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Bob Hearts Abishola (2019)
Surprised it has lasted this long
I won't spend too long comparing this show to others in Chuck Lorre's repertoire. I will say I think this is his weakest instalment yet.
While the show starts on a cute premise with the whole patient/nurse romantic dynamic, and the inclusion of Nigerian culture for novelty's sake, the show offers little else to keep you invested. The characters feel bland and one dimensional, conversations often feel painfully tedious and repetitive. Any development made with a character can and will be completely scrapped in the next season, which only serves to prolong an already boring narrative. There is little to no ongoing plot for us to feel invested in, which leaves it up to the shorter episodic storylines. And with the quality of writing for this show, this presents a problem. We generally see very predictable stories resolved in a very predictable fashion by very predictable characters. A show does not feel particularly good when it feels like you could have written it yourself, especially when you think you could have done it better. The acting is also rather hit and miss from the cast. While some have incredible comedic chops, like Uncle Tunde or Kemi, there are no performances that I would consider standout. But this is a conflated problem from poor writing, and repetitive character tropes and storylines. So it doesn't feel fair to pin this entirely on the cast.
With the 5th season approaching, I can only imagine all these aforementioned gripes getting worse with time, as they have been. Which is a shame, because behind all of the critisism is a story about love, family, and the trials and tribulations that come with both. And when Bob Hearts Abishola gets to the heart of it, with originality and eloquence, without the terrible attempt at comedic fluff, it can be magical. It can go from a 5 to an 8 or 9. Unfortunately as these moments in the show are so far and few between, it just serves as a reminder of what this show could be, but isn't.
I don't know how much this show has left to give. I just hope I have the patience to see it through.
The Last of Us: Infected (2023)
A little too Hollywood, but otherwise decent
Episode two of TLoU titled "Infected" has a lot to love, in particular the fast dynamics of the action sequences that really convey that sense of dread and desperation. There are some amazing VFX and camera work at play, as well as lighting and scenery that really set the tone for what The Last of Us universe should look like. The score is brilliant. And the origin story segment also added a nice touch of depth to the lore.
However, when you have a story as strong as The Last of Us, it will become incredibly apparent when liberties are taken with the dialogue and plot, some of which will surely not pay off. Certain lines in the original were acted out with a lot more layered inflection by the voice actors. When these lines come out flat from the actors, I can't help but feel a bit dissatisfied when comparing them to the likes of Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker. You can't get by on a good story alone, you have to sell the characters as well. The acting on the whole is good so far, but comparisons are bound to be made by fans who are used to hearing the story come to life more naturally.
It also doesn't help when entire sections of pivotal character building dialogue are cut out or re-written, for the worse in my opinion. Like Ellie not thanking Joel and Tess for taking her to the fireflies, something that would suggest growth in their relationship and make Tess's death all the more traumatic for Ellie. Ellie crying out not to leave Tess felt rather flat in this case, they barely had a connection. Which is another sore spot, Tess wasn't developed enough in this adaption for her death to have much impact. Couple that with Tess's re-written dialogue and her pre-death speech to Joel not being nearly as impactful as it was in game. Or her death being laughably played up, Hollywood style. Her character, and actress deserved better. So it doesn't leave me feeling optimistic for future episodes truth be told. I really hope they hold back on those creative differences and stick to the material. The material which is acclaimed, and loved by many, and was adapted into a television show for a reason. I understand some things need to be cut and reworked for the sake of run times and schedules, but I hope they're a tad more faithful going forward. To think this episode was directed by Druckman himself, the one who gave us the masterpiece in the first place, it's a shame.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
A Stunning Behemoth That Falls Flat
James Cameron's over a decade long wait, The Way of Water, shows us time and again how he is able to create a marvel of cinematics. The sequel to the 2009 hit still glimmers with soul and shows a keen understanding of the craft it takes to create a motion picture. The CGI and effects are sublime, a beauty to behold. The musical scores, as well as Zoe Saldaña captivating vocals on a certain track are also truly heartfelt and help add to the magic and ambience that is Pandora.
Unfortunately, while this picture has a lot to boast about visually, I found the story to be safe, unoriginal, and lacking. It's a shame, as once you get to the meat of what is happening which is explained early on, you expect there to be more to it as time goes by. But what you see on the surface is what you get. This doesn't mesh well with the one dimensionality of characters, new and old who are brought into the Avatar universe, quickly to be forgotten. Bad guys who are one note, with simplistic motives, with no sense of curiosity or reaction to the world or the events around them. Even if the film is going for sending a message like it's predecessor, I think the characters require more deft handling to really bring them to life and show a bit of confliction when dealing with their inner demons. The black and white storytelling creates an easy plot devise to rally around the bad guys defeat, while unapologetically sympathising with the good guys. It's a laziness that shouldn't be present in a film of Cameron's caliber.
In relation to the characters mentioned earlier, I also couldn't say I found there to be any stand out performances from the cast in this movie. While I didn't find anyone's performance lacking, I also wasn't blown away like I had been with the first. Neytiri, played by the masterful Zoe Saldaña showcased a plethora of emotion in the first movie that still resonates to this day. But in The Way of Water, despite her character being given things to work with, and still personally being the strongest in the cast, I was still left wanting more. So you can imagine how I feel about the rest of the cast. But that is no way saying that the acting was subpar, but rather again that the direction and writing didn't give them too much to work with. Despite having a running time of over 3 hours, this film still felt somehow rushed in that I wasn't able to connect with the characters in the same way that I did the first. And this feeling, or lack thereof, comes back to bite in the final act of the film, which left things feeling very anti-climactic and unfinished by the end. At least for me.
Overall, this film is a stunning spectacle that I would recommend fans of the first to see. And while I am overall disappointed in the direction this film took as a whole, I am still optimistic about the franchise and what sequels will have to offer in the future.
Willow Creek (2013)
Should a rip off not be superior?
Long story short, Willow Creek is a complete rip off of The Blair Witch Project(TBWP). While the latter remains my favourite horror movie to date, the former steals a lot of material while still leaving a lot to be desired.
I'm quite a fan of found footage films, from TBWP, Cannibal Holocaust and the first Paranormal Activity film. I had seen Willow Creek advertised for "Must watch" horror films and had seen it had a similar style to TBWP. I was ecstatic to see it.
Unfortunately, if like me you were a fan of TBWP and were excited to see this film, your expectations too will probably be shattered. The film starts off extremely slow. We have a couple, who establish the "Let's go find that myth!" early on, followed by a bunch of interviews with locals, most of which seemed pointless. It felt like a bunch were added in there to fill up time, which is ironic because the moment the couple begin camping later on in the film, everything starts to feel rushed and events begin escalating far too quickly.
The scares found throughout this movie have been done already, and better might I add. That's what's truly displeasing. If you are going to try and replicate something it should at least be improved, and not lacking in the face of the original. If all else fails, I would at least like some characters to sympathise with upon their impending doom. But no, while this film tries to flesh out the two leads and even throw in a bit of tragic romance in there, I still can't help but feel indifferent towards them. In addition, the protagonists are also stupid, from their actions to their reasonings. One example being that after multiple warnings of dangerous animals in the woods and cryptic warnings from strangers in general, they apparently didn't bring a single weapon with them to these woods. And in the event of them not finding their car, what was their contingency plan? Nothing is what. It honestly made me feel like they deserved to die by the end of it.
All in all, this was a disappointing film of epic proportions. If you're into these types of films like I am, then watch The Blair Witch Project if you haven't already. And even if you have, just re-watch it. That would still be a better use of your time.