Reviews

I apologize for the exaggeration; it's really not that bad. I bring up the CW comparison only to highlight the fact that nearly all the changes made to the source material are simplistic and generic, seemingly made to follow in the steps of the dystopian Young Adult boom that exploded in the decades since the book was penned. The crazy thing is that I haven't even read the book. I could just tell when something was changed, because the story would go from interesting and well-written to...well, not that.

On a positive note, the casting is great. The actors truly bring a lot of passion to the mixed bag of material they're given. The effects are pretty good too, as the sterilized aesthetic of their society communicates the tight construct that the characters are meant to participate in. Overall, this isn't a bad show. Despite the missteps, I was invested in each of the characters and their ever-changing relationships. It's a shame there won't be second season, especially considering the big narrative swings taken towards the end.

Warning: what I'm about to say next is going to make me seem like the biggest hater on the planet, but I want to clarify that I do think this show is impressive and I'm ultimately glad it exists.

Here's my problem: At no point in the two seasons was I convinced that the writers knew where this story was going. I'm fully aware that I sound exactly like the type of person that this show is critiquing (specifically in the first season), but the mysteries that the writers lay out and the bits of lore that it chooses to share with the audience are quite often contradictory or forgotten between seasons, and no amount of Brit Marling charm is going to gloss that over for me. I can absolutely admit that this is a personal hang-up for me, as plenty of people can ignore imperfect plotting for strong characters, which this show has plenty of, but in a show that's so meticulously (slow) paced, I would have preferred to see a better mystery-to-payoff ratio that what we got.

If these seem like the ramblings of a nonbeliever, let me present my smoking gun: Season 1 sets up a pretty tight mystery unfolding in two timelines, and ultimately leaves the audience wondering if you can trust the narrator on what was real or not; just as the supporting characters have been wondering throughout the season. Clever, right? Season 2, on the other hand, begins with about 5 new mysteries and completely abandons the sense of ambiguity that Season 1 so carefully built. There is a marked improvement in presentation, but the connective tissue between the seasons hangs by a shred of sinew.

In a perfect alternate universe, the OA would have five full seasons to tell its story to completion, but we ain't in that universe. If you want strong characters and an engaging romance, you should absolutely check out the OA. Honestly, the creative team did a fantastic job with both of those. If you want your "mystery box" questions answered in a satisfying way, maybe watch a different show.

At this point I think we all know the big twist that happens at the beginning of the series, but I'm going to do my best to remain spoiler-free regardless. Unlike a lot of the more reactionary, incel-adjacent (yeah I said it) negative reviews of this show, I actually whole-heartedly support the decision to flip the narrative in this way.

We already have three great versions of this Canadian coming-of-age story, did we really need another straightforward retelling? The answer is no. If you want the classic Pilgrim story then go read the graphic novel, now available in gorgeous color. Go watch the Edgar Wright movie that is way better than it has any right to be. Hell, go play the video game with a couple of friends over the weekend. It's been done, and done well. Considering the fact that nearly two decades have passed since this story came out, using the basic framework of Scott Pilgrim as a means to converse with its own legacy was an inspired approach. My problem is not with the idea, but with how it was executed.

Disclaimer: I watched this show in English. I have to start with this because after watching a few clips in Japanese, I genuinely feel like it was the intended viewing experience. The jokes land with more consistency and the Japanese voice acting much better fits the expressiveness that animation studio Science SARU brings to the table. This is a shame, since one of the original selling points was all the English actors from the live-action move returning for this adaptation, and I imagine that many people also watched this inferior version as a result.

While the awkward English voice acting and pacing definitely affected my overall score, my main issue is with the exploration of the side-characters, which is unfortunately the main draws of this reimagining. You've been reading for this long so I'll just get to the point: I don't feel that the characters are represented in a way that meaningfully adds to or develops the original story. The balance between abstract video game logic and heartfelt character moments that worked so well in the original comic is just completely off here, leading to an unfocused story that never reaches the comedic heights of the movie or the emotional depth of the comics. Ramona's character is probably the most successful, but even her story lacks the clear definition of Scott's original character arc.

Long story short, whatever magic that bound together the disparate ideas of the original story into an impactful experience are missing here, and given the intention, it's a darn shame.

It's hard to come up with 600 words for this review because it's so easy to describe who this show is made for and why it's great. But I'll try.

If you liked the neon-infused presentation, well-choreographed action, and secret-society worldbuilding of John Wick, you'll love this show. If you only like John Wick for Keanu Reeves and want to see more of his character, you will not like this show. This is a prequel series that fills in a lot of small details of the world that Wick operates in, from the perspective of the Continental Hotel's future manager, Winston Scott. John Wick himself is not in this three-part "event", as he was a child living in this universe's version of the USSR during the 70's. That being said, I feel the lack of John Wick in this story actually makes things a bit more interesting, as the heroes we follow aren't invincible Terminator assassins and have to find smart ways to get through their battles.

There are a few missteps here and there with an over-reliance on needle drops and some "badass" moments that miss their mark, but overall it's a great show and I hope all the action fans check it out.

I had a colleague who really loved the first two episodes. Like, enough to rewatch them a handful of times while waiting for the next one. For me, however (hater alert), the first two episodes perfectly encapsulate everything wrong about recent Star Wars projects. Amazing production value, nostalgic score, but nothing in the way of new ideas or unique plotting.

I would like to take a moment to shout out Andor season 1. I love you, Andor season 1. In the case of Andor (season 1), it was immediately apparent that it was trying to tell a more mature story. It's tone was painted in a moral grey that we rarely see in Star Wars stories, and it had engaging dialogue to back it up. The beginning of Ahsoka felt nice and familiar, which isn't always a bad thing, but the wooden performances and straightforward "let's directly describe the plot" storytelling left me feeling bored and discouraged. I had already crawled my way through multiple seasons of the Mandalorian and Bad Batch in which nothing genuinely interesting had been added to the Star Wars universe. Rather than push the worldbuilding in interesting new directions or give us well-written characters to care about, Disney seemed content with just bringing out some familiar-looking action figures and having them smash against each other for a few episodes. Needless to say, I was tired.

But then, something unexpected happened. After the initial setup, the characters entered a brand new universe. The Force-wielding bad guys actually began to have nuanced motivations and conversations. Ahsoka (the show and the character) was expressing genuine emotion. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. I was so excited for what was being set up, both as a lore nerd and as someone who cares about the future of Star Wars (which showrunner Dave Filoni seems to have a big role in).

Alas, dear reader, the end of the show unfortunately fell back into the tried-and-true battle of action figures. The show revealed some major setups for season 2, but there was almost no payoff for the things that made season 1 actually interesting. I will definitely be there for season 2, or Filoni's movie (whatever comes first), but my mid-season excitement for the future has unfortunately diminished.

In our current mass media landscape oversaturated with superhero stories, it's become increasingly hard to find ones that stand out from the pack. Gone are the days of Sam Raimi's Spider-man where the storytelling was played straight, with bright colors and energy that seek to evoke the feeling of reading a comic-book. In the 2020's, we have reached peak of the superhero craze, and it seems studios have bottlenecked their output into two different flavors of media:

1. Superhero stories that infuse their characters into a different blockbuster genre (a superhero spy movie, a superhero sci-fi epic, etc.) 2. Superhero stories that ask "what if Superman was BAD?"

"I'm a Virgo" is the third Amazon show I've watched that falls into category 2, and despite not advertising itself a superhero show, it contains the most interesting answer to that question by far.

In the other two Amazon shows I mentioned, "The Boys" and "Invincible", the drama comes from the insurmountable odds of defeating an antagonist who wields godlike powers. There's always the looming threat of this evil Superman figure who is capable of wiping out all the heroes (or anti-heroes) without breaking a sweat. In "I'm a Virgo", this threat is also present, as "The Hero", a sort of Iron Man/Batman archetype played by Walton Goggins, always shows up to intimidate the characters who seek social change. The show starts off slow, introducing us to this familiar-yet-bizarre universe (similar in tone to Donald Glover's Atlanta) and the players that inhabit it. Eventually, however, we reach a turning point that forces our main characters to confront this force of "justice".

The main between this show and those other two is the conclusion. Without spoiling anything, the finale of this series is some of the most thought-provoking, well-explained examinations of what it means to be superhero, and why anyone who tries to take on that mantle will fail. There have been plenty of superhero media that examines the inherit fascism associated with being a superhero, but almost all of them reach the conclusion that "we should kill them" or worse, "I'll just be better". This show does not say either of those things, and I hope more people get to experience Boots Riley's superhero manifesto for themselves.

All the characters in this show are self-obsessed control freaks who don't live in reality. There's a sad aspect of it when you see that's how they were raised, but it makes for extremely interesting and genuinely hilarious television when you find yourself rooting for one jerk over the others.

The show has a great commentary on the business world and capitalism at large, but it's filmed and acted in a way that almost feels like reality TV, so it never gets preachy. There's a slow build in stakes over the four seasons, but the show never puts these stakes front and center. The focus is always on the emotional drama, and how these characters tear each other down with very creative uses of the English language. Fantastic television.

By far the best part of this show is watching how a bunch of extremely strong-willed characters bounce off each other. Everyone has their own desires and they all seem to rub against each other in really interesting ways. From season one to the very last episode, the fight for control will keep you invested.

The only negatives aspect I found with the show was how it replaces characters that essentially fill the same role. The show has great tension, but it gets a little deflated when you're 3 seasons in and you realize "okay we're meeting the 3rd version of this character because the other 2 died". It got noticeable for me, but it might not bother other watchers. Overall, a fantastic show.

I'm gonna keep it real with you people. You need to possess a few things before going in to the Willow TV show. Imagine, if you will, that I'm a wizard preparing you for a quest. Ready?

You need to enjoy the fantasy genre (but I assume if you're still reading this review then you have that part down.) You also need to have seen the original Willow and at least somewhat enjoyed what that movie was doing. Lastly, you need to have a tolerance for Young Adult television and all that entails. If you possess all these things, you're ready to enjoy Willow. If not, you're probably better off with House of Dragons or like...Wheel of Time. I'm not sure about Wheel of Time actually, I haven't watched that yet. Stay tuned.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Willow, but let's be spicy and start with the bad things! The YA stuff (teenage melodramatic dialogue and top 40 needle drops) is not overbearing and is thankfully subverted in many cases. I will say, however, that it gets more prevalent towards the climax, but by that time the show has already dug its claws in. That, and the way the last 5 minutes manages to feel anticlimactic despite an incredible final battle, are my ONLY complaints about this show. On to the good.

This show's greatest strength is knowing the tropes of fantasy shows and legacy sequels, and then trying its hardest to upend those expectations. It doesn't always succeed, but there were multiple moments where I was like "ah, they're doing THIS thing" and then show went "HA, you THOUGHT!" and I just love that. The characters are also well thought out and slowly reveal interesting layers throughout the season. They all bounce well off each other and (when they're not drowning in melodrama) give fun performances.

There are currently no plans for a season 2, but I would absolutely recommend everyone give this one a try, ESPECIALLY if you enjoyed the 80's movie.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this movie to anyone who cares about music or animation, and ESPECIALLY to people who care about both. The mix of deadpan humor and extremely kinetic music scenes make for a thoroughly entertaining combination. This is definitely the type of movie that will make you want to pick up an instrument right after it ends, and it's impressive how well the feeling of a music performance is communicated. In the midst of a pandemic that has left many craving a good concert experience for months on end, this movie felt like a blessing.

My one note of caution is that if you're going into this film looking for dramatic stakes and a heartfelt love story, you'll probably be disappointed. This is a charming story about some friends who play music together, and it doesn't try to be much else. But in a genre that already has a huge list of overly-dramatized music stories, this is perfect.

I went into this movie expecting the standard Resident Evil zombie/body-horror experience, knowing full well there would be some corny voice acting and 80's action movie cliches. And honestly, that's exactly what I got. This movie would have been a 5/10 (passable) for me if it wasn't for how profoundly ridiculous it gets at certain parts. Within the first 20 minutes of this film I saw two separate characters scream dramatically into the sky while the camera pulled away. Awe-inspiring.

This movie truly commits to the cheesy action genre it was inspired by, and it's hilarious to watch. While it was probably not the director's intent, I'd much rather scream "WHAT" at the screen than be bored. And trust me, you will be screaming "WHAT". 6/10

2018 is turning out to be a great year for skateboarding films. Bing Liu's "Minding the Gap" was an unrelentingly honest take on the violent family situations that often surround young skateboarders (everyone should see it!), Jonah Hill's directorial debut "Mid90's" looks like it'll be kickass, and now we have Crystal Moselle's "Skate Kitchen", which is an energetic and funny story about a group of real-life skateboarding crew of girls in NYC. This film felt like a semi-documentary, as all of the girls in the film appear to be playing themselves, recreating moments that have been posted on their active social media accounts. Living in NYC myself, it was refreshing to see a film that didn't use the typical aerial establishing shot of the city every time the scene changed. Everything related to the setting felt grounded rather than self-indulgent, as if the director was set on creating a mood that felt like a valid New York experience. Riding the subway, dealing with random catcallers, and dodging the incessant traffic of the streets, it all feels authentic. However, while the mood and visuals of the film remain consistently great, the story beats are unfortunately not as strong. The two big emotional conflicts in the film are essentially solved off-screen, and it feels like a missed opportunity to flesh out the awesome theme of positive relationships between women. It could be said that the director was making a point about how the struggles of our youth are often blown out of proportion and easily solved, but in practice it sometimes messed with the flow of the movie, at least for me. Basically, it was somewhat distracting to have the emotional plotline simmering in the background of a movie that was otherwise wildly fun, only for it to be solved with minimal effort. However, where the drama aspect of the movie falls short, that actual friendship and chemistry between the girls of the movie is so on point, it's basically worth the price of admission. The skate crew jokes around about things that are exclusive to women, has fun messing around in skate parks, and overall are just entertaining to be around. "Skate Kitchen" was a fun ride that felt progressive as a non-exploitative celebration of female friendships, and I wish there were more films like it.

Also Jaden Smith is in this movie and acts exactly how you'd expect him to act. I can't stress how fun/funny this movie is. If you can deal with a lack of dramatic payoff and you like to have fun, go see this movie.

Two really good skateboarding movies came out recently. The first one I got to see, Crystal Moselle's "Skate Kitchen", functioned as a fun semi-documentary that celebrated the friendship forged between a crew of NYC girls making their own space in a predominately male sport. The second one, Bing Liu's "Minding the Gap" took a very different approach to the subject, focusing much deeper on the pain that drove a group of three Midwestern skateboarders together, and how the same wounds would continue to dictate their life both in and outside of skateboarding. Unlike Skate Kitchen, this documentary is not an easy watch. It's by no means a boring watch, as Liu constructs a very cinematic experience both visually and emotionally, but some of the life experiences that the director focuses on can be truly devastating to anyone who has ever experienced anything similar. The characters in this film are real, and you want to see each of them succeed despite the odds stacked against them. I don't want to spoil the story too much, but I will say that there's something in this movie for everyone. It's much less a skateboarding movie than it is a movie about parenthood gone wrong and finding your way in your 20's, which I'm sure a lot of people can relate to. I hope everyone gets to see this film, and I hope everyone has a box of tissues close by.

As I was watching Calibre, I found myself growing both impressed with the setup and desperate in my hope that it would not stumble into the same pitfall that most thrillers do, which is the eye-rolling plot convenience of characters making dumb decisions. Thankfully, as you can probably tell by rating, this movie pleasantly surprised me! The characters act realistically, and every single nail-biting moment feels earned within the context of the story. Writer/director Matt Palmer deserves high amounts of praise for his attention to detail and tight storytelling. The thematic content in this movie is pretty heavy, but it doesn't feel excessive or exploitative in any way. In simpler terms, this movie takes an incredibly solid story setup and never once fumbles with the follow-through. My only gripe keeping it from a perfect score is that I didn't necessarily feel anything special in regards to the cinematography or the score (although I will note that the lack of music in certain scenes was an inspired choice). Overall, it's a tense movie with sobering content that will most likely leave you questioning what you might have done differently in such a scenario but wholly satisfied with what you saw.

One of my main critisisms with J-horror is that it tends to sacrifice a coherent story for the highly an unsettling atmosphere that the genre is known for. It can be nerve-wrecking when you're watching it, but downright confusing when trying to piece together an explanation of the events that took place. With that in mind, I have to give "Noroi: The Curse" credit where credit is due: while the backstory may be a convoluted mess of sacrifices and rituals, the way film is directed in a way that never tries to lose the audience. The documentary style of the film (something I haven't seen too much from J-horror) is fairly linear in its presentation and does a fair job at explaining the film's unraveling and increasingly complicated plot. There are many characters involved in the film's narrative, and if the audience was left trying to formulate the backstory and figure out what happened after all was said and done, it would have been a very frustrating experience. Fortunately the film ends with a particularly chilling scene that ties everything together. The strong ending, along with great use of sound throughout the film and a tactful decision to stay away from jump-scares, saves "Noroi" from being just another alienating horror flick from overseas. That being said, however, the film does have quite a few noticeable flaws. I found the pacing to be awfully slow, which can be detrimental for a 2-hour movie such as this one. It seemed the camera held on characters for dramatic effect far too often, and there was a lot of buildup to scenes that just weren't that chilling in payoff, either due to poor special effects or predictable outcomes. Furthermore, since everything was explained at the end, the ongoing mystery dragged on throughout the entire film and it became easy to get bored or lost when there were too many questions being asked with not enough answers being provided. In conclusion, while "Noroi: The Curse" can be slow in nature, it also consists of scenes that are truly scary, a ghost story that actually makes sense, and moments where the special effects complement the horrifying tone perfectly. If you're willing to stick around through the mostly uninteresting characters and moments of poor special effects, you'll find a particularly strong ending and cleverly executed scares in a found-footage J-Horror that I'd recommend over the majority of the Paranormal Activity films any day.