Upload Season 1 (05/22/20)

For me, Wednesday means a couple of different things--one, that new comic books have hit the shelves, and two, that a new episode of Office Ladies has been released on the internet. This exceptional podcast, hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, lets me revisit episodes of one of my favorite TV shows of all time, The Office, in a fun new way that gives me a bit of a break from simply watching through the entire series on Netflix for the umpteenth time. So when Greg Daniels, creator and former showrunner of this wonderfully hilarious program, was a special guest and mentioned a new project he had been working on to Jenna and Angela, I was ecstatic. More uproarious comedy from one of the greatest minds in television? Count me in! While I did enjoy it, Upload was not at all what I was expecting, however. In this Amazon Prime exclusive, uproarious comedy is replaced with a more subtle type of humor that is really secondary to a unique mixture of romance, mystery, and philosophical musings.

            The premise is simple enough on paper: In the futuristic world of Upload, when people die their minds are uploaded into manmade digital heavens. Like all things in America, however, the process of uploading consciousnesses is ruled by the hand of capitalism. If people aren’t rich enough to upload themselves to the mostly idyllic (and advertisement-saturated) Lakeview, where do they go? Can we really value life if it can essentially be extended into all of eternity? Where does real heaven fit into this equation? Questions like these keep the show from becoming a clone of another afterlife comedy, The Good Place (which is also excellent, by the way, and was also, coincidently, created by Michael Schur, another alum of The Office), which is something I worried about a bit when I started watching. In a way, Upload is a cynical antithesis to The Good Place; it is not laugh-out-loud funny—I can probably count the number of times I laughed out loud on one hand—and it can be a bit depressing at times (there is also no humorous censoring involved, as the show does not skimp on f-bombs and also has occasional nudity). But there is no doubt that it is very well made and offers plenty of “oh, that’s pretty clever” moments in its biting satire.

            The thing that drew me to Upload the most, however, was the romance. I can’t believe I just typed those words, but it is true. At the heart of the story is a budding relationship between deceased Lakeview occupant Nathan (Robbie Amell) and his customer service representative/”angel” Nora (Andy Allo). The two have real chemistry, and I found myself moving from episode to episode with the primary goal of simply seeing what happens between them. There is also a good old-fashioned mystery involved, if that is more your speed, and it is one that will keep you invested until the end.  

            Upload season 1 is now available on Amazon Prime. 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on May 22nd, 2020. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

Hindsight: I want the second season to come out so they can resolve that cliffhanger already.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness (04/24/20)

 

If you have been lucky enough to read one of my articles in this exceptional newspaper before, you might have noticed a trend: thus far I have only reviewed movies and television shows that are original creations of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. With so many options out there in today’s digital entertainment world, I must admit that it can sometimes be difficult to pick a movie or series that people would actually care to read about. Once or twice, however, I have come across a piece of media that needs to be reviewed because it has evolved into something much larger: a cultural phenomenon. After seeing numerous memes of a heavily tattooed man with three teeth, hearing more than one reference to husbands being fed to tigers, and seeing many a shout out on social media, it was not long before I saw that Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (or just Tiger King for short) was one such touchstone that demanded my attention if only so I could understand just what the heck everyone was talking about. The hype and buzz are understandable, as Tiger King is one of the most bizarre journeys I have ever taken.    

            It was also one that occasionally made me feel uncomfortable, if I am one hundred percent honest. The real-life people that make up the Tiger King cast are some of the weirdest individuals you will ever meet, and this often makes the show seem like an exercise in mean-spirited mockery. The aforementioned tattooed man with three teeth, for instance, a man named John Finlay, was actually asked to remove his dental bridge to achieve the look because the producers wanted to portray him in a certain way, according to an Us Weekly interview with another star, Doc Antle. That look, one must assume, is “methed out hillbilly.” Even when the show isn’t actively trying to make fun of its subjects or warp the narrative to its own ends, the feeling remained. Or, rather, it remained until I was reminded of another fact: that these people aren’t just weird, a lot of them are also not great people. Some of them are downright unpleasant and dangerous. The “Murder, Mayhem and Madness” is in the title for a reason. So maybe making fun of them is okay? I don’t know, but I do know that questions like this kept me from enjoying the series as much as I could have, but I wouldn’t say this is a fault of the documentary itself.  

            Because what the documentary sets out to do, it does well (a few narrative biases notwithstanding). Not only was it entertaining, but it was also informative. Who knew there was a heated war over the exotic cat black market trade? I certainly didn’t. The subject is ripe, and in a world saturated with true crime dramas, the story of Joe Exotic the Tiger King and those surrounding him is a breath of fresh air.

Plus, there are plentiful adorable big cats that act like little cats. Who doesn’t like that?

            Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is now available on Netflix. It can also probably be found in the conversations of your coworkers, friends, and family.

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on April 24^th, 2020. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

 

Hindsight: I hope I didn't offend anyone who loved this documentary by implying they were taking part in mockery. That was not my intention, but I realize it might come off that way. Sounds like I'm on a bit of a high horse here. Also, outside of a news article saying that Carole Baskin was going to be on this season of Dancing with the Stars, I haven't heard anyone talk about this series in a long time. Was it just a fad? Probably. 

The lack of an Oxford comma in the full name of the documentary also bothers the crap out of me. You know what? I'm going to add it to the title of this post. It's my blog, after all. 

Lost in Space Seasons 1 and 2 (04/11/20)

 

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans a solemn promise: that before the decade was over, the United States would put a man on the moon. The period leading up to those first lunar steps in 1969 was one of excitement and optimism, a feeling best exemplified by two of the most famous science fiction television shows of all time: Star Trek and Lost in Space. While the former has found great success not only in television but also in movies, comic books, and pop culture, the latter has been more hit-and-miss with its revivals and continuations. The latest attempt to reinvigorate the Lost in Space brand, a Netflix reboot that released its second season late last year, affords an enjoyable, if extremely uneven, experience that is nonetheless perfect for quarantine watching.

Netflix, to its credit, pulls out all the stops when telling the Robinsons’ story. The special effects are movie-grade, the music is fantastic (as it should be; the original theme for the third season of the original 1965-1968 series was written by John Williams, and this iteration uses a new version of it for its theme as well), and the actors are more than capable, if not always memorable. By far the most interesting person to watch is Parker Posey as Dr. Smith, here reimagined as a conniving conman (woman?) with a knack for sowing doubt with a tongue as silver as Will Robinson’s hulking robot pal. The robot itself, who is rebooted as an almost silent alien protector, and Will (here played by Maxwell Jenkins), also have a downright adorable relationship that gives the show genuine heart. I had a good time watching everyone in both seasons, in fact, but that does not mean the show is perfect.

One of the biggest problems Lost in Space has is a tendency towards unearned melodrama. While the original series was known for its camp, the Netflix one is full of angst and high stakes that you never quite buy because of the invincible plot armor every important character seems to wear. It’s no spoiler that the kids aren’t going to die anytime soon, for instance, so why should I feel worried if they are menaced by space velociraptors? This is a fine thing to feel when watching something light, but when the main focus of the show is the drama itself, it sometimes comes across as disingenuous.   

The other issue I had was mostly a season 2 problem: clarity. I watched this show with family, and more than once we had to ask each other questions like “wait, who is this guy again?” and “why are they doing this?” and, my personal favorite, “huh?” To say that we did not always know what was going on was a bit of an understatement, and I’m not just talking about the questionable science and unrepentant technobabble that the show throws at you. I’m talking about actual plot points that were poorly explained. Every time this happened I felt less and less invested in the show.

Unclear plot points and melodrama aside, Lost in Space seasons 1 and 2 are still fairly enjoyable. Just don’t expect a masterpiece and it will burn some of your hours in quarantine quite nicely.  

Lost in Space seasons 1 and 2 are now available on Netflix. Season 3, which will also be the show’s final season, is currently set to release sometime in 2021.

 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on April 11^th, 2020. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

 

 

Hindsight: Pretty sure this was the first review I wrote after the pandemic broke out. Poor past T.J… so innocent and unsuspecting of the five plus months of insanity that would follow. 

The review itself is fine, I suppose.   

Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (03/20/20)

 

Writing, television, and film have always been hobbies of mine, as the conglomeration that you are currently reading will attest to. When it was time to pick my course of study when attending college, however, I ultimately went with a different passion: history. Of particular interest to me was American history, and one of the most fascinating events in that field was World War II. Perhaps I am drawn to this conflict because there is something oddly cinematic about the entire historical narrative, from the clear lines in morality (Axis bad, Allies good) to the still-controversial ending. Regardless of the reason for its appeal, WWII is also one of the most vigorously and relentlessly studied events in the history of the world. This makes new outlooks and focuses within the war itself rarer and rarer the further we move away from it, and this can be seen in Netflix’s Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (a British production, hence the “u”). It’s almost as if the creators of this documentary series thought to themselves, “This subject has been done to death one hundred times over, so what else can we add to the conversation? Eh… just color, I guess.” Despite not bringing much new to the table, however, Greatest Events is still an excellent overview of the greatest conflict in human history, is well researched and covers a sufficient amount of the enormous story that is World War II.  

I am not sure how one goes about adding color to films that never had any, but the result is impressively engaging and adds an additional level of immersion to the tale that we all know. Like all gimmicks, however, I found my appreciation for the “in color” aspect of Greatest Events of WWII in Colour eventually fading as the hours passed. I then found myself, once again, focusing on the events themselves. It really comes down to this: If you are not interested in the meat of the history itself, the color, exciting music, and the fact that the documentary is 90% video clips with only the occasional static picture will not be enough to keep your attention for the duration of the runtime. 

It is, therefore, a very good thing that the actual historical part of this documentary is solid as well. It is inevitable, of course, that many of the incidents, people and, concepts of World War II would be barely touched upon in the ten-hour runtime; that’s just something that  goes along with being a documentary and not, say, a book or a dissertation. Greatest Events is very true to its name in that it mostly covers the big stuff. But what it does cover it covers well.  

Greatest Events of WWII in Colour is a high quality documentary that nonetheless does very little to distinguish itself from the myriad of other WWII documentaries out there. But if you want to get a good overview of the conflict, you might as well get it here.  

 

Greatest Events of WWII in Colour is now available on Netflix. 

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on March 20th, 2020. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/

Hindsight: The introduction is a bit long in this one because I honestly didn't have much to say about the miniseries itself. I have found documentaries difficult to review in general because there's no acting to critique, the "stories" themselves are not original, the script is usually scholarly and dry, etc. Greatest Events (which I kept calling Greatest Moments on accident in my drafts) was pretty generic and my review feels a little generic as a result. 

Locke & Key Season 1 (03/13/20)

 

On April 24^th, Disney will release Black Widow, the twenty-fourth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Two months later, Wonder Woman 1984, the ninth movie in the DC Extended Universe, will hit theaters courtesy of Warner Bros. Although such film and TV adaptations of comic book properties have been around almost as long as the funny books themselves, their popularity practically exploded in the 10’s, and they have not showed any indication of slowing down now that we’ve hit a new decade. Even non-superhero, non-Marvel and DC comics have been getting in on the fun and making the jump to the big and little screens in this exciting era, and IDW Publishing’s Locke & Key series is one of the latest to do so. It is, however, not one of the greatest offerings out there. 

            Written and co-created by Joe Hill, prolific novelist and son of the great Stephen King, Locke & Key (the comic) is the story of a small family who, after witnessing the brutal murder of patriarch Rendell Locke, decide to make a fresh start by moving to their ancestral home in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. They are not in Key House for long before magical, spooky things begin to happen, all tied into mysterious keys with equally mysterious powers.

            Locke & Key the television show, on the other hand, is the story of the Locke children and mother coming to grips with their tragedy while simultaneously getting involved in and dealing with some messy new relationships, romantic or otherwise. Oh, there’s also some supernatural adventures that exist on the periphery as well. They also change the name of the town to Matheson for… some reason.

            As a fan of the original comic, that was my biggest problem with season 1 of Locke & Key: a slight yet noticeable shift in focus from the source material. This in and of itself is not a bad thing, of course; it was just unexpected. The acting is well done (outside of a couple of child actors who get a pass because they’re kids), and the characters’ reactions to trauma are believable if not always pleasant. In a way, the show reminded me very much of a teenage-geared drama that you would find on the CW or even ABC Family.

            The other sizable issue I had was the writing. I couldn’t put my finger on it at first, but eventually it occurred to me that sometimes the characters in Locke & Key said things in ways that no human would ever do naturally. The actors do their best to sell this occasionally off-putting dialogue, however, and they do it well. You won’t even notice anything 95% of the time. But that 5% had a tendency to draw me out of the story whenever it was noticeable. In addition to the dialogue, some motivations seemed murky, and the villain had some seemingly random and therefore silly moments of violence just to remind you that yes, she IS the villain.

            But maybe I’m just being spoiled in a world where you can’t swing an enchanted Asgardian hammer without hitting hundreds of comic book adaptations. There is a lot of good to be found in Locke & Key season 1, after all, but close your eyes for five minutes and ten better adaptations will steal your attention. The potential to reach greatness is there… Season 2 just better reach it if it wants to keep up in today’s world of capes and gods.

            Locke & Key season 1 is now available on Netflix.

This review was first published in The Keizertimes on March 13th, 2020. Visit at https://keizertimes.com/

Hindsight: Oh man, the innocence of a pre-virus world. Good times. As of this blog post Black Widow and Wonder Woman 1984 have, of course, not come out yet. I think I might have gotten the first release date of Black Widow wrong regardless. The review itself is fine other than the "biggest problem" and "slight yet noticeable" contradiction. Those two phrases don't really gel well together, ya know? Just doesn't sound right.