by Kelly Lee

Official Summary: Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) is a recently divorced 40-year-old mother. As her teenage daughter, Caitlin (Tessa Albertson), studies abroad in India, Liza has to figure out a way to support herself and her daughter since her ex-husband's gambling addiction has left them in a financial hole, losing all their savings and their house. Following her ambitions from college, Liza attempts to get a job in publishing, but has to start at the bottom, which proves difficult for a woman of her age. During her hunt, she meets Josh (Nico Tortorella), a 26-year-old tattoo artist who thinks that they are about the same age. Maggie (Debi Mazar), Liza's best friend, comes up with the idea of giving Liza a makeover in order to pass her off as a 26-year-old. Ultimately, she becomes an assistant to Diana Trout (Miriam Shor), at the publishing firm Empirical Press, where she befriends Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff), her 20-something co-worker.

ALNM rec: I have talked about how much I enjoy this show on past episodes of the podcast as my “Obsession”, but as the series is gearing up for its fifth season, I encourage everyone to watch it.  Sutton Foster and Miriam Shor are hilarious as Liza and Diana and, as usual, the men in the show are just as hot as its women. Not only does this show promote multiple strong female role models, but it also attempts to bridge the ever-widening gap between Millenials and their parents.  Millenials and middle-aged women alike will love this show!

Available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video

Official Summary: The lives of the other 17 American black athletes who competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

ALNM rec: I watched this documentary last year, but it’s definitely a suitable watch during the Olympics. The film profiles the other African American athletes who competed alongside Jesse Owens in Nazi Germany, giving them a long overdue spotlight and showing all the suffered through both abroad at at home. Next time someone argues to keep politics and social issues out of sports, this is a movie you can point them towards.

I know it is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, but it could also be available for free from your local cable provider. I watched it on Comcast OnDemand.

by Kelly Lee

ALNM Rating: 5/5

Starring: Bobby Berk (Interior Design), Karamo Brown (Culture), Tan France (Fashion), Antoni Porowski (Food & Wine), and Jonathan van Ness (Grooming)

Available to watch: Netflix

Queer Eye is a Netflix original series which premiered on February 7, 2018. It is a reboot of the Bravo series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The new version of the show features a new Fab Five, consisting of Bobby Berk, design expert; Antoni Porowski, food expert; Jonathan Van Ness, grooming expert; Tan France, fashion expert and Karamo Brown, culture expert.

15 years later, a new Fab Five is back and ready to take on the world in 2018.  While last time we watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy in 2003, the Fab Five were all about acceptance into the heterosexual world, this new Fab Five dips their toes into tolerance in the world today, touching on subjects like police brutality, the difficulty of coming out, and so much more,  Throughout each episode, they take time to talk about what coming out was like for them or how they, too, struggled with similar problems as the straight men they are making over.  While 15 years ago, Queer Eye was fun and cool to watch, this new version touches on subjects that we all should pay attention to in our society and remember that even though everyone is different, we all live in the same world and must somehow learn to live together better.

by Kelly Lee

ALNM Rating: 3.5/5

Directed by: Trish Sie

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, John Lithgow, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks

Rating: PG-13

Available to watch: Starting March 1st, anywhere you can purchase or rent movies

Official Summary: Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices.

​ALNM Rec: Though this movie came out around Christmas 2017, I had to watch it twice for it to grow on me.  I love the Pitch Perfect franchise and while this wasn’t my favorite storyline of the three films, I enjoyed the music in this movie a lot and it was a nice way to wrap up the story of The Barden Bellas.  If you’re a fan of the trilogy, I definitely recommend finishing it out with this fun conclusion!

Official Summary: Intrigued by legendary mysteries and driven by curiosity, Josh Gates is on a mission for answers. "Exhibition Unknown" chronicles his global adventures as he investigates iconic unsolved events, lost cities, buried treasures and other puzzling stories. Armed with a degree in archaeology, a quick wit and a thirst for action, Gates investigates recent developments before embarking on a detailed exploration. Whether he's trekking through Fiji in search of Amelia Earhart's remains or diving the deep seas of Panama to locate Captain Morgan's pirate ship, Gates' roughshod expeditions lead him one step closer to the truth.

ALNM rec: This is actually one of my favorite shows on TV today.  While the episodes where he makes a breakthrough are exciting, it's really Josh Gates' adventures around the world that draw you in.  You'll learn a lot about both places you've been and places you'll never get to visit.  Each adventure is always filled with exciting and funny moments that leave you wondering how the past hour went by so fast.

Airs on Travel Channel on Wednesdays at 9PM.

by Kelly Lee

Official Summary: A local Pennsylvania band scores a one hit wonder in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as they can, with lots of help from their manager.

ALNM rec: This might be one of my favorite movies ever.  When it came out in 1996, I remember going to the movie theatre to see it and loving it from the very beginning.  Not only does it star the legendary Tom Hanks, but it also has characters that you can really get behind.  It’s a great family movie with lots of toe-tapping music.  Definitely a musical movie for people who don’t really care for musicals.

​Available wherever you can purchase or stream movies.

Official Summary: When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor. On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

ALNM rec: As both of your trusty ALNM hosts are half-Chinese and come from Asian families, there is a part of me that really relates to some of the crazy things that Nick’s family says and does in the book.  Not to say that either of us are “crazy rich” or come from secret millionaire families in Asia, but both Christina and I can understand the humor and exasperating moments that Nick endures with his family, especially his Asian mother.  In our 2018 movie article, I also mentioned that this will be made into a feature film to be released this summer, so make sure you read the book first so you understand the movie even better.  Or if you’re not much of a book worm, I suppose you can just wait for the movie.

Available for purchase wherever you buy books or e-books nowadays.  Also available for audio book download.

Official summary: A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

ALNM rec: I just started watching Peaky Blinders, and I'm one of those terrible people who started with the most recent season before going back to watch the rest of the show.  But I'm in love with it already.  The early 1900s gangster drama is filled with brilliant acting performances from talented cast including Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, and Tom Hardy.  But the show's pacing and beautiful cinematography are what really pulled me in.  I really need more people in my life to watch this so we can have fan freak outs together.

ALNM rec: I'm a bit of a history buff, with a special interest in the American revolution.  For those of you who haven't heard yet, Ron Chernow is the writer of the Alexander Hamilton biography that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write his hit musical, Hamilton.  This book is an all encompassing biography of America's first president.  It may be long, but it doesn't read at all like a textbook.  If you have any interest in George Washington or early American history, this is a must read. 

Available for purchase on Amazon