Nine Perfect Strangers- Season 1

 

9/10

In this Hulu show based on the book by Big Little Lies' Liane Moriarty, nine people, each with their own emotional baggage/damage, visit Tranquilium, a wellness retreat, lead by the charismatic but enigmatic Masha Dmitrichenko (played by Nicole Kidman). She is said to get results, but her methods soon get controversial. 

I didn't set high expectations when I walked into this. The trailer looked interesting, but I didn't quite know what to make of it. I'm pleased to say this show really took me by surprise. The writing's really good. All the characters and all their personal issues gel. Dialogue is strong.

I like that this is a "dealing-with-your-demons" story, but it isn't trying to be too serious or dark. There's sad stuff in this, but this show isn't about being defined by it. It's also refreshing to see a mystery show that is also not trying too hard to be serious or dark, which feels like a rarity these days. Shocking, kinda trippy, unexpected stuff does happen, mind you, and you're definitely kept interested in what happens next. Though you may be able to guess some of the characters' story arcs, you won't be able to predict all the ways this story will go.   

I do think the show does go a little overboard with Masha's indecipherableness and her quasi-new ageness. There's a subplot with her and her employees that felt like too much.

Has an amazing cast full of big names and familiar faces. Besides Kidman, there's Michael Shannon, Melissa McCarthy, Samara Weaving, Luke Evans, Bobby Canavale, Regina Hall, and The Good Place's Manny Jacinto, (who proves to be very versatile in a completely different role than his humrous Jason Mendoza character). They're all good. Shannon and Asher Keddie here are the real acting heavyweights as a couple with tragedy in their past, and the former gives one of his best performances. Weaving as an influencer and Hall as a woman trying to restart her life give the best character work I've ever seen them do.

Highly recommended. This is a very interesting show. I can't say there are a lot exactly like this.

Foundation- Episode 1

 

6/10

In this Apple+ TV show based on the Foundation books by Issac Asimov, the known universe is ruled by an intergalactic empire.  Mathematician Hari Seldon (played by Jared Harris) has made a prediction about the empire's future and angers its emperors. 

I decided not to continue watching after this episode. I wouldn't say I disliked it, but I already have a lot of shows on my plate, and Foundation didn't do enough to convince me to keep watching. (I haven't read the original books, so I can't say how this compares to them. I've heard this is fairly different.)

This is an impressively developed, complex world the audience is dropped into. The backstory and culture of the empire and its various worlds is really well thought out. However, the show tries to juggle way too many things. A lot of plot points feel glossed over, and it's easy to lose track or be confused. 

This is a space opera and at times I feel like it's trying too hard to feel grand and important. It bugs me that for a show trying to take itself seriously, it suffers from a villain, Emperor Day (Lee Pace), who feels a little silly. Pace does a great job acting, and the character is clever with some good lines. But, he seemed to suffer from inconsistent writing. Like they try to have him be both smart and controlled, but also be a bit of an entitled brat but not in a convincing way. There's something he does in this that feels very arbitrary.

Seldon and his new pupil Gaal Dornick (Lou Llobell) are likable protagonists, and their respective actors' performances are one of the strongest parts of the show.

Visually, the pilot episode is fantastic. Practically movie quality in terms of special effects. The technology and architecture of the planets in this really work.

Overall, I think there is an audience with this. Like I said, this does epic sci-fi well and impressive in its world-building. However, I think others may be bored with it and think it's just a bunch of stuff thrown at you.

My Little Pony: A New Generation

8/10

This new MLP movie on Netflix (intended to sell the new toyline and kick off a new show) takes place in the land of Equestria, presumably long, long after the events of the Frienship is Magic TV show. Magic no longer exists in the land, and the three different types of ponies no longer co-exist and each live apart from each other in fear and distrust.  One earth pony Sunny Starscout (voiced by Vanessa Hudgens) meets and befriends a unicorn Izzy Moonbow (Kimiko Glenn), and the two team up to bring magic back to the land. 

Friendship is Magic became an unexpectedly big hit because it went above and beyond what you'd find in your usual girls cartoon in terms of world building, writing, and characterization. To the best of my knowledge, none of the show's writers worked on this. So the question, is this new world on the same level as the FiM? No, it doesn't quite have the magic it did. Feels a little simplified. It particularly shows in the ponies living in three specific places whereas the show made it clear that many towns and cities existed. (To be fair, the movie's only an hour and thirty minutes, and you can only do so much.)

However, this movie doesn't trail behind the original show by that much. Effort definitely went into this. The script is fun and there are several good lines. Thought is given to the world here. The pegasi mountain city is the most impressive. 

Some genuine heart is given to Sunny's storyline. Her loyalty to the memory of her father, who taught her that all the ponies once lived in harmony, and desire to get the ponies to all get along feels honest and earnest. 

The computer animation in this ain't too shabby. This was originally supposed to be a theatrical release before COVID hit and there is clearly a decent budget. My compliments to the scenery designers; being MLP, the animators are given carte blanche to be as colorful and whimsical as they want. (There is one scene with a tree in a field of flowers that's really pretty.) The direction and camera angles felt very basic. Though, there is one shot in the first act that bridges sudden changes in mood really well.           

Songs are decent. None of them are memorable, but they're not bad.

Recommended for kids or general MLP fans. Again, not on the same level as FiM. Not the most unique work, either. But it is a well made, good-natured work. 

Cinderella

6/10 

Found on Amazon Prime, This is the general tale of Cinderella (played by singer Camilla Cabello) except the lead is more interested in starting her own business than finding her one true love.

I'll be honest from the start, I'm not the audience for this. I've never been a big fan of Cinderella, any adaptation. I've always found this fairy tale kinda slow and uninteresting to me, probably because the lack of any action to it. So, bear this in mind as you read on.

Considering that this is written and directed by Pitch Perfect's Kay Cannon and featuring some big names, this doesn't feel like a big film. The whole thing feels like a made-for-TV movie you'd find on Hallmark. The story is so-so. Not bad, just doesn't leave a lot of a lasting impression. It doesn't help that you can tell where the story is going way ahead of when it happens. The modern flairs given to this feel predictable as well as Cinderella's journey. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to poo-poo the message of her story of female self-empowerment, I'm just saying it is done in a very unoriginal manner.)

The film is weirdly bipolar. It tries to both have characters act in a modern way, but it also tries to incorporate medieval social standards, and the two don't mesh. Cinderella is very a free spirit and willing to speak or stand up to anyone, except she's suddenly in the more traditionally downtrodden role when it comes to her stepmother (Idina Menzel) and stepsisters.

Jokes are hit-and-miss. The ones that do work are pretty good, though.

The sets and locations feel like a bit of a letdown.  Feel a little medieval/fairy tale bare minimum. I know this is more of a comedy, so the budget may not be that high, so it may be unfair of me to judge. Outfits are good.

This is a jukebox musical. (I believe two are original pieces.) I liked the song selections. The choreography is decent and vocals are great (not surprising since Cabello and Menzel are in this.)

No complaints about the casting. Everyone's giving their all (and Pierce Brosnan as the king is really rocking the beard.)

Again, not for me. Feel it's an unoriginal rehash of a worn-out story, plus I think it's odd they'd revisit the tale not too many years after the Disney live action one came out. But, I don't dislike this the way many critics are. I can't say it does anything downright wrong; it's just light viewing. My sister loves this, so there's got to be an audience for it. If you like the Cinderella story, romantic comedies, or jukebox musicals, this may be for you. Just don't walk into this with high expectations.

Malignant

 

6.5/10

In Malignant, Madison Mitchell (played by The Mummy (2017)/Annabelle's Annabelle Wallis) keeps having visions of people being killed by the mysterious Gabriel.

This movie is a mix of good  and bad stuff. First the bad. Dialogue is pretty weak, attempts at serious moments can be silly, attempts at humor can fall flat (though in fairness there's a  good line here and there), and there are a couple moments where stuff needs to happen regardless of the real world logic. At least it's dumb in a "the filmmakers were trying to have fun" sort of way and not a "trying too hard to be serious or dark" sort of way which can be a far more painful viewing experience.

However, the movie has a lot of things I really dug. There are a lot of moments where things go bonkers in a good way. There are reveals you don't see coming and more importantly there is Gabriel. The trailers make him look like your traditional specter/demon haunting someone type, but that's not the case here and he's so much more. Gabriel's one of the more unique horror movie killers I've seen in a while. I want to keep things vague, but he has a very 80's feel to him like he was meant to sell toys. 

Director James Wan is known for his visual, cinematic horror and he doesn't disappoint here. Unlike many of his other movies, there isn't as much emphasis creepy atmosphere, but he makes up for it with some truly impressive kills and fight-the-villain scenes. There's a chase scene in this that is simply one of the best thing's he's ever shot. His choice of sets also work; there are certain buildings that build a larger-than-life feel and also evoke the 80's.

The cast isn't able to make the weak dialogue work. However, I wouldn't say anyone here is a bad actor either.

This is hard to recommend or not. I think that many people will love the Gabriel stuff enough that it'll make up for the bad stuff. But, Gabriel may be too much for some people (like I said, this movie gets nuts) or won't be enough to make up going through the bad dialogue and less interesting points. If anything, I think this movie will definitely leave an impression on you.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2021)

8/10

Not to be confused with Kevin Smith's other Masters of the Universe entry this year. Mattel went with an interesting strategy: go with a show for the more adult audience (MotU: Revelations) and this, a show specifically for the children. This is a complete reboot of the MotU universe where the Masters of the Universe are now teens. In this, amnesiac Adam (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) has been raised in the forest by the Tiger Tribe for some time. One day he encounters witch and thief Teela (Kimberly Brooks) who has stolen the Sword of Power and is on the run from villainous foes who want the power for themselves. This all sets up a new journey for Adam as he becomes the hero known as He-Man.

For a redo of He-Man, I thought this was well done. Now, this was clearly made to entertain children and sell toys. Story isn't ambitious with the story (by children's show standards) like the recent She-Ra reboot was. However, it's a fun story. The world building isn't too in-depth, but the writers did made an effort. All the characters are pretty fun and likable. 

Visually, this looks really good. I mean television 3D animation still isn't able to match the larger budgeted theatrical films, but it's amazing the leaps and bounds it has taken. Everything looks sharp, clean and colorful. The design of the world is really strong and sells the fantasy world. The city of Eternus is especially impressive. I mostly liked the new decisions for the character designs and costumes. There are a some rather radical departures, but I felt they worked. (The nose part on the helmet for Adam's tiger friend Cringer (David Kaye) is a bit flat and off for my taste.) As I said, this show looks like it's selling toys, and these characters all will make good ones. They took the basic concept of He-Man, a really ripped guy and multiplied it to 11. He's basically a mountain of muscle and it works. The main players all have superpowered forms/costumes, which probably is a fun concept that the kids will probably like.  

I think grown MotU fans can have fun with this and children will definitely love it. This does have a very basic 80's Saturday morning cartoon adventure feel and there's nothing wrong with that. This makes for nice light watching.

Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog

 

8/10

In Straight Outta Nowhere (yeah, I don't know why the Scooby franchis is doing a Straight Outta Compton pun either), Scooby-Doo (voiced by prolific voice actor and original Fred, Frank Welker) is affected by a strange frequency compelling him to seek it out, leading him and and the Mystery Inc. gang to the town of Nowhere where they meet Courage the Cowardly Dog (voiced by Marty Grabstein). Soon the cast find themselves attacked by giant cicadas.

For those too old or too young, Courage the Cowardly was an early 2000's show about the titular dog who'd encounter scary or unwanted situations. I'm kind of surprised a crossover hasn't happened before. (I mean earlier on. This is a property that's been dormant for a while, so it's a little surprising they're dusting it off now.) Scoob and Courage have so much in common, they're both good-natured but easily frightened dogs. (But there's also enough difference between how the two act that it doesn't feel like they're the exact same characters.) The two of them work so well off each other. Beside, it's just nice to see Courage back. One major strength of the character is that he is just so big-hearted. He's a delight to follow throughout. And it's nice to see Muriel (voiced by Thea White who sadly died after recording), probably the kindest, gentlest of all animated elderly women. She gels surprisingly well with the Mystery Inc. gang.   

In fact, the whole movie does a good job of paying homage to Courage's show. (This is definitely more of a Courage entry than a Scooby one.) The Scooby made-for-DVD movies/Courage style blend together unsuspectingly well. It helps that the producers/director learned a lesson from Scooby-Doo and the 13th Ghost and Return to Zombie Island: that if you incorporate a property with supernatural characteristics it's a bad idea to not use said supernatural characteristics. No Daphne being a killjoy and explaining everything away here.  

Now if you're a fan of the darker, creepier Courage episodes, you may be disappointed. This film follows the recent trend of the Scooby movies focusing on the humor and not putting much emphasis on spookiness or the foe being threatening. In fairness, Courage had its fair share of lighter episodes, so the tone still feels like the show. Plus, the jokes work though I think a lot of adults may find the last scene a little too frivolous.

In the earlier seasons of Courage, the star would occasionally speak in dog gibberish peppered with the occasional short sentences or single words. As the show went on, Courage ceased speaking at (to the best of my memory anyway, been years since I saw the show.) I believe the writers realized he worked better as more of a visual character. However, this movie has Courage revert back to speaking. Feels weird now, like Oscar the Grouch being orange or Grimace having four arms again. 

The animation in this is pretty good for a non-theatrical film. The design really blends the two properties really well. The opening credits are one of the better looking ones in a while. There is a song in this that feels completely out of place. Really stops the momentum of the entire film.

Recommended. This has a lot to offer for Courage fans. I think kids will really enjoy the wacky highjinks in this.

Come From Away

9/10

Found on Apple+, this is a televised recording of a performance of the successful musical Come from Away. It retells how when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred multiple planes had to be grounded. One of those landing spots: an airport in Gander, Newfoundland. Soon the town and other surrounding ones had to pay host to approximately seven thousand people for a few days.

I really liked the choices here. This is one of those minimalist musicals that does a lot with a little. It doesn't rely much on fancy props, clothing, and sets. The majority of props here are chairs and tables. The story is mostly given through the dialogue and performances of the actors. Great cast by the way, they have the unenviable position of performing multiple roles they often have to switch immediately. I'm not sure how often they get the chance to leave the stage if at all. The band is onstage off to the sides mostly.  

If you're not a fan of musicals in general, I could see how the style could potentially annoy some. It's so intentionally "performancey" and giving exposition directly to the audience that it could feel a bit artificial. When I first started this it almost felt a little like a skit making fun of educational music performances, however that feeling quickly passed as I got wrapped up in everything.

The driving force here is the story. It is one of unexpected basic generosity and kindness during times of struggle. Of course, since this story is specifically related to 9/11 the musical also deals with the loss, initial confusion, and general fear and anxiousness of the event. The entire logistics of all the planes having to land and the care and housing of the passengers was interesting of itself. 

I admit that most of the songs in this aren't earworms and the styles are similar enough that they can run together. Don't get me wrong; they are good songs and help drive the mood of the whole thing. There is a sort of vaguely folk music/local color feel to them. In terms of musical performance, credit should especially be given to Jenn Colella as pilot Beverley Bass who has the most demanding solo performance.

Highly recommended. This is just a really well put together and entertaining and interesting work.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

9/10

In this film, Shang-Chi (played by Simiu Lu from the Canadian sitcom Kim's Convenience) is an unambitious fellow working as a valet with his best friend Katy (Awkwafina). However, Shang-Chi's past comes to haunt him as he is pursued by the criminal organization The Ten Rings to which he has ties.

This film proves once again that the MCU is going to do just fine after the shakeup of Endgame. This is even a stronger entry than Black Widow. It's not one of those Marvel films that tries to switch up the tone a little. It is just a good ol' fashioned action-packed audience-pleaser. If you're a little tired of the Marvel formula, I'd like to say in defense of this movie that it is really well executed.

Some of the fight choreography is really impressive, especially the bus scene. And yeah we have the traditional big budget battle at the end that the MCU is also known for, but it's a very impressive final battle.

There are a lot of Chinese mythical creatures in this. I really appreciate the amount of detail and color that went toward them. However, it's clear the creatures are computer animated as the amount of detail is a little at the expense of realistic quality.  

The story in this has a different feel about it. It really is based around the main character's personal life and how it relates to his journey even more than the likes of Black Widow or Thor. The whole general backstory is really well thought out (especially when it comes to using the Mandarin/Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) without wandering into the general area of the Yellow Peril/Fu Manchu stereotype that the comics character originally was.) 

The script is one of the more humorous Marvel films and has two jokes that are just laugh-out-loud funny.

Though this movie makes good use of comprehensive flashbacks spread throughout to build the story, there are a lot of them and some could find them exhausting. I felt that the character of Xialing (Meng'er Zhang) wasn't always properly utilized in the last act. She needed more interaction between characters and it felt like her backstory didn't get a resolution in a way that would've felt natural. If you saw the character Death Dealer (Andy Le) in the trailers and thought he looked neat, be forewarned that he's basically Boba Fett, cool design but sadly underutilized. Plus, comics fans might be disappointed that they've significantly limited the abilities of the Mandarin's rings, which originally each had their own unique power.

Simiu makes for a likable lead. Think of Shang-Chi as kind of a goofy average Joe like Ant Man, except he's more sensible and a chill dude. However, it's Awkwafina who really steals the show. She's funny and entertaining, but she never feels like she's forced in and works well with the more serious moments of the film. Leung makes a good antagonist, one of the most sympathetic and sorta fleshed out villains in the MCU. 

Highly recommended, just an all-around entertaining movie.

Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage

9/10

This installment of the HBO documentary series Music Box looks at Woodstock 99, the third and so far last of the Woodstock concerts. It was intended hit to the zeitgeist of the nineties music scene by hosting a huge amount of big names at the time and had an audience of 400,000. However, it didn't properly plan for the heat, water and bathing conditions. In the end, there was massive violence/vandalism, including multiple counts of rape or other sexual harassment, and one man died of heat stroke. Eventually the police had to be brought in to clear it up and MTV News, which was covering the entire thing, had to vacate.

This is just a really well orchestrated doc. It carefully follows each day of the festival and does a great job of carefully building toward and explaining how things went nuts. This is one of those narrationless documentaries where everything is set up by the interviewees dialogue. 

I remember the MTV/news coverage of the chaos and this really brings it all back for me. (They even got MTV's Carson Daly to interview. Unfortunately Kurt Loder, the network's other major face to at the concert to the best of my memory doesn't participate.) It is also just an excellent all-encompassing glance into the nineties culture in general.

I thought this was a better done concert-gone-wrong documentary than those two Fyre Festival ones. This felt more comprehensive of the situation. Also, I felt it more interesting to see an ill-fated concert that should've worked in theory run by guys with experience than the overtly ambitious and untested dream run by guys new to concert promotion. 

Speaking of the organizers, co-producer John Scher makes himself the perfect villain. He goes out of the way point the finger towards anyone besides himself and just insultingly tries to avoid the blame in general. There is one remark from him that may have you yelling at the screen.  

The doc definitely earns its TV-MA rating. This is a very honest portrayal of what went on at the festival, by which I mean there is a crazy number of boobs and dicks. I mean a lot. There is one of photograph of the inside of the occupied women's shower, and I don't feel comfortable with it. I'm pretty sure that not every if not all women were aware and/or gave their consent for that. Cringey choice by the director. 

Highly recommended. Really covers the concert and its time period. Great for both people who remember it and the younger generation if they want to know more.