The 355

5.5/10

In The 355, several female spies become involved in the hunt for a weapon.

For most of the movie, I was going to go with a 7/10 for this. Admittedly, a lot of the dialogue/plot scenes felt by-the-numbers/tepid (never downright awful, just so-so). Plus, Pennyworth's Jason Flemyng (a good actor who really should be in more stuff) shows promise as a main villain only to be completely wasted.

But, the action scenes were pretty darn good; kept my attention. There was one line I rather liked and a couple plot points that surprised. The main cast was good across the board.

Then the very ending came. It was so ham-fisted, didn't make a lot of sense, and was insulting. Totally not worth sitting through the weaker parts and the two hour, four minute runtime.

Not recommended. Yeah, the action's good, but the ending isn't worth it for watching what was until that point just an okay movie anyways. 

Doctor Who- Eve of the Daleks

9/10

In this latest Doctor Who New Years special, the Doctor (played by Jodie Whittaker) and her companions find themselves trapped with the Daleks in a Groundhog's Day situation (yeah, for a show about time travel that's been around since the 60s, I'm surprised that they haven't done this yet) where time resets each time they're killed.

People may be getting tired of current showrunner Chris Chibnall using the Daleks for each New Years special, but they work pretty well as foes for this scenario. If the whole story involves people dying and you need someone for quick kills, the Daleks are the right fit. The show makes good use of their tactical expertise in this more than the average DW episode. 

This is probably one of the most fun and humorous episodes from Chibnall's run. The real strength of this is the two guest characters: grumpy Sarah (Aisling Bea) and awkward, good-natured Nick (Adjani Salmon). They're really the stars of this and not the Doctor & Co. They're both really entertaining and well characterized. The Doctor's newest companion Dan Lewis (John Bishop) is the standout of the regular cast here. He continues to be the most humorous and likable of the gang, and Bishop really sells the character. It's too bad that he'll probably be gone soon due to an upcoming showrunner change (at least it's traditional for companions to change; they might surprise us).

Recommended. This was just an all-around well-done story.

Reno 911!: The Hunt for Qanon

7/10

In this special on Paramount+ (yeah... special is what they're calling it; it's feature film length, but they called the two hour long South Parks "movies"), the deputies of Reno go on a cruise hosting a Qanon convention in order to serve a summons to Q.

It's been a while since I saw the show (and I never saw the Quibi season), but this definitely feels like the weirdest, most out there entry in Reno 911. I was initially into it, because it was different and some of the absurdities are pretty fun. However, the sheer randomness wears thin after a while and it doesn't end when you think it would. The special is only an hour and twenty-five minutes, but it feels a lot longer. (Since Reno 911! relies on improv with basic story setups, several scenes don't feel like they work because the concepts weren't robust enough. The weakest part is definitely the scenes involving the crew of the ship; they feel random and shoved-in and the actors felt the weakest at improv.)

Though uneven, when HfQ is funny, it's really, really funny. The last few seasons of Reno 911!'s original run did feel like they were running out of steam, but this feels like a real return to form. (Again, haven't seen the Quibi episodes. No idea whether they were funny or not.) The first two scenes were HILARIOUS!

The talented main cast all still have that improv magic that made the show. Regular face Patton Oswalt, who was even in the last film (because really, this is a film, not a special Paramount+!), returns as a Q member. He's pretty good in this. He's got a subplot with Wendi McLendon-Covey's Deputy Clementine Johnson and they have excellent chemistry together.

Ian Roberts as Sgt. Jack Declan, who was in season six and the Qibi run, returns. He's got the same issue that he had in his first season: he just isn't given enough time. The guy can be funny (see the mail sketch, one of the highlights of the disappointing season six), but it feels like either the writers who come up with the sketches don't assign enough for him to do, or he just doesn't speak up enough. If you liked Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Joe Lo Truglio as Deputy Frank Salvatore Rizzo, who also appeared in the same seasons as Declan, he isn't returning for this.  

How does this compare to the last film? I like this better. Don't get me wrong, HfQ is uneven, but I felt the jokes were stronger and it definitely leaves an impression. The last film had funny subplot sketches, but the main storyline was pretty lackluster. 

Kinda recommended. If you're a fan of Reno 911!, you'll probably like this, but the lack of direction and sheer over-the-topness may turn some people off, including possibly some fans who feel it doesn't match the feel of the show. Still, I'd say everyone will laugh at least once at this.

Death to 2021

8.5/10

In Netflix's sequel to its special Death to 2020, we get another retrospective mockumentary critical of the past year.

This felt as strong as the last one; just pretty on-point political and social satire. (If you're a conservative, this may not be your cup of tea as the writing is fairly liberal, though it's not like the writers never poke fun at Biden and such.) The specials are a British creation, and as an American it's interesting to see an outside viewpoint of events.

Great cast with some new and old faces. The most fun are returnees Hugh Grant as Tennyson Fobe OBE, a historian who's kind of full of himself, and Cristin Milioti as Kathy Flowers, an average suburban housewife/right-wing extremist. I'm sad to say that Lisa Kudrow doesn't return as her double-talking political PR character.

Highly recommended, this is pretty funny.

Cobra Kai- Season 4

(NOTE: Review may slightly spoil how last season ended.) 

9/10

In the fourth season, Johnny Lawrence (played by William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) join forces in order to beat Cobra Kai in an upcoming tournament.

Four seasons in and this show still manages to deliver what everyone likes about it: karate soap opera dramedy. Though the ten episode length does make the show feel dragged out at moments, overall this season is pretty tight. A lot of character stuff happens. Yeah, the Johnny and Daniel arguing with each other routine has been done to death and there's a lot of this here. However, it's fun to see them actually try to work together. Plus, Zabka and Macchio both do a great job of both being frustratingly stubborn while also making you see where they're coming from. (Yeah, Daniel does get a  little high and mighty in this at times, but everyone in this is ready to step in and disagree with him.) Zabka continues to do an excellent job of making you feel for him during the emotional moments.

The big tournament finale is worth the wait. This may be the most satisfactory of Cobra Kai finales as a lot happens and things get pretty interesting. The karate fighting is really on point this season.

I'm happy to say that Robby's switch to Cobra Kai doesn't just have him replay Hawk's shift to the dark side in previous seasons. Robby (Tanner Buchanan) hasn't completely drunk the punch like some of the other students of antagonist John Kreese (Martin Kover) and it's interesting seeing him be more interested in winning rather than being completely enveloped in the whole karate rivalry situation. It's also nice to see Cobra Kai member Tory Nichols' storyline matured. She has a sympathetic lousy situation, taking care of her dying mother, that explains her angry behavior. But, there's been a lot, lot more focus on her poor decisions and borderline psychoticness in the show. A lot more focus is put on the human side of her character here. 

After feeling like an afterthought in the first three seasons (I don't think he was even in season 2), the writers actually do something with Daniel's son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro). He's still a totally unlikable, spoiled kid (even more so now), but they do do something interesting with him. There's a new kid Kenny (Dallas Dupree Young), and you might say there are already too many cast members already, but he does have an interesting story line.

Of course, the biggest thing about this season is the return of villain Terry Silver (Michael Ian Griffin, who was kind enough to come out of a fourteen-year acting retirement). Karate Kid 3 is generally considered the weakest of the first three films, but the one element most people generally liked was Terry, the over-the-top, crazed rich guy and sensei. Since he was a co-founder of Cobra Kai, for years fans of the show have speculated on whether he'd make an appearance, and finally we get him. And he's here all season, no guest appearance for this guy. It's no longer the eighties, so they had to tone him down (plus Griffin may not be able to copy quite the energy he had decades ago.) However, the writers and the actor understand the assignment. He's still got the charisma and is able to see the bigger picture and understand the ways of the world far more than Kreese, who's stuck in his ways. Yet, you get flashes of Silver's trademark sinister smile, the old Terry peeking from beneath the surface, bringing chills down your spine. The show does a surprisingly good job of explaining his previously cartoonish behavior and where he is at now in his life. They make him a truly tragic character in this, looking at him as more than a guy who's psychotic, but as a man who was deeply mentally damaged by the war. Not to say that original baddie Kreese is overshadowed, the character gets some of his best material here. 

Highly recommended. This is the best season since the first one.

The King's Man

8.5/10

In this prequel to Kingsman, we look at the creation of the Kingsman spy organization, which involves the Duke of Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) and his son Conrad (Harris Dickinson) seeking to stop a shadowy organization starting World War I.

Writer/director Matthew Vaughn, who handled the last two films, had a lot of fun basically doing whatever he wanted and going over-the-top with the era, details, and historical figures of the great war. The costumes and especially the sets look amazing.

The fight scenes all are really well executed and look great, especially the first major one.

Vaughn seems to have taken to heart the fact that The Golden Circle wasn't as popular as the first film. Whereas GC went further in the direction of comedy, The King's Man is the most grounded of the trilogy. I mean by the terms of its universe; there's still humor (overall more a sense of playfulness than many straight up jokes) and Vaughn still has that distinctive British anarchic style of writing, though this film will probably be the closest in line in the trilogy to an American sense of the regular blockbuster. 

The real backbone to all this is Oxford's storyline. There are a lot of twists and turns to this and you really become involved with the character's goals. Fiennes is unsurprisingly excellent in his performance as the kick-butt, classy, and philanthropic nobleman. I'm really surprised no one hasn't put him an action film before (maybe it's because he has a very upper bureaucratic upper management face).

There is an excellent group of villains in this based on historical figures. In a monocle, Daniel Bruhl is fun and just spiffy looking as the manipulative Erik Jan Hanussen. However, it's Rhys Ifans' Rasputin who steals the show. Before I saw this, I was annoyed that Rasputin was used YET AGAIN as a villain. He'd already been used multiple times over the years in film and television (including Anastasia and Hellboy). I didn't see the point of using him again. Boy did this movie prove me wrong. Ifans is excellent in his humorous yet unsettling performance as a weird hedonist.

However, the main villain just isn't as interesting as his subordinates. I don't understand why they all follow him so loyally. I don't see how his goals benefits them or why'd they work with someone with such a short temper. Also, hiding this guy in the shadows was so completely unnecessary.  

Running at two hours and ten minutes this movie may be too long for some. (One man in my theater fell asleep.) Though I thought the movie did a good job of balancing the action and dialogue parts, it still takes a while to see plot points meet their conclusion. I think Vaughn got a little too involved in the entire timeline of World War I. They could've cut some parts.

Recommended. Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable action film, and being a Vaughn title manages to not be downright cookie cutter.

Crossing Swords- Season 2

 

8/10

Season 2 of this stop-motion show on Hulu continues the crazy misadventures of squire Percy (voiced by Nicholas Holt) as he has to deal with the selfishness of King Merriman (Lukie Evans) and generally everyone around him.

This season really carries on smoothly from the last one with consistently funny jokes. The writers come up with a lot of creative scenarios to toss Patrick into.

The lead's three siblings' roles have been cut down. They still appear regularly throughout, just not as much. I'm fine with that as the writers seem to realize the real strength of the show: Patrick's interactions with those directly involved in the royal court.

I'm amazed at the amount of talented people they got to voice the characters in this. I really can't believe that's Evans doing Merriman's voice; doesn't sound at all like him, and it's fun to see that Evans was completely game for something so low-brow.  

I'm amazed with the stop-motion. Yeah, the fact that they use Fisher Price figuresque characters makes it easier to do character animation, but since they don't have arms, anything they're holding has to be suspended in air. Not to mention the amount of jumping and stuff the characters have to do. Suspending things in the air (or at least giving the illusion of) must take a lot of work.

Recommended. I had a lot of fun with this season.