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Reviews
Mean Girls (2024)
Disappointing movie adaptation of the Broadway musical
Too many of the other reviews are calling this a remake of the original movie, but they're wrong. It's not a remake. Like many Broadway musicals, this is a movie adaptation of the musical. So, my disappointment is not in comparing the original movie to this; it's in comparing the Broadway musical to this
The songs are very dull and lifeless compared to the higher energy of the Broadway show. Rather than wanting to sing or dance along, I just sat there thinking that I'd rather be listening to the original Broadway cast recording.
Unlike the 2004 movie which motivated to love or hate the characters... to root for good guys and cheer the bus at the end... this movie's characters don't resonate for me. It was more appealing to have a diverse cast, and some of them had their moments delivering their lines, but overall everything fell flat.
I'll just wait for songs from the Broadway show to play on "iHeartRadio Broadway."
The Little Mermaid (2023)
A bunch of great things and a bunch of bad things average out to one okay thing
Likes: The very talented Bailey gives a great performance. McCarthy was a worthy successor to Pat Carroll's Ursula. The new songs for Ariel and Eric were pleasant and appropriately fit the style and tone of the rest of the score. The basic story remained the same which is something I prefer in a remake like these (animation turned CGI + live action). Jodi Benson's cameo was a pleasant addition. The cinematography was excellent
Dislikes: Nothing against Awkwafina, but her rendition of Scuttle was unappealing (the proverbial Jar Jar Binks of the movie). I enjoy much of Miranda's works like Hamilton, In the Heights, and Encanto (loved Encanto!) however the Scuttlebutt song was very grating and +original songs and the other new songs. The appearances of Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle were too realistic for talking animal caricatures. They were aesthetically unpleasant. I feel they should have been been more cartoon/caricature like. Numerous scenes were awfully dark (lighting) and difficult to. The removal of Les Poissons and some lines was disappointing.
I'm general, the live action remakes that Disney has made its new thing are rather pointless. A remake for the sake of re*making isn't worth it... The goal should be to improve upon the original, but Disney hasn't been doing that. Additionally, it says that Disney has lost the ability to come up with original stories.
Young Sheldon: Ants on a Log and a Cheating Winker (2024)
Great job keeping true to The Big Bang Theory!
There was a lot of talk for a while about Young Sheldon rewriting the story laid out in The Big Bang Theory - that George was being a loving and devoted husband rather than the cheating husband Sheldon once described. I don't like when writers of prequels retcon an established "fact," so when George hadn't had the affair we were all expecting and became ever more unbelievable that he would do so this season, I was becoming disappointed that such a huge milestone event would go unaddressed. Sheldon's knocking three times was so integral to The Big Bang Theory, that not seeing its origin story play out would be a great let down. So the fact that they kept that origin story while finding a way to make it true to Sheldon's telling of it AND being true to George's character development was VERY IMPRESSIVE! We've accepted a man's account of his (roughly) 20 year old memory as infallible truth... A man who doesn't understand sarcasm, politeness, empathy, boundaries, etc. This episode perfect played out Sheldon's memory while acknowledging Sheldon rarely "gets it." He's book smart, but not people smart. The writers showed ingenuity in providing depth to a story we've waited years to actually see play out.
Tomorrowland (2015)
Rewatch 8 years later... makes me think...
2015, when this movie came out, isn't all *that* long ago. It's recent enough that I thought to myself, besides Keegan-Michael Key, there wasn't any significant non-white representation in the film. Key only had a small role, but at least he spoke... a little. The majority of non-white representation came at the end when people from all walks of life were joining the ranks of our three protagonists (Clooney, Robertson, and Cassidy), but not in any speaking part, just for show. Similarly, there were non-white people in the eponymous Tomorrowland, but only one really spoke clearly with faces shown, the woman prompting a main character to get on the train (one line).
It's disappointing that a movie meant to be hopeful of the future emphasized white, English-speaking (American & British) characters.
Disney should have done better by 2015.
Signed, A white middle-aged guy.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Ad Astra Per Aspera (2023)
Low rating & complaints = you missed the point of the story
Star Trek has always been about people - individuals, crews, family, friends, species, cultures and societies. Roddenberry and his successors have always used the Trek universe to hold a mirror up to ourselves. So, anyone who views this episode unfavorably clearly doesn't get it. I've often said that sometimes a message needs to be heavy-handed to smack the point into ones head, proverbially.
There are numerous ways to interpret this episode, but just like other similarly themed episodes like TNG's The Measure of a Man and The Drumhead and VOY's Author, Author, it shows that the social problems of the past, present, and future (real and invented) have remained, and will continue to remain, constant... about rights, about freedoms, about individuality, and the evolving laws that serve to protect and/or limit.
Una, in trying to save herself from persecution on her homeworld 25 years prior, sought refuge among the very societies and political organization which look down upon her, criminalize her, and demonize her. In those years, she formed deep, meaningful relationships. She stood for and upheld the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet. She was a Federation citizen and Starfleet officer in every sense... Mainly because she was able to blend in. The episode focuses on the legal villification of how she arrived and those who supported her.
Hmmm... looks very much like the topic of immigration and asylum practices.
Black Mirror: Demon 79 (2023)
Fun and creative but more Twilight Zone or American Horror Story than Black Mirror
With the exception of the first episode, Season 6 of Black Mirror drifted from it's iconic futuristic, tech-gone-bad dystopia and into the realm of natural & supernatural horror... and I'm using the term "horror" very loosely. Granted, this last episode wasn't classic Black Mirror in style, but it was nice to see a return of a strong British presence and plenty of humor. I gave 9 stars because it had great elements like humor, a fun story line, likeable characters... all around entertaining. Had it been set in the future and the plot driven by something technological rather than supernatural, I would have given 10 stars. Over all, it was a stronger finish to the season than I expected... A very strong start with #1, Joan is Awful; A big dip in the middle with #2, 3, and 4; Pulled out of the nosedive with Demon 79.
The Santa Clauses (2022)
Anticipation to watch became anticipation to turn off
There's too much political commentary for a holiday and Disney presentation. The acting is very flat and emotionless. The characters don't have the energy that the characters from the movies had. Everything seems forced. The story (if you want to call it a story) didn't draw me in... It didn't make me feel invested in anything to want to see where it goes. Isn't that the point of a first episode? Draw viewers in. Make them care. Make them want to watch more. Devin Bright (Noel) and Kal Penn (Simon) gave the best performances. Unfortunately, two supporting characters aren't enough to hold interest. So based on the first 30min episode, I'm not going to hold out hopes it gets better. Disney had the chance to put their best foot forward on this project, but failed. You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
The Handmaid's Tale: Allegiance (2022)
Very good, albeit predictable
This episode doesn't advance the plot as much as other episodes. Each scene, I'd say to myself, "I bet 'whatever' is going to happen," and I was right each time. Nonetheless, the scenes were well presented. Not every episode has to keep us on the edge of our seats with tension, excitement, and anticipation to be effective. Being the next to the last episode for this season, I expected more of the unexpected so I was initially disappointed. It took a bit, but I accept it for what it was rather than what I expected it to be and believe it was a very good episode... just not a 10. I'm confident that next week's season finale will be more exciting. This episode seems to be building up to something big.
American Horror Stories: Milkmaids (2022)
These stories are like ghosts...
It takes a while before they realize they're dead. Go into the light!
Story Season 10 & both seasons of Stories (save a couple episodes like Dollhouse and Ba'al) are evidence that Murphy is drained. Whether he knows he is subsisting on the franchise's reputation as he drags out the shows' deaths or he truly believes he's cranking out quality, it's just a sad statement either way.
Old (2021)
Watching Shyamalan movies MST3K style is the only way to go!
Shyamalan hasn't shown any growth as a writer & filmmaker despite a lot of common criticisms pointing him in the direction of what the audience wants. The dialogue is horrendous between what they say and how they say it, it's hard to tell how much blame lies on the direction (ahem), the writing (AHEM), or the acting. The premise had potential, but the execution ruins it. Too many conflicting ideas along with fictitious science made all the events unpalatable. I can accept totally fictional stories as long as they don't try using made up science facts. For instance the nurse states that hair & nails aren't growing faster because "the cells in hair and nails are dead" Since there are no cells IN hair and nails, this is a sloppy way to explain away things the audience (and the characters) is thinking. If Shyamalan didn't want to put the effort into giving everyone long hair & nail constantly growing, all her had to do is have the characters agree they don't understand what's going on or maybe what's causing the aging only affects certain kinds of cells, but misrepresenting REAL things is just sloppy & lazy. It insults the intelligence of some while it exploits the ignorance of others.
But if you just want crap to mock, this is the movie for you!
Testament (1983)
Sad that this is topical again in the current climate
A very well done reminder that the devastation of nuclear attacks would linger long after any warfare was waged. My only "complaint" with the film is that it over-optimistically downplayed/underestimated looting while overestimating kindness and community.
Moonfall (2022)
MST3K-worthy
This film relies on people's ignorance of *basic* science, so it's more fantasy than science fiction, and definitely comedy! It also relies too heavily on the "I have troubled relationships to address before going off to save the world" tropes and crazy driving/flying scenes with no vehicle damage. Put Hangar 18 (1980), Star Trek: Beyond, Terminator, 2012, Day After Tomorrow, Contact, and I, Robot into a blender and voila! You have Moonfall. Note: 2 of those other movies were also by Emmerich. Go fig.
Into the Dark: Pure (2019)
Finally, an Into the Dark with substance!
Just started watching the series in order and this is the best one yet! The stories don't really have twists or surprises; it's always clear from the beginning who the "bad guy" is. Although mildly entertaining, the series hasn't been thought provoking. What makes "Pure" the most horrifying so far is that such people and events really do happen. Is it no wonder this episode's lowest ratings are among males; and the older the group of males, the lower the rating. Apparently, this episode's message was clear.