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JohnIRTMAN
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The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Not perfect, but really fun
I don't think that many people will be surprised to hear that this is a pretty fun special. James Gunn is known for turning up the weird factor in his movies, so a super powered holiday special with Kevin Bacon isn't that crazy when you know who made it. There are some flaws with this special, personally I didn't think that every joke landed, but for the most part I found myself laughing. There are also some surprisingly good original songs, which definitely elevate the film and add to the Christmas mood. It also added more to the "Guardians of the Galaxy" story than I expected, with this special pretty much being essential viewing in preparation for the third film. Overall, I found this special to be a lot of fun, even with a few flaws, and it left me highly anticipating the third film.
Rick and Morty: Night Family (2022)
Really solid episode
This episode really gives me hope for the rest of the season. As usual the season premiere was great, and then after that there was a bit of a decline. I liked the A plot of the second episode, but the Die Hard plotline just didn't do it for me. The third episode had some funny moments, but there wasn't a very strong story to support it. Usually, Rick and Morty gives clever sci-fi stories, and I felt the third episode to be lacking in that. This episode, however, was (in my opinion) the funniest of the season so far, and the best conceptually. The tone was fresh and nearly all the jokes landed. If the season is able to keep up this quality, I think it would rank up there with the first 3 seasons.
What We Do in the Shadows: Sunrise, Sunset (2022)
I hope that season 5 can live up to this.
I find that I am still very mixed on this season. It definitely had some so-so episodes, but it also had some really good ones. I'm happy to say that, in my opinion, this is best episode of the season. I really liked how they wrapped up the baby Colin Robinson story. They were able to play it comedically, while also giving some genuine emotion through Lazlo's reaction. The Nadja story was weaker, but still okay.
I think the episode's ending was really good, and has the potential to really progress the shows overarching story...if they follow through with it. That was the biggest problem of the season. I enjoyed season 4 a lot, but the missed potential infuriates me. Season 3 set up different storylines for all the characters, and instead of playing that out, season 4 dropped it immediately and brought all the characters back to the same exact spot. If they do that for season 5 it'll be so annoying. It ended with Guillermo talking about how nothing ever changes, and he is right. They are 4 seasons into the show, it is okay to make Guillermo a vampire at this point, it'll help keep the show fresh.
Overall this is one of my favorite episodes of the show. I think Colin Robinson's story was the highlight of the season, in part because it is the only real storyline carried over from the season 3 finale. Season 5 has a lot of potential with how they ended this season, so I hope they don't mess it up.
Smiling Friends: The Smiling Friends Go to Brazil! (2022)
So much to do in Brazil
First off, could this show ever exist on another network? It all seems so perfectly tailored to Adult Swim. I put a spoiler warning, so I am able to say that this entire episode is a bait and switch. All of the promo art, commercials, and episode descriptions all formulate a narrative that is completely contrasted by the actual episode. This episode is good, not great, but the marketing that went into it makes it so much better. It almost plays out like "Too Many Cooks", in that 99% feels like setup, and then a few seconds of the promised story is included. In the case of this episode the closest thing to adventures that the marketing promised was in the last few seconds, which had a plane plummeting in the background. I doubt this episode will be for everyone, but it fits the Adult Swim brand perfectly. For me this episode showed that these characters can fill 10 minutes by just having a conversation, and that is more than enough to get me excited for what comes next for this show.
Rating: 8.3/10.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
One of the few things I would give a 10
First off, i wouldn't call this movie full 10/10, but I would lean closer to a 10 than 9, so I rounded up. This film is hilarious, absurd, heartfelt, and visually stunning. This movie has such a strong sense of creative direction that it truly stunned me. One of the most original films ever made and I enjoyed every second of it. I hate to be one of those people who just gushes over a movie and calls it flawless, but this movie is near flawless. I found myself laughing constantly, but when the film wanted you to cry it made you cry. Highly recommend this movie and I doubt any film is going to top it this year.
American Psycho (2000)
Good character study, not quite a movie
I know that this film has a lot of mixed reviews, but prior to watching it I had only heard praise, and because of that, I found myself being disappointed by the movie. It wasn't horrible by any means, in fact I would still call it pretty good overall, but I went in expecting great. If you read this prior to watching I think you should keep your expectations fairly low. I'm not saying that you'll hate it (some people love it), I'm just saying that you should be aware of what you are going into. This film is very focused on Patrick Bateman as a character, and less about the narrative he leads. The film hacks a coherent narrative, rather serving as a collection of scenes that flesh out the character of Patrick Bateman. There is a story that unites the movie, but I find it to be the weakest part of the film. Christian Bale does a great job as the character, and most of the supporting cast does good as well (though none are really developed as characters). The incoherent nature of the film could be entirely intentional as it is told from Patrick's perspctive, which is meant to be unreliable, but it didn't work for me. Overall thoughts: interesting character study with good acting, interesting ideas, some funny moments, and an overall lacking narrative.
What If...?: What If... Thor Were an Only Child? (2021)
A wasted premise and a very meh episode
I think that "What If?..." really has the potential to shine, however I think it has only reached that once this season so far, and that was in the 4th episode, which truly serves as a stark contrast to this episode. Usually I don't agree with the IMDb reviews when they are super low, like last week's episode which I really liked but the majority of people didn't, but in this case the flaws are simply too apparent to ignore. Too often in What If is the dialogue unrealistic, but in this episode it goes full childlike, i don't think that swears are necessary always, but c'mon! Those shouldn't say "buzz off". The episode was just a waste of a good premise in my opinion, and I think that it could've been a lot better if they went in a different direction. Overall my thoughts are that this episode leans far too into the wacky side of things (despite its premise arguably justifying it) and they honestly should've just used this what if concept in another way.
Reset: Mistakes (2021)
A good start
For a first go this episode is anything but lackluster. Although the pacing wasn't great it was still very enjoyable to see the episode play out. Overall the first episode of reset gives you a lot more than you'd expect for its 10 minute run time, and for better or worse that's really all it needed to get the job done.
Helluva Boss: The Harvest Moon Festival (2021)
Quite possibly the best episode so far.
This episode had a lot to offer, great story, great visuals, great pacing. I was a big fan of "Loo Loo Land", and sadly I think that the previous 2 episodes didn't live up to it, however this matches it, and may even top it in some ways.
Helluva Boss: C.H.E.R.U.B (2021)
The worst episode so far, but not awful
In my opinion this episode is the worst one in the series so far, however that doesn't mean I think it was awful. I would honestly have it at a 7.5, but I can't, so I rounded up to an 8. I think that the balance between outrageous things and actually funny jokes was not that great, and the episode leaned more into crazy than comedy.