Red One

Grade: B+

In this new Christmas movie, Santa Claus (played by J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped. His bodyguard Callum Drift (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) is forced to team up with underworld tracker Jack O'Malley (Captain America's Chris Evans), who was used to locate Santa’s location, to find him.

This is sort of like the movie Constantine. It sounds like a concept that will be done in a very basic manner, but you are surprised to find out that the directors/writers put more effort into it than expected.

Director Jake Kasdan, who directed the recent Jumanji movies, brings the kind of energy he brought in those. The action scenes are well choreographed, and the movie is well placed. Also, the build up to final bad guy is built up to surprisingly well.

More importantly, it feels like Kasdan and the writers had fun with the idea of juxtaposing an action/spy movie with a Christmas movie, with ideas that could've been too obvious in theory that work in practice. What I liked best about this is that instead of going with a more colorful children's type of film, that could've had candy cane fighting staffs, a Santa's village with bright colors and traditional-looking elves in security outfits, this feels a lot more inspired by classical/mythological Christmas that's been getting more popular with the spread of Krampus. I appreciate that this includes a Christmas-related folkloric being that hasn't really been given emphasis in film before, and not just go with only Krampus again (there are actually a lot of other anti-Clauses and other Christmas-related figures throughout world history than you think; Alsac Lorraine has Hans Trapp, a scarecrow that eats children, for instance. No, he isn't in this. Yes, I'd like to see that one day, too).

The "guy-on-the-naughty-list-finds-his-Christmas-spirit-and-his-humanity-again" has been done plenty of times, and I cannot lie that Jack's character progression isn't the most obvious and least entertaining part of this, but I do give the writers credit for realizing that. Red One is kind of the movie Chef in that the redemption story is lean and mean and doesn't bog itself down with obvious "the-character-has-briefly-turned-away-from-what-he-has-learned" tropes. Also, Callum as Jack's conscious honestly gets through to him using some discussions that haven't been done in these films before.

Evans is a highlight of this, as he’s always good at playing the cocky guy. It is also appreciated that while he’s a criminal, they do make him three-dimensional enough and his apathy understandable instead of an over-the-top Ebenezer Scrooge-type.

Johnson on the other hand doesn’t fair as well. He’s being “serious Rock” here and not “charismatic Rock”. He feels wasted, and also it feels a little odd that his character, for a morally good person, is so unpractically aggressive and threatening to Jack, before he even has the chance to refuse to spill information.

The best part of this is the look. The movie’s takes on Santa’s sled and the reindeer are solid reinventions. (Not loving the elves, but it is a choice, and I give the filmmakers props for trying something new). Going back to this being more mythological Christmas-inspired. This has one of the most traditionally cozy-looking Santa villages (remember when they used to make Christmas-themed buildings for model trains? It is like that), and honestly I feel it is one of the best renditions.

The editing can be a little choppy at times, but it isn’t a deal breaker.

Recommended. Admittedly, having to go through the “message-of-the-film” moments again may kill the rewatch value, but this is a fun time. If you liked the recent Jumanji movies, you will probably like this.

Arcane- Season 2 (Final)

Grade: A

The events of last season have their fallout as tensions between Piltover and Zaun heighten and Jinx (voiced by Fallout/Sweetpea's Emma Purcell) goes on the run pursued by her sister Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and a determined Cait (Kaitie Leun, Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies).

It was a long wait between seasons, but we finally got it, and I found it to be worth the wait. Events get crazier, and we get a lot more storylines that are high concept. Since the characters have already been introduced, the writers get the luxury to make this a more fast-paced entry.

There are a lot of complaints that this season is too fast paced, and I confess that this could’ve been split into two. Admittedly, too much may be going on and too quickly. The creators cannot give every element and character as much focus as they should. Plus, a lot of cast do not get to interact as much since some of the storylines are so separated. (The relationship between inventor Jayce (Fire Country/Lucifer's Kevin Alejandro) and politician Mel (the Frasier reboot/The Neighbor's Toks Olagundoye) is barely touched on).

Of course, it's the multifaceted characterization that still makes this work. The large cast continues to be diverse and interesting. There are few shows that get you to like and feel for characters as you do for this, and even if they are antagonists or just make bad decisions, you get where they are coming from. One of the episodes that made me say "they're doing this storyline again!" worked because of the characters.

The briefly introduced general Ambessa (EastEnders' Ellen Thomas) becomes a major player. She's one of those confident warrior types that are very verbose about the art of war and is one of the most cunning people in the room. Singed (Mistresses' Brett Tucker), the underworld doctor and a minor character last season, also gets more to do. There is more than what meets the eye to the guy. Plus, figuring out his goals and actions makes him super captivating. (There may be a lot of complaints online, but no one seems to have issue with Singed).

The destructive Jinx continues to be one of the main draws. What's nice is that she just isn't doing the same "sister-issues" stuff she did last season. She does not really know what to do after what happened in season 2, and it is nice to see her being genuinely pathless, not knowing what she wants anymore, which allows her quieter and more personal moments (though its Jinx, and she still blows things up a lot). Ella Purnell is still killing it as her, fluctuating between devil-may-care and self-hating. To think she got the role right before her career started taking off, back when Hailee Steinfeld was the only big, big name on this (not to disrespect the various experienced actors involved).

Cool street urchin Ekko (Blaze and the Monster Machines' Reed Shannon), continues to get the short end of the stick as he is once again underutilized, but at least he gets his very own focus episode.

Some character actions do feel a little forced for the plot. Cait’s decisions change really quickly here.

I appreciated that the last season of the show didn’t go crazy with random shock deaths. Unfortunately, this did not carry over here. Several deaths feel unearned and too random in the manner that has been popular with shows since Game of Thrones.

The animation is still some of the best ever done for television. (Apparently, this is the MOST expensive animated show ever). Again, colorful and beautiful . The animators even get a little experimental for certain scenes. There isn’t as much time spent on the settings and their details and nuances due to the faster-paced plot, but there are more creative-looking places and devices.

Recommended. Season 1 was stronger, I do not deny, and I’m not saying there are no legitimate criticisms, but this is still highly engaging television and knocks a lot of other shows out of the park.

Gladiator II

Grade: B-

In this sequel to the 2000 hit, Lucius (played by Paul Mescal), now grown up, is captured and sold into slavery as a gladiator after his wife is killed and his city conquered by the Roman Empire. Like Maximus before him, Lucius vows revenge.

The movie starts slow for the first two-thirds. It also feels like it's copying plot points too much from the first, such as the enslaving, the political intrigue against the current ruler, and especially the wife death, which just feels a little like a cheap trope the second time around and a little misogynistic that you need to kill a woman to spur a man's storyline. (When Casino Royale came out we were like "Oh, a Bond girl death. It's been a while". When Quantum of Solace came out we were like "Oh, the Bond girl death again, well it's still kinda effective". When Skyfall came out we were like, "Seriously? This one went real nihilistic, man".)

This felt rather like Gladiator-light, as the events don't feel quite as grounded as the original. Characterization is not as strong. Lucius' fellow gladiators do not get a lot of screen time and there is not a natural time line of them warning up to him, they just start working with him. (Also, the movie makes a mistake of having Lucius interacting with few people he likes and too many people he has got a beef with. I like Lucius, but he could have been given more time to really shine as a leader and a person people will follow.)  

Some of the deaths feel like overkill as well. Plus, this goes for the "ending of the last film meant nothing and things went bad" trend that a lot of sequels made decades after their predecessors have been doing. You know that you can have characters doing alright and then set up a new threat/conflict, right?

But there are also some good ideas, lines, and moments in this sprinkled througout. This is a Ridley Scott movie, and though I would not say this is the best of his in terms of visuals, they have been his strong point and he he will catch your eye at times, including some creative kills. A great idea is to have this Rome be more of a fancy-looking, corrupt decadent type of Rome.

It is when the third act comes and everything comes to a head, and we do not have to wait anymore, that things get interesting. Some of the best parts are here including some legitimate surprise moments (including one truly earned scene of melodrama) and the type of epic final battle that the audience wants to see. Though the movie starts out like the original, it definitely tries something different here.

The best part hands down is Denzel Washington's character of Macrinus, the gladiator owner who purchased Lucius and a master schemer who climbed up the ladder from the bottom. He gets the best lines and Washington gives one of the liveliest performances he's ever given in a style I dub "restrained flamboyance". His body language is killing it here.

Mescal is no Crowe (though, the script is not giving him any favors), but he ain't half bad. The character of Lucius is a little dull at first, but Mescal gets a chance to show his ability as the angrier and fed up he gets. You're rooting for Lucius as he wants to burn all the awfulness he encounters to the ground.

Though I felt the emperor in the last film was a little overwrought, he had better characterization than the twin emperors here. They given could have been given more backstory, personality, and stuff to do, but, as spoiled/foppish sort of rulers, they definitely have some fun scenes. All credit should be given to Fred Hechinger as Emperor Caracalla, the more juvenile of the duo. He IS the character, providing some great facial work.

Pedro Pascal is the head general of Rome, and I am sad to say that this is one of his less impressive performances. He feels so low-energy throughout most of this film.

A light recommendation. It is not as strong as the original, but when it works it works, and I truly enjoyed the finale. Honestly, some will find this too long and a little dull, while others will enjoy the action and grandeur of this all, and I feel a lot of Gladiator fans may be more forgiving of this than me (I honestly did not love the original as much as some).

Only Murders in the Building- Season 4

Grade: A

NOTE: There are no spoilers for this season, but this will include a significant spoiler from season 3 if you haven't seen it yet.

In season 4 of this popular Hulu show, true crime podcasters Charles-Haden Savage (played by Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) try to solve the murder of Charles' long-time stuntman and friend Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch). Meanwhile, a movie is being made of their first podcast.

This feels like a real step up from season 3, and that season was perfectly good. The various storylines and people the gang meet make for a diverting time, with the story taking you to some surprising places you might not expect. The writers are firing on all cylinders in terms of both story and jokes (episode seven is hands down the best one) and the show's focus on how people often don't really know other people may be at its strongest and most effective here.

I think most of us are sad to see Sazz die as she was a fun character who had been around since the beginning, but it was an effective move to kill her off. Though, she could get on Charles' nerves, you could tell she was his oldest, closest, and most loyal friend. A good portion of this is Charles dealing with the sorrow and anger of his friend's demise in his own difficulty-expressing-himself-way. (Martin does some of his best work with the character here). The season also allows us to really see (through flashbacks) into Sazz and her life more than the show ever did with her before. (I honestly feel this is the best performance I've ever seen Lynch do).

This season also involves the trio being portrayed in the movie and shadowed by Eugene Levy, Zach Galifiankis, and Eva Longoria. Having them interact with the leads is a lot of fun, and Galifiankis, who has an eccentric combativeness toward Oliver, and Eva, who is basically playing a parody of out-of-touch celebrities, are the real highlights.

Highly recommended. Honestly, this might be the second best season.

Agatha all Along

Grade: B+

In Disney+'s limited series follow-up to Wandavision, amoral witch Agatha Harkness (played by Kathryn Hahn), is back. On a quest to restore her lost powers, she travels on the Witches' Road, which grants the desires of whichever witches complete its challenges, alongside the mysterious young warlock Teen (Hearstopper's Joe Locke) and her new coven.

The showrunner is Jac Schaeffer, who also helmed Wandavision, and this really feels like one of the most seamless transitions from one MCU product to another. Some may be annoyed that the majority of the episodes is just one trial after another without any big story threats, but this still makes for an entertaining piece. Characters are strong, the show is imaginative, and it excels at plot payoff and timing on info dissemination.

However, pacing may bug people. It feels like certain moments and other elements appear haphazardly and aren't done as effectively as they could.

Also, know how what was happening in Wandavision was rather dark? This is a lot more. I can't say this is as dark as that "one" plot point of Moon Knight, but this feels like the most nihilistic of the MCU Disney+ shows (yes, even more than Secret Wars). One can't help but ask "What happened to you Schaeffer? What made you like this?"

This includes a certain team from the comic. If you don't like it when comic movies/shows simplify characters, make them more grounded, and take away some of the over-the-top aspects of them, you won't like what they did here (. Honestly, why even use the characters if you have no love for them. (Admittedly, Disney is trying to make its MCU shows more cost effective and some of the appearances of said characters would've cost dough. Also, this is a team that not everyone knows, so a lot of you probably won't care).

If you feel that Agatha may be too much like Loki, don't worry. Whereas there is part of Loki that wants to be the hero, and he puts up a face to hide his security, Agatha remains a confident, me-first sociopath who's always thinking of a quick way to come out on top. Not that the show doesn't show that she has a human side, but it doesn't try to glide over what she has been or done or suddenly soften her. 

Hahn (who I'm guessing is one of the major reasons this show got made) continues to have this presence about her. Agatha may be awful but Hahn makes her very entertaining as she wisecracks and proves she's the cleverest one in the room.

The cast all around is pretty good. Aubrey Plaza is on the same level as Hahn as Rio Vidal, a mysterious witch that has a past with Agatha. Plaza is the queen of being weird and wild, but she really proves her acting job as she can show her more human side with just a look. Patti Lupone who is a theater star, but doesn't get a lot of high profile show/movie roles these days, is lively as a fortune seeing witch, and Debra Jo Rupp returns as the neighbor from Wandavision, and retains her trademark buoyant personality. SNL's Sasheer Zamata is a witch and high priestess in this. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of hers back on the sketch show. She really wasn't working for me. (Though to be honest, it could be the show may not have been using her properly. Wouldn't be the first time). But she was killing it here as a person with a confident personality and the one who likes Agatha the least. Honestly, I felt Zamata was underutilized here.

Recommended. I don't have quite as high opinion of this as many others online, but it does make for a solid watch that doesn't get boring, and definitely feels more confident and stronger than the recent likes of Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion.

Time Cut

Grade: B

In this new Netflix movie, smart high school student Lucy (played by Outer Banks' Madison Bailey) happens across a time machine and is sent back twenty years ago to a before Summer (Ginny & Georgia's Antonia Gentry), the sister she never knew, and her friends were murdered by a serial killer.

There are going to be the natural comparisons to last year's Totally Killer, given that they have similar concepts (also it's super weird that the killers' masks look alike), but it appears that production on this film actually started first. Just one of those X-Men/Doom Patrol parallel ideas at the same time situation.

I admit that Totally Killer was more entertaining and had a better cast, but I felt this had the more interesting story. TC does some stuff I haven't seen done before with a "someone-travels-back-in-time-and-meets-their-younger-family" story. We've seen people interact with their parents as teens and learn more about them stories, but meeting a sibling you never knew is one I haven't really encountered. The relationship between the two sisters with contrasting personalities and personal problems, but they also work well off of each other, is really the backbone of this.

I'm pleased with the killers' identity. This isn't one of those movies where the killer is too obvious or the movie is forcing on one suspect so hard that it's obvious a red herring.

This is probably more for time travel fans than horror ones. This honestly feels at times more like suspense than slasher. Totally Killer, which was also a comedy, actually had more slasher action in it.

Recommended. I know this has been critically panned, but I felt it had a solid story and characters with some interesting ideas.

Here

Grade: A

Here based on the magazine strip turned graphic novel by Richard McGuire is shot from the exact same angle and follows a spot of land and the house that is eventually built on it throughout history with emphasis on said house and the marriage of occupants Richard (played by Tom Hanks) and Margaret (Robin Wright). 

In recent years, Zemeckis' films have been more hit or miss and the last few in particular haven't been well accepted, but I felt this was a real return to form. It honestly feels like an old-school feel-good drama. Admittedly, some may feel the movie to be a bit maudlin, especially by today's more cynical standards, and the main sources of conflicts in Richard and Margaret's stories respectively may not feel quite like how these circumstances would play out in real life, but honestly this was still an entertaining slice-of-life film.

The slipping between timelines and the various vignettes is what really makes it work. You ever seen an educational video or animatronic performance at Disney World (World of Tomorrow is the best example)? It has that kinda feel, with sort of a lets have fun with the presentation kind of way. The stories work, heck most of the shorter ones are actually more interesting than the main story.

Zemeckis' does a solid job of transitioning between time periods, often in a way where things don't all change at once, and incorporates panels, being reminiscent of the format of the original comics. Hearing the basic description of this, you wouldn't think this would be fancy-looking giving the limited locations, but a lot of effort was put into making the background look like the appropriate time periods. The set design and props are also pretty effective at selling the era.

The deaging technology works really well and usually only seems odd if you're  specifically focusing on it. Zemeckis makes the wise choice of avoiding having the characters close up to the camera too often. I wished the movie had used makeup for old age instead of digital effects. There is a couple usages of that where it feels the most fake.

Hanks and Wright, not surprisingly, are solid. Yeah, Hanks does sound a little old if you listen to him long enough, but I did feel he intentionally put more energy into his younger performance. Wright manages to not sound old when playing her younger self. Honestly, some of the supporting actors here are even more entertaining. Paul Bettany as Richard's father gives a particularly lively and multifaceted performance.

The music didn't work for me. It was too 90's light-hearted and didn't feel like it appropriately fitted certain scenes.

Recommended. I know a lot of critics don't like this, and not to say there are no valid criticisms about the main story, but I thought this was a sincerely emotional, impressive, entertaining, and unique work.