Change Your Image
drewsterwang
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
As great as it can be for what it is.
The trailer makes it seem like Dr. Clitterhouse is a mad scientist, but nothing supernatural or science-fiction-y is to be found. Darkly humorous, but you probably won't laugh more than a couple times. It's a bit of a goofy plot, so they did well to frame it as a dark comedy with colorful characters, yet there is no hint of farce. Well-acted, technically better produced than a lot of other films of the time. The dialog is incredibly clear and the cinematography pretty good. Dr. Clitterhouse is a great way to pass an hour and change. A must-watch for fans of Key Largo since the core cast is the same. Claire Trevor is quite a dame in this film, and Edward G Robinson's acting chops are excellent even by today's standards. Bogey as always shines.
The Green Knight (2021)
New Take on the Supernatural
The novelty in this film for me lay in its handling of the magical elements. In many other works, characters accept the supernatural as just something that happens, but Patel's Gawain seems to have fallen into an involuntary acid trip when something unnatural happens. It is this handling that made this film stand out. If you're into the artsy, this may be a film for you. This adaptation takes great liberties with the source material. The ending is entirely different from the Arthurian romance for example. This Gawain is not here to teach us a lesson in morality.
Throttle Out (2018)
Win It or Bin It
I signed up for Motor Trend streaming service just to watch this show. Most viewers of motorcycle content on Youtube would be familiar with Zack and Ari. Their on-screen personas are extremely charismatic and their genuine friendship really comes across. They also stay incredible optimistic and are very honest about when they have no idea what they're doing.
The episodes mostly have strong premises and . My favorite was rescuing cows in Kathmandu, which really showed as much of a place and culture as is possible in this format. The only challenge that didn't really work was the simulated zombie apocalypse sequence where the zombies were entirely invisible in the darkness. Even if you are not into motorcycles specifically but are a fan of Top Gear or Junkyard Wars, this is worth a watch.
Dollface (2019)
If you liked Man Seeking Woman...
Takes a similar concept to the FX show but applies it more to a women's perspective. The scenes cut away to a metaphorical fantasy scenario when the main character is going through something. It's an approach I wouldn't mind seeing used again in other shows. I'm a huge fan of Little Esther so I binged it in a few days. Most of the laughs are when it seems like she made up her own lines. I hope next season she gets a plot arc with a love interest or something.
The show IS critical of stereotypes of what women like or are supposed to like. A lot of reviews accuse the show of lacking self-awareness in this regard, but they know exactly what they're doing, and you don't have to dump on something women supposedly enjoy just to score points with... who?
There aren't that many cultural references in the show, and the few that are sprinkled in there are pretty outdated. I think Brad Pitt stopped being the go-to guy women in their twenties fantasize about at least ten years ago, and even Ryan Gosling's name being tossed around for the same purpose is a little tired.
The soundtrack is excellent. I lost it when I heard Vulfpeck at the end of Macaulay Culkin's episode. Wardrobe and set design are well done and fit well with each character, only Kat's character is only 'frumpy' when compared to the two ultra-fashionable friends. Overall the show is fun, doesn't drag, and there are so many incredibly beautiful women in it.
One Punch Man: Wanpanman (2015)
First Season Is a Masterpiece
One Punch Man is a send-up of anime series from the past that turns tired tropes on their head and breaks up the regular formula seen in series such as Dragonball Z. The main character, Saitama, doesn't have to struggle, level up, or learn new special attacks to defeat the villains over dozens of episodes. His difficulties are mainly interpersonal and societal as he tries to fit into a world of over-the-top heroes and monsters while remaining hilariously deadpan and clueless in contrast. Highlights are not the fights and monsters, but the depiction of bureaucracy and boring details of everyday life that Saitama goes through. Season 1. 10/10.
Season 2 (8 episodes in so far) is becoming what it used to satirize. We see far less of Saitama and focus shifts to an extremely powerful monster association and the pantheon of heroes fighting agains unbeatable odds to stop them. Saitama is conveniently removed from the action by way of a banal martial arts tournament with his only gag being that he has to keep a wig on his head while fighting. The fights surrounding the bloated cast have become front and center, robbing the series of its originality. Season 2 (so far) 5/10. It would be far funnier to see Saitama dealing with having a fan club than watching dozens of heroes engage in predictable monster fights.
Alone Together (2018)
A midwest 7 is an LA 2
I'm a fan of Little Esther and was really looking forward to this. After the pilot I can't wait for more. It's much better than the trailer makes it seem.
The guest stars were a pretty big deal, considering this is a web show, and they put in awesome performances. A big sticking point for a lot of people is probably the desperation and self-pity of the main characters, but if that doesn't bother you it's perfectly watchable.
The storyline was funny and there was at least one line where I had to pause to finish laughing before continuing. Give it a try.
Trainwreck (2015)
Starts Strong, Ultimately Devolves into Apatow's Lengthy Sentimentality Fests
Being a big fan of Amy Schumer and Bill Hader, I was extremely eager to see this film. I was expecting it to be full of the main character's drunken antics, but really those have little to do with her problem maintaining a relationship with a nice guy she likes, and supplies only a small (yet funniest) part of the comedy. The upsides: I give good marks for the satirical lad magazine Amy works for. Colin Quinn's befuddled rambling delivery is finally working for him as he starts playing salty old men, so he became my favorite character. Judd Apatow's kids aren't in it.
The film's downfall, just like Apatow's previous films, is its length. The hugging and learning bit at the end takes up half an hour, and a million useless cameos have been left in just to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. Apatow's groupie-like casting will prevent him from recreating the success of his tighter, hilarious early comedies like 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. I'm happy to see the cast of SNL pop up in a movie, but do we need the intervention scene and the angry subway passenger? Does Method Man have to do another fake Jamaican accent?
The scenes are also far too long to sustain any comedic rhythm, so jokes that could have been funny end up falling flat. A minute of awkwardness gets the point across that something awkward is happening, so the next three minutes are tedious. Hopefully Judd Apatow's next outing can take itself less seriously and not be just him showing off his rolodex.