Rustin

7.5/10

The Netflix movie Rustin retells how black and gay civil rights leader Rustin Bayard (played by Colman Domingo) helped organize the March on Washington.

Domingo makes this movie in an electrified and erudite performance; a brave man who was committed to peaceful protest despite the odds and wanted to live his truth. Heck, the majority of the cast is strong, including some known faces.

What unfolds is an interesting look at the behinds-the-scenes of everything it took to make the massive march come to fruition.

Though the film mostly focuses on the organizational aspects of the civil rights movement, it reminds the viewers of the injustices done to African Americans through a few well-placed brief snippets.

Naturally, the film is also about Bayard being both black and gay in 1960's America. Credit must be given to the creators for being honestly cynical about achieving political goals as it focuses on how Bayard's homosexuality was an issue for certain NAACPT members or a weak spot for the movement for more pragmatic members. He's arguably one of the less advertised African American rights activists because of his sexual orientation, and the movie shows the ultimate sadness of a man dedicated toward good but forced to muzzle himself due to his gayness. 

Though the movie wasn't that long, it still could've been shortened. Some scenes just feel like padding or a little dry. Most of the writing flows well, but there is one scene involving an anti-war group where a character's dialogue felt really unnatural and expositioney. (I get the feeling that some scenes for that subplot were cut down and maybe the dialogue would've felt more natural if we had more context.)

Recommended. This is a well told film with an excellent lead performance.

Goosebumps- Season 1

7.5/10

In this the second show to be based on the popular children's horror series by R.L. Stine, a group of teens accidentally open a secret room unleashing a collection of cursed objects upon their town.

I give the creators credit for doing something other than the same ol' with the Goosebumps style. Instead of the more colorfully shot tales like with the original stories and the films that star children, this has the leads being teens and the story being told with bleaker lighting and somewhat more grounded writing. The show has more weight and story than your regular Goosebumps. I rather liked the whole backstory of the secret behind the accursed objects and other forces. This took a few risks for a Disney+/Hulu family program. However, the show still manages to be macabre and scary without crossing content lines. (Parents be forewarned that the very last episode is more violent than the entirety of the rest of the show.)

Though a more serious Goosebumps, the writers are having fun. There's a decent amount of humor to balance the tone.

The main teens though maybe not the most standout characters, are all good enough. This is another one of those "teens with parental problems" shows. The show doesn't do much new with the formula. I'm so tired of every series/movie starring teens having emotional trauma issues. I get it, a lot of people in this world don't have super parents, but seeing this done ALL the time is exhausting and kinda depressing. Can't we just have teens going on an adventure that focuses on just the adventure and not their problems? At least the parental issues in this aren't as strong as they would have been if this was more of a teen/adult show.

Standout in this is Justin Long (who'd have guessed at the start of his career that he'd become so associated with horror?) as the teens' teacher Mr. Bratt. He gives a pretty lively, offbeat performance. Childrens Hospital's Rob Huebel (who I'm surprised isn't in more things as he's good with drama or humor) is also pretty watchable as a semi-ineffectual school counselor.

Recommended. Goosebumps purists may not love the somewhat radical changes, but this managed to deliver something new without feeling like its completely discarded the elements of the books.

Villains of Valleyview- Season 2

6.5/10

The second season of the Disney Channel sitcom continues the misadventures of the Maddens, a retired supervillain family, as they live in modern suburbia.

Best part of this continues to be the friendship of the polar opposites bad girl Amy Madden/Havoc (played by Isabella Pappas) and the sunny Hartley (Kayden Muller-Jansen). They work so well off of each other. The rest of the cast remains strong, the humor is still decent and something kids will probably enjoy, and I like the effort they put into the costumes.

Though the family loves each other, the writers lean in even more on the insult humor between each other even more this season. Parents may not love the example it sets, and besides that, it gets a little tiresome.

Youngest child Colby/Flashform (Stuck in the Middle's Malachi Barton) continues to feel unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, Barton delivers his A-game, but as the youngest the writers always feel at a loss as to where to put him. He doesn't get to associate with many his own age and is mostly relegated to B-plots where he interacts with his parents.

The show started with the characters trying to change their ways and seeing the value of good, but this season went in a weird place. The way they portray villains as being mostly lineages has resulted in them being shown  a little as a mistreated class, which seems to disregard the importance of moral choices. A little weird for my tastes and again not a great message for kids.

Kinda recommended. I think your kids will really like it. As a show by itself, it's got a lot of good things going for it, but it's also hampered by its weaknesses. 'Course I might be giving a Disney Channel show too much thought.

Doom Patrol- Season 4 (Final)

9/10

In the final season of Doom Patrol on Max (which took forever to release the second half of the show due to the big shakeup in Warner Bros.' regime change), the ill-fated members of the titular Doom Patrol find themselves the targets of a sinister undertaking.

Though I'm sad to see this wonderfully weird and well-characterized and -acted show end, I felt it left at the right point (they were stretching the group's trauma a bit thin by this point; they have to completely grow eventually). The ending, though it may not be what everyone wants is a very emotional affair with the characters we've all grown to love (those that actually watch this criminally underrated show anyway). I especially like how natural the journey of Crazy Jane (Encanto's Diane Guerrero) has been. Out of all the cast, her progression has been the most natural, relying less and less on her other personalities. (If you were disappointed that they really weren't using Crazy Jane's special abilities that come with each personality anymore, prepare to be equally disappointed here. To play devil's advocate, it both conceptually makes sense and showrunner Eric Carver (the American version of Being Human and seasons 8-11 of Supernatural) probably had pressure from the producers to cut down on special effects). Both Robotman/Cliff Steele (played by Riley Shanahan and voiced by Brendan Frasier) and Elasti-Woman/Rita Farr (April Bowlby) have some great moments, but the show continues its nasty habit of leaning too hard on their negative characteristics: Robotman making too many dumb decisions and Elasti-Woman hindered too often by her vanity and stubbornness. The latter's journey feels particularly choppy as her character sorta goes back-and-forth throughout.   

Again, the show earns it's title as the most bonkers superhero show out there. The various scenarios the gang are thrown into are unique and entertaining. I admire how the writers were able to squeeze in most of the  the remaining villains from the original 60's run. One of the more recent Doom Patrol members Casey Brinke/Space Case (Madeline Zima) finally makes it to the show. If you liked the character, you probably won't be disappointed here. She has this pep to her that other cast members don't have. 

Course for a show where the writers throw out one crazy idea after another, don't expect everything to stick. Once again, I felt there was too much emphasis on the amoral government agency The Bureau of Normalcy, which has really worn out its welcome. Remember the killer butts? Well, they're back. Yeah, yeah, it's a funny concept, but again they've worn out their concept (I think the butts are the one part of the show that got TOO weird), and the writers feel way too enamored of their creation. 

Doesn't help that it feels like the writers had trouble fitting in the butt subplot. There's so much going on that things may feel rushed and that not every concept may get its due. Also, be prepared that some of the supporting characters you've grown to know may not get as much time as they should. The writers focus on the main cast almost to a fault.

Recommended. Yeah, they definitely could've cut down on the characters feeling bad about themselves, but this remains a truly unique experience and deserved send off for the show. I shall miss it, but I'll remember the good times. 

Loki- Season 2 (Final?)

9.5/10

In the second and probably final season of Loki on Disney+, Norse god Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) tries to save the fate of the TVA (The Time Variance Authority).

I mostly liked the first season, which was pretty inventive and the look to the headquarters of the whole TVA was so unique, but I had my criticisms. The story felt a little dragged out, there was too much organizational shadowiness, and though it was fun to see the narcissistic Loki in a situation he didn't have control over, it became exhausting to see him be under the foot of one constant bad situation after another. This season though, it has all the strengths of season one but none of the weak points. (Also, if you were disappointed with the cliffhanger for season 1, it pays off a lot better than you'd suspect.)

This is nothing but great sci-fi creativity, excellent set design (I love the window shots of the massive retro-futuristic world of the TVA so much), and wonderful characterization. The human drama and stakes are so well done here. The finale with the exception of Avengers: Endgame is the best ending in the entire MCU.

Loki continues to be the main strength to this show. Here, the writers have worked most of the redemption stuff out of the way, and for all of those who saw potential for good in Loki, this really paid off. Hiddleston delivers a fantastic performance as a focused and serious-minded Loki trying to do the right thing despite all the odds. His relationship with TVA agent Moebius (Luke Wilson) continues to result in one of the best duos in television history. Wilson delivers one of his best performances, and Moebius' everyday ability to be congenial even alongside someone like Loki works so well. 

The writers seemed to like TVA desk jockey Casey (Eugene Cordero, who's one of those comic actors who's popping up more and more) enough that they upped the role, and he works well when given more serious material to work with. There was always something a little suspicious about Miss Minutes (voiced by prolific voice actress Tara Strong), the TVA's holographic AI in the form of a 1950/60's cartoon clock (brilliant idea by the way), who started to seem a bit suspicious as to her motivations last year. Here we understand what makes her tick as she's become an antagonist and makes for a rather interesting character (although they don't spend much time with her.) I also felt they did a better job with the characterization of rogue TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer (Belle's Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and her motivations.

We get a couple new characters. Ke Huy Quan, whose stock has really risen since Everything Everywhere all at Once, is the TVA's science guy Ouroboros. Quan brings his trademark likableness as the guy who is way too easy going with what's going on.  Jonathan Majors plays yet another variant of the multidmensional warlord Kang, scientist Victor Timely. You're curious as to what role he will play in everything as you're sort of charmed by the smart but awkward man, but know that he has the potential of going bad.

The only weak point to this is that sometimes, especially with the last episode, the writers are trying to be a little too clever with the time travel laws. It can be a little confusing.

Highly recommended, this is one of the best recent MCU entries and one of THE best period. This is just six hours of pure entertainment and superb storytelling.

The Marvels

8/10

In this sequel to Captain Marvel (and follow-up to the shows Wandavision and Ms. Marvel), Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larsen), Monica Rambeau/Photon (Teyonah Parris), and Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) find their powers connected as they start switching locations as they use their powers. To further complicate things, they must deal with Supremor Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a member of the Kree Empire who has a vendetta against Captain Marvel.

This is like Ant-Man and the Wasp. It's not the hardest hitting of MCU stories, but it makes for pretty fun viewing and is very watchable. "Breezy." That is what this movie is in a nutshell. Marvel took it to heart that the first Captain Marvel film, while I thought was a good movie, didn't have quite the personality as other Marvel movies, and that Captain Marvel did feel a little wooden. Here, you've got a good sense of humor and world building. I really digged the alien planets the Marvels went to. The visual designs are typical Marvel quality.

Some may accuse this of following the Marvel formula, but it's the Marvel formula done well, and I felt this was the best of the "light" entries in the post-Endgame MCU. Whereas Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania felt like its alien world (although it didn't happen in space, it was basically an alien world) was too derivative of previous Marvel films and its various weird characters felt tacked on just to add new weird characters, here things feel more natural and thought out.

Now there are a few moments where Larsen's delivery is still a little flat, but she's a lot more lively here. The writers, like they did with Chris Hemsworth in the Thor movies, realize Larsen is better when she's given a chance to be funny. She's at her best when she's reacting to the insanity and people around her.

I know everyone else is already saying it, but Ms. Marvel really is the best part of this. Her ernestness, sheer optimism, and constant fangirling over Captain Marvel steals every scene she's in. Vellani outshines her two older, more experienced co-stars. The movie also retains Khan's family from her mini-series, and it's fun to watch regular people deal with space-based insanity.

Editing does feel a little choppy, especially in the first third. The switching places felt a little sloppy in the beginning, like they had trouble wrangling all the multiple scenes. Also, it felt like stuff was definitely cut.

The beginning does rush a little. We're immediately thrown into the big threat, and I would've liked a little breathing time to introduce the characters with. It's easier to get into this if you've seen the three previous projects for the characters. All their powers and backstories are explained, but they're done very quickly.

Though Kamala's brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh), has some solid one-liners, he is one character too many in this. He didn't need to become involved. (He doesn't live at home with his family. He just happened to be there when things went nuts.)

A lot of people complain about Dar-Benn being a weak adversary. I don't know about that. Sure, she's not Loki or Thanos, but you understand her backstory and reasoning. (She's still better than the Dark World and Dr. Strange villains). I felt Ashton was doing her best in the role, and I'm loving the look they gave Dar-Benn. Admittedly, the character, especially near the end, could've been better utilized.

Recommended. It may be the Marvel formula, but this is a genuinely fun film and worth seeing for Ms. Marvel at least.

Star Trek: Lower Decks- Season 4

8/10

The lower decks gang from the U.S.S. Cerritos face new chapters in their lives and a mysterious new threat and welcome new crew member Vulcan T'Lyn (voiced by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Gabrielle Ruiz).

The show remains consistently entertaining as the episodes remain varied and distinct, and the writers continue doing a great job making use of and paying  homage to Star Trek lore. What I like about this show is that the characters don't remain stagnant and there is actual growth. (They finally tackle a couple plot points that arguably the writers may have been putting off for a little too long.) I especially appreciate the growth in the case of Mariner (Space Force's Tawny Newsome). She was too controlling at the beginning and destructive, but the show has acknowledged she's on a journey and she's gone through so much development. There's a continuing subplot is a mystery. It keeps you guessing as to what's going on and the explanation pays off pretty well.

The character of T'Lynn, who's a bit of a rebel/goes-with-the-gut-type by Vulcan standards was first introduced in season 2. It was hinted she was going to join the crew since then, and it's finally happened. The execution meets expectations. For a new addition, she fits in flawlessly. She's sort of the straight man to the rest, but she's also understanding enough of the characters that she gets along with them pretty well.

Animation remains strong. It continues to be colorful and the action is really fluid this year.

The main voice cast remains great. Newsome is really on her a-game this season. All her lines sound so natural.

Highly recommended. It's another funny season that's a real treat for Star Trek aficionados.