Tag Archives: 4.5*

Four and a half star rating.

Movie Reviews

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Review – A Delightfully Dumb Mystery

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If there is a theme to Rian Johnson‘s directorial career, it might be best described using the word “subversive”. Every time you think he will do “A”, Rian does “F”; that’s how subversive he is. And Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery only cements it further into his legacy. No matter what you were expecting after Knives Out (2019, my review here), this film would have surprised you at least a couple of times; from its characters to the main twist, everything is different, yet it still works.

I suspect it will be the same “story” with Glass Onion as it was with Knives Out; I think I will fully appreciate it on its second or third viewing. For your information, Rian doesn’t like the sub-title “A Knives Out Mystery“, so I will shorten the title for the rest of this review. Anyway, even with Knives Out, which I saw in cinemas, it wasn’t until my third viewing I was fully in the “10/10, love it!” camp. Each time I rewatched it, I caught something new, something tiny yet clever that I only appreciated with the knowledge of the story and all its twists and turns. And this is where Glass Onion shines or is different. As Benoit Blanc (aka Daniel Craig) says: “It’s so dumb!” It is, in fact, so dumb you might figure out the mystery before he does! But that’s kind of the point.

This is where we come back to Rian being subversive and wanting his audience to never assume anything. So what he did was brilliant. Think about it, you wrote a well-reviewed/liked whodunit, positively received by both the critics and fans, so how do you top that? Will you try to think of something more clever and intricate than the previous film? After all, that sounds logical and would be the first thought in many minds. But not Rian’s, as he takes the opposite approach and literally names his film Glass Onion. Something that is layered, but since it’s made out of glass, you can see through all those layers. And that is kinda dumb and not in a brilliant way (again, not me slagging this film off, this is yet another line by Benoit).

This brings me to outstanding people – Kate Hudson, Daniel Craig and the main star of this film, Janelle Monáe. Kate was delightful as this ditzy businesswoman willing to sell her soul. What I loved the most was her comedic timing and delivery of most of her lines, pure brilliance. Daniel Craig is having a blast with his role and is only getting better and better, and I can’t wait to see him in at least one more “Knives Out Mystery” film. But as hinted at prior, the main star is Janelle. Not only her mysterious character has the most to do, but her role is also layered. I won’t go into spoilers because it’s too early, but I will say this; whatever Janelle was doing in this film, I was buying. No matter what was happening with her character, I was rooting for her and wanted more of her. Such a well-acted, well-written role and Janelle nailed everything from the first frame she appeared on the screen.

My only worry about going back to Glass Onion is that the cast doesn’t seem as compact and necessary as in Knives Out. Let me explain. I have talked about some standout performances already; unfortunately, we have some characters who were totally unnecessary. To the point, I don’t think they had any impact on the overall story. Take Leslie Odom Jr., I like him, and when I saw him in this film, I got excited. But going back through my memory now and how I remember most of the characters for having something to do, some memorable line or two, I swear I keep forgetting he was there. The same could be said about Jessica Henwick‘s character, whose only purpose was to be a straight character to her boss, Kate Hudson. But if I remember correctly, even she doesn’t have any overall impact on anything, to the point you could cut Jessica and Leslie out of the film, and you would not notice anything weird or missing.

And that makes me wonder whether Rian was trying to be too subversive for his own good. As with Knives Out, part of its charm (at least for me) was that every character, no matter how “small”, had something to do with the main mystery. And sure, technically, they are all involved here too, but believe me, when you watch Glass Onion, you won’t remember Leslie Odom Jr., respectively, his character name, in two weeks. And I still remember most, if not all, actors from Knives Out because they all played some part in the overall story. And in this one, given its subversive nature, the cast that is star-studded as fuck, doesn’t seem to be as necessary, at least some roles. But who knows? Maybe on a second or third rewatch, I will discover I missed something, and everybody is important in this film. Everything is possible, after all, an onion (albeit a glass one) still has layers. 😉

Overall, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a worthy follow-up to Knives Out. I firmly believe it’s too early to tell whether it’s better or worse than its predecessor; only time will tell, but I had fun. Mainly with Janelle and her powerhouse of a performance, she knocked it out of the park. I can’t wait to rewatch this film, and I hope the already-announced Knives Out 3 (2024) will surprise us yet again, and we might have an amazing trilogy on our hands. In Rian, I trust.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

RRR (2022) Review – This Movie Has Everything and Then Some

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Movies like RRR are the biggest reason to appreciate how we live today, respectively, in the age of the Internet and streaming. Despite all the problems and issues with the film industry, let alone the world, I don’t think a film like RRR could get as popular as it had in the middle of 2022, even ten years ago. But now, because it’s streaming on Netflix and word of mouth still works (albeit to an extent), we all get to enjoy something we would hardly stumble upon on our cinematic journey. And what a movie this is.

As hinted above, this was nowhere near my radar until many people started to talk about how insanely entertaining this film was. And the little I heard about it, I knew I had to watch it, except for one thing – that dreaded three-plus hour runtime. That was the only reason I kept putting it off until a later day. One evening, I found myself scrolling through my watchlist on Netflix and had enough time before going to bed; I finally cracked and pressed ‘Play’ on my remote. What followed was a mix of everything, from CGI to music, attacking most of my senses; almost immediately. And for the better part of this film, I loved it.

I won’t beat around the bush; the runtime was my biggest hang-up about RRR. The film opens, and everything happens fast; you are in it, and once the introduction to our two main protagonists concludes, the film slows down. If you watched this film, you might find it odd for me to use the phrase “slows down” to describe this film because something (mostly insane, epic or a mix of both) is happening almost every five minutes. But I was kind of out of this film until the “Naatu Naatu” song. That was the breaking point where the film officially pulled me back into it and didn’t let go of me until the end. I would say; there are good 30 minutes (at least) you can shave off easily, and RRR would have become an even more cohesive film.

But as mentioned, the runtime was my only complaint. Everything else was so vivid, silly, and CGI-heavy but earnest at the same time you can’t help but fall in love with the film. And admire the physique of both N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan Teja; they not only brought the muscles but the acting chops to sell everything that happened in this film. That might be one thing I didn’t see discussed enough when reading about this film online. Because of these ridiculous, big set pieces, both protagonists need to be on their A+ game to sell this movie to you. If either of them fell flat in dramatic moments/scenes, the film wouldn’t have worked. The same applies to moments of levity; if either couldn’t convince you they believed in every single line they delivered, the film would fall apart quickly. It would have become a clip on YouTube that showcases how Bollywood can be wild, and we all have seen those magnificent clips full of outrageous CGI. But where RRR differs are the actors who can do it all. Who surprised me by being here and what role she took was Alison Doody, who most will remember as Elsa from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Her character was, without a doubt, the most villainous character in the film, and her performance was delightfully evil. She and her on-screen husband, Ray Stevenson were the appropriately evil “power couple” you can’t wait to watch them die. That’s not a spoiler; you know they will die; they play their parts so well you are coming up with all the ways these two will, eventually, die as the movie happens because you wish them nothing but slow and painful death, and that means they understood the assignment.

A large part of what makes this film enjoyable is the music and over-the-top CGI effects/set pieces. But instead of trying to describe my favourite scene, I will say you have to watch it to believe it. And unlike other films, regarding RRR, talking about any big set pieces would feel like talking spoilers about any other movie because what makes this film, so fun is you truly never know what crazy idea they will go with in the next scene. I have an undeniably favourite action set piece that happens pretty much in the middle of the film, so if you saw this film, you know instantly. For the rest of you who haven’t seen this film yet, I would strongly recommend not watching anything, not even a trailer, and going into it as blind as possible. Sure, there is a caveat of you having just over three hours to spare, but do yourself a favour and make the time to watch this film. Because you won’t see anything bigger, crazier and full of life as RRR in 2022 and 2022 was an awesome year for movies.

I think that is the key to “unlocking” this movie – no matter how crazy the set pieces have gotten, how much was happening on the screen or how unbelievable that CGI looked, the film always found a way to feel genuine, despite everything. That pure joy, despite some dark scenes, that feeling of “let’s make this movie honouring real-life Indian heroes, but nothing about it will be real” was intoxicating. By the way, you read that correctly; both protagonists were based on real-life people, two legendary freedom fighters who never met. And S.S. Rajamouli took a camera and decided to tell this insane story of how it could look like if they were best buddies, but it never felt wrong. Throughout the entire film, even the first hour I struggled with the film has always felt earnest. I don’t know what kind of magic that was, but I enjoyed it.

Overall, RRR is one ludicrous film. It’s based on history, but not really; the CGI feels fake, but somehow it works; it has several dance numbers that also fit within this story well even though they should not… and it works. It all, somehow, works. And if the editor managed to cut a few scenes down a bit (and believe me, there was plenty to choose from), we could have had the most epic film of 2022. As the movie is now, it’s still excellently fun, and I hope there might be some Oscar love too. Again, the song Naatu Naatu not only brought me back, but it would also deserve a nomination at least, and I would love to see it performed live during the broadcast by our main heroes. If you have not heard of this film by now, please do yourself a favour and watch it ASAP. Don’t sleep on it, like me.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

TV Show Reviews

Wednesday Review (Season One) – Woefully Delightful

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As a person who grew up loving both The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993) (a rare combo where I believe the sequel is just as good as the original), I was cautious regarding Wednesday. Yes, all the trailers I watched looked promising, but these legacy re-imaginings don’t always go well. Nevertheless, I went in hoping for the best, expecting to be at least half amused. To my massive surprise, I was “fully” amused by most of this TV show. I didn’t expect this to be kind of Wednesday being a detective story and finally understood the hype about Jenna Ortega, who shines in this role. Her portrayal of Wednesday was so phenomenal, I don’t know whether it’s my recency bias, but she is on pair with “my Wednesday” Christina Ricci. I can’t pick who I prefer more in this role, and to me, that says everything about the quality of this show and the performance given by Jenna.

Let’s start with why Wednesday worked for me, as it was all about smart decisions. For example, we get the family, but only as side characters. They pop in, do their thing and are out of the picture, and that was brilliant because that decision allowed us to focus more on Wednesday’s character without thinking about when the rest of Addams’ family would show up. Speaking of them, I thought Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán did a fine job. I don’t think they could have done much more with the space they were given, and I didn’t mind either in their respective roles. I read the “backlash” against casting Luis as Gomez, as many knew him only as Raul Julia, this suave, charming beast. And I get it, Luis isn’t Raul but given they were trying to go back to the roots (in the original cartoons, that is how Gomez looked like), I admire the decision and thought Luis did a great job. He had some funny moments but had some sincere moments too, where he needed to utilize his dramatic chops, and I thought he nailed it.

Another aspect is the story itself, which is “borrowing” a few things from Harry Potter. Look, possibly they weren’t, and the Nevermore school is also part of some old cartoon I have never seen. But a school for gifted students, split into four “categories”? A mystery that all the adults are ignoring, so it’s up to the students to solve it? But if it ain’t broke… and it worked for this show. This show balanced the dark humour The Addams Family (and mainly Wednesday’s character) is known for with some good storytelling and the underlying themes you might expect by now (metaphors for everything from race to LGBTQ issues but neither seem heavy-handed). This show knew what it wanted to do and say and went ahead. It also chose the best protagonist – Jenna Ortega.

I have been hearing for a while that she might be the “next big thing”, and yeah, after finishing this show, I can see why. Jenna was spectacular as Wednesday. I believe this role is much tougher than it looks because I would imagine it’s tempting to stay “one note”. Just say everything deadpan and move on to the next scene, but she always added something more on top of her lines, something that assured me that she was “present”. The best compliment I can give her is her Wednesday evolves really slowly, therefore, at the end of season one, she is a tad different but still, the same snarky, dark humour-loving intellectual we know and love. It must be so hard having to translate that from the paper onto the screen, but Jenna managed to make it look effortless. Even if you aren’t into “teenagers run around and solve crimes” shows, I would still recommend watching this show for her performance alone. Her delivery was always on point; I felt safe with her leading this show; from the moment she appeared, she made me aware that she was the boss.

What also pleasantly surprised me was that I was wrong when I guessed the big bad. Well, kind of wrong and kind of right. Without going into any spoilers, there were a few layers to this story; some I guessed correctly, and others I was pleasantly surprised with. I also didn’t expect some deaths, and that is always a plus, given most of these shows usually telegraph deaths from miles away. But not Wednesday… or maybe I was just too entertained to notice.

The only tiny negative would be the open-ending, hinting that something even larger was happening. As much as I would love at least one more season, I would prefer if it was its own thing. Unless that is, the show’s creators actually have a plan for two or three seasons, and they set up things in this season to pay off in the upcoming seasons. If not, and if they get the go-ahead for the second season (as of writing this review, nothing has been confirmed yet), I would have preferred its own, totally separate story, maybe including more of the family members…? I just hope they won’t try to replicate the first season and build up on it too much, where we have to suspend our disbelief too much, as some TV shows have done in the past where they tried to outdo the first season. But that is it; I can’t say anything negative about this show.

Overall, Wednesday surprised me on all fronts. I went in hoping for the best, and my expectations were not only met but they were also surpassed. I can’t overstate enough; how much this show relies on the massive talent of Jenna Ortega. Her portrayal of Wednesday was doomed to fail, given most people watching this show grew up with Ricci’s impeccable take on that character and she not only managed to get close to her; she might have even surpassed her. But I am comparing incomparable things, Jenna had more time, and if there is a second season, she will get even more to show us where she would take this delightfully dark character. I can recommend this show, and I hope we will get at least one more season.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

The Changeling (1980) Review – How to Build Suspense 101

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Horror might just be the most specific film genre. As we progress/evolve, so do the movies we consume, and for me, there is no better display of this than horror movies, respectively what can we (the audience) tolerate? Just think about the Saw franchise, which many still call “torture-porn” movies, but for a reason, as with each sequel, they pushed the boundaries of what could be shown on the screen. My point is horror movies suffer (at least in my view) the most from “ageing”. What used to be scary or downright terrifying in the 60s or 70s might not work as well now because we have seen every form of horror elevated. But then you bump into a film like The Changeling that proves that occasionally, the old ones can be as scary today as they were back when they were released.

And why is that? What is the big secret? Well, the secret is that there is no secret. The filmmakers of the past just had to rely on the atmosphere above all. They couldn’t rely on CGI (it existed back in 1980, but it was too expensive for a horror film), so they had to have a gripping story and build everything around that. And this film is the perfect example of how to do it well.

The Changeling starts as your stereotypical horror film; an older guy (portrayed by George C. Scott) loses his wife and daughter in a freak accident. So, as one tends to do, he moves to start someplace else fresh, and for whatever reason, he selects this old mansion. And, of course, there are weird sounds his first night, along with other strange occurrences. But if you are willing to look past that and focus on the film, you will quickly discover it delves into almost a detective story about a potentially missing kid. I won’t go into any further details because there are some nice twists and turns along the way.

I will say the moment I knew the film had me and sent chills down my spine was when our main character figured out what those weird, thump-like sounds were. We would hear them at least two to three times, and it was a pretty ominous sound as it didn’t sound like anything I was familiar with. But the moment he discovers what it was, holy shit. The Changeling works because it doesn’t rely on jump scares; it slowly and meticulously builds up everything to where something that wouldn’t usually scare you scares you. But it’s never any “fake scare”. Do you know how most horror films have the “fake jump scare” before the real one? Yeah, you won’t find anything like that here; everything horror-related ties to the story. I loved the film… until the last 20 minutes.

I won’t say the last 20 minutes of this film killed it for me; no. It was still a decent watch and a satisfying finale, but the central mystery got solved by then. Do you know how I said the movie turns into almost a detective story? Yeah, everything is wrapped up a good 20 minutes before the movie finishes. I understand that is just how they used to make films at the time; they took their time with everything so we would get closure and transparent answers to all our questions. But I can’t help it; if the movie had been 80/85 minutes instead of 107 minutes, it would have been a perfect film.

I also couldn’t help but remember another “old” horror film called The Haunting (1963) and how, despite it being almost two hours long, it never suffered from a premature finish. It built a creepy atmosphere throughout the film, and the film peaked about five minutes before the end. I can say with a clear conscience, The Haunting, a movie from 1963 (!), is still one of (if not THE) the scariest films I have ever seen. Considering the movie has only one equivalent of a jump scare (it’s not a jump scare, but that was the closest that scene compares to a modern jump scare), that should tell you something you need to know. In many instances, The Changeling reminded me of The Haunting, but ultimately, that is where they differ. The Changeling just wraps up everything and then continues going for another 20 minutes at least.

But let me be clear, I would still recommend this to everyone, mainly all horror filmmakers of today. You can tell watching modern mainstream horror movies, many filmmakers don’t go back to these classics, and if they do, they have taken zero lessons from them. I understand audiences have evolved too, but you will not convince me that modern audiences love jump scares every five minutes. I once heard a great comparison that jump scare is to a horror genre, what tickling is to a comedy genre. Sure, if somebody were to tickle you whilst you watched a comedy film, you would laugh much more. And the jump scares (mostly) work, so you feel afraid. But how often do you forget about that horror film? How long does it take for you to “recover”? It doesn’t take that much, does it now? That’s because jump scares are the short-term “solution”; a shortcut, if you will. Especially if you know where they are on your next rewatch, they are not nearly as effective. But if you take the energy, time and make some effort into building a spooky atmosphere, that will work no matter what. And I wish more mainstream horror filmmakers would understand that.

Overall, The Changeling is a nearly perfect horror film with the calmest protagonist ever. I swear many people would have been out of the house and run away from other situations, but not our protagonist. George C. Scott has apparently seen some shit, so he remains cool as a cucumber for most of the film. It is a shame that the movie peaks with about 20 minutes left to go because there is a noticeable difference between the first 3/4 of the film and the rest. But still, this one is an easy recommendation for any horror fan. They used to make them well, and some still hold up 40 + years later.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

Movie Reviews

Spontaneous (2020) Review – A Burst of Brilliance

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I won’t lie; this movie totally “missed me”. Until I heard about it on Recotopia (a podcast I strongly recommend), I had never heard about it, and if I were to stumble upon it while browsing through streaming services, I would have probably just skipped past it. And that would be a bummer because I would have missed this brilliant, romantic comedy with a twist and spectacular performance by Katherine Langford.

Let’s face it Spontaneous isn’t breaking any new ground. It’s a coming-of-age romantic comedy, and we have seen many, many, many, MANY of those over the last couple of decades. What differentiates this one from most of the others, much more average films, are two things – the unique twist and Katherine’s performance. And I will talk about both but honestly? I don’t want to reveal what’s the unique twist, even if it’s part of the synopsis for this movie. Because if you can, you should go to this film as blindly as possible as I had no idea about what the film was about.

Now, would it ruin it if I just spelt it out? No, probably not, but it would take away a bit of fun from your experience, so I will try my hardest to talk around it, even though you can literally go to IMDb and read it for yourself there. The twist works on several levels; it’s not just a differentiator gimmick; that’s thrown in just for the sake of it. What surprised me was how neatly it tied with the themes of growing up and living your life for now, not tomorrow. Of course, the movie isn’t trying to say you shouldn’t plan your future or anything like that, no. It merely presents a scenario where our protagonists must be more mindful of “now” in their lives. I think it’s a great lesson to have in a movie aimed at younger audiences, as many have the “immortality” symptom, thinking they are invincible, they have many years ahead of them, so why not wait and do this tomorrow? I have time, right? And due to this twist, Spontaneous managed to carve a nice niche for itself as I don’t think many films for and about young people address that aspect of life. Yes, it’s more likely you have 60/70 years ahead of you if you are 18/20 years old, sure. But it is not guaranteed or given.

I was only aware of Katherine Langford due to her small role in Knives Out (2019, my review here) and completely forgot she was the main star of 13 Reasons Why (2017 – 2020), a show I have no interest in watching. So forgive my ignorance for not knowing how talented she was. She is the leading actress in every sense of the word, the film lives and dies with her, and she smashed her role. She is hilariously snarky for most of the film, only for her to “flip” to a more serious tone by the end, and she did it flawlessly. She reminds me of young Sandra Bullock, and not because she would like her; it’s more about the level of comedy chops and having the ability to carry the entire film on her shoulders and make it work, to be that snarky but knowing where the line was every time. And when it’s time for her character to do some questionable things, we are still rooting for her, not against her, because by that point, we understand what she went through. And to strike that balance, especially with her character being as snarky as it was, it’s not easy. Many seasoned actors get burned and go “too much” (snarkiness or meanness), resulting in average comedies, let alone romantic comedies. But Katherine’s performance in this movie is an utterly different story. I can only hope she will have a bright and long future in the industry, but as this film taught us, you never know 😉

The only reason I am not giving this film the highest rating might be a petty one – I secretly hoped for some resolution regarding the twist. Now, I completely understand that wasn’t the point, and the twist served as a metaphor of sorts, but what can I tell you; my logical brain was hoping there would have been some (possibly funny) answer. But this also leads me to believe that the next time I watch this film, knowing what I know now, it won’t bother me as much, and I will enjoy the ride a bit more.

Overall, Spontaneous was an unexpectedly funny, charming and delightful movie with the captivating Katherine Langford. It’s one of those films that even if you don’t enjoy as much as I did, I would still be willing to bet you will enjoy her performance. Spontaneous is currently rated 6.5/10 on IMDb, which seems unfairly low. I checked the film’s RottenTomatoes score, which is a whopping 96% from critics (average 8.3/10) – that seems more like it. Don’t be like me and sleep on this hidden gem of a film; otherwise, you might miss the rise of Katherine. At least, I hope she will be busy over the next couple of years because I want to see more of her.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

TV Show Reviews

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Review (Season One) – Tatiana, Twerking and The Internet

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You can call this show many things, but one “label” is unfortunately correct, and that label would be “divisive”. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is, by far, the most divisive MCU show to date, with people on both sides of the spectrum screaming about this show either in support or disgust. Why disgust? I have seen many saying something like: “Oh, how far/deep has the MCU fallen.” Honestly, because it took me a minute to start this show, I was doubtful as the hate seemed to come from all directions. But I don’t tend to listen to other people, so when I finally caught up on this show, I was surprised by how much I loved it. That shows that no matter what you hear, you must make your own judgement and see it for yourself, and I am glad I did; otherwise, I would have missed the funniest MCU show to date.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is probably the most light-hearted, low-stakes MCU show we have gotten because it wants to be that. Well, at least regarding MCU. You literally have the main character (more about her soon) tell you in the first episode: “It’s true. I am a Hulk. And I’m guessing you won’t be able to focus on this fun lawyer show until you know all about that.” And at that moment, I realised what this show was. It’s a sitcom in MCU, but in the Internet age and given its ties to the MCU, people weren’t ready for this show to “just be that”. I have touched on this in my previous MCU reviews, but the MCU fanbase needs to get their shit together. During their “peak” (with just movies leading up to the Avengers: Endgame (2019)), the second biggest complaint I heard was that MCU couldn’t just make something on its own, that everything had to be linked somehow to the previous movies or setting up upcoming films. Why number two, by the way? Because the number one complaint was always about their action scenes (still something they need to work on). And all these MCU shows have tried to do just that, especially something like Moon Knight (2022, my review here); you can watch with almost no knowledge about any MCU films/shows and enjoy it. And virtually the same can be said about She-Hulk. Sure, you need to know a bit about Hulk, Avengers etc., but I can imagine even if you don’t know much, you would still be able to enjoy yourself because this show doesn’t rely on your extensive knowledge of the MCU. This show wants you to relax and have fun alongside Tatiana Maslany.

You can say many things about this phase (I believe we are about to end MCU’s phase 4) and how “uneven” the films, the shows, and the themes have been. But one thing the MCU still knows how to do is cast their leading roles. From Hailee Steinfeld in Hawkeye (2021, my review here) to Iman Vellani in Ms. Marvel (2022, my review here), and now Tatiana as She-Hulk. Side note, I know Hailee technically is not a lead in that series, but I consider her role to be as vital as Hawkeye himself, plus she will play an important part in the future. One stellar casting decision after another, and Tatiana is yet another jewel in this crown of casting decisions. She has the acting range to do both comedy and drama spectacularly, and she switches between those two lanes with ease. But the main reason I loved her as Jen Walters is the fun she was having as the character. Her attitude and positive thinking were infectious, and I can’t compliment her enough. Also, she breaks the fourth wall as much as Deadpool, maybe even more. And for her to do that so effortlessly, when not once it seemed off or not funny… that tells you all you need to know. She gave this character the correct amount of snark; every decision Tatiana made for her character worked. It worked so much that out of all the MCU shows, this one is the clear frontrunner for me as to “we need a second season as soon as possible”. I would also appreciate seeing more of She-Hulk in the MCU films.

If you are “on the Internets” at all, you must have heard about the now infamous scene featuring Tatiana and Megan Thee Stallion twerking. If you somehow missed this “controversy”, first of all, please teach me your ways and second, congratulations. Nevertheless, when I first became aware of that, I cringed as out of context; it looked weird and out of place. And here’s the operative phrase, “out of context”. I wasn’t watching the show by the time this episode was out, so I had no point of reference, and that scene seemed just bizarre. But after I caught up and watched that episode the moment this scene happened, I chuckled. Because that episode was funny, and this was just a funny, silly moment of a funny, silly show. It was just a post-credit scene that closed the episode where (believe it or not) Megan was in, so that scene was just “a tag”. Nothing more, nothing less. Marvel isn’t dead because Megan now exists in the MCU, and she dared to twerk with Tatiana, no. People need to take themselves less seriously and take what they get less seriously as well, especially if the show you are watching tells you this will be a silly lawyer show!

Unfortunately, as is the rule, in today’s day and age, many “fans” have review-bombed this show only after the first episode. And look, I get it, I… no, wait, I don’t actually get it. I never understood why people feel the need to rate/rank a show after the first episode. I don’t get why people (and, in this instance, some men) are so afraid of women leading shows. It was funny to me; that, in the end, the main storyline of this show was about a group of young men who hate She-Hulk and want to get her powers because they feel she doesn’t deserve them. And by funny, I mean ironic. It’s insane to me how some people will yell about these shows “being woke/political” and all that shit, and then they proceed to review-bomb a show after the very first episode, saying how “this isn’t MCU anymore”. Why? Because we don’t get to have fun? This show understands today’s culture and, unfortunately, proved it. You don’t get to complain about the show being “woke” and then proceed to do that very stuff this show is dealing with; this is just not how any of this works.

My only criticism of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the occasional over-reliance on other MCU characters. I won’t spoil any who appear in this show, and it was nice to see them, but I was enjoying Tatiana so much I thought sometimes, these “guest appearances” distract from her, a point, by the way, even the show acknowledges. My other, more serious point – I wanted more. I could have easily watched at least six to ten more episodes of just Jen struggling to live a normal life while being a superhero lawyer. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was the show we could easily have had more episodes without compromising the quality. Come to think of it; we could have even gone deeper; with the villain(s) and established them even more, but maybe that was on purpose, not giving them too much oxygen…? Be that as it may, I wanted more.

Overall, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a superb show with one excellent performance by Tatiana Maslany. She is having so much fun it’s almost impossible not to have a great time alongside her. The rest of the show portrays very well how it would look like; if somebody did gain superhero powers and didn’t want to be a superhero. Jen’s struggle to juggle her personal and private life, her comedy and her breaking of the fourth wall were all on point. I would strongly recommend this show if you can accept it on its terms. If you are fine with watching “just a comedy show” that also has something to say about today’s world, go ahead. Now, if you excuse me, I will be on the lookout for season two and need to watch more movies/shows with Tatiana in them.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

TV Show Reviews

The White Lotus (Season One) Review – Trouble in Paradise

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Sometimes, the Emmys can be good for something. For example, I knew of this miniseries for a while (mainly due to Alexandra Daddario and Sydney Sweeney‘s involvement and being on Reddit, you couldn’t escape some pictures or gifs being posted regularly), yet it wasn’t until the show won 10 (!) Emmys, I finally decided to watch it. And I am so glad I did. The White Lotus might seem like a “rich white people have issues too” type of show, but it’s so much more. That is how I would sum up this show – everything is more nuanced than it appears on the surface.

Take it from the premise – within the first minutes, it’s established somebody died in this tropical resort, but we are never told who until the last episode. Naturally, you might think this might turn into a sort of “whodunit” or who will it be, but it never does. Because once this show introduces all our main characters and starts “plotting away”, you are hooked and might even forget that at the end, somebody will die. As that death never “lingers” over this show.

What The White Lotus is interested in; is exploring characters from different social and economic backgrounds but giving them all the “benefit of the doubt”. And the show does it well. You might think you have every character figured out by the end of the first episode, but you would be mistaken as each one grows episode by episode, some for better, some for worse. Take Jake Lacy‘s character (Shane). I was convinced he was the most unpleasant person in that show based on the first episode. And he is definitely a spoiled, entitled male version of Karen. But the main conflict his character has throughout this show (against Murray Bartlett‘s character Armond) isn’t because of him being all those things I just said; it’s because of Armond’s character being cheeky and trying to get away with it. If you watched the show, you know what I am talking about.

Now, does that justify Shane’s behaviour towards his new wife, Rachel (played by Daddario)? Absolutely not. And he’s got many issues on top of that (like the fact he might be too attached to his mum), but ultimately you can kind of understand his motivation and his traits because that character is written and portrayed well. Same for Alexandra’s character Rachel where you can argue she jumped into this wedding bit too quickly, not knowing what she was doing because her character starts to see who she married on their honeymoon. But when she has a choice to leave and do something about it, does she? I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say nobody is “black or white” here. Every single character has their flaws displayed and explored. That brings me to Fred Hechinger, aka Quinn.

His character goes through the most growth; out of all characters we have been introduced to in this show. When we first meet Quinn, he is this beyond awkward teenager who is glued to his phone, not satisfied/happy with anything. He also has a wealthy/powerful mum behind him (Connie Britton), who keeps making excuses for him. Her dialogue about teenage white men having it difficult in today’s world was interesting, to say the least, so you can draw some comparisons between his character and Shane. One could even say; if certain events didn’t happen the way they did, Quinn would have ended up like Shane’s character in 20 years. Instead, I don’t think he will, as he finds something we all crave without realising – the sense of community, belonging and hopefully, purpose. Again, I don’t want to spoil it, but his journey was satisfying to watch, and towards the end, you root for him.

We can also talk about his sister (portrayed by Sydney) and her relationship with her best friend, who is tagging along with Sydney’s wealthy family (played by Brittany O’Grady). Both of them stand for good things; they stand on the right side regarding all the issues, and don’t worry, they will tell you about it. But Sydney’s character does it from the place of hypocrisy and comfort (as highlighted by her dad, played by Steve Zahn), and Brittany’s character is the personification of the proverb “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Her ultimate goal is noble, but in order to achieve that goal, her character makes some straight-up evil choices. And yet, you understand her even though you don’t have to agree with what she did.

And that is where the brilliance lies for me. I could pretty much go through each of our ten main characters and write about each in a good chunk of text because I understand them. And the reason I understand them is that they all feel like people, not characters on paper. They all have good and bad qualities, but most importantly, they all have flaws, some bigger than others, and the show doesn’t judge them. The White Lotus makes sure you get to know them, you understand them and then it’s all up to you to decide who is the “real villain” is. Maybe there isn’t one, as we are all the heroes of our own stories and villains in some other stories. I once heard something along the lines of: “We judge everyone based on their action, but we judge ourselves based on our intentions.” And whilst watching this show, that line kept ringing in my head.

I wonder how the second season will square against this one. From the original cast, the only one returning is Jennifer Coolidge (who deserved that Emmy, she was brilliant in her role), but we will get a new resort with new people. It will be hard to top this season, but I am hopeful because I can see the potential. And I am also down for more Jennifer in this kind of role; she ruled both comedically and dramatically.

Overall, The White Lotus is so much more complex than the show lets on the surface. From looking at the promotional posters and trailers, you might think this might be a decent show full of “white people’s problems”. To an extent, it is that, but there is much more meat on the bones to chew. And that’s all due to the brilliant script and strong performances by everyone involved. I would be happy if this show only had one season, but let’s see what season two will bring. I can’t wait and won’t be waiting to check it out this time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke

TV Show Reviews

24 Review (Season Two) – Different Threat, The Same Jack

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After the first ground-breaking season (my review can be found here), I wondered how the show would “evolve” after one major death and another pretty big twist. I am happy to write that the second season of 24 might have been even better than the first one. I was so close to calling it one of the best seasons of any TV show of all time because it was a mostly exhilarating ride from the very first episode until the very last one, however… I had a few issues with this season. And they mostly revolve around one character and one character only – Kim.

Look, I have nothing against Elisha Cuthbert. Quite the opposite, I did like her character in season one, and she can be quite easy on the eyes, especially when the show seems to be finding reasons for her to wear revealing outfits no matter what. But, this season, her character not only annoyed me, it downright stopped the show within its tracks each time she appeared on the screen. I believe there are two reasons for this.

The first reason is apparent – her storyline has nothing to do with the second’s season main threat, the nuclear bomb. Rest assured, she gets told by Jack to avoid Los Angeles, but that’s pretty much it. Kim’s character starts this season as baby sitter who happens to babysit a girl whose father “might” be one of the most despised dads to ever appear on film or TV. So, for the first couple of episodes, every time we break away from the main storyline to check on “what is our Kim up to now”, we can mostly see her running, screaming, hiding or all of the above from this psycho “dad”. And for the rest of the season, her character is all over the place, from a random encounter with a doom prepper to facing the consequences getting bailed by the CTU.

The second reason her storyline didn’t work is that the writers didn’t know what to do with her character. The thing is, I don’t blame Elisha for any of this; she was simply doing what was on the paper. The problem was with “the paper” – you could tell the writers tried their hardest to make her problems/story make sense during this nuclear storyline. And what was supposed to take off the edge a bit, give us (the audience) a chance to breathe for a while, has turned into this messy, screamy subplot that honestly made me hate Kim’s character. And I have to repeat myself; I had no issues with her in the first season despite in spite of her character getting into precarious situations too. However, they were at least somehow connected. I am watching season three right now, and they actually incorporated Kim’s character into the show in a better way. Is what she is doing now 100% logical, and could I see her being where she is? No, but you know what? I am more than willing to overlook a few things if we stay away from Kim always having to be saved.

And that’s a shame, as otherwise, the second season was great. Everything from the nuclear bomb to it actually going off to the consequences, the whole masterplan behind it, the morality of (now) president Palmer being questioned more than ever, all of that I liked. Was the show really wild at times? Sure, but that comes with the territory, as 24, I think, is every American’s wet dream. The secret agents go solo/against the system for the most selfless reasons only. The government where no matter where people stand (politically), they all have principles and know what is right and what is wrong. And everything pretty much works out in the end, bad guys get punished, and people who (again) went against the orders (albeit with good reasons) aren’t punished; serve it with steak, hot dog and cheeseburger on the 4th of July, because that is ‘Murica, baby. At least in this show.

I am starting to question whether this show gimmick (real-time events needing to have 24 episodes per season) will ultimately lead to 24 always being “almost amazing” and never “truly amazing”. Because if you think about that gimmick for a bit longer, you will start to see why we need to have many different, often annoying side-lines (like with Kim in this season) because the showrunners had to fill in 24 episodes. And sure, the current streaming binge trend isn’t perfect by any means, but in this one instance, the shows we’ve had over the past 10+ years are much better because they don’t have to meet any quotas. They don’t have to have this gimmick that might be eye-catching, but it also makes it almost impossible to make one kick-ass season of a TV show where every storyline matters. Well, I still have six seasons ahead of me, so who knows? Maybe, there is a season of 24 where I will feel like there was nothing wrong with it. So far, nothing yet, but the second season was almost there.

Overall, the second season of 24 was intriguing, and if it wasn’t for some obvious filler episodes/storylines, it had the potential to be indeed something special. Sure, there is nothing that ground-breaking if you take it apart; it is your “typical” level of “conspiracy behind every corner” plot that gets stretched into 24 episodes. But it’s stretched effectively; the season took some turns I didn’t see coming, and I had a good time with it. It will be interesting to see what is coming next.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke