National Treasure: Edge of History- Season 1

6.5/10

In this Disney+ television spin-off of the National Treasure films, a series of events lead Jess Valenzuela (played by Lisette Olivera) and her friends on a search for hidden treasure.

The first third of this gets off on the wrong foot. Scripts aren't horrible, just so-so. Given that the NT films kinda appeal to a general family audience, it feels like the writers weren't confident as to how adult or child oriented this should be with the tone feeling sort of kidish or young adultish and then something more adult is suddenly thrown in. 

Whereas the films focused on the founding fathers, this show goes a more diverse route and looks at the unspoken minorities and women involved in the history of our country. Unfortunately, most of the social commentary is told instead of shown as characters awkwardly and unnaturally seem to be speaking direclty to the audience. 

The acting is alright but no standouts. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the villain Billie Pierce in this but be prepared to be disappointed. Don't get me wrong, she doesn't do a bad job per se, she's just decent. (No, they didn't get Nicholas Cage to make any appearances, but a few supporting characters from the films pop up.)   

The show clearly wasn't running on a movie budget, so the sets and locations just don't look that impressive or adventurous.

The above having all been said, if you make it through the first third, the show picks up. The plot gets interesting with twists and turns and the villains' motivations are different from what you'd suspect. The characters become more involving; one of the show's strengths being that everyone is well defined. The tone becomes more consistent as well; everything gets more serious as things go on. This actually has more violence than either of the films. I became invested in what was going on even if the show wasn't perfect.

This show isn't a must-see, but if you're in the mood for something light and mindless, this fits the bill. It is also a decent choice if you're looking for something for both the kids and adults to watch.

Velma- Season 1

6/10

In this, the first straight-up adult take on Scooby-Doo, Velma (voiced by Mindy Kaling) tries to solve both the mystery of her missing mother and who's been killing popular girls at her high school. (To dispel a lot of misinformation, Mindy isn't the showrunner on this; that's Charles Grandy. She's just a voice actor and executive producer.)

In case you haven't heard, this is getting a LOT of hate online. It has a 1.4/10 on IMDB. Won't lie, I kinda liked it. Don't get me wrong, it isn't a perfect show and most of the criticism is well warranted, however, it isn't the worst thing ever as some make it out to be. You ever liked an Adult Swim show (or equivalent) where things go too far or the characters are self-involved but you still like watching it? (I love the Venture Brothers, but let's be honest, Dr. Venture is awful and the creators do go to unhealthy places nobody wanted them to go sometimes.) That's basically what this show is.

What I'm about to say isn't that much different than whatever anyone else is saying, but it can't not be said. Velma can be hard to like. She's rude and mean, super judgmental and tends to put people in boxes, she uses her friends and love interests and takes them for granted, and any lesson she learns doesn't last long. 

The show makes a lot commentary jokes, like WAY too many parts where the characters feel like they're talking directly to the audience. There's a  lot of social commentary jokes, especially aimed at the glass ceiling and the white patriarchy. Problem is that the writers use them as a crutch. They're just repeating the same way-too-obvious points over and over again. However, I don't consider them a deal breaker like some. They can be fun at points, and I feel that having commentary jokes is still far more palpable than when writers just have the characters awkwardly speak the commentary without any nuance. (I'm not anti-woke. I just feel that some shows fumble the ball when they try to apply social issues to a genre plot.)

One last issue is that this has the sexualization of underage teen girls in this. (At least, I assume they're underage. One piece of advertising listed Velma as 15, and i assume the girls around her are the same age.)

On the other hand, there is some pretty funny stuff sprinkled throughout, and the plots for each episode are interesting. MOST importantly, the mystery itself is intriguing with many twists and turns. I honestly couldn't figure out who the villain was until the final episode.

Say what you will about this, but it has a great voice cast. Kaling, Constance Wu as Daphne, It's Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton as Fred, and Sam Richardson as Norville (they're calling Shaggy by his given name for now; yes canonically, it has always been Norville), all sell their characters.

The animation is also really well done and fluid. The show has a unique character design to it.

If you don't like animated shows that can be mean-spirited or too weird (this is definitely a hard sell for an older audience) then this definitely won't be your bag. Everyone else, I do recommend you check the first few episodes out. Many won't be interested, but many might. Again, this isn't a great show, but the plot keeps being interesting enough that I want to watch season 2.

Legend of Vox Machina- Season 2

8/10

In season 2 on Amazon Prime, the members of the adventuring group Vox Machina go up against the Chroma Conclave, four powerful dragons who are attacking cities.

This is definitely a stronger season than the last, which mostly had a real Castlevania vibe to it. This had more of a traditional fantasy feel, and I appreciate that. There is a lot more this time around as the characters are taken to multiple locations and face multiple challenges. Whereas the first season focused primarily on Percy's backstory, here we get to delve into the backstories of most of the other characters ,and they're pretty good. (There is a generational trauma storyline, and admittedly I think they have gotten a bit old hat by now. Every TV/movie writer seems to be doing lousy parents these days.) 

The animation continues to look really, really good. Like the last season, when this show gets violent, it gets graphically violent. However, where the last season felt like it was trying too hard, here the violence is paced well.  

Recommended, this was just a pretty well crafted story with a distinct, compelling cast of characters.

Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special

7.5

In this Harley Quinn special, we follow Harley (voiced by the Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco), Poison Ivy (Childrens Hospital's Lake Bell), Clayface (Alan Tudyk), and Bane (James Adomian) on Valentine's Day.

This is a generally entertaining special. Wouldn't say it's one of the top entries from the show, but you get some pretty fun lines and DC references throughout. There's a good amount of creativity in this and the various plots, except maybe Clayface's, keep your interest.

This does have two weak points. The whole schtick of Harley being too enthusiastic, making bad decisions and not listening to Ivy has gotten a bit tired. Also, Clayface does better as part of an ensemble than as the lead of his own subplot. Tudyk's hack actor dialogue is amusing in small doses but becomes tiresome when unrestrained.

Overall, recommended. More off-kilter shenanigans. If you like the Harley Quinn show, then you'll probably like this.

Shotgun Wedding

 

7/10

Shotgun Wedding, now out on Amazon Prime, is an action romcom in which the wedding of Darcy Rivera (played by Jennifer Lopez) and Tom Fowler (Josh Duhamel), held on an island in the Philippines, is crashed by pirates. The couple end up being the only ones not initially captured and they try to save the others.

I'm seeing a lot of harsh reviews online, but I rather liked this. Don't get me wrong, the plot isn't Shakespeare, doubts about the wedding and fights between the couple come on too strong, and there are a couple of irritations that they suffer during the wedding preparations that feel like a bit much, but there are several good lines throughout, the action scenes aren't shabby, and this has a very inventive and rather amusing idea for a location for holding hostages.

The cast is pretty good. Nice to see Duhamel get the lead role in a film. He's a likable guy and it's about time his star rose. Jennifer Coolidge fans will be pleased to know she gets all the best lines in this as Tom's mother. Lenny Kravitz has the weakest written character as Darcy's ex, but in his defense, he delivers the character as intended, and he does have one good moment. Also, props should be given to Pancho Cardena as the Pirate Leader. His role is more leveled than some of the characters in the wedding party and doesn't have any big moments, but he nails his delivery.

Recommended, it's a fun, silly time.

Knock at the Cabin

 

7/10

In this new M. Night Shyamalyan thriller based on the book The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay, husbands Andrew (played by Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) and their daughter Wen (Kristin Cui) are held hostage at a cabin they're staying at by a quartet of people (Dave Bautista, Harry Potter's Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Abby Quinn). They want the family to decide which one of them will be sacrificed, otherwise they think the entire world will end.

This is a competently directed and scripted film. When things get shocking, they're appropriately shocking. There's are the traditional moments of Shyamalyan character dialogue that doesn't sound natural, but there are also the traditional lines that are also really well written (the talk-heavy opening does feel a little forced, but the movie picks up after the initial few minutes). Again, the director has a very distinctive and very cinematic style to his film. There are a couple of close-ups that didn't work, but overall this is a nice looking film.

The movie is well executed, but is predictable. (It'll probably help if you don't watch the trailers). This isn't one of Shyamalyan's movies that have a twist. You can see where most plot points are and the pacing isn't too slow but isn't too fast either, and I wanted them to hurry things up sometimes. There's nothing wrong with the script, but there's nothing that compels you to rewatch, either. In fairness, I may not be inclined to return to this, because as you probably guessed by the story, this is a pretty dark work to have to sit through. 

Best part of this is the performances by the actors playing the four interlopers, who each have a distinct personality and are dedicated to their mission, but don't like it at all. The actors are able to make even the weaker dialogue work. Bautista is known for the fact that he wants to be an actor's actor and not just an action star, (though he's also realistic about the work he'll usually get based on his build). This is the best performance I've seen him give. He's very unsettling in the way he's both eloquent but menacing in his devotion to his beliefs. I also hope this is a launching point for the careers of Quinn and Amuka-Bird who both deliver, especially the latter. Cui is a very gifted actress for her young age, but that's the problem. Her delivery is too adultish in this, she doesn't feel like a regular kid.

Not particularly recommended or not recommended. Again, this is a well made, quality acted film but might bore people with its predictability. If you don't like when films get unpleasant, this definitely won't be for you.

Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat's Eye

7/10

Having already had Lupin the 3rd team up twice with Detective Conan, the studios have sought a new property to crossover and can fit Lupin's world, one from the 80's. Lupin the 3rd vs. Cat's Eye, on Amazon Prime, brings together prolific anime/manga master thief Lupin the 3rd and his gang and Cat's Eye, a trio of sister art thieves trying to retrieve all the artwork by their missing father. The two groups find themselves in competition for a trio of paintings, which the dangerous Syndicate is also pursuing.

Much how the Lupin/Conan movies felt more like they were set in the Conan world, the tone here feels more like a Cat's Eye film than a Lupin film (at least I think, I don't have a lot of experience with CE), more emphasis is put on the sisters and the movie has a more grounded tone than some other Lupin entries. Not that I'm knocking it. The tone of Lupin has varied frequently over the decades with you getting a bit more lighter Lupin movies over the years than weighty ones, and people who prefer the latter will like this. It's not a hard "adult" title like the early years of Lupin, but there are moments where the situations get more threatening than the majority of the films. 

The sisters are played pretty straight and just aren't as entertaining as the Lupin gang. Also, it hurts the Cat's Eye as main protagonists and believability as professional thieves when Lupin & co. seem quicker on the uptake than them. Lupin is the only member of his group that really gets a chance to shine, with the others just kinda being there. The best use of characters in this are definitely the pairing of Lupin's foe Inspector Zenigato and Cat's Eye's foe detective Toshio Utsumi, who serve as a sort of comic relief. They are both quite similar in goals and outlooks, but their different personalities make things interesting.

As for the basic plot itself, it's solid. I wouldn't say it's the most standout adventure, but it's up there as one of the better Lupin films. Theft/fight scenes are good and everything moves at a steady pace.

The movie utilizes 2d backgrounds with cell shaded 3D characters. Can't say this is the best looking anime I've ever seen, but competent effort was definitely put into this. Backgrounds are detailed and character designs aren't too shabby. However, the filmmakers decided to have the Lupin characters designs changed to fit more into the more realistic aesthetic of the Cat's Eye character designs. Lupin's chin is too short and it bugs me. An interesting detail is that to match the Cat's Eye world, which was very 80's, they had Lupin wear his pink jacket which he wore during that period of time on his third show. Although, I don't think the color blends well with the rest of the scenery.

Kinda recommended. Not a must-watch, but if you're looking for an adventure film, this is a good time. Does stand out a little from the plethora of Lupin films that blend together.