Posts by Jeremy Butler

Catherine the Great, born Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, is one of the most prominent figures in history. She is a woman who managed to overthrow her husband, Peter III, and succeed him as the Empress of Russia, becoming the country's longest-ruling female leader. Under her reign, the country grew larger, its culture was revitalized, and it was recognized as one of the great powers worldwide. Her life has been the subject of many textbooks, as well as being retold on the stage, in film, and on television. Several prominent people have portrayed the character, including Helen Mirren. Have you ever wondered how she did it? How she managed to take away the birthright of her husband and succeed him? Wouldn’t you like to know how it was done? Well, if that is the case, I recommend you pick up a textbook, as the Hulu series, The Great, will not give you a accurate account of that. However, if you want an entertaining and sometimes factual account, I thoroughly recommend you give the series a watch. Elle Fanning portrays a young Catherine as she marries Peter III, played by Nicolas Hoult, and quickly realizes that he will not do as the ruler of Russia. Though not born in that country, she endeavors to save it from the clutches of her immature and incompetent husband.

As previously stated, The Great is only loosely based on the rise of Catherine the Great, there are obvious flourishes to make the series more entertaining, but even so the events still unfold in a manner that makes it believable. When first meeting her husband, Catherine quickly realizes that he is nothing like she imagined a great ruler to be. He has no real interest outside his own gratification, evident by the consummation of their marriage, which is completed without him even pausing a conversation he was previously having with a member of court. He is also engaged in an extramarital affair with that very same member of court’s wife. Peter goes on to show how little he cares for his wife, by burning down a school that he previously consented to allow Catherine to build when he realized her intention to educate women. The final straw comes when he strikes Catherine after she criticizes his treatment of her. Unwilling to resign herself to her fate as conduit for his heirs, Catherine decides to end her life until a servant, an exiled noblewoman, tells her that in absence of an heir, succession would fall to her if Peter was removed from power. Armed with new knowledge, Catherine staves off ending her life and commences plans for a coup.

The 1988 Batman comic storyline that featured the death of the second Robin, the impulsive Jason Todd, is remembered as one of the most important in the Batman family of comics. It told the story of how after being relieved of his duties as Robin, Jason Todd began a quest to be reunited with his birth mother, only to be kidnapped, tortured, and eventually killed at the hands of Batman’s most notorious nemesis, the Joker. Though Batman did manage to bring the Joker to justice, the loss of Todd had a profound affect on Batman as well as the rest of the Batman family for years to come. Because of it, Batman resolves to continue alone, and while he did eventually take on another Robin, he never was the same. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if Jason didn’t die? How would the Caped Crusader’s life have been different if he’d been able to save his former protégé? We don’t have wonder anymore thanks to the DC Animated Universe, which just introduced Batman: Death in the Family, the first interactive animated movie that allows the watcher to choose Jason’s ultimate fate. With multiple separate storylines, the audience has the power to decide if Robin dies, cheats death, or is ultimately saved by the Dark Knight. So, which will you choose?

This was the best method of telling this story in my opinion. Allowing the audience to pick what happens to Jason Todd is a very immersive experience and in keeping with the legacy of the original comic. For those who don’t know, Jason’s fate in the 1988 comic storyline was decided by a 900-number voting system. Fans called two separate numbers and chose whether Jason would survive the Joker's torture or die because of it. It only seems fitting that the audience have that same power with this animated film.

This is a show that always surprises me because it is so far out of the reaches of the type of project that I am usually attracted to, but every time I watch, the cleverness and sharp-wittedness of it always wins me over. Season 4 is no different. Though it can get very political and the series is unafraid to take shots at the President, this season provided quite possibly one of its most well-balanced episodes with the season’s opening. However, before we get to that, let’s have a brief recap of where we left off in Season 3. The end of the season saw the departure of Rose Leslie’s Maia Rindell, who after a rollercoaster season which included her getting fired from Reddick Boseman Lockhart, departing for the capital to lead her own firm. Meanwhile, Diana and Liz joined an underground political opposition group for the purposes of undermining Donald Trump’s presidency. While they both are start off as enthusiastic members of the group, with Diana going as far as to secretly seize the leadership position when a prominent member disappears. However, the missing member is revealed to be a charlatan, causing Diana’s charade to be exposed. Additionally, the group’s tactics change, becoming darker and more ruthless, prompting Diana and Liz to distance themselves from the group. Threatened by Diana’s potential exposure risk, the season ended on a cliffhanger that saw Diana’s and her husband’s lives in danger.

Now in regards to the season opening, Diana wakes up in a alternative reality where Hillary Clinton won the election. Though initially ecstatic about this change, she quickly learns that not everything is rosy as she learns in this world there is no #MeToo movement, and Harvey Weinstein is still a prominent movie producer, but also her newest client. This was an interesting episode, as it was the first series episode that didn’t feel overly critical of Donald Trump. Granted there were still occasional jabs at the President, usually in the form of someone laughing at the idea of him winning the election, but the acknowledgement that both outcomes have their pluses and minuses was very intriguing.

The release of this disc comes a bittersweet time, as a prominent member of the cast announced that she was leaving the show. That’s right, Anna Faris announced that Season 7 would be her final one with the series. Such an announcement of the loss of a pivotal character normally serves as the kiss of death for a series. Had this decision came a few years earlier, it most likely would have been the end of the show. However, the show went through a transition a few years back, and Faris’ central role was shared among the rest of the cast, which includes Allison Janney, Jaime Pressly, Kirsten Johnston, and Mimi Kennedy. The decision for the show to continue has been made, but after watching this latest season, it is hard to imagine that the show will continue past its upcoming season. Even with her role reduced slightly, Faris remained an integral part of the show, and though Chuck Lorre is no stranger to trying to keep a show going following the exit of a cast member (i.e. Two and a Half Men), Faris’ absence is guaranteed to be noticed.

In regards to Season 7, I was at a bit of a disadvantage, having only seen clips of previous season episodes. I did my diligence, though. The show follows Christy Plunkett, a mother of two, who after a lifetime of battling drug and alcohol addiction is on the path to sobriety. Her mother, Bonnie (Janney), also a recovering addict, is a source of frustration in her life. By the time Season 7 rolls around, her children are no longer with her, and she has basically been relegated to the daughter role, living with her mom and her new husband, played by William Fichtner. This felt like a step back for the character in my opinion, a bit of a diminishment from all the progress of the previous season. Though during Season 7 she was working towards her goal of becoming a lawyer, both her professional and personal life are used to beat down the character for the sake of amusement. The use of this trope is akin to how in the latter season of Friends, Matt LeBlanc’s character felt dumbed down. Here we are with a character whose sole purpose was to better herself, and she is being shown to be a constant screw-up and desperate for love.

So, this film definitely was not my daughter’s cup of tea. In her defense, without the background of watching the Cartoon Network series that preceded this movie, it is hard to become invested in the film. Additionally, I think most of themes that were addressed in the film were a bit over her head. I think if I were to show it to her again in a couple of years, she might vibe with it better, but I’m not guaranteeing that. Based on my own research of the series, the film was intended to serve as the series finale for the television show that ended in 2019. Also, my daughter is more of a YouTube kid rather than Cartoon Network. And based off my own interpretation of the film, knowledge of the original series goes a long way toward emotionally investing in this movie. In order to help you better understand the film, I will provide you with some background based on my own independent research into the television show that facilitated this aforementioned movie.

We Bare Bears follows three adoptive brother bears: Grizz, Pan-Pan, and Ice Bear. The bears attempt to integrate with human society, such as by purchasing food, making human companions, or trying to become Internet famous. This integration comes with some complications, primarily the struggle to reconcile the civilized nature of humans and their own animal instincts. The bears are aided in their efforts by child prodigy Chloe Park, bigfoot Charlie, internet sensation Koala Nom Nom, park ranger Tabes, and produce saleswoman Lucy.

Season 2 of Magnum P.I. offers more of the same as it did a year before: guns, explosions, and Magnum owing people favors. That is not to say that the show isn’t entertaining; however, there is nothing earth-shattering about it. It’s not a must-see show, but if you should happen to see it, you won’t be disappointed. For my part, I am a fan and did enjoy all twenty episodes of the second season. To its credit, this season does spend some time trying to add depth to the secondary characters that Magnum tends to lean on, like T.C., Rick, and Katsumoto. There is also a long-awaited crossover episode with the recently departed Hawaii Five-0 series. Despite not deviating much from its established template in the first season, the Jay Hernandez-led series continues to remain one of the CBS staples, even after being moved to the Friday night slot, which can sometimes serve as the kiss of death for a show.

Picking up after the events of last season, Magnum continues to be a gladiator for the little, usually at the expense of his wallet. After his illegal mission in Myanmar, his relationship with Katsumoto, and by extension the Honolulu Police Department, is irrevocably fractured. He is also awaiting an answer from Higgins regarding his proposal for her to become a partner in his private detective agency. Complicating her answer is an offer from MI6 to rejoin the agency. This subplot plays out for several episodes as she tries to consider which offer is best, while Thomas does everything in his power to sway her in his direction. The inevitable and completely predictable conclusion of this subplot fortunately wraps up within a couple of episodes. It is then replaced by the banter of the two characters as they argue over how to run the business, Higgins wanting it to at least turn a profit and become legitimate, and Magnum wanting to continue to wing it and engage in questionable practices.

“What’s more important, Frederick? Freedom for one man, or freedom for all men?”

Inspired by a true legend. Emphasis on “inspired”, as this film does quite a bit of deviating from the historical data. Then again, I like to look at from the perspective of the main character: when recounting whether or not the legend that he is descended from kings is true, “It’s true to me.” Emperor is the tale of Shields Green, an outlaw slave in pre-Civil War South who went on to take part in the Harper’s Ferry raid, which is one of the events that sparked the Civil War. Dayo Okeniyi (Shades of Blue) has the momentous task of bringing this little-known historical figure to life. It is a challenge, but I do believe that Okeniyi was up to the task. While the story does have spurts of intrigue, for the most part it is told in a matter-of-fact tone, giving it the feel of reading it from a history book, minus the areas of deviation that is, which do come off as fantastical at times. Okeniyi is joined by Naturi Naughton (Power), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Harry Lennix (The Blacklist) as Frederick Douglass, and James Cromwell as John Brown.

This film would probably work as a student film production. In its present form as a home media release, it falls short. The Barge People does its best to come off as a suspenseful addition to the horror genre, but in my opinion, it does not accomplish the needed goal: the suspense. The film follows two couples on holiday. It is very clear that each pairing has different ideals: one couple as been together for a while, but is living in the moment not really planning for the future, while the other has their minds set directly in the future. The only thing linking these couples together are the women, who happen to be sisters. It is evident that the men have nothing in common, and that if it were not for their significant others, they would prefer to not know that each other existed. Throw some inbred cannibalistic killers on top of that, and you basically have your movie. Timing was a big reason for me that this movie missed its mark. Perhaps with a few subtle changes, I would have enjoyed it more.

In regards to those changes, one was how long it took to introduced the Barge People. It is a quarter of a way through the movie’s runtime before we get our first peek at these creatures that are the basis for the film. I understand that this time period was intended to provide the audience with insight to the characters (i.e. the couples). Unfortunately, a majority of the characters are one-dimensional, and there is not enough depth to make them really identifiable. For example, the character of Ben was very unlikeable. Granted, that was clearly by design. We were not supposed to like him because he was a snob and had a holier-than-thou attitude. That said, given the amount of time his character occupied, there should have been more to him or an explanation to the attraction between his and the Jade character.  Based on what I saw, I did not get the attraction. When it comes to the other couple (Kat and Mark), the connection between the characters is better and more relatable. Their relationship is more loving, especially when Mark is giving Kat encouragement to go for help; the speech about her mom showed what motivated the character, making her the most fleshed-out character of the quartet.

I remember this was the one show that I didn’t want to watch growing up. Ironies of ironies, I was not big on scary things when I was younger. Now it is one of my favorite genres. In reference to the original series, there was just something that really scared me about the show growing up. Of course, all it took was a dare from my family to force me to try to overcome that fear. Not sure I ever really overcame the obstacle, as once this revival miniseries came across my docket, I was hit with some of the old feelings that I experienced while watching the original show. It only took the opening sequence to send my daughter out of the room, so I was forced to overcome my childhood fears on my own, while opting to not scar my child. To that end, I must say that age has definitely made me braver, but it may also have more to do with the revitalization of the series, which I found to be more in-depth and intriguing than its original incarnation. This three-part miniseries may have been limited in how far it could go as far as goriness (given that it is a Nickelodeon production), but the storyline more than makes up for that, managing to weave a creative and entertaining web that also includes slight comedy and unique characters.

Part I, Submitted For Approval, of the series sets the stage for the next two episodes as we are introduced to Rachel, a new girl in the town of Sargento. Off the bat, it is clear that she is a bit of a social outcast and has difficulty making friends. She does possess an excellent imagination that catches the attention of the Midnight Society, a group of kids from her school who eventually engage her with the invitation to join their ranks. This comes with a caveat; she must compose an original scary story to share with the group. This task appears to be more grueling than she initially anticipated until she dredges up a being from her nightmares: Mr. Tophat.