Wicked Part 1 (movie, 2024)

Wicked

Watched March 22, 2025.

This movie wants to be a grand Hollywood musical in the "golden age" style, but it just doesn't succeed. The dancing is just mediocre even for the main characters. This needed Astaire and Rogers, but it's not remotely close. The songs are nice, but there is nothing for us laypeople to sing in the shower.

The movie should pay homage to the original "Wizard of Oz" constantly, and there are a few notable scenes (like the beauty salon scene and walking the long hallway to the wizard). But mostly I kept getting déjà vu visions of Harry Potter, and that's not a good thing for this movie. Harry Potter stories have their place in the pre-teen world, but that's not what this movie wanted to be. The movie starts off with a married woman cheating on her husband, but afterwards it's the cast of Glee.

No acting performance is strong. All are just "ok". Having said all  that, I liked it overall and hope for more from the next installment.

The Office (US, TV series, 2005-2013)

The Office US

Watched 2024-2025.

I watched all 188 episodes, including the superfan episodes when available. The misogyny and racism are too blatant, and the office romances are too cringeworthy for this to be better than a 7. The problem for the formula of this show is that office life isn't very funny, the selling of paper isn't very interesting, so the show spices it up with sexual harassment that can't actually happen in real life.

Some good gags in this US version were improvements on gags in the UK version. The A-lister cameo appearances in the last few seasons were fun. Ultimately, the funny bits were pretty funny and the finale episodes were touching.

The Office (UK, TV series, 2001-2003)

The Office UK

Watched February, 2025.

Thankfully there are only 14 episodes of this offensive drivel. Some of the characters' actions are not just example of harassment, but even illegal.

Possibly the worst TV theme music of all time. Ricky Gervais is a wanker (full stop).

Longlegs (movie, 2024)

Longlegs

Watched 2025.

This would get a higher rating if the ultimate reason for the killings was explicable. Cage's character was extreme, I get it, but so what? And again, I don't understand why horror movies have to take place in pre-cell-phone times, except that if everyone had a cell phone it would be harder to let the phone ring for two minutes.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (movie, 2024)

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Watched 2025.

Other reviews of this movie are positive, but not like mine. In a world of gratuitous sex and violence, this is hilarious escapism. I suppose there are minor plot holes in a plot that is straightforward to begin with, but c'mon, the slow speed boat chase was ingenious. Take a break from Longlegs and watch this movie.

The Shack (movie, 2017)

The Shack

Watched 2025.

The screenplay is careful with the theology of the Trinity. I'm not sure how I would react myself to encountering a vision of a female Black God and a supermodel Holy Spirit, but they keep to their lanes. I was a bit surprised by the portrayal of Wisdom as a separate person; this is a decidedly Old Testament notion.

The portrayal of forgiveness seemed appropriate. It is the not the facing of the sinner so much as the soaring past the sin along one's own journey.

The wife's experience was underwhelming. She seemed to be satisfied to return to the sad situation of not knowing and not forgiving.

Presumed Innocent (TV series, 2024)

Presumed Innocent

Watched 2024.

Most murder mysteries can kill the victim, run the trial of the flawed but innocent character, and reveal the unsuspected killer, all in an hour or two. But this show uses 8 half-hour episodes. The actions of all the characters are extreme, the violence is extreme, and the marital betrayal is extreme. The only normal character is the unsuspected killer. I found the final reveal unsatisfying. The killer simply was not presented as someone who could track down the eventual victim ("just to talk"), snap, and beat the victim with a fireplace poker. Also, the copycat staging at the murder scene had to have been devised and accomplished within minutes, which seems unrealistic.

There should have been an outtake of a family celebration of the outcome where the lawyer shows up with a bill for a bazillion dollars which drives them into poverty. Ha ha ha.