Please note that I have watched a lot more movies and tv shows and listened to a lot of music, but these were just some of my favorites

This was my first Wes Anderson film, and I was not disappointed. On a superficial level, I was enamored by his visual choices such as the coloring and the sharp and vivid camera movements. I love the story itself, starting with the dialogue. The characters speak with a specific tone in their voice that is very calming to the ear, despite the quick and quippy nature of their words. The story is quite interesting, half of it being in black and white and the other “play” in full color. The play within the film is explained by the black and white portion, which explains the motivations behind the fictional actors inside the fictional play inside the real movie.

My favorite scenes are mostly in the play portion, like the boy who sneaks off to hang out with the cowboys, even writing a song with them and performing it for his classmates. Then there are the conversations between Jason and Scarlett’s characters from their bathroom windows. The three little girls who process their emotions in their own unique way reminded me of myself all those years ago. I want to befriend the teenage geniuses, although I doubt I’d fit in well among them.

The little town of Asteroid City is quite charming. I’d love to visit it someday. It’s a shame that it’s a fictional place.

The Bear is not a show I would have expected myself to enjoy this much. I’m usually one for light-hearted and feel-good forms of entertainment, but I found myself really enjoying this show which, at times, feels like a giant yelling match with a kitchen as a backdrop. I will say that this may have to do with the amazing actors like Ayo, Jeremy, and Ebron. I’d never seen any of Jeremy’s previous work prior to The Bear, but there is something so intriguing about his performance that I can’t quite put my finger on. He's so good at portraying a guy who is just going through it every minute of every day. Ayo’s character, Sydney, is perhaps my favorite in the whole show. I’m a fan of her other stuff, and I think that is why I feel like the edge is taken off whenever she comes into the scene, even if it is only for a brief moment. Her voice is so calming to me. Even when she’s yelling, it’s not as hard on my ears. Thank you, Ayo. I love you, Ayo.

The editing is incredible! It manages to capture the tensions both in and out of the kitchen without making me overwhelmed as the viewer. I also appreciate how the actors enunciate their lines. I always watch with the subtitles on, but I could’ve done without them with this show, which is something I see less and less with what I watch more recent shows and movies. Every moment in The Bear is intentional. They don’t waste any time with filler that does little for the characters’ development. For that I am thankful. With a show as stress-inducing as this one, it’s nice to have a steady pace to the overarching story. Between watching this and Kitchen Nightmares, I have a deep respect for the restaurant industry.

My Favorite Episodes

• Dogs (S1E4)
• Review (S1E7)
• Sundae (S2E3)
• Forks (S2E7)
• Omelette (S2E9)