Samantha James

Samantha James is the author and founder of The Chronicles of History, a site dedicated to history, archeology, historical fiction, literature, and book reviews. She also co-leads the History Group, a social community of 22,000+ buffs.
Featured Image

Mary & George

A clever, dark and salacious historical drama that brings a much overlooked chapter of European history to vivid life. Mary & George is a richly drawn, rough and raunchy story about the quest for power – and survival – in 16th century England.

Featured Image

Vikings Valhalla S2

An emotionally intense coming-of-age story underlies Vikings Valhalla, which tackles the tumultuous High Middle Ages and power shift across Europe with all the heroics, gore, and sex of its predecessor.

No items found
Featured Image

Holiday Movies to Watch with Each Generation

Deciding what to watch with your family over the holidays is akin to playing Mario Kart. You can be in first place, cruising along when BAM! One of those pesky red shells hit you and now you’re in last place. One minute, you’re sitting down for dinner and everything’s running smoothly, then someone turns on

Read More »
Featured Image

Transport Me: Holiday Movies from Around the World

If you and your family are getting tired of the same old Christmas stories year after year, why not dig a little deeper and try these picks from around the world?

Featured Image

What to Watch (and Skip) with Thanksgiving Guests

What to watch – and what to skip – if you’re spending Thanksgiving with kids, teenagers, older generations, or all of them under one roof? Your 2022 Watercooler Guide to holiday movies.

Featured Image

Universal Language

An absurdist dramedy about the clash of two worlds, Universal Language entertains as much as it motivates. Beyond the madness lies an urgent plea for unity, an appeal that resonates with people hoping for a better, more harmonious future.

Featured Image

Industry S1

Industry is a series fueled by greed, drugs, sex, and money, and provides all of these ingredients in Federal Reserve-sized quantities. There’s never a dull moment.

Featured Image

Minx

The streaming series about the intersection between feminism and smut could endear even the most skeptical. And what it might lack in delicacy, it certainly makes up for in swagger.

Featured Image

The Sympathizer

Told through the perspective of a conflicted hero with contradicting loyalties, The Sympathizer is an ambitious examination of a spy who can’t help but sympathize — hence, the title of the series — with the enemy. It might make you rethink everything you were taught about the Vietnam War too.

Featured Image

Robert Redford’s Impact: Four Films to Watch

He was “one of the lions,” as Meryl Streep put it, an American touchstone who changed filmmaking and opened the gates for new generations of storytellers, becoming a central force in independent cinema. To understand the impact his films have had – on previous generations, on our culture, on so many other films – we’ve

Read More »
Featured Image

Itaewon Class (Itaewon Keullasseu)

A colorful, ultimately inspiring tale for budding entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, and empire-builders. It also works as a vicarious adventure in Seoul.

2
Featured Image

The Inspection

A psychological drama about feeling alienated that captivates the lost loner in all of us, The Inspection also examines how men are “toughened up” by society. You’ll be hearing more about star Jeremy Pope.

Featured Image

The US-UK Divide: Understanding Reactions to Harry & Meghan

The Harry & Meghan Netflix series has opened a new rift between Americans and their British friends (and foes). To understand why, US & UK journalist Sklyar Baker-Jordan sheds light on the history, class, and cultural divides that explain both sides.

Featured Image

Smiley

A charming, escapist Spanish rom-com series that pivots around two gay men, Smiley takes a playful and practical look at all of the complexities surrounding gay and straight modern relationships.

Featured Image

Devotion

A gripping biopic about the Navy’s first Black fighter pilot – Jesse Brown – and the inspiring friendship that transcended racism and the conflicts of the Korean War. Starring Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell.

Featured Image

Best New K-Dramas to Watch on Netflix

In 2021, international mega-hit Squid Game introduced the power of South Korean storytelling to a broader worldwide audience. K-drama fans have historically streamed content on services like Viki or hoped their favorite TvN or JBTC series would be picked up by Netflix. Then streamer invested  $500 million in South Korean movies and series to produce

Read More »
Featured Image

The Fabelmans

At its heart a story about the relationships that make us who we are, this is a must-see and top Oscar contender, Spielberg’s own version of Back to the Future, minus the DeLorean, for his own time-traveling to life in the 1950s.

Featured Image

The Patient

A sharply-written character study and tense psychological thriller from the creators behind The Americans, The Patient is propelled by a pair of Emmy-worthy performances from Steve Carell and Domhall Gleeson.

Featured Image

The Holdovers

A cross-generation comedy drama that’s earned five Academy Award nominations, The Holdovers will tug at your heartstrings as it wrestles with themes of grief and loneliness, and it will ultimately nurture hope.

Featured Image

Easter Sunday

A broad comedy about the Filipino diasporic experience that’s not heavy-handed or exploitative, Easter Sunday brings respect, dignity, and fun to an underrepresented group.

Scroll to Top