Netflix has pumped out a ton of original content. Some of it good, some of it terrible, and some of it just mediocre.
Little Evil is one of the just mediocre pieces. It is funny and has an interesting premise. However, it does very little with its strengths. It turns into just a silly brofest.
It is nice that the ultimate resolution is that a man learns that loving a child no matter his lineage is valuable. I just wish it came in a better package.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
The Defenders
As the culmination of five seasons of Netflix super hero shows, The Defenders had a lot of expectations. I knew it would never be as good as Daredevil season one or Jessica Jones, but I hoped it would be better than Iron Fist. I hoped it would be as good as Luke Cage. I hoped it avoided some of the pitfalls of Dardevil season two where the sheer number of characters and plot lines got muddled.
I ended up satisfied. It was a good, entertaining romp. The myriad of characters did mean a lack of depth. However, keeping the plot tight meant things never got muddled.
Sigourney Weaver’s villain was deliciously evil and her downfall at the hands of her own creation was as surprising as it was inevitable. Madame Gou is also an enigmatic shade of grey. The male cast of the Hand were predictable and boring. They hardly seem dynamic enough to be the fallen angels of Kung Lo.
Electra was never stable and never a follower. She, like the other female leaders of the Hand, powerful and grey. Her internal conflict makes her powerful and dangerous.
On the righteous side of the battle, it is also the female characters that come out as the truly dynamic and strong members of the team. The boys in many ways are the muscle and the laugh track. Colleen, Clair, and Misty take great risks and provide the true moral spine of the group. The “super” heros do a lot of the fighting and are constantly at risk, but they are super.
One surprise in the series was its rehabilitation of Danny Rand. In the The Defenders Danny becomes more human and more likable. He has been humbled by the loss of Kung Lo. The interplay between Danny and the rest of the more seasoned members of the team also makes him funny. His brashness and immaturity seem less smug.
The most static member of the group is Matt Murdock. He has not grown much since we first met him. He is self righteous and conflicted. His decision to save Eclectra is predictably noble and predictably self-destructive. Unlike many people, I was not shocked by it or by the fact that he survived.
I also don’t find that his survival cheapens the ending of the series in any way. The rest of the group rightfully mourn his loss. Karen, true to her character, is a sucker for lost causes and would mourn for Matt alive or dead.
I ended up satisfied. It was a good, entertaining romp. The myriad of characters did mean a lack of depth. However, keeping the plot tight meant things never got muddled.
Sigourney Weaver’s villain was deliciously evil and her downfall at the hands of her own creation was as surprising as it was inevitable. Madame Gou is also an enigmatic shade of grey. The male cast of the Hand were predictable and boring. They hardly seem dynamic enough to be the fallen angels of Kung Lo.
Electra was never stable and never a follower. She, like the other female leaders of the Hand, powerful and grey. Her internal conflict makes her powerful and dangerous.
On the righteous side of the battle, it is also the female characters that come out as the truly dynamic and strong members of the team. The boys in many ways are the muscle and the laugh track. Colleen, Clair, and Misty take great risks and provide the true moral spine of the group. The “super” heros do a lot of the fighting and are constantly at risk, but they are super.
One surprise in the series was its rehabilitation of Danny Rand. In the The Defenders Danny becomes more human and more likable. He has been humbled by the loss of Kung Lo. The interplay between Danny and the rest of the more seasoned members of the team also makes him funny. His brashness and immaturity seem less smug.
The most static member of the group is Matt Murdock. He has not grown much since we first met him. He is self righteous and conflicted. His decision to save Eclectra is predictably noble and predictably self-destructive. Unlike many people, I was not shocked by it or by the fact that he survived.
I also don’t find that his survival cheapens the ending of the series in any way. The rest of the group rightfully mourn his loss. Karen, true to her character, is a sucker for lost causes and would mourn for Matt alive or dead.
Friday, August 25, 2017
The Little Prince
I have only vague memories of the book, so I had no expectations going in to this movie. Neither did my daughter.
The movie started a little slow and is definitely darker than I expected. Neither comment is a criticism.
The slow start allows for the required character development and the darkness allows for the ultimately uplifting ending to have its power.
The movie is in the same vein as James and the Giant Peach or Corraline. It is not as scary as Corraline, but shares the same sort of sensibility.
The movie features a strong female lead which I think is great.
It also deals with loss and grieving.
However, its central message is that one should always be true to themselves and never lose their sense of wonder.
The movie is not really for preschool aged children. Second graders and over, depending on how sensitive they are, should be able to handle it.
The movie started a little slow and is definitely darker than I expected. Neither comment is a criticism.
The slow start allows for the required character development and the darkness allows for the ultimately uplifting ending to have its power.
The movie is in the same vein as James and the Giant Peach or Corraline. It is not as scary as Corraline, but shares the same sort of sensibility.
The movie features a strong female lead which I think is great.
It also deals with loss and grieving.
However, its central message is that one should always be true to themselves and never lose their sense of wonder.
The movie is not really for preschool aged children. Second graders and over, depending on how sensitive they are, should be able to handle it.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel's movie making talent seems boundless. Guardians combined huge sci-fi set pieces, just plain oddness, a good dash of goofiness and mixed it up with a plot about saving the galaxy and somehow came out with a great movie that was fun to watch.
I'm not saying that Guardians deserves any Oscars or that it leaves you pondering big questions after you leave the theater, but it is a ton of fun to watch.
I cannot wait to see the sequel when it gets to iTunes and I can rent it when the wife and kid are out.
I'm not saying that Guardians deserves any Oscars or that it leaves you pondering big questions after you leave the theater, but it is a ton of fun to watch.
I cannot wait to see the sequel when it gets to iTunes and I can rent it when the wife and kid are out.
ARQ
Netflix's original content is a little all over the map when it comes to quality. In my experiences, it is either great or terrible. There was never anything that was just OK.
Then I watched ARQ. It is an interesting, if well worn, premise. The acting is solid. The story is solid. The pacing is well done. The sets are believable.
ARQ is a solid, if not terribly inspired, piece of genre cinema.
It is good to know that Netflix can do workman like quality. That makes me feel like they could have a long future of in the content business. Nobody lasts very long when they can only hit the extremes.
The only thing I didn't like about ARQ was the ending. The movie didn't quite earn the right to have the sort of ending it had. However, like everything else about ARQ, the ending was just fine.
Then I watched ARQ. It is an interesting, if well worn, premise. The acting is solid. The story is solid. The pacing is well done. The sets are believable.
ARQ is a solid, if not terribly inspired, piece of genre cinema.
It is good to know that Netflix can do workman like quality. That makes me feel like they could have a long future of in the content business. Nobody lasts very long when they can only hit the extremes.
The only thing I didn't like about ARQ was the ending. The movie didn't quite earn the right to have the sort of ending it had. However, like everything else about ARQ, the ending was just fine.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Sky High
Not even Bruce Campbell could make this a good movie. It was a mid budget after school special that some how made it to the big screen.
As a Netflix family movie night entry, it was perfectly fine.
The funniest part of the movie was that I mistook the actress who plays flower girl for the actress that plays Jemma Simmons.
As a Netflix family movie night entry, it was perfectly fine.
The funniest part of the movie was that I mistook the actress who plays flower girl for the actress that plays Jemma Simmons.
Dr. Strange
Having a kid makes it hard to catch the MCU in the theater, where they should seen. Netflix, on the other hand, makes it easy to see them at the same scale as the MNU.
Dr. Strange definitely needed to be seen on the bigger scale for the visuals. The same cannot be said for the story. The plot, the story, the characters all felt like they belonged along side the MNU.
Dr. Strange was a great movie, but it didn't feel like an MCU film. I saw Civil War on Netflix and Civil War was just bigger.
Family and friendship being torn apart over the moral chooses involved in protecting the world, are much more compelling than a self centered know it all gaining the ability to manipulate time and space. Strange is the worst parts of Tony Stark mixed up with Iron Fist mysticism.
Maybe it is just that some of the other MCU characters are just more likable and trustworthy. Maybe, Strange would have fit better in the MNU.
Dr. Strange definitely needed to be seen on the bigger scale for the visuals. The same cannot be said for the story. The plot, the story, the characters all felt like they belonged along side the MNU.
Dr. Strange was a great movie, but it didn't feel like an MCU film. I saw Civil War on Netflix and Civil War was just bigger.
Family and friendship being torn apart over the moral chooses involved in protecting the world, are much more compelling than a self centered know it all gaining the ability to manipulate time and space. Strange is the worst parts of Tony Stark mixed up with Iron Fist mysticism.
Maybe it is just that some of the other MCU characters are just more likable and trustworthy. Maybe, Strange would have fit better in the MNU.
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