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.

Girls5Eva- Season 3

8.5/10

In season 3, the band Girls5eva  go on tour.

This season is a drastic change as the band members have left their home of New York and each episode takes place in a different location. It is an interesting change that does reinvigorate things a bit. However, I think this might be slightly weaker than the last two seasons. I feel the free-floating structure doesn't give rise to as many strong show business jokes as before. Also, Dawn's goofy, straight-laced husband Scott (played by Billions' Daniel Breaker) is back at home, so he's barely in this and his absence is definitely felt. But, the jokes are still really funny, satirical, and creative. The funny thing about this show is that they'll go for an odd subject of a joke or draw a bit out, and they mostly, surprisingly work. (Though there is one British joke that feels too stereotypically broad for my tastes. I guess jokes that are monarchy/upper-crust accent-based have started to get on my nerves, and Tina Fey created/produced shows are one of the greatest perpetrators. These jokes feel like they were written in the 90's and not-topical. We have so much access to British television that we know they have so many accents and kinda what it's actually like there.)

Unfortunately, the episode-length was cut from an already meager eight episodes to six, leaving one wanting more. (I understand having American dramas reduce their length as they prevent the stories from being drawn out/worn out, but I think all half-episode comedies where the individual episodes are more self-contained should be at least 10 episodes long.)

Though we still haven't gotten a song that is as funny as the fear song from season 1, this season's still got a pretty solid lineup of funny songs with some well written lyrics. 

The four leads remain entertaining. Sara Bareilles, writer and singer of Love Song, gives great delivery as Dawn the most sensible but awkward one, Dawson's Creek's/Cougar Town's Busy Phillips as Summer, the kinda emotionally stunted one, gives the best vocal and nonverbal delivery of the bunch, and Hamilton's Renee Elis Goldsbury continues to be pure, wacky diva as Wickie. I felt Gloria's subplot of her sowing her wild oats and sleeping around was a bit of a nothing burger that wasn't worth it's time. However, former SNL writer Paula Pell is great in everything else as she does as the one who often has to be the voice of reason or in reaction to the others' weirdness or self-destructiveness.

Though we are lacking Scott, his loss is lessened by having Paul (writer/actor John Lutz), who had a small role last season, given much more focus as the band's driver/assistant. Yeah, he's basically doing the awkward character he did in 30 Rock, but he does it so well, and he's given the chance to play it a little weirder. He's especially funny in scenes where he's driving as he does such unexpected stuff.

Highly recommended. The show is still very funny.

Tiny Toons Looniversity: Spring Break

6.5/10

In this spring break special for the Tiny Toons reboot on Cartoon Network/Max (coincidentally or not the original also had a spring break special), the Tiny Toons crew go to visit their families for spring break. 

This is alright. Everything comes together in the end for a satisfying, heartfelt finale and there's some decent humor, but this is a weaker entry when compared to several episodes of the show. For a longer special, it doesn't go big enough. Though Looniversity has some good storylines, the show has become more reliant upon teaching lessons and, due to the university setting, a more grounded use of characters, resulting in more relationship/character oriented stories. One can miss the more free-form stories and comedy of the original.

Kinda recommended. Kids will probably be fine with it. If you like the show, you'd probably be satisfied. 

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy- Season 1

8/10

In this new animated comedy on Amazon Prime, alien doctors Klak (Nope's Keke Palmer) and Sleech (Everything Everywhere all at Once's Stephanie Hsu), known for breaking the rules, try to find a cure for anxiety.

This is a very creative show. With animation as a medium, you can go much farther with bringing imagination to life. There are so many bizarre, unique aliens in this. (If you have a low weird tolerance, this isn't for you.) The show doesn't really have any humans in this, which makes it a nice change from sci-fi comedies like Tripping the Rift or Futurama. There's no asking yourself why you hear so many topical human references being made by everyone including aliens but not a lot of references to other cultures. The world of SBHitG may have similarities to us but never feels like the writers are copying humans verbatim. 

The jokes are fairly funny (there's also a solid mix of dark and light humor), but I wouldn't say the greatest. It's the stories and overreaching plot points that make this entertaining. The character's lives and the situations they find themselves in is what makes this show. The cast may be wacky but they all have solid flaws, fears, dreams, etc.

I was on the fence for the first episode; too much introduced too quickly. I recommend you stick till the third episode before passing judgment. 

The animation is one those recent adult animation types like you find on Max that kinda look like they were out of an adult indie comic. It hasn't worn out itself out yet and makes a nice relief from super-simplified character designs. The world is very colorful, detailed and distinct.

Palmer is known for usually playing confident characters, so it's nice to see her show her range by doing the opposite and giving a very believable portrayal as a person suffering from anxiety. You know who also surprised me in their performance? Maya Rudolph as Dr. Vlam, an intern and centuries old robot. She gives a completely different and slightly more grounded portrayal than anything she's ever done before. I didn't know it was her until I looked it up.

Recommended. This might be a little too odd for some, but this is a compelling work.

Hazbin Hotel- Season 1

7.5/10

In Hazbin Hotel on Amazon Prime, the forces of Heaven, fearing the great numbers of sinners in Hell, hold an extermination once a year where they kill a lot of souls. (In this world, all dead people either become demons or angels.) Idealistic Charlie Morningstar (voiced by Erika Henningsen, who was the original lead in Broadway's Mean Girls the Musical), is tired of this, so she decides to create a hotel that specializes in redeeming any who stay there so that they can get into heaven.

The pilot for this came out four years ago (this was an indie animation that had to first be picked up, plus animating takes time), and I've been waiting, genuinely curious as to the final outcome, and yeah, this doesn't disappoint. Characters are well defined, there's great world building, and the show manages to hit the funny bits pretty well. One is engrossed with the story as it develops and whether Charlie will achieve her dream. This is kinda like The Good Place in that it questions the concept of eternal damnation for people that were lousy or made poor decisions but weren't evil, evil.

Be forewarned that this is very adult. Very, very adult. Maybe more sexed up than the Rocky Horror Picture Show and more foul-mouthed than South Park (I've heard the words b**** and holes, as in orifices and not in the ground, more times than I ever have.) And this, show can be pretty bipolar when it comes to its content. Hazbin Hotel can have a funny part and then something dark may happen. Unlike Bojack Horseman, which was known for balancing lighter and darker humor, I don't know if this finds the balance. The creator Vivienne Medrano is definitely a talent, but she's like those two guys who created the Venture Brothers, they're definitely creative, but you're truly worried about their state of mind. Medrano's original pilot and her web cartoon Helluva Boss, which didn't have to censor for streaming, are a LOT. Things can get uncomfortable with her. The subplot of hotel occupant and porn star Angel Dust (Blake Roman) gets DAAAARRRKKKK. It is front and center in episode four and their is a reason why it is rated 18+ while all the others are 16+.

Also understand that this season is only eight episodes long. The show has a lot of characters and ideas, but they don't all have their equal time to shine. There's so much plot being revealed that it's easy to remember what's going on this season but so hard to remember what was the main story of each individual episode.

The voice cast is good. This show is a musical, and I'm happy to say everyone they cast are good singers. Henningsen really manages to sell Charlie's sheer unbridled optimism. (A big part of her character is how pure she is despite living in a terrible place with awful people.) The other star of the show is Alastor, the Radio Demon (Amir Talai), who sounds like he's speaking over an old-timey radio. He's a very powerful demon that's sponsoring the hotel not because he believes in it, but because it amuses him. He's the "aren't-you-glad-I'm-on-your-side"-type, equally charming and funny and a terrifying fellow when you cross him.

People have already pointed out that Charlie's girlfriend Vaggy (Reno 911/Encanto's Stephanie Beatriz) sounds like and is kinda similar to Poison Ivy in the Harley Quinn show. But in fairness, the pilot came out before HQ. Credit to be given to the show for how the lovers' relationship is made clear through showing without having to explain.

The animation feels like a Deviantart artist's page come to life with a distinct type of character design. It's a very unique depiction of the afterlife. The animation is colorful, and the quality itself is really fluid and detailed. 

The songs are pretty good; there are weaker entries but no bad ones. I particularly like the variety; none of the songs feel like parodies/homages of existing songs like I've seen in many other musical TV shows.

Kinda recommended. This is definitely not for everyone. If you don't like M-rated stuff, stay away. And I do not fault anyone for episode four being too much. However, if you're okay with all of that, you may very well like this creative, well produced work. (You might want to see the pilot on Youtube first. The first episode does explain the premise, but the pilot explains stuff more.)

Mean Girls (2024)

8/10

In this film adaptation of the Mean Girls musical adaptation of the original 2004 Mean Girls movie which itself was loosely based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabees (whew...), Cady Herron (played by Angourie Rice who was Betty Brant in the latest Spider-Man trilogy), who has lived in Africa and been home schooled all her life, gets to experience American school life for the first time. Here, she captures the attention of the glamorous but mean queen bee of the school Regina George (The Sex Lives of College Girls' Renee Rapp who also originated the role on Broadway) and soon finds herself in Regina's toxic clutches.

Screenwriter Tina Fey had the unenviable position of adapting a musical to film while also having to remake her own film. I heard the original musical followed the original's pretty closely but Fey couldn't just have them repeat all the dialogue. She did a surprisingly good job of still following all the general beats while coming up with an original script. Yeah, the original movie was funnier but this is a pretty entertaining follow-up where the script and dialogue don't falter. Admittedly, what with this having songs in it, some story parts felt a little rushed or slimmed (I definitely would've liked more time with Regina's followers Gretchen Weiners (Bebe Wood) and Karen Shetty (Avantika)) when compared to the original but the whole affair still runs pretty smoothly).

The best part of this is that Fey's had twenty years to think about what parts about popularity and girl cruelty could've been better said or handled. I thought this movie honestly did a better job of actually showcasing and analyzing mean girls. The movie has Regina be more three-dimensional and imply without directly saying why she is the way she is. Cadie being sucked into the "mean girl" world felt more prominent and the battle with her selfish side feels a lot stronger here.

If you're a fan of the original musical, I've got to warn you: Approximately seven songs are cut or replaced (I'm not counting the reprises). I haven't seen so many songs cut since the film adaptation of Best Little Whorehouse in Texas back in the eighties and that wasn't even that many. A lot of songs also feel like their rhythm has been altered; not that this has never happened before with adaptations (like the Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer song in Cats or the wolf song in Into the Woods), but I've never seen it so prevalent. In fairness, you have to give the creators credit for making sure the script worked and wasn't bogged down by requisite musical numbers. They remember that this is a movie and not a show and have this piece last an acceptable, non-indulgent 1 hour and 52 minutes. As for the songs in this movie themselves, yeah, most of them are pretty good with Regina's songs being the real highlights.

This was originally shot for Paramount+ before the execs thought this could make the big bucks in the theaters. Because of this, the movie definitely has a mid-budget feel. You can see this was shot at an older school and not one of those nicer ones you usually see used in theatrical films, and "Africa" is clearly just some field in America. However, I give directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. credit for doing a lot with what they had. This is their first feature-length fiction film, and I wish them the best as they show promise. The musical numbers pop in terms of choreography and visuals. 

The original movie had iconic casting, but the gang here isn't shabby, even the ones who don't shine as brightly as the originals still are pretty good. The standouts here are Rapp, who has the best voice, kills her numbers and has a slightly tougher version of Regina that is on equal with that of Rachel McAdams, and Auli'i Cravalho (the voice of Moana), as Cady's friend Janis 'Imi'ike, she's also a great singer and has this more fun energy to her that I feel out does original actress Lizzy Caplan. Although I think Amanda Seyfried was the best and more well-rounded Karen, the simple-minded member of the clique, Avantika is pretty entertaining as she makes the choice to make the character a wide-eyed space case 85% of the time. Weakest actor might actually be lead Rice. She does alright but has the weakest singing voice and her speaking voice feels a little muted in the beginning. However, when it comes to her personality being influenced by the events around her, I actually thought her changes were done stronger than original actress Lindsay Lohan.

Recommended. Sure it isn't as good as the original but is definitely an entertaining time by itself and frankly came out better than I thought it would. This really does have some of the best shot musical numbers of recent years.

Hamster and Gretel- Season 1

8.5/10

In this new Disney Channel cartoon from Phineas and Ferb co-creator Dan Povenmire, elementary school-aged girl Gretel (voiced by Povenmire's daughter Melissa) and her hamster Hamster (SNL alumni Beck Bennett) are granted superpowers by aliens and become superheroes. Meanwhile, Gretel's brother Kevin (Love, Victor's Michael Cimino), who was standing right there and got diddly squat, ends up in the thankless job of being the guy in the chair and trying to coral his young and impetuous sister.

If you've seen P&F or Milo Murphy's Law, it's the same kind of humor. Stuff that's clever enough for adults and goofy enough for children. What we get is a bunch of varied and enjoyable villains of the week, who are a fun bunch with goofy gimmicks. Though the episodes are mostly self-contained, the show does a decent job of building the world upon existing characters (I thought the villain Professor Exclamation (MadTV veteran and prolific voice actor Phil LaMarr) was a little one note at first, but he and his single-minded inability to be chill and get over his tragic origin (which is kinda silly) got sorta interesting to watch.)

The three main characters make the show. Kevin is a solid straight man/fall guy who has to deal with helping his sister amongst the various insanity thrown at her There's something about Gretel that's just so darn contagiously optimistic. At first I thought Melissa's casting was just a case of nepotism, but her voice really grew on me. It's got a unique quality. Funniest character hands down is Hamster. He's the one who's surprisingly cool and laid back. Bennet's naturally deep tone is accentuated here and he manages to make delivery that is always in the same tone be consistently funny. Originally the writers had him as a guy of few word like P&F's Ferb, but I think they quickly realized what a personality expert one-liner they had on their hands.

Highly recommended. Show is just fun. On the Povenmire scale, it's below P&F and above Milo Murphy's Law.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

7/10

In this Netflix sequel to the popular 2000 claymation film, the chickens are living a happy existence away from man but now must deal with an ominous new modern chicken farm being built nearby.

At the very beginning I was a little hesitant. The plot's bones felt a little predictable with the story being the chickens breaking into a chicken farm instead of out of it (they even state the obvious fact in the movie) and there being a subplot of a child and parent at odds and having to understand each other. Luckily, the predictability didn't become an issue once we get to the farm. DotN feels like it's from a 70's dystopian sci-fi film if it was made for kids. What happens in the fortress is dark but hidden under an extravagant/colorful facade, and how they contain the chickens is a little freaky. If you miss the "dark" children's films from yesteryear than this might be for you.

The movie is fairly entertaining. The humor is mild but there are a few good moments, including one joke that is pure genius.

Since this is an Aardman film, the claymation looks great. Everything is colorful and all the characters have distinct body shapes to them. Visually the cinematography is active and feels like how'd you shoot a live-action film. (The intro to the main villain is so well paced with its build up.)

Recommended. Not saying this is the best kids movie ever, but it is something your children may have fun with and the captured chicken scenes really stand out.

Villains of Valleyview- Season 2

6.5/10

The second season of the Disney Channel sitcom continues the misadventures of the Maddens, a retired supervillain family, as they live in modern suburbia.

Best part of this continues to be the friendship of the polar opposites bad girl Amy Madden/Havoc (played by Isabella Pappas) and the sunny Hartley (Kayden Muller-Jansen). They work so well off of each other. The rest of the cast remains strong, the humor is still decent and something kids will probably enjoy, and I like the effort they put into the costumes.

Though the family loves each other, the writers lean in even more on the insult humor between each other even more this season. Parents may not love the example it sets, and besides that, it gets a little tiresome.

Youngest child Colby/Flashform (Stuck in the Middle's Malachi Barton) continues to feel unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, Barton delivers his A-game, but as the youngest the writers always feel at a loss as to where to put him. He doesn't get to associate with many his own age and is mostly relegated to B-plots where he interacts with his parents.

The show started with the characters trying to change their ways and seeing the value of good, but this season went in a weird place. The way they portray villains as being mostly lineages has resulted in them being shown  a little as a mistreated class, which seems to disregard the importance of moral choices. A little weird for my tastes and again not a great message for kids.

Kinda recommended. I think your kids will really like it. As a show by itself, it's got a lot of good things going for it, but it's also hampered by its weaknesses. 'Course I might be giving a Disney Channel show too much thought.

Star Trek: Lower Decks- Season 4

8/10

The lower decks gang from the U.S.S. Cerritos face new chapters in their lives and a mysterious new threat and welcome new crew member Vulcan T'Lyn (voiced by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Gabrielle Ruiz).

The show remains consistently entertaining as the episodes remain varied and distinct, and the writers continue doing a great job making use of and paying  homage to Star Trek lore. What I like about this show is that the characters don't remain stagnant and there is actual growth. (They finally tackle a couple plot points that arguably the writers may have been putting off for a little too long.) I especially appreciate the growth in the case of Mariner (Space Force's Tawny Newsome). She was too controlling at the beginning and destructive, but the show has acknowledged she's on a journey and she's gone through so much development. There's a continuing subplot is a mystery. It keeps you guessing as to what's going on and the explanation pays off pretty well.

The character of T'Lynn, who's a bit of a rebel/goes-with-the-gut-type by Vulcan standards was first introduced in season 2. It was hinted she was going to join the crew since then, and it's finally happened. The execution meets expectations. For a new addition, she fits in flawlessly. She's sort of the straight man to the rest, but she's also understanding enough of the characters that she gets along with them pretty well.

Animation remains strong. It continues to be colorful and the action is really fluid this year.

The main voice cast remains great. Newsome is really on her a-game this season. All her lines sound so natural.

Highly recommended. It's another funny season that's a real treat for Star Trek aficionados.

South Park: Joining the Panderverse

8/10

In this new South Park special on Paramount+, the South Park boys face the threat of their universe merging into one where are all the cast are multicultural women. 

This may be one of the show's cleverest satires in the last few years.  It pokes fun at both Disney movie pandering and those who get upset at anything the slightest bit "woke" at the same time and how a lot of franchises are taking advantage of the multiverse craze. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, much how they expressed their dislike of Family Guy and its reliance on cut-away jokes, deliver some probably honestly held beliefs of theirs about the overextension of multiverses through the South Park boys' dialogue. I appreciate that they are nuanced and not 100% one-sided when addressing the topics.

The writers were clearly having fun with the "woke" South Park universe idea. It's particularly funny seeing all the kids being played by adults who speak the exact same way the kids would. Stuntwoman Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, who also plays one of the Dora Milaje in the Black Panther movies, voices Diverse Cartman. Her delivery of Cartman's lines is pretty funny. She's not mimicking his unique cranky voice, but she gets all the nuance of his selfishness down flat. Kenny's muffled voice usually hides the fact that his dialogue is the dirtiest of the main quartet. Diverse Kenny (Diana Lauren Jones) has no coat covering her mouth, and seeing a woman sincerely delivering all of Kenny's dirty, hormonal boy dialogue makes for a fun time. Montana Jacobowitz completely nails Butters' gullibility and anxiety. Cartman (Parker) is sorta the main lead and again one of the funniest aspects of the show. He's best when he's his most paranoid and obsessive. Cartman's crazed, racist over-the-top fears of being replaced by diverse women are pretty entertaining as we see how increasingly desperate he gets.

The only downside to this is that the show really should've dipped its toe into the whole multiverse thing a lot more, and it felt like a lot of jokes and potential was left on the table. Thing is there's a B-plot. (It's not really mentioned in the promotional material, so I won't spoil the surprise of what it's about.) The satire of it is sound but just isn't as funny as the a-plot. It could've been its own half-hour episode. Plus, it stars Stan's dad Randy (Trey Parker), who I feel is really overexposed recently.

Recommended. Another prime example of the show's satire and both-sides, Libertarian-esque humor.

Totally Killer

7.5/10

In this new film on Amazon Prime, the masked Sweet Sixteen Killer resurfaces after 35 years and attacks teenager Jamie Hughes (played by The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina's Kiernan Shipka). She seeks safety in the time machine photo booth her friend invented and is sent back to the late eighties. There she tries to save the lives of her mother's three friends and figure out who the killer is. 

This is a slasher horror comedy similar to Happy Death Day and Final Girls. Much like how HDD is a "what if Groundhog's Day was a horror film," this is "what if Back to the Future was a horror movie." What ensues is a solidly written and fairly funny work with a solid story that makes you guess what'll happen next. (Plus, we get a final fight that's never been done before.)

The high point is having a modern girl in the 80's. I've never seen a movie so accurately nail the difference between today's culture and the non-PC culture of the eighties. Seeing Jamie amazed with how different things were back then never gets old. 

This movie is about Jamie learning to understand and get along with her mother Pam (played in the present by Modern Family's Julie Bowen and in the past by Cloak & Dagger's Olivia Holt). Time travel helping someone relate to their parent has been done before and there's nothing new here, but the movie does it well.

Jamie immediately knows what's going on. We don't have to go through the whole obvious character-takes-time-to figure out she's in the past bits. She's immediately on her mission.

It can be frustrating how dense and self-destructive the teens are when there's a murderer on the loose. Yeah they're teens, but I still feel they're played a little too cartooney.

If you're more into comedy than horror, and you're wondering how violent this is then this might not be for you. When the kills happen, director Nahnatchka Khan doesn't pull any punches, and they are bloody.

Also, understand that this is entertaining and clever, but I wouldn't say this is the funniest film of the year. I enjoyed myself but never laughed out loud.

Recommended. Just a generally good time, especially if you like jokes about generational differences.

Futurama- Season 11

7/10

Yep, it's been brought back from cancellation. For a SECOND TIME! Season 11 of Futurama on Hulu continues the misadventures of the employees of the intergalactic delivery service the Planet Express.

Given the sheer amount of time since it was last on, I'm pleased to say that this season feels like Futurama always has. (And luckily it doesn't have that weak starting up run of episodes like season seven did.) For better or worse that is. The show continues to have funny lines and some well-honed satire. It also continues to have lines and ideas that miss, including the weakest anthology episode the show's ever had (though I liked the wraparound). Bender is still a character where the writers are trying too hard to make him the outrageous one. Course he has a lot of funny dialogue, but a lot of stuff he says also feels perfunctory.

I appreciate how well the character movement flows in the animation.

Recommended. Same ol' Futurama. If you already liked it, keep watching. If you did not then nothing will change your mind here.

Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, too!

 

7/10

In this made-for-streaming/DVD movie, the Mystery Inc. gang is called in to investigate the disappearance of the Justice League and search the Hall of Justice which is haunted by a phantom. There they team up with Superman's famed pet Krypto.

This film had an interesting history. Images of it leaked a while back but no official confirmation of its existence was given by the WB. The last released SD movie Trick or Treat had a difference in tone and animation style from the other SD made-for-DVD movies released since 2009. Krypto, too! has the original character designs which makes one hypothesize that it was created first. (They produced two of these films a year for a while.)  When it comes to David Zaslav and WB Discovery's controversial cuts since the studios' regime change, Batgirl has got all the publicity for being the completed title that got shelved and never shown, however it looks like SD got hit the hardest. The Scoob prequel was shelved as well as the incomplete pre-school show being made. Another in-production SD made-for-DVD movie was canceled as well. (It would've brought the Hex Girls back and had songs. 'Tis a shame.) It's reasonable to assume that this movie had also been shelved (though there's no official info.) However, an interesting thing happened. The full film was leaked online. It was quickly pulled but not much later its release was announced. Perhaps the leak produced enough views to entice the studio to change their minds.

This is likely the last of the SD made-for-DVD movies for a while based on recent trends. (These have been going on since '98. I fear that ending this universal cornerstone along with Hasbro ending the long running Power Rangers series in the form as we know it may be the harbinger of the unraveling of reality and some dark, looming event. Or it can simply be the fate of media in a changing business environment if you want to get boring about it.) It's a good film to go out on. Wouldn't say it's one of the best in the series, but it's definitely one of the better ones. 

Definitely one of the funnier ones. Dialogue's on point. There are a few really solid self-pokes on legitimate critiques of the DC and SD. (There is one point where I thought to myself "Yes, you're completely right about that! Thank you!") Lex Luthor (voiced delightfully by Charles Halford) is a main part of the cast as he's stuck in the building with the rest of the gang and has to team up with them. He's a sarcastic, grumpy and arrogant interpretation, and he's an interestingly new type of dynamic for the team as they don't usually have a foil to work off of.

Story is also one of the more unique SD plots. The conclusion to the mystery is satisfying. We also get an entertaining group of suspects. 

Admittedly, the plot in the middle act is a bit light, but kids probably won't be as critical. There is a subplot with Jimmy Olson (prolific voice actor James Arnold Taylor) that is arguably problematic and uncalled for but doesn't pop up much.

As it's always been, the 2009-2023 animation remains colorful and smooth. (Though I still hate that they don't include whites in the characters eyes because that's what the original Scooby-Doo Where are you? did in order to be "retro.") Loved the design of the phantom. It has a cosmic/molten lava-like feel to it. Considering that they did a team-up a few years back with the "Brave and the Bold" version of Batman and other DC characters, the change in character designs might be nitpick for some who prefer continuity. But, what can you suspect with a continuity as long as SD?) 

Recommended. This is definitely a fun time for kids or adult SD/DC fans.

The Afterparty- Season 2

8/10

In season two of the Apple+ mystery/comedy, Aniq (played by Veep's Sam Richardson) and Zoe (Zoe Chao) are attending her sister's wedding at her rich fiancee's family home. The morning after the wedding groom Edgar (Silicon Valley's Zach Woods) is found murdered and bride Grace (Poppy Liu) is the main suspect. Aniq calls in Danner (Tiffany Haddish) to help solve the mystery.

Season two doesn't quite compare to the first one. The dialogue, plotting, characters, and editing aren't as sharp. Aniq, Danner, and Zoe's characters don't have quite the kick they used to. This season takes place at a fancy manor and the scenario isn't as visually interesting as that of a famous singer's modern fancy house with more emphasis on the party atmosphere.  This season looks more at the characters' past before the day of the murder, so there isn't as much of being able to compare how many people's views of the situation have differed. Plus, the finale feels a little rushed and not as strong as the last one.

But, that's all compared to the first season. Season 2 is still pretty funny. The writers are more ambitious with how each person's memory is done in a different film genre, and they go more high concept including such stuff as the cast in Jane Austen garb and talk. The mystery isn't as easy to solve as last time. Sure, they didn't make the clues too easy, but you could figure out who did it a few episodes in. Here, it takes a lot longer. All the mind movies work except for the first episode having Aniq doing another rom-com. (It suffers from Meet the Parents syndrome in that they are way, way too hard on Aniq.) Whereas Danner's solo episode last year was the weakest part, this one is quite good.

We've got great casting that's a who's who of experienced comedic actors. Most of them bring on the funny, but when it becomes time to be serious and emotional, a few of them land some excellent performances. Again, the show tends to lean into typecasting some of the actors. Once more Richard Jewel/I, Tonya/Black Bird's Paul Walter Hauser is cast as a well meaning awkward guy who isn't the smartest, Grace's ex-boyfriend Travis. But, it's PWH so of course he does a great job. Edgar is once again the socially awkward guy, but for a change of pace, this time he isn't the butt of the joke. His character is humorously odd but he's also rich and a very smart guy who's at the top of the heap (well, till the murder). Pen15's Anna Konkle as Edgar's sister is delightfully quirky and has some of the best delivery in the show, but unfortunately she isn't given that much screentime. The real MVP of this though is Big/Weeds' Elizabeth Perkins as Isabel, Edgar and Hanna's mother. She delivers a whirlwind of saltiness, waspish emotional distance, alcoholism, and possible nuttiness. 

Unfortunately, John Early isn't returning to as Detective Culp to assist Danner again. I'll miss the two characters' chemistry, but Aniq and Danner do also work well together.

Recommended. May not be exactly what one wanted as a follow-up to the first season, but it is a good time.

Praise Petey- Season 1

6.5/10

In Praise Petey, the new animated, adult comedy on Freeform and Hulu, New Yorker Petey (voiced by Schitt's Creek's Annie Murphy) inherits a cult and basically control over an entire small town from her late cult leader father (Barry/Office Space's Stephen Root) who she never knew.

The show gets a slow start, especially the first episode. At first all the town characters don't feel that engaging, they feel like a vague bunch of rural weirdos. The show takes it's time but by the half way point the show has gotten more of a voice for the characters and the episodes get funnier and more offbeat and creative. (Admittedly, one, especially if they or a loved one has been wronged by a cult, may have completely valid reasons to find this in poor taste. The show does downplay the actual awfulness and dangers of cults.)

Praise Petey does lean way too hard on the jokes about Petey being from New York. I mean, we get it; no need to hammer in the point. Also, not EVERY single episode needed to have Petey and anti-cult town member Bandit (John Cho) get into big fights that always end with will they/won't they chemistry. It becomes tiresome. That having been said, I acknowledge that as a male I may not be the target audience. This seems to be targeted at women and power to it; there are just not that many female adult animated comedies (I can only name Tuca and Bertie and Birdgirl off the top of my head).

Though Petey can get too self-absorbed in this show, all credit should be given to Murphy's performance giving her a fun, energetic urban millennial accent to the character. Petey's father's right hand woman, now Petey's right hand, Mae Mae (the Magnum P.I. reboot's Amy Hill) I initially couldn't get behind. She just felt randomly sinister, but as the show continued she became more fleshed out as someone kinda nutty try to fulfill a hole in their life. She isn't in many episodes, but Petey's friend Ella (the show's creator and former SNL writer Anna Drezen), who's kinda a goober, is always fun when they use her.

Though Cho does a great southern guy accent, the character of Bandit is frustrating. He mostly just complains about the cult, Petey being a cult leader, and how he'll stop the cult, but he rarely actually does anything about it. The whole bit gets old real fast.

I liked the character design: cartoonish but not too, too simplistic. There's an interesting use of color here.

Kinda recommended. I gave this the rating I did because I feel that would be the most accurate rating for a general audience. The show can be uneven, particularly in the first half. However, I still genuinely liked this and am looking forward to a second, and hopefully more fine-tuned, season. At least give it a shot, you may not like it, but I feel it's worth the risk.

Miracle Workers- Season 4 (Final), End Times

8/10

The final season of Miracle Workers on TBS takes place in the post-apocalypse. In it, heroic nomad Sid (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and warlord Freya (Geraldine Viswanathan) fall in love, get married, and decide to settle down in a town.

The show ends on a strong note. Given the more over-the-top nature of its setting the show tackles some of the craziest ideas it ever has. Really, the previous seasons have nothing on how inventive this season is. Plus, End Times has fun parodying every post-apocalyptic and dystopian movie it can.

Be forewarned that this season is a lot, lot darker and messed up than any of the previous ones. I mean props to the writers' ambitions, but this may not be for everyone.

I appreciate that this season has bucked the tired trend of having Viswanathan's and Radcliffe's characters falling in love over the course of the season. We've seen that all before. It's refreshing to see them already together and just working on themselves as a couple. 

Again, Radcliffe is such a comic gem in this show. He does a great job reacting to the insanity around him and continues to have excellent chemistry with Viswanathan and Steve Buscemi, this time playing Morris "The Junkman" Rubinstein, the town's richest man. Viswanathan arguably gets some of her best material in this. In all the previous seasons she's had to play the optimistic woman who wants more. Here she's someone who's achieved what she wants and honestly gets more to do than Radcliffe. Jon Bass, who's been one of the show's unsung foundations since the beginning and has always put in good work, plays Scraps, their human pet. Admittedly, I felt they went too far and weird with Scraps (and his story does get DARK), but one cannot knock Bass putting his all into the role. Though he gets more to do than last season, Karan Soni as a robot and Freya's best friend is still not given as much time to shine as the others.

I'd rank this as the second best season of the show. (Weird how the show got better as it continued. I found the first season to be the weakest.) A lot of the individual material is funnier than season three, but three felt more consistent overall. End Times does feel a little thrown together at times.

Recommended. Maybe too dark for some, but the show ends with a bang and not a whimper.

Strays

 

8/10

This is basically a movie where someone said to themselves, "What if we did an R-rated comedy version of The Incredible Journey?" In Strays, Reggie (voiced by Will Ferrell) is abandoned in the city by his awful owner Doug (played by SNL/Last Man on Earth's Will Forte). Reggie and some new dog friends decide to travel back to his home in order to get revenge on Doug.

If you're worried that the trailer may have used up all the A material, you'd be pleased to know that this isn't the case here. A ton of crazy and funny stuff that you couldn't predict goes on here. Not every joke lands, but they're quickly replaced by ones that do. I had tears in my eyes with the ending I was laughing so much.

Get that this is a hard R. Writer Dan Perrault (creator of American Vandal) takes full advantage of the fact that you can do adult content with dogs that is harder to do than with humans. I'm amazed at how clever he was with coming up jokes involving dog behavior and anatomy. But, this should also be a warning for some. This is a hard R. If you're not a fan of scatological humor or other gross stuff, this may not be for you. (There's one scene in particular I felt I didn't need to witness.)

Be aware that the jokes are clever, but the actual plot itself is rather predictable in where it's going.

As in Megamind, Will Ferrell does a fine job of being sympathetic and playing a character better than you'd expect considering his tendency to be a personality actor. The best performance in this is Jamie Foxx as the voice of Reggie's new friend Bug. He plays the completely cliched streetwise animal who befriends a domestic one, but he jumps into the role with both legs. 

Love the location scouting for the woods the dogs walk through; some very scenic areas.

Recommended. Maybe too raunchy for some, but for everyone else this is really funny.

Pretty Freekin Scary- Season 1

7/10

In this Disney Channel show, middle schooler Frankie Ripp (played by Eliana Sua who was Hobbs' daughter in Hobbs & Shaw) dies before she's supposed to. The Grim Reaper or GR (Murdoch Mysteries' Siobhan Murphy) sends her back with two Underworld employees, the ever cheerful Pretty (Kyan Samuels) and the dour Scary (Leah Mei Gold). (Are they dead or were they never human to begin with? No idea. The writers don't seem to worry so neither should you.)

So, this sort of your traditional Disney Channel live-action show. The jokes and story aren't high art, but they're suitable for a kids' s program and are good goofy fun. I kind of like the sheer suspension-of-disbelief everyone has with Frankie suddenly popping back up from the dead with two new "foreign exchange students." (That's, right she doesn't immediately come back the moment she died. I'm pretty sure it was implied she was buried and everybody is way too chill with it. The government isn't looking into it or anything.)

By "sort of your traditional Disney Channel live-action show," Pretty Freekin Scary should be given credit for being well-planned out. This has a full storyline going behind GR's motivations for sending Pretty and Scary. Sure, there are other Disney shows with ongoing stories, particularly the superhero ones, but most of those are told in bits and often don't last the whole season. Here, everything is heading towards a clear purpose.

Best part of this is Sua; her Frankie is just so darn congenial. There is also a main antagonist to this show, and I've got to say, the actor is having a blast with the roll.

Gold and Samuels, especially the latter, do a fine job but admittedly it feels like Frankie isn't given enough time with them to bond. The writers like to pair her up with her goth friend Nyx (Emma Shannon). The duo's personalities are also one-note in the first half, but they become more engaging as the show goes on.

Going back to Nyx, she's likable enough, but there is a problem with her existence, having a quasi-anti-societal goth and Scary, who's not a people person, and both of whom have dry wit feels a little redundant. (Although, the writers do push Nyx more toward being a traditional friend as the show goes on.) In all honesty, I thought the recurring character of Layla Mueller (Adora Sheikh), Frankie's former best friend interacted better with her than Nyx. Unfortunately, the writers soon get bored with her and she disappears. (In fairness, maybe they realized the large cast of kids was too much.)

Also not loving GR. Murphy is fine in the role but her hiding info. for no rational reason other than to drag out the mystery is frustrating. The fact that's she bossing Frankie around all the time does not make one adhere to her.

Recommended. Wouldn't say it's one of THE best live-action kids shows ever made, but it's definitely watchable. Kids should like the cast who are all game.

Snoopy Presents: One-of-a-Kind Marcie

6.5

In this special on Apple+, Marcie (voiced by Arianna McDonald) deals with her introvertedness getting in the way of her goals and responsibilities.

This special does a really heartfelt job of showing children it's okay to be introverted and how to deal with it. Charlie Brown's not in this much, but there is one scene where the special does a great job of reminding us that he's probably one of the most likable fictitious characters out there.

However, this didn't need to be 39 minutes long. There are too many scenes of Marcie having difficulty. Admittedly, this does nail her struggles but also beats the issue to death. Also, kids have short attention spans.

Like the previous Apple+ specials, this still feels like Peanuts diluted. The characters feel more two-dimensional. Peppermint Patty and Marcie have really been Flanderized, reduced to just "the sports one" and "the brainy one." Part of the original strip's success is that through Charlie Brown's insecurities it related with a lot of people. However, the rougher aspects of the original are gone.

Also like the previous specials, this looks great. The scribbly line look of the Peanuts kids feel really strip accurate. The bright colors are not faithful to the classic specials, but they are so colorful, I forgive them. The 2d-animation has never looked better for Peanuts like it's on a film budget.

Kinda recommended. Does deliver a great message for kids and does it well, but it's slow and a poor imitation of classic Peanuts.