Only Murders in the Building- Season 2

8.5/10

NOTE: (There are no spoilers for this season, but this review does touch on the setup from the finale of the last season.)

In this sophomore season, the murder podcast trio have to clear their names of murder.

Once the original main mystery of a show is concluded, there is always the risk of subsequent seasons not being able to recapture the magic. I'm happy to say, this isn't the case with this one. The show remains as funny as ever. The character work and arcs here for the three main cast members remain strong. (Oliver Putnam's subplot is especially compelling.) This season also does a great job of building upon supporting characters from last season; cat-loving neighbor Howard (played by Michael Cyril Creighton) continues to be funny.

If I'd say there were any downsides to this, the three main lingering plot questions from last season remain unanswered. Whereas the mystery last season felt unraveled naturally, it did feel like all the plot points were shoehorned into the end in this one. Though, I also felt more satisfied with this finale. Like I said, season 2 does a great job of utilizing existing characters, but there a few sudden missing supporting characters disappearances that may be jarring, particularly the neighbor who wanted Tim Kono's apartment. She was present throughout last season whenever you had group scenes in the apartment building, so it's weird to see the character suddenly absent.

Cast is still great. Martin Short remains the funniest with his constant comic energy. Also, I wouldn't be surprised that Jayne Houdeshell as former HOA board head Bunny Folger gets an Emmy nomination. Last season, she was just the grump who served as a sort of semi-adversary for Putnam, but here the character gets an episode that gets to show more of her and Houdeshell NAILS IT. 

Highly recommend, another smart and funny season.

Westworld- Season 4

7.5/10

Taking place several years after the events of season 3, a group of Hosts make a play against humanity.

The first episode had me a little worried. There was the fact that you're not shown the immediate fallout of season 3 and the story wasn't completely enticing. However, once things get rolling, it gets really interesting. This is probably the darkest season and a LOT happens. I'm going to avoid any details for fear of spoiling, but this is a really interesting season. I was kept guessing what would happen next. Again, the look of the show, cast, and music are all great. 

Though I liked it, this season could be stronger. Some of the more interesting supporting characters from last season like Caleb's criminal compatriots and the main villain they spent so much time with and left open to return are completely gone. Plus, there's the show's tendency to squander characters. Expect to be frustrated here.  

Though this is was a very interesting season, I admit that this is also the most straightforward of all the seasons. This feels the less like the writers are throwing you around, but the feel of wonder you got from the look of Westworld and the sense of mystery in 1 and 2 and the look of the future world in season 3 is gone here. Also, the finale is very controversial (season 4 is taking the show's tendency of trying to hard to be clever to the umpth degree.) I honestly am not quite sure how I feel about it. It's a power move, I'll give you that.

Recommended. I know I listed a lot of negatives, but that's because I can't get into what works. I found this to be the second strongest season. This just felt more focused and captivating than the last two one.

Dragonball Super: Super Hero

8/10

In this the second DBS film (with screenplay by original DB creator Akira Toriyama), The Red Ribbon Army (from the original Dragon Ball) has rebuilt itself, created new, powerful allies, and are seeking vengeance against Goku and his allies, with Piccolo being the first they set their eyes upon.

If you're walking into this expecting another film like the previous installment the action and lore-heavy DBS: Broly, DON'T. This is more like the first of the DBZ comeback films Battle of the Gods. You get two-thirds of old-school, original DB-style comedy with an impressive battle in the final act. If you love DB for the action, but aren't big on DB's humor, this may not be for you. I, however, had a good time. I thought this was pretty funny and liked the goofy, light-hearted comedy and the unique tone Toriyama brings.

Not to say the fight scenes are anything to scoff at. I wouldn't say they are as good as Broly, some of the best action I've ever seen in animation, but they're not that far off either. The fights are all really impressive, grand, and really well animated. This is the first DB title to use 3D-cell shaded (21/2-D) models, and I thought it worked pretty well. Speaking of the show's appearance in general, I love the look of of the backgrounds and buildings in this. Everything looks really good. 

Be forewarned that the movie sidelines lead Goku and Vegeta, the best fighters in the series. To be honest, I'm not hating the decision. It's a fun shift from the norm to focus on some of the supporting characters. Piccolo really does carry the film. He's basically the serious, competent guy who has to deal with everyone else's eccentricities. 

I also like the new villains in this, they're all pretty entertaining, particularly eccentric and morally complex scientist Dr. Hedo. The two main androids in this Gamma 1 and 2 are admittedly just a reuse of the old trope of the cocky guy/takes-things-seriously guy duo, but they're still decent characters. 

Recommended. I'd say this is my third favorite DBZ movie (below Broly and Battle of the Gods). It may be a step down from the last film, but if you like it when DB is just trying to have fun, I think you'll like this.

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

 7/10

In this dark comedy/thriller, Sophie (played by The Hate You Give's Amandla Stenberg) takes her new girlfriend Bee (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm's Maria Bakalova) to hang her with her friends at her best friend David's parents' huge, lavish house. Soon, things go horribly wrong, emotions start running, and everyone starts becoming suspicious of each other. 

The first act does start out a bit slow and partially weak. Don't get me wrong, there are some good lines and the movie does a good job with Bee of encompassing the awkwardness of being somewhere where you don't know anyone, but it runs a little too long with the whole millenials being kinda toxic/ridiculous. schtick. I think too many lines are given to some characters than needed.

But when things get dark, that's when it starts getting good. The movie does a great job of making you guess what happens next, including one particularly tense scene in particular. (I particularly like how this ends.) This is also when the making-fun-of-millennials humor really pays off. The movie takes a lot of shots at the shallowness of the social media generation.

At first, I didn't like the cinematography in this. It had a sort of art-house quality. I was like, "I get it this is an A24 film. Not all their films have to look like this!" However, I think I understand why they went that way. The style definitely allows color to work. After the second act, a lot of this is shot in the dark, and the cinematographer/lighting person really managed to make light and color work in contrast to the blackness. Seriously, my congratulations to the lighting department; they did an excellent job. Also, I love the house or sets for this film. It is an impressive place.  

Acting's good across the board. (Cast includes Lee Pace and SNL's Peter David.)

Recommended. It's not a perfect film, parts could've been tightened and the spoiled kid dialogue can get a bit basic, but it is an interesting film that does hold your attention in the end.