Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2023-05-15 03:17 pm
matt_zimmer) wrote2023-05-15 03:17 pm
"Fletch Lives" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the lates5t episodes of Teen Titans Go!, The Simpsons, The Great North, Bob's Burgers, and The Blacklist, and the novel The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer.
Fletch Lives
And I thought the first movie was bad.
Movies like this are why Chevy Chase destroyed his career. It's a pure vanity project. Fletch is NOT a quick-change artist in the books and seeing the movie opening with him in drag in a maid's uniform while an old man hits on him shows me the precise problem with Chase's vanity projects. And it's not just that he's destroying a cool franchise like The Fletch Mysteries. I think Chevy Chase was under the mistaken impression that he was funnier and more talented than he actually was. This is not a career mistake he's learned from either, and why the dude burned his bridges with Community who gave him a second chance nobody else would have. I'm not saying that Chase doesn't understand what's funny. I'm saying he mistakenly believes only he can deliver it. And the fact that he's NOT funny is the biggest thing I noticed.
I will get people arguing with me over this insisting Chase IS funny, and this is just a bad movie. The thing is, bad movie or not, if Jim Carrey had done this exact movie with the same script it would be tolerable. Just like a bad movie like Ace Ventura is tolerable. Solely because Carrey is funny. Or at least talented. Chase does not have that. Bill Murray similarly played his comedic roles in the 1980's with a twinkle in his eye but he had the comedic chops to back it up. Chase simply does not.
It's interesting and on some level impressive how fully immersed Chase puts himself into the part of Fletch playing the faith-healer. You can actually barely tell it's Chase, and I actually did a double-take realizing it's him. But the most amazing thing about the role is how it's not funny in the least, so the con feels like this huge waste of the viewer's time instead. I'd almost say it was a waste of Chase's talents, but a talented person could have made me laugh.
I'm not surprised Calculus was an FBI agent. I would have been pissed if he weren't. One consistent thing about movies from the 1980's is that they are shockingly racist. Political correctness was an actual thing back then, and people actually knew better. And movies like Fletch Lives STILL did both the Song of the South segment, and the Klan segment. It's painful and especially painful because Chase thinks it's funny. That whole dream sequence is precisely why The Fletch Mysteries was the wrong vanity project for Chase, and why he ruined it simply by being involved in it. That crap should NOT be happening in a Fletch mystery. It's not just that it's offensive. There is plenty of offensive stuff in The Fletch Mysteries. It's stupid. And those books are the farthest thing from that.
I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted Chevy Chase was given tent-pole movie after tent-pole and did nothing but waste the audience's time without delivering a single laugh. Want to know why none of your friends showed up at your comedy roast Chevy? Because you burned all of those bridge by your crappy and self-involved career choices.
This movie doesn't just bum me out. It angers me too. 0.
Teen Titans Go! "The Brain Of The Family"
I like that the Titans are entirely absent during the first 11 minute part.
That being said, despite the premise being both goofy and subversive, and turning the idea of DC Comics on its head, I still weirdly felt like the episode fed too much into cliches and was too predictable. Based on the weird premise, it shouldn't have been.
A little disappointed. **1/2.
Teen Titan Go! "Arthur"
I love that this version of Dr. Light is lovable, sympathetic, cute, and that the Titans (outside of Robin) actually seem to like him. The comic version is.... NOT any of that. So... Yeah... Better stick with this version.
I laughed at Robin being mad Arthur's quoting Steel Magnolias. I never saw that movie so I had no idea that's what he was doing.
Funny stuff. ****.
Teen Titans Go! "Toilet Water"
Krypto! I love that the Titans' bad habits didn't just turn Krypto into a bad dog. They turned him evil! It was also super cute when he was chasing around Beast Boy as a cat.
The PSA at the end was amusing because it was nonsensical.
Cute episode. ***1/2.
The Simpsons "Clown v. Board Of Education"
That didn't work. I feel like there is a decent premise hidden somewhere in the episode but the show simply isn't built to explore it.
Krusty doing a good job is not sustainable for the future. Ergo he must fail. But there is nothing WRONG with what he's doing so they have to bring in an outside element like Fat Tony to screw it up for him. I hate crap like that. And as great as the show is, it's the Godfather of crap like that. The fact that the show must ALWAYS hit The Total Reset Button means interesting episodes are invariably doomed to have either pedestrian or stupid endings. This was both, by the way.
Clowns as kids show hosts are SUCH an anachronism, and the concept was even outmoded in the late 1980's when Krusty debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show. It was sort of fun to hear the show poking at that non-credible aspect of itself.
Not great. And the problem is the weaknesses of the episode are only due to the weaknesses of the show. If the show were still as edgy as it was in the first 8 seasons, it's possible it could have managed it. Because of negative continuity and nothing EVER being allowed to be changed we get this instead. **1/2.
The Great North "For Whom The Smell Tolls, Part One"
If there is one thing I dislike about The Great North, it's that all the previous episode titles ended with the word "Adventure". I hate it whenever TV shows do themed episode titles, whether it's Smallville making the titles one word, Scrubs' titles all starting with "My", Friends with "The One With" or Seinfeld akways starting with "The". Themed titles for a series tick me off because I find them limiting instead of fun and funny. I'm betting a lot of those episodes titles could have been better if they didn't have to fit the theme.
I love Alanis Morrissette refusing to put up with the 16 girl band's nonsense. You might think her playing a teenage girl's delusional version of herself is an odd career choice, but she's purely awesome on every level, so I totally get it instead.
I love the preview. Mostly because I sense they ARE actual scenes from the next episode, and the producers made better choices there than Fox ever would. I also now wish Bob's Burgers had done this for their two-parters too.
There is nothing adventurous about smells this week. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Mother Author Laser Pointer"
Linda is one of the most popular characters on the show but I have never liked her. Episodes like this are the reason why.
Invariably every week I will complain that either Gene, Louie, or Tina are obsessed with a stupid, pointless thing and suddenly the entire family has to be ALL about it. That specific character flaw is something all three learned from their mess of a mother. And it's not funny. It's uncomfortable and it actually makes me angry.
Not good. The Great North won the week of Fox toons. */2.
The Blacklist "Dr. Michael Abani"
It was good. It's good to see Dembe's complicated past, especially because the past is complicated because he's a good man. If he weren't, he'd never have the struggles he does.
I'll tell you, Ressler's nosiness and forwardness about Aissa was pissing me off. Ressler clearly believes he and Dembe are closer friends than they actually are if he's giving him a hard time over that. That sort of thing is endemic to television characters and it pisses me off about all of them. Why aren't fictional characters allowed to be cool or understanding, or show their friends a measure of grace instead of rubbing their nose in how uncomfortable they currently are? What kills me is this is not an unreasonable ask on my end. TV has simply been doing wrong by audiences for decades and nobody was smart enough to complain. I'm complaining now. I hate this crap.
I loved Red's stuff with Agnes, especially how honest he was with her. And I especially love that Agnes doesn't pressure him for more answers than he's comfortable giving. Are we sure this cool character is the daughter of the most despicable unfair person on the entire series? Because I don't know where she got that coolness. It's not something she learned from either Harold or Red either. She's just chill. And she is clearly not her mother's daughter.
I liked most of it, although the ending was a bit predictable. But it was also the right ending, and left the characters off on the right place. And I love that Dembe doesn't actually lean in for the kiss. She would have accepted it. But it would have made things messy for no good reason and he's not putting that on her because he's a gentleman. I like that.
Good week. ***1/2.
The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer by "Ellen Rimbauer"
I always thought the miniseries Rose Red was a serious disappointment. Not just compared to the solid-as-hell Storm Of The Century. But also compared to the other ABC miniseries based on Stephen King's works. I had never read the tie-in book to Rose Red until very recently, and I'm pleasantly surprised how solid it is. It's actually far better than the project it's actually advertising.
King didn't write it but that's a selling point in my mind. Ellen Rimbauer's voice feels very distinctive and its own for this reason, and the story feels fully formed and almost realistic because it doesn't resemble King, or the many writing techniques he uses (and I would argue sometimes overuses).
The same types of dumbasses who believed The Blair Witch Project was a documentary propelled this book to the bestseller list because they mistook is for nonfiction. Honestly, how stupid are people? They really get on my nerves sometimes.
One of the pleasures of reading King-adjacent stuff for Stephen King Book Club. ****1/2.
Fletch Lives
And I thought the first movie was bad.
Movies like this are why Chevy Chase destroyed his career. It's a pure vanity project. Fletch is NOT a quick-change artist in the books and seeing the movie opening with him in drag in a maid's uniform while an old man hits on him shows me the precise problem with Chase's vanity projects. And it's not just that he's destroying a cool franchise like The Fletch Mysteries. I think Chevy Chase was under the mistaken impression that he was funnier and more talented than he actually was. This is not a career mistake he's learned from either, and why the dude burned his bridges with Community who gave him a second chance nobody else would have. I'm not saying that Chase doesn't understand what's funny. I'm saying he mistakenly believes only he can deliver it. And the fact that he's NOT funny is the biggest thing I noticed.
I will get people arguing with me over this insisting Chase IS funny, and this is just a bad movie. The thing is, bad movie or not, if Jim Carrey had done this exact movie with the same script it would be tolerable. Just like a bad movie like Ace Ventura is tolerable. Solely because Carrey is funny. Or at least talented. Chase does not have that. Bill Murray similarly played his comedic roles in the 1980's with a twinkle in his eye but he had the comedic chops to back it up. Chase simply does not.
It's interesting and on some level impressive how fully immersed Chase puts himself into the part of Fletch playing the faith-healer. You can actually barely tell it's Chase, and I actually did a double-take realizing it's him. But the most amazing thing about the role is how it's not funny in the least, so the con feels like this huge waste of the viewer's time instead. I'd almost say it was a waste of Chase's talents, but a talented person could have made me laugh.
I'm not surprised Calculus was an FBI agent. I would have been pissed if he weren't. One consistent thing about movies from the 1980's is that they are shockingly racist. Political correctness was an actual thing back then, and people actually knew better. And movies like Fletch Lives STILL did both the Song of the South segment, and the Klan segment. It's painful and especially painful because Chase thinks it's funny. That whole dream sequence is precisely why The Fletch Mysteries was the wrong vanity project for Chase, and why he ruined it simply by being involved in it. That crap should NOT be happening in a Fletch mystery. It's not just that it's offensive. There is plenty of offensive stuff in The Fletch Mysteries. It's stupid. And those books are the farthest thing from that.
I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted Chevy Chase was given tent-pole movie after tent-pole and did nothing but waste the audience's time without delivering a single laugh. Want to know why none of your friends showed up at your comedy roast Chevy? Because you burned all of those bridge by your crappy and self-involved career choices.
This movie doesn't just bum me out. It angers me too. 0.
Teen Titans Go! "The Brain Of The Family"
I like that the Titans are entirely absent during the first 11 minute part.
That being said, despite the premise being both goofy and subversive, and turning the idea of DC Comics on its head, I still weirdly felt like the episode fed too much into cliches and was too predictable. Based on the weird premise, it shouldn't have been.
A little disappointed. **1/2.
Teen Titan Go! "Arthur"
I love that this version of Dr. Light is lovable, sympathetic, cute, and that the Titans (outside of Robin) actually seem to like him. The comic version is.... NOT any of that. So... Yeah... Better stick with this version.
I laughed at Robin being mad Arthur's quoting Steel Magnolias. I never saw that movie so I had no idea that's what he was doing.
Funny stuff. ****.
Teen Titans Go! "Toilet Water"
Krypto! I love that the Titans' bad habits didn't just turn Krypto into a bad dog. They turned him evil! It was also super cute when he was chasing around Beast Boy as a cat.
The PSA at the end was amusing because it was nonsensical.
Cute episode. ***1/2.
The Simpsons "Clown v. Board Of Education"
That didn't work. I feel like there is a decent premise hidden somewhere in the episode but the show simply isn't built to explore it.
Krusty doing a good job is not sustainable for the future. Ergo he must fail. But there is nothing WRONG with what he's doing so they have to bring in an outside element like Fat Tony to screw it up for him. I hate crap like that. And as great as the show is, it's the Godfather of crap like that. The fact that the show must ALWAYS hit The Total Reset Button means interesting episodes are invariably doomed to have either pedestrian or stupid endings. This was both, by the way.
Clowns as kids show hosts are SUCH an anachronism, and the concept was even outmoded in the late 1980's when Krusty debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show. It was sort of fun to hear the show poking at that non-credible aspect of itself.
Not great. And the problem is the weaknesses of the episode are only due to the weaknesses of the show. If the show were still as edgy as it was in the first 8 seasons, it's possible it could have managed it. Because of negative continuity and nothing EVER being allowed to be changed we get this instead. **1/2.
The Great North "For Whom The Smell Tolls, Part One"
If there is one thing I dislike about The Great North, it's that all the previous episode titles ended with the word "Adventure". I hate it whenever TV shows do themed episode titles, whether it's Smallville making the titles one word, Scrubs' titles all starting with "My", Friends with "The One With" or Seinfeld akways starting with "The". Themed titles for a series tick me off because I find them limiting instead of fun and funny. I'm betting a lot of those episodes titles could have been better if they didn't have to fit the theme.
I love Alanis Morrissette refusing to put up with the 16 girl band's nonsense. You might think her playing a teenage girl's delusional version of herself is an odd career choice, but she's purely awesome on every level, so I totally get it instead.
I love the preview. Mostly because I sense they ARE actual scenes from the next episode, and the producers made better choices there than Fox ever would. I also now wish Bob's Burgers had done this for their two-parters too.
There is nothing adventurous about smells this week. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Mother Author Laser Pointer"
Linda is one of the most popular characters on the show but I have never liked her. Episodes like this are the reason why.
Invariably every week I will complain that either Gene, Louie, or Tina are obsessed with a stupid, pointless thing and suddenly the entire family has to be ALL about it. That specific character flaw is something all three learned from their mess of a mother. And it's not funny. It's uncomfortable and it actually makes me angry.
Not good. The Great North won the week of Fox toons. */2.
The Blacklist "Dr. Michael Abani"
It was good. It's good to see Dembe's complicated past, especially because the past is complicated because he's a good man. If he weren't, he'd never have the struggles he does.
I'll tell you, Ressler's nosiness and forwardness about Aissa was pissing me off. Ressler clearly believes he and Dembe are closer friends than they actually are if he's giving him a hard time over that. That sort of thing is endemic to television characters and it pisses me off about all of them. Why aren't fictional characters allowed to be cool or understanding, or show their friends a measure of grace instead of rubbing their nose in how uncomfortable they currently are? What kills me is this is not an unreasonable ask on my end. TV has simply been doing wrong by audiences for decades and nobody was smart enough to complain. I'm complaining now. I hate this crap.
I loved Red's stuff with Agnes, especially how honest he was with her. And I especially love that Agnes doesn't pressure him for more answers than he's comfortable giving. Are we sure this cool character is the daughter of the most despicable unfair person on the entire series? Because I don't know where she got that coolness. It's not something she learned from either Harold or Red either. She's just chill. And she is clearly not her mother's daughter.
I liked most of it, although the ending was a bit predictable. But it was also the right ending, and left the characters off on the right place. And I love that Dembe doesn't actually lean in for the kiss. She would have accepted it. But it would have made things messy for no good reason and he's not putting that on her because he's a gentleman. I like that.
Good week. ***1/2.
The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer by "Ellen Rimbauer"
I always thought the miniseries Rose Red was a serious disappointment. Not just compared to the solid-as-hell Storm Of The Century. But also compared to the other ABC miniseries based on Stephen King's works. I had never read the tie-in book to Rose Red until very recently, and I'm pleasantly surprised how solid it is. It's actually far better than the project it's actually advertising.
King didn't write it but that's a selling point in my mind. Ellen Rimbauer's voice feels very distinctive and its own for this reason, and the story feels fully formed and almost realistic because it doesn't resemble King, or the many writing techniques he uses (and I would argue sometimes overuses).
The same types of dumbasses who believed The Blair Witch Project was a documentary propelled this book to the bestseller list because they mistook is for nonfiction. Honestly, how stupid are people? They really get on my nerves sometimes.
One of the pleasures of reading King-adjacent stuff for Stephen King Book Club. ****1/2.