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Reviews
Leo Reich: Literally Who Cares?! (2023)
Hilarious & Brilliant
Had no idea what I was getting into when this was recommended to me but I'm glad I took the leap. It starts off at an 11 and Leo rarely takes the foot of the gas. Really enjoyed the blending of different mediums to tell his "story". The energy, the command over the audience, the quick wit and sharp pivots created an amazing ride of brutal honesty depicting an "in this moment" snapshot of current life while being able to laugh at the idea of constantly living at such high stakes.
It's a fantastic visual/musical walk through of a young queer's existential crisis - meets - Bob Hope on his comedy tours for the troops BECAUSE Leo is performing, 100% for us, the zoomers and millennials, who are the foot soldiers, no, the canon fodder for EVERYTHING wrong and given the responsibility to fix it all. And NOW.
We see the world on fire but we we forget we are human, and as one I enjoyed being able to take 60 minutes to laugh maniacally about how truly ducked we are and our eventual demise and I'd say that was 60 minutes well spent.
Now You See Me (2013)
Watch Leverage Instead
I love a good magic trick. Hell, I even enjoy bad ones that are CGI enhanced with swishing curtains that float like dementors; so I can't say I didn't get enjoyment out of this film. Mostly due to the bumbling ineptitude of the FBI to be made to look the fool every time. And having the "trick" be revenge based in motivation was a fine twist at the end (though opens up tons of plot holes) BUT without knowing the twist, who is the audience INVESTED in?
No one.
The four horsemen have no personalities other than their caricature selves. If you like the actors going into it, then you'll like them in the film because they're just playing themselves. The magic seen is limited due to the 6 leads having no expertise in that field (a wise choice honestly) however for a movie ALL about magic...I wanted to see more of that.
We are left then with filler scenes between the "main event" that happens 3 times but we don't really CARE. It's a mystery but we don't care about any of the magicians so the eagerness isn't there.
And we definitely aren't rooting for Ruffalo's dick of a character who you certainly aren't hoping will be forced into a awkward romance with the ONLY WOMAN he works with. And yes, at the end, we are TOLD he is not who he appears to be but that doesn't make him any less of an ass. I was yelling at my screen for her NOT to kiss him at the end because she can absolutely do better than that guy who clearly has issues.
So who DID I root for? Freeman? Yeah kind of. I mean I enjoy Freeman so it's hard not to (though I didn't enjoy his virtually silent assistant). Caine? Well yeah except not his character who absolutely deserved what he got lol. The horseman? Not really. Truly I enjoy anyone punking a bank, the rich, and the cops so it's hard to mess that up but I felt nothing when Franco's character got killed off. Woody Harrelson was honestly the character I was the most invested in but only because he was the most real out of the four and that had nothing to do with writing and just him being a great actor. And the Interpol red herring and romantic foil was far more of an interesting character but loathed how the writers made her character do things she honestly wouldn't "to fit the plot" ie girl + boy = ending kiss.
And that's the biggest issue. For a movie about illusions and misdirection, the audience can FEEL the writers forcing the narrative and it's clunky.
If folks want something similar to this (Robin Hood antics done by criminals to help victims of big businesses and greedy men) watch LEVERAGE. A better ensemble of characters (with actual motivations and personalities) with better stories and just as hokey special effects.
Velma: The Candy (Wo)man (2023)
Fun and Hilarious
Ignore all these stuffy originalists. Geez! It's an adult cartoon with the creative driving force of Mindy Kaling. This show isn't even being given a chance and holy spooks it's actually good. I'm two episodes in and am looking forward to what crazy shenanigans they get in next.
When you do a reboot of a beloved work, you gotta do your version and swing for the fences. I like this shake up. And of course it's not going to be the same story as before (boring) because it's Velma's story. It's her pov! FINALLY! And I love it.
She's brash and unlikeable at first but I can already see the character learning and growing.
It's snarky, self aware, goofy, and adultishly fun.
If you like shows like Big Mouth, you like this.
Leverage: Redemption: The Big Rig Job (2022)
Another fun and wacky christmas episode
Another fun and wacky christmas episode. I loved it. Exactly what I was expecting/hoping from a Dean Devlin Christmas show.
Especially enjoyed Parker - Wilson team up. They clearly had WAY too much fun doing those bits and matching horrendous laugh!
Also enjoy Eliot seeing silly/bumbling version he usually reserves for "playing drunk" and loved to see it become a whole character.
This season has definitely felt like one of their writers but be a fan of the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver show because a few of the series' bad guys has been pulled from LWT's own feature story. I've continued to enjoy the specificity of the antagonists. It add an extra layer of learning and you gotta love a show that sneaks education in among the heists and con jobs. :)
Leverage: Redemption: The Fractured Job (2022)
FINALLY
I felt so happy/proud of Eliot/Christian Kane. He's always the more silent type and I've been feeling like his character has been missing something since the breakup last season. I'm happy that both actor/character got this opportunity to tell this story.
This was the episode I had been eager to see. They put that little possibility, that thread out there in the previous series and it was a satisfying feeling to loop that thread into this series at last.
And holy crap they did not waste a moment of this episode! They even had a Hardison cameo which was a clever way to keep his character in it, BUT I wish he and Eliot could have actually shared the space for some of those more weighty scenes. It's not that Christian can't act to nothing but it would have made the scene better - grounded a little more. (But that is outside of their control so I give it a pass - I just miss Hardison being in it more).
Regardless, a delight and bravo for them really diving into the characters this season. Love it!
Leverage: Redemption: The Date Night Job (2022)
Changing Up the Formula
Any episode that features my favorite couple (Parker + Hardison) is going to be a treat but the stories where the team is hit with a bigger than usual curve ball (say being held captive in a bank while conning a corrupt judge) are my favorite! They are the closest a show like this can get to your typical "bottle episode" format where it's more about the cast working out stuff than taking down a bad guy, though they manage to do that too - of course, it's just not the feature of the episode. I know that all the episodes can't be like this or there wouldn't be a formula to break but I can't help it, they're my favorite. They also tending to be a tighter story with less plot baggage which I think plays to this type of show's strengths i.e. Letting the cast shine as their zanny selves in a crazy situation. Great episode! Favorite of the season so far!
Disenchanted (2022)
Spectacular!
Spectacular! Holy crap! Loved it! Loved it!
-Here's the thing, if you didn't like the first one, you won't like this one because they even dive more headlong into whimsey full tilt and I loved it from the jump. I don't know what movie everyone else was watching but this film is a master class in creating a sequel that almost outshines the original. Damn! AND they brought the first villain v villain duet to the screen!! This is what Disney is so desperately trying to doing with their endless and soulless remakes of their Renaissance Era while they shunt a project like this with an actual soul with a level self awareness, all swirling in an orb of just pure freaking joy for what they do! I mean come on! Did anyone on set look like they weren't having the time of their lives?! What a delight!
Leverage: Redemption: The Debutante Job (2022)
Gold
Aldis Hodge is far too sexy, far too smooth, and enjoying his time in this episode far too much! There, I said what everyone was thinking. It's been wild to see his journey from the pilot of the OG Leverage to him now, all grown up and coming off of playing Hawkman in Black Adam but still game for the silly antics that makes this show. And clearly the whole cast is loving it! I just love how much fun this cast is having. IDK if they think this is the last season they'll be given (since tons of shows have been getting axed) so they might as well go full whimsey and I'm here for it! I can't remember the last time when I was actually excited about when a show dropped. And the first episode did not disappoint. It made me smile and in this day and age, that's gold.
Leverage: The Second David Job (2009)
The Goat
I'm rewatching this series for must be for the 60th time and some episodes it just hits me, this shows has no reason to be as good as it is, but damn it is!
Visually, I love how stylized it is and became iconic for the aerial shots and 360s. Dramatically, they lucked out getting an ensemble cast who really gelled and had fantastic chemistry. They also brought this fantastic level of earnestness and heart while also not taking it to seriously. I mean, come on! It's fun and campy when it needs to be but isn't tilted too much into the whimsey to comprise the realism of the more serious/character development moments.
It's a gem and the season finale demonstrates that to a "t".
Red Riding Hood (1987)
Childhood!
Oh nostalgia! I was raised on all the canon films (perhaps more so than Disney) and this one was a family favorite. The others are Frog Prince (love their retelling version of that one!) and Hansel and Gretel (Cloris Leechman as the witch gave me nightmares! Love it!) For Red Riding Hood, my siblings and I would reenact the dance numbers. We especially loved to do the silly dance/walk crisscross thing that Red and the Wolf do lol. Pure nostalgia but also, it's full of earnest performances and a cup full of whimsey! Love these version of the classics, they were less "safe" than the squeaky clean Disney versions and that made them more interesting to watch as a kid (and for the adults trapped watching them too :) definitely a hidden gem.
Finding 'Ohana (2021)
Hawaii + Goonies = Magical
I want to say upfront the Goonies is one of my favorite adventure movies of all time! It's got heart, friendship, romance, suspense, and make you feel like the world doesn't suck for 2 hours.
All that, plus a beautiful retelling.
It felt like a love letter to Hawaii and an ode to Goonies and honestly, what could be more magical of a pairing than that?!
Loved it!
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
Perfect! Nailed it!
Are we even watching the same show? I'm sorry but if you're judging solely based on the first episode you are missing out mate because this show is a genuine gem.
The humor is complex and clever. The script is genuinely a delight and the cast is...perfect!
This is not at all what I was expecting coming into it but holy crap I understand why the marketing department struggled because it can't be placed in a single box.
To mixing modern with historical creates this fusion of truth mirroring our own lives. It's refreshing. It's fun. It's heartfelt.
They just effing nailed it!
Spider-Man (2002)
It's Genuinely Spiderman
How is it that the most comic style 1950s wholesome one also the sexiest shot film of the lot?! It's the best one and it makes me miss that style of filmmaking: genuine.
Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)
A perfect film
Truly! It hits the perfect balance between parody and ode to the original material. Keeping Dora "almost" naively cartoon like and genuine held true to her original character but they also gave moments where she reacted and felt grounded in real emotions.
Juxtaposing that with the "real world", it makes for a lot of hilarious moments where the two world shamed together in one scene.
It's very Rodger Rabbit meets Galaxy Quest.
It's fun! It's genuine! It's hilarious and self aware!
Good time sober or with a glass of wine or edible (makes the spore hallucination bit even more WILD!)
Only Murders in the Building: The Boy from 6B (2021)
Effing Brilliant!
Shifting the POV each episode has been fascinating and enjoyable but this one was especially amazing to have the episode where the truth is revealed without sound.
Gah! I loved it!
Such a great show!