Latest news with #hatewatch
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Wildly incoherent, utterly flummoxing, blissful: how And Just Like That rewrote the rules of TV
Sex and the City's divisive spin-off And Just Like That is set to end after three bizarre seasons and a deluge of critical contempt, with bemused fans losing it on Reddit, and articles about how the programme became a hate watch. There has been little heartache in the discourse after the announcement of the show's demise, the general consensus being: good. But to these people, I say – you're wrong! But also, I understand. There is always an element of fear in contemplating change, in engaging with the rapid advancement of modernity, and I would like to make the case for And Just Like That being a product of exactly that. It feels analogous to a comment a friend of mine once made during a conversation about the best oven pizzas, when someone posited Dr Oetker pizzas as a contender: 'It's delicious, it's something different, I don't know what it is … but it's not pizza.' This is how I feel about And Just Like That. It's a pleasure to watch, it's fun, it's compelling, I don't know what it is – but it's certainly not TV drama. And Just Like That is something new; I genuinely believe the show has reimagined what television drama is, and how we might engage with it. I wonder whether And Just Like That represents the end point of television drama's evolution into content – pure content, no longer a strictly narrative format. Many have wondered whether it was covertly written by AI, and I understand this line of thinking, as none of the characters behave like their original characters. In fact, they don't behave like human beings. The dialogue is bizarre (repeated references to comedian Che's 'comedy concert'), while the editing is flummoxing, unnatural and awkward; scenes are abandoned at peculiar moments, new storylines introduced four-fifths of the way into an episode, before quickly fizzling out. The camera moves in jarring sweeps. The minor characters have their own minor characters, and everyone gets a (ridiculous) storyline, with one episode even featuring a monologue by the assistant of the dad of one character, Lisa Todd Wexley. Recently, many pointed out that the show accidentally killed off her dad twice. Watching And Just Like That mirrors the jarring rush of scrolling through Instagram: a wildly incoherent, meaningless and disorienting experience that is distracting enough to ensure you come back for more. Perhaps part of what makes the show such a joy is that it feels as if you've entered a dream – right down to the fact that plotlines seem to be fuelled by a nonsensical dream logic that flows happily if illogically along. Sure, Charlotte experiences debilitating vertigo that has never been mentioned or referenced previously! Miranda suddenly throws Charlotte a karaoke party after mistakenly believing her dog has cancer – why not?! The closest experience I can liken watching And Just Like That to is a 'digital art museum' I visited on holiday in Tokyo. You moved between colourful inflated balls the size of zoo animals, and waded through calf-deep warm water, while DayGlo cherry blossoms were projected on to the walls. It was baby sensory play but for adults, and it was heaven. I think perhaps this is what And Just Like That is – a pleasurable sensory experience, intended to induce a sort of ASMR-like bliss. In my more generous moments, I wonder if some comment is being made, regarding an atomisation that occurs in late middle-age, or regarding the alienation these characters are experiencing as a symptom of being hideously rich, given their drifting apart from one another. Is its lack of narrative throughlineand absence of basic coherence mirroring the dislocating experience of life online? Unfortunately, I'm pretty certain it is not that controlled (Sarah Jessica Parker, lead actor and executive producer, doesn't even watch it). Either way, it has been a pleasurably mindless experience, and at a time in which I have received a very scary diagnosis for my son, I have welcomed my weekly lobotomy with full force. And when it comes back, as I'm almost certain it will, I will feel much the same about it as Donald Trump does about Coca-Cola: I'll still keep drinking that garbage.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Wildly incoherent, utterly flummoxing, blissful: how And Just Like That rewrote the rules of TV
Sex and the City's divisive spin-off And Just Like That is set to end after three bizarre seasons and a deluge of critical contempt, with bemused fans losing it on Reddit, and articles about how the programme became a hate watch. There has been little heartache in the discourse after the announcement of the show's demise, the general consensus being: good. But to these people, I say – you're wrong! But also, I understand. There is always an element of fear in contemplating change, in engaging with the rapid advancement of modernity, and I would like to make the case for And Just Like That being a product of exactly that. It feels analogous to a comment a friend of mine once made during a conversation about the best oven pizzas, when someone posited Dr Oetker pizzas as a contender: 'It's delicious, it's something different, I don't know what it is … but it's not pizza.' This is how I feel about And Just Like That. It's a pleasure to watch, it's fun, it's compelling, I don't know what it is – but it's certainly not TV drama. And Just Like That is something new; I genuinely believe the show has reimagined what television drama is, and how we might engage with it. I wonder whether And Just Like That represents the end point of television drama's evolution into content – pure content, no longer a strictly narrative format. Many have wondered whether it was covertly written by AI, and I understand this line of thinking, as none of the characters behave like their original characters. In fact, they don't behave like human beings. The dialogue is bizarre (repeated references to comedian Che's 'comedy concert'), while the editing is flummoxing, unnatural and awkward; scenes are abandoned at peculiar moments, new storylines introduced four-fifths of the way into an episode, before quickly fizzling out. The camera moves in jarring sweeps. The minor characters have their own minor characters, and everyone gets a (ridiculous) storyline, with one episode even featuring a monologue by the assistant of the dad of one character, Lisa Todd Wexley. Recently, many pointed out that the show accidentally killed off her dad twice. Watching And Just Like That mirrors the jarring rush of scrolling through Instagram: a wildly incoherent, meaningless and disorienting experience that is distracting enough to ensure you come back for more. Perhaps part of what makes the show such a joy is that it feels as if you've entered a dream – right down to the fact that plotlines seem to be fuelled by a nonsensical dream logic that flows happily if illogically along. Sure, Charlotte experiences debilitating vertigo that has never been mentioned or referenced previously! Miranda suddenly throws Charlotte a karaoke party after mistakenly believing her dog has cancer – why not?! The closest experience I can liken watching And Just Like That to is a 'digital art museum' I visited on holiday in Tokyo. You moved between colourful inflated balls the size of zoo animals, and waded through calf-deep warm water, while DayGlo cherry blossoms were projected on to the walls. It was baby sensory play but for adults, and it was heaven. I think perhaps this is what And Just Like That is – a pleasurable sensory experience, intended to induce a sort of ASMR-like bliss. In my more generous moments, I wonder if some comment is being made, regarding an atomisation that occurs in late middle-age, or regarding the alienation these characters are experiencing as a symptom of being hideously rich, given their drifting apart from one another. Is its lack of narrative throughlineand absence of basic coherence mirroring the dislocating experience of life online? Unfortunately, I'm pretty certain it is not that controlled (Sarah Jessica Parker, lead actor and executive producer, doesn't even watch it). Either way, it has been a pleasurably mindless experience, and at a time in which I have received a very scary diagnosis for my son, I have welcomed my weekly lobotomy with full force. And when it comes back, as I'm almost certain it will, I will feel much the same about it as Donald Trump does about Coca-Cola: I'll still keep drinking that garbage.
Gizmodo
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Ice Cube's ‘War of the Worlds' Is a Shoo-in for 2025's Definitive Hate-Watch Movie
The domino effect of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds entering the public domain has crash-landed onto Prime Video, with the streamer releasing a new version of the alien invasion tale starring Ice Cube. A week out from its release has given us a hysteria not dissimilar to Orson Welles' infamous 1938 radio broadcast—it's just now folks are flocking to Prime to check out what's become this year's quintessential hate-watch film. Released on July 30, War of the Worlds features Ice Cube in the role of Will Radford, a domestic terror analyst at the Department of Homeland Security. Throughout the film, viewers experience his workday from the perspective of his computer's webcam through programs like Zoom and WhatsApp. While using his high-level clearance to helicopter parent his children, he witnesses a mysterious meteor shower masquerading as an alien invasion and has to save the planet from a war of the worlds… via the power of invasive surveillance technology. And Amazon drones! There are three undeniable facts about Prime Video's new adaptation of War of the Worlds. First, it has a resounding zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Second, folks are clowning on its awkward, wooden acting on social media. Lastly, it is currently among the top ten recently released movies on Prime Video, fulfilling all the criteria needed for the perfect hate-watch. Ice Cube throughout the entire War of the Worlds movie — Skyler Higley (@skyler_higley) August 6, 2025Whether they are comedians, YouTubers, TikTokers, or your everyday grass-fed meme poster, everybody and their mom seems to be contributing to the feedback loop phenomenon, where a spectacularly terrible film inadvertently fails its way to succeeding. At the time of writing, War of the Worlds is ranked number five in Prime Video's Top 10 in the US. For posterity, the list currently has season three of The Summer I Turned Pretty and Eddie Murphy's new comedy film, The Pickup, in the top two spots, respectively, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes at number six. The last time this happened was with Marvel's Morbius, though Prime Video doesn't appear to be leaning into the meme by unironically promoting the film on social media to draw more attention to how must-watch bad it is. #WarOfTheWorlds is Rotten at 0% on the Tomatometer, with 21 reviews: — Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) August 7, 2025io9 recently descended Mt. Sinai, like Moses, watching Ice Cube's film and giving common folk a vibe check of how bad the movie is, with spoilers and all. While we found that much of the dogpiling laughing at the film is certainly warranted, we did give the movie some kudos for being a 'reasonably fresh way to approach Wells' familiar story.' It's still a farce, make no mistake. But it's also a farce people can't seem to help rubbernecking at. If you're morbidly curious about how much of a sweet spot War of the Worlds lands in the elusive hate-watch distinction, you can stream it now on Prime Video. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Washington Post
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
‘Love Island USA' crowned a winner. We have so many thoughts.
Ahoy: 'Love Island USA' spoilers ahead! What exactly was Season 7 of 'Love Island USA?' It was a make-out fest, a frothy mess of a dating series, an unlikely cultural unifier in these divided times (at least if you wanted to hate-watch something!) and, perhaps most of all, the hottest show of the summer.
