2. The Terminal List - I think if you like the Amazon version of Jack Ryan and/or Netflix's The Punisher series, then you will like this. It's those two things combined, with a little The Bourne Identity thrown in. I think it's weird that Chris Pratt is so hated by the internet, but if you talk to the average person (at least in America), he is very much loved. I have no problems with him. I think people get way too caught up with having to agree with every. single. opinion someone has - and that's going to end up with hating a lot of people. He's religious. So what? He's Republican. Again, so what? Guess what....so are a LOT of wealthy, white, straight men. It's also weird that I've seen people critique this show as pro-America propaganda and that it's made for a conservative audience, when that is simply not true. Unfortunately, it's not that great of a series either. Incredibly predictable at almost every turn. The plot is absolutely ludicrous that I stopped paying full attention to it after the third episode. There is partially a great cast here - Pratt is perfect in this role, Riley Keough is great even if underutilized, Taylor Kitsch, JD Pardo (I have a HUGE crush on him in that Sons of Anarchy spin-off), and Jeanne Tripplehorn. It, sadly, also stars Constance Wu and Jai Courtney - both of whom are terrible. Also, the little girl who plays Pratt's daughter has to be related to somebody, right? She literally looks like she's reading off of a cue card. Overall, it's pretty average - there are a few moments in the beginning that are a bit shocking, but everything falls into place pretty quickly as to where the story is going and what it is trying to say. I will say that all of the Navy SEAL scenes feel really authentic, like, they really did their homework and I appreciate that.
3. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - Again, this is something I wish I really liked, but, so far, I just don't. I'm only three episodes in, but it's just not grabbing me at all. It's not bad, exactly. But the effects definitely are bad and that's incredibly distracting. Honestly, the CGI for Hulk has always been a bit wonky, but it is practically unwatchable here. And I don't understand why even as She-Hulk, she's soooo scrawny??? They just make her tall with a tiny bit of muscle, there is very little "hulk" to her (those legs are like sticks!). I love Tatiana Maslany, but she is far better than this show. Signing on to a Marvel project is usually a good thing in this current environment, but I wish she was used in more challenging roles. Her acting in Orphan Black was consistently phenomenal, while this doesn't really require much...acting? I like that Mark Ruffalo joins her in the first episode and guides her into her new reality of being a hulk, but after that...nothing much has happened. I was very surprised to see Tim Roth in this! That's just crazy. So far, I also find the breaking the 4th wall scenes really grating. The dialogue feels a little immature and often embarrassing (why exactly are we discussing Captain America losing his virginity??? I cringed with embarrassment). However, there is something fun and light about it. And the characters are all very likeable and/or interesting. I'll keep watching (obvi).
4. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - So weird to me that this is what finally broke people into realizing that this true crime explosion is disrespectful to the victims and their families. The world never makes sense to me - sure, complain about this, but keep listening to your podcast with amateur "crime investigators" titled "My Favorite Murder". Makes complete sense. I'm not really one to get to involved very often with what's offensive, etc., but I get bothered by inconsistency. I do understand the criticism, and I do think it would be very hard to have to relive the murder of a loved one over and over again via popular culture. But I also think that telling these stories sheds light on situations - and this one is specifically shedding light on the fact that the biggest reason Dahmer was able to get away with what he did for so long is due to racism and homophobia. And I think that's important to highlight, so for me, so far, I don't really find this show disrespectful. Before this, I didn't really know much about Dahmer (other than him used as a joke about cannibalism) - I had no idea who his victims were or even how many people he killed. I would love some insight into the cops who responded to calls and concerns about Dahmer and did absolutely nothing. I would love for systems to be in place that hold cops accountable for overlooking HUGE RED FLAGS because of their own bias. I'm hopeful that this will happen one day. Anyway, as for the show - I'm a big fan of Evan Peters. And you can say what you want about Ryan Murphy (I've said a lot myself), but he KNOWS how to make this type of show and get into the psyche of a serial killer (as seen in The Assassination of Gianni Versace - perhaps one of his best series). Honestly, I view any lead actor in a mini-series as possible competition for Taron's Emmy (PLEASE don't let this be another Oscar fiasco...). Peter's Wisconsin accent is flawless (although I think he might be from the mid-west? I'm too lazy to look it up), and he gives a very calculated, understated performance that I think will land him a nomination. It's weird seeing Niecy Nash in a serious role, but she's knocking it out of the park. The first two episodes are rightly creepy and intense, but the next two are very, very slow and I didn't really feel like we were given any new information - just rehashing of things we saw? It's definitely not done as well as Versace was because even though the timeline wasn't linear - it still was very clear (and I guess it was linear - just backwards). This kind of feels all over the place. I'm intrigued, though!
5. The Sandman - I'm *almost* finished with the audiobook version (I think I have 20 minutes left - of the first act. I think there are now two more??). I don't usually like audiobooks (or podcasts), I've said this before, but there is just something in my brain that does not like people talking at me (it gives me headaches). But, the voice cast of the audiobook has both James McAvoy AND Taron Egerton. I repeat: JAMES MCAVOY AND TARON EGERTON. It's my version of heaven, really. If they were cast in the Netflix version, I might, quite literally, drop dead. But alas, they are not. Instead, there's some weird as fuck casting choices in this, and I'm not sure that I like it. I'm only two episodes in, so I guess I can't fully judge yet. I think Tom Sturridge fits the graphic novel image of Morpheus, which is very skinny goth (surely listening to "The Black Parade" on repeat), but after having McAvoy's voice I pictured someone completely different (and uh...hot). I'm intrigued by the casting of Jenna Coleman as Constantine (I've only seen a glimpse of her in the series so far), because it seems like a character that everyone criticizes the casting for no matter what (although I saw many say that Taron nailed the Scouse accent) - so it's kind of cool that Gaiman said "fuck it" and went with a completely out of pocket choice. I'm a big fan of Boyd Holbrook and he's doing an excellently creepy job as The Corinthian. I guess we'll see how it goes - the first episode had me hooked, but the second was a little slow. I hope the pace picks up and that there are some fun surprises along the way.
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