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.

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. 

Harley Quinn- Season 4

7.5/10

In this fourth season of Harley Quinn, Harley (voiced by Big Bang Theory's Caley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Childrens Hospital's Lake Bell) try to continue their relationship with the hurdle of Harley now being a hero and aiding the Bat Family while Ivy has become the CEO of the Legion of Doom.

I'd say this season was a mixed bag. When the show is funny, it is funny. There were a lot of solid ideas. (The show will definitely surprise you at points.) I give the writers credit for not having the characters in the exact same place as the first seaso, but having the scenarios Harley and Ivy in change as their characters evolve. 

However, not every idea and joke lands. This season felt like it was trying to juggle too many plot points and characters. If you're a fan of Harley's original gang, they're a lot more sidelined and recurring than regular. (I'm actually okay with how little screentime Clayface (Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk) got this year. He's a one-note character that works better in smaller doses.) Harley working with the Bat family never feels as well-utilized as expected. The ending doesn't feel as strong as the plot points leading to it.

Harley and Ivy's chemistry and dialogue and Cuoco and Bell's dialogue remains strong. It's disappointing that the couple spends so much time away from each other, because they work so well together. I am pleased that the writers got the hint and cut down on Harley making rushed, one-sided decisions without thinking how it'll affect others.

You get a lot more of Nora Freeze (SNL alumni Rachel Dratch) who's Ivy's assistant in this. I loved her no-bars, does what she wants attitude. Though Giancarlo Esposito really suits as the voice of Lex Luthor, the character hasn't really been that interesting until now. With the whole season featuring him, the writers were able to define Lex's character. Due to this being a comedy, his obsession with one-upping Superman is taken to the umpth degree, and he is portrayed as a narcissistic and silly, wannabe-alpha male. (Admittedly, he does feel a little dragged out by the final episode.)

Also, for a show focusing on two female leads trying to operate in a male-dominated industry, the show has been low on other female characters. This season seemed to try to correct that as we did get more of them this time around.

Infamous one-shot DC villain Snowflame (James Adomian), the villain who gets his powers from cocaine, is portrayed in this as a wannabe-bro with no shutter.  The writers seemed more enamored with him than I as I thought he was overused and not that entertaining.

Recommended. The weakest season of Harley Quinn is still rather entertaining. (Again, predictability is one thing you can't accuse this show of.)

One Piece (2023)- Season 1

9.5/10 

In this live-action Netflix adaptation of the manga by Eiichiro Oda, which already has a popular anime adaptation, Monkey D. Luffy (played by The Imperfects' Inaki Godoy) decides to become King of the Pirates by finding the One Piece, the fabled treasure of former Pirate King Gold Roger (Michael Dorman).

Giving how hard it is to adapt manga/anime, I was pleased to see how well this show turned out. It might have helped that Oda himself supervised this and even dictated a few rules the show had to follow. The creators also really understood the source project and they made the concentrated effort not to make the show lean too light or too dark. Naturally, this adaptation changes things. Considering that the anime and manga have hit over a 1000 episodes, things had to be truncated or cut, but the show manages to be its own thing (and a smidge more appealing to American audiences) while staying loyal to all the broad strokes and all the really crucial elements.

One Piece feels like this decade's Star Wars or MCU, something both younger and older viewers will enjoy. The show is a combination of over-the-top fantasy action, silliness, and true emotional moments. If the show feels too goofy at the beginning, I recommend you stick through to the second half which is more background heavy. One Piece can get dark. One moment you have someone in the silliest costume you've ever seen and next thing you're hit with a truly tragic recollection that IS A LOT. For a world filled with weird characters,  the show is shock-full of pure emotional drama that makes you feel for the characters. Episode seven had me tearing up a little.

One Piece is a pirate show meets a superhero show meets a fantasy show. If you'r unfamiliar with the original, this is something that will feel really unique for you. What makes this show so memorable is its distinct world building. This is based on one of the longest running manga out there and it makes good use of the lore to provide various added details in order to make the world feel lived-in. 

Props should be given to the set, costume, music, and VFX departments. Going back to the uniqueness of the world of One Piece, they did a surprising job of making an over-the-top manga not based in reality with cartoonish-looking characters somehow work. (If you're a person who eschews anything childish, then this show may not be for you because most of the characters' appearances may be too silly for your tastes. Remember, One Piece was originally created for an adolescent audience even if it attracted older readers/viewers.)  There's a lot of detail in some of the sets, like mansions or ships. I liked the sunsety/orangish-yellowish colored lighting to the whole affair. The costumes and makeup manage to somehow make the majority of the most outlandish concepts work. Bear in mind I said "the majority." There are a handful of costumes that no matter what you do it looks too ridiculous in live-action. Music really accentuates the scenes.

One of the best decisions in this show is the cast. Great across the board. Given the large budget, a wise decision was to avoid any big names (with the exception of Ian McShane in a brief narrator bit at the beginning.) We get a great introduction to a bunch of talented actors, many of whom only have a few credits to their name. Godoy is quite a find. Luffy is the type of anime character that is childishly naive but optimistic; a type of personality that is hard to do in live-action for Western audiences. However, Godoy manages to sell the character and sells his blind optimism as well as the moments he is mad. I also particularly liked Taz Skylar who plays Luffy's allly Sanji. The guy sells coolness and quick wit.

Casting really knocked it out of the park with the villains. They really picked the perfect people to look like how they died in the manga but also all had delightfully over-the-top performances.

As much as I love this show, it does have a little abridgment/conversion nitpicks. Multiple chapter story arcs are condensed into a hand full of episodes, resulting in the wraps to each of Luffy and his crew's exploits feeling a bit rushed, and you don't get quite the closure you had in the manga. I commented that Godoy did a good job, but the parts where he's weakest feel like they're the parts where the writers or Oda felt the need to replicate the scene from the manga.

Fans of the manga won't get every single detail they want. Though you see all the main villains, several of their lackeys are cut for time. The ones that are more expensive/complicated to make are most likely to meet the chopping block.

Highly recommended. Everyone's saying this is the first anime adaptation to get it right, and they're not wrong.

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.

My Adventures with Superman- Season 1

8.5/10

In this new Superman cartoon on Adult Swim and Max, a fresh-out-of-college Clark Kent/Superman (voiced by Hunger Games/Scream's Jack Quaid) and Jimmy Olson (Jury Duty's Ishmel Sahid) meet Lois Lane (Zoey's Extraordianry Playlist's Alice Lee) when they all intern at the Daily Planet.

Though on Adult Swim, MAwS is really a family/children's show. (Kids aren't watching broadcast television nowadays, and from what I've heard, Adult Swim gets better viewership due to an older audience.) This show also seems to be a reaction to recent darker Superman and other DC projects. MAwS has a classic bright and optimistic Superman feel to it. Heck, it's a lot lighter than the 90's Superman cartoon. (Remember that episode where Clark tries to help that guy on death row for a woman's murder? I'm still surprised they were able to get away with all that dark subject matter on children's television.) Not to say the show doesn't have any stakes. Deaths are referenced in the show, but they're backstory deaths. MAwS is about Superman saving people.

The lifeblood of this show is the relationship and trust and support between the three friends. Jimmy, who's a big mystery guy, like as in Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster, is especially wholesome and fun to watch. That having been said Lois can be really selfish or hypocritical at times, but I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker. Also, he's not in this much, but the Daily Planet's sports writer Steve Lombard (voiced by the Ninjago show's Vincent Tong) is really fun. He has this goofy, overinflated bravado about him.

A lot of credit should be given to this show being able to repackage the same old story of Superman in a new way. Some fans may be annoyed that a lot of villains had their natural powers converted to weaponry, but it is a unique take. I appreciate that this show focused on multiple names from Superman's and DC's rogues gallery and that there's no Lex Luthor this season (he's so overexposed, and you can only do so many plotting evil businessman storylines.)  

One big annoyance of the show is that any character that doesn't trust Superman is incredibly one-note without any nuance or at times even rationality to their reasoning.

The animation is very anime-style inspired (even the end credits feel more like an anime end credits than a western one), and it all looks really good. The line work in this is top notch. Animation allows you to do a lot more with Superman fighting and the plentiful action scenes are all smooth. I especially liked some of the reinvisioned designs for some of the antagonists.

Highly recommended. This show is genuinely entertaining, old fashioned Saturday cartoon fun.

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.

Nancy Drew- Season 4 (Final)

6.5/10

In this the final season of Nancy Drew, Nancy (played by Kennedy McMann) and company must deal with a new supernatural problem when a bunch of corpses are stolen from a graveyard.

I'll be honest: perhaps this is the best time for the show to end as it is definitely experiencing series fatigue. I kinda missed when the show was a combination of regular mysteries and the supernatural and now the writers feel the need to shove the supernatural into every orifice of this show's figurative body.  That having been said, I liked most of the individual episodes and their threats; solid entertainment.

However, it's the overarching stories where the show feels like it was losing steam. George (Elemental's Leah Lewis) gets a weird subplot about clerking for lawyers without going to law school yet, and Bess (Madison Jaizani) gets the worst of it in a storyline that runs completely on goofy character logic (vaguely similar to the poorly written awful rich people in the first two seasons). Nancy and Ace (Alex Saxon) have a tragic love storyline going on and it feels really obvious and is dragged out all season. Ryan Hudson (Riley Smith) on the other hand, yeah, I liked where the guy was taken this year. He's a great character but his personal life didn't have much trajectory last year and now he's given something to occupy his time. 

I will give the show this: it did a wonderful job of connecting multiple characters and plotlines naturally without feeling sloppy at all. Also given that the showrunners weren't notified that the show was canceled until only a handful of final episodes were left to shoot, the finale didn't feel messy or rushed.

They completely ditched the youth center this season, and I kinda missed it. Also, the set up they did last season where Nancy's career is going was basically thrown out the door and forgotten. The show now has it's FOURTH chief of police/primary law person in the form of Sherrif Lovett (The Astronaut Wives Club's Erin Cummings), a pointless role with poor dialogue. Also, couldn't stand the most prominent human antagonist who doesn't just have poor dialogue but truly awful ones. 

Acting's still great. Lewis, Jaizani, and Smith all still do a great job with their delivery. The writers have learned that McMann has more range and gave her more fun stuff to do.

Kinda recommended. Again, the individual stories are fun and when the show is entertaining, it's definitely entertaining. Just don't expect much from the main storylines this time around.

Hijack

8/10

In this new British limited series on Apple+, a flight from Dubai to London is hijacked. The show focuses on passenger Sam Nelson (played by Idris Elba), who has to use his wits and skills to keep himself and the others safe. 

Movies about hijacked planes have been done before, but they've never done a show about one to the best of my knowledge. Making this turned out to be a good idea. A longer running length allows more time for details, plotting, and getting to know the characters. But, the showrunners were enough to keep itself to only seven episodes so the whole affair doesn't feel too drawn out. (The Brits are usually good about not overextending.) Though the show doesn't advertise, this is kind of a 24 in that each episode covers one hour of the flight.

What ensues is a truly suspenseful work. The writers do a grand job of surprising the audience. The motivation of the hijackers is actually a mystery, and Hijacked keeps you invested in what exactly is going on.

The show manages to balance a large cast pretty effortlessly as it covers events in the plane and on the ground (everything unfurls and people are introduced at such a natural pace). Idris Elba gives peak Elba. He doesn't really do anything outside his box, but you get what you pay for. To be clear, this mostly isn't an action show. This isn't a situation where Elba's Sam has to rely on muscle. He has to out think the situation, and you want to see what he tries next. They provide a solid background for why he's so good at this.

Elba's the only household name in this, but Hijacked has a fine cast all around including a few faces you might've seen before. Max Beesley is very watchable as Daniel O'Farrell, a cop and the main guy seen dealing with the situation on the ground, who though he doesn't have as much screen time as Sam also has a pretty eventful seven hours. Neil Maskell gives a rather human performance as the hijackers' leader who's trying to maintain his control on the plane.

Show also has an excellent song selection for each of the ending credits. Opening credits are well done.

Probably the show's biggest weak point is that some of the things that happen feel arbitrary and more for the sake of the story and drama than happening realistically. Sam definitely has plot armor on. It gets harder and harder to argue why the hijackers just don't kill him. I also wouldn't have minded a little more to the epilogue.

Highly recommended. If you like thrillers where people are trapped in an area, this is definitely for you.

Captain Fall- Season 1, Episode 1, An Unconventional Cruiseline

 

4/10

I watched the first episode of Captain Fall the new Netflix show about Jonathan Fall (voiced by Jason Ritter), who's been made a captain of a cruise line, but unbeknownst him to him it's a smuggling operation and he's a potential fall guy. After this episode, I won't be returning.

If you've seen the trailer, Fall's that trope where the guy isn't liked much for no good reason by his toxic family. You'd think the storyline of his background would only be the beginning of the episode and that he'll soon be on the boat, but NO, the full first episode is mostly the family.

The problem is that the family isn't funny at all. I think the toxic parents trope is getting old these days and then the show runners had to dial things up to eleven. Their dialogue is a chore to get through.

Another issue with the show is that all the jokes are stretched out so much, which makes the characters disapproving of or upset with other characters moments so tedious.

Understand that so far this show is very, very dark. This is far more cold-blooded, especially in terms of murder, than you'd suspect.

The animation's good-looking and distinct I'll give you that. It looks like a European indie comic book. 

Not recommended. Yeah, I didn't even stay through to the ship, the main part of the story, and I hear the show gets better in the last third, but after such a botched first episode so bereft of laughs, I'm not inclined to be charitable.

Haunted Mansion (2023)

6/10

It's been twenty years since the first Haunted Mansion movie which didn't do that well. (Never understood the hate for it. I liked it. Can we at least agree that Terrence Stamp was great in that?) Now, Disney has made a second attempt at doing a film based on its theme park attraction. In this, Ben Matthias (played by Lakeith Stanfield), a down-on-his-luck former astrophysicist dealing with tragic events in his life, becomes involved, based on a previous interest in ghosts, with breaking the curse on Gracey Manor.

This is one of those movies that have some good ideas and moments but fail to reach a cohesive whole. The editing is rather circumspect.

There are many decent lines but not all of them land. 

I like that this movie was more faithful to showing actual elements from the attraction and when you see the ghosts they're definitely fun and one of the highlights of the movie. They can even be a little scary but not too much for kids. You also get them early enough, so that you don't have to wait for them. However, the emphasis is on the human characters more than the ghosts, and I think that was a mistake. The movie's always more entertaining when spooky things happen.

The mansion and and the main antagonist The Hat Box Ghost (voiced by Jared Leto) both have interesting backgrounds to them. Ben's past is pretty emotional and well written. However, all the current goings on just aren't as intriguing or cohesive. There's one subplot involving a ghost that you think would be resolved, but it isn't.

I think that a problem with this is that the movie has too many characters to focus on. Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, and Rosario Dawson would be a dream team, but they're not. Part of it is the writing for their characters not being the best to work with, but also there just isn't as much personal interaction between the talented actors as you'd think. Sure they're in a lot of scenes together, but they don't do that much together if you get my drift. 

Lakeith does a great job as Ben who's one of the best written parts. He really is a tragic, three-dimensional character, and a fairly solid guy once his mettle is tested. Second best character is Tiffany Haddish's psychic Harriet. Her character has the second most going on next to Ben. Haddish may be the best actor in this as she really sells a someone who's often trying to put on a confident face. 

Wilson as Father Kent and DeVito as history professor Bruce Davis do their best, especially the latter who shines when given a chance, but they're given so little to work with. I honestly feel Devito got a lot of scenes edited or cut, and he probably had a backstory that didn't make it in.

Dawson as the mansion's owner Gabbie is wasted. She's just a nice mom/love interest who isn't given much to do and definitely not proactive enough. She also gets the worse dialogue. There's one delivery from her that's truly awful, and I hope it was due to direction/editing. Chase Dillon as Gabbie's son Travis is one of those child actors who deliver their lines too much like an adult. Something always feels off about him.

I genuinely liked the villain in this. The Hat Box Ghost is an old school genteel, loquacious baddie, and I liked his retro style. 

Visually, director Justin Simien (Dear White People) has a great sense of visuals for not just the mansion, but all buildings. Even Ben's small place has a distinct look to the exterior.

Not recommended. It's not a hard no. It could be a decent watch for the kids, but there's no need to see this and definitely no reason to spend big bucks on it. I'd say the original Haunted Mansion was better. Yeah, Ben's conflict is definitely better than the "dad who's too busy working and has to learn to spend time with his family" conflict, but the original's overall plot was stronger.

Secret Invasion

6.5/10

In this new Marvel limited series on Disney+ based on the comics storyline, Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) must deal with a secret rebellion planned by rogue Skrulls, alien shapeshifters, refugees who've been living on Earth for decades and are tired of their hidden status and Fury not realizing his promise to find them a new homeworld.

Secret Invasion is a mixed bag. On one hand they're truly surprising reveals, great scenes and character moments or deliveries, and solid action. The sociopolitical history of the Skrulls is interesting. I also give this credit for being one of the darkest and most violent MCU entries.

On the other hand, the story doesn't go to places as good as you've set up in your mind. Everybody's motives are explained, but it always feels like they needed more time or flashbacks to explain things. It really feels like time wasn't properly utilized. Some of the big risks the writers take do not pay off. I definitely wanted more from the conclusion.

It may have been a miscalculation to center the entire show around Fury. For a show about a global plot, this may've worked better as an ensemble show darting back and forth between various players to get a better look at the big picture.

We don't get Fury in the prime of his energy here. Don't get me wrong, this is Samuel Jackson, so he gives a fine performance, but it's as a world-wearier Fury (who was kinda world-weary to begin with) haunted by his failings. Fury has a long history working with the Skrulls, and I applaud the writers for having him have real mixed feelings about how events have turned out.

Ben Mendelsohn returns as Fury's ally the Skrull Talos. He's one of the high points of this as the most optimistic character in the show. He's got a great dynamic with Fury, and you get the feeling that they've been work friends for years. Mendelsohn often gets typecast as villains, and he's clearly jumping at the chance to play a good guy.

Olivia Coleman is both funny yet kinda scary as Sonya Falsworth, Fury's British counterpart who's always cheery and level-headed, yet easily mows down the enemy without mercy. Sort of a lawful chaotic character.

I wouldn't say Skrull terrorist leader Gavrik is one of the top Marvel villains, but his actor Kingsley Ben-Adir (who was recently the loyal friend to the main Ken in the Barbie movie) iss clearly talented and when the script gives him the chance to shine, he sure does. His final confrontation with Fury is one of the highlights of the show.

If you're expecting so see a lot of Skrull makeup or CGI, prepare to be disappointed. Disney is clearly saving on money by having them appear in human form as much as possible. 

The opening credits are controversial because they used AI to create them (though, they say that actual creatives oversaw the whole affair). I must say that I haven't had an open credits catch my attention like this in some time. (With the exception of the opening credits to Housebroken, an adult animated show about pets. The theme song is catchy as hell.) It has this intriguing, surreal quality to it that has to be seen. 

Kinda recommended. The show never reaches its full potential, but there are some very good parts in this. This is one of those situations where people will probably be divided on whether they like it or not.

The Simpsons- Season 34

7/10

This is the thirty-fourth, 34th!, round of the misadventures of the Simpsons family and the other residents of Springfield.

This is another of the recent Simpsons quality revival seasons. (To lay out the timeline, there was the first two or three seasons where the show was finding itself, the next five or six seasons that was the golden age, the Jerka** Homer era where the show lost its magic and focused on celebrity appearances and shenanigans happening, plus Homer'd gotten too dislikable, then we got the reform seasons where Homer (voiced by Dan Castalenetta) was made nicer than he has ever been, and remains that to today, and focused more on character-based storylines which started strong but then felt at a loss for new emotional situations to put the characters in, and finally now.) No, this season isn't as good as the classic years, but it has better stories than it has had in a long time. There's a bigger emphasis on trying new stuff and not doing the same-old, same-old and giving other characters than the Simpsons more of the spotlight. There's also a lot more satirical episodes with solid targets. 

We even get one of the strongest Treehouse of Horror episodes in a long time (it's been a string of diminishing returns up until now), plus a bonus Halloween episode that's pretty good. I also highly recommend Lisa the Boy Scout, one of the funniest things they've done in a while. Even a lot of the less stand-out episodes aren't too shabby.

There are a few things I disagree with. I found Lisa's storyline in One Angy Lisa to be a terribly one-note to the extreme Lisa-can't-catch-a-break story. There are two Fat Tony (voice by Joe Mantegna) episodes that feel too similar to each other. Flanders is still too, well, "flanderised" with him being a religious conservative and less of the nice guy he'd been, and Skinner is too much of a mama's boy and the complete opposite of where the character started.

Animation remains strong. There's nothing complex about the look of the Simpsons, but I love the color usage in recent seasons. There's an anime style sequence in the Treehouse of Horror episode that is pretty sleek looking.

Recommended. Show's still no longer the king of comedy, but this is a solid and fairly entertaining season.

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.

The Snoopy Show- Season 3

 

8/10

The third season brings more short adventures of Snoopy the dog (animal noises by Terry McGurrin), his best friend and bird Woodstock (animal noises by Rob Tinkler), his owner Charlie Brown (voiced this season by Ettienne Kellici), and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

Not much has changed from the previous seasons. This continues to be a funny show for kids. I'm again impressed with all the visual gags involving Snoopy and Woodstock. It can't be easy to write for characters who can't talk, but they pull it off really well. Snoopy's reactions are so enjoyable and the animators make it so you get so much from him without saying a word. 

Again, Snoopy and Woodstock remain one of the best duos in animation history. There is just something about the way the two fight a lot but are also so in sync that works. (Unfortunately, you don't get as much of Woodstock as previous seasons.) Again, although this is modern, watered-down Charlie Brown, he's still such a likable kid and brings a lot of heart to his relation with Snoopy.

I feel that the showrunners might have heard the complaints that the show is a diluted version of that ol' Peanuts feel. Although The Snoopy Show still plays it safer than the rougher original where the kids could be a lot meaner to each other and there was more depth, it felt like the writers were trying a little harder to evoke the ol' Peanuts feel.

Animation remains great. It's clean and colorful and really matches the design style of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz.

Recommended. This does appear to be aimed toward younger children, but has a lot of clever humor and heart to it.

100 Years of Warner

8/10

This new documentary mini-series on Max (formerly HBO Max), traces the history of Warner Bros. through four episodes that divvy up the time periods. 

I felt this was a well put-together mini-series. It flows well with solid choices in film and interview clips. 100 Years really serves as an ode to film-making itself. It's interesting to see how the film-making process changes over these episodes.

Of course, they don't have time to go over everything, and they don't cover everything one would want to see. Though, they do plug in a ton of clips, even ever so brief, from the Warners catalog.

100 Years does well in covering the change in racial and gender coverage over the years, including firsts in representation. The mini-series doesn't hide from less savory parts of Warner's earlier years. (Jack Warner, not a great guy.) However, it's clear that Warner isn't in the mood to discuss more recent issues, such as the fallout of the DC Snyderverse or AT&T's acquisition of the company and then letting it go after it realized HBO Max wasn't working out. Current Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is one of the interviewees, so 100 years definitely doesn't discuss the controversy of his shelving completed films. For all the mini-series' talk about the times Warner took chances, it doesn't want to address its more recent focus on the bottom line.

Recommended. If you're a film buff, I think you'll be pleased with this.

The Great North- Season 3

7.5/10

Season three brings more misadventures of the Tobins, an oddball and close-knit family of Alaskans.

The formula hasn't changed much here, the family keeps ending up in quirky misadventures, but the writers this time around seem to be trying to one-up themselves on how weird they can make the show. Personally, I'm all for it. I love how creative the episodes can get. (I personally recommend A Bear-tiful Friend Adventure, Rear Genius Adventure, and the finale.) Though I still like Bob's Burgers it has lost a little of it's magic (which is fair considering it's been on over a decade.) The Great North has assumed it's throne for offbeat humor with heart and well-defined characters.

The Tobins continue to entertain and be likable with a great voice cast. Probably the best two actors are Park and Recreation's Nick Offerman as patriarch Beef Tobin and SNL/Last Man on Earth's Will Forte. Sure Beef's voice is another one of the outdoors man personas Offerman has built, but I'm impressed with what he's able to do with just small little changes in his voice, making Beef both kinda deadpan but also one of the most lovable parents on TV. Forte's delivery is always pretty funny as the goofiest member of the bunch who's also just so darn positive.

The show has reached the point where it's also really developed the Tobins' hometown of Lone Moose and its inhabitants. I appreciate the world building.

Recommended. If you want something light, positive and just trying to have fun, this is for you.

Equalizer- Season 3

7/10

Former CIA agent Robyn McCall (played by Queen Latifah) continues to use her skill set to help the little guy with problems the system can't/won't help.

Not much has changed since the last two seasons. The episodes continue to be a bunch of fairly entertaining albeit not complex adventures, and the storylines remain varied. (Nice thing about the show is that McCall's mission is broad enough that the writers aren't limited to certain situations.)  There is more of a focus on McCall's relationship and past with the CIA which worked pretty well. 

And the same as previous seasons, you've got a sprinkling of "special message" episodes that feel too simplistic like they're talking down to the audience.

Though Queen Latifah is likable, she isn't always able to make the dialogue work. (She tends to talk in the same tone.)

I've been a fan of McCall's daughter Delilah (Laya DeLeon Hayes) and aunt Vi (Lorraine Touissaint) and though their stories often aren't connected to the main storyline, they've usually been good. However, half-way through this season, the stories started to bug me. It might be that there are a lot more isolated single-episode storylines, which start to show the same issues as the A-plots: social message stories that simplistically talk down to you and wrapped up way too quickly. The fact that the two of them keep running into these issues comes off as unrealistic. (However, when it comes to the racial-focused episodes, I apologize if I'm being white privileged about the situation. I'm not a black person in America and can't attest to how often you would run into these situations if you were.) Also, it feels that Vi has become completely right too many times and is starting to come off as sanctimonious. Don't get me wrong, Touissaint does a great job at both being at being caring but also bring on the righteous indignation when needed, and it's nice to see her fight against racists who'd wrong her or her niece, but in less high stakes situations it feels like she always needs to be in control of the situation and narrative. (The restaurant subplot is the best example of this.)

Kinda recommended. I know I've gone into the cons more than the flaws, but the show's still enjoyable, there's just no need for specifics for the positives. It's just you're average turn-off-your-brain and have fun CBS show.

Flash- Season 9 (Final)

7/10

Bart Allen/The Flash (played by Grant Gustin) and friends deal with new threats in this the show's final season.

So, yeah... this season is mostly the same as the last two: the show doesn't hit the strong and more dramatic writing of its early years. But, what we get is a mostly fun selection of popcorn episodes that serve as decent light entertainment. (I personally prefer too-simplistic Flash over trying-too-hard-to-be dramatic Flash any day.)

Given that this is the last of the show, one'd hope it'd be like the end of Arrow and be a truly connected and thought-out culmination of the show over the years. Sadly, we don't get that here. Doesn't help that the show's sticking with the season-divided-into-two-big-threats strategy they've been doing in recent years. Yes, it helps the overarching storyline not to drag it out, but this being the big finale, it would've helped to have a more cohesive plan to it. Plus, this was a shorter season, so there wasn't the need to worry about the plot being stretched out.

Now, like I said, this isn't the culmination I wanted, but the writers are treating this as the final bow. Many faces from throughout the show pop up. Unfortunately if you wanted to know whatever happened to Golden Glider or General Wade Eiling, that never gets addressed. Plus, they don't have time (or possibly the scheduling) for all your favorite villains: no Trickster, no Amunet Black, no Weather Wizard, and no Ragdoll. It's especially unfortunate that former original member of the team and one of the most popular characters Cisco couldn't make any appearances. The actor was willing but had scheduling conflicts.

I know that not everyone is a big fan of Flash's later-introduced allies Allegra Garcia (Kayla Compton) and Chester P. Runk (Brandon McKnight), but I like them well enough. Both the actors do a solid job. Their romance is no great story, but I always felt it was decent.

Again, Gustin is a likable actor, but as is often in the show, there's another episode where Barry's shown as sanctimonious, which always makes him hard to like especially when he made a blunt one-sided decision over an ethically grey situation.

Mark Blaine/Chillblaine (Jon Cor) is still a member of the team. It still doesn't sit well with me that he's an immediate member of the group considering the major crimes he committed in his first appearance. The redemption and trust never felt earned.

Prepare to be disappointed with the storyline for Caitlyn Snow (Danielle Panabaker) this year. If you've been following the character all this time, you'll be disappointed with a direction no one ever asked for.

As for the finale, it's not necessarily the emotionally best of Flash season finales and there's an epilogue scene that makes you say "What?!," but it's got some fun ideas and fights and I thought the final threat was a really good idea.

Kinda recommended. If you liked the show but became disillusioned as it became a shadow of itself, this probably won't do anything to change your mind. If you still like watching, yeah you'll get more of the same and it'll be just fine.