Hi! It’s Eddy Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. Our newest show Amazing Stories, which we made with Steven Spielberg and Amblin for Apple TV+, just landed a few weeks ago – although it feels like five centuries ago now. Like so many of you, we’re home and dealing with the seismic changes to all of our lives.
As we’ve been filling our spare moments, consuming various bits of media and culture in these uncertain, unsettling, and scary times, we’ve been a bit reflective about our own work over the years. We’ve come to realize, whether consciously or not, our work always seems to have “hope” as part of its DNA, and we think finding hope in any form of art we seek out now, in particular, is probably a good thing. So with that in mind, here’s what we’re consuming these days…
Adam Horowitz
What is the last thing you finished watching?
Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 10. I just binged it with my wife, Erin. It was our “let’s laugh” before bed tonic for the day. A really brilliantly funny season. Amazing that 20 years later, the show is still operating at such a level, and given all that’s going in the world, that it can still make me smile the way it does.
What are you currently watching?
The Imagineering Story on Disney+. It’s a six-part documentary series looking at the creation and history of the Disney theme parks. It’s something I’m watching with my wife and three kids. It’s far more than a history lesson, it’s an examination of art and creativity and passion. Inspirational.
What is your go-to comfort watch?
Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I’ve been watching old episodes of The Clone Wars animated series with my seven-year-old son. It’s nice to just shut down and lose myself in that universe through his eyes.
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What book are you reading?
The Giver by Lois Lowry. It’s one of my 11-year-old daughter’s favorite books and she insisted I read it, so in this time home together, we’ve formed a little “book club.” And she’s chosen this as the first book. We’ve just started it and are only a few chapters in, but it’s a Y.A. book about a dystopian society (maybe not the escapism I was looking for, but, well, she loves it…). Most importantly it’s a great bonding experience.
What is the last book you read?
The last book I read was Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read this book because it was recommended to me by the two partners in my life – my wife, Erin, and my writing partner, Eddy. They both raved about this tale of a young singer coming of age in the ’60s and ’70s. They were right, it’s a spectacular story that is compellingly told as an “oral history” as though it really happened and from the point of view of all the affected parties.
What game are you playing? / What is the last game you played?
In an effort to get the blood flowing, we’re playing a lot of Just Dance on our PS4. I think I should leave it at that because no one wants to visualize what my family witnesses when I play. Other than that, my go-to is a mini tabletop vintage Galaga game replica that I play to unwind. In my day, I used to be quite adept and find the game soothing not just because it brings me back to my youth, but because the patterns and the pace of it actually create an almost trance-like meditative state that I find quite relaxing when I lose myself in it.
What is next on your to-watch/read/play list?
I’m looking forward to Don Winslow’s new book, Broken, which is coming out in a few weeks. I’ve loved his “Cartel” trilogy and am excited to see what he’s got cooking in his latest. He really has a talent for throwing you in these worlds in a visceral manner that makes them come alive in ways that may be horrific or terrifying, but always seem truthful.
What is one thing you’d recommend that other people should watch/read/play if they’re looking for something new?
Well, if you missed Watchmen or Locke & Key, run, don’t walk to your device of choice to watch them. Absolutely brilliant work by two of our mentors, and dear friends, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. We’ve learned so much from those two – and for good reason, they’re the best. Why not treat yourself and check out their latest? And I’ll throw one more rec out there for sports fans who may have missed this the first time around – Ken Burns’ Baseball docu-series. It’s probably about 20 hours or so… and a staggering work that explores the history of the game and is just about the next best thing to actually having a baseball season.
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Eddy Kitsis
What is the last thing you finished watching?
Schitt’s Creek. I binged all five seasons so I could be caught up to watch with my wife.
What are you currently watching?
I just started Devs. I am a HUGE fan of Alex Garland’s work ever since I first read The Beach.
What is your go-to comfort watch?
Nailed It. It’s my child’s favorite show. We watch it together every night. There’s nothing more comforting than bad baking.
What book are you reading?
I am currently reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I started it in December inspired by a trip I took to Japan and am finally about to finish it.
What game are you playing? / What is the last game you played?
In my house right now, we are all about Rummikub.
What is next on your to-watch/read/play list?
Next up for me is something to listen to: June 1976: The Grateful Dead. Five complete shows in all their glory. As a lifelong Deadhead, this is a welcome tonic to the Quarantine Blues.
What is one thing you’d recommend that other people should watch/read/play if they’re looking for something new?
Check out Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project on the Criterion Channel. I finally have time to check out all the subscription services I forgot to which I had subscribed. The World Cinema Project has introduced me to movies from around the world I never knew about. Currently watching: Manila In The Claws Of Light. I’d also recommend checking out David Crosby: Remember My Name. It’s an extremely honest documentary about a really complicated artist, as well as a great L.A. rock history lesson from someone who helped start the whole thing.
Season 1 of Amazing Stories is now available in its entirety on Apple TV+. For more Binge Lists from our favorite creators and stars, check out what the cast of Amazon’s The Boys are binging, Brian Michael Bendis’ “Stuck at Home Comic Book Reading List, and recommendations from Spiral director Darren Lynn Bousman.
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Source: IGN.com What The Showrunners of Apple's Amazing Stories Are Binging