NCIS: Hawai’i – Impostor

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: NCIS: Hawai’i – Impostor
  • wiki: link

Taking place in Hawaii, it only makes since that NCIS: Hawai’i would eventual get around to a Pearl Harbor episode. “Impostor” offers some nice twists as the body of a sailor killed in the 40s is found leading to questions about the true identity of the retired soldier who has been living under his name for more than seven decades. The fact that the war hero has massive local support and is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease makes the cold case even tougher for Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and her team.  The B-story also showcases Lucy (Yasmine Al-Bustami) attempting to make more of an effort in her relationship with Whistler (Tori Anderson) while also touching lightly on Tennant struggling to talk to her daughter about racism.

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West Side Story

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: West Side Story (2021)
  • IMDb: link

It’s been 60 years since Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise gave us their award-winning adaptation of Robbins’ stage musical West Side Story. That’s a long time to wait for a remake. Enter Steven Spielberg to create a new version which may last for the next 60 years in a throwback musical that should delight both old and new fans.

Choosing to keep to the play’s original timeline, the opening feels a bit dated, but that is quickly excused for the vibrant spectacle Spielberg offers complete with large-scale song and dance numbers. The director also gives us a talented cast that avoids the whitewashing of Maria from 60s film by casting Rachel Zegler in the role who, along with Ariana DeBose as Anita, are the movie’s real stand-outs. The only casting I question is Ansel Elgort in the role of Tony who looks like a lumbering catalog model completely out of place compared to the rougher characters making up the competing gangs of the Sharks and the Jets.

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Being the Ricardos

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Being the Ricardos
  • IMDb: link

Being the Ricardos is aptly named as even though a large portion of the movie takes place on the set of I Love Lucy the film is really about the relationship between real-life husband and wife Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) and Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman). While neither of the actors much resemble who they are playing, and Kidman’s look for the movie more closely resembles bad BOTOX than Lucille Ball at times, there’s an interesting story here which is helped by the witty dialogue and pace of writer/director Aaron Sorkin‘s script.

The best aspect of the film is it showcasing how Lucille Ball fought for everything (and against everyone) to try and make the best show possible, which is the only place her marriage really worked. As if the show and her husband’s womanizing weren’t taxing enough. Ball also faces charges of being a Communist during the height of McCarthyism that threaten both her career and the future of the show.

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Encanto

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Encanto
  • IMDb: link

Encanto introduces us to the magical Family Madrigal, living together in a magical house in a small town in a hidden valley from the dangers of the outside world. When reaching the appropriate age, each child of the family is gifted with a special power. That is, each member of the family except our main character Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). 

More notable for its cultural perspective and its eclectic characters than its plot, Encanto struggles a bit early finding its rhythm before picking up momentum, both in story and in the strength of the songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, as Mirabel attempts to save the family from a threat no one else sees. It’s a solid film, whose final act outshines the rest of the movie and (in typical Disney fashion) offers a nice moral for kids who are obviously the target audience for the film.

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Supergirl – Kara

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Supergirl – Kara
  • wiki: link

After six seasons Supergirl comes to an end. “Kara” is a bit of an odd finale with three separate stories to tell. The first, taking up the first 20 minutes of the episodes, involves Kara and her friends rallying the people of and the world to help fight Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) and Nyxly (Peta Sergeant) and end their destruction in your basic big heroic speeches and action scenes the show has become known for. The middle section involves the wedding of Alex (Olivia Nikkanen) and Kelly (Azie Tesfai). And the last involves looking forward at the future of Kara post-Supergirl.

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