Weekend Watch - The last of Us Episode 1

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week, we take a look at a new piece of film or television media and give it a rating, review, and recommendation. This week’s topic, as voted by the blog’s Instagram followers is the first episode of HBO’s new television series, The Last of Us, based on the critically acclaimed survival horror games from Naughty Dog and Sony. The show stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, and Anna Torv and opened its first episode to widespread acclaim from fans of the games and fans of television in general, briefly earning the highest IMDB rating for a television show ever. Let’s get into it.

Letter Grade: A-; this show is clearly well-made and has made fans happy. We’ll see how it continues to handle the hype.

Should you Watch This Show? Probably. If you loved the games, my understanding is that this is must-watch television and a phenomenal adaptation. If you know nothing about the games but like post-apocalyptic stuff, this looks to be one of the better offerings out there too.

Why?

                The Last of Us’s first episode, titled “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” comes out swinging, feeling equally like a high-quality television show and a solid video game adaptation at the same time. If you’re like me and have only heard about the games but never played (because you’re an Xbox gamer only or something), the show does a good job of establishing characters, relationships, and the world in the first episode, doing enough to keep us less knowledgeable viewers hooked while paying enough service to the initiated to not alienate them. Their combination of worldbuilding and character establishment has made this one of the better first episodes that I’ve watched in a while, even if it is nearly an hour and a half in runtime (cable used to do double features for their premieres right?).

                Like he does in so many of his features, Pedro Pascal helps sell the product. His performance as Joel just in the first episode has me hooked and interested in his character development. He plays the hardened cynic who secretly cares about people really hard so well at this point that you’d almost forget his first major HBO role as Oberyn Martell. In The Last of Us, he dons a relatively believable southeast Texas accent and shows us a range in this first episode that goes from stretched but loving father to mournful and hardened veteran to begrudging caretaker who finally has had enough and decides to do something about it. Honestly, if he just turns this first episode in as a sizzle reel to casting agencies from here on, he’ll probably be in a job for the next twenty years.

                Luckily for Pascal, The Last of Us is no Wonder Woman 1984, and he doesn’t have to carry the show on his back. As apocalyptic shows go, the production value is high, and the storytelling seems to be taking it in a good direction. Director Craig Mazin and his team do a phenomenal job in this first episode of capturing the world and, strange as it may seem, the gameplay of The Last of Us in the medium of television. From an early scene of a truck suddenly forcing Joel and his daughter to take the longer, more dangerous route out of town to Joel’s to-do list of sidequests in Boston to what I assume is cutscene dialogue options when Joel and Tess are offered the job of transporting Ellie, this first episode showcases the right ways to turn a video game into a less interactive and more linear form of visual media.

                The Last of Us episode one introduces the show’s audience to its world and characters in brilliant fashion, capturing the spirit of the video game in the form of a television show that is sure to make most fans, new and old, happy. One small knock is the show’s current similarity to many other apocalyptic shows, which should be assuaged by the end of this first season if my friends who played the games are to be believed. Should it achieve that uniqueness and distance itself from the pack, I think we can optimistically say that we have been blessed with yet another hit from HBO. The show’s next episode airs tomorrow night, and all episodes are available from the time of release on HBO Max.

Weekend Watch - House of the Dragon - Pilot Episode

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch, where each week we take a new piece of film or television media, as voted by the followers on the blog’s Instagram, and give it a rating, review, and watch recommendation. This week’s subject is the pilot episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, a prequel series to the wildly successful Game of Thrones, set 172 years before Robert’s Rebellion, the event that directly set up the events of Thrones. The pilot stars Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, and Graham McTavish, among others, as major players in this family drama set in the land of Westeros. The viewership numbers for the pilot episode were apparently the highest of any HBO premier in recent history, allowing the show’s second season to already receive the green light before its second episode has released. Let’s get into it.

Letter Grade: B+/A-; there’s a lot to love and a lot of potential in this pilot, but I want to wait before I’m fully sold on the show.

Should you Watch This Show? If you were a fan of Game of Thrones, absolutely. If you like Succession or other family dramas and also want something with a more medieval/fantasy bent, absolutely. If those things are not your cup of tea, you’re probably okay skipping this one.

Why?

                House of the Dragon comes out swinging with a pilot episode full of intrigue, dragons, violence, big characters, and difficult content. After a brief, possibly unnecessary, prologue, the show flashes to its present with a dragon front and center, flying over King’s Landing – a shot that might be slightly triggering to certain fans of Game of Thrones who were less than satisfied with that show’s final season. Immediately, the show’s production value (much higher than most comparable shows) becomes apparent, with some pretty good CGI work, excellent set pieces, and decent costume and makeup design (some of the wigs look a little more wig-ish than others). The characters, whose names might be a bit more difficult to pronounce/remember than Ned, Jon, or Jaime, still stand out as individuals, particularly Matt Smith’s villain(?) Daemon Targaryen, Fabien Frankel’s hot, young nobody Criston Cole, and Milly Alcock’s young heroine Rhaenyra Targaryen. Smith embodies a combination of characteristics reminiscent of some of Thrones’s most iconic villains – the creeping menace of Ramsay Bolton and the entitled violence of Joffrey Baratheon – I’m intrigued to see where they take his character as the show progresses. Frankel’s simple charm combined with his character’s skill on a battlefield make him a potentially great tragic hero, alongside Robb Stark or Jon Snow or Oberyn Martell from the original show. Alcock brings much of the charm of a young Arya Stark and combines it with the tact of Margaery Tyrell to become the show’s new protagonist (at least at this point), having to walk the complex minefield that is the political state of Westeros. If we’re being honest, my two biggest concerns going forward with the show are its inevitable time jump, which has already been teased, as both Rhaenyra and her friend Alicent Hightower are portrayed by different actresses later on in the season, and its lack of a fully likable character (a Tyrion Lannister). Time jumps in the middle of a show’s inaugural season make me considerably nervous, as audiences don’t always react super well to a change in actor, particularly in shows with character lists as lengthy as House of the Dragon’s. I also know that you shouldn’t compare two shows when doing a review, but it’s hard not to with Dragon and Thrones, especially with the knowledge of how the original ended. The surprise deaths and complex political games will only take a show so far if it doesn’t have an almost universally beloved secondary protagonist. Overall, House of the Dragon’s pilot episode does a great job of filling the shoes that its fans expected it to fill with a combination of high production value and memorable characters; we’ll see where it all ends up as the season progresses, but there’s a lot here to be optimistic about in HBO’s return to Westeros. The first episode is available on HBO Max if you missed its premier, and the second episode drops on Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max simultaneously.

Weekend Watch - June 2022 Recap

                Welcome back to the Weekend Watch where each week we react and review a new piece of film or television and give you a recommendation on whether to watch it. This week, we’ve come to the end of the month of June and have a recap of all the critically acclaimed films that released this past month. Usually, we break them down into three categories – long shots, possible things, and sure things – based on their likelihood of making it onto this site’s list of Greatest Films of All Time. June, as best as I can tell, has nothing that was a sure thing, which remains pretty par for the course for the month (basically since Wonder Woman). With that being said, there are a few films that should be on your radar because they have potential with the right push to reach the heights of Greatness.

Long Shots:

Watcher: This indie horror thriller about a woman and her husband on vacation in Europe across the street from a potential serial killer has had success among critics. Its small following and mixed audience reviews will most likely keep it out of the top 1000 films, but apparently its twists on the tropes of Rear Window and the like have some people excited enough to make it worth mentioning.

Crimes of the Future: David Cronenberg’s latest outing was highly successful at its Cannes release, but its extended standing ovation does not seem to be extended to its actual ratings. The film features strong performances from its supporting women (Lea Seydoux and Kristen Stewart) but also offers a reportedly weak commentary and fairly straightforward story. For Cronenberg fans, this is probably a must-see but not so much for everyone else.

Fire Island: LGBT+ Pride and Prejudice set in the modern day at a massive gathering of the community on Fire Island. It’s a highly ambitious film and works well as a fully sold-out romantic comedy/retelling of Jane Austen, which is why critics have been so high on it. Unfortunately, “the gays” get some mixed reviews from “the straights” and will probably not make much of a splash once the awards start coming, but I really enjoyed this one.

The Phantom of the Open: A golf comedy about the worst round in British Open history starring Mark Rylance sounds like just the type of wholesome comedy that I need in my life right now. Unfortunately, its reviews from critics and fans are just barely above the average level and not quite at greatness, but still, it remains a long shot because of what Rylance’s name brings to the table.

Hustle: The best film Adam Sandler has put out since Uncut Gems blends NBA drama with heartfelt family issues in what feels like the most honestly Sandler film that he’s put out in some time. It has solid reviews but none that are quite enough to get it over the hump, and for the most part, movies about team sports only make it onto the list if they are documentaries, so don’t expect to see a Hustle review any time soon, unfortunately.

Lightyear: The latest Pixar film has somehow managed to hit a sweet spot in terms of bad reviews – delivering gay content to bring “that” section of review bombers to the table alongside one of the least risky Pixar films in a while, alienating the real cinema people at the same time. This film is honestly only on the long shots list because of the studio behind it, otherwise it would not be worth mentioning, sadly.

The Black Phone: Honestly, this could probably be up in the next section if it wasn’t a horror film. This movie has all the people talking about it in a positive way. People love Ethan Hawke’s performance, they like the originality, and they like the horror. Unfortunately, that still only translates to a 65 Metacritic Score and an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Horror’s limited track record in awards season keeps this sadly as a long shot to make the list.

Wildhood: This indie coming-of-age film about two brothers looking for their mother and reconnecting with their indigenous heritage checks a lot of boxes in terms of its viability come awards season. Sadly, its fan reviews are ridiculously lopsided in comparison with those of critics, and its indie nature will probably keep it out of contention.

Mad God: A stop-motion horror film that took 20 years to make has critics buzzing and audiences frustrated. This refreshingly different addition to the genre of animation has not fared so well among fan ratings as it has among the critics, and with so many other animated features being released this year, it’s hard to imagine this winning the awards that it will need to make it onto the list.

Possible Things:

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: This sex-positive film about a middle-aged widow who hires a sex worker to help her discover her sexuality, featuring Emma Thompson, has created quite a buzz in certain circles. It is a fairly simple film but heartfelt and incredibly well-acted, discussing themes that are rarely covered in any conversations, let alone film. Emma Thompson’s name attached also adds credibility come awards season, so we’ll see if it gets the push it needs to make it to the big time.

Official Competition: A Spanish comedy featuring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas about making a film that will be one of the greatest ever. It is a satire about filmmaking, which tends to do well with awards voters. This should at least garner some looks in the Foreign Film categories and could potentially pull some acting nominations as well. With everything that it still needs to go right though, it will stay only as a possibility for now.

Cha Cha Real Smooth: Sundance success that gets bought by Apple TV+, where else have we seen this? Oh yeah, last year’s Best Picture winner CODA. This is not to say that Cha Cha Real Smooth brings everything to the table that CODA did, but the formula is certainly there – an indie film about a relevant issue (autism) that basically everyone cares about with some romance thrown in as well and a solid performance from an underappreciated actor (Dakota Johnson). I’m not saying that this is a sure thing, but it’s definitely a possibility.

The Janes: An incredibly timely HBO documentary about women who orchestrated safe abortions during the days before Roe v. Wade, this one has the makings of another Best Documentary Feature for the company. Due to its controversial subject matter, though, it will remain a possibility and not quite a sure thing just yet.

Elvis: Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of the King of Rock and Roll has released to stellar scores from audiences, above average ratings from critics, and just enough awards buzz to keep this one on the edge of being a possibility. Luhrmann has mixed success when it comes to awards, but young actors playing musicians tends to do well with awards voters, so Butler might bring home some nominations when the time comes.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: This wholesome film based on an early-2010s YouTube video would be a sure thing if it had a few more viewers. A24’s limited release model is keeping this one fairly low on the rating count, but those that it does have are consistently high. As more people see this one, I hope it continues to do well. I just don’t know that it will get any kind of awards love, and I’m not fully convinced that it’s something that will do well with wider audiences, so it’s going to stay a possibility for now.