Ballers (2015-2019)

Genre: TV / Comedy

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Rob Corddry, John David Washington

Number of seasons: 5

Ballers focuses on Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL player who is trying to find a second career for himself as a financial advisor to football players. We also see Joe Krutel, Spencer’s friend and business partner, a short and bald widower working hard to fit into a world of big athletic men. Finally, we see various football players going through various obstacles through their career or after-career.

This show is well written, because, in spite of the fact that I know nothing about football and do not care to learn, I still enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and multi-layered, the dialogues are sometimes funny and sometimes sad but always compelling, and the pace of the action makes it never dull.

I also found that they ended the show at the right time, as it was about to become very repetitive, with Spencer Strasmore aiming high and always finding all the odds against him.

Rating: ««««

Broad City (2014-2019)

Genre: TV / Comedy

Starring: Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer

Number of seasons: 5

This sitcom, created by its two main stars, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, started as a web series. It tells the story of the friendship between two girls in their 20’s living a life of adventures in New York City. There is sex, pot-smoking and working as little as possible all the while chasing dreams of something better.

It took me a bit of time to get into this show, but it finally grew on me. This is a very entertaining show, with lots of crude humor but a bit of sweetness too. The running gag about Abbi’s beautiful butt made me laugh, and I was happy not to be alone in noticing. The secondary characters were also interesting and well developed. The cameos by Shania Twain and Hillary Clinton were nice surprises. Some of the humor was a little outlandish and over-the-top, but, overall, this is a good sitcom.

 Rating: ««««

Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: John Luessenhop

Cast: Alexamdra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz

Running Time: 91 minutes

Following the events of the original film, the Texas farmhouse where those young adults were butchered was burnt down by the town’s people in an act of vigilante justice. Loretta Sawyer tries to run away from the flames, with her baby daughter Edith Rose, but she gets killed by Gavin Miller, who then steals the baby to raise her as his own with his wife. Decades later, Edith Rose, who grew up as Heather Miller, receives a letter saying that she inherited her biological grandmother’s house. She travels to rural Texas, with her boyfriend and two friends, to claim her new house and find out about who she is.

Again, this is your typical slasher film, with lots of blood and guts to go around. The big difference is that, now, Leatherface is the misunderstood anti-hero and the victim of society. It is a sign of the times, I guess, but that is still weird to me.

The film is somewhat entertaining, in spite of its flaws. The acting is decent, but some of the shortcuts taken in storytelling made no sense. For example, who goes out for errands leaving some hitchhiker he or she just picked up alone on his or her property?

Rating: «««

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman

Cast: Jordana Brewster, Taylor Handley, R. Lee Emey

Running Time: 91 minutes

In this prequel to the 2003 remake, we find out how Leatherface became who he is after being adopted by the Hewitt family and how his uncle Charlie kills the local sheriff and assumes his job and identity. A pair of brothers traveling through Texas with their girlfriends before going to Vietnam encounter the Hewitt family after a car accident.

I really enjoyed this prequel. The acting was pretty good, especially on R. Lee Emey’s part. He looked totally demented on screen. He was absolutely believable in his role. There was a lot of violence, with blood, guts and gore, and I was quite entertained. The action was fast-paced and kept me hanging on, with a nice surprise at the end.

Rating: ««««

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Marcus Nispel

Cast: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen

Running Time: 98 minutes

In this remake of the 1974 original, five young adults on a road trip through rural Texas encounter a young woman walking aimlessly along the highway. After she climbs in, visibly distraught, she starts rambling and then produces a gun with which she shoots herself in the head. Horrified by the traumatic event, the group of five young adults stop to alert the authorities, and find themselves in the grips of Leatherface and his murderous family.

While certainly not as stylistically good as the original, this horror film was well done. The acting was pretty good, especially compared to some of those sequels that came after the Tobe Hooper classic. I like how they added a bit of sleaziness and sexuality, while not going overboard with it.

While the action was supposed to be set in 1973, the film did not have that vintage feel to it. The way the characters were dressed and the way they were delivered on screen did not feel 70’s to me.

All things considered, this was an entertaining flick.

Rating: «««

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Kim Henkel

Cast: Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks

Running Time: 86 minutes

A group of four teenagers encounter Leatherface and his murderous family after leaving their senior prom in a hurry following a lover’s dispute.

This installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise is definitely an improvement after the two that came before. For one, the acting was better. It helped to have such talents as Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in the cast. The story was also more interesting, though some twists and turns in the plot were quite weird, even for the slasher film genre. This was closer to the original, though the filmmaker tried to get too fancy with it.

Rating: «««

Seth Myers: Lobby Baby (2019)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Neal Brennan

Cast: Seth Myers

Running Time: 61 minutes

Seth Myers is better known as a late night talk host, wearing a suit and sitting behind a desk. I was curious to see what he had to offer on stage, doing stand-up comedy. His new Netflix comedy special, recorded live in front of a Minneapolis crowd, is a very funny one. Myers discusses relationships, his wife and kids, parenting, his roots and politics. The stuff is cute, sometimes a little too much for my taste, but the set is tight and the delivery is solid. I was thoroughly entertained here.

Rating: ««««