I Just Watched... (Movies/TV/DVD)

[Big Papa Paegan]

Wrapped up Kaleidoscope last night. I was thinking that a rewatch later on in different order would be a fun idea, but after closing it out? Eh...maybe much, much further down the line.

The pink (6 months after) and white (the heist) episodes sort of ruin each other, looking back. There are revelations in the two post-heist episodes that work without the reveals of how things actually went down in the heist itself, both for plot and character development, that the individual strengths aren't as strong as they should have been.

Overall, still a hell of a show, but the gimmick of there being twists in each episode that would depend on viewing order should have been excised to just tell the story straight through.

6.5/10

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I don't know what I thought No Hard Feelings (2023) was going to be, but it's not necessarily what I got. The trailer, and the notoriety that surrounded it, basically encapsulates the first 35 minutes of the movie, or at least the highlights of it. The rest is...well, this feels like it could've either used another draft, or maybe just some more emphasis on the jokes.

Maddie (Lawrence) is a 30ish local to Montauk. Bartender by day, Uber driver by night. She's inherited her mother's house but comes down on hard financial times after her car is repo'd, and if she can't make the money she owes in back taxes then she's out of a house. She comes across an ad on Craigslist for a wealthy couple looking for a local girl in her early 20s to take their 19 year old son out for the summer before he goes to Princeton in the fall, as he's yet to live his life or find his self. In return, she'll get a new (to her) car.

She tries her usual one night stand tricks on Percy (Andrew Barth Fieldman) but they don't quite work, and Percy decides he wants to actually get to know her before anything happens. They develop feelings for each other that explode once Percy discovers the truth, and the whole movie just never gets it together.

The notable aspect of this, Lawrence going full-frontal in a scene where she attacks three tourists, happens so early on that nothing which follows holds water. There's an attempt at an interesting story where Maddie has to look at herself in a harsher lense if she wants to move forward, but it's too little too late, with most of the runtime dedicated to lackluster gags about how Gen Z is too safe a generation that relies too heavily on their parents.

My take? Drop the Failure to Launch plot, have Maddie meet Percy naturally, and focus on the undercooked character developments. You have an Oscar winner as the lead anyway, so embrace her range and ability. 6/10

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Don't Look Up 4/10

One of the early Netflix Originals meant to be a dark satire of the time/era (utilizing a comet crashing into Earth as scientists vs. the media/presidency/politicians) but just a brutal slog for me. The satire was too on the nose immediately and it wasn't that imaginative or funny in the first place so a lot of the characterization/"humor" fell flat for me. It has an All-Star Cast, which is widely known, but the script really lets them down. A lot of the dialogue is generic and simple and the satiric elements just aren't as clever as Adam McKay thinks they are on paper.

It's not funny enough to be a memorable satire (feeling mean-spirited at times and nudgy "Get it?" at other times) and it's not an entertaining/action blockbuster on the other end of the spectrum to be enjoyable on that side other.

I've liked a lot of Adam McKay's work but I think they worked mostly for the lead actors (Will Ferrell being notable in a lot of his work & listed as a co-writer, Paul Rudd in Ant-Man with Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish getting co-writer credit) and a lot of his successful movies he was a co-writer on for a reason.

 

[Brocklock]

I watched The Last Showgirl and I don't understand the raves for Pam Anderson's performance. She had one or two good scenes, but was mostly just herself. Her character was grating me at times and nowhere near as entertaining as Randy The Ram for a self destructive character type. I never realized how irritating her voice is until this movie. Not an impressive performance. Movie was saved by the fun supporting cast. The filming was kind of awful. Lighting was terrible and Gia Coppola nepobaby tried for a Dogme 95 thing, but it really hurt the visual style of the film. Jamie Lee was really good, but pretty much is playing her character from The Bear mixed with Tan Mom. Brenda Song was fun too as the snarky showgirl. Didn't care for Carrie Fisher's daughter at all. Her acting was wooden. Kiernan Shipka (The fuck with this mad libs name?) wasn't given much. I like her more when she plays creepy and unsettling like The Blackcoat's Daughter and Longlegs.

I thought the best performance in the movie came from Dave Bautista. Probably his best performance yet and he was pretty much the heart of the movie. Great mullet too. I think he should've had some oscar buzz for Supporting Actor for this honestly. It's a much deeper performance than Pam's.

Movie was pretty much a ripoff of The Wrestler. Lots of padding too for a 87 minute movie. "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" dance/montage scene was a waste of time.

5.5/10