Writer
“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”
“Attack of the Clones” isn’t getting the love it deserves. The movie has everything: a top 3 “Star Wars” score, a brilliant villain from Sir Christopher Lee, Yoda with a lightsaber, Ewan McGregor as “Space Jesus” and a massively underrated combo of Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman. With immaculate worldbuilding, new and exotic planets and peoples, what’s not to love?
— Joe Paladino, Staff Writer
“Cruella”
I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a villain origin story, and Disney’s “Cruella” is no exception to this. Reframing Cruella — or Estella — as someone who isn’t a puppy killer but a power-hungry fashion student with mommy issues was something I didn’t know I needed. After watching, I’ve looped “Call Me Cruella” by Florence + the Machine weekly. Give me a Disney film that humanizes a villain with a catchy soundtrack, and I’ll be obsessed.
— Ellie DaSilva, Contributing Writer
“Young Sheldon”
While “The Big Bang Theory’s” Sheldon Cooper is a pain in the ass, it doesn’t take a genius to enjoy this spinoff about his upbringing in the ’80s. Watching Sheldon grow up in East Texas with his God-fearing mother, rebellious older brother, mischievous twin sister and traditionally masculine father reminds me of my own eclectic family. I know Sheldon and Meemaw’s houses as well as my own.
— Pritheva Zakaria, Contributing Writer
Contact the Arts desk at arts@nyunews.com.
