In no particular order, I have decided to compile a list of the best movies and tv shows I watched last year. The links will take you to the respective reviews and I have separated them by streaming service.
Tag Archives: tv
Series Review: Spriggan (2022)
Spriggan Is anime’s generic attempt at bringing Indiana Jones to the future. While a neat concept, it feels rushed and underdeveloped. It may not be the worst anime I’ve seen, but it makes it hard to recommend.
Spriggan is about a secret government agency whose mission is to collect powerful ancient artifacts and keep them from the clutches of evil. The story focuses on Yu, a talented high school kid who, with the help of a powerful mech suit, goes travels the world hunting these powerful relics. Each episode focuses on the lore and retrieval of a different artifact.
Right off the bat, I am not a fan of the art style. It feels stiff, fragmented, and cheap most of the time. The combat is okay, but it is anticlimactic. Most of the problems are solved by ex-Machina. My biggest issue with this anime is that Yu is a generic cocky male protagonist who is perfect. Most of his dialogue involves him being cocky about his skills, and it gets annoying. When he does struggle or start to get beat, he is saved at the perfect time, and the whole thing doesn’t matter.
Another issue I have with this series is that there isn’t a good villain to drive the narrative. This series revolves around different organizations whose motives are uninspired and lazy. Most people are evil for the sake of being evil. It doesn’t help that they are destined to lose to Yu.
The problem with this anime is that it is limited to six short episodes. While I appreciate that they didn’t drag this out as much as they could have, it isn’t long enough to build the world or develop its characters. Each episode is a different adventure, and all of them are generic. This series left such a small impression on me that I have already forgotten what it was about.
You can stream Spriggan on Netflix, but it isn’t worth it. It looks cheap, the story is rushed, and there isn’t anything worth watching in it. I could make the case of throwing it on for background noise, but there are better anime out there more worthy of your data.
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The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2
It’s finally happening! The second season of The Legend of Vox Machina is set to premiere on January 20, 2023, on Amazon. If you haven’t seen the series, now is a great time to start. Check out my full review of the first season for more information. Trust me it was a fantastic season. Even if you aren’t a fan of fantasy, this series will blow you away and leave you wanting more. It has everything you want in a show. It has fantastic characters voiced by amazing actors, a great story, mayhem, and lots and lots of blood. If you aren’t a fan of fantasy, prepare to be one. It has beautiful art, epic action, and lots of humor. It is a bit on the adult side so viewers beware.
This post isn’t sponsored, I am just very excited about a series I absolutely love. The trailer has just dropped, leaving me incredibly impatient for what is to come. This second season promises an even more epic adventure as Vox Machina must band together and save the world from dragons! Why have the dragons banded together to attack humanity? Why dragons? It is probably Tiamat, but we will have to wait and see. Check out the trailer, mark your calendars, and go watch the first season!
Series Review: Tulsa King (2022)
Tulsa King is a cheesy gangster movie that isn’t worth the Paramount+ subscription. While the series certainly has its moments, it is a sloppy experience that only a few will enjoy. If you have nothing else to watch and happen to have Paramount+, go for it. Otherwise, it isn’t worth your time.
Tulsa King is the story of an old gangster trying to set up an empire in Tulsa. The story picks up after Ike is released from his 25 jail sentence. The family he works for sends him to Tulsa to set up a new operation. The series will focus on Ike’s rise to power as he struggles with his regrets. Will Ike become Tulsa’s undisputed king?
Stalone is hands down the best part of the series. He has the charm and charisma to carry the cheesy gangster aspects of this show but also has enough talent for some of the more serious moments. Unfortunately, this is a mediocre show with flat characters and no plot.
One of the problems I have with this series is how preachy it gets about its social issues. The series will grind to a halt to point out social issues like racial discrimination or government oversight at the detriment of the narrative’s flow. This recent push to create media that is overly politically correct is ruining storytelling. There is a time and place for these kinds of conversations, and none of them are within the runtime of a cheesy gangster series.
My biggest issue with the series is how hard they try to humanize Ike through his interaction and relationship with people. Some work out fine like when he is trying to reconcile with his daughter, but others seem forced and lazy, like with his romantic interest. The romantic interest in this series is poorly written to the point that no amount of charisma can save it. This character is flat, boring, and generic. The whole romantic subplot is forced, and this series would be better without it.
This series could have been better if it didn’t try so hard to be serious. At its core, Tulsa King is a cheesy gangster narrative. Had this series been true to its roots, it could have been been a great thing. I would have loved a cheesy and nonsensical mob series with Stalone at the head. I wouldn’t care how flat the characters are or how dumb the plot was if I got to see Stalone bust skulls for no reason.
This series was a missed opportunity to bring some dumb and fun entertainment to an otherwise abysmal catalog. It may not be the worst series Paramount has to offer, but it isn’t worth going out of your way to watch it either.
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Series Review: Dragon Age: Absolution (2022)
In an odd unexpected twist and in the final moments of the year, I found a surprising little fantasy series that you should consider. It is a bit of a slow start, but when it picks up, it is worth the wait. It is a better fantasy series than Amazon’s Rings of Power, and one that is a more manageable commitment. Follow a group of misfits in one of their most dangerous heists yet. The inquisition has collected a group of adventurers to collect a magical item that will shift the balance of power in the world. But things don’t always go as planned, and now the party must fight off guards, zombies, mages, dragons, and even demons. Can they finish the job and make it out with their lives? You will have to watch to find out. While it may not be the best-animated fantasy series out this year, it sits in a good position within the genre. The voice acting is fantastic and the story is fine, but the animation leaves a bit to be desired. I am not a huge fan of the art style, but it isn’t terrible. My problem is that the fights and actions don’t feel as epic as they need to be. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t The Legend of Vox Machina. The series is based on the Dragon Age games, but I didn’t find it necessary to know any of the existing lore to understand the plot. The series does a great job of being independent and existing as its own narrative. The only real benefit of having exposure to the established lore is that you will understand some vernacular better. You won’t be lost without it, however, making this series a great place to start if you are interested in Dragon Age. I really enjoyed the villain choice for this series. It was a unique attempt at a villain that holds the narrative together nicely. The heroes are fun to follow and interesting enough to keep your attention. I like how the intrapersonal connections between the characters is what drive a lot of the narrative. The narrative isn’t perfect, some of it is rushed, but it was worth the commitment. Whether you are an avid fan of fantasy or looking to dip your toe in the genre, this series should be on your list. Whether we get another season, or it gets canceled, make sure you stream it on Netflix.
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Series Review: The Rings of Power (2022)
I was initially keeping up with Rings of Power when it was first released but fell off after a couple of episodes because of its pacing. I was initially excited about this series, but that excitement has since dulled. The Rings of Power isn’t a bad series, but it isn’t the epic prequel I was promised either.
The Rings of Power is fine, but it is not without its faults. The acting is fantastic, but the writing holds them back. I love the diverse casting and it makes me happy to see people of color in prominent roles in fantasy. The fantasy genre has always felt exclusive to white people. Growing up, I enjoyed fantasy but had to hide this fact to avoid getting picked on. It is amazing to see characters of color who make an impact on the narrative instead of just being villains and henchmen. I hope this is a growing trend in the genre, even if this series isn’t the best.
The biggest issue I have with this series is its pacing. It was too slow to be released weekly. I wouldn’t mind if this series was slow because it was carefully developing its lore. Instead, this series is bogged down by its excessive use of metaphor. The Rings of Power is desperate to sound poetic and it is off-putting. It is safe to say that the writing for this series isn’t great, and at times it sounds like a cheap attempt at emulating Tolkien. It wasn’t bad enough to make me stop watching, but it made it difficult to finish it.
The rest of the series was fine, but I wouldn’t have finished it if it wasn’t for this review. It looks pretty. The CGI cities look cool, the action is decent, and the costumes are great. They even have a fantastic villain, but at its core, this series is just average at best.
I don’t think this series is for everyone. If you aren’t a fan of fantasy, watch the movies instead. This series is a slow burn that barely pays off. The Rings of Power only works as a supplement for those casual Lord of the Rings fans who want more stories in the universe but don’t want to read the books. This isn’t a series I’d rush through, and I definitely recommend you skip around. You can stream it all on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.
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Series Review: The Peripheral (2022)
The entire season of The Peripheral is finally available for streaming, and it wasn’t worth the wait. I started watching this series as it came out but quickly gave up when I lost interest. Having this series be a weekly release was a mistake because there isn’t enough happening to get you excited for the next episode. If you are looking for a good sci-fi series to binge, look elsewhere.
Flynn Fisher is the best VR gamer in the world, but she is also poor. She and her family live paycheck to paycheck and use Flynn’s gaming skills to make extra money. One day, a mysterious benefactor offers to pay her to test a new VR headset. Flynn finds herself in a hyper-realistic simulation where she must complete dangerous tasks to earn her paycheck. But there is an evil cabal working against her benefactor. Flynn finds herself in the middle of a deadly conflict where she and her family must fight to survive. Can Flynn get to the bottom of this mystery before anyone she loves dies?
I am happy this series has a recap before every episode because I struggled to remember the plot. The plot isn’t confusing, but it is boring. There clearly wasn’t enough plot for a whole series because they drag out what little plot they have over the eight episodes. This series is terribly paced. This series needed to be thrilling, fast-paced, and suspenseful, but it isn’t.
The cast is decent but they are wasted on flat characters and dull narrative. Flynn is a Betty Sue who seems to care the least about being in this series. She is much too perfect and will easily beat every encounter she faces. Any suspense and action that could have saved this series from being an abysmal flop are poorly executed. The action scenes are lethargic, the build-up is slow, and the big reveal comes out of nowhere. This is a series that suffers from a severe identity crisis as it struggles to try to define itself. There are too many plotlines fighting for your attention, and none of them will earn it.
I haven’t read the book this series is based on, but I can assure you it is a very loose adaptation. If you are here because you are a fan of the book or the Westworld series, prepare to be disappointed. This series was a waste of time. You can stream it on Amazon, but I wouldn’t bother.
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Series Review: The Bear (2022)
You should be watching The Bear on Hulu. It is a fast-paced, anxiety-inducing story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. My heart is still racing from this hectic experience, and I love it.
After his brother’s suicide, Carmy moves back to Chicago to try to save his family’s restaurant. Carmy inherited this restaurant from his brother. Carmy is a classically trained chef, and he brings with him new innovative ideas. But saving the restaurant won’t be easy. The staff is stubborn, and his brother left the business in shambles. Can Carmy bring the staff together and help bring the change necessary to save the restaurant?
I am still shaking from the stress and anxiety this series gave me. The Bear does a fantastic job of showing a realistic view of the fast-paced and stressful environment that is in the kitchen. The series deals with hard topics such as depression, anxiety, and death while telling a powerful narrative.
This series is best at showing the worst of the human experience. You follow as characters are crippled by stress, anxiety, depression, and other complications in such a real way that it gets uncomfortable. Watching people live with their mental illnesses is something that resonated with me deeply, and I am sure I am not alone in this. it is an aspect of the show that is sprinkled expertly throughout the series as it tells its story.
What I enjoyed most is how the character processes their grief about the suicide. It is a slow process that all characters worked through as the series progressed. I loved watching the characters change through their process as they each went through the different stages in their own way.
The Bear is a fantastic series, and I hope I did it justice. If you like cooking shows, heartwarming shows, or shows about mental health, go check this out! Go watch it now on Hulu and thank me later!
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Series Review: Wednesday (2022)
I have seen enough bad Netflix adaptations and spinoffs to be skeptical about the success of Wednesday. While the casting seemed perfect, I refused to get too excited. I was pleasantly surprised by this spinoff. While it may not be perfect, it is a solid series that you should consider watching.
After a terrible prank, Wednesday is sent to Nevermore, a school for gifted outsiders. The school is full of werewolves, vampires, and people who just don’t fit into the rest of society. Wednesday is resistant at first but slowly comes to tolerate the change. There is something sinister lurking in the woods around Nevermore, and Wednesday loves sinister. Wednesday finds herself in the middle of a mystery full of murder, mayhem, and conspiracy. It is enough to put a smile on her otherwise pale and gloomy face. Can she get to the bottom of things before the year is out?
This is the fourth show in this supernatural school genre I have seen this year. While I noticed that are a lot of parallels, it manages to be a unique enough narrative. The story and lore are tame and easy to follow, the aesthetic is visually appealing, and Wednesday is a fantastic protagonist. Some of the writing and acting aren’t great, but it isn’t bad enough to stop watching.
The mystery in this series is well-developed. It will keep most audiences guessing until the big reveal at the end. I can assure you that there is enough misdirection to muddle your theories as soon as you make them. If you are paying enough attention, there are enough clues to solve the mystery early on. It isn’t overtly obvious unless you know what you are looking for, so I would avoid spoilers. It is refreshing to see a mystery with good attention to detail. There is nothing worse than watching a sloppy mystery where the solution is over-rationalized nonsense at the end.
The characters in this series are fine, although they get sloppy the farther removed they are from Wednesday. The acting is inconsistent between the supporting actors unless they are close to Wednesday. It isn’t bad, but it is noticeable. This might be intentional since outside of Wednesday, most characters are one-dimensional.
Wednesday is a fantastic protagonist. I was afraid they were going to make her a generic brooding goth girl, but there is some surprising depth to Wednesday. I like that Wednesday isn’t perfect. She makes mistakes, loses, and is even wrong sometimes, but she learns from her downfalls. She may not admit when she makes mistakes, but she tries harder, attempts to make amends, and experiences meaningful character growth. The series does a tremendous job of building up her growth and highlighting those important moments. Wednesday will not end in the same place where she started her journey.
My only complaint about this series is that the ending is a bit sloppy. I lost interest because the pacing feels rushed as the series tries to close up all the different plot threads it’s set up throughout the season. It still remained an enjoyable experience and one that I recommend to everyone. This is a different tone than any of the source materials. This is a lot more serious dark and structured more like a teen drama. It has a lot of similar themes, but with a lot less fan service. That said, this is honestly one of the better ones of the genre I have seen. You can stream it now on Netflix.
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Series Review: The English (2022)
The English is an Amazon original that left me feeling disappointed and a little bit offended. At its core, this is a white savior narrative disguised as something empowering.
Cornelia Locke has made it to America in search of the man responsible for her son’s death. Now she, with the help of a Pawnee Indian she meets along the way, scours the western frontier seeking her revenge. Can she survive the unforgiving landscape of the new world and find the man she’s looking for, or will the unforgiving plains claim another victim?
The show is an average western at best and very preachy. The acting is great, but the story and its pacing aren’t. The series jumps between different stories ineffectively, making this a disorienting experience. While I appreciate the attempt at a more complicated narrative, there is a lot of filler. This is a series that takes too long to get to the point.
The biggest issue I have with this series is how it tries to whitewash history. I was a bit disgusted by the lengths to which this series goes to prove that not all white people during this period were terrible. I don’t believe all white people are bad, I just don’t like how hard they try to prove this.
There is clearly a white savior complex and some virtue signaling at play in this series. You can see this with Cornelia and how she carries herself. Every episode has a moment where she has to talk about how brown people aren’t bad and that we should respect them as people. She has a whole speech about how white people are stealing from the Native Americans. It gets a little much, and I had trouble caring.
I get that Cornelia has a reason to be so kind, but this series goes above and beyond to prove that she isn’t racist. Other white characters in this series suffer from this same complex. Lately, I have been noticing many examples of modern media capitalizing on white guilt and virtue signaling. We don’t need this kind of whitewashing and hand-holding, especially when we are dealing with the terrible aspects of our history. Tell the stories how they are. They are meant to make us uncomfortable because they were uncomfortable stories.
I did not appreciate how this series presents the atrocities of this time as reactions from the good white characters. There is a problematic scene in this series where an entire Native village of Native Americans is slaughtered. You hear the slaughter in the distance, but the focus is on an English man and his overly dramatic anger. I am not saying they should have shown the slaughter, but this type of commentary is insulting. It was as if the series was saying, “we know this was bad, but there were good white people trying to stop this from happening too.” This shifts the focus from a terrible event and puts it on a white man.
I might be taking things a bit too personally, but this theme was too present to ignore. The English isn’t a good redemption story because it is sloppy and lazy. It isn’t a good romance because there isn’t any chemistry, and the romance wasn’t set up properly. It isn’t even a good western because of how cartoonish it becomes. They have great actors who are wasted on such a mediocre story. I am sure there is an audience for this, but it wasn’t for me. I would recommend you skip it, but you can stream it on Amazon Video if you have a Prime membership.
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Image by Philippe Verdier from Pixabay
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