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Reviews
Alex Borstein: Corsets & Clown Suits (2023)
Alex as you've never seen her!
Alex Borstein in this Amazon Prime special is a scream. Inventive, outrageous, funny as hell. Some of it does cross a line into the crass or vulgar (the Hitler maid song, oy vey; the "Jewmanji" song, too much self-loathing in my book) ... but heck - it's comedy, and the bits don't last that long. It's a nice blend overall between the standup material and the songs. She can really sing! The musicians and comic foils Salva and Eric get their due as well. I was previously familiar with Alex as Susie in Maisel and somewhat from Gilmore Girls so this was a nice surprise. Glad we stumbled into it and it was the most we laughed in a while! Ignore the miffed right-wingers pulling down the ratings here.
The Indian Doctor: The Prodigals' Return (2013)
Inanely campy
So different than season 2 it's like a different show. Sanjeev Bhaskar is wasted. Ancient history but maybe he wanted out after this? In season 2 you had a believable villain. Whereas the conniving brothers plot thread is overacted and has been done a bajillion times. And the townspeople are played broadly as saps. What, the show's creators and writers couldn't write any real drama like seasons 1 and 2 and had to go all Benny Hill? No one is given any real opportunity to act. We're supposed to the anarchists seriously? (They're reminiscent of the Daniel Stern and Joe
Piscopo characters from Home Alone - very broad.) so disappointing. Hope it improves.
The Indian Doctor: The Gold Rush (2013)
Zany overbroad departure so far this season
The tone, writing, atmosphere, main plot thead, side
stories - everything seems different from the very effective second season. The conniving brothers are comically, cartoonishly, ridiculously evil. The subplots are silly and predictable. The focus is too often off Prem. Kamila is wasted as a character and her courting by the brothers is formulaic and familiar. Same with Dan, who seemed ready to be a central character. Anarchists are hard to take seriously. The generic rock music between scenes is absurdly zany. It's hard to believe this is the same show by the same folks. Perhaps it's why the third season was the last?
Only Murders in the Building: The Last Day of Bunny Folger (2022)
Bye bye Bunny
A great star turn as Bunny by Jayne Houdysell. Glad the writers came back to her character and allowed it to be rounded out. It was also fun to see the building against the backdrop of the recent NYT story on the real Belnord.
Ted Lasso: Midnight Train to Royston (2021)
Suddenly unsettled
All the characters and all the relationships are suddenly thrown into question. Well written and acted. Seems like a very different show now than what they started with, but that's OK.
Bosch: Legacy: Plan B (2022)
Low stakes, bland characters, invisible dog
The epitome of this new season was the scene where the dog-sitter brings Coltrane back to Bosch and you never see the dog. What, was he working another set that day? Meeting with his agent? Holding out for treats? It was bizarre. All the corners seem sanded down, the characters gray, the stakes low, even in this episode that had more "action." Titus Welliver looks like he's passing a kidney stone. Even Crate and Barrel (!) return but don't seem quite the same.
Bosch: Legacy: Message in a Bottle (2022)
Not much zip
Something is missing from this series and episode, maybe a lot of things. Connolly's writing, so well used in the original series, seems MIA. The situations and characters are dull, flat. There's no tension, no real bad guys, no comic relief. It just feels like a money grab, uninspired and misdirected. I hope it picks up steam.
Kim's Convenience: Slippery Slope (2021)
More Stacie, finally!
Outstanding, hilarious scenes from Akosua Amo-Adem as Stacie. I haven't loved this season, something seems off with the writing and characters- maybe they just started running out of ideas? Still, seeing Stacie's character develop has been one of the highlights.
Hinterland: Night Music (2013)
Boundaries
For Don Rasmu - I think because the blackmailing Coradaugh was gobbling up the land over time, forcing Roberts to transfer. But why over time and not all at once, I don't really get.
The Handmaid's Tale: Vows (2021)
Intense, short
Why only 40 minutes in this ep? With 15-20 minutes, the show could have kept the Cmdr Lawrence / Cmdr Nick / Luke / Emily plotlines going. Keep those going parallel to June.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel: Panty Pose (2019)
More yuks, less ... bickering
Seems like proportion of contrived conflict v humor is way off in these first three episodes. Maybe it's just me, but I don't care THAT much about the Weissmans having to downsize or live with Joel's parents. These first three just seem like constant bickering in circles. And I'm still getting used to Sterling K. Brown as a heavy. I do think the Joel - Mei relationship has potential; Stephanie Hsu energized the show from her first moment in the club space.
The Man in the High Castle: No Masters but Ourselves (2019)
Picking up steam
It's hard to fully convey how far this show has come since its dry-dry-dry inception four seasons ago. The writing, acting, and direction have improved immensely. The multiple plot lines are coming together, Smith's multiple worlds are closing in, and the "alt" world Vietnam mirroring in the Reich world is done very smartly.
The Man in the High Castle: Happy Trails (2019)
Whose side are you on?
Juliana masters Tagomi-style time travel just as Smith gains the ability to pursue her. But as the episode closes, I can't help but wonder whether Smith will stick to his mission or be changed by the victorious 1964 America and his encounter with a living, non-Hitler youth Thomas. That's foreshadowed by several items here including Abendsen's comments about changes in one universe affecting the others.
The Man in the High Castle: Hexagram 64 (2019)
More of the same
The new season opens with just enough intrigue about the characters to hold a viewers' interest, even as the writing and directing remains as flat and wooden as before.
Clarence Clemons: Who Do I Think I Am? (2019)
A glimpse into Clarence
A moving, affecting look at a side of Clarence Clemons of which his many fans and admirers likely were unaware, much of it in his own words, centered on a spiritual quest to China long after he'd become a star. I'm not sure we get a really complete view into what made Clarence to tick - don't expect a traditional documentary- but this is a nice portrait of C's worldview as a seeker and friend.
Night School (2018)
Amusing shtick
I recorded this when we had HBO for Games of Thrones, and finally watched. Some funny stuff from Kevin Hart but Tiffany Haddish is the reason to watch - she is a natural, and so funny. With these sorts of formulaic/inspiring movies, it's all about the writing and directing, both of which get a little draggy at times. Fun overall.
Asbury Park: Riot, Redemption, Rock 'N Roll (2019)
A glorious mess
APRRR&R is a glorious mess - a mish-mash of segments that don't quite hang together and leave many open questions, but are enjoyable in and of themselves, especially for viewers familiar with the Jersey Shore or avid about anything Springsteen-related. The first third or so focuses on the famed Upstage Club in Asbury Park, an all-ages, no-alcohol rarity where Bruce, Steve Van Zandt, Southside Johnny, and other Asbury Park legends learned their craft. It's cool to see figures like David Sancious and Ernest Boom Carter. Alas: The segment gets repetitive and goes on too long. Then things shift to social conditions on Asbury's "other side of the tracks," the primarily black west side of town which erupted in rioting in July 1970 and was devastated for decades after. The city's recent revival (at least east of the tracks) is noted and seemingly symbolized by a segment on a music school for kids, and the proceedings are capped by a 20-minute Upstage reunion concert. It's fun on the whole, and the through-line message that music can unite is admirable and relatable. Still, there's a lot of repetition and some bizarre choices. Among them: I found the voice of the narrator in the middle segment almost intolerable. I recommend watching at least once, again especially if you have a rooting interest in the shore and are fans of Bruce et al.
The Handmaid's Tale: First Blood (2018)
Secrets and lies
The writing and acting bristle as always. Serena's mood swings, Fred's perversions, Nick's "call of duty," and June's use of her power are reliable plot lines reignited here. The only off note, to my mind, is the flashed-back past that hitches Serena's alternative feminism to the suggestion of her and Fred's nascent revolution as sparked by intemperate campus lefties - argubly buying into the victimhood narrative of today's right wing. This will be one to chew on for a while.