Barry: Season 4, “yikes” – TV Review

“yikes”

  • Creator: Alec Berg and Bill Hader
  • Starring: Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, Stephen Root, Henry Winkler, Anthony Carrigan

Grade: B+

The third season finale of Barry last year was truly a game-changer, and that’s not a light statement for a show that churns through plot from week to week. Indeed, it raised a fascinating question: where does the show go from here, now that Barry (Bill Hader) has been caught? He’s wormed his way out of more slippery situations before, but once his best friend and mentor betrayed him, he finally realized there was no use in running anymore. Now he finds himself in prison but still clinging to hope that his friends will find it in them to forgive him.

Continue reading Barry: Season 4, “yikes” – TV Review

Beef – TV Review

Beef

  • Creator: Lee Sun Jin
  • Starring: Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Young Mazino, David Choe, Joseph Lee, Patty Yasutake, Maria Bello, Ashley Park, Justin H. Min
  • Ten episodes watched for review

Grade: B+

It all starts in a parking lot between a 20-year old pickup truck and a shiny, new Mercedes. In spite of the specific circumstances, it’s a scenario we can all relate to: a minor incident occurs and touches a nerve that allows it to fester for an incomprehensible amount of time. Unfortunately for the characters in Beef, the newest limited series from Netflix and A24, it’s a moment that begins the unraveling of two lives and virtually everyone else they know and love.

Continue reading Beef – TV Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Movie Review

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

  • Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
  • Writer: Matt Fogel
  • Starring: Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan Michael-Key, Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen

Grade: B

Mario has traveled to all sorts of worlds since his introduction in 1985; from the Mushroom Kingdom to the race track to the tennis courts to the Olympic Games, he’s as malleable as any pop culture protagonist. Then again, when your original adventure consists of little more than a side-scrolling series of jumps and sewer pipes, your storytelling options are basically limitless.

Continue reading The Super Mario Bros. Movie – Movie Review