Category / Series Review

by mvfour

‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Leans into the Disturbing. Dark. Stirs Up Family Drama — And Embraces its Latinness

Netflix’s newest adaptation of the Addams family is currently the number one series, bringing back kooky cast members and new oddballs you’ll love to hate.

Cast of ‘Wednesday’ Season 2; Photo courtesy of Netflix.

Goth teen with the mostest, Wednesday Addams, is back for another year at Nevermore Academy. This time, she’s wiser, more defiant, and ready to solve a new murder in the fictional town of Jericho, Vermont. She also contends with uncontrollable, disturbing visions of her roommate Enid’s death and black tears descending from her eyes. Adding to Wednesday’s distress is the loss of Goody’s book (spiritual guide from a deceased Addams relative), which Wednesday’s mother, Morticia Addams, confiscated, fearing she’d succumb to madness like her sister, Orphelia. Throw in a stalker to Wednesday’s turmoil, who seems to be three steps ahead of her at every turn.

Jenna Ortega (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Scream) reprises her role as Wednesday Addams, along with Luis Guzman (Dumb and Dumber, Carlito’s Way) as Gomez Addams, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Ocean’s 12, The Mask of Zorro), as Morticia Addams, Isaac Ordoñez (A Wrinkle in Time) as Pugsley Addams and Fred Armisen (Portlandia, SNL) as Uncle Fester. What’s super exciting about this version of the beloved show created by Charles Addams in 1938 as a single-panel cartoon that appeared in The New Yorker, and later adapted to a television show in 1964.

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in ‘Wednesday’ Season 2; Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.

According to showrunners and principal writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, they wanted to emphasize Wednesday’s Latin heritage in the series, a representation often not seen in popular series or films:

“It’s so rare to find an iconic [Latina] character of this stature. We really try to find ways to [highlight that] authentically. What would Wednesday listen to when she was growing up? What would Gomez be playing? And finding moments where we could really make it feel like a girl who’s grown up in New Jersey with a Latino parent, and how would that resonate with her as a teen? Certainly, this season we’re looking for more ways to explore that.”

Season 2 of Wednesday does just that. We see Gomez (Luis Guzman) utter sayings like “Cara Mia” (signature Gomez phrase) and listen to “Besame Mucho” (the most sung Mexican song in history) by Mexican singer Consuelo Veláquez, recorded in 1941, during a shower scene. But more than these common Spanish-language interludes, there are noticeable Spanish dialogue sprinkled throughout the series. Phrases like “mi cariño” (my sweety), “lobo” (wolf), “tormenta” (storm). It’s refreshing and essential to the family dynamic to see Spanish dialogue sprinkled throughout, solidifying Wednesday’s roots.

Steve Buscemi as Principal Barry Dort in ‘Wednesday’ Season 2; Photo courtesy of Netflix.

But Wednesday is more than her ancestry; the character is 3-dimensional in that she’s an admirer of literary titans like Voltaire and Sylvia Plath, often quoting them, and laser-focused on taking down the patriarchy while saving the day in a hilarious student camp scene. Wednesday admonishes fitting in, especially when Nevermore’s new enthusiastic principal Barry Dort suggests so, played to perfection by character actor Steve Bucsemi (Fargo, The Sopranos). He’s eccentric, pushy, yet likable with a pyrotechnic ability. He asks Wednesday if she ever suffers from FOMO when not participating in camp activities, to which she replies, “No, I suffer from FOBI (Fear of Being Included) instead.” It’s quintessential Wednesday Addams, and Jenna Ortega nails her character to a tee. Her brother Pugsly has more screen time in season 2, joining his sister at Nevermore and developing his electrokinetic powers. He unearths a buried zombie with an insatiable appetite for brains, whom he keeps as a pet, naming him Slurp. Slurp is grotesque and can’t give up his taste for the mushy matter.

The first four episodes of Wednesday Season 2 do not disappoint. Stream it now on Netflix. Stay tuned for the next final four, dropping on September 3rd, with Lady Gaga making a guest appearance!

by mvfour

‘No One Wants This’ Resusitates Life Into the Dormant Rom-com Genre

The Kristen Bell Adam Brody vehicle will restore viewers’ proclivity for T.V. romance.

Kristen Bell and Adam Broday in ‘No One Wants This.’ Photo: Netflix.

I can’t remember the last time I rooted for an on-screen couple’s relationship journey the way I have been for Joanne and Noah in Netflix’s No One Wants This. Is it because I watched the series post-election and needed an entertaining distraction from the bleak, catastrophic plunge our country has taken? Or is it because of the welcomed offbeat storytelling, likable characters, and funny, sharp dialogue? I will confess: it’s all of the reasons I mentioned earlier.

The premise and meet-cute:

Joanne (Kristen Bell, Queenpins, Frozen), a thriving sex podcaster and jaded relationship cynic, attends her publicist’s party after another failed date, waltzing in with an over-the-top mink coat and care-free attitude that catches the attention of everyone, especially the rumored rabbi that’s in attendance, Noah (Adam Brody, American Fiction, “The O.C.”). Noah and Joanne engage in casual, witty conversation. Although Joanne isn’t aware he’s the actual rabbi who’s recently broken up with his girlfriend, there’s an instant attraction.

From L to R: Joanne’s dad, Henry (Michael Hitchcock), Kristen Bell (Joanne), Joanne’s sister,
Morgan(Justine Lupe), and Joanne’s mom, Lynne (Stephanie Faracy). Photo: Netflix.

Joanne and Noah, from opposite worlds, hit it off. Of course, they do. It’s a rom-com universe. But their worlds are so strikingly different and comical. Joanne’s sister, Morgan ( Justine Lupe, “Succession,” “Mr. Mercedes”), is abrasive, divorced, and deceptively vulnerable, which you gravitate towards later in the series, and her co-podcasting host. Their parents are separated because their father came out as gay and is openly dating men, yet their mother remains in love with him.

On the other hand, Noah’s family comes from a traditional Jewish family. His parents have been married for over 40 years. His brother has a Jewish wife whose best friend is Noah’s ex and may be plotting to get them back together. Although Noah enjoys his chosen profession as a rabbi and the Jewish faith, something is lacking, and Joanne seems to be filling the void.

Kristen Bell and Adam Brody in ‘No One Wants This.’ Photo: Netflix.

Joanne is conflicted. She’s overwhelmed by Noah’s gentlemanly traits, honesty, and sense of humor. Qualities she’s unaccustomed to in her last failed relationships. Joanne and Noah acknowledge their differences and try to make it work despite their families’ opposition to their union. You have the quirky siblings, admonishing them to be realistic about their unconventional attraction. Noah’s mother calls Joanne a Shiska, a Yiddish term for a gentile woman of non-Jewish faith who may purposely be trying to lead Noah down the wrong path—everyone’s sewing seeds of doubt.

Despite the unlikelihood that Joanne and Noah will remain together, viewers are in for a great romantic ride with this engaging and dynamic story — and not to mention the crisp dialogue. Bell’s and Brody’s sensational chemistry, natural comedic flair, plus fast-paced storytelling will keep you glued to the T.V. with limited breaks (even bathroom ones!). Watch this refreshing 10-episode (less than 30 minutes each) series on Netflix now!

**Season 2 is in the works!

by mvfour

Discovery’s “Shark Week” Came and Went, But Fear Not — NatGeo’s “SharkFest” Will Satiate Your Apex Predator Obsession

Shark aficioniados rejoice! NatGeo is stepping onto the proverbial entertainment plate with not one week but a whole month of shark programming fantastically bordering on shark overload.

John Cena with Tom “the Blowfish” Hird on Shark Week; Photo: Discovery Channel.

John Cena did a great job hosting “Shark Week 2024”. His brand of zany, comical, engaging quips was marvelous— but did he get in the water and dive with sharks? No! He drank a “chum smoothie” with a shark scientist and interviewed other shark experts, which, by the way, I was happy to see more women of color included this year. Marine ecologist Dr. Tiara Moore, aka Dr. T., host of “Sharks of the Dead Zone” and CEO of Black In Marine Science, livened things up with her funny reactions to sharks suddenly appearing around the water with the contaminants she’s been tracking in the Indian River Lagoon (Atlantic side of Florida). Moore teamed up with other scientists to figure out ways to prevent the onset of these pollutants, typically found where bull sharks drop their pups.

On another note: Here’s hoping John Cena returns to get up close and personal with the ocean’s most featured majestic creatures as actor/producer Anthony Mackie did.

The Marvel star of the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World kicked off “SharkFest” on the National Geographic network with the premiere of “Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie.”

Scientists and conservationist with Anthony Mackie in SharkFest; Photo: National Geographic.

Mackie traveled to his native Louisiana to investigate the ongoing problem between sharks and fishermen. Sharks are stealing fishermen’s catch (whole or half-eaten), a term called shark depredation, affecting fishermen’s livelihoods. Mackie, shark experts, and scientists explored Lake Pontchartrain, where he used to fish and spend time as a kid, and learned that sharks inhabit it. He also traveled to the rigs where fishermen hook multiple fish species and compete with sharks’ quick meals.

Mackie didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk. The action star helped scientists tag baby bull sharks, gave one shark an anal swab to learn about their diet, and overcame his fears and plunged into the ocean. The Gulf of Mexico, to be precise, with marine biologist Jasmine Graham to guide him and serve as a security blanket, the actor revealed. He spent over four hours in the water, discovering humans and sharks can coexist. In addition, Mackie helped conservationists plant grass in eroding marshlands to ward off the effects of flooding and preserve the ecosystem.

Beyond trekking the swampy wetlands with Anthony Mackie, NatGeo brought a slate of shows ranging from a newly discovered shark nursery near NYC to documented experiences of shark attacks by men, women, and children and how they survived—or not!

Female marine biology student tagging a Tiger shark in “Maui Shark Mystery.” Photo: National Geographic.

With “Maui Shark Mystery,” National Geographic introduces a skilled team of young female scientists from the University of Hawaii who navigate the coast of Maui in search of Tiger sharks to tag and learn more about their behavior and mating habits. To say these female scientists are badasses doesn’t even cut it. The strength and fearlessness they displayed on this show is unmatched.

SharkFest ends July 31st. You have a few more days! Be sure to check out this insightful, action-packed show, which features scientists and conservationists, shark attack survivors, and witnesses recounting their experiences and educating viewers on the preservation and habits of these majestic creatures. Watch SharkFest on the National Geographic Channel or stream it on Disney+.

by mvfour

‘Baby Reindeer’s’ Role-reversing Twist on Stalking — is Laced with Nuanced, Semi-biographical Storytelling You Can’t Stop Viewing

The seven-part limited Netflix series stars Richard Gadd, who also wrote and co-produced the story based on his life.

Richard Gadd as Donnie Dunn and Jessica Gunning as Martha in Baby Reindeer’; Photos courtesy of Netflix.

What started as an award-winning one-person comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival became a successful and dark Netflix miniseries. The series Baby Reindeer follows Donny Dunn, a struggling comedian in his late twenties and part-time bartender who encounters a woman in her 40s named Martha (Jessica Gunning, “White Heat,” What Remains”) when she enters the bar he works in. After Martha reveals her financial woes, Donny offers her a cup of tea free of charge. Martha takes this kind gesture to heart. She comes to the bar daily, and Donny provides free diet cokes. The relationship blossoms; they’re at ease with one another. Donny enjoys her odd, contagious laugh. She compliments his features and quick-witted quips. He soaks it in.

Martha mentions to Donny that her birthday is coming up. Unsure what to say, he suggests they meet, not for a date, as he clarifies his platonic interest in Martha, but for a fun interaction between friends. She agrees. When they get together to celebrate her birthday at a cafe, Martha starts getting triggered by Donny’s insistence that they are friends and nothing else and starts yelling. The pair leave the cafe, and Donny follows her to glimpse her real life. Donny tries to be discreet as he peeps into Martha’s living room window, only to be discovered by her when his phone rings; it’s Martha calling. Donny’s misstep sets off a chain of unfortunate events.

Martha begins to email Donny numerous times daily. She goes to his one-person show comedy acts and either heckles or cheers him on while he’s on stage. She follows him everywhere and emails him incessantly, where the harassment becomes unbearable for Donny. He goes to the police station to report Martha, and the officers don’t take him seriously.

What’s deeply fascinating is how Donny and Martha feed off one another’s need for affection. He’s a comedian craving attention from the public. Although an audience of one, he subconsciously likes Martha’s adulation, although nightmarish, and comes in the form of 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages, and 106 pages of letters. Martha sent Donny an array of odd gifts, everything from sleeping pills, a wooly hat, and boxer shorts to a baby reindeer toy. The real-life Donny (Richard Gadd) endured Martha’s obsessive interactions for four and a half years. Martha’s erratic harassment spilled over to Donny’s parents, former girlfriend, and a trans woman, played wonderfully compelling by Nava Mua (Disclosure).

Nava Mau as Terri in ‘Baby Reindeer’; Photo courtesy of Netflix.

But it gets worse for Donny. During one of Martha’s aggressive encounters, she gropes Donny. Repressed memories of a former sexual abuser instantly trigger him. And Martha realizes this when she stops touching Donny and says: “Who hurt you?” The scene is profoundly revealing for both characters. It’s as if broken recognizes broken. You sympathize with Donny and Martha. Donny acknowledges Martha’s mental instability, simultaneously realizing he has unresolved trauma he must contend with.

So the real-life Donny, Richard Gadd, chose to write, act, and produce this period in his life that had been consuming him:

“I couldn’t keep my life separate from what I’d been through anymore. It was becoming increasingly hard to play the frivolous funnyman when I’d been through these kinds of things,” he told The Independent. “Because I don’t think I could have survived having repressed it and carried on doing these one-liners and surface-level routines. It was almost a survival choice. Because I was struggling so much.”

Hard to watch at times. Intriguing. Dark, for sure. Baby Reindeer is worth binging and getting a rare perspective on male sexual assault and the trauma that ensues. Stream it now on Netflix.

by mvfour

Sofía Vergara Brings Colombia’s Notorious Queenpin to Life in ‘Griselda’ — Rather Well

Sure. Vergara may not resemble the real-life Griselda, but she embodies her fiery criminal spirit in the new Netflix 6-part series.

From L to R: Griselda Blanco and Sofía Vergara as Griselda in the series; photo: courtesy of Netflix.

From the word go, at the beginning of episode one in Griselda, viewers see Griselda Blanco (Sofía Vergara, Modern Family, Hot Pursuit) quickly approaching her home, concealing blood oozing from her hip and ushering her sons to pack up their stuff and get into a taxi for the airport Miami-bound, leaving behind the drug-fueled Medellín Cartel in Colombia.

Miami became Griselda Blancos’s drug-distributing oyster from 1979 to 1981 and was infamously known as the “Godmother” of cocaine.

Upon arriving in Miami, Blanco meets up with an old friend, Carmen (Vanessa Ferlito, 24, Graceland), who runs a travel agency, vows never to return to the drug game, and implores Griselda to do the same. Blanco has other plans. She smuggled enough pure-grade cocaine for others to take notice, sell to, and make a decent life for herself and her family. But she’s a female in a violent male-dominated drug business. After one of the drug distributors’ lackeys assaults Blanco for making him look foolish in front of his boss, Blanco retaliates by following him, ambushing him, and beating his legs with a bat. It’s Sofía Vergara like you’ve never seen. Savage and ruthless.

Sofía Vergara as Griselda; photo: courtesy of Netflix.

Vergara owns Griselda’s violence and conveys it well.

She has to capture Griselda’s essence, after all. Undermined and undervalued, Blanco enlists an army of Cuban dissidents fresh off the Mariel boatlift in 1979. It’s not a good look for Cubans, I know (I’m Cuban). Needless to say, this troupe of terrorizing refugees is at Griselda’s beck-and-call, targeting the Ochoas (one of Colombia’s prominent cartels), other drug distributors, and any other man, woman, and child that has the misfortune of crossing her path. The first to discover Griselda’s crimes is June Hawkins (Julian Aidén Martinez, The Black List, Prodigal Son), a Latina cop who also had to contend with sexism of her own in the Miami Police Department. Not believed by her colleagues in law enforcement, Hawkins persevered with the theory that the drug lord behind the murders in that era was a woman.

Julian Aidén Martinez as police officer June Hawkins in ‘Griselda’; photo: courtesy of Netflix.

The filmmakers and executive producers (Eric Newman and Sofía Vergara) wanted to tell Griselda Blanco’s perspective. Still, the last three episodes seem to gloss over the extent of the damage and riches she assumed. It’s not that we need more mounds of cocaine, dead bodies, lavish mansions, and gold toilets. I would’ve liked to have seen more expository details explaining her ascension to the top before eventually being gun-downed in Colombia in 2012 and serving 15 years in federal prison. Nonetheless, Griselda (directed by Andrés Baiz, Narcos franchise) is a captivating glimpse into the only female drug lord we’ve barely seen on-screen, unlike her drug kingpin counterparts, like Pedro Escobar. You can stream Griselda on Netflix.

by mvfour

There’s a Little Bit of Loudermilk in Every Writer — Take my Word for it — and Watch the 3-Season Series of the Same Name

The Peter Farrelly (There’s Something About Mary, Me, Myself, and Irene) and Bobby Mort led (Comedy Jam, Dead Man Walking) comedy-drama has been around since 2017. Still, the themes of addiction, redemption, and finding purpose are more relevant than ever and brimming with countless funny jokes.

     Clockwise: Will Sasso as Ben, Ron Livingston as Loudermilk, and Anja Savcic as Claire;
                   Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Prime.

The series follows Sam Loudermilk (Ron Livingston, Office Space, Sex and the City), a former music critic for Rolling Stone and recovering alcoholic who counsels a support group in a church called Immaculate Heart in Seattle, managed by a no-nonsense, truth-telling priest ready to call out Loudermilk’s potty-mouthed approach to keeping members sober and motivated. When the priest gives Loudermilk an ultimatum: help a drunk, meth-addicted 19-year-old whose mother is a vital donor or lose the location for the support group, he’s at a standstill. With an arduous task ahead, Loudermilk brings the teen to live with him and Ben (Will Sasso, Mad TV, Young Sheldon), his best friend and sponsor. The troubled teen, Claire (Anja Savcic, Big Sky, Nancy Drew), is a mess.

Yes, placing a teen in the care of two recovering male addicts may seem strange, but in this series, it isn’t. The common bond of addiction and the road to recovery is what makes their living situation work. Not to mention, Ben, who looks like a big teddy bear (and sometimes acts like one), provides a pleasant mix of snark and clever retorts to the environment. Loudermilk is just as snarky and clever, only he never laughs. He’s had it with people’s behavior. If Larry David is known as the “social assassin” on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Loudermilk tops him as the social terrorist. He’s called an asshole by most people he encounters and knows he’s one. Providing his unsolicited thoughts on people’s actions and mocking their idiocy and, at times, their bad grammar is Loudermilk’s trademark.

    L to R: Jackie Flynn (There’s Something About Mary) and Tyler Layton-Olson (The Man in the High Castle) in Loudermilk; Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Prime.

Throughout Season One, we meet an oddball mix of young, middle-aged, and old regulars that attend the support group — from the 19-year-old Derek Jeter lookalike who’s trying to figure out his ancestry to the older man who shacks up with a blow-up doll to a bookie by trade, who’s given up one addiction for another — you’ll recognize from other Farrelly films. Their narratives are anything but dull. Then Loudermilk Senior makes an appearance, a womanizing, irresponsible 70+ man, living the life of a twenty-something who pays for his careless, irresponsible antics in a later season.

The rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the rotten tree. We can see similar traits of the older Loudermilk in the younger. But that doesn’t make him unlikeable. Loudermilk commits to becoming a better person and writer, leaving his dead-end job cleaning floors in a bank and resuscitating his once-thriving writing career. He’s crude — an acquired taste, but if you dig deep, he’s good-hearted and loves first-class music and literature. Amazon Prime hasn’t greenlit a fourth season of Loudermilk, but you can now catch the first three sensational seasons on Prime Video and Netflix.