Thoughts on 5 New Shows

I know that I'm behind on pretty much all entertainment, but I've been able to catch up a little bit this summer. Here are my thoughts on some new shows (and by 'new', I mean shows that have only been on for one season so far). 

1. Homecoming - Absolutely blew me away. My expectations were pretty high - considering how much I loved the first season of Mr. Robot and I adore Julia Roberts. It's stylized just like Mr. Robot - the quick editing, the anxiety inducing music, the character introduction and development, etc. and in my personal opinion, this style is groundbreaking for television. I hate to call Julia Roberts under-rated, but I think people rate her more for her "celebrity" than for her acting, but she is a fantastic actress - consistently great. I love Sam Esmail - he's relatively young (compared to his counterparts), but he has a really strong vision and voice. He's also from Jersey! (I've now succumbed to the fact that I can no longer call myself a New Yorker, so I have to support my Jersey people). He's also creating a very talented support system (similar to JJ Abrams - who still uses actors from his Felicity days). I love seeing Bobby Cannavale (he was also in Mr. Robot) and Jeremy Allen White (he's my favorite character, Lip, on Shameless along with Esmail's wife, Emmy Rossum). I hope he's in more of Esmail's stuff (or in just more in general, he's great). Anyway, if you liked the first season of Mr. Robot you will like this, guaranteed. But I hope it doesn't go the way of the rest of Mr. Robot because that show went down fast (it should have been a mini-series or maybe just 2 seasons max). 

2. Narcos: Mexico - I don't have the fondest memories of Mexico from when I was a kid (we lived very close the Mexican border), and this is set during the same time (early 80s), so I have to sort of disconnect a little bit from the story. But, overall it's a very good show. I prefer the regular Narcos, over this, but I do love Michael Pena so much - I will watch anything he is in. I stopped myself from looking up what happens to his character (it's all based on true stuff) and I'm glad that I stayed mostly in the dark. It blows my mind that during the regular Narcos I was convinced that Dermot Mulroney was the narrator (but he wasn't) and then I thought for sure that it was him again in this (and it's not! You can look up who it is, but it might spoil it a little bit because that's what I did, and then I figured out how the story will play out). Oh and speaking of Dermot, he's briefly in Homecoming in scenes with Julia Roberts and it made me so happy (big fan of My Best Friend's Wedding. BIG FAN.). I'm really interested in how season two will play out (trying realllllly hard not to look it up...). 

3. The Boys - So. Dark. But. So. Much. Fun. I love Karl Urban - and this is the perfect role for him. I wasn't so sure about the rest of the cast (mostly newcomers...and Chase Crawford lol), but they all grew on me. It's a great plot - turning the whole superhero phenomenon on its ass and making them "the bad guys" is really brilliant. There are some really inappropriate moments that I find HILARIOUS (the dolphin scene is going to go down in History as one of the funniest inappropriate scenes of all-time). There's a lot of modern "woke" tropes used, but also flipped on its ass - like the "Me Too" movement, the responsibility of the media and journalism, and abuse of power. There is a really good camaraderie among "the boys" - they don't really like each other, but they rely on each other. Also, the best part of the whole thing??? ELISABETH freakin' SHOE. I can't even explain to you how much I love her. I had Adventures in Babysitting on VHS and I used to watch it over and over and over again. At the time, I thought I wanted to be Chris, but when I grew up I realized that I had a super huge crush on her (probably my first crush, at least that I can remember). Anyway, I'm so happy that she's in this. It's nice to see her in something substantial (and I still have a super huge crush on her). 

4. Russian Doll - I wasn't really looking forward to watching this - I kind of hate the whole repetitive storyline (I was never a fan of Groundhog Day. SUE ME!). But! This show is absolutely wonderful. It's so funny, and weird, and unexpected, and dark, and hopeful. I just loved watching every second - even the repetitive stuff. It's so nice to see Natasha Lyonne starring in something (I know she's in Orange is the New Black - and she is awesome in it, but there are like 40 other actors on that show). Slums of Beverly Hills had a profound effect on me when I was a teenager. Lyonne is wonderful and hilarious in this show (but I wouldn't really call it Emmy worthy, I think Lyonne is just like this in real life. I feel like this part was written with her in mind? I'm not sure, but that's my theory. Otherwise, it's some brilliant casting decision.). The show has a really interesting and surprising narrative that I don't think anyone will expect. Plus, the episodes are really short so it's very easy to binge. 

5. Good Omens - This wasn't even on my list of things to watch, but everyone seemed to be talking about it, and David Tennant is always a reason to watch a show. Also, I'm like really late to the Neil Gaiman party. I didn't realize how many stories he has written (that were turned into movies that I love), I recently read "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" (it's beautiful) as my first introduction into his writing. I have "American Gods" on my list next (I like the show, but I don't love it...). Anyway, his stories have a lot of religious themes, but not in a preachy way - more like a mythological, fantasy way and I am definitely here for it. Good Omens is really good, but it's not as great as some were making it out to be. The banter between Tennant and Michael Sheen is really fun, but I did get a little bored during some episodes. I also felt like it became a little repetitive - like, get on with the story please. 

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. All the Money in the World - Not a movie that I will necessarily remember 5 years from now, but I was entertained while watching it. I remember all of the controversy surrounding it (Kevin Spacey being replaced & Michelle Williams not getting the same pay as Marky Mark for reshoots), but I don't remember hearing anything about the actual movie (which is a huge problem with film critics today). This story is incredibly interesting, especially because only very few know what actually happened, so we just have to trust their version of events even though there are so many rumors of the events happening differently. The Getty family is is one of those Untouchable One-Percenters (just like The Kennedys or The Waltons - they have some super sketchy dark history, but none have been held accountable - and the truth will likely never come out). It's weird to me that Balthazar Getty (from Brothers & Sisters) is one of the Gettys (I only learned that like a year ago). Anyway, I liked this movie - the acting is great, the story is obviously intriguing, but I do think the editing could have been a little tighter. They only touched lightly on the fact that The Getty kidnapping could have been a setup - and I think that is the far more interesting version. I'm now interested in watching the mini-series that came out last year, because I think they tell the other version of events.

2. The 15:17 to Paris - Honestly, this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I know that seems dramatic, but I would put it up there with Movie 43 and The Happening. This is a great lesson on how essential actors are to a film. I think people have this misconception that anyone can be an actor, but it does actually take a talent that not many people have. Also, they stayed true to the story - including the dialogue that occurred leading up to the event - and this is another lesson on why writers are so important, even for something that is a true story. You still need a writer to make it...interesting. The dialogue between these guys was so lifeless and it almost seems like a parody of how "dude bros" talk. It's absolutely crazy to me that an established director (Clint Eastwood for fuck sake!!) would watch the footage of this and think that he actually made a watchable film. The third lesson that one can take away from this movie is that not everyone deserves to have a film made about them. These guys are heroes - nobody can question that. It's fact. But their lives leading up to this point isn't very interesting. And the actual event lasted mere minutes, so stretching it all just feels bloated. In order for this to be an interesting film - there needed to be layers, different perspectives, actual actors, better dialogue - so pretty much change the whole thing or...go back in time and just don't make it.

3. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile - Lifetime movie material. I think that a lot of Netflix originals have a Lifetime movie vibe, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's just different from a movie that should be released in a theater (not like I even go to the theater anymore, but still...my point stands). I'm a big fan of Zac Efron, and he got mostly rave reviews for this, but I would rather see him in comedies. He's not great at the dramatic stuff, in my opinion. I can see why he was cast though - charming little fucker. I think the film got a lot of flack for "idolizing" a serial killer, but Ted Bundy was also a charming little fucker, so it's historically accurate. It's how he was able to get away with murdering women for so long - and I think it's essential for young women to watch stories like this. I'm always a bit skeptical of men that are too charming (in real life, actors are different - like James McAvoy is charming with a Capital C, but he is paid to be that way). I feel like I can see the hate in their heart and it is terrifying. Luckily, I don't think we have to worry (as much) about serial killers, like they did back then. I recently read the late Michelle McNamara's book about the Golden State Killer and it was chilling to realize how prominent serial killers were back in the 70s (thank God for modern science!). I don't know much about Ted Bundy, but did he really escape from jail....TWICE?! What the fuck were they doing back then? The supporting cast is great - Lily Collins, John Malkovich, the woman from Westworld, and one of my favorite young actresses - Kaya Scodelario, rocking a wig only she could make work. I think that it could have been a much darker story - it felt very light for a movie about a serial killer. I did appreciate that it didn't go into too much of the horrific way he murdered women - it was a told from a different perspective (mostly from his long-time girlfriend - someone who didn't know how evil he was).

4. Suspiria - I have not seen the original (I'm a bad cinephile! And I don't give a fuck...). This version didn't really make me want to seek out the original. Although, it did hold my interest. It's weird and beautiful and dark, and that combination always makes great visual storytelling. I just think the "weird" becomes a little bit too much, and it's just overwhelming to keep up with the "what lies beneath" story. There is a scene that will stay with me forever (the scene). It's like nothing I've ever seen before (like if you take the scene from Hereditary and multiply it by a hundred). I actually had to look away from the screen, and that's not something I have to do very often. I'm not a big fan of Thom Yorke (I actually hate Radiohead. I was an outcast among my friends in high school for this stance, but his voice just gives me an instant headache), so the music really bothered me. I had a few other issues with this movie - I hate the old age makeup - Tilda Swinton can pull off a lot, but this is just ridiculous. I also think Dakota Johnson is not the greatest actress (I haven't written her off completely just yet, but she needs to step it up!). The editing is really where this film falters though, if it was just a little bit tighter and more concise - I would have been able to put up with the "weirdness" of it all. Instead, I got bored real quick.

5. Vice - I was one of those people that absolutely LOVED The Big Short. I understood the criticism of it, but it totally worked for me (I also adored Moneyball). I liked this movie - not as much as I was hoping to, but it still totally worked for me. This is the kind of editing that I can get behind - it's quick, it's concise, every scene feels important to the story. The acting is obviously brilliant - you can't get better than Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Sam Rockwell - three of the strongest working actors today. The story would be great if it weren't true, but man, does the truth fucking hurt. It's a great time to tell this story (even though it feels like it happened yesterday) because it's very relevant to what is happening with the presidency now. We have a Dick Cheney multiplied by ten as our sitting president and that should terrify everyone (but he still has supporters! which terrifies me even more). Cheney was a complicated man - I always thought it was interesting that he has a gay daughter, but is a strict republican. The whole family is a big oxymoron - such strong female figures who are also republicans. Conservative feminists fascinate me (although do they even consider themselves feminists? I don't think they like to use that word, even though I'm sure they believe in equal rights and equal pay for women. So what do they call themselves?). Anyway, Lynne Cheney is a fascinating woman (and LOL at her saying "we wear our bras!", did that actually happen? It made me laugh for like an hour). It's really sad that Liz Cheney chose her political career over supporting her sister (and really questions what she actually thinks vs her just playing to her "base". What a bunch of fucking liars, the lot of them. Democrats, Republicans, doesn't really matter - all a bunch of fucking liars just playing to their "base").