Barbie

I'll be damned, it was just the remedy I needed!

After such a well, depressing end for Oppenheimer I was amazed at how Barbie was able to pull me out of this existential crisis by presenting an existential crisis on the screen. I am not telling you a thing about this plot, no way, I would be robbing you like taking candy away from a baby. The best way I can describe it is it takes bits of Toy Story 3, The Lego Movie, adds an awful lot of reality and a good dose of satire, and is precisely NOTHING like the movie you would expect. It keeps changing tracks, flipping and twisting ideas that would be incredibly predictable and cliche and makes something new. It is easily one of the most intelligent, introspective, and funny movies not of this year but just that I've ever seen in my time. It almost made me cry once with a scene right out of Pixar's Soul and then it absolutely made me shed a single tear at the end. Good God almighty no wonder the trailer barely shows anything cause how do you sell this movie? Cause on the surface there's a lot of poking at the patriarchy, how Barbieland functions, the identities of our characters but then....if you give just a little bit of thought to it you plunge deep under the surface and I mean deeeeep. Margot Robbie can you do no wrong? Flawless, heartfelt, a ray of hope and sunshine in my life. Ryan Gosling, man I'm almost jealous of you getting this part because what a wild ride it is this journey for Ken and even when he's kinda being an ass you can tell he's far from doing it intentionally which just makes it funny. This movie revels in the lavishly ludicrous and yet touches on life, identity, and changes in the most simplistic yet enlightened way. I'm not saying it's a film entirely for adults much akin to Soul, kids can watch and enjoy it but I feel we're more talking a teenage to adult range. It really just had no right being as good as it is, and I know people will howl "woke" (like it frigging means anything) but I did not find it pandering, insincere, or pushing for something. It kinda just lays it out like it is in reality without shouting for extremist change. I loved it, I thought it was amazing, buuuut do I give it a 10/10? Ohhh I don't know, I feel I need to watch it again and yeah we're gonna do a round two of this Barbinheimer phenomenon. So for now a 9/10, 4 golden stars, and two thumbs way way up! We shall see who truly wins this battle of wills and wits, and remember my friends future events such as these will affect you in the future.

Airheads

Back on track, and definitely a more unheard of rock movie.

Airheads is a rather interesting movie and most certainly a cult film, but a good time nevertheless. The story follows a rock band consisting of Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler trying to get some attention for their music and wants to air their demo tape on the radio, but they have the bright idea of taking fake guns to the radio station and before long we got a hostage situation brewing with all the stops. I think because our main characters are a bit thick, though mercifully not idiotic is why it's a pretty fun movie because there's just some not so good ideas that really spiral out and it has an interesting effect. They keep on good terms with their "hostages", slowly more and more cops roll out to the station, and through it all being live on air a massive crowd also forms outside in full support of the band. This is probably me reading a fair bit into it, bit I got a lot of satire vibes from this movie. Satirizing how the music industry works, how radio stations only play popular stuff and not so much good stuff from even lesser known bands, how difficult it really is to get a modicrum of exposure for fledgling bands and performers, hell even the tempermental relationship of a rock star and his girlfriend, so I feel the movie has some stuff to say and does it in a truly understated fashion. So I kind of applaud it for that, and the performances are what keeps the film together. This was two years after Encino Man for Brendan so he wasn't super popular at that time but he still has that charm and likability that we love him for today and I just gotta say he looks good with the long hair and the leather jacket man, Steve Buscemi is easily the most intense of the lot but is all in to get the band signed and has moments of good humor, and my God an Adam Sandler role I honestly don't hate and I find it really fascinating that this was real early in his career too I mean Billy Madison came out next year so it is easily one of his most downplayed but still traditionally dopey performances but I like how he's used in the movie. I gotta say I was really taken aback though by some of the appearances, you got Michael McKean of Spinal Tap fame, you got Ernie Hudson and they are there for the long haul, but then you see Lemmy Kilmister in the crowd just out of nowhere, and then Harold Ramis shows up and I almost couldn't tell it was him, it was just such a shocking surprise but a very welcome one. I did get a good chuckle when they took a jab at grunge which was pretty popular by 1994 and it seemed metal music was shifting and forming into something else, they even call out Anthrax and Public Enemy's crossover which was...different. Not bad though, but an interesting time period for the genre and really you could argue it took until the 90s were over for traditional metal to make a comeback, it was more death metal bands in the 90s like Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death that took the stage, and while your Metallica's and your Slayer's were still doing very very good, the scene was shifting, the times they are a-changin'. But enough of my history ramblings, time for the roundup. Good decent movie, I had fun with it and do recommend it for curiosity's sake. 2.5 stars, 7/10, and we got a wild one coming up next time.

Daria: Season 5

Hello darkness my old friend, it's been too long since I've seen you again.

Existential crisis, here I come. My question is, why do people feel that bittersweet emptiness when they finish a show? It's not like you can't ever watch it again like Unus Annus, or be happy that you saw it through to the end. Because you can, yet it still remains. Season 5 is a wonderful send off, in terms of last seasons it's genuinely one of the best. It's a last hurrah of romance, personal hurdles, satire, and character development, before Daria and Jane go on the hunt for college. And I really have to commend the last two episodes, not only is the finale an hour long special but the episode before that I felt touched on a very deep and emotional place for Daria as she remembers a repressed memory of childhood and it's handled incredibly well. I simply could never say Daria was just another one of those 90s shows like say, Courage The Cowardly Dog or X-Files, it became so much more and trailblazed it's own path creating an amazing show. There just isn't another show like Daria, and all this spinned off of a Beavis & Butthead character, I mean that's pretty remarkable. It still taps into a lot of problems and fears of teenagers especially those that are exiting high school, it was barely that long ago for me and I felt the same way. I'm incredibly happy with how the show ended, Christ I don't even think I've seen a show this solid since like Adventure Time. Consistent excellent quality with wonderful fun characters. I've heard tale of a reboot but I fail to see the point entirely when it had such a marvellous run, and whose to say you can't make a new show that satires today's world with new funny characters. I have a lot of love for this show and I was a die hard fan before even the first season ended, and have a lot of admiration too. It's always sad when it's over, but my lifelong crush on Jane Lane will never wither. She even got the last line. 4 stars, 10/10. The future can be uncertain and scary, but I think we'll be just fine.

Daria: Season 4

You jerkface.

I did it again. I did it again, I got emotionally involved. Motherf***er I hate when that happens, but it just goes to show how good this series is. It's the best season yet, and the final season's got some stiff competition in terms of quality. It did the thing, it started off same as usual, normal sarcastic and pessimistic Daria and Jane in various situations, and some of them are really good, a murder mystery fever dream, Daria and the family go to a psych ward, an anthology storytelling episode, it's great stuff but the relationship between Daria and Jane gets strained because Jane got a boyfriend named Tom. Ask me if I'm happy about that. I'm not! You know I adore Jane, so when she got a boyfriend I wasn't ecstatic, and that romance makes Daria more depressed and angry than we've ever seen and the two start fighting. And there was a pivotal element for them that was done so expertly and so wonderfully it took a meat tenderizer to my heart. The uncertainty. This has stopped being animation, this is real life. Even some of the best movies that deal with friends, and the relationships that friends have, never ever get this right. They don't know what to do or say, yes they still want to be friends but so much shit has happened they can't even logically think through it. It's the first season that outright has cliffhangers. Cliffhangers on Daria, such a phrase sounds impossible but it's true. It has a two part finale that ends pretty open ended, and I applaud the show for doing such a phenomenal job with it but my heart requires copious amounts of ice cream and chocolate. I had to get up and walk after the season ended I was that caught up in it all. That's...never happened before. I may have screamed a little too at one point. The drama has started dear ones, and it might kill me. Excellent season, 4 stars, 9/10 easily. Next time we bookend the final season with not one but two specials. God help me.

Daria: Season 3

Well that was an interesting opening.

Yet another good season and now that we hit the halfway point you can tell the creators were having a bit more fun writing this season. I mean the damn thing opens with a full blown musical, and Daria encounters personifications of holidays at one point. I'm all for it, this is animation so you can do more outlandish things and it's a comedy so you can stretch jokes out to totally different areas. I must admit this will be a difficult series to rank in terms of favorites, usually with television shows you have your home runs and you have your massive strikes but with Daria it's been a constant great series. Pessimistic people would say that the substance and status quo never changes leading to stagnation, while optimists would say you keep getting the same really good stuff with no major dips in quality, but I'm a realist deep down so I just take it on face value but nevertheless have a great time. And we do get a bit of character dynamic changes and further material to satirize, so it's by no means getting dull or even predictable. This is a difficult show to talk about but it's incredibly easy to watch. I really have grown an appreciation and love for this show because of the writing and characterization of Daria and Jane, constants that don't get tiring or old hat. When the writing can still catch me off guard and make me laugh, clearly they are doing fine work and the voice cast just grows on you more and more, like a parasitic fungus. One aspect that starkly stood out is we actually spend time with Jane's extended family, I never honestly thought we would see her parents or other siblings and despite my intense crush on Jane Lane the fact that her family is just as maddening as any other is a sobering but entirely realistic fact to face.  Families are alike all over even if one member is of the extraordinary category. Humans, what a caravan of familiar comforts and banality. Fun times found here. And I would dare say this is the best and most interesting finale yet, so my interest is peaked for season 4. 4 stars, 8.5/10, once more unto the breach!

Daria: Season 2

Made my decision on favorite character.

I would firmly say the second season of Daria is an improvement over the first which was already mighty good. Yet strangely nothing major happens in the plot, it's all about the further character interactions that makes it so good. And I for one greatly appreciate a show with a loose plot, it just jumps from scenario to scenario so there's no doubt the intention of the creators is to focus on the characters they are writing for more than long overarcing stories. Daria is a gem, plain and simple. I simply cannot fully express my enjoyment and adoration for this character. However we get more interesting stuff this season with her, going to a wedding, getting a piercing, her relationship with Jane hits a hurdle, you get more of the family dynamic, all are welcome additions. But Jane just sweeped the leg and made me fall hard, I aspire at this point in my life to get me a friend like Jane. So cool, friggin' hilarious, never forces pressure on anybody, just a real joy to be around. Of course we get more than just extra character for our mains, the supporting cast get a lot of time and personality that they did lack in the first season. Which is really cool and is only natural that as the show proceeds we will get more good character moments. Now that's not to say the characters pull a 180°, Quinn is still her vacuous vain filled self, Kevin and Brittany are still dopey, but they have brief moments of variety that keeps them from getting stale. The one true vast improvement is for Jodie who while having good bits here and there gets an excellent moment where she does fully acknowledge her standing in the school and has issues with how people would take advantage of it, it's a very heart of the matter talk and objectively is the best part of the entire season. I also noticed a lot more contemporary music of the time was used and full disclosure, I'm not against listening to most of it. I've never had a stigma towards 90s music but I do feel I'm coming to appreciate the music that was very popular when I was a wee babe. Animation quality is just as good, the cast gets to have more fun, and the situations are varied and entertaining. Excellent second season, 4 stars, 8.5/10! Two down, three to go.

Daria: Season 1

This show brought me back in so many ways.

I knew one day I was going to watch Daria, and I didn't fully know what the show was about. But I've picked up on bits and pieces and quickly decided it was the kind of show for me. Dear God, is that an understatement. I love Daria to an absurd degree, this really and truly would have been one of my favorite TV shows ever when I was a teenager so instead it's one of my favorite shows now. And I can pinpoint it on the writing alone, it really and effortlessly captures that dry and usually apathetic humor found in teens at that time and really has only grown since. This is a very funny show, it doesn't make your gut bust but it catches you off guard with how funny it is. The story centers around Daria and her family who just moved to a new town as she and her popular sister Quinn contend with high school life, and Daria keeps being awesome. Now I will say the humor and situations will not work with everyone but to an individual like me who is very cynical, a realist, and appreciates good satire of society, while somehow still identifying with high school students in the late 90s it's difficult not to enjoy it. I was kinda curious how obvious the time period of the show is but truthfully the show could run on TV today and not seem that out of place. The animation style is very basic and no frills but still conveys expression with good color use. I honestly, genuinely, cannot decide who I love more between Daria or Jane. We're talking Oswald and Edward levels here folks, it is that close of a race! Another point I wanted to make is it brought that teen sensibility back to me, because I've had friends like Daria and Jane and got their sense of humor so it was a true joy to watch. But not only that, it kinda got me back to the 90s more than any film has ever achieved, yet it isn't dated despite the Nirvana references and choice of soundtrack which by the by is friggin' rad, it inexplicably made me think of my early childhood years in a different light with the culture, music, and situations that were nothing short of oblivious to me at that moment in time. Good shows, good movies, whatever, can really set you in a specific period of history even if you maybe weren't grown yet. The real shame is I haven't been able to find Daria on any platform throughout the interwebs, having to resort to various websites just to watch full episodes and it's only 13 episodes per season. But that led to even more nostalgic throwbacks cause some of the episodes were taped off TV, so you see MTV and The N logos and I even saw an announcement on MTV about showing a new Garbage music video. Holy shit. Is this what being ancient feels like? I know, I'm a relic from a bygone age and too old for the world right now but dang it, you should track this show down. It is nothing short of a blast and I proudly consider myself a fan as I make my way through the rest of the series. 4 stars, 8/10! I will revel in my melancholy nostalgia until I die young and content.

The Thick Of It: Series 4

Well that was a depressing ending.

Don't get me wrong this is a fantastic series but geez it gets serious quick and I'm just gonna say it. I hate the ending. But not in a "This is a rubbish ending to a great series.", I mean a "I am emotionally invested and I was upset at what happened to these characters.". But first we gotta rewind. Okay so we start off with an unexpected twist with Nicola heading the opposition, so Peter Mannion and his party won the election. Of course that means they're the ones absolutely failing and miserably so at that, trying to create and enforce new policies, but that obviously doesn't exclude our main cast either. After several missteps, Malcolm has cut Nicola off completely and the situation only gets worse as a inquiry takes place. Then we really kick off, up until the last two episodes it's the same old comedy cock ups and both parties trying to get a lead on the other, but all of that is swept away and it becomes a courtroom drama. Our main cast is put in the hot seat and soon Malcolm is faced with a Kobayashi Maru. It's a sobering ending but it means that our cast can put their best performances to the screen, least of all Peter who I'm very quick to say nowadays is my favorite actor and I never really had a favorite actor since I was a wee sprout. This is the best, series 3 is my favorite but it cannot be denied the final series really hits it out of the park. And you've seen the scores so far for this show, so do I give it the 10/10? Well when you consider this is the culmination of everything and is the final gesture of Armando Iannucci for this niche genre...yeah. I absolutely detest shows that start light and comedic then get deathly serious, but here it feels appropriate and done well enough to merit that. So yep, 4 stars, 10/10, we're sure starting this year right. Next week, something completely different but it charmed me so much I would love to talk about it.

The Thick Of It: Series 3

This may be my favorite.

Maybe season 4 will top it but I really enjoyed this series. So Hugh is out and Nicola Murray is in at DoSAC but all quickly goes to hell in a handbasket when an enormous loss of data in immigration forces everyone to try to save their jobs, and not soon after Nicola is suspected to be a runner for Prime Minister leading our favorite Scottish ball breaker to step in. So some good plot elements here than just another daily screw up and it no doubt contributes to my enjoyment on this series. The cast is on the best form we've seen so far and Rebecca Front plays Nicola absurdly well. I fully understand her position and you do truly sympathize with her as she is trying to make everything work as she walls keep crumbling. It's damn good acting but not to the point where the comedy isn't still present. And the writing is the best yet, I mean this is the series that gave us "omnishambles" for God's sake, and we get more time with the opposition which is great fun. It will take a bit for the next series to surpass this one but it ends strongly and makes you wonder what will happen next. Major supreme props to Peter Capaldi this series, he has a lot more weight and importance this time around and there isn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind that his acting will reach a zenith by the last series. Wonderful series, halfway there, 4 stars, 9/10 once more. Is it a bad time to joke about the political strife occurring now? Too late? Okay.

The Thick Of It: Series 2

I'm never having a commitee, it's going to be an imperial platform.

Series 2, a bit longer than the last after the sleeper hit of series 1 picks up after Hugh's almost resignation and culminates in not one, but two specials dealing with the absolute maelstrom of shit after the Prime Minister resigns early and everyone scrambles to find a candidate for their party. Easily an improvement over the last with a lot more elements thrown into the mix that stick around. So not only do we have the primary party doing their usual cock up's, but we see the opposition party trying to capitalize on said cock up's, while the press chase their tails in a maddening and futile covering on the election. I would make jokes about my country but let's face it everyone already has. I enjoyed this one a lot more, you can tell they had a proper budget since we get a change of location, more cast members into the fray, and a smidge of location shooting so that's all good marks in my book. The original cast still bring their A game, while the new additions make a very great standing impact and will continue to crop up as we go along. Personal favorites of the newbies are Jamie MacDonald played by Paul Higgins, more scottish blood in the mix and thank Christ for that, and Peter Mannion played by Roger Allam who if nothing else severely bring the comedy for me. If you had any reservations about the last series, this is the one that either makes you want to watch it until the end or just call it a day but I strongly recommend it. The writing is still very much on top form if maybe even a bit higher, and I do love the production values presented. But my God this release schedule for the entire series when you look at it is beyond unreal, I can not ever imagine being a fan of this programme while it was airing, I mean seriously listen to this. The first series started in May and wrapped up in June of 2005, brilliant, perfect. Series 2 picked up on October of 2005 and ended in November of 2005, with the two big specials not even airing until January and June of 2007 respectively. Jesus Christ. And it only gets more bizzare from there but one step at a time. Anyway, great series, absolutely love it! 4 stars, 9/10! Big changes coming up next series so hang tight, I'll be with you in two shakes of a crying baby.

The Thick Of It: Series 1

Good morning my little chicks and cocks.

New year, same old broken man but plus side I get to talk about more british television that I adore. Do not even ask me how I came across this programme, I think it was the pure power of the best Doctor, Peter Capaldi, that hooked me. Needless to say it was time well spent! For a first series, it's only 3 episodes mainly due to the BBC giving a low budget to series creator Armando Iannucci, centered on a department of government who just got a new director as various things go to complete hell resulting in well written satire and thus good comedy. Now I don't want this to steer you off considering it's government, even to an absolute out of the loop fool like myself in all stances and structure of government, whether it be american or british, it really doesn't matter. Again it's due to the well written scripts that you can piece together who these people are, what position they have in the government, and most importantly how they absolutely shit the bed. Yeah big shock coming in, the comedy is based around what absolute idiots are running the country and how even they don't fully comprehend the breadth of the political landscape. Which I suppose you could argue not only makes it easy to watch and enjoy because they're not throwing out a thousand specific terms per episode, but makes it a touch relatable that even politics are run by normal people. Which is an entirely fair point to be honest. But it can't just be all writing, so how's the cast? Pretty damn great, and the show has that same continuity of Blackadder with the same cast sticking around for the remainder of the show. I don't need to tell you my favorite, I'm sure he's everyone's favorite so I'll just give a shout to my two other favorites. James Smith as Glenn Cullen and Joanna Scanlan as Terri Coverley, they do such good work having that balance of proper seriousness and biting funny dialogue which is the style of the show. And I love the style of the entire show, the very loose free moving and zoom filled camera work which never felt intrusive or amateur to me but I can understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. At least they don't shake the camera like a hyperactive Parkisons riddled monkey. And something I didn't even notice because I was that into the scenarios and characters presented until I read it is the fact that, there is zero music used. No orchestra, no pop music, it is silence from start to finish every time. I cannot name a single show that has ever done that, I mean that is such a rare thing in film and even more so in television. But again it doesn't hurt the production side of it in the slightest, it does make it feel almost documentary-esque which is brilliant. It's a very basic introduction to the concept and characters we will be seeing with an absolute auteur control over the complete series until the very end. 4 stars, 8.5/10!

Heathers

Huh. Well that was interesting.

Now trust me, I get it. I get the message, the characters, and the story. Did I love it? No. Did I like it? Yes, very much! I feel the movie is more in the vein of say, American Psycho in terms of humor, story elements, and characters. I feel American Psycho did it way better, but there were many parts of this movie that I really enjoyed. Basic story follows a girl named Veronica, she's in the popular girl group at high school where you guessed correctly, they are all insufferable, miserable, bordering sociopathic bitches. Veronica flat out hates being with them, why does she hang out with them? I don't know. Is it like an abused spouse just coming back for more? Beats me. But one days she meets this guy, JD he's a bit of a lone wolf, bit odd, and pretty much just says, "Hey you wanna kill all the popular kids?" and Veronica's all, "Yeah sure." so they do that in hopes of making their school a better place. Do they succeed? Short answer, no. Long answer, watch the movie. Onto the good stuff! I loved the feel of the movie, it's very offbeat, with dark humor, blunt characters (albeit very stereotyped but that is the film's intention), and just plain odd circumstances. I know exactly how the film was supposed to be potrayed and was potrayed, I greatly appreciate the message at the end and find it downright genius, and the whole subjugation and analysis of teenage culture, specifically high school groups is correct. But I feel it works mainly in the 80s. High schools have changed significantly, not every kid wants to be the popular kid, in fact while there are still those groups, you got your popular kids, your geeky kids, your punk rock rebels, whatever, most kids while part of groups still do their own thing. It's like they grew a brain stem and just said, "Hey I'm gonna be me. Screw you guys.". And that's awesome! I was in high school not that long ago, I remember this stuff. But again, the film is satirizing and without a doubt putting these stereotypes on steroids, I get the point. I really do. I can see why the movie has a cult fanbase. But not everyone is going to like it. If you watched and enjoyed a movie like American Psycho, Heathers is more or less likely to be up your alley. I can only recommend the movie if your taste in movies slides that way or if you really love absurdist satirical works of cultures. It's not a bad movie! Winona Ryder is a very good lead, you understand her situation and why she does these things, the film does not glorify the murders of schoolmates and shows that it does have consequences, Christian Slater really was made for this part, but again you have to be in the right mindset and have the correct....I guess taste in movies for you to get it. If not you're probably just going to wonder why you spent nearly 2 hours of your life watching this. I understand the movie, it's fans, and the satire. But I do not love this movie, though I do think it is a very good movie.