A few of our favorite things

^Welcome!

^{Gem City Pictures celebrates the Zeitgeist of Los Angeles.  With a lens focused on entertainment, local hangouts and historic places, we look forward to sharing what we find with you.  Since it's been challenging to venture out and gather new visual content this year, we've  taken time to reflect and widen our horizons for inspiration.}  

Like many, we have enjoyed discovering entertainment from here and around the world, available at our fingertips through multiple streaming services.  Some films and series have been on our bucket list for years.  Others are rare finds we’ve stumbled upon by chance.
 
^{This first post will concentrate on some of our favorites from Amazon.  Several years ago, we signed up for Amazon Prime to see the original shows on Amazon Prime Video.  If you aren't a member yet, there are often promotions on the subscriptions, so make sure to do some research to get the best deal when you join.} 

^{Before we dive in with our recommendations, we want to let you know that we are Amazon associates.   We could be compensated from links in this post, but we wouldn’t suggest anything we didn’t like or use.}  

  

^{One of our top picks is the ongoing French series, The Bureau.  This spy thriller centers around  intelligence agents, who monitor activity from the Paris bureau and go on missions in the Middle East and beyond.  The intrigue and action are intense and inspired by recent events.}

^{The character development, personal relationships and office dynamics make this series stellar.   Mind games are played, and motivations are constantly tested.  The delicious looking food enjoyed at the agency commissary and the champagne uncorked after successful missions are a nice touch.  Very French!}

^{This foodie motif segues nicely to a Swedish drama, The Restaurant (AKA Our Time is Now). It's set in a family-owned establishment in Stockholm.  The show begins at the end of World War II and spans several decades.  Pulling at the heartstrings of this series is a tumultuous love story between two of the main characters.}  

 

^{There is an Upstairs Downstairs element to the storyline, which delves into the lives of a successful family and its employees.  Political and societal changes in Sweden are also threaded skillfully into the episodes and make The Restaurant feel authentic and relevant.  We can’t wait to see what happens in the next season, which will flashback to an earlier decade.}

^{Another must-see is The Romanoffs by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.  This series features present day standalone episodes about characters, who believe they are descendant from the ill-fated Russian royal family.  The intriguing storylines take place in locations set around the world, from Paris to Mexico City and even our local Pasadena.}  

^{Talent includes Christina Hendricks, Diane Lane, Amanda Peet, Isabelle Huppert and Aaron Eckhart.  Each episode centers around a legend involving the famous family, such as Rasputin’s alleged influence, the brutal execution and tragic hemophilia.  The plots seem plausible yet  elusively mysterious at the same time.  We are left to wonder:  is there an element of truth to this work or is it really just fiction?} 

^{We hope you have enjoyed our first set of recommendations.  Do you have any shows you’ve recently discovered that have impressed you?  We'd love to hear your thoughts.}

 

^{Until next time,} 

^{Gem City Pictures}

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