Rick And Morty: A Rickconvenient Mort

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Morty falls in love with an elemental being, and Rick and Summer go on an end of the world sex binge.

Man this episode bummed me out. This might be the most depressing episode of Rick and Morty yet, forget the ending of season four, or when Rick gets arrested, this episode is heart breaking. Both the A and B plots are just sad, I hope you have something happy lined up after this.

I enjoy the episodes of Rick and Morty that explore the duo as people and as individuals, and this does that but proves that I need to be careful what I wish for. The character work is strong but honestly it is hard to watch. Morty seems to be all over the place in this episode, murdering people like they are nothing maybe he has been spending too much time with Rick. I thought his relationship with Plaentina was icky and twisted as it implies the two sleep together and he is below the age of consent. It was nice having Alison Brie provide her voice to the episode, she certainly brings a memorable performance and hopefully the character will return in the future.

The Rick and Summer storyline is odd, and the emotion of it doesn’t land in the way they would like it to. Straight off the bat it is a little strange how cool Rick is with going on a sex rampage with his granddaughter. Secondly the jealously angle with Summer preventing an apocalypse to prove that Rick’s happy relationship is false also feels somewhat jarring and maybe even a bit creepy. Widely this storyline is forgettable.

The stuff with Beth was probably the highpoint of the episode and it was nice to see her as a concerned and nurturing parent even if the episode takes its sweet time getting to it.

Overall, a depressing and maybe even upsetting episode of Rick and Morty and one I might skip on my next rewatch.

Pros.

Summer has a few funny lines

Alison Brie is a good guest star, and her character is interesting

Cons.

It is depressing

The Rick and Summer storyline has no point

Morty just flips out and kills a bunch of people and other than one throw away line it is never mentioned or reacted to

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America The Motion Picture: Free Bird

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A mash up origin story for The United States Of America.

I want to preface this review by saying I am a big fan of Archer the animated series. Though many who are involved in that series clearly lent their hand to this project, the charm, wit and nuance of that show is woefully abandoned to produce one of the dumbest films I have ever seen.

Netflix animation is clearly betting on some of the big name talent involved with this film to sell it, as their animation studio is far behind the likes of Pixar and DreamWorks. The animation itself is good, that is not the problem, the issue is the non-sensical, lets throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks approach to storytelling that makes this film feel like a fever dream.

The voice cast is made up of some talented people, sadly not one of them is given anything memorable or interesting to work with and instead they just spout garbage that almost makes being poorly informed and unintelligent seem like the preferred way to be, almost as if it is trying to bash people who will be smart enough to see this film is bad.

The one moment of the film that I enjoyed that I gave the film one whole bonus point from what I was going to give it was having Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd be America’s nation anthem: that scene was very enjoyable.

Overall, this film proves once again why Netflix shouldn’t let a machine green light its projects.

Pros.

Free Bird

I liked Benedict Arnold being a werewolf

Cons.

It is so dumb

None of it makes sense

The characters are unlikeable

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Tuca And Bertie: Kyle

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Bertie manifests Kyle her inner bro in order to help her combat obnoxious men at work.

This episode certainly feels the most angry of the Tuca and Bertie series so far, and that is a great thing. Red on its surface this episode takes on toxic bro culture and also treads into MeToo and sexual harassment culture as well. I thought this was a powerful episode and one that was needed to address what Bertie went through with Pastry Pete.

I think this episode has a lot to say about society and our approach to powerful people who abuse those around them. It is right to point out how often all these figures need to do is say they are sorry or say they have changed, and then certain parts of the population will forgive them leaving the victims out in the cold. It is wrong, and I am glad this show has the balls to say it.

We get more emotional development for Tuca as well here, considering she was fairly side-lined in the last episode. We further the idea of loneliness and aimlessness that has come to encapsulate her character, as she drifts around trying to make a connection and achieve something, but even when she does she still isn’t happy.

I think this show is communicating a lot of hard and often uncomfortable topics through the means of animation, these things need talking about and that is why this show is so important as no one else is.

Overall, a strong episode and one that furthers the emotional growth of our leads.

Pros

Talking about difficult subjects

Bertie’s inner bro

Strong character development

Bringing back the Pastry Pete storyline

Cons.

It is not funny

It is quite saddening

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iCarly: iRobot Wedding

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly and co head to the wedding of her nemesis. Whilst there Carly becomes convinced that the bride to be is a robot.

I would say barring the first this is the best episode of the revival so far. That is mainly because this episode moves away from mocking internet culture, whilst also in some ways embodying everything it is poking fun at, and instead decides to just tell new stories involving these characters- with only a slight amount of nostalgia baiting.

I enjoyed the robot storyline and the absurdity of it, for a minute I genuinely believed Carly was right and that the bride was in fact a robot. Moreover, I thought Carly was at her most human and most likeable here and the romance they are trying to set up between her and Freddie seems like it will take the show in a wholesome positive direction.

My main complaint of the episode would be all the jokes from Laci Mosley’s Harper, that basically boiled down to ‘straight people are weird right’, not only did they feel out of place and weirdly jarring but if flipped the internet would break out in a huge outcry. As I have said previously you don’t solve issues such as racism, sexism, homophobia etc by just flipping it so its now the other way round. What made these series of jokes worse was that though they were not funny at al the first time around, they are repeated over and over again, which can only make them more funny right?

Overall, a close second best episode of the series so far.

Pros.

Carly, and her robot theory

Carly and Freddie

A few nice human moments

Enough nostalgia to be fondly remembered but not used as a crutch

Cons.

Harper’s straight people are weird jokes

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Good On Paper: Films Like This Are Why More And More People Are Cancelling Netflix

1/5

Written by Luke Barnes

It has been a while since Netflix has made a truly poor comedy film, there was a small part of me that was hoping that maybe they had learned what audiences want and what they don’t in a comedy film, but no- this film proves they are still as clueless as ever.

So there is an old adage that you may have heard of ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’, growing up I heard it all the time, yet never is it better displayed than in this film. So, there is a scene in the film where the female lead looks over at a would be suitor’s body and says how gross and out of shape he is, in other words she body shames him. She then turns to the camera and justifies her actions by saying men do it all the time so its fine. So yes the moral of the film is not to change problematic sexist behaviour, no rather just gender flip it because that makes it okay.

Yes, the victim of this body shaming does end up being a baddie, but the audience is not aware at the time, and even if they were does that make it okay? Surely this sort of behaviour is never okay, especially not when the lead of the film is supposed to be likeable, and the audience is supposed to root for them.

Moreover, the laugh count for jokes was quite weak. Now, I won’t spend too much time on this point as humour is subjective and what is not very funny to me might be hilarious to you, but I only found a handful of funny moments here, and these were more chuckles then strong belly laughs, for the most part I just found the film’s sense of humour predictable and oddly tame.

Overall, this is exactly the sort of the lame film that you would expect from Netflix and that’s a shame as they are starting to build themselves a negative reputation as pedlars of trash, the Mindhunter days are long gone.

Pros.

One or two good jokes

Cons.

Mostly not funny

Very predictable

A little too safe

The body shaming

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Downsizing: Shrink Down To Save The Planet?

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This film is really all over the place. It seems to have a lot to say about various different things, it is ruled by its themes. That sounds like a criticism, but it is not. Though I found the film underwritten in a few areas and points it was trying to make, I actually found the wider piece to be surprisingly soulful and reflective.

The concept of turning people into miniature versions of themselves to stave off an oncoming apocalypse is refreshingly original. The entire film is a comment on climate change and man’s response to it, and in this area the writing for the film and the metaphor that holds it all together works well in communicating that relationship.

I thought the performances from all involved were good, with Christoph Waltz being a particular highlight. Though the film may be sold as a comedy I think it is more than that. Truth be told there are few funny moments in this film, but there are a large amount of smile inducing or thought provoking ones instead.

The film almost reads like a dark comedy, and I think it nails that tone perfectly.

Overall, if you go in expecting a silly comedy about Matt Damon being tiny you will be disappointed, however if you go in ready for more of a quasi-conversation about climate change and human impact on the world you will be more than satisfied.

Overall, surprisingly intelligent though not at all funny.

Pros.

The themes and wider comments

The ending

The genuine emotion and feeling

It is smart

Cons.

It is not funny

It tries to comment on too many issues and real world talking points.

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Tuca And Bertie: Planteau

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

At this point I am starting to question whether the writers of Tuca And Bertie are deliberately drawing from my own life experiences. It is just too specific.

I am of course talking about the depiction of Bertie’s social anxiety and her need to drink on a night out to be able to feel comfortable and accepted. Many, many people feel this way, not just me, but it is nice to see this form of social anxiety be represented and shown on screen. I really do think that this is the biggest pro the show has going for it, it is not afraid to cover and highlight mental illness and in doing so it normalises it and helps to ease the stigma and for that I will always be grateful.

The episode itself takes the duo outside of their usual haunts and to a plant land, yes we see far more plant people in this episode and are also treated to a beautifully animated trip sequence that really works not just in a character arc sense but also visually too.

I would not say I found this episode funny at all, it almost feels more like an animated dramady, in a similar vein to something like F Is For Family, where the goal of the show is to make you feel rather than just to bombard you with jokes. This is nice to see as it shows that adult animation is moving away from simply being edgy humour for teens and is trying to be something more.

Tuca is very much pushed to the side this episode, so there is not much to talk about with her.

Overall, effecting and nicely representation but not funny and also a little uncomfortable to watch at times.

Pros.

The mental health representation

It is very effecting

I enjoyed seeing a new local explored

Cons.

It is not funny

It is hard to watch at times

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Tuca And Bertie: Bird Mechanics

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

I am glad to see that Tuca And Bertie survived being cancelled and has found new life elsewhere. I appreciated this show when it was on Netflix, as though it was not another Bojack as many had expected it to be it was deep and funny in its own way.

I enjoy that the characters in the show feel true, yes in one respect they are larger than life cartoon characters but in another they are deeply flawed individuals just trying to get through. I always found this show to be very relatable when it came to its depiction of anxiety and other mental health conditions. I think it is important for the medium to talk about this topic and to analyse it both to spread awareness as well as to take apart harmful or misguided stereotypes.

In this particular episode I found the scenes with Bertie being unable to cope with and then having a panic attack at the romantic meal with her boyfriend particularly powerful. As someone with anxiety disorder myself I can see how it would get to that level.

Moreover, the Tuca storyline has her surround herself with people in a dating show format, but then just ends up with her pushing them all away because she can’t commit, yet fundamentally she is lonely. The show is as deep if not deeper than anything Bojack ever was, not to belabor the comparison. The nuance of the characters and the emotions really speak to the level of the writing. Additionally it is also quite funny, so it is firing on both barrels.

Overall, it is nice to see the series back.

Pros.

The mental health representation

Bertie’s panic attack storyline

The emotional nuance

A few funny jokes.

Cons.

Not all the jokes land

Tuca needs more exploration

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iCarly: iGotYourBack

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This episode did what I have been saying for a while the series needed to do and that is to feel more human. This show seems to exist to do one purpose and that is to mock the modern internet/influencer landscape, which is fine, but the show also runs the risk of becoming just as bad and as vapid especially in a lot of the moral teachings of the show. However, this alarming trend is somewhat postponed here as this episode moves away from all that and instead focuses on the lives and friendships of the characters.

Spencer and Freddy have an arc about Freddy getting back into the dating saddle, and Carly and Harper have a storyline about Carly needing a new dress and Harper trying to design one for her. Both story threads are not perfect, but they do at least produce warm moments to make us like these characters a bit more. I still think far and away Jerry Trainor’s Spencer is the best character on the show, and he is doing a lot of the heavy lifting, often having to make up for the growing unlikability of Carly.

I thought the jokes about Spencer hiring Freddy a prostitute unknowingly were a little juvenile, and though it does produce one or two funny moments by and large it left me cold. Laci Mosley’s Harper was by far the comedic standout of the episode and is at times overshadowing Carly herself.

Overall, better but still plagued by issues.

Pros.

A more human approach

A few funny moments

Spencer and Harper

Cons.

Carly is incredibly self-involved and is becoming everything the show is mocking

The humour is quite juvenile

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iCarly: iFauxpologize

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

This episode is of a very similar quality to the one before it, my concerns for this series are reinforced.

My main issue with this and the previous episode is Carly herself and her characterisation. She is portrayed as being deeply self-involved and almost unfeeling to anyone else: using them to boost herself and whatever she is doing. This continues here as she becomes the subject of an internet meme, however, said meme has a negative effect on her brother’s art exhibit. Carly doesn’t seem to hugely care about this until it affects her. I can only hope that this a surprisingly accurate meta commentary on influencers, and not what creatives think makes for a likeable character.

However, I did enjoy seeing the show call Carly out for this behaviour and thought Spencer’s hellish art exhibit going after Carly and online culture to be not only funny but accurate. Moreover, I like how the show then uses this as an example to lampoon cancel culture, which is really the main subject of the episode.

I think the series meta commentary is very much on point and well done, however the series can’t just rely on this for its humour and needs the characters to also have warm moments so that you still care enough about them to keep watching.

I didn’t find this episode as funny as I had the previous two, but it did make me smile several times. I thought the show referencing the ‘interesting’ meme was suitably amusing though I am glad they did not linger on it for too long.

Overall, this show needs to balance its broader lampooning of internet culture with likeable character moments sooner rather than later otherwise people will turn off.

Pros.

The jokes about cancel culture

Spenser’s art exhibit

Bringing back the ‘interesting’ meme

Cons.

Carly is still unlikeable

The meta commentary is starting to feel gimmicky

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