“The Boys” is a Bloody Good Time (Seasons 1 & 2 Review)

Note: This review was originally published in The Cape Cod Chronicle in November 2020.

For those suffering from superhero fatigue, I get it. There are at least five a year, and not all of them can be winners. Sometimes, you might want to step away from the big screen, and get comfortable on your own couch for some exciting, binge-able television. One thing that the pandemic has brought us is more time to invest searching our streaming queues for new shows to devote ourselves to, and The Boys is one such series that brought me happiness in the last few months.

“The Witcher” Season One Review: Dive Deep into a New Fantasy World

Up until recently, I’d never played a video game, and I’ve never been knowledgeable of the subject, but I knew some of the major ones; and one that I’d always heard of but never paid much attention to was the Witcher games, adapted by the Polish fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski. As with any other game, they never interested me…until Netflix announced a big-budgeted episode series based on the stories of the novels and games.

Now, this didn’t exactly catch my fancy, but I saw news about it. It was given a massive budget, Henry Cavill (known to me then exclusively as the DCEU’s Superman) campaigned for the lead role of Geralt of Rivia, and he eventually got it. Until its release, I put it on my radar.

The week that it was released, a bunch of my friends had already binged the entire series. It was winter break, and so everyone had more time on their hands. On the first day of the new year, I watched the first episode to see what all the fuss was about.

“The Umbrella Academy” Season One Review: Addictive, Fantastical Hero Drama

Weird is the new norm for television. And while the first season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy is certainly not as outlandish and far-reaching as the comic series it’s based on, it certainly (rather gleefully) buys into the strangeness that the world offers.

Set contemporarily (though the timeline is ambiguous, and full of anachronisms), the superbly styled first season picks up thirty years after a number of women around the world mysteriously gave birth, despite having never been pregnant in the first place. Eccentric billionaire Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) manages to purchase seven of the children, and he raises them to be a profitable team of superheroes (given that, aside from one of them, the children all have extraordinary abilities).

“Little Women” (2019) Review: Some Stories are Truly Timeless

Note: This review was originally published in The Cape Cod Chronicle in December 2019.

Greta Gerwig, writer and director of 2017’s critically-acclaimed Lady Bird, has thrown her hat into the ring and adapted Louisa May Alcott’s classic 19th century novel Little Women for the big screen for the seventh time.

Gerwig’s adaptation stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen as sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth March, respectively. The film follows them at two different points in their lives: once during the Civil War, as they come of age, and then seven years later, as they’ve matured and are moving into the next phase of their lives. The non-linear style of storytelling is a strength of the film, and it’s very interesting to watch how the different timelines complement each other by answering some questions, but raising others.

“Shazam!” (2019) Review: Wholesome Superhero Family Fun

Note: This review was originally published in The Cape Cod Chronicle in April 2019.

Have you ever wondered what Big might have been like if it had been a superhero flick?

Well, that’s more or less the premise of Shazam!

Foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is recruited by a wizard named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) to become his “champion” for righteousness. Transformed into a powerful older version of himself (Zachary Levi) every time he says the wizard’s name, Billy turns to his foster brother, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), a self-confessed superhero fan, for help in controlling his newfound abilities. While they’re busy with that, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), a man who was rejected by Shazam years ago for being too easily tempted, teams up with demons that are the physical forms of the Seven Deadly Sins to attain Billy’s power.

And so we have ourselves a superhero movie.

“Doom Patrol” Season One Review: A Wildly Insane Superhero Comedy with Heart

Where else have you seen a robot man fighting a giant alligator for his daughter, mere episodes away from a horde of butts on legs escaping a government facility and a sentient street having a massive sexual climax?

The creative team behind Doom Patrol is very obviously firmly committed to the weirdness that the creatively quirky superheroes brings to the silver screen. Couple that with actors that are as dedicated to the strangeness, and you get a highly entertaining introductory season to the most unconventional superhero series out there.

“The Lion King” (2019) Review: Another Pointless Remake

The visuals really are impressive.

Disney has clearly gotten it into their heads that if they remake their classic films, even from within the past twenty years, with the added twist of ‘live-action,’ that people will watch them — and they’re right.

The Lion King is the perfect example of that — a nearly carbon-copy of the 1994 original, only in the 2019 version everything is photorealistic, from the animals’ expressions to the (mostly empty) African landscape.

There are a few problems with this — namely, the mouths of animals, notably lions, aren’t made for human speech, so at times they look clumsy and awkward while speaking. Then there’s the issue that, since the lions’ faces don’t betray much emotion, the actors have to match that with their voices — and that creates a tedious amount of unemotional performances from actors that usually are dazzlingly dynamic while on screen.

“Ready or Not” Review: Something for Everyone

You drew the wrong card, Grace...

Is there any such thing as an original movie anymore? As in, are there any truly original ideas in today’s entertainment world? Some topics and subjects have been done to death, but some have been barely touched. However, it’s always possible to revitalize a certain topic, and put a new spin on it to create an incredibly enjoyable story that somehow makes you forget about where you’ve seen these elements before.

Take Ready or Not, a wickedly fun hybrid of a number of tropes: weird, darkly comedic in-laws (Meet the Fockers), human hunting (The Most Dangerous Game) and deals with the devil (Damn Yankees). As you can see, these are relatively widespread story elements; however, Ready or Not manages to meld them all together in an extremely entertaining fashion.

“What We Do in the Shadows” Season One Review: Vamps on the Town

In my viewing experience, television series adapted from films have had a high success rate. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance honor their source material and are all thoroughly enjoyable on their own. However, they’re all adapted from relatively high-profile films and stories; what about the series based on smaller movies? Are they less enjoyable because their parent films aren’t as well-known?

The answer to that is a resounding “No!” One of my favorite shows to come out in recent years has been “What We Do in the Shadows,” a half-hour comedy that follows a group of vampires that live on Staten Island in the modern day. It’s based on a film of the same name, which was co-directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit) and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords). The film, set in New Zealand, is hilarious on its own, but the spin-off TV series is clearly having a lot of fun expanding the lore and building upon the world established by the film, being one where vampires live together in homes around the world.

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Review: An Exciting, Yet Nonsensical, Saga Conclusion

When the first reviews for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrived, I was confused, but unsurprised, to find that they were largely negative. Allow me to explain.

The previous film in the franchise, The Last Jedi, was received very well by critics but utterly panned by the average audience. The Rise of Skywalker is the opposite — so far largely beloved by audiences, but disliked by critics. That’s where the confusion came from.

“Dumbo” (2019) Review: An Unnecessary (Yet Magical) Remake

At least the elephant is cute.

We’re getting to a point in which Disney films from 25 years ago are being remade as live-action films, but thankfully, they’re not completely ignoring their most classic films, dating all the way back to the mid-20th century.

One of these films is Dumbo, originally released in 1941, which features an elephant born with rather big ears that soon discovers he has the ability to fly (seemingly magically) through the air. This cute film that ran barely over an hour is the latest film that Disney has remade in the style of live-action.

“Diary of a Future President” Season One Review: Have Fun With It

Elena (Tess Romero) and Bobby (Charlie Bushnell).

Disney+ is on a roll. The Mandalorian was the most in-demand streaming series (domestically) multiple weeks in a row, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is lauded by critics and audiences alike, and they’ve already adapted popular children’s books Timmy Failure and Stargirl into feature-length original films. But there’s another new original series on the streaming service, albeit one that isn’t getting as much attention as it should.

“Frozen II” Review: A Sequel Worth the Wait

The sequel builds upon the characters established by the first film.

Disney caught lightning in a bottle with Frozen in 2013, and after its massive success one question remained: what could possibly top the billion-dollar blockbuster in its inevitable sequel?

The answer to that question is Frozen II, which picks up three years after the events of the first film. The now-iconic characters, including ice queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), her sister Anna (Kristen Bell) and talking snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) return for a brand-new adventure that brings our heroes to a mysterious enchanted forest where they are pushed to their very limits in their quest to discover the source of Elsa’s powers.

“Joker” Review: Put on a Happy Face

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker look was devised by makeup artist Niki Lendermann.

The iconic Batman villain Joker has been known by several names over his seventy-nine years of life on the page, among them the Clown Prince of Crime, the Ace of Knaves, the Jester of Genocide, the Harlequin of Hate, and many more. However, unlike most comic book villains, he’s never had his “true” origin story firmly established. Until now.

Todd Phillips’ take on the painted-faced maniac stars Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a man (literally) beaten down by a society that doesn’t care for him. Arthur is affected by a chronic condition that causes him to sporadically laugh uncontrollably, which not only causes him physical pain but is a detriment to the social life he dearly wants to have. Aspiring to be a stand-up comedian, he has a job as a clown-for-hire, while also tending to the needs of his mother (Frances Conroy), whose misplaced hope in Trumpian businessman Thomas Wayne (Brett Cullen) is affecting her mentally and indirectly causing her family financial ruin. On top of all that, Arthur’s one chance at stand-up comedy is being mocked by his favorite late-night talk show host, Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). It seems that life itself has conspired against Arthur, and it takes a toll.

“Yesterday” Review: The Beatles Get a Jukebox Musical

Patel did all of the singing and playing himself in the film.

It’s safe to say that almost everyone knows the music written by the Beatles — ‘Let it Be,’ ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ and ‘Help!’ are some of the most iconic songs of all time, and they’re only some of the band’s biggest hits. They’re also among the vast number of Beatles songs featured in the film Yesterday, which is itself named after one of their songs.

Himesh Patel plays Jack Malik, a struggling musician, in Yesterday. Jack intends to retire from doing small gigs in pubs and local festivals, much to the chagrin of his manager and best friend, Ellie Appleton (Lily James). The following night, when Jack is biking back to his house, he’s hit by a bus at the exact same time as a twelve-second blackout all around the world. When he wakes up, he’s missing two teeth — but more pressingly, no one remembers the Beatles.

To some, it might sound like a silly or simple premise, but it proves to be an entertaining one as Jack debates whether he should pass off the Beatles’ music off as his own. Since they didn’t exist in this alternate reality he woke up in, there should be no harm done, right?

“Knives Out” Review: A Spark of Life for the Mystery Genre

Murder!

Daniel Craig stars as eccentric detective Benoit Blanc.

It’s a premise seen thousands of times before, both on the page and screen. But this time, it’s not as simple as Colonel Mustard in the Drawing Room with the Revolver. Rian Johnson’s latest film, Knives Out, is a complex and layered whodunnit with an ensemble cast that brings a fresh and exciting take to the debatably exhausted genre.

The excitement starts after Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) is found dead by his housekeeper. The death is ruled a suicide, but a police investigation, spearheaded by detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, sporting a thick Southern accent), might prove otherwise. At the center of it all is Harlan’s nurse, Marta (Ana de Armas), who was closest to Harlan and is therefore key to the investigation.

“Parasite” Review: A Riveting Commentary on Social Class

The film's sweeping night at the Oscars was a lovely surprise.

Parasite is the first film since 2013 to be unanimously voted to win the highest honor, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. It’s won over fifty awards and has been nominated for over a hundred (including being the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards).

If that doesn’t impress you, I don’t know what will. Parasite came roaring into the US months after its win at Cannes, and since then, accolade upon accolade has been lauded upon it. It reached the tops of many critics’ best of the year list, and some best of the decade. It’s being adapted into a television miniseries for HBO and is one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea.

It’s a wonder that not many people know about it. It was never given a well-publicized wide release (in the United States, at least), and has a plot that can be seen as confusing if not explained properly.