Underrated Holiday Specials on Disney+

By John D’Amico

Full-Court Miracle

Let’s start with a Hanukkah special. And a Disney Channel Original Movie of all things. Full-Court Miracle is based on the true story of a Jewish teenager Alex “Schlotz” Schlotsky. Schlotz is part of his Jewish Private School’s basketball team. They’re not winning too much, partly because their coach is an algebra teacher who doesn’t know a thing about the game.

One day, they meet a man named Lamont Carr. And they believe that he’s the perfect person to take on the job as their new coach. They believe he’s their savior, in the same way that Judah Maccabee was to the Jews in the story of Hanukkah. Richard T. Jones as Carr is one of the main reasons to watch this movie. He brings so much believability and charm to the role that you miss him whenever he’s not on-screen. They start off his character arc by making him a grumpy guy who doesn’t want any involvement with these kids. But instead of going the more clichéd route and having it take almost the entire movie for him to open up, his tough exterior starts to crack pretty quickly. It’s refreshing but you also believe it because the growth of his friendship with the boys is still a gradual process.

Alex D. Linz also does good work as Schlotz, convincingly portraying his conflict with his mother who wants him to give up on basketball and just try to become a doctor like her. I’ve seen a fair amount of Disney Channel Original Movies in my adult life. And this is definitely in my top 5.

Holidays of Future Passed

Everyone knows The Simpsons, right? Yes, but not as many people have watched their later seasons. Here’s a strong Christmas episode from that era. So “Holidays of Future Passed” (S23, E9) takes place thirty years in the future, along the lines of the season 6 episode “Lisa’s Wedding.” These are usually interesting and this one is no exception. In addition to the kids being grown up, this story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. So you get a lot of cool ideas here that writer J. Stewart Burns takes full advantage of.

This one starts off with a good, Christmas-themed intro with some funny background jokes and a cute couch gag with the family as gingerbread men. The story starts in present day on Thanksgiving night with the family about to take their annual Christmas card photo. After taking it, we get a montage of 30 years of photos showing how they change over the years. At this point, things have gotten tough. Like I said, it’s the apocalypse so none of them are doing particularly well. But Bart is easily the worst off, a divorced, deadbeat dad who has to work to gain his sons’ respect. The way they resolved this plot could’ve been unsatisfying but they found a way to make it work while still making it funny. The humor in general works here too with using the idea of a possible future to comment on society at the time. In the later seasons, The Simpsons definitely seems to go for edgier comedy. There’s some here but it never overdoes it to the point where it takes away from the more touching moments, which are well-done too. Check this one out.

One Magic Christmas

Here’s a theatrical Disney film that, for whatever reason, seems to have gone under the radar for most people. And I can sort of see why. It gets pretty heavy at times considering the G rating. And some could say the tone shifts around a little too much. But despite that, and an iffy ending, this is very well-made. One Magic Christmas stars Mary Steenburgen as a struggling blue-collar working mother/wife desperately trying to keep things together for her two kids and her optimistic husband. Steenburgen’s character Ginnie has a complicated relationship with Christmas to the point where Santa sends a Christmas angel (the late Harry Dean Stanton in a wholesome performance) to help out her and her family. Perhaps the biggest strength of the film is the way it accurately portrays the life of the working poor. The challenges and stresses the family go through here all felt very genuine. The manner it presents the cynicism it can bring out in people was very interesting to watch. But overall, it’s a just a nice movie with good acting and a good story (even if you have to go through some really sad stuff to get to the more upbeat ending).

Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation/A Christmas Peril

Here we have a good double-entry. Both are Christmas episodes from funny, 2010s Disney cartoons created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh. Both series even take place in the same universe.

The first is “Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation” (S2, E21) from, well, Phineas and Ferb, a hilarious kids cartoon about two stepbrothers do crazy stuff each day of their summer vacation. But instead, this episode is a one-off, taking place on their Christmas vacation, even with it’s own Christmas version of the opening credits. Phineas and Ferb‘s humor is all about subversion, whether it’s subverting other cartoon tropes or it’s own formula. And one does that about as hilariously as they possibly could using a Christmas special as a jumping off point.

Then there’s “A Christmas Peril” (S1, E21) from Milo Murphy Law, a series about a positive but unlucky kid named Milo Murphy voiced by Weird Al Yankovic (yes, that Weird Al Yankovic). In the main plot, Milo invites his equally unlucky extended family over for Christmas. And we get a lot of good humor from this setup. There’s also an even funnier subplot from the point-of-view of two time-travelers named Dakota and Vinnie. It doesn’t explain in this episode their connection to the main character but let’s just say that he has a habit of accidentally ruining their plans. But anyway, their subplot is made up of some great comedic set pieces that mostly just uses Christmas as a backdrop. Bottom line, check out both of these funny Christmas episodes and the shows they come from. You won’t regret it.

Santa’s Little Helper /Girl Meets a Christmas Maya

And we end on another double entry. First, there’s “Santa’s Little Helper” (S1, E10) from Boy Meets World, one of the best family sitcoms ever. If you’ve never seen it, well, the title says it all. It’s about a regular boy meeting the world. This episode starts off with a setup we’ve all seen before about a kid who thinks Christmas is all about the getting. But the humor and execution is what makes it work. You see, our protagonist Cory gets some new perspective when he learns that his best friend Shawn’s dad lost his job. He tries to help but at first, it doesn’t go well. We get a well-written story with none of the plot contrivances you saw in a lot of shows like this at the time. The main plot is touching and also mixes in a really funny subplot where Cory’s adorable little sister Morgan thinks she killed Santa when he has a minor heart attack after she sits on his lap. But the episode balance the two stories perfectly, with tonal shifts that never feel off. This is an episode I’ve watched every year since I discovered it a few years ago.

Then over 20 years later we got the sequel series on the Disney Channel, Girl Meets World focusing on Cory’s daughter Riley (premise is the same as the one above but now with a girl). In this episode, “Girl Meets a Christmas Maya,” (S3, E18) Riley’s best friend Maya is hesitant about spending Christmas with her new stepfather because she’s afraid he won’t like her family’s weird traditions. So Riley and her family put on their own version of “A Christmas Carol” to help Maya appreciate her family more. It starts off a little silly but get real touching real fast. Meanwhile, Riley tries and struggles with the annual Secret Santa with her friend group. This plot serves as a vehicle to develop smaller characters on the series. When they have the Secret Santa, the gifts seem bad at first. Where they take the story from here is extremely clever and extremely heartwarming. It’s a funny episode too. While “Santa’s Little Helper” is equally great each time I watch it, “Girl Meets a Christmas Maya” gets better and better for me with each viewing.

Why ‘Elf’ is the Best Christmas Movie

Seventeen years ago, New Line Cinema released a new Christmas film into theaters. This movie told the story of a man named Buddy, a human raised by elves at the North Pole. I was fortunate enough to see the film in theaters that December.

Little did I know, I’d be seeing a film that would become a modern Christmas classic, and also, my personal favorite Christmas movie. This movie was Elf, starring comedic talent Will Ferrell and directed by Jon Favreau. 

But what exactly is it about Elf that makes it the best Christmas movie? Well, let’s take a look and find out. 

The story begins by introducing the viewers to sitcom legend Bob Newhart (in the first of many perfect casting choices) as Papa Elf, Buddy’s adoptive elf father. You see, Buddy was an orphan. His mother put him in an orphanage as a baby, And his real dad Walter (James Caan) never knew he existed. 

One Christmas Eve when Buddy was a baby in the orphanage, he crawled into the bag of Santa (Ed Asner in another perfect casting choice). So everyone at the North Pole decided to keep Buddy there and raise him as an elf.

Buddy grows up and has some trouble living as an elf. His physical human traits make him an outsider at the North Pole. But when he later goes to the human world, his elf-like personality makes him a bit of an outsider there as well. 

Papa Elf eventually tells Buddy that he is a human and they send him off to New York City to find his real dad. This is the point where the movie becomes a great Christmas comedy through the use of the classic fish out of water story. Buddy is naïve about how the human world works. And he’s definitely challenged in a place as fast-paced as New York City. 

SNL alum Will Ferrell absolutely nails this role. The childlike enthusiasm he gives to Buddy makes him a treat to watch. You can tell he had a ton of fun playing this part. And his comedic delivery is really on point. Honestly, he deserved an Oscar nomination. He’s that good. 

Buddy them meets his dad Walter, who is unfortunately on Santa’s naughty list. Now, Walter is a bit of a Hollywood character type. He’s the grumpy guy who doesn’t like many people. He needs to learn to lighten up, be nicer and get into the holiday spirit. But there’s a little more to him than that. 

Walter is not a terrible person. But you can tell his job has brought out the nasty side of his personality. His character is not one-dimensional. He has moments throughout the movie where he is a decent guy. And surprisingly, he shows some real patience with Buddy at times, despite finding him incredibly annoying. For the most part, his character felt genuine. 

Then there’s the love interest Jovie, played by the lovely and talented Zooey Deschanel. She’s a bit of a grump at first as well, but it doesn’t take too long for Buddy to bring out her pleasant side. He just has a way of winning people over. And the scene later in the film where the two of them go on their first date is the definition of charming. 

Buddy is somewhat of a complex character too. Once again, he has the childlike innocence where he feels like a little kid in an adult’s body. He’s very kind but he can also be tough when necessary. And he can occasionally feel shame when he needs to. He also has certain talents and skills that impress the humans around him.

Elf is a movie I watch every single year around Christmas. I mean, what’s a better movie to get you into the Christmas spirit than a movie that’s literally all about spreading Christmas cheer? 

Favreau does a superb job of adding that holiday vibe to this movie. Everything from the music to the sets and the costumes do an excellent job at giving the viewer that wholesome feeling we all desire this time of year.

Even early in the movie, we have the scenes that take place at the North Pole, filled with references to the classic special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. 

But what also makes this movie a Christmas classic is the heart. The best example of this is the scene towards the end where, spoilers, Buddy’s dad Walter goes through his redemption. It’s incredibly well-acted from Caan and really just warms your heart. 

Then there’s the second-to-last scene in the movie where everybody has to come together to help Buddy save Christmas. It’s a great scene that will likely help you get in the spirit of holiday. And the last moment of this scene is absolute perfection. Everything from the editing to the music is all done flawlessly. 

This movie isn’t perfect. It definitely has its share of cliches. And at times, it perhaps comes off as a little inappropriate for its family audience. I definitely wouldn’t show this movie to really young kids. Maybe wait until they’re at least 8.

But overall, I think it’s great and consider it essential viewing every year. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.

3 Reasons ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ Works

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a bit of an odd movie if you think about it. It’s pretty universally well-liked despite some aspects that could possibly be controversial. It’s often thought of as a family film despite the PG-13 rating. I even remember an edited version airing on Nickelodeon when I was younger.

But yeah, it’s a bit of an edgy movie. It’s a family-ish film where the main character could be considered unlikable. The whole movie is about him skipping school, breaking rules and lying to people. And in the end, he gets away with it. He gets no consequences at all.

Yet, the film works and pretty much everyone likes it. I wouldn’t personally call it a great movie. But it’s definitely very good. So what is it that makes the film work despite some things working against it? Let’s take a look. 

In his Golden Globe-nominated role, Matthew Broderick immediately does a good job with establishing Ferris as cool, confident, funny and charismatic. This helps the viewer to root for the character even if you wouldn’t personally do what he’s doing. 

He’s still kind of a jerk. But Broderick has such a good screen presence that you can’t help but love the guy. You also have to admire how well-thought-out and clever every aspect of his plan is. 

Then there’s the way John Hughes crafts Principal Ed Rooney. When you first meet his character, you could view him simply as an antagonist, meaning someone whose role is to fight against the main character, and not necessarily a ”bad guy.” You could say he was just doing his job, and trying to punish a kid who was breaking the rules. 

But as we see more and more of Rooney’s side of the story, he becomes more and more obsessed with catching Ferris. It gets personal for him. It’s not about disciplining a misbehaving teenager anymore. He despises Ferris and wants him to suffer. And no matter what a student does, I don’t think he’s supposed to be insulting and swearing at them like he does.

He even leaves his post at school and goes to the Bueller home. He tries to get in by ringing the bell but that’s unsuccessful. So he breaks in, of course committing a crime. What exactly was he planning to do to Ferris if he found him there? I’m not sure if I want to think about that. 

He’s not just an antagonist anymore. Now he’s a villain. Because of this, you want to see him fail. And you want to see Ferris succeed just a little bit more. You could also argue that since he doesn’t follow the rules, it’s unfair of him to expect Ferris to follow them. 

Perhaps there’s a resentment he has towards our protagonist. As Rooney’s secretary Grace points out, Ferris is beloved by everyone. He’s young and has his whole life ahead of him. He’ll probably be successful despite being a slacker. Meanwhile, Rooney is aging, not as well-liked and probably dislikes his job.

Then you have the film’s message – “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” 

Ferris emphasizes this in a scene towards the end of the film, where he does his signature fourth-wall break talking directly to the audience. 

This immediately follows a scene where Ferris’ best friend Frye (an excellent Alan Ruck) freaks about something happening to his dad’s car. Ferris says he wanted to give Frye a good day. Frye is always miserable. And Ferris wanted them to have some fun before they went off to different colleges. 

Most of us feel this way sometimes. Life is tough and every once in a while you just want to drop everything and do whatever you want. 

But here’s the thing, you don’t necessarily have to completely agree with a movie’s message in order to appreciate it. You just have to be able to see where they’re coming from. That’s what this scene does well.

So overall, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off works because of the charisma of its lead, the “hateability” of the antagonist and the relatability of the message. If you somehow haven’t seen it already, please check it out.

Bloody Marie – Interesting Dutch Indie Drama

“Beer for the thirst, vodka for the flavor and whiskey to get drunk.” 

This is the first line of dialogue featured in the hybrid Dutch/English-language independent drama Bloody Marie. Told through narration by our title character Marie (Susanne Wolff), this single line quickly gives an effective illustration of our title character. 

Bloody Marie is a character study following a few days in the life of its protagonist, a lonely alcoholic woman whose career as an artist could be described as a one-hit-wonder in need of a comeback. 

But at this point for Marie, creating new art isn’t about the love of art itself. Instead, she simply needs the money to live. 

Marie lives an unfulfilled life. Her addiction has complete control over many of her actions. She has no close family or friends except for her dog. All she does is live one day to the next simply trying to get by. 

In one scene somewhat early in the picture, Marie is wandering the city one night and meets a man named Dragomir. And in one of the first moments to showcase the power her addiction has over her, she trades her shoes for a bottle of alcohol. Once the viewer sees this, they get a good idea of how tough things are for her. 

As the film continues, Marie demonstrates more and more desperation. Her actions lead to her already difficult life spiraling out of control. Wolff has to largely carry this film, giving a solid performance, conveying all the necessary emotions that Marie experiences. 

Writer/director team Lennert Hillege and Guido van Driel did an impressive job with their first feature-length film. They do good work with the movie’s visual presentation. A lot of the film takes place at night, perhaps to represent the dark place Marie is in her life. But there’s also nice use the colors red, purple and pink in the film’s lighting, which the directors present in a visually pleasing manner, while also adding to the film’s tone.  

Bloody Marie also does an effective job with the potentially challenging task of making the protagonist sympathetic. Marie makes some questionable decisions throughout the film’s runtime. But the movie makes this work by demonstrating that her choices are often done out of a need for survival, as opposed to selfishness.

Bloody Marie is hardly the most upbeat movie ever. But it does leave you with some moments where you have a little hope for the main character. 

Overall, this is a good movie worth checking out. It didn’t get much of a theatrical release. So look out for it on DVD or streaming. It gets a 7 out of 10 from me. 

Blinded by the Light Movie Review

Inspired by a true story, Blinded by the Light stars charming newcomer Viveik Kalra as Javed, a Pakistani teenager living in Britain in the late ’80s. Javed is unhappy with his current life. His father Malik (Kulvinder Ghir) is authoritative over his children. He won’t let Javed have much fun. And he wants him to go to university and pursue a career as an accountant. But Javed just wants to write.

Whether it’s poetry or articles for his school newspaper, this guy just loves expressing himself through the written word. His passion becomes even stronger when a new friend introduces him to the music of the legend Bruce Springsteen in this feel-good and surprisingly inspirational story.

Now, the father/son aspect here is an interesting one. On the one hand, it’s a story we’ve seen plenty of times before. That’s not to say it isn’t effective. But it’s still pretty familiar at times.

Even the cultural/religious aspect of it is one I’ve seen a number of times before. Having said that, it’s refreshing to see this sort of representation of other cultures in cinema. In fact, if you really think about it, how many wide-release films feature a Muslim protagonist?

Blinded by the Light tackles multiple themes. But perhaps the most interesting and relatable one is the idea of how art can inspire us to do great things. Many of us have been in that situation where we see someone we admire and think, “I want to do that.” This film is one that will make you want to get out there start fighting for your dreams.

Unfortunately, this movie has some aspects that are underdeveloped. In the opening scene, we see Javed as a child with his friend Matt. Years later, their friendship isn’t quite as strong.

But the movie doesn’t really do much with   Matt’s part of the story. Around the middle portion of the movie, we get a forced conflict between them which they later resolve quickly. It may make you ask, “Why did they include this character in the movie at all?

There are also a couple of family members that we could have gotten to know better. For instance, early in the movie, Javed says that his sister is the only person in his family he likes. Yet she hardly gets any screen time or dialogue. She never contributes much of substance to the plot.

This film mainly focuses on its central character. And throughout the runtime, he always feels like a real person. You can see some of yourself in him. You will feel a connection to the issues he deals with. When he’s having fun, you’ll have fun watching him. When he’s sad, you’ll feel sad too.

This is is definitely a movie to see if you’re a Springsteen fan. It succeeds as a tribute to the rockstar. The people involved are clearly huge fans. And the soundtrack makes good use of his classic songs.

Overall, Blinded by the Light is a humorous, sweet and likable movie worth checking out. It’s not one of the best films of 2019. But it does a solid job with what it aims to do.

7 out of 10

 

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons Review

When it was first announced that Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear were bringing back All in the Family and The Jeffersons by remaking an episode of each for a one-time event, well, a lot of people were intrigued. It’s definitely a different kind of way to appeal to our current obsession with nostalgia. And it was also one of the best attempts at it so far.

So how does one critique something like this? Well, as Jimmy Kimmel said, they just reused the original scripts. Nothing from them is changed. And of course they’re quite good scripts. The dialogue is as always hilarious and captures quite well how actual families converse. But is the new content any good?

Well, starting with the All in the Family episode, we have a great cast. Ever since they cast him to play Archie Bunker, it was clear Woody Harrelson was the perfect choice for the role. And he nails everything about the beloved bigot, from the personality to the mannerisms.

Then we have Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei as Edith Bunker and Emmy-nominee Ellie Kemper as their daughter Gloria. I personally was a little concerned about both casting choices considering they were both playing characters different from what they’ve played before.

But I’m happy to say I was wrong. With Tomei, I suppose it shouldn’t have been a surprise considering she’s spent decades establishing herself as a great talent. And as far as Kemper goes, well, if she hadn’t established it before, she certainly has now. Both really transformed themselves into these classic characters. And some credit must be given to Anthony Anderson as George Jefferson’s brother Henry, bringing some real humor and charisma to the role.

Yes, the Jeffersons also appear in the All in the Family episode as well. Comedienne Wanda Sykes was a good choice for Louise Jefferson as someone who fit naturally into the role. Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx was a nice choice for George. The make-up artists, hairstylists and costume designers all did a great job making him look the part. His performance was mostly very good. He also got the mannerisms down pretty well. But something about his portrayal in both episodes just wasn’t quite all the way there.

The actual Jeffersons episode, while still good, was the weaker of the two. Other than Sykes and Foxx, some of their casting was not the best. The one that stuck out was Stephen Tobolowsky as Harry Bentley. He wasn’t really too funny and I honestly couldn’t even tell at first who he who supposed to be playing.

We did get one great casting choice towards the end of this episode that you likely won’t see coming. It’s different and although at first, you might be unsure about it, you’ll quickly realize it was a good decision.

The Jeffersons segment also excelled with Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson absolutely killing it with her cover of the classic theme song “Movin’ On Up.” Speaking of which, Harrelson and Tomei also impressed with their reproduction of “Those Were the Days.”

The entire cast, as well as director James Burrows, also must be commended for their success with the difficult task of doing the whole show while being broadcast live on TV. They could have easily screwed this up. But other than a couple of small issues, they pulled it off very well. You can tell they rehearsed a lot.

Overall, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons was about everything you’d want to see from this. It’s the kind of show I’d like to see them try out again in the future. By the way, if they ever decide to do something like this with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I have two words: Brie Larson.

8 out of 10

 

 

Benjamin: Redbox’s First Original Movie Not Worth a Rental

Ever since Netflix got the ball rolling all those years ago with their original programming, the entertainment industry has come up with some great new ways to release movies to the public beyond the typical (and still completely valid and relevant) theater experience.

In fact, just very recently, Redbox decided to get into the original programming game with their first original film Benjamin, a drama/comedy starring and directed by Bob Saget, aka, one of the best parts of the ‘90s hit family sitcom Full House.

So, the only way you can watch this movie is to go to your local Redbox and rent a physical copy. So, did Redbox get off to a good start with this one? Well, even as someone who didn’t really expect much from this film, I was a bit disappointed, and very confused as well.

Saget stars in a mostly solid performance as Ed, a middle-aged father of two, who, along with his struggling girlfriend, decides to set up an intervention for his teenage son (the titular Benjamin) after discovering he is smoking crystal meth.

So Ed seemingly invites whomever he can get together to the intervention. This includes Ed’s older daughter Amber, his doctor friend who shares his first name (Rob Corrdry), his brother, his estranged wife whom he doesn’t expect to show up and two of his wife’s distant relatives. These two end up trying to steal a bunch of junk from his house by the way. None of this is as funny or interesting as it might sound.

Now, early on, Benjamin has some good laughs, a lot it coming from the interactions between the main characters and their eccentric personalities. But as the movie continues, the plot starts to progressively go off the rails.

The whole concept of the film is that while these characters are trying to help Benjamin with his drug addiction problem, they also have to confront their own problems. This was something that could’ve potentially made for a good story. But unfortunately, the movie just had a little too much going on.

Everyone previously listed got their own subplot. And these mostly weren’t engaging or funny. Most of it didn’t really relate to the central drug addiction plot in any way. Honestly, the focus should have mostly been on Saget’s Ed and the way his own relationship troubles connected to what his son was going through.

Benjamin also suffers from tonal issues in that it’s another aspect that is all over the place. Sometimes it feels like it’s trying to be a goofy, almost cartoonish comedy with characters not behaving realistically. Other times it tries to act dark, dramatic and more down to Earth. And none of it blends together well.

Speaking of the tone, Saget as the director has the problem of never establishing a proper dark tone to go along with the serious subject. Even with a dark comedy, it helps to have a darker tone, one that you can create with elements like the lighting and soundtrack, something this film never attempts.

Honestly, for a lot of the movie’s runtime, I was left just asking myself questions like “What is going on?” “Why is this happening?” and “Why did they add that scene in?” Some of it gets answered by the end and that’s all fine. But when it was all over, I was still left feeling perplexed about a lot of the movie. And this isn’t done in a clever or meaningful way. It largely just felt kind of nonsensical.

Benjamin had some potential but overall just didn’t execute itself well. It’s not awful but it’s also not the kind of movie that is going to make people rush out to their local ShopRite Redbox when they can find plenty of better stuff on Netflix without even having to leave their house.

4.5 out of 10

The Twilight Zone 2019: The Comedian Review

Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone is one of the most beloved TV shows of all-time, and for good reason. Serling’s creepy and thought-provoking stories are absolutely timeless. I would say that a revival was inevitable, but this isn’t the first time.

Now, I will admit that I haven’t seen much of the 1980s version (and I’ve never seen the early 2000s version). But if the little I’ve seen is anything to go by, this new series from Oscar-winner Jordan Peele looks like the one to beat.

The series premiere is “The Comedian,” starring real-life acclaimed comedian Kumail Nanjiani as Samir, a struggling stand-up whom one night after another failed gig meets a famous comedian named J.C. Wheeler (Tracy Morgan, giving an impressive dramatic performance).

Wheeler suggests that Samir change his act and talk more about his personal life, specifically, that he talks about the people in it. Little did Samir know, at the end of their meeting, Wheeler gave him a special power. Let’s just say that if he does it the right way, he could now use his stand up routine to play God.

Now, this episode is not the first time a TV series has tackled a premise like this, and this does admittedly hold the episode back a bit. Not to mention the fact that a number of the story beats are ones that you can sometimes predict before they happen. Having said that, there’s a lot to recommend here.

In addition to Morgan, Nanjiani does good work in the lead role as an ordinary man who gets in over in his head. Nanjiani doesn’t have a ton of acting experience yet. But like his role in the 2017 film The Big Sick, he appears to essentially be playing himself here.

Is he going to become the next Tom Hanks? Probably not. But he’s pretty much perfect for this role. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Emmy-nominee Alex Rubens wrote the part with him in mind.

Speaking of fitting the role, Jordan Peele does a great job filling Serling’s shoes as the narrator. He has a good speaking voice and captures the mystery and dread of the narrator as he introduces us to the episode’s premise and themes.

And honestly, this really does feel like something Serling would have written if he were alive today. Everyone involved here clearly knows the original series quite well.

Even the episode’s director Owen Harris does a great job capturing the look of the original classic, while still giving it more of a modern feel. You might not think The Twilight Zone would work in color. But you’d be wrong. Getting a director who previously worked on Black Mirror was a smart move on their part.

This version of the series has a ton of respect for the original. One fear going into to this was that it would just be cashing on the original name without feeling like the same thing.

But with Peele as the narrator, an updated take on the classic opening title sequence and even bringing back the classic end credits style and music, when watching this re-imagining, there’s no doubt you’ve entered The Twilight Zone.

Watch the episode for free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19GO8-Rrn0g

FBI Pilot Review

Dick Wolf has made quite the career for himself with these network TV crime dramas. He’s covered the basics of the courtroom on the original “Law & Order.” He’s examined the Special Victims Unit on you know what show.

So what next? Well, the Federal Bureau of Investigation of course. And it looks like he has another good show on his hands with this one.

Our premiere episode starts by introducing two young boys who are brothers. We don’t see too much of them here. But it’s enough for the episode to make it feel like we’re watching two real kids.

Then, the unexpected happens. A bomb goes off in a sequence with some impressive visual and sound effects editing.

And after the title card, we meet our protagonist, FBI Agent Maggie Bell (Missy Peregrym). Peregrym gives a solid if not at times basic performance.

After a second explosion, the youngest of the two brothers is left dead. Here we get our compelling side-plot for the episode: the victim’s mother blaming Maggie for her son’s death.

Maggie is admittedly not the most original character for this type of show. She’s a strong woman who uses her work to hide her emotions. But it’s still handled in a way where it mostly works.

The rest of the episode is a somewhat typical story of the team trying to find their culprit. This show is hardly “True Detective” as far as how to tell these  kinds of stories. But we get a few interesting themes in this episode that work pretty well.

What else is there? Well, Maggie gets a good backstory that we’ll definitely learn more about in the future. Although, the rest of the main cast are lacking in development for the time being.

Overall, it’s a good first episode that sets everything up well while also telling it’s own well-written stand-alone story. I could definitely see myself watching this show again.

7 out of 10.

IMDb Drastically Changes ‘Bottom 100’

Sometime perhaps within the past couple of weeks, the popular film site IMDb (Internet Movie Database) made a major change to their ‘Bottom 100,’ which lists the lowest-rated feature-length theatrical fiction films on the site.

Previously, a film needed to have received at least 1,500 ratings from IMDb users to qualify for the list. But at this time, the movie needs at least 10,000 ratings to make it on the list.

The result of this change is a completely new list, removing several lesser-known films and replacing them with films a lot more well-known. Some new additions to the list include cult films like the 1990 horror film “Troll 2,” the 2003 infamous drama “The Room” and the 1997 superhero film “Batman & Robin.”

As of the writing of this, the no. 1 movie on the list is the 2008 parody film “Disaster Movie” from the infamous writer/director duo Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. The film currently has a rating of 2 out of 10 with over 80,000 votes.

One major change to the list is that it now has many films with much higher ratings than the previous version of the list. Before the change, the vast majority, if not all the movies on the list, had ratings lower than 3 out of 10.

But as of the time writing this, you only have to go down to the 25th spot on the list to find a movie with a rating of 3 out of 10. This spot is currently held by the aforementioned “Troll 2.”

The 100th spot on the list currently belongs to the 2010 M. Night Shyamalan action film “The Last Airbender,” based on the popular Nickelodeon animated series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

“The list is ranked by a formula which includes the number of ratings each movie received from users, and value of ratings received from regular users,” according to IMDb.

It’s uncertain at this time exactly when IMDb made this change. Although, you can find a forum post about the change dated July 14, 2018. So the change has been in place for over two weeks at the least.

*Update: An earlier version of this post mistakenly said that to make it on the previous version of the list, a film needed 1,000 votes and that the new version of the list now requires 1,500 votes.*