This week, Cheddar's Digital Team recs the return of Los Angeles real estate drama in Selling Sunset, Amazon Prime's fantasy epic The Wheel of Time, a revisit of Bond's Quantum of Solace, and Adam Sandler's parenting hijinks in Big Daddy.
Selling Sunset: Season 4 - Netflix
Picked by Sr. News Editor Dina Ross
Next week we'll have a special holiday edition of What to Stream for you, so I'm going long this week. Last weekend was about getting ready for Tiger King 2, which debuted on Netflix Wednesday. Next Wednesday, my absolute favorite reality series of the pandemic is back for its fourth season: Selling Sunset. The series follows some of L.A.'s most fabulous real estate brokers as they try to hawk homes to the ultrawealthy. Along the way, of course, we have love, loss, and lots and lots of wine. Can't wait to see what the team at The Oppenheim Group has been up to, especially Chrishell, who wrapped Season 3 with an absolutely heartbreaking and unexpected turn of events.
The Wheel of Time - Amazon Prime
Picked by Digital Editor Mike Nam
As a teen many, many years ago, I picked up a paperback called The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I thought it was the start of a trilogy (all the rage back then) called The Wheel of Time. little did I know it was the beginning of a massive, multi-book series that would outlive its original author and see its completion 23 years later. Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin still has time to meet that total output challenge I guess, but at least his series was already adapted to TV. Jeff Bezos famously would go on to direct Amazon Prime to match prestige shows like HBO's GoT, and voila! The Wheel of Time IP was purchased and adapted into this series (already greenlit for Season 2) premiering on November 19. Starring Rosamund Pike as a powerful magic user searching for a youthful Chosen One destined to save — and destroy — the world, the setting is as rich and complex as Martin's series but admittedly more fantastical.
Quantum of Solace - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Reporter Alex Vuocolo
For me, the Daniel Craig-era of Bond films is a bit of a wash. I like certain elements of them: the hard-nosed action, Craig's steely, wounded visage, the beautiful location photography. At the same time, I find the constant references to backstory tiresome. Bond movies used to be standalone adventures. Now everything has to be connected like it's the Bond Cinematic Universe or something. Anyway, I digress. If you're looking to prepare for the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, I'd check out Quantum of Solace, which is perhaps the most underrated in the Craig cycle. For one, it's comparatively short at under two hours, and it moves at the pace of a chase movie. Bond's usual globe-trotting is pushed into overdrive, as he recklessly pursues the people behind the murder of his wife in Casino Royale. It's a tad brutal for a Bond flick, but it works on its own terms. Word to the wise, Casino Royale and Skyfall are also available on Prime Video, and No Time to Die is available as well for a higher rental price.
Big Daddy - Amazon Prime Video
Picked by Producer Lawrence
Small confession: I sometimes look to films and TV series for inspiration when it comes to apartment hunting. That brought me to this week's pick of Adam Sandler's classic 1999 film Big Daddy. I sat on my couch this week thinking of random movie apartments, and it hit me. How did Sonny Koufax, Sandler's character, afford that massive loft apartment in Manhattan? What exactly did he do for a living? I had to go back and rewatch, and then I recalled that his father was a loaded attorney, bankrolling his degenerate son's lifestyle. I also recalled how hilarious it was to watch a man care for a kid that was essentially left on his doorstep by a stork — in this instance, a caseworker. Then there was the classic "hip hop anonymous" scene that forced tears out of my eyes (because of the humor and not because Rob Schneider's character was actually illiterate). It was a nice stroll down memory lane and just even more impressive that Koufax was able to find such a good apartment in Manhattan.
Looking for more to watch? Check out our recommendations from last week and the week before.
