Velma- Season 2

NOTE: This review doesn't spoil anything this season, but there are a couple sentences that are kinda a spoiler for last season.

6.5/10

In season two, Velma (voiced by The Office/The Mindy Project's Mindy Kaling) tries to catch a serial killer targeting men.

There does seem to be an effort by the writers not to be quite as aggressive with the material that turned off viewers, however it does feel like just a 10% reduction. You've still got Velma being judgey and mean and political/social and hip modern commentary that does feel like it's being thrown aggressively at the screen, but, still it does feel more natural this time. 

I especially think a lot of the characters are more likable this time around. I felt that Fred (Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Glenn Howerton) is funnier and feels more like a character than an over-the-top popular kid/man child. The season manages to expand the characters of Fred's dad William (voiced by original voice of Scooby-Doo's Fred Frank Welker) and Velma's mom  Diya (voiced by The Unicorn's Sarayu Blue). William who was mostly a disapproving father with limited screentime gets fleshed out a little, and he's more fun to be around (though, yeah, there are a lot of rich guy jokes with him). At first, Welker's approach, which was a raspyish, older version of the original Fred voice, didn't work on me, but it's grown. It does have a unique quality. Diya, who's role was more story-driven last time and didn't have time to breath. Here, she turns out to be as ridiculous and fun as most of the other parents.

I also felt the jokes were funnier this time around. Some may complain about the pop jokes, but I felt there were some solid bits.

Though many hate this, I do give the show credit for having a very unique feel that is character-centric, but also high energy weird and wacky. I liked the storyline this season better as the show goes to some pretty weird and unexpected places. (They really go all in on the brains in jars with them just hanging out as regular high school students.) Got to give the show this, it's not boring. One could fault it for repeating the hallucinations storyline, but with Norville (Veep's Sam Richardson) having them this time instead of Velma. However, this part does pay off in the end.

I'd have to say that the strongest part of last season was that the mystery itself was solid. You couldn't figure it out too far ahead of time, and it felt like everything and added up and paid off. This season does this but even stronger. Again, this show knows how to surprise you and there are many twists and turns.

The animation is still strong, continuing with a unique visual style and color scheme, and it's so much more fluid than you'd imagine for a comedy.

Kinda recommended. If you didn't like the first one, it hasn't course-corrected enough to draw you back. I concede that the humor is a mixed-bag, however, but I still had fun. The show is so unpredictable, and the writers do feel like they're enjoying themselves.

Civil War

9/10

This movie follows a group of journalists and photographers as they travel across a United States ravaged by civil war.

First off, the trailers make this more of a film focused on the action and battle movements, while this is actually a more measured piece that focuses on the journalists' journey. This is written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Men) and if you've seen his Annihilation, this is kinda the same formula (a group on a journey) minus the sci-fi. When the action happens, it's well executed but the core of the film is a lot of showing and talking about the situation.

Don't confuse this being plot heavy for this being a boring movie. Far from it. This reminds me a lot of The Big Red One in that this is a travelogue looking at the madness of war that is composed of various thematic elements. This movie does a solid job of changing gears from the eeriness of desolate, war-torn America to dark comedy to moments of real tension. Civil War has one of the most gripping, suspense scenes I think I've ever seen.

The main focus of this film is on the musings in the last few years that the United States could go to war. This has a real world message in that an ACTUAL civil war in the United States would be a terrible, bloody thing that'd pretty mess up most people lives. 

For those radicals arguing in favor a civil war, this movie also makes a point that having one in a place as vast as the United States wouldn't be a single concentrated effort. (In this movie we've got factions and smaller rebel groups.) A lot of people may want the Democrats toppled, but how much you wanna bet they all don't have the exact same view on the government that comes after or what they want or what the real threats are? (Did you see the footage of the gathering assembled to stop immigration at the border? There was some infighting between individuals and factions).

The movie also a well-written look at what it is like to be a journalist during war.

Garland makes the scenario audience-friendly (and more importantly audience-money-friendly decision) by not to base this movie off of any real world politics. Texas and California are in an alliance and that ain't happening in the real world (maybe parts of rural California but not all of California). Garland does an interesting job of laying out the hints of how the civil war came without straight up directly telling the audience exactly what went down. 

In terms of visuals and audio, this is pure "cinema." The cinematography is excellent, featuring well-placed camera work and a strong design sense with what is undoubtedly going to be considered one of the most hauntingly beautiful movie scenes of the year. I do not have discerning ears, so audio work doesn't usually stand out to me. Not here, though. I won't go into detail, but prepare for some of the most effective movie sounds in a while.

Kiersten Dunst delivers what is probably one of the best and most distinct performances in her career as main lead photojournalist Lee. She is a cool-headed, hard-headed veteran of war coverage. Dunst really manages to deliver an objective and hardened, but human-beneath-it-all individual. Also really good in this is Dune Part One's Stephen McKinley Henderson as journalist Sammy, the eldest and wisest of the group. I noticed that the guy's stock in in the film world has gone up in the last ten years or so, because he does a quality job as an authoritative but approachable person.

If there any possible flaws to this film, some may find the final act to run a bit long.

Highly recommended, this is such a well-constructed film. Garland delivers his first movie that isn't sci-fi (or whatever genre Men was supposed to be), which has resulted in his most accessible film.

Night Court (2023- )- Season 2

7/10

Season 2 of the Night Court reboot continues to have Judge Abby Stone (played by Big Bang Theory's Melissa Rauch), the daughter of the original show's judge Harry Stone, preside over Night Court and its array of wacky defendants, lawyers, and staff.

This season tries to be more like the original Night Court by focusing more on the defendants and making them wackier. I think I liked the humor better here; it feels like the writers are having more fun. However, if you don't like comedies that are too silly and not grounded, you may not like this much. (There is an episode focusing on British aristocracy that is so painfully one-dimensional. We are regularly exposed to British television these days. We know that's not remotely how they act!)

There are also not as many occasional serious/heartfelt moments (particularly the moments between Abby and defense lawyer Dan Fielding (the original's John Laroquette)) as there were, which I missed.

Laroquette is still the best performance, continuing the character he built up over the years. His uncle-niece-type rapport with Abby remains the load-bearing pillar of the show. I think that the character of Abby still feels a little too much like a try-hard at being a nice person (in comparison to her father who seemed to be nice naturally), however, you can't deny Rauch's enthusiasm in her role.

India de Beaufort as driven but somewhat socially awkward prosecutor Olivia Wilde continues to be the best of the new cast, though I do think they gave her less material to work with this season. Beaufort has this "presence" with her delivery.

They've written sad sack clerk Neil out of the show. I'm not particularly affected by his absence. His actor Kapil Talwalker did a good job, but the character never felt essential and his crush on his superior felt a bit forced and awkward.

Recommended. Not saying NC is the funniest or best written comedy out right now, especially if you don't want your comedy too network simple/broad, but it definitely makes for a fun time-waster with a decent cast.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

8/10

In this sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, King Kong, now living in Hollow Earth, comes across a new threat to the surface world. Meanwhile, something seems to have Godzilla on the move, but what?

This transitions really nicely from the last film by focusing on the Hollow Earth that King Kong has found himself home in. The last couple KK films have focused on the loneliness of finding a place for himself and searching for any remaining members of his kind. His journey is interesting affair as he finally gets to encounter other giant gorillas. He's actually strangely the most appealing character, saying so much without dialogue. He never starts anything in this and just wants to live his life, and you kind of feel for him as has to put up with everyone else just looking for trouble.  

Understand that this is the Kong movie featuring Godzilla. The big G really doesn't do much till the grand finale. Though, it's understandable. I've read that Toho has several rules on what cannot be done with Godzilla (which, given how off-brand the 90's American attempt was, it's understandable). They want him to remain a force of nature, which means ixnay on the human-like facial expressions.

I won't speak much about the main villain here (the first original creation since the Mutos in the first Godzilla film) since their appearance is an Oogie Boogie-style slow burn, but they may be one of the best antagonists in the series, having a fun design and having more personality and being cleverer than other giant monsters.

I've heard complaints about the human subplot (a small group traveling to Hollow Earth in order to find out what's bothering Godzilla), but I'm not seeing it. I felt it was interesting enough. This movie builds a lot more upon the relationship of scientist Ilene Andrews (played by Rebecca Hall) and her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the last of her tribe, and the now older Jia dealing with her identity. Whereas the last film had the novel decision to have two completely separated groups of heroes for each monster's subplot, this one consolidates the group, dropping several characters. Out of team G, they retained one of the more standout members, podcaster and conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), whose comical elements seem to have increased a little in this. (I will miss the his other members and am surprised that the guy who leads the monster observing organization Monarch doesn't even have a cameo, but I understand that director Adam Wingard (who also the last film, the most recent Blair Witch, and Your're Next) probably didn't want to oversaturate the story now that it was simpler and more time was needed for Kong's story. On the Kong team's side, they're mostly back, but the scientist guy is replaced with another guy, Trapper (Downton Abbey/the live-action Beauty and the Beast's Dan Stevens). I don't see the reason for the change (the last guy wasn't irreplaceable per se, but he did well and had a good rapport with Ilene and Jia). Trapper serves as the "speaks for the natural order" guy, and he does well enough. Thing is the script has both him and Bernie be the odd, funny guys, and it feels like the movie only needed one. Though, there a few moments where the "weird guys but in different ways"interaction energy pays off.

Course, most people are here for the action, and like the last film, this one delivers. Wingard exercises a little more creativity with the fight choreography and the effects look great. Although, I think that the last film was slightly superior when it came to intensity. However, it also feels like Wingard and the writers really didn't care about putting the monsters out of harms way (even less than last time). If you have issue with rooting for the big G and KK when they are also trampling a lot of people, this might not be for you.

The special effects are even better than last time. The entire look of Hollow Earth might be one of the most impressive science fiction/fantasy landscapes of this decade (real 70's/80's fantasies vibes).

Last thing to say is that like the last movie the epilogue wraps up too quickly. Would've liked a little more explanation.

Highly recommended. Very entertaining and the overall story feels tighter and more interesting than last time.

Road House (2024)

7/10

In this Amazon Prime remake of the classic late 80's Patrick Swayze action flick, former UFC fighter haunted by his past Dalton (played by Jake Gylenhall) is hired to be head bouncer for a Florida road house called the Road House. He soon finds himself at odds with a gang that's trying to get the place to sell.

This is a movie who's creators understood what made the first one popular: being kinda nuts and campy. There is a lot of entertaining well-choreographed brawling with some pretty unexpected moments. 

Another thing they learned from the original was to keep the villains colorful and over-the-top. A highlight is seeing the villains' sheer frustration and occasional fear as Dalton shrugs off their attacks.

Credit should also be given to the movie for not trying too hard to copy and paste from the original (but, alas, no throat ripping).

However, the movie is bogged down a bit by the plot (this didn't need to be a full two hours). We're all here for the action, and I think many will want the Dalton's personal journey scenes to wrap up quicker. Both this and the original film had a dark backstory for the hero and scenes of him getting to know the townsfolk. However, the original knew to keep things more economic with snappier writing. The townsfolk are just okay and the love interest could've been cut (plus the original meetup between her and Dalton is if the writers said "Let's replicate the meetup from the first film but shoddier"). They should've done more with bar owner Frankie (Shrinking's Jessica Williams), who was a solid character but kinda fades out near the end.

Originally the film's strong suit is the various ways the baddies come up with taking out Dalton, but admittedly one of them, which involves a plot element that is added too late in the film, is one too many.

Gylenhall is well cast as the guy who tries to handle things the nice way but woe to anyone who declines. Broad City's Arturo Castro is funny as a surprisingly naive, good-natured member of the gang.

I liked the change of location from Missouri to the photogenic Florida coast. I also like the look of the Road Shack, it's one of those easy-access-to-the-outside affairs you find in perpetually warm climates. 

Recommended. The original is still the superior product (due to that 80's magic that can't be replicated, tighter script, and, of course, the throat ripping), but this is still a pretty entertaining affair. 

Late Night with the Devil

8.5/10

In Late Night with the Devil, Jack Delroy (played by David Dastmalchian), the host of the late night show Night Owls, tries to restore his show's dwindling ratings by having a special Halloween show that includes Lilly D'Abo (Ingrid Torelli), a girl allegedly possessed by a demon.

I think it's been a while since I've seen such a well constructed story. All plot points flow naturally and we are fed information bit by bit. The interesting thing about this film is that it isn't your typical demon possession tale. There is a lot more going on and one is left interested as to what exactly is at play here.

One is kept engaged as to where everything is going and what'll happen next. True scares can be a slow burn often, but that really isn't an issue due to the film's general sense of unease in that Delroy is messing with stuff he shouldn't as well as solid characterization (Delroy's got several guests/show staff with differing agendas and views on the supernatural). 

Only reason I'm not rating this higher is the ending.  It runs a little longer than needed, and it lacks the cohesion and satisfaction of the rest of the film. To the ending's credit, it does show, not tell, however, I would've prefer the info. to be more explained and spoon fed. Part of the fun of this is putting all the clues together, but the movie ends with you asking a lot of "wait, what about?" questions. That having been said, the ending's not an absolute stinker, I've seen vaguer endings, and what occurs is definitely a choice.   

Strong cast in this. Dastmalchian is like Alan Tudyk in that he's one of those character actors who popped up more and more until they just suddenly hit that point where they became a known name that's in demand. (Among other things Dastmalchian was the main villain the MacGyver reboot, the Russian guy in the Ant-Man movies, and Polka-Dot Man in Suicide Squad.) He especially seems to have gotten his foot in movies lately. However, this is the first time he's gotten the main lead, and he kills it as an charming but ratings hungry TV host who also has to carefully navigate strange occurrences and various opinionated members of the show. 

Other highlights of this are Torelli whose Lilly is more uncomfortable when the demon isn't speaking through her, Rhys Auteri as Delroy's affable co-host Gus McConnell, and Fayssal Bazzi as showman psychic Christou.

The movie really encapsulates the feel and look of the 1970's and talk shows. It doesn't feel anachronistic or forced. Budget was clearly small, but the Night Owls' set is pulled off nicely.

Highly recommended. Yes, the finale's not perfect, but the film as a whole is definitely worth a watch. Unfortunately, this is only in limited theaters, the ones that are usually close to or in cities.  If you're not near one of these, this'll be on Shudder in a month, I believe, and if you're not subscribing to that, most films from the streamer appear on DVD/Blu-ray a few months later.

Girls5Eva- Season 3

8.5/10

In season 3, the band Girls5eva  go on tour.

This season is a drastic change as the band members have left their home of New York and each episode takes place in a different location. It is an interesting change that does reinvigorate things a bit. However, I think this might be slightly weaker than the last two seasons. I feel the free-floating structure doesn't give rise to as many strong show business jokes as before. Also, Dawn's goofy, straight-laced husband Scott (played by Billions' Daniel Breaker) is back at home, so he's barely in this and his absence is definitely felt. But, the jokes are still really funny, satirical, and creative. The funny thing about this show is that they'll go for an odd subject of a joke or draw a bit out, and they mostly, surprisingly work. (Though there is one British joke that feels too stereotypically broad for my tastes. I guess jokes that are monarchy/upper-crust accent-based have started to get on my nerves, and Tina Fey created/produced shows are one of the greatest perpetrators. These jokes feel like they were written in the 90's and not-topical. We have so much access to British television that we know they have so many accents and kinda what it's actually like there.)

Unfortunately, the episode-length was cut from an already meager eight episodes to six, leaving one wanting more. (I understand having American dramas reduce their length as they prevent the stories from being drawn out/worn out, but I think all half-episode comedies where the individual episodes are more self-contained should be at least 10 episodes long.)

Though we still haven't gotten a song that is as funny as the fear song from season 1, this season's still got a pretty solid lineup of funny songs with some well written lyrics. 

The four leads remain entertaining. Sara Bareilles, writer and singer of Love Song, gives great delivery as Dawn the most sensible but awkward one, Dawson's Creek's/Cougar Town's Busy Phillips as Summer, the kinda emotionally stunted one, gives the best vocal and nonverbal delivery of the bunch, and Hamilton's Renee Elis Goldsbury continues to be pure, wacky diva as Wickie. I felt Gloria's subplot of her sowing her wild oats and sleeping around was a bit of a nothing burger that wasn't worth it's time. However, former SNL writer Paula Pell is great in everything else as she does as the one who often has to be the voice of reason or in reaction to the others' weirdness or self-destructiveness.

Though we are lacking Scott, his loss is lessened by having Paul (writer/actor John Lutz), who had a small role last season, given much more focus as the band's driver/assistant. Yeah, he's basically doing the awkward character he did in 30 Rock, but he does it so well, and he's given the chance to play it a little weirder. He's especially funny in scenes where he's driving as he does such unexpected stuff.

Highly recommended. The show is still very funny.