From Netflix: “Ronny Chieng (“The Daily Show,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) takes center stage in this stand-up special and riffs on modern American life and more.”
Editor’s note: Our first stand-up comedy special review!
What I liked:
Paints great social commentary through strong observational humor.
He has a very serious and direct demeanor, which made me feel like he was in a bad mood, thus adding to the overall experience.
Greatly sets up jokes and pays them off in surprisingly greater ways.
LOVE the marketing campaign behind. The fantastic poster looks like the poster to an Asian Gangster movie from the ’60s, while the trailer (below) also buys in to that throwback vibe.
What I didn’t like:
There was nothing that I didn’t like.
Overall: Smart, strong jokes delivered with enough bite to make you think twice about your life-choices.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
From IMDB: “The travails of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic. ”
What I liked:
Reservoir Dogs? Really?
I think the show works best when we’re shown the “badass Mandalorian warrior” they keep telling us about. It’s essential to show some depth, but the last couple of episodes have been heavy on “Mandy saves the day” tropes and less on building the character *through* his experiences and culture.
Speaking of visual storytelling, this episode gets some good suspense and lets “Mandy” (I won’t call him “Mando”, because that’s a slur [and also a nickname for guys named Armando]) go full-on slasher again. It’s like I’m watching Jason Voorhees in space! Yes, I just compared the Mandalorian to Jason X.
Hey, it’s a cool-looking new ship at the end! Hopefully it appears in more….. OH…..wait………………nevermind.
What I didn’t like:
Reservoir Dogs? Really?
This show does SO MUCH telling with it’s dialog, and that is pretty much a sin in movies and tv. “Oh, hey it’s John, my bitter rival since childhood!” is the kind of crap they give us. This episode might’ve had the worst examples of it.
Bill Burr? REALLY? What Star Wars planet is he from? Scumbagonia?
Overall: This episode has two halves: a terrible first half, and a fun second half, but the whole damn thing is stunted by poor dialog. How many episodes are left? If there is a season 2, I probably won’t watch.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
From IMDb: “Self-proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble is preparing for the jump of his life – to clear fifteen buses to raise money for his abusive stepfather Frank’s life-saving heart operation.”
What I like:
From the tone to the score to the montages, this movie is a loving homage to all the 80s movies that featured a person chasing a dream.
All the main characters are such lovably goofy and quirky outsiders, it reminds me of me and my friends.
I think I quote this movie (to myself) once a week. You might end up doing the same.
You’ll see a few actors in it that are household names now, but weren’t back then.
What I dislike:
zilch.
Overall: Of all the genres, I’m most picky with comedies; Hot Rod was the last comedy I truly loved, and it came out 12 years ago. It owns its silliness and does so in a serious way. I own the dvd and watch it repeatedly, but fortunately for you it’s on Netflix right now.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released one year ago today this weekend. The film received universal acclaim from comic and non-comic fans, even earning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
Long-time Spider-man fans considered it the most accurate version of Spider-man created, whereas fans unfamiliar with the mythos fell for the heartwarming and beautifully animated tale of Miles Morales coming into his own under the mask.
But animation in general gets pigeon-holed as being “just for kids”. Even though there have been many animated productions that aren’t automatically targeted at children, the art form still carries that stigma. Into the Spider-Verse was one of the ones that broke through, touching the hearts of even the most cynical film goer.
I bring that up because there’s another animated production of a famous comic-book hero that gets overlooked because it is animated. That production is 1993’s “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm”.
Phantasm is the story of how Bruce Wayne decided to become Batman. Whereas Miles is driven by necessity, Bruce is driven by anger, and BOTH aren’t very good at it in the beginning.
Phantasm explores Bruce Wayne as a person and Batman as a figure just like Spider-verse explores Miles as a person and Spider-Man and a figure. Miles becomes Spider-man just like Bruce becomes Batman: through fear, doubt, courage and acceptance.
This version of the animated Batman began in 1992 with a very successful show titled “Batman: the Animated Series”. It was quite popular and highly sophisticated, winning 4 Emmy awards. The movie expanded on the show, giving us the deepest, most cinematically accurate version of his character and everyone else that existed within his universe. It also gave us Mark Hamil’s iconic turn as the Joker and introduced Harley Quinn into the world.
Animated Batman is so well-regarded, so *true* to the concept of Batman, that themes from Mask of the Phantasm were borrowed by Christopher Nolan for his Dark Knight trilogy as have many other Batman productions since.
So don’t reduce a film because it’s “a cartoon”. Animation is just another tool to tell a story, and if you automatically disregard it, you’ll be missing out on other fantastic animated fare like Persepolis and Isle of Dogs.
If nothing in this article even mildly intrigues you to watch the most honest version of Batman ever put on film, then fine. I accept that. But if you take a leap of faith, like Miles Morales and Peter B. Parker do, you just might enjoy the movie.
Rent Batman: Mask of the Phantasm on YouTube or Amazon!
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
From IMDb: “The continuing story of the Crawley family, wealthy owners of a large estate in the English countryside in the early twentieth century.”
Editor’s note: Veronica Kuznets is our guest reviewer for this film.
What I liked:
The story picks up years later (the late 1920s) as the Crawleys are deciding whether or not they should continue their lavish lifestyle seeing all their counterparts closing their grand homes to lead a simpler life.
The family gets the highest honor by having the king and queen of England (King George V and Queen Mary) spend a day with them which results in a lot of chaos downstairs because the staff from the royal palace is taking over the kitchen and the servants duties.
It felt like one long beautiful episode. I’m a sucker for beautiful costumes, scenic views and superb acting which they delivered.
What I didn’t like:
As I said the acting was superb I was missing a bit of chemistry. Lady Mary Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery) husband (played by Matthew Goode) was missing for 3/4 of the movie which was sad because he felt like a bit of an afterthought. Yes he wasn’t in the show until the very last season but still I feel that he should have been in the movie more.
The scene of the attempt on the life of King George V felt weird and took forever to get to the point.
Overall: I would own this movie and watch it over and over again. I wish I would have dressed up like the millions of fans that did when the movie opened but maybe I’ll do that when I watch it at home.
Veronica Kuznets is a big fan of Downton Abbey. She is an amateur hiker and crocheter. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.
From IMDb: “Primal features a caveman at the dawn of evolution. A dinosaur on the brink of extinction. Bonded by tragedy, this unlikely friendship becomes the only hope of survival in a violent, primordial world.”
What I liked:
Since it takes place in primordial times, the show has zero dialog. Only yells and roars and physical expression drive the emotion of the show. Creator/Director Genndy Tartakovksy has plenty of experience crafting entire episodes around action yet featuring little to no dialog, which is something he perfected working on his brilliant and influential opus Samurai Jack.
Speaking of action, the man always delivers visceral, thrilling experiences through composition, sound and physicality.
Explores the bond between two hunters who are also mutually prey.
What I didn’t like:
Can’t believe they really used the generic IMPACT font to display their episode titles.
Overall: There aren’t many mainstream animators with such a distinct style anymore, but add another well-made, emotionally human tale to Genndy Tartakovsky’s resume.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
From IMDb: “Noah Baumbach’s incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.”
What I liked:
Fantastic acting from leads Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, making us sympathetic to both.
Intelligent script allows us to hear real dialog that never gets lazy or cliched.
Allows the viewer to ask questions about love and relationships, but it doesn’t give us the answer. We get a somewhat ambiguous ending, which I am a fan of.
Musically, we’re treated to a cute score, which reminded me of the original Parent Trap. That film and other older relationship-based movies had scores that weren’t necessarily cheery, but provided a contrast to the overall sad themes working within the movie. Almost like a “no matter what happens, things will be ok” vibe.
What I didn’t like:
A two and a half hour family drama. Ugh. At least it moved quickly.
Overall: Wonderfully complex, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Stream it on Netflix.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
Editor’s note: HOLY MOLY I’m tired of writing about this show.
From IMDB: “The Mandalorian helps a rookie bounty hunter who is in over his head”
What I liked:
Hey, speeder bikes.
What I didn’t like:
My least favorite episode of the series so far. It’s a “safe” show that buys in to simple tropes.
Is this now a “spot the weekly guest-star” type of show? “Simpsons did it.”
Hey, this episode is full of fan-service. Yippee.
Overall: Why did I decide to review every episode individually? That was dumb.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He’s onTwitter andInstagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
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