wakuseimeech Reviews

Fool's Paradise (2023)

Misunderstood

[7/10 · 23 June 2023]

I think Fool's Paradise will be remembered more fondly than it's experienced. It's a story about how most people in the entertainment industry are built almost entirely out of ego and how this constitution affects their relationships to others, both professionally and personally.

I think the biggest weakness in this project comes from the promotion as well as our expectations of Charlie Day and Ken Jeong. I'm not sure I would consider this film a comedy in the modern sense, but it had funny moments and the feeling I was left with was a positive one. I'm also not sure Day realized Jeong was the story's protagonist until late into production. I did truly enjoy seeing Dr Ken in a completely straight role that really let him spread his wings beyond comic relief.

Making YouTube (2021)

Whether parody or poor imitation.. it wasn't great.

[5/10 · 30 January 2022]

I spent most of this film going back and forth trying to determine if it was satire or a sub-standard facsimile of The Social Network.

For example:

The first point at which I suspected satire was at play was during their tenure at PayPal. Chad gives this big speech on his design symbolized what he believed PayPal could be and how important it was and what it stood for; but we saw the design and... it was just PayPal in bubble letters? Near the end of the film, Jawed apologizes for manipulating Chad and Steve and says that the two of them are now 50/50 partners. After the sale, the end text tells us Chad's shares were worth around $350M. Then it says Steve and Jawed both received a little over $100M each. How does this make sense if Steve and Chad are equal partners? So I took to Google to find an answer. The figure for Chad is accurate, Steve received the exact same amount as Chad, and Jawed got around $70M. So then I start wondering, "Okay well if it's contradicting itself, they must know. Maybe it's parodying inaccuracies in big Hollywood biopics that just streamline a story and then bloat it back out with nonsense and rumors." But then that doesn't explain why they fail to establish Chad's contributions to YouTube other than "the name and concept." Chad actually had a pretty vital role in the tagging and video sharing aspects of YouTube and was the one who realized Adobe Flash was the solution to their storage issues. There is more to a website than an algorithm and a name. It certainly doesn't explain the sound balancing and EQ issues that plagued this piece. I had to keep my remote in my hand to adjust the volume with, what felt like, nearly every line

I thought Dax Flame's performance was pretty good. I think he took some artistic liberties to make Chad more interesting which is totally fair because Chad is the most boring and flat person to watch speak in real life. Unfortunately, this was the only performance here that felt fully developed.

Overall not a bad film by any means, but it felt like an early draft of a potentially great film.

Altered Carbon (2018–2020)

If only I could rate seasons individually...

[6/10 · 28 August 2020]

Season one of this show was incredible. The first time I started the first season I ended up watched it all the way through and the restarted it the next day. The writing, production, set and costume design and most of the acting was all perfectly executed. I was so immersed in this world and it felt like there was so much history to this universe and at no point did it feel like it deliberate exposition. Nobody had to sit down and say "this happened, it made me feel this way, and now I'm going to do this". I also remember remarking at the end that, for a while, I genuinely forgot the two Takeshis were different people. It really felt like both actors were playing the same person in a different skin. All if this fell away within 5 minutes of season 2. It's not all Anthony Mackie's fault... but he definitely deserves some of the blame. Even Poe's actor struggled bit with their lack of chemistry and the poor writing, which is a shame, because he really shined in the first season. If I could rate them separately I'd give the first season a 9/10 and the second a 1/10. I did not finish the second season despite my best efforts but I did make it a little past halfway and saw no improvement.

Also; on a bit of a tangential note, when Tak is resleeved as Anthony Mackie they make a huge a deal about how big and strong he is now like it's this big improvement but I feel season one made it pretty clear that the Envoys are the deadliest beings in the universe across all of history so does he really need all the extra modifications? In addition; Anthony Mackie seems WAY smaller than Joel Kinnaman. Kinnaman is a towering imposing figure in the first season and maybe it's acting, or filming angles that create that impression but it definitely didn't feel like this huge upgrade they spent an unprecedented amount of time talking up.

The Wrong Missy (2020)

Classic Happy Madison Production

[8/10 · 29 May 2020]

This movie was a great time and both leads were perfect for their roles. David Spade's wig, which resembled his own hair from his 20's was pretty funny in it's own right and thinking back this may be one if the first movies where a character has an intentionally bad wig without forcing some sort of silly scene where the wig comes off. Lauren Lapkus was incredible despite being subjected to a complete list of things most actors would run from resulting in some of the best physical comedy I've seen in a long time. Another strength was the film's understanding of when to play into the viewers expectations and when to subvert them, helping a fairly "played out" idea feel fresh. The only strikingly bad performances were from Jackie and Jared Sandler. I understand wanting to share your passion with your family but Jackie's regular presence in this will probably hinder me from rewatching many times.

Flipped (2020)

Best Show On The Worst Platform

[8/10 · 2 May 2020]

Forte and Olsen epitomize the term dynamic duo in this quick and quippy short format series. The sets and costumes look great (up to Jann's standards I hope) and the leading team's comedic strengths are really showcased here without it feeling like the whole show is setup and punchlines. I really like the 10 minute format and the writers did a great job finding a way to fit a compelling arch into that structure. I was, however, unable to finish the series and probably won't return unless the developers remove the restraints on screen mirroring and casting. I think it says something about the app creator's own concerns about the viability of a mobile-only media platform that they have to go so far out of their way to prevent people from watching the content how they choose.