Muppets Now- Season 1

 

7/10

After the failure of the more older audience-leaning The Muppets on ABC, the popular puppets are being returned to format for a more typical tone and variety format. In this, the Muppets are hosting a bunch of viral videos with the framing device of Scooter (performed by David Rudman) editing and downloading them. It's no original Muppet Show, but it's generally entertaining.

On average, the segments are fun. The Swedish Chef (Bill Barretta) in particular remains as funny as he ever was. Doctor Bunsen Honeydew (Dave Goelz, the last OG Muppet performer) and Beaker (Rudman) have become modern day Bill Nyes. Rather than do the regular made-up science experiment gags, here they're infotaining as they perform actual science experiments. They're surprisingly engaging as things are set on fire, launched, etc..  This show carries over the one element from The Muppets: Uncle Deadly (Matt Vogel) as Miss Piggy's sarcastic personal assistant. He works wonderfully off of her; the one Muppet who understands her enough that he can push buttons without evoking her wrath. Scooter also serves as a great straight man having to deal with everyone else's eccentricities. 

There's also a pretty healthy heaping of guest star appearances throughout.     

However, this show could've been stronger. Unlike the Muppet Show or even Muppets Tonight, which constantly came up with new material, Muppets Now basically uses the same limited number of sketches. Plus, there are very few attempts at new Muppet characters, preferring to coast with what they've got. Going back to Muppets Tonight, they may not have quite nailed the Muppet Show formula, but at least they experimented with new faces. Also, you barely see some of the more popular Muppets, such as Kermit (Vogel), Fozzie (Eric Jacobson), Animal (Jacobson), and Gonzo (Goelz). Rizzo's not even in this. First they ditch him in the recent Muppet films and now this. What's with the Rizzo hate?!    

Though this doesn't go far as the The Muppets, there is a negativity. Sure, in the Muppet Show, characters would get hit, blown up, eaten, etc., but they mostly felt like a good group. Here, a lot of characters feel more selfish. Honeydew has always been self-involved in his pursuit of science, but here he seems intentionally cruel to Beaker. Miss Piggy (Jacobson) gets more skits than any other character, which was a mistake. She works better when she's not the one in charge. When she is, it's just a bunch of poorly written ego jokes. She's not quite as toxic as in The Muppets, but she can still be unbearable. Also, the sidelined Muppets all seem to be the nicer ones. 

At six episodes, this is a quick watch. I think your kids will have a good time. As for adult Muppet fans, I can't say this this is required viewing. I'd rank this above The Muppets but a little below Muppets Tonight, which left more of an impression and at least gave us Pepe the Prawn.        

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

8/10

The Babysitter: Killer Queen on Netflix is a horror comedy and the sequel to 2017's original, in which a young Cole (played by Judah Lewis) finds out his babysitter Bee (Samara Weaver) is part of a Satanic cult. In this, Cole's now a teenager (the original was filmed in 2015 and the actor has grown some) and must face the resurrected members of the cult. I liked this a lot better than the first.

The first film was a mixed bag in my opinion. It felt a little all-over-the-place. This one feels a lot more streamlined and straight-to-the-point. The last movie also tried to be a coming-of-age story, which didn't gel with me. This one dumps a lot of that and focuses more on the action and comedy to its benefit. (Not to say that Cole doesn't have an arc.)

There are some creative, madcap, bloody kills in this. Returning director McG (who did the Charlie's Angels movies) brings back his distinctive visual choices. It doesn't always land but is fun when it does. The new location, a rocky area surrounding a lake, is pretty scenic and also serves as a nice treacherous location for the characters to scramble through. 

Thing is that for a movie called The Babysitter, it has very little of the actual sitter in this. Weaving's stock has risen recently, and she's had a busy schedule these last couple of years, so apparently she was available for a limited period of time. I know that there are people who feel that Bee's relationship with Cole was one if not the biggest parts of the first film, but I'm okay with this. More time for the jokes and carnage.   

On the plus side, we get the rest of what is probably the most oddball group of Satanists one ever did see. Robbie Amell still steals the show as Max, the shirt-hating psychopath with a fondness for Cole who'll compliment him even as he's trying to kill him. Pitch Perfect's Hana Mae Lee's Sonya is still fun as the most Satan-loving and hardcore members of the group. Sadly like the last film, she is underutilized. The two more comical members Allison (Bella Thorne) and John (Andrew Bachelor), who I felt were the weak links last time, are better written, especially John. 

Melanie (Emily Alyn Lind), Cole's love interest from the last film gets a lot more to do here. I loved Lind's performance and how her character is made more interesting. We also get some new faces who fit right in.

There is one really frustrating part of this film. Everyone thinks Cole made up the events from last time. I'm sorry, even if they couldn't find any bodies, there were still so many loose threads that this doesn't make any sense. Also, the high school scenes run too hard on "high school sucks" cliches. However, most of these issues are just in the introduction and quickly fade away.  

Overall, I recommend this. This was just a lot of crazy fun. (It does help to see the first one to understand what is going on.)

Superman: Man of Tomorrow

7/10

Superman: Man of Tomorrow is about Clark Kent/Superman (voiced by Glee/American Crime Story season 2's Darren Criss), brand new in Metropolis and trying to figure out whether he should reveal his abilities to the world. I found this to be one of DC's better animated movies.

Yeah, this isn't the first Superman origin story ever told or him feeling like an outsider and trying to find his place in the world, but to its credit, this is the first time I've seen it done as feature animation. The script does a decent job of exploring the character of Clark and his fears of the world distrusting an outsider. In fact, this includes one of the best gosh-darn-likable Clark's. Heck, this includes some of the better depictions of Lois Lane (Percy Jackson's Alexandra Daddario), Ma and Pa Kent (Bellamy Young and Scrubs/The Middle's Neil Flynn), Lex Luthor (Stare Trek/Heroes' Zachary Quinto), and other Superman/DC characters. 

There are reasons I didn't rate this higher. Not every story decision worked for me. Some things seemed to happen just because the writer wanted them to happen regardless of whether they were natural. Superman has a big speech in this that is supposed to be persuasive but comes off as schmaltzy. Also, the movie felt a little too tragic and morbid with the villain Parasite (Agent of Shield's Brett Dalton). His depressing, dark storyline seemed to be at odds with the more hopeful, upbeat feel of Superman's.   

The whole things looks great. I felt that a lot of DC animated character designs, especially recently, have been so-so. Here, some sort of new process is used giving the characters a more rotoscope-type appearance. They just feel a little more detailed than a lot of character designs today. Although I miss the old-school original humanoid appearance of the Parasite and haven't been a big fan of the comics making him look more like a parasitic creature these days, I admit that this particular monstrous design is pretty good, especially his weird feet.   

Overall, I think any DC animation or Superman fan will like this.

Rogue

5/10

Rogue is about a gang of mercenaries who rescue hostages from a group of African rebels. Their exit plan falls through and end up having to protect themselves from not just the rebels but also a rogue lioness. This is one of those movies that is just there. Not particularly bad nor particularly memorable.  

I do feel a little guilty that this film wasn't doing it for me. Director and co-writer M.J. Bassett (who helmed Solomon Kane, which I feel is underrated) was definitely making an effort. This was a competently written script that generally flowed well. All the characters had clear personalities and backgrounds, even the lioness had motivations for why she isn't killing just for food. There are a couple scenes that feature some pretty good visual ideas. 

Buuutttt, nothing is knocked out of the park. The script and dialogue is adequate but doesn't stand out. 

The action doesn't stand out. The fight scenes often have way too many quick jumps to close-ups; cinematography is lackluster. This was a low-budget movie and the lioness is fairly cheap-looking. On the plus side, they do manage incorporate an actual lioness for a few shots when practical.

The acting, that's right you guessed it!, doesn't stand out. These are mostly decent actors, but they won't stay with you. It doesn't help that the mercenaries feel a little repetitive of other films about a rag tag team. When I say the actors are "mostly" decent, I am referring to a weak point: lead Megan Fox as the head of the mercenaries. She does alright at times, but falters at the more emotional parts. Also, I just can't buy her as veteran soldier.  

I'm not recommending this as there are so many stronger films out there. Although if you like those low-budget monster/killer animal movies on Sy-Fy, this is up your alley. The script is stronger than a lot of them.

Tenet

7/10

Christopher Nolan's Tenet is about a spy simply called The Protagonist (John David Washington) in the credits. He's promoted to a secret assignment in which he has to go after a villain who has access to time manipulation. This is an interesting film with distinct concepts. A combination of a spy and sci-fi film isn't something you see every day. (I mean other than spy films involving lasers, robotics, and, that one time, going into space. I mean stuff that James Bond wouldn't even touch as it would be going too far.) However, the movie can be overindulgent, I think this could've been a leaner, stronger film.

I'll get to the good points about this first. The spy stuff is done well. (There is a lot more of that in this than the trailer lets on.) Seeing the Protagonist and his associate Neil (Robert Pattison) having to cleverly break into places is one of the best parts.  

The sci-fi stuff is really, really interesting. Let me be clear that this isn't a typical "time travel" sort of movie. It's about time inversion, leading to some legit innovative concepts. The action scenes really take full advantage of this.

Tone wise think of this as kind of being the infiltration scenes from Inception matched with the action parts of Nolan's Batman movies. 

Though a lot of the script takes itself seriously, there are occasional light lines from Washington or between him and Pattison that lend a bit of personality.

The standout actor here is probably Kenneth Brannagh as the antagonist. Brannagh delivers the best performance I've seen him do. (Bare in mind I haven't seen a lot of his earlier works including his Shakespeare films and Dead Again.) He completely loses himself in this truly despicable, dangerous man.

Okay, now for the film's issues. Considering that the lead is called The Protagonist and that title of this film about time inversion happens to be spelled out the same way forward and backward, you can tell that Nolan is be trying too hard to be clever. Way, way, way too much exposition is thrown at you; I mean a crazy amount. Almost every line is a plot point. If you don't pay attention you could become lost. I got the general gist of everything, but there were moments where I had to fill-in-the-blanks and play catch up.

Sometimes the sound effects or music are too loud or the actors are speaking too quietly, making it harder to understand what is going on.

The final action scene looks nice but is far too complicated. I couldn't even tell where the bad guys were coming from.

Besides the complexity of the story, the other major issue is the length. This didn't need to be two-and-a-half hours. The middle act in particular, could've been cut down.

When this movie is good, it is good, but it could've so much more entertaining if it was shorter and some plot points whittled down. I recommend this, especially if you're a Nolan fan, as it is a unique experience. But it's something you can sit on till it is something you can sit on till a rainy day or it is more the price is cheaper.

The Owl House- Season 1

8/10

In this new Disney cartoon show, young Luz (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles) travels to a freaky magical world where she becomes an apprentice to the witch Eda (Just Shoot Me/Hot in Cleveland's Wendie Malick). This is a fairly entertaining show.

I can't say this is the best fantasy show ever written, but it's got good characters, world-building, and a sense of humor. It does take a few episodes to find it's legs as the earlier stories can be a bit basic. It takes the introduction of more supporting characters and more interactions with the greater world in order to get things going. There are some good reveals and character stuff if you keep watching.

The Boiling Isles where this takes place differentiates itself from other fantasy worlds by being children-friendly macabre. However, the exploits of Luz and friends, which usually teach a lesson, feel more like traditional entertainment. The two tones don't always match. Also, the lessons can feel repetitive.

Visually, going back to the child-friendly macabre aspect, The Boiling Isles and its various weird inhabitants have a very distinctive, weird feel.

Overall, I think this would be a show your kids would like. 

Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe

8/10

In this second movie of the popular Disney cartoon show, Phineas and Ferb's sister Candace (voiced by Ashley Tisdale) is kidnapped by aliens and they go into space after her. 

I'll just get this out of the way now. CAtU isn't as good as the first movie. That one's story felt justified as a feature, as it's own thing. This feels a little more like an extended episode. The story isn't as tight and kind of goes all over the place. But, that's compared to the first film. This is still pretty funny. 

I'm happy to say that although it's been several years since the cartoon ended that it hasn't lost it's unique feel. Again we just get a lot of dialogue heavy, clever bits; stuff that appeals to adults as well as kids. There is one really clever visual joke. The longer run time also provides a lot of good repeated bits or drawn-out Sideshow-Bob-and-rakes-esque moments that who don't see as often in children's cartoons. 

Though I said this story wasn't as strong as its predecessors, it made a good choice of making Candace the focus. Though she is always trying unsuccessfully to tattle on her brothers and get them in trouble for their grandiose projects, the movie points how unfair it is that her mother never believes her and her brothers are oblivious to her frustration. She's previously thought the universe was against her and this movie just brings it to the forefront.

I mentioned that the story meanders, but on the plus side the movie does keep you guessing and surprises you at some parts. 

If you were dissappointed that Vanessa (Olivia Olson) was the only major recurring character from the show that didn't make the last film, you'll be pleased that they brought her in as part of the story here. However, she's sidelined for much of it. It's a let down that she doesn't have time with Candace (unlike what the trailer makes it look like) as the characters work well off each other.  

You also get to see Dr. Doofenshmirtz (show co-creator Dan Povenmire), who usually has his own self-contained plots, interact with Phineas (Vincnet Martella) and Ferb (David Errigo Jr.) and their friends more than any of the other rare times he has. However, this never really feels like it pays off.

Also, it's hard to place in the show's continuity when this stakes place. It doesn't feel like it's happening after the events of the show or the spin-off Milo Murphy's Law. 

The movie also maintains the show's quality of songs. I wouldn't say they're any earworms, but their decent. The best and funniest one is the villain's introduction. 

I felt there was something a little off about the animation quantity of some of the new characters. It's hard to describe. 

I can't say this is the most standout children's film, but it is definitely an enjoyable way to spend the time for your kids or you, especially if you're jonesing for another P&F fix.