iCarly: iHit Something

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After getting pranked Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, joins influencer fight club.

I thought for the most part this episode was incredibly by the numbers. The premise of Carly joining a fight club feels like it was just shouted out when the writers were listing various different whacky situations they could put her in, furthermore this is reflected in the episode by the fact it is barely developed in anyway. Moreover, the justification for why Carly is angry, she was pranked, makes her look petty and the events of the episode feel like an overreaction.

The B plot about Millicent, played by Jaidyn Triplett, having a crush on a boy and then Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, and Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, worrying that he is just using her for school work feels very been there done that and for the most part there is nothing new added to this incredibly formulaic idea here. The best part of this side plot is a joke made right at the end of the episode that actually made me laugh out loud which was nice respite from the tedium that was the rest of the episode.

Overall, fairly meh.

Pros.

One funny joke

It is watchable

The fight club is an interesting idea sadly though they do nothing with it

Cons.

It is too safe

It is very been there done that

It isn’t funny for the most part

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Scottish Mussel: A Vanity Project That Backfires

1.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Ritchie, played by Martin Compston, is a Glaswegian criminal who decides to become a pearl thief, the film follows him in that pursuit.

This film is a vanity project plain and simple. Tallulah Riley writes, produces, directs and stars in this film in which she tries to convey an anti-poaching message that she believes to be important, sounds admirable right? Well… there are also copious scenes wherein Riley strips down into a small bikini to go and dive into Scottish streams, a task which would in real life be damn near suicidal, these scenes feel very drawn out and would under a male director feel almost pervy, whereas with Riley the question has to be why did she frame herself in this way? Was she trying to show off? Advance her modelling career? Provide a cheap thrill? Whichever, the scenes feel uncomfortable to watch.

Worse still this film is the opposite of an advert for Riley as an actor with her remaining stiff as a board throughout, only seemingly being capable of maybe one facial expression during the whole runtime of the film. Money well spent.

The only reason this film doesn’t get lower is that it is very aggressively average and by the numbers but isn’t necessarily bad. The uncomfortable scenes to one side I found the film to at least be watchable and mindless.

Overall, Riley burns money in a vanity project that doesn’t actually make her look good.

Pros.

It is mindless

It is watchable

Cons.

It highlights Riley’s ego

Riley doesn’t give a convincing lead performance

The film as a whole is trite and entirely predictable

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Ms. Marvel: Generation Why

4.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Teenager Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, dreams of breaking away from her strict parents and being like her hero Captain Marvel, sadly that seems like a faraway dream when we first meet her. However, all of that changes when she receives a magical accessory that allows her to have superhuman abilities.

I will open this review by saying two things that need saying before I get into a wider discussion on the episode. Obviously this series should be heralded from bringing in Marvel’s first grouping of Muslim characters, representation is very important and hopefully this show will allow new groups of people to look towards the MCU and see a hero that is like them; and that is a powerful thing. Additionally, my review for this episode and the coming ones in the series will be from someone who is fairly unfamiliar with Ms. Marvel as a character, I have read a few stories featuring her here and there but for the most part I am going in blind.

Now onto the review proper.

I thought that this may be the best episode of any of the Disney + Marvel shows thus far. I really liked the tone and the Edgar Wright esque cinematography and graphic blendings/ transitions, I thought this helped the show to feel fresh and different to both the other Disney + shows as well as the wider MCU.

Moreover, I also really liked the family focus here and thought it was done much better than in Hawkeye. Though I thought having Kamala’s mum, played by Zenobia Shroff, be a low key baddie, or at least an antagonist figure in her life is a little trite and played out, I thought her wider family dynamic was a lot of fun. Furthermore, the family actually felt like a family, whereas with the Bishops in Hawkeye, the mother and daughter felt more like estranged business associates rather than how I personally would view family, though again everyone’s family is different.

I also thought Vellani was terrific and instantly super likeable and warm, she sank into the world and character really well and I am excited to see more from her both in this show and the wider universe.

Overall, I enjoyed this first episode a lot.

Pros.

Vellani

The humour

The visual style

The family dynamics

Giving us a wider look into the MCU

Cons.

The mother daughter stuff felt a little cliché to me

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The Pentaverate: Mike Myers Enters The Culture War

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

5 men run a nice secret society that tries to help the world this is their story.

I am a big fan of Mike Myers and was looking forward to this series for a while, but sadly when I came around to watch it I found it to be far from perfect.

My major issue with the show is its final episode and ending, in which all the white male characters literally kill themselves for the sake of making the secret society more diverse and representational. This is the most obnoxiously on the nose thing I have seen in a while and feels like you are having a message forced down your throat. I thought the point of advocating for wider representation within media was to bring more chairs to the table not to remove them? Maybe I misunderstood.

The reason I am leading with that is because it really ruins what is otherwise a mostly good run. The first 5 episodes are all funny, charming and very watchable. There is a lot to enjoy here from the Jeremy Irons’ intros and the Shrek reference to the Key and Peele joke. I do think however, that killing off Keegan-Michael Key so early into the series was a bad idea as Ken Jeong is a poor replacement.

The humour on the whole is more hit than miss which I suppose is an achievement for a Netflix comedy series.

Overall, if you watch the first 5 episodes on their own then this show is quite good however sadly the final episode ruins the series in a major way by making the whole thing about spreading a message.

Pros.

It is funny

It is a mostly good showing for Myers

It is very creative

Cons.

The message is forced down your throat

Some outdated takes about the internet

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Black Ball: It Is Hard To Like A Cheater

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The bad boy of British bowls is born.

This film is almost entirely devoid of any charm. The whole premise feels as though it has been done before many times over, and nothing new is done here. The cast are almost entirely without any warmth or charm and you spend your time wondering asking which character you dislike the most.

My biggest question is why did they book Vince Vaughn for this? And also why did Vince Vaughn want to do this project? I don’t have answers for either of these questions but I spent a large portion of the film being baffled by his involvement.

Usually I would never have a bad word to say about Paul Kaye, but here is a rare exception. Kaye is not a good leading man and even when he wins in the end and it is supposed to be a happy ending you still find it hard to like him, due in no small part to the fact that the team win by cheating.

Overall, a waste of time and money, with a few funny moments that make it slightly more bearable

Pros.

A few funny moments

Vince Vaughn always gets a point from me

Cons.

Kaye

Almost everyone is unlikeable

The film doesn’t need to exist

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South Park, The Streaming Wars: Going The Way Of Family Guy And The Simpsons

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Due to a water shortage in South Park streaming services crop up to try and find new ways to supply water to the townsfolk and turn a tidy profit.

This was not a good special and honestly makes me question whether South Park is starting to loose its edge. Recently I have been binge watching all the episodes of the show from the beginning and as such when I compare earlier classic episodes to this I have to say there is a noticeable decline in quality.

My main issues with this special is just how unlikeable everyone is. Both Randy and Cartman, voiced by Trey Parker, are not just being dicks but are deeply unlikeable. One can argue that this is nothing new for Cartman but it is for Randy, who is reduced to a one note cliché here. Honestly, since starting Tegridy Weed the show has really been running Randy into the ground.

Moreover, the commentary on streaming services, here being water distributors rather than tv and film, is paper thin and feels really quite off the mark. I have noticed some people say how angry and personal the commentary feels and they are then using this reading to imply that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are not happy at Paramount +, however, I think rather than that it is just a regurgitation of other tired complaints against streaming. Odder still, the complaints levelled feel like they have come out of the mid twenty tens rather than our current climate.

Overall, watchable but the decline is clear to see.

Pros.

It is nice to see ManBearPig return

A few good jokes

Cons.

Randy is ruined

Cartman is awful

The commentary doesn’t land

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Good Mourning: Machine Gun Kelly Is Talentless, A Guide To Over Indulgence

0.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Hot stinky garbage that shows that some people in this world have too much money and free time.

This film was only made as something to do in-between tours, and it shows at every turn. There is so much wrong with this film that I don’t even know where to begin, perhaps with a general warning that if you value your free time then don’t watch this.

I struggle to even call this a film, it is a series of barely connected scenes that read like the demented ravings of a habitual drug user. Clearly Kelly and his friends thought that they were funny so decided to make this as a monument to their self-love, however, what it is instead is a monument to how deeply unfunny and untalented they are.

This film has a series of toxic messages ranging from your stalker is the only one who truly loves you, to pressuring people into doing drugs in order to prove they are cool. Does Kelly care what impact these sort of ideas and themes will have on his young fans who folk to watch and then vehemently defend this film online? No, he doesn’t care, he thinks this film makes him look good. This is not true.

Kelly seems unable to act in this film at all to such a point that I question why they didn’t just write it so that he was playing a fictionalised version of himself, but that is giving this film too much credit. Worse yet is the series of washed up d listers who turn up for cameos, and perhaps the most sad are the friends and loved ones of Kelly who also star in this film perhaps as a means to satiate him.

The thing that annoys me the most about this film is the meta scene towards the end wherein the film acknowledges how bad it is and tries to get in on the joke. This does not make any of its other failings better and just makes it seem like the intent of the film was to waste your time.

Overall, perhaps the worst film of the year so far.

Pros.

It is not offensively bad

Cons.

It has toxic messages

It wastes your time

It only exists to stroke Kelly’s ego

The meta scene will deeply annoy you

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Flight Attendant Season Two: An Eight Episode AA Meeting

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The plot this time around sees Cassie, played by Kaley Cuoco, seemingly being framed for murder whilst also having to work through her alcoholism.

I enjoyed this season slightly less than the first, and though I do think there is still a reason for this show to exist and that the second season is not totally unnecessary, I do think that the show can do with improving if it is going to go onto a third season.

I liked that Max and Annie, played by Zosia Mamet and Deniz Akdeniz, were given far bigger roles and I thought it was a good idea to even give them their own side stories as well, it really helped to strengthen some of the weaker moments and to add some much needed comedic relief.

The darker tone and the more intense focus on Cassie’s alcoholism is an issue for the show as far as I am concerned as though it is for the most part good character work it does become a bit too bleak and hard to watch at times, and last I checked this was a comedy drama series. My issue is that this season spent a lot of time focusing on these sad elements and that made it less enjoyable to watch.

Overall, the darker tone and deep dive into Cassie’s alcoholism makes this show hard to watch at times and makes you question whether it is still fun to watch, however, there is still enough good elements to keep you around.

Pros.
Mamet and Akdeniz

An engaging mystery

Fun to be had

The ending

Cons.

It is bleak and hard to watch at times

They give the alcoholism stuff far too much focus

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Orange County: The Definition Of White Privilege

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A young man, played by Colin Hanks, has his college/university transcripts mixed up and so has to go to great lengths to try and get into his preferred institution.

Honestly, I think Hanks is the worst part about this film. He is playing the straight man throughout against everyone else’s craziness but he plays it a little too well and ends up coming across as stiff as a board. Jack Black, Catherine O’ Hara And John Lithgow all fare far better as his dysfunctional family, with Black particularly reminding me just how good he can be in the right role.

There is something so 90s about this film despite it coming out in the early noughties, it is very much of the Jackass generation and I think that is a huge part of why it works. Despite all of the zaniness going on at its heart is a story about a family that loves each other and I think it is this emotional centre that helps this film to be good.

In terms of the humour the film made me laugh a few times but was probably more hit than miss.

Overall, a fun breezy comedy film with a great turn from Black.

Pros.

Black

O’ Hara

The heart

The ending

Cons.

Most of the jokes don’t land

Hanks

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Emergency: The Responsible Thing To Do

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two college students, played by RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins, plan to go on a seven party tour, however, these plans are turned upside down when a drunken underage girl falls into their care.

This film really didn’t know what it wanted to be. The dramatic elements and the comedic elements worked against each other totally. The drama of the film couldn’t be properly developed as the film spent too long trying to be funny and takes breaks away from its seriousness to try and crack wise, and likewise the comedy is mostly ditched in order to try and make a serious point. Neither thing is done well due to the other.

In interviews, people involved with the film view the shift within it as some what of a subversion, going from what you would think of as a teen sex comedy into more of a political dramatic film with a message. However, it is not as clever as that makes it out to be, basically they have sex jokes for the first half of the film and then force in a bunch of politics in the second half to try and seem deep and to have a point. As you might be able to guess the message doesn’t really land and the whole thing just comes off as pretentious.

There are a few funny lines here and there, hence why the film doesn’t get lower, but for the most part this is a slog to get through.

Overall, nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is.

Pros.

A few funny jokes

A good message, though it is poorly communicated

Cons.

The message is poorly done and feels forced in

The film feels pretentious and smug

The opening scene about trigger warnings is cringey as hell

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