Well this quarter looked vastly different than the last. I thought I would be able to get through even more content because I was home for much of the quarter on parental leave. But, you would think I would know that having two toddlers and an infant at home would be anything but a time to consume content. I only take into account anything that is new to me, so for instance I am not counting the 21 days straight my toddler made me watch Ratatouille since I have seen that before. In total, I watched 6 full tv shows (and a couple seasons or episodes of 4 others), 1 comedy special, 7 movies, and played 6 video games.

Movies

MVP: Bo Burnham

I struggled with MVP. I did not watch a lot of content and what I did watch did not have much overlap. However, toward the latter half of the quarter, I watched what may be the most haunting pieces of “comedy” I have ever seen: Bo Burnham’s Netflix Special, Inside. I don’t use comedy in quotes to diminish the value, in fact, it is a beautifully funny piece that is also an accurate portrayal of the quarantine we all lived through and the agony of mental health issues that popped up. It has plenty of references to the world, media, social media, consumerism, capitalism, global connectedness, global isolation, and the funniest song about white women I have ever heard. If you consume one thing from this list, make it Inside.

Best Movie Watched: Kong Skull Island

Over half of the movies I watched during this quarter were from the MonsterVerse and this is the best of the bunch. It is the best acted, the most coherent, and has some amazing action all while making Kong the sympathetic babyface rather than the monster heel. Every actor commits to their role and the monsters in this movie are significantly terrifying, as is the clear stupidity of humanity.

Worst Movie Watched: Godzilla vs. Kong

I want to be clear that I really enjoyed this movie, but it was the worst I watched because it is the opposite of Kong Skull Island. It was the least coherent, not well acted by the few humans in the movie, and it just seemed rushed. In fairness to this movie, MechaGodzilla is also my least favorite Godzilla Villain so it already had that going against it. I would love to see more of the MonsterVerse but they have to go back to the formula that make Godzilla, and Kong Skull Island work.

Movie that Surprised in a Positive Way: Mortal Kombat

I absolutely love the Mortal Kombat franchise. I have played every game and watched every movie and tv show. I did not have high expectations but I mostly loved this movie. It was a nice homage with an attempt at original storytelling (more below) and I would put those 7 minutes in the opening against 7 minutes in almost any movie: excellent action, well told narrative, heartbreak, and vengeance. It was masterful.

Movie that Surprised in a Negative Way: also Mortal Kombat

Unfortunately, that beautiful 7 minutes feels like a different movie. The story rushes itself in an attempt to get you to care about a brand new character that honestly did not need to serve as the main character. In addition, the actual mortal kombat tournament does not happen. I think that was a mistake even with the fun fight scenes we do get. Also, another movie version of Goro getting his ass kicked fairly easily is not how you reward fans of the franchise.

Movie Rankings:

Kong Skull Island
Mortal Kombat
Godzilla
Rio
Godzilla King of Monsters
The Good Dinosaur
Godzilla vs. Kong

Comedy Special:

Bo Burnham - Inside

TV Shows

Best TV Show Watched: Woke

The top 4 shows I watched during this quarter are up against the best media I have ever consumed, so this was a really hard choice. This show is so timely, so thoughtful, so funny, and so depressing all at the same time that it beat out the heavyweights behind it. It stars Lamorne Morris as a cartoonist on the brink of superstardom when he is forcefully detained and tackled to the ground by police for “fitting the profile”. This changes his entire worldview and he starts seeing the racism and microaggressions that he had tried to avoid acknowledging. This impacts his life, career, relationships, and mental health. A brilliant show in just one season and I cannot wait for more.

Worst TV Show Watched: Love Life

As explained below, this show suffered from Anna Kendrick being the same character she always is and it also was not a very good story. It was painfully boring and did not do enough to get you to care for characters in the first episode, which is when I shut it down. Not fair? Maybe, but these days with so much content out there, you have to be engaging.

TV Show that Surprised in a Positive Way: Bridgerton

It is not that I expected to not like Bridgerton, but period dramas are not usually my first choice. This was a lovely turn on the style and, while there were still the markings of all the great period pieces (extravagant clothes, family drama, secret relationships, etc.), this one managed to be funny, mysterious, and did not take itself too seriously. I looked forward to each new episode and am excited to jump in when it comes back.

TV Show that Surprised in a Negative Way: Hoops

Animated adult comedy is hit or miss for me and I am starting to wonder if the animation style also has something to do with it. This show is about a high school basketball coach played by Jake Johnson and its raunchy and ridiculous. It should be something I love, (a la, Big Mouth) but it just falls flat and most of the jokes miss the mark for me. I could only stomach 2.5 episodes.

Hottest Take: Anna Kendrick is the same character in every piece of content she is in.

I do not even know if I can explain this well but I have realized something after watching her in several things over the years. It feels like she is playing herself, or at least a very similar character, in everything she does. It does not mean she is bad but it is noticeable. She is not unique in this considering other actors do this a lot, but it stood out this quarter when watching Love Life.

TV shows:

Woke
Ozark
Ted Lasso
The Wire (2 seasons, in progress for the rest)
Harley Quinn
Rutherford Falls
Bridgerton
Billy on the Street (2 seasons)
Hoops (2 episodes)
Love Life (1 episode)

Video Games

Best Video Game I Played: Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2

This game was a faithful adaptation of the original two games but looked phenomenal and handled well. While I will admit it did unlock a lot of nostalgia for me, I also played the originals before buying this version and not only did it hold up, it surpassed the originals for me. I would love if they remade Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 so I can see better versions of those zoo animals though.

Worst Video Game I Played: Bill Laimbeer Combat Basketball

I heard about this game on an episode of “How Did This Get Played?”. I knew I had it on my emulator because I had seen it. I decided to play it and boy is it a piece of garbage. Basically it is two teams, red vs. blue, and the camera is top down with no way to change it. It is impossible to shoot and the best part of the game is also the most frustrating, which is that you can just keep pushing your opponent to get the ball out. It was enjoyable for about 2 minutes and then just annoying.

Video Game that Surprised in a Positive Way: NBA 2k21

I have not been good at a basketball game since NBA Live 2009 and have never loved 2K, but that all changed with this one. I found out you could do a fantasy draft with any player from any team (current or historical) and it created an experience for me that I love in sports games and allowed me to play around with different teams, have a lot of fun, and not have to play as any scrubs. I have absolutely loved this game and that love prevents me from playing other games.

Video Game that Surprised in a Negative Way: Star Ward Jedi: Fallen Order

I love Star Wars, but the games have always been hit or miss for me. I also tend to love the ones that most hate and vice versa. For instance, my favorite star wars games are Masters of the Teras Kasi, Episode 3, and Obi-Wan. This game is an original story which seems interesting enough. The problem is the gameplay mechanics are more akin to Uncharted, a game I like, but I do not want to play Uncharted when I play Star Wars. It just wasn't fun and I couldn't finish it.

Video Games:

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2
NBA 2k21
NHL 21
Injustice 2
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
Bill Laimbeer Combat Basketball

GOT Blog

Thomas Q2 Media Check In