Summer TV Preview: 4 New Shows to Watch

1. Take Two (ABC) - HELLO RACHEL BILSON!! It was a complete joke that her last show, Hart of Dixie lasted so long (76 episodes! Really? That's insane.). I just adore her so much that I will always support her new efforts (I think I lasted a full 7 episodes of Dixie). I don't really know anything about this show other than it's her and Eddie Cibrian and they solve crimes together (I think?).

2. American Woman (Paramount) - I still quote Clueless on a daily basis. Alicia Silverstone is a goddess, and I've missed her so much. The plot synopsis is that a "single woman struggles to raise her two daughters on her own", which is already a strong premise. I am interested in Paramount as a television network (they took over for Spike). I really liked their mini-series Waco (extremely problematic, but also very cinematic) that aired earlier this year.

3. Castle Rock (Hulu) - Stephen King. J.J. Abrams. Do I need to say anything else??? That's not even considering the cast: Sissy Spacek, Jane Levy, Terry O'Quinn. This is my most anticipated show of the summer.

4. Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Amazon) - I think I've said this before, but I've actually read several of the Jack Ryan stories. My grandmother was a huge Tom Clancy fan, so I would read at least one every summer. I enjoyed them. I enjoyed the movies that have been made based on the character (for the most part). I'm really excited for the tv show for one reason, though: John Krasinski.

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. I, Tonya - I was really interested to see how they were going to pull this off, especially with Tonya Harding involved in the process. They did it brilliantly. At this point, it is unlikely that we will ever get "the truth" of Harding's involvement - however, she did plead GUILTY to hindering the investigation, and in their own investigation, the Figure Skating Association deemed that she knew about the attack before it happened. Harding claims that she is a victim of abuse - both from her mother and her now ex-husband, which I believe. The film depicts this abuse, but it also plays with the truth - giving a voice to both her husband and her mother. Personally, I think they are all lying and the truth is somewhere in the middle. Her mother was probably verbally abusive, but also pushed Tonya into becoming one of the greatest American figure skaters of all-time. Her husband was probably controlling, and probably threatened her into lying about what really happened, and, yes, I am sympathetic towards that. The film brilliantly pulls at the sympathy, but never claims to be the truth. I'm not sympathetic to the whole class issue, though. Yes, she had to work harder than other figure skaters, and yes, I believe that the judges didn't like her because of her background, but to use that as an excuse is pitiful. I wish they would have included a scene or two featuring Kerrigan (as a victim, she should have a voice as well - I'm guessing she didn't want to be involved). Margot Robbie is extraordinary in this role. As much as I love Frances McDormand (winner of Best Actress last year), there is just no comparison to the complexity of this role.

2. Detroit - Where I, Tonya shines in playing with the truth, Detroit fails miserably. This film depicts an event as "truth" while blatantly ignoring facts or other perspectives. The film is described as a "fictional account" of what happened at the Algiers Motel during the famous riots in Detroit, which is a great story to tell especially with the continued tension and violence between black communities and police officers. However, instead of just guessing what happened, why not just tell the story from one perspective? I feel like this story is just too important to not get right. Apparently, the real Melvin was a consultant on the film, and claims its truthfulness, so why not just make the whole film from his point of view? He has a very interesting story arc; it would have made the film so much better. Instead, this film is very cut and dry - there is not depth to any character, no underlying reasons for their actions. It's just plot. I'm starting to question whether John Boyega can act. I like him, but he hasn't been good in multiple movies. I LOVE Hannah Murray though (she was my favorite on Skins). I couldn't really take Will Poulter seriously (which is obviously problematic for this movie). I think I'm most disappointed by Kathryn Bigelow, though. She has some extraordinary films under her belt, and this one is mediocre, at best.

3. Colossal - I'm in love. This is one of those films that I enjoyed watching, but then after watching it I just can't stop thinking about all of the brilliant little moments. It's so original in its genre mixing, but also in its story-telling - the audience has no idea what kind of movie they are watching until it's over.*spoilers ahead* It starts off as a cliched romantic comedy where the girl is seen as a "mess" so she moves back home and reconnects with her childhood friend. You are led to believe that this will end in a typical fashion of reconnected love - but it ends up being a brilliant tale of revenge. It's just absolutely fascinating to watch it unfold. Plus, it's a monster movie! With a bit of sci-fi thrown in! There is also some brilliant commentary on our narcissistic human nature, as well as an underlying story of men's entitlement and their reactions when they don't get what they want. Hathaway is perfect. I've always liked her - but I've also felt she was grating in a few roles, so I understand why people don't like her. However, I always think it's weird when people are surprised that she can act. She's done a variety of roles, and often excels in them. Surely this movie will be among my Top 10 of last year.

4. The Killing of a Sacred Deer - And this is another one that will likely make it to my updated Top 10 list of last year. While it's not as brilliant as The Lobster, it still has its moments of utter brilliance. It's heavily influenced by Greek mythology (and therefore I automatically swoon for it). If you're interested, Vulture does a fantastic job of breaking it all down here: https://bit.ly/2sndgmu . The film is very surreal (maybe a bit too surreal for its own good), and in no way is shaped by any reality (what happens at the end? Wouldn't there be an investigation? etc.). Also, the most logical thing in this situation would be to kill your wife - done and done. You always protect your children (I don't even have kids and that's the obvious choice even to me). It is super chilling, though, when she states that he should kill the youngest kid because they could always have another (which is even MORE of a reason to kill her). Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman are wonderful, but the standout performance is clearly Barry Keoghan (he was also the standout in Dunkirk, dude had a great 2017). Also, Alicia Silverstone is in it for a hot minute and I screamed! I miss her so much (and am happy to report that she is on a new tv show, American Woman, and I will most definitely be watching).

5. Black Panther - Um...ok. I don't understand the hype at all. It felt like every other recent Marvel movie. It's certainly not the best, or even one that I will remember a few months from now (I would put it at equal quality with Doctor Strange and Ant-Man). The most disappointing part, though, is Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger. The role is great - an actual villain with a point other than destroying the world. Jordan, however, is absolutely terrible in the role - and I say this as a HUGE fan. I've loved him since Parenthood (and of course The Wire and Friday Night Lights, but I saw Parenthood first). I don't know what went wrong, and I seem to be a minority (although when I told my co-worker my thoughts he happily agreed with me and said he's been quiet about it because everyone else raved about his performance). Anyway, the movie, to me, is rather underwhelming, but I can understand the cultural significance and how important representation in movies is. This movie means the world to so many people, so I'm not going to waste negative energy criticizing it. On a positive note - I loved Letitia Wright - she's adorable! It took me a while to figure out how I recognize her but it's from Humans. I'm excited to see her career grow. And Angela Bassett is a Queen. Someone please save her from that awful tv show 9-1-1. It is so beneath her talent.

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Personal Shopper - I had high hopes that this movie would disrupt my current Top 10 list from last year. I saw it on many critics/people I trust lists, and some of the production stills are stunning looking. Unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with it. It is very beautiful, and a well-made film, but the plot is extremely stupid. I thought it was about a Personal Shopper (which it was), but it was really about a woman who thinks she can connect with dead people - more specifically, her dead brother. The second she starts to receive texts from a stranger - and answers them - it just lost me completely. Who in their right mind answers texts from a stranger??? I mean, really, WHO? I figured it would lead to something, anything, interesting but nothing happens for about an hour and 15 minutes. Then, exactly what you expect to happen, happens. Then, I guess to be "artsy" or innovative, it ends in a really confusing way, where you really have no idea what the point to any of it is. There is also a really awful amateurish fade out scene that I actually thought was an error in my DVD. I will admit that this is a great vehicle for Kristen Stewart, but she seems to just be continuing the same role from Clouds of Sils Maria (which she was great in).

2. Patriots Day - Pretty much exactly what I was expecting. I can't believe this movie is from 2016. I try to only write my thoughts on movies that I see that are from the previous year or newer, but I'm so behind on movies now. I also think it's really weird to make a movie about the Boston Marathon bombing so soon after it happened. There is such a thing as "too soon", in my opinion. It was interesting, though. I think most of the events of capturing the bombers happened at night so I just read recaps of the aftermath, but it must have been so terrifying living there - having it all unfold like right outside your house. I think the movie does a disservice to the actual people who lived through this event by introducing too many characters. I didn't really get to know anyone - it was just like this is A, B, and C, and this is their part in this tragic event. It just felt really unfocused. The cast is great, but I wish Michelle Monaghan had a bigger role. Same for Rachel Brosnahan. Oh and I didn't even recognize Supergirl until the end! Talk about diversifying your roles! Also, as expected, the ending with the real people, fucking destroyed me.

3. Good Time - I have been a fan of Robert Pattinson post the Twilight movies. Dudes been pretty great (if you don't believe me then watch Cosmopolis, The Rover, Maps to the Stars). He's great in this. However, the movie is not nearly as good as I was led to believe. There's some great stuff mixed in, but overall, I was bored. There are some questionable plot points - like ***spoiler*** how he didn't recognize that guy was clearly not his brother - they have completely different builds, and how he tries to seduce a 16 year old. I know we're not supposed to like him exactly, but aren't we supposed to root for him in some way? Once that happened, I was done. I did like that it had this Go vibe to it (which is one of my very favorite movies from the 90s). I also really enjoyed that it was a modern re-telling of Of Mice and Men (which I assume was intentional?). And the ending is perfect.

4. Fifty Shades Darker - Oh man, the torture (unintentional pun). I thought the first one was dumb and dull - not controversial, not sexy or hot, just fucking dull. I could get angry about a lot of the plot points of this sequel (as I could with the first one) - like the whole "Christian was abused as a child so we should feel sympathy for him" angle, or how when he tries to win back Anastasia (how do I not remember her having that name?) he says "I don't want strangers gawking at you", or how he becomes "heroic" by saving her from getting raped by her boss (because he is LITERALLY the same person as her boss), but I just don't take these movies seriously enough to get angry. I still maintain that Christian is a serial killer, so I was a bit disappointed that her male bff is still alive (didn't he disappear in the first one?). The guy who plays Christian (nope, still don't know his name, but he was great in The Killing and he is so fucking hot), is so bored in this role - he looks like he hates every second of his screen-time and every line of his dialogue. The two nice things I can say about this movie is that at least this one has a lot more sex in it (the first one was surprisingly tame), and it's not really dull - there are like 10 subplots. None of them make any sense, but at least they tried?

5. Game Night - Much better than it has any right to be. I actually remember reading surprisingly good reviews when it came out in theaters, but then it was cricket sounds from the box office, so I assumed it was dumb. I was highly entertained for all of it. Rachel McAdams is terrific - and I don't say that often because she is usually miscast, but she is GREAT in comedic roles like this. The movie is consistently funny, the cast have a great chemistry (kicked up a notch by Lamorne Morris' uncanny Denzel Washington impression), and it's very stylishly made (super cool tracking shots galore). The plot is crazy - and the ending twist does not make an ounce of sense, but it doesn't even matter. Although, without the "twist", the movie probably would have been even better (like if they just skipped that part and continued with the original plot). The *killer* cameo at the end is perfect - I had no idea he was in this. I could totally see a sequel (although I don't know how that would even work, but I would love to see more from these characters). It's a shame that it didn't do well, but maybe more people will watch it on home release and realize how funny it is.