Scooby-Doo! and Krypto, too!

 

7/10

In this made-for-streaming/DVD movie, the Mystery Inc. gang is called in to investigate the disappearance of the Justice League and search the Hall of Justice which is haunted by a phantom. There they team up with Superman's famed pet Krypto.

This film had an interesting history. Images of it leaked a while back but no official confirmation of its existence was given by the WB. The last released SD movie Trick or Treat had a difference in tone and animation style from the other SD made-for-DVD movies released since 2009. Krypto, too! has the original character designs which makes one hypothesize that it was created first. (They produced two of these films a year for a while.)  When it comes to David Zaslav and WB Discovery's controversial cuts since the studios' regime change, Batgirl has got all the publicity for being the completed title that got shelved and never shown, however it looks like SD got hit the hardest. The Scoob prequel was shelved as well as the incomplete pre-school show being made. Another in-production SD made-for-DVD movie was canceled as well. (It would've brought the Hex Girls back and had songs. 'Tis a shame.) It's reasonable to assume that this movie had also been shelved (though there's no official info.) However, an interesting thing happened. The full film was leaked online. It was quickly pulled but not much later its release was announced. Perhaps the leak produced enough views to entice the studio to change their minds.

This is likely the last of the SD made-for-DVD movies for a while based on recent trends. (These have been going on since '98. I fear that ending this universal cornerstone along with Hasbro ending the long running Power Rangers series in the form as we know it may be the harbinger of the unraveling of reality and some dark, looming event. Or it can simply be the fate of media in a changing business environment if you want to get boring about it.) It's a good film to go out on. Wouldn't say it's one of the best in the series, but it's definitely one of the better ones. 

Definitely one of the funnier ones. Dialogue's on point. There are a few really solid self-pokes on legitimate critiques of the DC and SD. (There is one point where I thought to myself "Yes, you're completely right about that! Thank you!") Lex Luthor (voiced delightfully by Charles Halford) is a main part of the cast as he's stuck in the building with the rest of the gang and has to team up with them. He's a sarcastic, grumpy and arrogant interpretation, and he's an interestingly new type of dynamic for the team as they don't usually have a foil to work off of.

Story is also one of the more unique SD plots. The conclusion to the mystery is satisfying. We also get an entertaining group of suspects. 

Admittedly, the plot in the middle act is a bit light, but kids probably won't be as critical. There is a subplot with Jimmy Olson (prolific voice actor James Arnold Taylor) that is arguably problematic and uncalled for but doesn't pop up much.

As it's always been, the 2009-2023 animation remains colorful and smooth. (Though I still hate that they don't include whites in the characters eyes because that's what the original Scooby-Doo Where are you? did in order to be "retro.") Loved the design of the phantom. It has a cosmic/molten lava-like feel to it. Considering that they did a team-up a few years back with the "Brave and the Bold" version of Batman and other DC characters, the change in character designs might be nitpick for some who prefer continuity. But, what can you suspect with a continuity as long as SD?) 

Recommended. This is definitely a fun time for kids or adult SD/DC fans.

Spy Kids: Armageddon

6.5/10

In this fifth Spy Kids movie on Netflix, Tony and Patty Tango-Torrez (played by Connor Esterson and Everley Carganilla) do not know their parents are spies, but that all changes when evil forces target a dangerous item the family is harboring.

This is a... Spy Kids. Definitely. Story's not high art, but it is something your kids will probably enjoy. Since this movie is introducing yet ANOTHER duo of spy kids, the whole part about the kids finding out their parents are spies has become old hat. You know where things are going and you're waiting for the action to kick up. However, once that exhibition is done you get what makes the films work: silly action with colorful and campy vehicles, gadgets, and villain appearances. I really do like director/co-writer Robert Rodriguez's designs in these film. Surprised they haven't made more toys and action figures off of his ideas. They have this simplicity to them but are never too basic.

This is strangely enough a retread in that this movie is focused around video games like SK3-D was. However, the plots are different just enough that I don't mind. (To be honest, I think they do a better job with the concept here.) I also appreciate that Rodriguez uses this movie as a warning against media over-reliance and the importance of honesty in an easy to digest lesson for the kiddos.

I'd rank the film beneath 1 and 4-D and above 2 and 3-D. The latter two just didn't have much in the plot department. Weirdly, Rodriguez puts more emphasis on the stories for the films where the characters are introduced.

If I'm not mistaken, the kids are the youngest they've ever been. Which is a bit of a downside considering how very young Carganilla is. There is nothing natural about her acting. Esterson's a little better but not by much. Shazam!/Chuck's Zachary Levi and Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez are the parents. They're both charismatic actors, but they cannot make the dialogue work. Faring better are D.J. Cotrona as the head of the spy agency and Game Night's Billy Magnusson as the villain. Cotrona gets the inherent silliness of a serious guy in a ridiculous world. Wouldn't say that Magnusson is the best villain in the franchise, but he is one of the better ones. For a simple movie, you get where he's coming from. Magnusson was clearly hired because he can do camp and has this child-friendly feel to his energy and delivery.

Kinda recommended. Younger kids will probably love this. Parents may dislike this or be neutral. Rodriguez has always focused on making kids films for kids and has never worried about adult references or maturer storytelling. I salute him for sticking just to the core audience.

Winning Time- Season 2 (Final)

7.5/10

In this second and final season of the Max show about how Dr. Jerry Buss (played by John C. Reilly) and the Los Angeles Lakers changed the world of basketball, we see the team after their first championship win and their struggles to recapture that.

This season lacks a bit of the oomph as the last one. Not as much big, interesting stuff happening. In fairness, the writers work with what history gives them. Also, last season was able to show how Buss revolutionized sports entertainment and with that out of the way, it's mostly just the behind-the-scenes drama.

Not to say that the show isn't entertaining anymore. Again, we've got a great cast. The best part is How I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel as Paul Westhead. He's been trying to prove how versatile he is since the show ended and this might be one of his best performances. The show follows Westhead's fall from grace in a riveting performance of a man succumbing to pride and pressure. (By the way, he isn't a main player, but I continue to love the guy who plays Johnson's lawyer. Guy's competent but cold-blooded.)  

The writers try to correct some of the last season's weaknesses. The less pleasant aspects of the cocky Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) are sanded down. Heck, everyone's sanded down except for Buss. I do think they portray him making bad, selfish decisions way too often. The writers also addressed the complaints that they showed Jeanie Buss (Hadley Robinson) having to struggle to earn her father's respect and her place in the business. Yeah, they wanted to make this a feminist piece, but by going this course they disregard the accomplishments she'd already achieved at that point in her real life. This season, they treat the character with more respect and the show is less about her struggling and more about her juggling business and family.

Recommended. First season was better but this is still an enjoyable glimpse of a long gone time and acting remains top notch. I am disappointed Max cancelled this. (The fact that the episode number was cut was a good warning.) Wanted to see more. 

Harley Quinn- Season 4

7.5/10

In this fourth season of Harley Quinn, Harley (voiced by Big Bang Theory's Caley Cuoco) and Poison Ivy (Childrens Hospital's Lake Bell) try to continue their relationship with the hurdle of Harley now being a hero and aiding the Bat Family while Ivy has become the CEO of the Legion of Doom.

I'd say this season was a mixed bag. When the show is funny, it is funny. There were a lot of solid ideas. (The show will definitely surprise you at points.) I give the writers credit for not having the characters in the exact same place as the first seaso, but having the scenarios Harley and Ivy in change as their characters evolve. 

However, not every idea and joke lands. This season felt like it was trying to juggle too many plot points and characters. If you're a fan of Harley's original gang, they're a lot more sidelined and recurring than regular. (I'm actually okay with how little screentime Clayface (Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk) got this year. He's a one-note character that works better in smaller doses.) Harley working with the Bat family never feels as well-utilized as expected. The ending doesn't feel as strong as the plot points leading to it.

Harley and Ivy's chemistry and dialogue and Cuoco and Bell's dialogue remains strong. It's disappointing that the couple spends so much time away from each other, because they work so well together. I am pleased that the writers got the hint and cut down on Harley making rushed, one-sided decisions without thinking how it'll affect others.

You get a lot more of Nora Freeze (SNL alumni Rachel Dratch) who's Ivy's assistant in this. I loved her no-bars, does what she wants attitude. Though Giancarlo Esposito really suits as the voice of Lex Luthor, the character hasn't really been that interesting until now. With the whole season featuring him, the writers were able to define Lex's character. Due to this being a comedy, his obsession with one-upping Superman is taken to the umpth degree, and he is portrayed as a narcissistic and silly, wannabe-alpha male. (Admittedly, he does feel a little dragged out by the final episode.)

Also, for a show focusing on two female leads trying to operate in a male-dominated industry, the show has been low on other female characters. This season seemed to try to correct that as we did get more of them this time around.

Infamous one-shot DC villain Snowflame (James Adomian), the villain who gets his powers from cocaine, is portrayed in this as a wannabe-bro with no shutter.  The writers seemed more enamored with him than I as I thought he was overused and not that entertaining.

Recommended. The weakest season of Harley Quinn is still rather entertaining. (Again, predictability is one thing you can't accuse this show of.)

One Piece (2023)- Season 1

9.5/10 

In this live-action Netflix adaptation of the manga by Eiichiro Oda, which already has a popular anime adaptation, Monkey D. Luffy (played by The Imperfects' Inaki Godoy) decides to become King of the Pirates by finding the One Piece, the fabled treasure of former Pirate King Gold Roger (Michael Dorman).

Giving how hard it is to adapt manga/anime, I was pleased to see how well this show turned out. It might have helped that Oda himself supervised this and even dictated a few rules the show had to follow. The creators also really understood the source project and they made the concentrated effort not to make the show lean too light or too dark. Naturally, this adaptation changes things. Considering that the anime and manga have hit over a 1000 episodes, things had to be truncated or cut, but the show manages to be its own thing (and a smidge more appealing to American audiences) while staying loyal to all the broad strokes and all the really crucial elements.

One Piece feels like this decade's Star Wars or MCU, something both younger and older viewers will enjoy. The show is a combination of over-the-top fantasy action, silliness, and true emotional moments. If the show feels too goofy at the beginning, I recommend you stick through to the second half which is more background heavy. One Piece can get dark. One moment you have someone in the silliest costume you've ever seen and next thing you're hit with a truly tragic recollection that IS A LOT. For a world filled with weird characters,  the show is shock-full of pure emotional drama that makes you feel for the characters. Episode seven had me tearing up a little.

One Piece is a pirate show meets a superhero show meets a fantasy show. If you'r unfamiliar with the original, this is something that will feel really unique for you. What makes this show so memorable is its distinct world building. This is based on one of the longest running manga out there and it makes good use of the lore to provide various added details in order to make the world feel lived-in. 

Props should be given to the set, costume, music, and VFX departments. Going back to the uniqueness of the world of One Piece, they did a surprising job of making an over-the-top manga not based in reality with cartoonish-looking characters somehow work. (If you're a person who eschews anything childish, then this show may not be for you because most of the characters' appearances may be too silly for your tastes. Remember, One Piece was originally created for an adolescent audience even if it attracted older readers/viewers.)  There's a lot of detail in some of the sets, like mansions or ships. I liked the sunsety/orangish-yellowish colored lighting to the whole affair. The costumes and makeup manage to somehow make the majority of the most outlandish concepts work. Bear in mind I said "the majority." There are a handful of costumes that no matter what you do it looks too ridiculous in live-action. Music really accentuates the scenes.

One of the best decisions in this show is the cast. Great across the board. Given the large budget, a wise decision was to avoid any big names (with the exception of Ian McShane in a brief narrator bit at the beginning.) We get a great introduction to a bunch of talented actors, many of whom only have a few credits to their name. Godoy is quite a find. Luffy is the type of anime character that is childishly naive but optimistic; a type of personality that is hard to do in live-action for Western audiences. However, Godoy manages to sell the character and sells his blind optimism as well as the moments he is mad. I also particularly liked Taz Skylar who plays Luffy's allly Sanji. The guy sells coolness and quick wit.

Casting really knocked it out of the park with the villains. They really picked the perfect people to look like how they died in the manga but also all had delightfully over-the-top performances.

As much as I love this show, it does have a little abridgment/conversion nitpicks. Multiple chapter story arcs are condensed into a hand full of episodes, resulting in the wraps to each of Luffy and his crew's exploits feeling a bit rushed, and you don't get quite the closure you had in the manga. I commented that Godoy did a good job, but the parts where he's weakest feel like they're the parts where the writers or Oda felt the need to replicate the scene from the manga.

Fans of the manga won't get every single detail they want. Though you see all the main villains, several of their lackeys are cut for time. The ones that are more expensive/complicated to make are most likely to meet the chopping block.

Highly recommended. Everyone's saying this is the first anime adaptation to get it right, and they're not wrong.

The Afterparty- Season 2

8/10

In season two of the Apple+ mystery/comedy, Aniq (played by Veep's Sam Richardson) and Zoe (Zoe Chao) are attending her sister's wedding at her rich fiancee's family home. The morning after the wedding groom Edgar (Silicon Valley's Zach Woods) is found murdered and bride Grace (Poppy Liu) is the main suspect. Aniq calls in Danner (Tiffany Haddish) to help solve the mystery.

Season two doesn't quite compare to the first one. The dialogue, plotting, characters, and editing aren't as sharp. Aniq, Danner, and Zoe's characters don't have quite the kick they used to. This season takes place at a fancy manor and the scenario isn't as visually interesting as that of a famous singer's modern fancy house with more emphasis on the party atmosphere.  This season looks more at the characters' past before the day of the murder, so there isn't as much of being able to compare how many people's views of the situation have differed. Plus, the finale feels a little rushed and not as strong as the last one.

But, that's all compared to the first season. Season 2 is still pretty funny. The writers are more ambitious with how each person's memory is done in a different film genre, and they go more high concept including such stuff as the cast in Jane Austen garb and talk. The mystery isn't as easy to solve as last time. Sure, they didn't make the clues too easy, but you could figure out who did it a few episodes in. Here, it takes a lot longer. All the mind movies work except for the first episode having Aniq doing another rom-com. (It suffers from Meet the Parents syndrome in that they are way, way too hard on Aniq.) Whereas Danner's solo episode last year was the weakest part, this one is quite good.

We've got great casting that's a who's who of experienced comedic actors. Most of them bring on the funny, but when it becomes time to be serious and emotional, a few of them land some excellent performances. Again, the show tends to lean into typecasting some of the actors. Once more Richard Jewel/I, Tonya/Black Bird's Paul Walter Hauser is cast as a well meaning awkward guy who isn't the smartest, Grace's ex-boyfriend Travis. But, it's PWH so of course he does a great job. Edgar is once again the socially awkward guy, but for a change of pace, this time he isn't the butt of the joke. His character is humorously odd but he's also rich and a very smart guy who's at the top of the heap (well, till the murder). Pen15's Anna Konkle as Edgar's sister is delightfully quirky and has some of the best delivery in the show, but unfortunately she isn't given that much screentime. The real MVP of this though is Big/Weeds' Elizabeth Perkins as Isabel, Edgar and Hanna's mother. She delivers a whirlwind of saltiness, waspish emotional distance, alcoholism, and possible nuttiness. 

Unfortunately, John Early isn't returning to as Detective Culp to assist Danner again. I'll miss the two characters' chemistry, but Aniq and Danner do also work well together.

Recommended. May not be exactly what one wanted as a follow-up to the first season, but it is a good time.

The Nun II

6.5/10

In this sequel, Sister Irene (played by American Horror Story's Taissa Farmiga) is tasked with hunting down the demon Valak/the Nun (Bonnie Aarons) across Europe.

This sequel made a concentrated effort to address the criticisms about its predecessor. (I liked that one, but I confess it's my least favorite of the ones I like. All the others put a little more effort in.) More emphasis is put into the story here and the scares. Whereas the graveyard scene is the only scene most people remember from the first, here we've got a few memorable and eyecatching ones. Definite thought was given to the visuals kinda bringing a beautiful darkness to the whole affair. The newspaper stand scene from the trailers is a creative standout. This movie feels more like an adventure film than the other Conjuringverse movies. Some fairly high production values here for a horror film. The Nun does get a little too physical a couple times rather than only relying on traditional demonic powers. The demon felt a little too much like a slasher killer. 

Though I liked the scares, not enough time is spent on them. In order to correct the lack of a story backbone, I fear this movie went too far the other way. Irene's story feels like it's just there to give her a story rather than being anything substantial. The story of Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), her ally from the last film, definitely has more weight to it, but the problem is that they repeat story beats way too often. His story should've been much leaner. Because of the story padding, we're left frustrated and waiting for things to get scary again. Sure, the last movie was basically just pottering around a monastery, but at least the spookiness remained consistent.

Farmiga gives a strong performance, nailing all the emotional beats. Given that this movie is more serious than the last, Maurice isn't given the chance to be as comedic and fun as the last movie, but I do love Bloquet's performance. Maurice is just a nice guy. Unfortunately, Damian Bichir doesn't return from the first film as Father Burke. I liked the guy. Also, it seems odd that the Vatican sends Irene out by herself without any exorcism professionals.

Kinda recommended. I liked the scary parts, but I did wish the film moved faster. I think I prefer the last one better as it was quicker paced even if it didn't have as many strong scenes.