Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur// Review # 21

Happy Black History Month, y'all! I know it's almost over, but that doesn't mean I can't check in.

It's been a hot minute since I've said anything on this blog. I bet you thought I forgot about you, huh? 

Well, you'd be... a little correct.

The truth is, I've been busy.

Between trying to get a book published and working a full-time job, I regret to say that I've been neglecting my duties to tell you about what I've been watching. I'm sorry to leave you hanging, but life's been a little hectic recently. (If you wanted to know what I've been watching in the meantime, you can follow me on Letterboxd here.)

Now that I'm back, though, I feel the need to put you onto something I discovered a while ago. 

Allow me to introduce: Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur!

Listen close, because I'm only gonna say this once: Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is the Into the Spider-verse of cartoon TV shows. As in, this show is visually perfect, musically captivating, and dreadfully underrated.

This show SLAPS.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this show, but I can try. If' you're not watching it already, you're missing out.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur follows a Black teenaged girl named Lunella Lafayette as she goes about her life in the Lower East Side of New York City. Only, she's an absolute genius. After experimenting one day, she accidentally opened a portal to another dimension, summoning a giant red T-Rex named Devil. Together, Lunella and her dinosaur fight crime as the eponymous "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur." They become the champions of the Lower East Side, taking back their power from anyone who tries to take it from them.

Similarly to Big Hero 6 that came before, long before it was animated, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur started out as a Marvel comic book. Making her way onto the scene in 2015 with her first issue, Lunella Lafayette was declared the smartest character in the Marvel universe (Yes, that means even smarter than Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Victor von Doom, and Bruce Banner!), and along with her pet dinosaur, she started kicking butt and taking names using her genius and his strength.

The Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur comics ran from 2015-2019, and she has fought with everyone from the X-Men to Miles Morales's Spider-Man (BTW, thank you Sinclair, ilysm.) They share a lot of similarities with the Moon Girl I watched on TV, but they are definitely different. 

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Comic #1 (2022)

Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (TV series)

For example, one of Moon Girl's powers in the comic books is that she is able to create a neural link with Devil Dinosaur in order to switch consciousnesses with him. (While this happens in the show, it is only for one episode and is explained away using a scientific device instead of an innate ability). Another thing to note is that the Moon Girl from the comics is significantly younger than the one on TV at only 9 years old. The Moon Girl on TV is 13 years old and attends middle school with her best friend, Casey.

The show was how I first became familiar with Moon Girl as a character, and so the show version of Moon Girl is what I will be conducting this review on. I haven't read many Moon Girl comic books yet, but if I get my hands on a few, I'd be interested to see how many more differences there are in the characters.

Devil and Lunella in her secret hideout in a hidden underground subway tunnel.

 

I could gush about this series all day, honestly. If I did, I would start with the fact that Lunella is a little Black girl who also happens to be a genius, which is not a character model I've seen depicted so lovingly since Susie Carmichael on Rugrats in the 90s (and she was a toddler).

I've talked about the lack of Black kids in cartoons before [see my review on Craig of the Creek, along with my review of the first season of The Proud Family reboot (although side note- I did actually enjoy the second season of Louder and Prouder so much more than the first. Perhaps it just took a moment to find its footing)], but I appreciate so much that Lunella is an authentically Black girl who just happens to be a super genius. I love stories where we get to see complex, multi-faceted Black kids.

I also love that she's a superhero. There's so much to be said about the freedom of allowing a little black girl super-genius to partner up with a giant red dinosaur in the middle of LES NY.  It invokes a sense of playfulness that a lot of Black characters don't really get in media, especially in cartoons. While I admire cartoons that can stick to the reality of the Black experience growing up, like The Proud Family and even Craig of the Creek (which leans into a child's concept of fantasy without fully embracing the fantastical), Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur goes balls to the wall in an effort to give Black girls more freedom in cartoons.

Not only does Moon Girl fight aliens, but she also travels through dimensions, she has met universe bending omniscient super beings, AND she has a talking DINOSAUR for crying out loud!

 

A major reason why this show means so much to me hearkens back to a poem by Danez Smith called "Dinosaurs in the Hood."

Let’s make a movie called Dinosaurs in the Hood.

Jurassic Park meets Friday meets The Pursuit of Happyness.

There should be a scene where a little black boy is playing

with a toy dinosaur on the bus, then looks out the window

& sees the T. Rex, because there has to be a T. Rex. (Smith, par 1-5)

Moon Girl fills the hole that something like that “Dinosaurs in the Hood” would represent. Almost down to the T. Not only is there a T.Rex (because there has to be a T.Rex) but there is an element of whimsy and fantasy that mixes with Black reality that isn’t explored often enough in life, and even less often in animation. 

Not since the days of Static Shock (which was honestly before my time) have Black kids had the chance to see a Black superhero be the main character of their own fantasy cartoon. Sure, Black kids were allowed to have auxiliary characters in other cartoons (Cyborg from Teen Titans and Storm from X-Men the Animated Series come to mind), but to be the lead superhero, and to be allowed to be fantastical and witty and fun and human… that’s the dream, baby. 

To top it off, this superhero show deals with everything from racial discrimination in academic spaces, to gentrification, to lack of care given to communities of color. It's insane to me that there are entire episodes dedicated to the biases we hold of people with criminal records, and the politics of Black hair, and they're all treated with the amount of care and consideration required without talking down to the intended child audience! 

That said, Moon Girl isn't just a show focused on social issues (even though they are present), but this show tackles the general anxieties children may have about growing up, such as cyberbullying, fitting in at school, finding dates for dances, and navigating relationships with family and friends. Lunella deals with awkward scenarios at sleepovers, fights with her best friend, and she even wants to get away from her annoying parents sometimes, just like any other teenager.

Moon Girl is the Black girl's equivalent of Spider-Man, and I say that in all seriousness.

Not to keep making the comparison, though, but on a character level, I feel like this show was perfectly casted, just like how Into the Spider-Verse was perfectly casted.

Diamond White (who I knew from X-Factor when she competed in 2012), voices and the titular Lunella Lafayette. Not only is Diamond a talented voice actress in her own right, but she also sings a lot of the songs for the show (including the opening theme: see below), and brings Moon Girl to life in a way no one else could. Not only does she embrace slang without sounding inauthentic, but she brings joy and life to Lunella that reminds me of what it was like to be a little Black kid. I love her version of Lunella so much. 

But Diamond White isn’t the only iconic casting choice. In fact, the whole voice cast is absolutely stacked. 

Some of the voice talent featured in the show includes Laurence Fishburne (who also produced the series) as The Beyonder, an omniscient super being from another dimension, Alfre Woodard as Mimi, Lunella’s grandmother, and Craig Robinson as Lunella’s school principal. If that wasn’t enough, in season two, there are even some more unexpected voice actors in the cast, like Xolo Maridueña from Cobra Kai making an appearance, along with Robin Thede from Black Lady Sketch Show, and Erika Ishii from Dimension 20 (iykyk).

BTS of Laurence Fishburne as The Beyonder, talking about Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Aside from the voice talent, the characters themselves shine through the screen in every episode. As a character, I love that Lunella has a commitment to her family, but she also has a commitment to herself. She’s a genius who recognizes her flaws, but also learns how to overcome them with confidence and grace. She’s kind without being inauthentic, and she really cares about her community. Overall, she’s perfect- a 10/10 character. 

The other characters in this show are fun, too, with Lunella’s grandma Mimi and her best friend Casey immediately coming to mind. Mimi is loving, smart and caring, always teaching Lunella about how to stay true to herself and maintain her confidence in dark times. She also has a big secret that she really hopes won’t get out (no spoilers!). Casey is Lunella’s best friend and the only person she reveals her secret identity to. She’s a social media savant and constantly acting as Moon Girl’s manager/ PR rep whenever they’re in public. (Something I actually admire about this show is that they don’t make Devil a talking dinosaur. He mostly just growls and occasionally communicates with a slight speech affectation, however most of his dialogue is through images in thought bubbles so the audience knows what he’s saying without him actually having to speak.)

As if the characters and the voice acting weren’t enough to lure me in, the music of this show just had to steal my heart. The music is definitely a major highlight of the series for me. 

In the pilot episode of the show, Lunella's mom gives her an old tape player that she eventually tricks out into a multipurpose music player/ baddie tracker. During every major battle in the show, Moon Girl turns on her music to give her a soundtrack to fight to. Each song underscores the episode it's in perfectly, but especially in high-stakes battles. The sound design in this show is impeccable, and honestly the fight scenes have made me cry more than once just because they're underscored by the perfect music number. If there is a heavy thematic meaning to the battle, you better believe the song will come up again later on. I unironically have several songs from this show on multiple playlists on Spotify (My personal favorite is “My hair is a mood” by Jane Handcock; it’s the modern Black girl’s version of “I am not my hair” by India Arie. Again, iykyk).

To make my point as clear as possible, I'll just say that the composer for this show is Rafael Saddiq, who, if you didn't know, is a multi-hyphenate Grammy winner, and a producer on Beyonce's iconic Renaissance album, for which he earned two additional Grammy nominations. This man is serious about his business, and it shows.

Clearly, I know what I'm talking about, because as of February 2024, Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur has five Emmy wins. Those wins were for outstanding main title (see below), outstanding casting for an animated program (told you!!), and outstanding special class animated program for the pilot episode (among other awards). (If anything, this is proof that I should be an Emmy voter.)

Moon Girl is an Emmy winner, baby! Now that's what I'm talking about!

THE EMMY WINNING Moon Girl opening title theme.

Season two just premiered earlier this month, and I've already binged every available episode of the series to date. Suffice to say that the second season builds on the first in the best way possible, although I'd be lying if I didn't say that my favorite episode of the show is in season two. As an anxious perfectionist, season 2, episode 7 holds a special place in my heart (particularly as I dip my toes in the publishing industry- yeesh). You should watch season two for that episode alone, but the entire season is excellent television. 

Poster for Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Season Two

Lunella with her new science teacher, Dr. Ojo (from Wakanda), in Season 2, Episode 7: “Make It, Don’t Break It!” of Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

I'll end this by saying if you haven't seen the show even after all this, you don't have to subscribe to Disney+ or just take my word for how good it is. You can see the show for yourself! The first six episodes of the show are on YouTube for free (along with the season one finale, so be careful of spoilers). You can watch it in this playlist, here.

I hope you love it as much as I do.

I know I did this review a little differently than I've done past reviews, but I've been away for a while, so things may be a little different around here while I settle back in. I just wanted to let you know that this show means a lot to me. I hope it means something to you, too.

This show is obviously S tier. I feel the same way about Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that white women felt about the Barbie movie last year. Moon Girl is everything to me, representing facets of Black girlhood that I wish were more widely talked about in animation, and allowing grown ass women like me to feel seen for the first time in a cartoon about a girl who owns a dinosaur. It is easily one of my favorite shows, and I think it is on par with the Spider-verse films in terms of quality, heart, and care presented to its Black characters.

Happy Black history month everybody! 

I'm happy to be back.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider- Verse // Review #14

"Alright. Let's do this one last time..."

On the eve of the premiere of the newest Marvel Spider-Man movie, I think it’s time we settled the age-old debate: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is hands-down the best Spider-Man movie.

I don't care what anybody says: whether you're team Maguire, Garfield, or Holland- I think we can all agree that THIS is the best Spider-Man movie ever released.

Since Spider-Man: No Way Home is rumored to have* (*definitely has) all of the previous iterations of the character put to film, I thought it was only fit to talk about my favorite Spider-Man movie that references the spider-verse. After all, Sony Animation did it first.

To me, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the few examples of a perfect movie. It has all of my favorite things: unproblematic minority representation, a BANGING soundtrack, and a fantastic and moving story that will leave you feeling something by the end of it.

This movie was just so... different than what I expected it to be going into it, and it was different in a way that left me feeling inspired and refreshed. It was as if all of the superhero movies that had come before this had gone stale, and this was the coffee that would awaken my senses to the possibilities out there.

Let’s discuss why Spider-Verse is my all-time favorite superhero movie, and why it should be yours too. 

SPOILERS FOR SPIDER-VERSE AHEAD.

Category 1: Animation- A+

Here's the thing about Spider-Verse: this movie is the most visually stunning, creatively animated movie I've seen in my entire life.

While most animation studios try to make their settings and characters seem more lifelike or attempt to blend in with the Disney aesthetic, Sony Animation actively decided to innovate the space and create an entirely new method of animation.

Instead of attempting to create a modern New York that looks realistic, the creatives down at Sony decided to emulate the comic book style that the story was based on. Because of this the entire movie feels like a comic book has come to life in a new and exciting way. As Charles Solomon puts it in his New York Times piece about the movie, ""Spider-Verse"[sic] celebrates its print origins with bold graphics and mainstays of comic-book style, including thought balloons, printed words and wavy lines to indicate a tingling Spidey Sense" (par 2).

Various animation techniques were used to make this possible, such as half-toning (the use of the gradient dots in the background of every frame of the movie) and motion smearing instead of the traditional motion blurring, which led to Sony Animation eventually filing for patent protection for their new animation process.

Miles Morales, the one true Spider-Man

I will say, though, to the uninitiated, this movie is a little dizzying because of how uniquely it is animated. Some of the frames of the movie are intentionally blurred, with many details slightly out of focus. This was a little bit of an issue for me the first time I watched it in theaters in 2018, as I thought I was meant to be wearing 3D glasses. As someone who wears glasses all the time, it felt a little disorienting to be thrust into this new animation style when I wasn't sure exactly what to focus on, but I still contend that this movie was definitely the most refreshing and innovative form of media I had seen in a long time.

Overall, I really appreciate the Spider-Verse animators for making something so different in a world where animated movies have all begun to look the same. The animation is phenomenal throughout, and I would love to see what they do with the sequel.

Category 2: Writing- A

I think this movie a perfect film because it was so well written and thoughtfully constructed. It was different from what I expected the first time I saw it, but in the best way. 

I'll admit, when Spider-Verse first came out I only wanted to see it because I heard that this version of Spider-Man was a black kid. While that definitely factored into why I liked this movie so much, that isn't the only thing I liked about this film. Spider-Verse turned out to be one of the best superhero movies I have ever seen, and a lot of that boiled down to the writing. 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse follows the main character, Miles Morales, as his father transfers him from his Brooklyn school to a prep school in the city. Miles is distant from his father because he thinks his father is embarrassing, and he is close with his uncle Aaron, who shares his passion for hip-hop music and street art. One night, while Miles is spray painting with his uncle Aaron, he is bitten by a radioactive spider.

Soon after, Miles stumbles into a plot by New York's biggest crime boss, Kingpin, as he attempts to revive his wife and son by opening a portal to another dimension. As you can imagine, this portal opens up a rift... Into the Spider-Verse.

Get it? Like the name of the movie!

ANYWAY, Kingpin kills the version of Spider-Man that was in Miles's dimension, which leaves the position open for Miles, since he was just bitten by a radioactive spider. Only, Miles doesn't know the first thing about being Spider-Man, and so he has to enlist the help of Peter B. Parker, the Spider-Man from another dimension, in order to learn the ropes and take down KingPin to shut down the portal.

I definitely oversimplified the plot of the movie to condense it into this review, but believe me when I say that this film is magnificent. The story structure of this film is so strong, and it immediately establishes everyone who is important without getting too complicated or confusing (like what happened in Avengers: Endgame when they had to explain time-travel for ten solid minutes). Even though there are multiple characters in this movie, it is immediately clear that Miles is the main character of the movie, and his journey to accept the responsibility that comes with his new powers.

Overall, this movie is phenomenally structured and well put together. Unlike Wonder Woman 1984, I never once felt like this movie was dragging or that scenes could have been removed from the final cut. In fact, I loved how all of the known story beats were condensed into montages so time wasn't wasted. The audience doesn't need to run though the old Spider-Man origin story with Uncle Ben again, because this movie is starting fresh with Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man.

Speaking of starting fresh, I think a really smart thing that the writers did was draw clear parallels between every version of Spider-Man, including Miles. This starts when Miles starts to get his powers, and his behavior essentially mirrors the original Spider-Man comic to a T. And while Miles's superhero origin story may be different from the rest of his counterparts, it is similar to Peter Parker's in the fact that- SPOILER- his uncle got shot by a criminal. It is also because of the loss of someone close to him that Miles had to learn that "with great power comes great responsibility."

Overall, I love the way this movie is written. I can tell that the writers spent hours and hours getting it right, combing through the story to make sure it was as tight and cohesive as possible.

  

Category 3: Comedy- A

The funniest thing about this movie is how many iterations of Spider-Man there actually are. Because the movie is called Into the Spider-Verse, you have to expect that the writers were playing with every version of Spider-Man that has ever existed.

This movie jokes about every iteration of Spider-Man you can think of- covering everything ranging from the comic books to the Spider-Man movies starring Garfield and Maguire. In fact, in the first few minutes of the movie, Spider-Man (voiced by Chris Pine) jokes about all of the previous iterations of his character, including mocking the infamous dance scene from Spider-Man 3. Spider-Man (Pine) also mentions getting his own popsicle, breakfast cereal, and even releasing a spider-themed Christmas album (which we’ll get to later). I love this opening because not only is it poking fun of Spider-Man's own branding, but it's the exact kind of meta-humor that I can get behind. 

"Wink-Nod" reference to the end of Spider-Man 2

This movie is full of "wink-nod" moments, where a character breaks the fourth wall to make a joke for the people watching the movie instead of the people in the film's universe. (An example that immediately comes to mind is Spider-Ham saying, "That's all folks," and Peter B. Parker asking if legally they're allowed to say that.) They also make fun of more general superhero tropes, like how there is always some "goober" that they need to retrieve in order to save the day- be it a flash drive, a computer chip or a memory card. 

I enjoyed the meta-humor of this movie because it's not as overt as something like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and it's not as obnoxious as something like Deadpool. It's just subtle enough to play with the multi-verse in a fun way that establishes each character and the world around them.

The humor of this movie definitely goes hand-in-hand with the writing for the film; if the story structure wasn't good, the humor wouldn't have landed as well. Once more, kudos to the movie's writers, Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, for making a movie that is well constructed and funny without being distracting. Without them, I'm sure this movie wouldn't have had half of the memorable comedic moments that it has. 

Category 4: Music- A+

The music in this movie has no business going as hard as it does. 

Say what you want about Spider-Verse, but you can't tell me in good conscience that the soundtrack isn't stacked with bangers. The accompanying playlist to this movie is very important to the story of the film, and it's also important to me personally. This is because the music in this film is heavily based in hip-hop, and it's also just really good music. 

Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino high school kid from Brooklyn, is the new Spider-Man. His father and his uncle are black, and so he likely grew up with the music that is played on the soundtrack. The hip-hop that is present throughout this movie function as a literal playlist to Miles' life as a black kid from Brooklyn, even though he has been thrust into the responsibility of becoming the next Spider-Man. This is evidenced when Miles visits his Uncle Aaron early on in the movie and the first thing the audience sees of Uncle Aaron is him putting on "Hynoptize" by Biggie Smalls. 

To reinforce the importance of the music in this movie, the film is bookended with the song "Sunflower" by Post Malone and Sway Lee, and Miles even sings this song in universe when he's getting nervous in order to calm down. The music is important to the movie because the music was important to the character.

Spider-Verse feels like it's one of those films that is inseparable from its soundtrack. There is no Spider-Verse without the music, and the music works so much better with the movie as a backdrop. I have a Letterboxd list of other movies that function in a similar way (like how the Fairy Godmother's rendition of "Holding Out for a Hero" is inseparable from Shrek 2). 

If you're looking for an example of how the movie and the music have become practically inseparable, look no further than the scene where Miles jumps off a building in a leap of faith while "What's Up Danger" by Black Caviar and Blackway plays in the background: 

This scene is one of the most iconic moments in the entire film (it was even featured in the early trailers for the movie), and the song underscoring it perfectly captures the mood and the tone without taking away from the scene by being distracting or out of place. The music works well with the movie because it was produced with the intent to be in it, instead of layered on top of it in post.

Miles Morales in his "What's Up Danger" moment.

To me, the Spider-Verse soundtrack is a good album all on its own, but the movie really makes it pop. I have most of the songs on the album on several of my Spotify playlists, but my personal favorite songs from the album are "What's Up Danger?", "Sunflower", "Not Afraid of the Dark", and "Familia."

Category 5: Casting- A

I'm not trying to spoil everything about this movie, but the film is titled Into the Spider-Verse, and so it's not a reach to say there are a few Spider-Men in this movie.

To be precise, there are exactly seven Spider-Men. (Well, five Spider-Men and two Spider-Women if you want to get technical about it.) Along with the main character of Miles Morales, there is Peter Parker, Peter B. Parker, Peni Parker/ SP//dr, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Noir, and Spider-Ham. 

To voice all of the unique versions of the Spider-Man character, (who all have very real comics, by the way) the casting department really went out of their way to pick actors who would be perfect for their roles. Each character's voice actor definitely plays into their strengths in this movie. For example, who else would you expect to voice the handsome, charming Peter Parker aside from Chris Pine? He's been nothing but handsome and charming in everything he does. 

Same token, who would you expect to be the schlubby, loser Peter B. Parker, aside from Jake Johnson, resident stoner personality?

Casting John Mulaney to play the silly Spider-Ham with his insanely cartoonish timbre? Inspired!

Casting Nicolas Cage to play the black and white Spider-Noir from the 40’s who jokes about egg creams? Excellent choice, no notes. 

Shameik Moore was the perfect choice for the lead character, Miles Morales, because he captures Miles’s confidence and naiveté without making him come across as cocky or stupid. Miles is embarrassed by his corny dad, and he’s insecure about all the normal things that a teenager is meant to be insecure about, like talking to girls and going through puberty. In the movie you can tell that Miles is just a normal kid from Brooklyn who just happened to be bitten by a radioactive spider, because Shameik plays him convincingly.

I didn’t mention everyone in the phenomenal voice cast (because then this review would just be me raving about every individual voice actor) but I definitely believe that everyone was perfectly cast to play the roles they were in. The casting department could not have done better than this, and it shows in how well the movie turned out.

Category 6: Kid-Friendliness- A

Okay, hear me out: I think this movie is perfect for kids.

In a lot of ways, this film reminds me of another Marvel-comic-book-turned-animated-feature, Big Hero 6. Both movies contain a loveable cast of misfits who have to take down a mad-man determined to open an interdimensional portal to bring back a lost family member (They have weirdly specific parallels, actually). Both of them contain arcs where the main character loses a family member and has to learn from it, and both of them are really important to me on a base level.

I really think that Spider-Verse is a better movie for kids to watch, though, because while both movies are superhero ensemble films, Spider-Verse has the core theme of "Anyone can become a superhero if you take a leap of faith." While Big Hero 6 has a similar moral, it is somehow buried under the theme of coping with grief and loss. The concept of death and mourning was more important to that movie's plot than it was for Spider-Verse, despite the subject matter being surprisingly similar. 

I'll also say that Spider-Verse has authenticity going for it. Something that we don't see a lot of in mainstream animation is depictions of actual, real people- let alone people of color. I mentioned this in my review of Soul, but I really appreciate movies that can depict black culture in a way that feels authentic and lived in. This movie was a game-changer for black and Afro-Latino kids that could see themselves in Miles Morales. Prior to 2018 when Black Panther and Spider-Verse came out, the only person of color that most people could look up to as a mainstream superhero was Halle Berry (both as Storm in X-Men and as Catwoman in Catwoman).

I feel like Spider-Verse is a good time to watch for all ages because the heart of this movie is pure. The heart of the film is the relationships between all of the characters, because it is the characters that make this movie, really.

After all, anyone can wear the mask.

Perhaps it's uninteresting to read my review raving about a film that's got 10's across the board, but I think that this movie is perfectly deserving of its hype. In fact, I think more people should be talking about it.

It's true that Spider-Verse won the Best Animated Picture Oscar in 2019, but I contend that this movie should have won for Best Picture. Not only did it deserve the recognition, but it would also be true that Spider-Verse was the best movie to come out that year. Even though it didn't win Best Picture, though, it has a Best Picture win in my heart. I love this movie so much, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

This is, quite literally, one of the best superhero movies ever made. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is better than most of the other Marvel fare that has come out recently, and that is including all of the recent Avengers movies and "Phase Four" projects. With the sequel coming out next year, I'm honestly a little worried about how Sony Animation is going to top themselves, and I think that's saying something.

Clearly this movie is an S rank in my book. If you haven't already seen it, feel free to watch it with your family this holiday season. You should definitely watch it before Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes out in 2022.

 

If nothing else, you should listen to the Spider-Verse Christmas album this Christmas season. (Yes, it’s real!) It’s sure to make your Christmas merry and bright. 

Thanks for reading! Have a safe and merry Christmas everyone!

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend // Review #13

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the season, I'm going to tell you something that I'm thankful for: a TV show called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was a musical romantic comedy show that ran for four seasons (2015-2019) on the CW network. The show follows a lawyer named Rebecca Bunch (played by Rachel Bloom) who up and left her successful law career in New York City to chase her ex-boyfriend Josh Chan to California on a random whim. If that sounds insane to you, that's kind of the point. 

The series follows Rebecca as she attempts to win back the love of her life in a new city, all while attempting to look less crazy and obsessive than she definitely is. In fact, just to get a feel for the show, check out the theme song for the first season that aired back in 2014:

Despite the batshit premise and the insane title (literally), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is probably one of the best shows I've seen on network TV recently. This show contains more heart, music, and comedy than most other shows of its type. It especially provides important insight on the value of prioritizing your own mental health and taking care of yourself.

Rebecca Bunch is honestly one of my favorite characters in TV history because of how charming and likeable she is, while also being a bit of a garbage fire in the process. Everything that she goes through is somehow relatable and tragic while also being hilarious and fun to watch.  

One thing's for sure, though: This show wouldn't be nearly as influential or even half as fun to watch without the most important element of this musical-comedy show: the music. 

Category 1: Music- A+

Hands down, the best part of this show is the musical numbers featured in each episode. Each episode contains at least two songs in which the people in Rebecca's life burst into song in order to express their true feelings. It is established in the show that Rebecca often daydreams and dissociates in her day-to-day life, romanticizing the world around her like its a big Broadway show or a movie-musical in order to cope with her problems, and so we, as the audience, get to see what she is imagining.

Unlike some other shows that follow a similar format, (like Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist which has its characters sing covers of popular top 40 songs) all of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's songs are completely original. Most of the music was even written by the lead actress, Rachel Bloom, along with co-writer Adam Schlesinger. All of the songs function as musical theater "asides," in which they each reflect a different emotional or comedic moment of the characters that are singing them. To make things more fun, many of the songs are direct parodies of other artists and music genres, like the Bobby Brown/ New Edition parody "Don't Be a Lawyer," or the "Kung Fu Fighting" parody "Real Life Fighting is Awkward." It's exactly this variation that makes this show so much fun to watch despite the darker overarching themes.

Below are some of my personal favorites from the first two seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend:

"Tap that Ass" performed by Rebecca, Josh, and Greg (Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, and Santino Fontana). 

"You Stupid Bitch" performed by Rebecca (Bloom).

"The Math of Love Triangles" performed by Rebecca (Bloom) in an obvious Marilyn Monroe "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" parody.

The inclusion of musical numbers not only brilliantly show how Rebecca struggles to cope with her true reality, but it also demonstrates the brilliant creativity of Bloom for writing them, and the amazing talents of the rest of her cast for performing them. I'm pretty sure that everyone in the main cast has at least one individual song that helps establish their character's arc and singing ability within the show. 

Probably the most important thing the songs do is convey some of the show's heavier themes such as self-hatred (See "You Stupid Bitch" above), taking anti-depressant medication ("Anti-Depressants are So Not a Big Deal"), and coming out as bisexual ("Getting Bi") while still making these moments comedic and lighthearted.

As if that wasn't enough, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has won several Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Critics Choice Award, presumably because the music was so smart, catchy, and funny.

In conclusion, the musical numbers are what make this show. If nothing else, you should stream the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend soundtrack on Spotify. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll feel painfully seen by the time the playlist is over.

Category 2: Comedy- B

A lot of this show's humor is baked into the initial premise. The show is funny because even though Rebecca is the main character of the show, she's the "crazy-ex girlfriend" who wants her old boyfriend back, despite having not seen him in about a decade. The show wants you to root for Rebecca while also acknowledging that she is very problematic and obsessive. For about half of the show's run, she is essentially stalking her ex-boyfriend John Chan, in a way that is humorous (admittedly only because Rebecca is a woman), but still concerning. 

Speaking of concerning, there are times where Rebecca obviously goes too far in her efforts to win over Josh, and the show wants you to know this. While it is still funny to watch her maneuver her way out of her own hijinks, the show presents these moments as a form of dark comedy. The underlying humor of the show is essentially watching a person unravel in real time. The show wants you to laugh at Rebecca and her antics, but it also wants you to know that Rebecca is not okay, and recognize that she needs help.

Rebecca (Bloom) singing, "I'm in a Sexy French Depression."

When the show isn't making fun of Rebecca for being obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, the show's humor can get weirdly meta. I appreciated this, though, because it was funny to watch a musical-comedy be a little self aware of how ridiculous it is.

For example, when a new character is introduced in Season 2 of the show, the pre-existing characters sing the song "Who's The New Guy?" (below). This song is incredibly self-referential, and a sort of wink-and-nod to the audience that the characters in the show know they're in some sort of "show." There are a few other meta moments throughout the show that are like this, and they all barely break the fourth wall in terms of acknowledging that the characters are in a show with an audience. Every time it happens though, they manage to stick the landing, and it makes the humor that much funnier.

"Who's the New Guy?" sung by the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast.

Overall, I think that most of the humor in this show works, as it's conveyed through songs and the wildly inappropriate actions of Rebecca and her friends. Most of the time, they're fun to watch; sometimes I worry that all of these characters need to go to therapy.

Categories 3 & 4: Characters & Diversity - A-

Speaking of characters and therapy- let's talk about the characters in this show.

From left to right: Heather (Vella Lovell), Darryl (Pete Gardner), Greg (Santino Fontana), Rebecca (Rachel Bloom), Josh (Vincent Rodriguez III), and Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) 

This show does a very good job of presenting people of multiple different backgrounds, while also fully fleshing them out as a characters, which is more than I can say for most other media that I've seen recently. 

I mentioned previously that Selfie was the first network TV show with an Asian romantic lead opposite a white lead (disappointing, but true). However, it is because of the color-inclusive casting of Selfie that shows like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend get to have openly Filipino characters like Josh Chan be in a romantic relationship with Rebecca Bunch, a white Jewish woman from New York.

Josh Chan, the main romantic lead of the show, is a religious Filipino American, who is kind and good looking, but maybe not all that bright. He is, essentially, the traditional himbo archetype. He was in a relationship with Rebecca when they were both 16 years old, and he's completely oblivious to most of her attempts to win him over. Overall, he's an emotionally immature sweetheart who tries his best, but still needs to work on himself.

Then there's Rebecca Bunch herself: Rebecca was an overachieving attorney from New York who grew to hate the life she lived. She pursued a career in law because her overbearing Jewish mother all but forced her into it, when she would have much rather done something more fun and different. She moves to California to reunite with Josh, in the hopes that their union will solve all of her problems.

(Spoiler- it doesn't. No matter what this song says...)

Throughout the course of the show, Rebecca recruits her friends into this scheme, like Greg- the cynical bartender/alcoholic who is secretly in love with her, Heather, the perpetual student/cool girl, and Paula, the unfulfilled mother who takes care of Rebecca like her own child. All of them, along with her dorky boss Darryl, try to hook Rebecca up with Josh Chan, for better or worse.

The range of characters in this show is impressive, as there are multiple other characters featured in this series that come from different ethnic/cultural backgrounds, and that have different sexual orientations. Of the shows that I've watched recently, this was one of the few that felt like it didn't have a quota for how many people of color they could have in one scene, or how many gay people had to be included in order for the show to be "woke."

The representation in this show is natural and it feels like everyone involved in this project tried to make it as realistic as possible, which is one of the reasons why I admire it so much.

Category 5: Plot- B

The first couple of seasons of this show follow Rebecca and her best friend Paula, as they attempt to trick Josh Chan into falling in love with her in the name of true love. For the most part, it goes about as well as you would expect, as both Rebecca and Paula commit several stalking related crimes to get close to the poor guy.

However, to hear Rebecca tell it- there's nothing wrong with this, because there's nothing wrong with being a little crazy for love. 

"I'm Just a Girl in Love" sung by Rebecca (Bloom) (Season 2 theme song).

Despite Rebecca's obsession with getting Josh to love her, the show is about more than just her compulsion to be in a romantic relationship. Throughout the course of this show, Rebecca is tasked with discovering who or what will make her truly happy, and how she can make that happen for herself. She was miserable when she was working as a lawyer in New York, which was why she moved to be with Josh in West Covina in the first place. However, the real reason that she wanted to be with Josh was because he made her truly happy when she was younger, and she wanted to feel true happiness again.

(Spoilers for later seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.)

In Season 3 of the show, Rebecca is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which helps to explain her previous obsessive behavior regarding Josh and her other ex-boyfriends. Because of this diagnosis, Rebecca is forced to confront this element of her mental health and determine how she can be truly happy with herself and/or with other people.

Romance definitely plays a big part in this show’s plot, as Rebecca is often confused about how to navigate romantic desire and sex and relationships (much like we all are), but it's not the heart of it, really. The heart of the story is Rebecca herself, as she combats her own mental health problems in an effort to make her own life better. Most of the later episodes of the show are more about Rebecca struggling to determine who she really is as a person.

By the time the last episode of the show rolls around, you come to realize that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's plot didn't actually have much to do with Josh Chan or any of Rebecca's other love interests at all, but it was about happiness, and discovering who you truly are in the world.   

Category 6: Themes- A

Speaking of discovering who you truly are, if you've ever thought there was something wrong with you- I'm sure you can relate to at least one of the characters on this show.

Feeling lost? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's got you covered.

Feeling depressed? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's got you covered.

Feeling like no one else understands? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's got you covered for that, too.

"No One Else is Singing My Song" sung by literally the entire cast of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

As a whole, this show is primarily about mental health, and how important it is to take care of yourself, and make sure that you're doing what's right for your body and your mind. This show doesn't tackle everything, but it tackles quite a bit, and most of the time there's a big musical number to go along with it. 

"Tell Me I'm Okay, Patrick" sung by Rebecca (Bloom) (featuring Seth Green).

This show's also not afraid to get to the heart of the matter and discuss more serious forms of mental illness. (Spoilers for later seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.) In Season 3 of the show, Rebecca tried to commit suicide because she felt like she had lost everything and everyone she cared about. Eventually, Rebecca reaches out for help before she can successfully do so, but it does end in her being hospitalized, and results in her having to go to therapy for her problems later on. This was hands down the darkest moment of the show, and it marked a turning point for the series as a whole. After this point in the series, Rebecca needed to acknowledge that something was wrong, and she decided to get the help that she needed from the beginning.

The show really goes out of its way to destigmatize mental health, while also humanizing those dealing with mental illness, such as Rebecca with her borderline personality disorder, and Greg with his alcoholism. Every character in this show learns and grows from their mistakes (even Josh Chan goes to therapy, which we love for him!), and becomes a better person for it.

It was clear to me that the Bloom and the showrunners had a vision for how they wanted this show to play out, and how they wanted the message of prioritizing mental health to come across. To me, they absolutely nailed it, and this show has proved that it's never too late to discover who you are and what really makes you happy.

In all seriousness, this show really helped me get through a tough time in my life, by helping me see that I'm not the only one who doesn't really know how to cope with existing sometimes. By watching this show, I felt more seen than I had in a long time. I appreciated everything that this show had to say about friendship and love and therapy, and it made me feel less alone when I watched it. I even recommended it to a friend of mine who I also knew was going through a hard time, and we fangirled over the show together for a while.

Overall, I love this show. I think it's practically perfect, and I would recommend it to anyone having a tough time, or anyone who just wants to watch a really good show about mental health. On my personal rating scale, I would give this show an A, for "Absolutely watch it on Netflix."

Even if you think the entire show's not your thing, all of the music videos from the show are up on Rachel Bloom's YouTube channel, and so you can check those out instead. I definitely recommend "West Covina" and "I'm the Villain in My Own Story."

Have a happy holiday season, and stay blessed, y’all.

Top 10 Things to Watch in 2021// Hot Girl Summer

Happy Hot Girl Summer, everyone!

Now that it's officially summertime and it's so hot that the only thing you can do is sit inside to avoid the heat, I thought now would be the best time to share some of my favorite things that've come out in the past 12 months.

Since 2020 was the year of streaming and so much good content came out within the past year, I just thought I would provide everyone with some recommendations (even though I know no one asked). Here are the best things I've watched in quarantine up until now, and what I think was worth the time investment.

In no particular order, my recommendations are as follows:

10. Cruella (on Disney+)

I'll just put it out there: this movie is corny.  

And yet Cruella is still absolutely fabulous.

This movie is not at all like the 101 Dalmatians live-action remake that came out in the late 1990s, and it's not even like its sequel (102 Dalmatians) that came out in 2000. In fact, this movie is hardly a movie about Dalmatians at all.

If you haven't seen it, think of this movie as a heist version of The Devil Wears Prada, with a Disney spin on everything. Sure, this movie's about Cruella de Vil, but Emma Stone's version of the character is the same as the cartoon villain in name only. This version of Cruella is not the puppy murdering witch that her song makes her out to be. This version of Cruella is a fun anti-hero with great style.

From the jump I was expecting to like this movie, and I'm glad that the movie didn't disappoint. In fact, Cruella was even more fun than it initially let on to be, and the twist towards the end of the movie is so fun and wild that it made my experience watching it even more insane. If you can swing the hefty $30 premier access fee, I would recommend watching this movie on Disney+. If you can't, then I would recommend waiting until the film is available to stream on the platform for free.

9. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (on Netflix) 

I have a lot to say about Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, and almost all of it is positive.

First of all, shoutout to Kipo for being the first animated children's show to display an openly gay black character and not have it be a big deal. (As far as I am aware, anyway. If there is another children's show with an openly gay black character, then I'd be interested to know about it.)

In fact, Kipo shines brightest in its representation, as the entire main cast of characters are people of color. The main characters of Benson and Wolf are black, and Kipo herself is biracial, with her black father and her Asian-American mom. Even Dave, Benson's bug sidekick, is played by Deon Cole, a black actor known for his roles on shows like Black-ish.

It can be a little problematic, to me, in the fact that it follows that unfortunate trope of (SPOILER) turning people of color into animals (see my review on Soul as to why this is such a common and unfortunate trope), but I think it sticks the landing for the most part.

Overall, this show SLAPS. 

The premise of Kipo is about a girl who is looking for her father after her underground bunker gets attacked and they are separated. Now she's stranded above-ground, where all of the animals on the planet have dangerously mutated, becoming "mutes."

I recommend Kipo because the music is impeccable, the animation is SO unique and colorful, and the plot is compelling throughout. The last season of the show premiered earlier this year, and so I would recommend checking out the entire series if you haven't already seen it. 

8. WandaVision (on Disney+)

I know I'm late to this one, but hear me out:

This show came out at the beginning of 2021, and it was a hard reset for this year in terms of what Disney+ had to offer, and what the fate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be going forward. I binged the whole season recently (as I only recently began catching up on Disney+ content), and I was pleasantly surprised that this show lived up to all the hype.

This show follows Scarlet Witch (AKA Wanda Maximoff) following the events of Avengers: Endgame, in which she is now inexplicably living with her husband Vision (who we're pretty sure is dead, right?) and their children. Through some insane plot twists and turns, the show quickly becomes a show within a show, as we discover what in the world is going on with Wanda and her husband Vision.

The best aspect of the show is all of the homages that this show pays to classic TV, including shows like I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, and Malcolm in the Middle, while also including the modern elements of Marvel that we've all come to know and love. The show manages to feel fresh while also feeling nostalgic, and it made me cry towards the end, which was really uncool for them to do.

I won't spoil the show for anyone who still hasn't seen it (although the information is already out there for those who want to know), but I would highly recommend checking out this show if you haven't already.

7.  Wish Dragon (on Netflix) 

Here's a movie that came out this year that I bet you haven't heard of: Wish Dragon.

This movie got next to no promotion from Netflix, even though when it came out, it premiered in Netflix's top ten in my region. In fact, the only reason I saw it was because I had seen a few of the film's animators talking about it on Twitter. It looked cute, so I invested the time to watch it.

And it's cute!

Like- delightfully cute!

But I will say that this movie is basically just a modern Chinese version of Aladdin. 

Well... to say that this movie is a rip off of Disney's animated Aladdin may be a little strong, but its definitely not entirely inaccurate. 

For example, the main character's name is literally Din, and there is a magical teapot that functions as a sort of magic lamp within the context of this movie. It also doesn't help that John Cho, the voice of the Wish Dragon, was definitely channeling some heavy Robin Williams energy towards the beginning of the film, however- this movie is different enough that it didn't feel like a shot for shot remake.

This film is about two childhood best friends who grew up together, Din and Li Na, who are separated at a young age after Li Na's father gets a better job in a different area of China. Flash forward into their teen years, and Din just wants the opportunity to reunite with his old friend. Through some hijinks and some shenanigans, and with the help of a magical Wish Dragon, the two eventually reconnect and rebuild their friendship. (Sweet, right?!) 

Overall, this movie felt fresh enough that I wasn't mad after watching it, even though it did remind me of Aladdin (one of my favorite movies, by the way). I really liked that it did things differently and wasn't afraid to tread a different path with this familiar story.

All of that is to say, you should go watch Wish Dragon on Netflix. It's good. 

6. Never Have I Ever (on Netflix)

I love this show, and it makes me incredibly emotional every time I watch it. Season two just dropped literally last week, and I binged it all in one sitting.

Simply put, this show is about an Indian-American girl named Devi who just wants to fit in with the kids at her school and get a hot boyfriend, while also dealing with her Indian family and the recent passing of her father.

At first glance, this show seems more cliché than it actually is, which is why I think I like it so much. It's got all of the tropes we all love to hate: the nerdy girl falling for the hot guy, the enemies to lovers trope, the manufactured drama of wanting to lose your virginity, etc.

However, it's all of the fresh things that are in this show, like Devi's rough personality and the loss of her father, that make this show so entertaining and heartbreaking to watch. If you liked The Mindy Project, you'll probably love Never Have I Ever, because it was also produced by Mindy Kaling, which becomes immediately obvious once you watch it. I love it, and I live for manufactured teen drama that feels real (unlike whatever the hell it is they're doing over on Riverdale).

5. The Flight Attendant (on HBO Max)

When I started this show, I wasn't really expecting to get into it, but I got hooked by the end of episode one and so now I'm hoping I can drag more people down with me.

Kaley Cuoco stars in this international comedy-drama in which an alcoholic flight attendant (played by Cuoco) is suspected of murdering a passenger she was sleeping with while abroad in Bangkok. Due to her alcoholism and her spotty memory, she has to piece together the truth of what really happened on the night that the passenger died and hopefully clear her name.

The Flight Attendant was based on a novel of the same name by author Chris Bohjalian, and while I haven't read the book, I have to give the show props for being a solid murder mystery with a lot of character growth for Cuoco's lead. (I think one of my favorite characters in the show though is definitely Annie, her small but terrifying lawyer friend who represents the mob.)

If you're into a good who-dunnit concept, then I think you should check this show out on HBO Max. It's already been renewed for a second season.

4. The Great Pretender (on Netflix)

I'm not usually into anime, but this one is damn good.

The Great Pretender is about a series of international con men who "Robin Hood" their way around the world, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. The show primarily follows Japanese con man (or "confidence man") Makoto Edamura as he struggles to make ends meet until he is sucked into the inner circle of notorious con man, Laurent. Laurent eventually helps Makoto to pull off elaborate heists from everyone ranging from corrupt politicians to international sex traffickers with the help of his friends Abby and Cynthia.

Each heist that the group has planned takes place over multiple episodes of the show, and so season one of the show contains 3 smaller scaled heists, while the second season contains one larger scale heist.

If you're into any of the Oceans movies or if you care about stealing from the rich to redistribute wealth to the poor, you'll love this show. I personally recommend the first season over the second season, but I think they're both equally enjoyable for new viewers.

 

(Also, did I mention that they use the Freddy Mercury song of the same name for the end credits of every episode? Too good.) (*chef's kiss*)

3. The Mitchells vs. The Machines (on Netflix)

If you liked Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Lego Movie, you're pretty much guaranteed to have a good time watching this one. Chris Lord and Phil Miller, the producers behind both of those wonderful properties, were also involved in producing The Mitchells vs. The Machines, one of the best animated movies to come out this year. 

The Mitchells vs. The Machines is a story about a family of weirdos (like actual weirdos), who are travelling across the country in order to take their oldest daughter to film school. Only, while they're making their way across the USA, there is an android uprising, and the Mitchells are the only ones who can save the world.

A few things about this movie: One, the story is great, and it's cute in a way that leaves you feeling really good about your own crappy family. Two, it's got the craziest animation style. Like Spider-Verse, the animators basically created their own unique hybrid style animation that they use throughout the movie to give it its own unique feel. Three, they use the 2008 bop "Live Your Life" by T.I. ft. Rihanna in a really fun way throughout the movie.

Overall, 10/10 would recommend. Watch it with your whole family. 

2. Loki (on Disney+)

I'm not sure where to begin with Loki. Loki is one of those shows that is just... (*chef's kiss*).

If you thought that WandaVision had good writing and compelling characters, then you'll just about drop dead when I tell you that Loki has probably the best and most complex writing out of any of the recent MCU shows.

Without spoiling anything vital, I'll just say that this show follows Loki following the events at the end of Endgame (which, if you haven't seen yet, it's really too late for you), in which he escapes capture from the Avengers by using the Tesseract. Once he escapes this predicament however, he is immediately captured and brought in by a mysterious organization called the Time Variance Authority (or TVA for short), and their Time-Keepers. The TVA and its people (one of which is played by Owen Wilson), are meant to keep the universe safe and ensure that everything on the timeline happens according to plan. Loki, inevitably, gets in the way of that. 

Throughout this show, the series gets more and more complicated as it dives into theories about time, free will, and what's just. However, it balances itself out by occasionally devolving into madness in which (SPOILER) several versions of Loki across multiple timelines fight each other in purgatory.

This show is wild, and it just wrapped up its first season last week. (And it was already confirmed for a second, unsurprisingly.) I would recommend giving Loki a shot if you're all caught up on your Marvel lore, although if you're not, it could be a little confusing at times.

1. Bo Burnham: Inside (on Netflix)

Music video for "White Woman's Instagram" by Bo Burnham

So.

Bo Burnham's comedy special, Bo Burnham: Inside, definitely left me feeling... strange. In the best way, of course.

I considered doing a review of Inside on its own and not including it on this list, but after some reflecting, I think it's better that I just let you watch it on your own and come away with your own thoughts.

I will say though, that this special made me feel more seen than many of the other comedy specials that I've seen from Bo Burnham, and maybe that's because he was having a mental breakdown while trapped inside, just like the rest of us in 2020. 

The show is funny and relatable and tragic, while also being reflective and thoughtful. It felt like a fever dream sometimes and yet mostly looked like a well produced music video (see "White Woman's Instagram" above).

There were some songs that spoke to me on a more personal level, like "Shit" and "Welcome to the Internet," while others were just fun to listen to like "Comedy" and "Bezos I" and "Bezos II." Some of these songs I even have on my personal playlists (both ironically and unironically). However, the definite low point of the show was towards the end where Bo starts talking about the pandemic in "All Eyes on Me." When I watched that, I felt what he felt, and what I think a lot of us felt about the past year of our lives.

Overall, even if you can't watch the special on Netflix, I would recommend listening to the album of the show on Spotify. I think you'd like it.

I think that about does it for the list, folks. Whether you watch the shows and movies I recommend or not, or even if you just came by to check out my blog for fun, I appreciate you. Thanks for sticking with me while I write reviews that no one asked for.

Have a great summer. Stay safe out there, and make sure to wear your masks!