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Reviews
Better Call Saul: Fun and Games (2022)
Could've Been The Finale
If this has been the finale of the entire series, it would've ranked as one of the best in history.
I won't spoil anything except to say that I feel completely devastated yet also completely satisfied with the way storylines were tied up. Luckily we still have 4 more episodes to go and I have no idea where this is headed. The best news is there isn't a show I trust more to do something great with the time we have left.
The Thing About Pam: She's a Good Friend (2022)
Surprisingly Good
A movie re-enactment of a Dateline episode/podcast doesn't sound very interesting (just watch the episode or listen to the podcast, right?) but Renee Zellwegger is just so perfect in it that I can't look away. What a get for Hulu & NBC. I'm hooked but man, I wish it wasn't a once-a-week thing. It'd be great to binge it.
Oblivion (2013)
(Surprisingly) Excellent Movie
I'm really confused why this isn't a more well-known Tom Cruise movie. Maybe it was timing or lack of advertising? Regardless, it's a solid, intriguing story that I found more compelling than a lot of his stuff. It's also absolutely stunning to look like and, unlike so, so many sci-fi movies, it actually has lots of natural light which pushes away that awful dystopian feel that makes me wanna skip them. I bought it and have rewatched it a few times now - it only gets better, tbh.
Servant: Jericho (2020)
Un-rewatchable Excellence
This was an incredible episode with some of the best acting (by Lauren Ambrose) that I've seen in a very long while but I can say without a doubt that I will never watch it again. It's far too authentic and painful.
The Irishman (2019)
Left Me Feeling... meh
I love Scorsese films and when others complain about the length of some films, I'm usually grateful for the extra time I get to spend with characters. Not this time.
The actors are all far too old to play the much-younger versions of themselves the film requires. It's one thing to smooth out the wrinkles a bit (which is terribly distracting itself) but there's no way to de-age their bodies. Their posture, presence, and overall fitness are all those of elderly men. That's not a criticism, it's just a fact, btw. It looks ridiculous in the more physical scenes like De Niro beating up a grocer or a flashback scene to a very young De Niro in war. I honestly felt -throughout -that I was watching a film about old mobsters working out of a retirement home.
This is nowhere near as gripping and compelling as Goodfella's or even the much-flawed Departed. The story drags and meanders while some plot points lead virtually nowhere. It would've benefited greatly from some serious editing. There's probably 30-45 minutes that made absolutely no impact on the story and that is almost an unforgivable sin when you have these actors, this director, and the enormous budget granted to this movie. This isn't the tight storytelling most of us expected.
I watched this last night and today the first thing that occurred to me when I thought of it is how much I'd like to watch Goodfella's again.
Baskets: Moving On (2019)
Perfect Ending
I really liked this show from the beginning. It was absurd, poignant, warm, and funny. It became a bit uneven throughout its entire 4 season run but it never lost its silly humor nor its heart. Tbh, it was a show that I often found to be a comforting escape at the end of a bad day.
From what I understand, no one knew that the show would be canceled this season and that makes this final episode all the more impressive (and makes me question if they truly didn't know). It's a great ending-it wrapped up everyone's storylines in ways that are perfectly suited to their respective character arcs and hit all the bittersweet notes I'd hoped it would. So well, in fact, it reminded me of why I loved the show from the start.