After the resolution all those years ago of solving the series-long mystery of who killed Trudy, I wondered how they could top it with this. The answer- they couldn't...But it was still nice to see the cast together again. Got choked up at times and while it felt more like a new run-of-the-mill episode than a final bang, certain elements and especially that one visual near the end in the field made it worth it. And all through the pandemic I, like millions of others I'm sure, wondered how Monk would react which I'm sure was a driving force behind the creation of this special. Some of the acting could've been better (although the show sometimes had hokey acting) but the returning main cast elevated it all. Long live Monk- whether he wants to or not.
Reviews
15 Reviews
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Frank Shoots Every Member of the Gang
(2023)
Edging back to form
Season 16, Episode 2
8 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
After the first episode of the season, this episode feels like it's inching back to form a little more. Danny Devito brings his A-game as Frank as usual in this one and is the best part of the episode. I'll be honest- I forgot Charlie had one sister let alone two. And after some research there were two girls in the scene when Charlie's mom had an intervention for him in Charlie Gets Molested...The fact that they're rich onlyfans models is topical even if nothing particularly funny came from the revelation...And their dialogue was a little meh. The guy playing Mac's uncle Donald looks exactly like Gregory Scott Cummins who plays Macs dad so that was interesting. I can't help but wonder if there's a relation there in real life. The McDonald name trend in their family is a funny continuation of the Ronald McDonald joke. All in all, not a terrible second episode of the new season.
Okay
8 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Kind of a slow start to the season but if memory serves that's not unusual. Got a couple of chuckle's from Mac's situation and kind of funny that Charlie had a bedroom this whole time...Other than that, there's nothing particularly hilarious in this one- mostly riffing and jokey dialogue that doesn't always land in my opinion...Tying-in current events is a popular trend on the show and this one trying to talk about inflation while ultimately resulting in an inflatable furniture venture is a funny concept but wasn't really fleshed out. Also, I admit I've slacked on newer seasons so I acknowledge that looks have changed but Dee is looking a little too put together in my opinion and Mac without the beard kind of feels wrong. Looking forward to the rest of the new season.
Some funny moments
24 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I try to tell myself that the show has always had shameless guest stars but I can't see past the happy little elf's voice being Lizzo...The idea that Marge has been getting money all this time is interesting but opens a whole hell of a lot of plot holes. Not that the show has ever been beholden to logic- but. One line from the elves or whatever singing got a slight chuckle from me but the rest is typical modern Simpsons. Just alright. This season has been kind of a rough one for me personally but this homer-centric episode is probably the best one to have gone out on. A simple premise to wave goodbye for another several months on.
Rugrats
(2021– )
Dark and ugly to look at with needless changes.
2 April 2023
There's no excuse stylistically or technically for the show to look the way it does. I think I saw that maybe it's darker because babies crawl on the ground? Not sure what that has to do with light perception...Recycled plotlines, needlessly changed character traits and voices (where's Tress Macneille for Charlotte?) Just an all around miss. It could have been alright if they just stuck to the original better. There's no need to differentiate yourself. Why be ashamed of your past as one of the most successful Nicktoons of all time?! I don't know what the viewer analytics are, but I hope they stop them doing this to any other beloved shows.
Kindred Spirits
(2016– )
One of few respectable paranormal shows on TV
15 March 2023
I followed Adam and Amy from their Ghost Hunters days to Kindred Spirits and their experience and expertise always shine through in this show. While some of their paranormal investigative techniques border on mystical vs scientific- it's fascinating to watch them explore any avenue to help their clients including the use of psychics (the charismatic Chip Coffey). I think this sets them apart from Ghost Hunters which is more grounded in science and, say, Ghost Adventures which is just plain goofy most of the time. Call me what you want- but I believe Adam & Amy's intentions to be true and their findings to be genuine- which makes them a dynamic duo that is satisfying to root for.
Odd Mixed Bag
8 October 2022
Finally saw this for free on TV. Wanted to watch it at Halloween time & frankly didn't want to buy it to watch once because I figured it'd be a mixed bag. The special was hit and miss. Hearing Thea White again (for the last time) as Muriel hit the feels for sure. Grabstein was good returning to Courage. Eustace...Jeff Bergman didn't quite do it for me most of the time. And what was with that random rap scene? The writing in this doesn't always flow so well either. The explanation for monsters in Nowhere is interesting but kind of falls to the wayside. Glad I saw it- probably won't watch again.
Hocus Pocus 2
(2022)
Okay
2 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Going into it I saw it was getting mixed reviews so I was cautiously optimistic. In summary- It scratched a few itches but ultimately left wanting.
Starting with the good: The Sanderson Sisters all looked great even 29 years later. Midler, Parker, and Najimi all fit back into the roles like a glove.
Billy looked and performed on par with the first film as well.
The updated methods of flying with the roombas and the spray mop, even though featured in the promo material, was a funny visual.
The modern magic special fx all looked cool for the most part.
The music number was a nice callback but maybe didn't quite match up to the one in the first movie.
Making the main character have magical connections is kind of a Deus ex Machina but I can forgive it since it's an interesting idea to have the witches finally meet a magical match on earth.
These highlights for me is sadly where the praise stops.
The bad/not great: I don't want to drag the leads too much because they're young and they can only do so much with what they're given but some of the acting felt too Disney Channel cheesy- especially when compared to the first movie.
SO much of the writing is modern generic movie banter and "did that seriously just happen" said out loud-type moments. And what was with the Walgreens plug? Very obvious and kind of distracting. A lot of it felt like a bad SNL skit.
What is the in-universe reason for the original movie being played on a TV in that one scene? That was so strange. If the events of the first movie were known to have happened to everyone in town maybe you could say it was a movie based on the "real life" events from the first. But as is it was just a really obvious and bizarre wink to the audience.
I know it's Disney+ and I don't know what the budget was like- but for a sequel (a sequel of a beloved cult classic no less) it felt small. Smaller than the original. The ending of the first one had the witches explode after they're defeated and in this one they just kind of...fizzle away.
In summary, it could have definitley gone bigger and it makes me sad that this will probably be the last shot of the property. Especially sad knowing Thora Birch was reportedly willing to come back but had a scheduling conflict. Having the original actors come back to help the young heroes would have been icing on the cake.
It's a mixed bag that, like many sequels, probably won't become a seasonal staple for many like the first one is.
Starting with the good: The Sanderson Sisters all looked great even 29 years later. Midler, Parker, and Najimi all fit back into the roles like a glove.
Billy looked and performed on par with the first film as well.
The updated methods of flying with the roombas and the spray mop, even though featured in the promo material, was a funny visual.
The modern magic special fx all looked cool for the most part.
The music number was a nice callback but maybe didn't quite match up to the one in the first movie.
Making the main character have magical connections is kind of a Deus ex Machina but I can forgive it since it's an interesting idea to have the witches finally meet a magical match on earth.
These highlights for me is sadly where the praise stops.
The bad/not great: I don't want to drag the leads too much because they're young and they can only do so much with what they're given but some of the acting felt too Disney Channel cheesy- especially when compared to the first movie.
SO much of the writing is modern generic movie banter and "did that seriously just happen" said out loud-type moments. And what was with the Walgreens plug? Very obvious and kind of distracting. A lot of it felt like a bad SNL skit.
What is the in-universe reason for the original movie being played on a TV in that one scene? That was so strange. If the events of the first movie were known to have happened to everyone in town maybe you could say it was a movie based on the "real life" events from the first. But as is it was just a really obvious and bizarre wink to the audience.
I know it's Disney+ and I don't know what the budget was like- but for a sequel (a sequel of a beloved cult classic no less) it felt small. Smaller than the original. The ending of the first one had the witches explode after they're defeated and in this one they just kind of...fizzle away.
In summary, it could have definitley gone bigger and it makes me sad that this will probably be the last shot of the property. Especially sad knowing Thora Birch was reportedly willing to come back but had a scheduling conflict. Having the original actors come back to help the young heroes would have been icing on the cake.
It's a mixed bag that, like many sequels, probably won't become a seasonal staple for many like the first one is.
Im tired
23 May 2022
So this episode was written by Tim Long, who's been with the show for a while. A number of his shows I've liked. This one however seems to have fallen into the modern Simpsons hole of tackling societal issues with little-to-no cartoony-cushion to surround it with. It feels like too many new episodes put an agenda over the jokes and story itself. There have been muscial episodes in the past, some better than others- and this one sadly falls in the others category for me. It just feels like they made it a musical to really emphasize the subject matter vs for comedic effect. For the sake of the plot, Bart seems to have completely forgotten that Homer's job sucks which really makes no sense (flexible reality yeah yeah). It just feels like the retcons and reimaginings to serve the plot of a single episode are out of control as of late. I guess the show wants to try to say some important things on it's way out the door (I really feel like it's coming soon) but the show didn't get to where it is today by being a podium for every facet of society to broadcast their grievances. Maybe if it was done in a more classic Simpsons comedy way I wouldn't mind as much but as it is- I find almost every new episode harder and harder to sit through and it makes me sad.
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
(2022)
Almost hits the mark. Could have been great.
21 May 2022
Things I liked:
Some, I repeat, SOME fully hand-drawn animation that when mixed with live action reminded me of Looney Tunes Back in Action. A lot of it was mostly flat 2D with not a very high framecount and lacked depth (ie. Shadows and highlights). I wish the 2D was integrated into the real world more like in Who Framed Roger Rabbit which was made *ahem* 30+ years ago and all done physically, traditionally! There's no excuse with our technology that we can't do better.
Some of the humor- jokes and self-referential, hit for me. I was expecting it to be more hokey and was glad it see it had a slight edge.
The voices of chip and dale were whatever. And while first taken aback that they chose such a weird voice for Zipper, actually kind of found it funny that they chose such a low voice for a high-pitched fly cartoon character. Monterey Jack and Gadget sounded great.
The action was fun. The set design was fine. The self-referenced uncanny valley CGI was just that- and it was funny that they were lampooning that style.
Things I didn't like: Again, the 2D/3D character style (Chip, Monty, Gadget), unlike the full 3D, isn't given any in-universe explanation- just feels like a cut-corner that would've made the movie that much better had they committed to full 2D for all the 2D characters. And there were full 2D characters in this! Flounder, Roger Rabbit, etc.
Some of the acting from the human actors felt amateur-hour, but they weren't the focus so that's fine.
All in all I think it delivered what I expected and had it had a budget for a theatrical release I bet it could've been even better. That said I enjoyed it for what it was and would recommend if you like the characters.
Some of the humor- jokes and self-referential, hit for me. I was expecting it to be more hokey and was glad it see it had a slight edge.
The voices of chip and dale were whatever. And while first taken aback that they chose such a weird voice for Zipper, actually kind of found it funny that they chose such a low voice for a high-pitched fly cartoon character. Monterey Jack and Gadget sounded great.
The action was fun. The set design was fine. The self-referenced uncanny valley CGI was just that- and it was funny that they were lampooning that style.
Things I didn't like: Again, the 2D/3D character style (Chip, Monty, Gadget), unlike the full 3D, isn't given any in-universe explanation- just feels like a cut-corner that would've made the movie that much better had they committed to full 2D for all the 2D characters. And there were full 2D characters in this! Flounder, Roger Rabbit, etc.
Some of the acting from the human actors felt amateur-hour, but they weren't the focus so that's fine.
All in all I think it delivered what I expected and had it had a budget for a theatrical release I bet it could've been even better. That said I enjoyed it for what it was and would recommend if you like the characters.
Meh
25 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This episode made me feel how I feel when I watch the majority of modern Simpsons. Not enough outright humour and uncharacteristic emotions from characters. It's been almost 10 years since we lost Mrs. Krabappel which is hard to believe. She was such an iconic character that replacing her is almost an impossible feat. While Kerry Washington is a good actress and I've enjoyed her in things, her character feels too flat and nicey nice. Not to mention Bart has already had a crush on a teacher before. So what we're left with is a recycled plotline surrounded by happenings that barely qualify as jokes. Seriously- why is the show opting for drama vs funny. The B story about Lisa and the octopus was random, but more in-line with goofy Simpsons plotlines. Also, the reveal that Bart met the teacher Ms. Peyton already after she pulled him out of the pool felt kind of shoehorned in...I guess I just wish the show would hark back more to it's colorful cavalcade of kookyness. I actually like the era from the late 90's to the early 00's where the show kind of coasted and opted for zany over heartfelt more often than not. And now that Ms. Peyton is staying- I just wonder if they're going to give her more personality than just the slightly-fun, caring, competent new teacher in town.
Space Jam: A New Legacy
(2021)
Well- that was a thing
8 January 2022
Finally got around to seeing this. Grew up with the first one and while I acknowledge that it has plenty of faults- I feel that the first movie was more fun than this one.
Lebron's acting is on par with or a smidge better than Michael Jordan's, but somehow they managed to make the story STRANGER in this one. Yes- stranger than cartoon aliens challenging an abducted Michael Jordan to a basketball game. An A. I. in the basement of Warner Bros can digitize humans into the virtual world- which no one seems to bat an eye at in this reality for some reason.
I love that they atleast had SOME 2D animation in this- although, ironically, the animation in the '96 version is objectively better. More fluid atleast, for the most part, than in most of of this new version. But hey- budget. On that note- the 2D Nerdluck aliens make a cameo at the final game and they look like they were literally ripped from the first movie. And they were the only 2D characters in the scene where all the toons were turned 3D by the AL-gorithm. I would've liked to see the nerdlucks in CGI for the first time!
I didn't expect much and got maybe a teensy bit more than that from this. At most it's a colorful stream of stuff to show your kids with some heart thrown-in between Lebron and his family.
Lebron's acting is on par with or a smidge better than Michael Jordan's, but somehow they managed to make the story STRANGER in this one. Yes- stranger than cartoon aliens challenging an abducted Michael Jordan to a basketball game. An A. I. in the basement of Warner Bros can digitize humans into the virtual world- which no one seems to bat an eye at in this reality for some reason.
I love that they atleast had SOME 2D animation in this- although, ironically, the animation in the '96 version is objectively better. More fluid atleast, for the most part, than in most of of this new version. But hey- budget. On that note- the 2D Nerdluck aliens make a cameo at the final game and they look like they were literally ripped from the first movie. And they were the only 2D characters in the scene where all the toons were turned 3D by the AL-gorithm. I would've liked to see the nerdlucks in CGI for the first time!
I didn't expect much and got maybe a teensy bit more than that from this. At most it's a colorful stream of stuff to show your kids with some heart thrown-in between Lebron and his family.
Muppets Haunted Mansion
(2021 TV Special)
Meh
1 November 2021
I'm not the target audience but the Muppets was always about appealing to everyone. This special definitely feels like it's supposed to cater to children who can't question anything yet. Bland is the word I'd use. It's not to say that the muppets haven't been included in some just-okay things in the past, but this had potential. If it was longer and I'm guessing given a bigger budget it could have been really fun. It just feels like a missed opportunity.
The Patrick Star Show
(2021– )
Rocky start (Pun intended)
13 July 2021
First the good- The animation is as fluid and expressive as it's predecessor which is good to see in a world of computer tweens and cut-corners.
Second, I wasn't expecting Spongebob and other previous show characters to be featured right away. I guess it's because they want to lure you in with familiarity. Not necessarily bad, but kind of weird to have a show want to focus on Patrick and then have Spongebob right there from the get-go. It would have been interesting to have Patrick be truly in his own element with his own group of friends as he grows up and settles into his semi-adult life in Bikini Bottom. The last episode could have been him meeting Spongebob and setting up their friendship that would persist into Spongebob season one.
Also, did I miss something about why jurassic squidward was there? This is only set a relatively short time in the past, right?
Second, I wasn't expecting Spongebob and other previous show characters to be featured right away. I guess it's because they want to lure you in with familiarity. Not necessarily bad, but kind of weird to have a show want to focus on Patrick and then have Spongebob right there from the get-go. It would have been interesting to have Patrick be truly in his own element with his own group of friends as he grows up and settles into his semi-adult life in Bikini Bottom. The last episode could have been him meeting Spongebob and setting up their friendship that would persist into Spongebob season one.
Also, did I miss something about why jurassic squidward was there? This is only set a relatively short time in the past, right?
Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie
(2017 TV Movie)
Fine conclusion to a great show
25 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie- after all these years an ending to the show with a resolution for Arnold on his missing parents. The hype around this TV movie was understandably huge. I tried to stay cautiously optimistic. Especially so after seeing the initial teaser with the new voices and character designs. After seeing the movie in it's entirety I'll say that the heart of the show is present in this movie as is the weight of the unresolved conclusion to the series from "The Journal." While I greatly appreciate and admire Craig Bartlett and the people that made this movie possible, that didn't stop me from taking a few notes about things that I felt were off about the movie. Who am I and why does my opinion matter? It doesn't, really. It's an opinion. I have a background in 2D animation and am an avid fan of the show. I guess I'm doing this to process my feelings after this epic conclusion to one of my favorite Nicktoons. If you're still with me then here we go.
Things I liked
The music: The familiar jazzy sounds from Jim Lang are of course present in this movie and are a nice blast from the past.
The backgrounds: The background art in the movie is great to look at and true to the series' background paintings- right down to the colored pencil textures.
The characters: For the most part, this movie stayed true to the character traits of the series and thank goodness for original voice actors returning such as Francesca Marie Smith as Helga and Dan Castellaneta as Grandpa.
Things I felt were off- Here's my time to be picky.
* Voices: Like I said, returning cast members contributed greatly to the nostalgia in this. Understandably so the voices of many of the kids (minus Helga, Harold, Phoebe, and Mr. Simmons to name a few) were different. Arnold's actor did an alright job except some of the whisper-talking was a little too much (although we can thank our lucky stars that Alex D Linz was too grown for the job. No offense to Mr. Linz but I can barely watch those last few episodes with that cracky Max Keeble voice). Helga sounded like helga, and the aforementioned sounded great too. Gerald's actor was also an okay comparison to Jamil Walker Smith.
* Character Designs: The new "updated" character designs- albeit expected and necessary, came with some weirdness. Pupil size has a weird inconsistency and often they're big like old episodes of The Simpsons. Also aging Mr. Simmons often looked creepy to me- "Eh very creehpeyy," as Mr. Hyughn says.
* Pacing: At 81 minutes plus commercials, the movie finds minor pacing issues from me. If Craig and the crew had it their way I'm sure the movie could have been a full two hours but that's TV. We don't need to dwell on the city setting and talk about the forthcoming adventure for an hour before it starts- but it only took about 15 minutes for Arnold and the gang to end up in South America.
* Smartphones. Or iPods? What year does this take place again?
* Helga's almost-confession on the boat was really weird and out of nowhere. And then she tears up the locket photo. Is the other movie not canon as far as Helga's confession of love?
* Arnold's parent wake up after how long? 13 years? And their first response to seeing their son feels lackluster. Not even a hug is exchanged. And not to get too real, but how did they survive? Shouldn't they have starved? Suspension of disbelief...Suspension of disbelief...
* The ending flashes forward to after Arnold gets home and for some reason he forgets he traveled home from San Lorenzo with his parents because of a nightmare? At least this is insinuated by a line from his dad. His folks walk with him to school and the doors of PS 118 close behind with a white heavenly glow behind Miles and Stella as the series comes to a literal close- at long last.
If you're still with me thanks for reading my thoughts on this. Please remove any trash you may have left behind and exit out the doors to your right. Thanks to Craig Bartlett, thanks to Nickelodeon, and thanks to us loyal fans for being vocal about our love for this great show.
Things I liked
The music: The familiar jazzy sounds from Jim Lang are of course present in this movie and are a nice blast from the past.
The backgrounds: The background art in the movie is great to look at and true to the series' background paintings- right down to the colored pencil textures.
The characters: For the most part, this movie stayed true to the character traits of the series and thank goodness for original voice actors returning such as Francesca Marie Smith as Helga and Dan Castellaneta as Grandpa.
Things I felt were off- Here's my time to be picky.
* Voices: Like I said, returning cast members contributed greatly to the nostalgia in this. Understandably so the voices of many of the kids (minus Helga, Harold, Phoebe, and Mr. Simmons to name a few) were different. Arnold's actor did an alright job except some of the whisper-talking was a little too much (although we can thank our lucky stars that Alex D Linz was too grown for the job. No offense to Mr. Linz but I can barely watch those last few episodes with that cracky Max Keeble voice). Helga sounded like helga, and the aforementioned sounded great too. Gerald's actor was also an okay comparison to Jamil Walker Smith.
* Character Designs: The new "updated" character designs- albeit expected and necessary, came with some weirdness. Pupil size has a weird inconsistency and often they're big like old episodes of The Simpsons. Also aging Mr. Simmons often looked creepy to me- "Eh very creehpeyy," as Mr. Hyughn says.
* Pacing: At 81 minutes plus commercials, the movie finds minor pacing issues from me. If Craig and the crew had it their way I'm sure the movie could have been a full two hours but that's TV. We don't need to dwell on the city setting and talk about the forthcoming adventure for an hour before it starts- but it only took about 15 minutes for Arnold and the gang to end up in South America.
* Smartphones. Or iPods? What year does this take place again?
* Helga's almost-confession on the boat was really weird and out of nowhere. And then she tears up the locket photo. Is the other movie not canon as far as Helga's confession of love?
* Arnold's parent wake up after how long? 13 years? And their first response to seeing their son feels lackluster. Not even a hug is exchanged. And not to get too real, but how did they survive? Shouldn't they have starved? Suspension of disbelief...Suspension of disbelief...
* The ending flashes forward to after Arnold gets home and for some reason he forgets he traveled home from San Lorenzo with his parents because of a nightmare? At least this is insinuated by a line from his dad. His folks walk with him to school and the doors of PS 118 close behind with a white heavenly glow behind Miles and Stella as the series comes to a literal close- at long last.
If you're still with me thanks for reading my thoughts on this. Please remove any trash you may have left behind and exit out the doors to your right. Thanks to Craig Bartlett, thanks to Nickelodeon, and thanks to us loyal fans for being vocal about our love for this great show.
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