Wandavision (2021)

Wandavision ushers in a new era, not only for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but for television itself. It is the first must-see TV since Game of Thrones. It's what everyone is talking about (online, but maybe we would have discussed in person if not for the pandemic). It was appointment viewing, week to week, liable to crash Disney+ more than once. Everyone had to watch soon so as to avoid spoilers. Of course, because the miniseries is not standalone, we have to watch if we're to follow the increasingly complex MCU plot. A couple dozen movies in, it's too late to quit now. So in that way too, though it's not the first Marvel television show, it is the first for Marvel Studios, making viewing as required as with the blockbuster movies that have defined a generation of movie-going.  

 

It is fitting that this landmark sitcom pays homage to the sitcoms of yesteryear. I think the creative experimentation that makes the show unique is its strongest feature. The first couple episodes sending up the sitcoms of the 50s and 60s are the best, before the show dives deep into the MCU lore. Elizabeth Olson especially plays the 50s housewife very convincingly, and later plays Claire Dunphy from Modern Family spot on too. Sitcom actors Randall Park and Kat Dennings both add comic relief in their supporting roles. With each new era, the set changes, the costumes change, the fake "commercials" change, the songs and opening titles change (Kristen Anderson Lopez and Robert Lopez are on fire) and even the comedy changes. Though the sitcom is a universal genre, our comedic tastes have evolved over the decades. And I quite liked the clever reveal about how American sitcoms comforted Wanda in her Sokovian childhood. It was natural that she would turn to them in her period of grief. Indeed, the central theme of the show is grief, perhaps unusual for the superhero genre.

Fresh Off the Boat (2015-20)

Fresh Off the Boat, loosely based on Eddie Huang's memoir. An Asian American family on network TV in a family 90s-era sitcom. That's not nothing. It is a watershed moment in American culture. It paved the way for Crazy Rich Asians. It paved the way for Awkwafina, Lulu Wang, Hasan Minhaj and the plethora of new Asian voices we're seeing in film and TV. Representation matters. You don't fully comprehend how much it matters until it is achieved and you realize what the world has been missing out on. Not only does it normalize your own experience, it exposes white society to broader expectations of normalcy too. While maintaining its cultural specificity, it also clearly demonstrates that we all undergo similar experiences. It was always pleasing to identify my friends and family being represented on screen in these relatable characters. Constance Wu and Randall Park became mainstream stars in their own right. And we watched the kids grow up over the last six years. It has been a good run. Let's hope we don't have to wait long for more Asians on network TV.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

It's fine. I liked it just fine. It's breezy fun but the plot is sort of thin. Paul Rudd's character is under house arrest due to external conflicts from Avengers: Civil War. The mid-credits scene alludes to the Avengers too. But the central conflict within the film has three sides, Ant-Man vs the ghost vs a common black market dealer. The dealer's presence in the film is seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of thing. The ghost is a sympathetic villain. But by the time we get to the resolution of the plot, we see that the antagonism between them was moot. Paul Rudd is fun though.

Trainwreck (2015)

Judd Apatow takes his tried and true R-rated comedy formula, and refreshingly puts a female protagonist at the helm.  Amy Schumer pens this hilarious not-your-typical romantic comedy.  No, Schumer pokes fun at romantic comedy cliches in a satire of sorts.  Her self deprecating, biting, edgy, raunchy humor is exactly what we've come to expect from Schumer.  But at the same time, there is a good balance between humor and seriousness.

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader play great leads. They have good chemistry together, and they make each other funnier feeding off of each other's energy.  Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable in her tanned skin tone.  And the MVP award goes to LeBron James playing himself. Is there anything he can't do?  As the concerned friend and patient of Bill Hader, he is actually really funny.  

The Interview (2014)

I readily admit that I probably would not have seen this movie had it not been for all the controversy brought by the cyber-terrorist attack.  It is important that the right to free speech be preserved and protected and that no one, let alone cyber-terrorists, be allowed to decide what may be said.  Political satire has been consistently protected by the Constitution--it is the Constitution not terrorism that dictates law in America.  

The movie just as much a satire on the North Korean regime as it is on the American media.  It presents an interesting idea about politics.  How does a regime fall?  The initial plan is to kill the Supreme Leader, hoping that a better leader will usurp power.  But of course there is a Plan B.  Plan B shows the full potential of the media in its power to affect change and to make the public aware of what has been kept secret.

That being said, it is not a great movie.  It has its funny moments, mostly in the beginning of the film (I appreciate a good Hobbit reference).  As the movie progresses, the jokes get old.  We don't know too much about Kim Jong Un, so Randall Park runs with his portrayal, playing a shy, not-very-charismatic leader.  His depiction of the Supreme Leader is almost as funny as Margaret Cho's portrayal of the late Kim Jong Il in 30 Rock.  I've come to rather like Seth Rogen who is quite likable, but James Franco just comes off as annoying.