Change Your Image
hcolesmith
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Community (2009)
Altogether worthwhile, even if a bit inconsistent.
Community is largely hit or miss. Some episodes shine brightly because of how well the ensemble works together. Some miss the mark by jumping down conceptual rabbit holes without really earning the emotional payoffs they attempt to land.
Perhaps the most emblematic example of this is the latter half of the show, starting with season four. Harmon's departure changes the entire dynamic not just because the writing changes--the show never really gets itself fully back on track at all, to be fair--but because the dynamic changes. Season four itself is a bit of mixed bag, but honestly isn't as bad as people give it credit for. There are solid character moments in it, even if the tone of the season feels a bit of a knock-off. Season five over-corrects, and although it almost pulls it off, there are just a few episodes that make the entire affair still feel lackluster. The final season is perhaps the most mixed of all of them. Although the writing is back on track, the lack of three of the original seven cast members weighs heavily on the dynamic. The other four characters seemingly cling to each other and although the new characters are incredibly strong, it never feels quite the same. It's clear that Harmon had trouble recapturing that magic.
I went into this series hoping to find some legendary, largely overlooked precursor to Rick and Morty. I did not find it. But there is something fantastic at its core. When Community works, it soars. It's a shame it doesn't do that all the time.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
An absolute masterpiece
It is often asked: what are some of the best film sequels? You used to get answers like The Godfather Part 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Toy Story 2, and so on. Well, Blade Runner 2049 simply shattered all my expectations when I saw it opening night in theaters. I've never had a cinematic experience so fulfilling.
Truly, Villeneuve knocked it out of the park.
Maniac (2018)
Creative and endearing
I am always drawn to shows that care to ask "what if" and then run wild. Shows like Twin Peaks, The X-Files, The Leftovers, and LOST are just a few of these that do this well. Maniac is yet another one of these shows. But what I loved the most here was how human it manages to feel even amongst all the absurdism running rampant.
Give this a watch. It's wonderful.
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Muddy direction brings down a show of unsuccessful genre-blending
It's been a long, long time since I have felt so utterly empty after watching a show. The first episode does well, bringing in thrills and chills aplenty. It hooked me and spooked me, which is exactly what I was looking for. But what happens after the first episode ends up being a total crap shoot.
Episode two is utterly boring, as it dives deep into the most uninteresting and annoying character in the show. Episode three is slightly more interesting (aside from weird quirks and cliches that honestly didn't need to be in this show), although spouts some very, very misunderstood thoughts about suicide from the character who is supposed to be a psychologist. The rest of the episodes (aside from five and ten) end up being a very middling experience that boast more character development than anything else, which would be excellent if it could be better integrated with the themes of the show itself. At times, The Haunting of Hill House seems to forget that it's a horror altogether and then tries to overcorrect by throwing in jump scares.
But the episode that I want to spend some extra time on is episode six. This one has been calling quite a lot of attention to itself thanks to the long-take format that it goes all out for. I've thought a lot about this episode because I've reading that it's some magnificent feat. Technically it is an achievement when you consider that the majority of a nearly hour-long episode is done in only a few takes. And yet, there doesn't really feel to be a strong reason to make this happen. It doesn't really instill any more tension as it does in Children of Men or True Detective season one. In fact, it slows the pacing down to a crawl and highlights issues with blocking. Events in this episode become very obviously staged and therefore feel more theatrical, losing quite a bit of believability in the process. While watching it, I couldn't help but feel like it was out of place tonally, especially when only one episode goes SO HARD with them and then the rest of the show is more classically structured. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
I can't help but feel like this might all be the result of the direction. Horror elements are so frequently disposed of and forgotten for the sake of being a "family drama" that I would have been much more interested in if it felt like things were more cohesive. I question the structure of the first five episodes (setting up each child with their own episode) because I only ever felt any real empathy for Luke and Nell. The rest of the characters feel hollow and one-dimensional, frequently spouting off the same thing over and over. I wasn't really given any real reason to care about the other characters because it seemed like they frequently did things so mean and rude that I was more irritated than anything else. This show could have benefitted from a more rigid or consistent structure. Of these ten episodes, five of them introduce characters, one of them is the long-take one, and then the last four are where the show's forward momentum starts. If this show was truncated into seven episodes, we would be much better off.
Frasier: Crock Tales (2004)
Unbelievably mediocre
Hair and makeup...yikes.
These episodes where you go back in time can either serve as interesting character studies or just a bit of fun. This one is just a bit tedious and the payoff is just a little lame. It's a shame considering this is one of the final episodes.
Black Panther (2018)
Ignore the haters-this film holds its own
After years of the same Marvel movie over and over (aside from a couple slight detours), Cooglar has managed to meaningfully evolve the Marvel formula. Black Panther is alive and fresh. The villain is brilliantly developed and actually inspires change in our protagonist (good writing 101). The visuals are wonderfully lush and varied.
I've seen it twice already. This is a film worth rewatching.
Frasier: Caught in the Act (2004)
Horrifying
Yeah you know how Roz sits in the audience and is terrified and hiding her face from cringe? That's me. I was not laughing, I was disturbed.