Velma- Season 2

NOTE: This review doesn't spoil anything this season, but there are a couple sentences that are kinda a spoiler for last season.

6.5/10

In season two, Velma (voiced by The Office/The Mindy Project's Mindy Kaling) tries to catch a serial killer targeting men.

There does seem to be an effort by the writers not to be quite as aggressive with the material that turned off viewers, however it does feel like just a 10% reduction. You've still got Velma being judgey and mean and political/social and hip modern commentary that does feel like it's being thrown aggressively at the screen, but, still it does feel more natural this time. 

I especially think a lot of the characters are more likable this time around. I felt that Fred (Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton) is funnier and feels more like a character than an over-the-top popular kid/man child. The season manages to expand the characters of Fred's dad William (voiced by original voice of Scooby-Doo's Fred Frank Welker) and Velma's mom  Diya (voiced by The Unicorn's Sarayu Blue). William who was mostly a disapproving father with limited screentime gets fleshed out a little, and he's more fun to be around (though, yeah, there are a lot of rich guy jokes with him). At first, Welker's approach, which was a raspyish, older version of the original Fred voice, didn't work on me, but it's grown. It does have a unique quality. Diya, who's role was more story-driven last time and didn't have time to breath. Here, she turns out to be as ridiculous and fun as most of the other parents.

I also felt the jokes were funnier this time around. Some may complain about the pop jokes, but I felt there were some solid bits.

Though many hate this, I do give the show credit for having a very unique feel that is character-centric, but also high energy weird and wacky. I liked the storyline this season better as the show goes to some pretty weird and unexpected places. (They really go all in on the brains in jars with them just hanging out as regular high school students.) Got to give the show this, it's not boring. One could fault it for repeating the hallucinations storyline, but with Norville (Veep's Sam Richardson) having them this time instead of Velma. However, this part does pay off in the end.

I'd have to say that the strongest part of last season was that the mystery itself was solid. You couldn't figure it out too far ahead of time, and it felt like everything and added up and paid off. This season does this but even stronger. Again, this show knows how to surprise you and there are many twists and turns.

The animation is still strong, continuing with a unique visual style and color scheme, and it's so much more fluid than you'd imagine for a comedy.

Kinda recommended. If you didn't like the first one, it hasn't course-corrected enough to draw you back. I concede that the humor is a mixed-bag, however, but I still had fun. The show is so unpredictable, and the writers do feel like they're enjoying themselves.

Civil War

9/10

This movie follows a group of journalists and photographers as they travel across a United States ravaged by civil war.

First off, the trailers make this more of a film focused on the action and battle movements, while this is actually a more measured piece that focuses on the journalists' journey. This is written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Men) and if you've seen his Annihilation, this is kinda the same formula (a group on a journey) minus the sci-fi. When the action happens, it's well executed but the core of the film is a lot of showing and talking about the situation.

Don't confuse this being plot heavy for this being a boring movie. Far from it. This reminds me a lot of The Big Red One in that this is a travelogue looking at the madness of war that is composed of various thematic elements. This movie does a solid job of changing gears from the eeriness of desolate, war-torn America to dark comedy to moments of real tension. Civil War has one of the most gripping, suspense scenes I think I've ever seen.

The main focus of this film is on the musings in the last few years that the United States could go to war. This has a real world message in that an ACTUAL civil war in the United States would be a terrible, bloody thing that'd pretty mess up most people lives. 

For those radicals arguing in favor a civil war, this movie also makes a point that having one in a place as vast as the United States wouldn't be a single concentrated effort. (In this movie we've got factions and smaller rebel groups.) A lot of people may want the Democrats toppled, but how much you wanna bet they all don't have the exact same view on the government that comes after or what they want or what the real threats are? (Did you see the footage of the gathering assembled to stop immigration at the border? There was some infighting between individuals and factions).

The movie also a well-written look at what it is like to be a journalist during war.

Garland makes the scenario audience-friendly (and more importantly audience-money-friendly decision) by not to base this movie off of any real world politics. Texas and California are in an alliance and that ain't happening in the real world (maybe parts of rural California but not all of California). Garland does an interesting job of laying out the hints of how the civil war came without straight up directly telling the audience exactly what went down. 

In terms of visuals and audio, this is pure "cinema." The cinematography is excellent, featuring well-placed camera work and a strong design sense with what is undoubtedly going to be considered one of the most hauntingly beautiful movie scenes of the year. I do not have discerning ears, so audio work doesn't usually stand out to me. Not here, though. I won't go into detail, but prepare for some of the most effective movie sounds in a while.

Kiersten Dunst delivers what is probably one of the best and most distinct performances in her career as main lead photojournalist Lee. She is a cool-headed, hard-headed veteran of war coverage. Dunst really manages to deliver an objective and hardened, but human-beneath-it-all individual. Also really good in this is Dune Part One's Stephen McKinley Henderson as journalist Sammy, the eldest and wisest of the group. I noticed that the guy's stock in in the film world has gone up in the last ten years or so, because he does a quality job as an authoritative but approachable person.

If there any possible flaws to this film, some may find the final act to run a bit long.

Highly recommended, this is such a well-constructed film. Garland delivers his first movie that isn't sci-fi (or whatever genre Men was supposed to be), which has resulted in his most accessible film.

Night Court (2023- )- Season 2

7/10

Season 2 of the Night Court reboot continues to have Judge Abby Stone (played by Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch), the daughter of the original show's judge Harry Stone, preside over Night Court and its array of wacky defendants, lawyers, and staff.

This season tries to be more like the original Night Court by focusing more on the defendants and making them wackier. I think I liked the humor better here; it feels like the writers are having more fun. However, if you don't like comedies that are too silly and not grounded, you may not like this much. (There is an episode focusing on British aristocracy that is so painfully one-dimensional. We are regularly exposed to British television these days. We know that's not remotely how they act!)

There are also not as many occasional serious/heartfelt moments (particularly the moments between Abby and defense lawyer Dan Fielding (the original's John Laroquette)) as there were, which I missed.

Laroquette is still the best performance, continuing the character he built up over the years. His uncle-niece-type rapport with Abby remains the load-bearing pillar of the show. I think that the character of Abby still feels a little too much like a try-hard at being a nice person (in comparison to her father who seemed to be nice naturally), however, you can't deny Rauch's enthusiasm in her role.

India de Beaufort as driven but somewhat socially awkward prosecutor Olivia Wilde continues to be the best of the new cast, though I do think they gave her less material to work with this season. Beaufort has this "presence" with her delivery.

They've written sad sack clerk Neil out of the show. I'm not particularly affected by his absence. His actor Kapil Talwalker did a good job, but the character never felt essential and his crush on his superior felt a bit forced and awkward.

Recommended. Not saying NC is the funniest or best written comedy out right now, especially if you don't want your comedy too network simple/broad, but it definitely makes for a fun time-waster with a decent cast.