Winning Time- Season 2 (Final)

7.5/10

In this second and final season of the Max show about how Dr. Jerry Buss (played by John C. Reilly) and the Los Angeles Lakers changed the world of basketball, we see the team after their first championship win and their struggles to recapture that.

This season lacks a bit of the oomph as the last one. Not as much big, interesting stuff happening. In fairness, the writers work with what history gives them. Also, last season was able to show how Buss revolutionized sports entertainment and with that out of the way, it's mostly just the behind-the-scenes drama.

Not to say that the show isn't entertaining anymore. Again, we've got a great cast. The best part is How I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel as Paul Westhead. He's been trying to prove how versatile he is since the show ended and this might be one of his best performances. The show follows Westhead's fall from grace in a riveting performance of a man succumbing to pride and pressure. (By the way, he isn't a main player, but I continue to love the guy who plays Johnson's lawyer. Guy's competent but cold-blooded.)  

The writers try to correct some of the last season's weaknesses. The less pleasant aspects of the cocky Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) are sanded down. Heck, everyone's sanded down except for Buss. I do think they portray him making bad, selfish decisions way too often. The writers also addressed the complaints that they showed Jeanie Buss (Hadley Robinson) having to struggle to earn her father's respect and her place in the business. Yeah, they wanted to make this a feminist piece, but by going this course they disregard the accomplishments she'd already achieved at that point in her real life. This season, they treat the character with more respect and the show is less about her struggling and more about her juggling business and family.

Recommended. First season was better but this is still an enjoyable glimpse of a long gone time and acting remains top notch. I am disappointed Max cancelled this. (The fact that the episode number was cut was a good warning.) Wanted to see more. 

The First Slam Dunk

9.5/10

This is a follow-up film to the anime Slam Dunk, and a retelling of the original manga's final match. (Yeah, First Slam Dunk makes it look like a prequel. Very confusing.) In this movie, the Shohoku high school basketball team compete against their rivals the unbeatable Sanno for the championship title. The focus is on not the series' main lead Hanamichi Sakuragi but on Ryota Miyagi, the short but fast member of the team, and gives us his backstory.

This may be some of the most impressive 2D animation of the decade. I've been impressed with how recent animation, even for television, has been able to get closer and closer to manage to duplicate the specific looks of the original manga illustrators' pencilings. This may be one of the closest to a manga page truly come to life I've ever seen. The coloring even feels like the type you'd see used sometimes in manga pages. This is written and directed by the manga's original creator Takehiko Inoue, and the character design and animation looks so good in this. The movement is also really lifelike, like rotoscoping. Even the motion of faceless background characters in the crowd look good.

Characters have a 2D1/2 look to them and sometimes the use of this juxtaposed against regular 2D backgrounds or the use of CGI in general can look a little off sometimes. Also, the coloring of character's hair tapering off at the border of the their heads can look weird. However, none of these issues are deal breakers.

Direction itself is so tight. The baseball scenes are intricately executed. The movie makes you feel the tension at the end and the struggle the players go through against such a powerful team. You don't notice at first, but it becomes apparent as things heat up that the music and sound editing also really complement the game. I loved how the gym (or whatever facility, it's never specified) they're in looks. The flashback scenes for Ryoto also have fine detail that help tell the story.

What differentiates this from other sports movies is that the current plot all takes place during one game; no series of matches building up and not even scenes of the characters preparing beforehand or entering the facility. It turns out that focusing on only one game can really work. It doesn't feel drawn out or boring (in fact things pick up as the game goes on) and really shows the stress and passion that one can have in playing a very important game.

It's a pleasant surprise that the rival team isn't portrayed, as they are often stereotypically done in American movies and television, as jerks, or its coach as an angry or corrupt guy who's consumed with winning. Sure they're a little overconfident with their success and not as charming as their leads, but that's it. They're true athletic forces on the court and that's all they need, and the coach is a shrewd operator.

Ryota's story, though admittedly can't match the game itself, is a well told tale of rising above tragedy and the relationship between him and his mother is something I hadn't seen done in quite this way before. 

The movie works well enough for first time watchers. (I've read that that was Inoue's intent.) You're just thrown in and don't get a lot of backstory on characters, but they tend to fit basic types, so it doesn't take a lot of work to figure what these characters are about.

The back-and-forth between timelines can get a little annoying. For the first half, I was hoping the game scenes would switch back to the flashbacks, so I wanted to see how story points would be resolved or answered and for the second half, I wanted to keep watching the game because I'd gotten so involved. The past scenes also could've been shorter. I commend the movie for saying a lot with little or no dialogue, but it still could've been streamlined.

Fans of the original manga and anime may be disappointed that they've been waiting for the finale to be animated for years, and it turns out to not be a pure adaptation. You don't get to see much of a follow-up after the game (which I assumed would be in the manga). Most importantly, if you were following Sakuragi all this time, you'd might be frustrated that he's second fiddle in the culmination of his story.

Highly recommended. This may be the best sports movie I've ever seen and it looks amazing. I've never been so drawn into a fictional sports match before this.

Ted Lasso- Season 3 (Final)

8.5/10

Sadly after only three seasons, Ted Lasso is coming to an end. (I see the merit of quitting while you're ahead and not having a show run out of steam. I've also read that filming in England for a part of the year is naturally a big demand of the Americans involved.) This final season has positive coach Ted Lasso (played by SNL alumni Jason Sudeikis) and his football/soccer team AFC Richmond trying to win and dealing with life.

This season isn't quite as tightly thought out as the first two. Too many characters' plots happen separately from each other, and for the first half at least, we don't get as many of the great character reactions or see actors have time to shine. But, it's still Ted Lasso and remains a hilarious show with heart and a wonderful array of characters. 

There are some overall excellent episodes and moments in this. With the second season taking many people by surprise with a darker tone that dealt more with the characters' personal struggles, this season is about overcoming them and ultimately delivers the final part of the show's message about the importance of mental health and healthy relationships. (You know, this show has a mild similarity to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in that regards.) 

There is one plot element in this that is pretty frustrating and doesn't feel like something that would go down the way it would in real life. Yeah, it's just a show and there's suspension of belief, but it reeks of writers really wanting something to happen without caring about anything else.

A lot of people are complaining about Keely's subplot about her running her own PR firm. Admittedly it's really separate from the rest of the gang and perhaps it could've been told more precisely, but I liked it. Had some decent jokes and I liked the characters in that storyline. Nate's subplot on the other hand is the weak point. He's separated from everyone even more so and the writers didn't seem quite sure of how to handle it. Not a lot of jokes on that end. The story definitely has its reasons for being less humorous, but if you do skimp on the jokes in a comedy, you've got make sure the story is engrossing, which it isn't. Plus, antagonistic millionaire Rupert Mannion (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head) appears a lot. He can be delightfully awful, and Head does a great job at being slimy, but he becomes a bit much when he's overexposed and there's no one around to poke holes in his ego. (Plus, they're trying too hard to show him as the bad guy. The look of his clothes and office feel like overkill.)

Again, the entire cast is wonderful. There just isn't time to address all of them. MVP would probably be Phil Dunster as scampish player Jamie Tartt. It's impressive to see a character that started off as the team's jerk become one of it's funniest and most likable characters. 

Highly recommended. For a final season, structurally it could've been better organized, but it's still Ted Lasso and a better watch than most shows out right now. The finale is the ending the show deserves.

Air

 

8/10

Air tells the story of the creation of the Air Jordan shoe line and how Nike, which was trailing behind Concourse and Adidas back in the 80's, took a massive risk when practically betting it all on having their product endorsed by then rookie NBA player Michael Jordan.

This is one of those scripts where almost everything just snaps. Writer Alex Convery seems to understand the risks of having a movie that's mostly people talking about doing things. He gives it his all in making sure the exposition doesn't get boring. He keeps your interest by throwing a lot at you. A great example is the beginning where an opening conversation happens while the characters are walking through the offices, a fantastic combination of visuals and solid and often funny dialogue. Really, the conversations are all well written and humorous. 

Excellent pacing here as well. Again, the filmmakers knew there was the risk of the movie being slow, so they make sure it moves at a brisk pace from plot point to point. There's no scenes of the lead hanging out with his family bloating the duration; the movie is going to tell you about the Air Jordan deal and they're not going to waste time. (The epilogue does run a little long, but the movie's about to end anyway, so it's not that much of an annoyance.) Even the dialogue moves quickly (it is possible to miss some lines.) Appropriately, they've got Chris Tucker, the king of fast talking, here as Howard White, the man who'd become the vice-president of Nike's Air Jordan brand, and he shows you how it's done.

Speaking of Tucker, it's nice to see him do a role that's more grounded and not trying to be funny every moment. He really pulled it off. Heck, this whole movie's a who's who of great performances from a top pedigree of actors, including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, and Chris Messina.

Understand that this movie is all about the deal done around Michael. You never actually see the guy's face (except for actual footage of the real MJ) or really hear him speak. If you were expecting him, prepare to be disappointed. 

The one weak spot of the movie, besides the epilogue, is that the big motivating speech that often happens in these types of films feels a little too calculated for its own good.

Highly recommended. This is one of those movies where almost everything works and it keeps your interest. Wouldn't be surprised if this gets at least an Oscar nomination for best screenplay.

Creed III

8.5/10

In this third installment of the Rocky franchise spin-off, boxer Adonis Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan, also the director of this) finds a monkey wrench thrown into his life when childhood friend Damian Anderson (played by Jonathan Majors), comes back into his life after spending eighteen years in prison. He once had a promising future as a boxer, and he's hungry to achieve the dream he lost. REAL HUNGRY.

Creed has become that rare trilogy where all the films are good. This is a solid, engrossing entry fueled by the conflict between Adonis and Damian and the specter of what went down years ago hanging over the former like a ghost.  

This is the second Creed film that's managed to revive the glory days of the memorable Rocky antagonist. The writers remembered what worked with Creed II's Drago and continued rolling with it: make the guy intimidating but also completely tragic and sympathetic. Majors does a great job and convinces you of the character's buried resentment and the fact that this is clearly a man that's been outside of society for a while. He's also a good physical successor to Drago. Majors is super swole in this and dwarfs Jordan, and the character is differentiated from Drago, who was a relentless animal, by being a "anything goes/push the rules as far you as you can" fighter.

Jordan gives another excellent performance. I think he and the writers realized they couldn't make another installment where the guy's being cocky, and you see growth with the character, now as a family man and running a gym.

Jordan delivers a surprisingly confident work, considering this is the first time he's directing. If you missed the fight in the first Creed film where it's one uncut shot, you'll be pleased to see a couple interesting visual ideas in this.

There is one thing about this movie that may turn off a lot of people. As with the first two movies, a lot of this is about the story and dialogue. The constant talking scenes and deliberate pacing might bore some.

Highly recommended. This is just a well written and acted film that keeps what you like about the Creed movies while naturally evolving them.

American Underdog

5.5/10

American Underdog, based on the book All Things Possible, tells the story of Kurt Warner (played by Shazam!/Chuck's Zachary Levi), the NFL MVP who took more years than most to make it into the league, and his relationship with the woman who would become his wife Brenda Meoni (True Blood/X-Men's Anna Paquin).

This focuses a lot more on the home life/dramatic aspects than the sports aspects. The advertising made this feel like it'd be more about football. That's what I would've liked. I didn't know anything about arena football, which Warner played before making the big leagues, till this film, and I would've liked seeing more stuff like that. 

This tries to be a Christianity-light, inspirational drama, but while it's competently made, it feels very by-the-numbers. Though there are a few fun lines, the end result wasn't very interesting for me. Not downright bad, or sleep-inducing, but I could've been doing other things with my time. The script feels like it's scraping the barrel when trying to come up with conflicts. Every big setback Warner encounters feels manufactured, and character actions often don't feel natural.

Levi and Paquin are good actors, but they aren't able to do much with the basic dialogue they're given. They give the latter a short hair cut to match that of the real Brenda, but it doesn't work with Paquin's face at all.  Dennis Quaid's in this as coach Dick Vermeil. Isn't in this much (again advertising is deceptive), but he's more entertaining when he's on. Again, Quaid can't do much with the dialogue, but he's clearly having fun and gives a lively borderline over-the-top performance as the coach.

Not recommended. I'm not saying this isn't inspirational and feel-good, but there are other films that do a better job.

Space Jam: a New Legacy

7/10

In this sequel to 1996's Space Jam, which has developed a loyal fan base over the years, basketball player LeBron James is trapped in the WarnerMedia Serververse (home to all WB IP), by a vengeful computer program Al G. Rhythm (get it?!) (played by Don Cheadle). He's also kidnapped James' son (his movie son, not real son) (played by Cedric Joe) and won't let them leave unless LeBron beats Rhythm's team at basketball. The athlete ends up teaming up with the Looney Tunes in order to save the day.

First off, LeBron is not a great actor. Michael Jordan in the original wasn't a great one either, but he fared better than LeBron. 'Course, I think the first film knew how to play better to the lead's strengths. This film feels more story heavy and Lebron is required to do a lot more. The movie have him at times to be a hard father who wants different things than his son and having LeBron be a bit of a jerk, albeit unintended, and do more serious stuff isn't a thing he can pull off. That having been said, the guy is definitely game for everything and doing his best and doesn't seem disinterested or like he's coasting. LeBron does better with the non-exposition scenes when he gets to be happy or mad. The star/Toon dynamic is also different. Jordan was more the cool mentor type who was weirdly chill when he met Bugs, LeBron's more likely to be a part of the lunacy and is legitimately thrilled to meet the rabbit (voiced by Jeff Bergman).

Cheadle on the other hand, is given some very basic bad guy dialogue with his material, but he's doing his best with what he's got here.

SJaNL is a lot like the original in that it's not perfect, but there's a lot to like about it. There are several clever or funny moments throughout this. The movie doesn't take itself too seriously and you shouldn't either. I appreciate that New Legacy tackles the same basic story as Space Jam but manages to do it in a different enough way, switching from an alien threat to computer programs and giving more of a video game theme to how the basketball game is played. Plus, the stakes feel a little bigger here than in the original. The father/son gap is predictable but is handled pretty well, and the script does a good job of explaining why LeBron has this tough style of parenting at the beginning. You can't get behind him, but you understand where he's coming from. 

I know a lot of people are complaining about how much WB product is jammed into this and that this feels like an advertisement for the company. Personally, I'm not hating it. I won't deny that except for Bugs, the plot and other properties don't give the Looney Tunes enough time to shine with such characters as the Tazmanian Devil (Fred Tatasciore), Elmer Fudd (Eric Bauza) and Lola Bunny (Zendaya) barely getting anything to do. But, the various worlds and characters in this movie add a bit of fun to the proceedings and it's fun to see LeBron and the Toons interact with it all. There are a surprising amount of references for just the adults and that'll be fun for older audiences. However, expect kids to ask questions about properties that they don't know about. There are a a few selections in this that one can argue don't fit in a kids' movie (like Game of Thrones and a background cameo of the Droogs from Clockwork Orange). Also, they really try to squeeze in EVERY property WB owns, resulting in references that  your kids won't get, such as background appearances by the kid from The Bad Seed and Baby Jane.       

I think I liked The Monstars, the rival team from the first Space Jam, a little more than this films' team The Goon Squad. (The Monstars had more of a traditional Looney Tunes look and feel to them). That having been said, I liked the new guys. It took me a moment to warm up The Goon Squad 'cause their design was a different style than the Toons, but at the end of the day, credit has to be given to giving each character a distinct look and powers.

I think I preferred the original's use of cel animation and greater shadow work, which resulted in a more theatrical feel. Still, the animators definitely did a lot of work here, resulting in a slick, shiny look. For the 2D animation, I mean. The ads have been stressing the Toons' new 3D designs, which also look good, but they don't appear immediately. And that's the neat thing about this movie: it's mix of styles and media. You'll see LeBron switch between cartoon and live-action based on what world he's in. (By the way, I particularly liked the design of his cartoon version.) There is one particular world featuring Lola that particularly feels visually unique and really well animated. Going back to what I was saying about liking what they do differently between movies, I liked what they did with the basketball court here. It feels very different from the traditional indoor court of the first film and has a grander scale when it comes to the audience.

I think I liked the first film better, because it was simpler in it's story and more emphasis was put on the Looney Tunes, but I did have fun with this. Imperfect, but the highs are definitely highs. You're children will probably love this.