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Movie Reviews, movies, Series Reviews

South Park: The Streaming Wars (2022) Review

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The fellas at South Park have released a few made for streaming specials that are anything but special. While I do appreciate that the comedy is evolving and adapting to a newer audience, it is a style that doesn’t always vibe with me. I am not a purist in any anyway. There are older episodes of the IP that I enjoyed when I was young, but haven’t aged well. There are episodes from the newer seasons that I enjoy, but I do find myself enjoying the series less and less. I did not care much for any of the made for streaming specials, they weren’t terrible but they didn’t leave much of an impression. I am struggling to remember the plot of them as I write this review.

The streaming wars special is a criticism of water rights and a discussion of the problems with streaming services in the form of a Chinatown parody. While I did appreciate the references, I don’t think a lot of the newer audiences will find it as funny. A lot of the humor is very on the nose, pointing out obvious problems with the state of streaming. Characters will poke fun at how many options there are for streaming as well as share the frustration of having to be constantly be switching between each one. It gets a bit tedious when every other scene seems to be dedicated to pointing this out. The same can be said for the special’s valid criticism about water misuse. It feels more like a lecture than an episode of South Park and that was a problem for me.

The special is only available through Paramount+, but it isn’t worth subscribing to another service just to watch a special for a series that isn’t as funny as you remember.

Series Reviews

TV Show Review: Guilty Party

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Guilty Party is a story about a disgraced journalist, Beth, who is desperately trying to regain her reputation. An opportunity arises when a woman who was wrongly convicted of murder writes Beth and asks for help to prove her innocence. Beth takes it upon herself to search for any proof that Toni didn’t murder her husband.

I really wanted to like this show. It had some interesting elements to it. I liked that the show uses Beath as someone who is too dated for the industry. I liked that while she was trying to write meaningful stories, she gets overlooked for stories about pop culture. The first couple of episodes make some interesting criticisms about modern journalism. It was really well done at first.

I also liked that Beth wasn’t perfect. She stumbles through the clues and is frightened easily. It feels like she is in way over her head but her desperation keeps her from quitting. Beth is a refreshing take on the detective genre because it felt like she could fail. Usually, in these types of shows, you have a godlike lead with easy access to all these connections and clues, but Beth has none of these. She is constantly having to struggle to find any evidence. This gave the show its tension and I loved it until it became self-serving.

Every episode in this series has a scene where someone comments on how hot Beth is for being old. It wouldn’t be a problem if the story didn’t stop to make this a point. As the series progresses, it gets lazy. Hardships are thrown at Beth for the sake of moving the plot forward. Her husband cheats on her to give her the excuse to sleep with a younger man. Worst of all, this show becomes a white savior narrative as she learns how special black people are. It is gross and I can’t recommend it.

I don’t hate that they use Kate Beckinsale as their lead. When the show isn’t about her and she is trying to solve the mystery, it’s great. Beth is a good character with clear motivations and flaws, but the show never capitalizes on it. This show could have worked, but people got lazy.

This is the second project I’ve seen her in where the show spends so much time talking about how hot she is. I wonder if that is a clause in her contract? I wish they would have focused on actually telling a story. If you don’t believe me, you can stream this on Paramount Plus.

Series Reviews

TV Series Review: The White Lotus (2021)

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You should watch White Lotus because it is a great show. The pacing is a bit slow and some of the arguments get repetitive, but the narrative is well put together. White Lotus has fantastic actors giving wonderful performances in a beautiful setting, what more can you ask for? A fair bit of warning, however, this show gets sad. The ending triggered me. I found myself depressed for a few days after I finished the show. Experiences may vary, but I felt an obligation to issue the warning.

White Lotus follows four groups of people who are either on vacation or working at the resort in Hawaii. It is a modern-day tragedy of the working class as told by the experiences of disconnected rich white people. The main goal of the narrative is to show the disparities between classes against the backdrop of a vacation. Both groups are stuck in a cycle, but the rich get to leave and move on. It is very well done, and I fear I am not doing it justice. 

I love the complexity of this show and how it weaves together all these different stories. I love that by the end, everyone is stuck, although some are worse off than others. I love that it comes in the form of a mystery that they keep well through the whole series. Although the mystery isn’t the most important aspect of the narrative, it is very much appreciated. This is a great show and you need to watch it. Check it out on HBO.