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Happy Holidays! This week on What To Watch Right Now, we’re watching some of pop culture’s most awesome female heroes. There’s nothing quite like seeing an attractive woman beating bad guys up, so clear your schedules, because these are the scariest and toughest women on Netflix! And while you’re at it, make sure to revisit previous episodes of What To Watch to figure out what to watch…

Ep. 11 and Ep.10

KILL BILL VOL. 1 and VOL. 2 – DIR. QUENTIN TARANTINO (2003-2004) IMDB

KILL BILL is the epitome of a strong female character and that’s actually an understatement. The Bride is simply a strong character and one that you’re rooting for from the very beginning. We know that she was wronged and we know that she’s looking for revenge, but it’s not until the film progresses much further that we learn why she’s on an extensive mission to kill so many people. Regardless, it’s just fun to watch her slice off limbs with her cool samurai sword.

The Kill Bill’s were Tarantino’s 4^th and 5^th films, so you can very well expect a lot of violence, an excessive amount of blood, more curse words than most people utter in a lifetime, and one hell of a good time. With THE HATEFUL EIGHT being released this week, watching or rewatching Kill Bill will be a great warm up to what will surely be a violent, bloody, curse filled, masterpiece as well. I really can’t recommend watching Kill Bill enough. It seriously has something for everyone to enjoy. Tarantino is one of cinema’s most knowledgeable students and he includes some of his favorite cinematic moments in beautiful homage all throughout these two films. That being said, it’s a revenge flick, a kung fu movie, a western, and so much more. Watch them back to back if you feel inclined, or you can take a break in between to watch a few episodes of…

JESSICA JONES – SEASON ONE (2015) IMDB

The newest collaboration between Netflix and Marvel is everything we hoped it would be and a little bit darker. JESSICA JONES follows the mildly depressing life of former superhero turned private investigator, Jessica Jones, as she solves crimes and attempts to stop her biggest threat yet. If you were a fan of the Netflix/Marvel series, DAREDEVIL, I’m sure you will enjoy Jones as well, but don’t expect too many similarities. Daredevil was dark, but from my early impression, Jones takes it even further. We know that her brief run as a hero didn’t end well and is still affecting her today. She abuses drugs and alcohol and according to Krysten Ritter (the title character) she can be “…dry and sarcastic and a total asshole…”

Everyone in the show gives amazing performances, which allows the characters to really come to life in a believable and extraordinary way. They’re all well developed, so we feel for them and worry when put in danger; something we can’t always say with other superhero TV shows (looking at you DC). David Tennant of DOCTOR WHO fame is one this years best villains on TV, in my opinion. He’s actually quite scary. My only complaint is that the show is so hard-hitting and emotional that I wish there had been a stronger comedic relief element. Daredevil had Foggy to break up the tension, but I haven’t seen a character quite like that yet. All in all, Jessica Jones is another hit from Marvel and Netflix, leaving me very excited for whatever comes next.

This week on Netflix we’re watching the breakout performance from Golden Globe winner Brie Larson and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia which has surprisingly (or maybe not) won zero Golden Globes… But it’s never too late.

It’s also never too late to check out our previous episodes! 12 and 11

SHORT TERM 12 – Dir. Dustin Daniel Cretton (2013) IMDb

Easily, and I mean EASILY, the most emotional film I’ve seen in months, SHORT TERM 12 follows a troubled young woman as she learns more about herself through caring for underprivileged children in a residential treatment facility. Let me stress this a little more – this film broke me inside, giving me emotions I didn’t even know existed. Most of this is thanks to the incredible performance by Brie Larson who, just this weekend, won her first Golden Globe for the 2015 drama ROOM. Larson plays a staff member at Short Term 12, named Grace who works with her long time boyfriend, Mason and newcomer, Nate, played by MR. ROBOTS’ Rami Malek. Together they fight everyday to keep the children at their facility safe, stable, and positive. This isn’t such an easy task when the caregivers aren’t all that safe, stable, and positive themselves.

Brie Larson isn’t the only one who gives a noteworthy performance. Many of the young actors who play the children and teens living in the facility blew me away. It’s really rare to see such wonderful acting from a 15 year old, but sophomore director, Dustin Daniel Cretton made it happen. The dialogue, also written by Cretton, is genuine, funny, and quite inspiring. There are two or three parts of the film where the character Mason is simply telling a story to his coworkers, but it’s described so intricately that it feels as though we are seeing it take place on screen. That’s great dialogue. And yes, I might have cried a little during a few different scenes. But if you watch the movie, I’d be surprised if you don’t as well.

IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA – Ten Seasons (2005 -) IMDb

In my opinion, FX has never produced a more unique and hilarious show than Always Sunny. Not a single character is like any one you’ve ever met before, yet they all feel incredibly real and just like someone you can imagine that hangs out at that gross bar down the street all day. And boy isn’t it fun to watch?! It’s like a train wreck where no one gets seriously injured so it’s totally okay to look at. Thankfully Netflix just added new episodes to the instant stream, so now you can watch that train wreck all day!

If you’ve already seen Always Sunny, I can’t change your mind about it: either you can’t find the humor and hate it, or you’re a part of the cult following that worships Danny DeVito. Both are completely acceptable, but if you haven’t given it a try watch a few episodes and let me know what you think. Feel free to skip around. Watch old episodes or maybe some of the newly added ones. It really doesn’t matter. Within no time, you’ll be wishing you could hang out with Charlie and Frank or yell at Dee for being annoying. Soon, they’ll start to feel like family. As you can tell, I’ve been watching way too much of this show recently, but that’s what happens when 10 of the 12 seasons are available at any time of the day!

I know I’m a little late on the whole Valentine’s Day thing, but Netflix just released their new Original Series, LOVE, and I just finished binge watching it so cut me some slack. To keep things connected, I’m also recommending SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK which is maybe the most bizarre love story you can image… right next to this new ‘Love’ show, that is.

And as always, make sure to check out Episode 15 and Episode 14 if you can’t get enough.

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – Dir. David O. Russell (2012)

I might have tricked you a little bit, because SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK isn’t really a love story. There might be some romance sprinkled around the edges, but mostly it’s a story about two people trying to get their lives back on track. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in their 17^th movie together (exaggeration) as a former teacher recently released from a mental health facility and a crazy dancer, respectively. Through some strange cause of events they team up to win a dance competition while Pat (Cooper) attempts to regain the affection of his ex-wife.

As you can see, this has all the makings of a standard romantic comedy, albeit a littler weirder than usual. However, it’s actually a really incredible and human story that fails to fall into the tropes and stereotypes we’re all so used to by now. Cooper and Lawrence have amazing chemistry together as they usually do and are helped out tremendously by the wonderful supporting cast of Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, and Chris Tucker. This is the first film by David O. Russell following his triumphant return with 2010’s THE FIGHTER. He’s always proven that he can tackle these intimate stories by making them relatable and ever so quirky in the most charming way. So, if your significant other is looking for a cute movie to watch this weekend, give this a try and hopefully it doesn’t cause a tear in the relationship.

LOVE – First Season (2016)

Netflix has another hit with the new series from Paul Rust, Lesley Arfin, and Judd Apatow, writer and director of KNOCKED UP and THIS IS 40. Rust stars as a 31 year old, socially awkward tutor who falls in love with Gillian Jacobs of COMMUNITY fame. Both of the leads struggle through their own love lives and intimacies, ultimately coming together and finding that what they both wanted isn’t always what they need. It’s awkward, hilarious, and each episode leaves off on a note making you want more.

Generally, I have a difficult time empathizing with a character as awkward as “Gus” because it’s not easy to relate to someone so strange, but within a few episodes it was apparent that all of the characters in LOVE are deeply written with faults and quirks individual to themselves. A similar thing happened with Jacobs’ character, “Mickey” who starts off as a terrible person, who is fun but kind of detestable. Throughout the course of the series, they both grow and develop in a very genuine way that makes them more likeable and realistic to the situations they find themselves in. The strongest aspect of the show is the writing. The dialogue is well paced and hysterical and the individual arcs are quite satisfying. Be warned, however, that the show ends in a cliffhanger, so try not to get too attached until Netflix announces a second season (an announcement that should come any day now).