My Life Is Murder (2019) s03e10 – Killer Fashion

Killer Fashion is a peculiar episode. It’s a peculiar season finale, but it’s also just weird. It’s more about its guest stars than a season finale ought to be, and then there’s the whole fashion angle. Lucy Lawless and Ebony Vagulans are both obsessed with the fashion world, though Lawless won’t admit it. Other than “My Life Is Murder” having delightful costumes (the pastels are presumably because New Zealand loves life because they’re New Zealand), fashion hasn’t been a character trait. All they needed to do was have a scene with Lawless and Vagulans watching a fashion show and eating sourdough, but no, it’s just this previously unexplored, shared trait.

And it’s often delightful. They’re investigating the unexplained death of a fashion model at world-famous designer Mark Mitchinson’s latest show. Lawless bonds with forty-something but still got it fashion model Simone Kessell, while Vagulans pals around with make-up artist Jodie Rimmer and model Bella Rakete. They’re on the case because Rakete is playing cop Rawiri Jobe’s sister, and he doesn’t want someone killing her too.

Martin Henderson shows up because it’s the season finale, and there’s some slight resolution to his season-long character arc. But then they actually put off integrating Henderson into the main ensemble, which again includes Tatum Warren-Ngata, who does nothing this episode but hang out at Joseph Naufahu’s coffee shop. The episode’s all about Lawless and Kessell hanging out—the dead model was Kessell’s direct competition—and Lawless oscillating between suspecting Kessell and just having a wild time with a famous person.

But there’s nothing for Lawless this episode other than showing the guest star a good time. There’s some season finale celebrating, but there’s no character development or even the hint at any. And the mystery’s complicated but straightforward; there are like four red herrings before they get to the end, with Lawless and Vagulans trading suspects like baseball cards.

If the episode spotlights anyone, it’s Kessell, which is incredibly generous, but—again—so odd. It’s like they’re walking the season finale, which is too bad, given the outstanding mysteries they’ve had elsewhere in the season.

Still, okay episode; pretty fun.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s03e09 – Staying Mum

This season of “My Life Is Murder” has had several outstanding mysteries; with one episode to go, I’m pretty confident giving the prize to this episode, though. The script, credited to Kate McDermott, effortlessly keeps the show’s almost ensemble cast involved (except for Joe Naufahu, who’s occasionally around) while unfolding a windy murder investigation. The episode does make a feint at character development for lead Lucy Lawless, leading to maybe Ebony Vagulans best performance on the show outside a suspense sequence, but it doesn’t go anywhere.

Maybe next episode.

Probably not.

Anyway.

The mystery this episode is dead male nanny Alex Walker. Ostensibly beloved by all, he went out into a thunderstorm and got struck by lightning. Only copper Rawiri Jobe (who’s got to be upset he’s gone nowhere as a character this season) doesn’t think so. Lawless is in a great position to investigate because her newly revealed (to audience and characters alike) niece, Nell Fisher, goes to the same fancy private school as Walker’s charge.

There’s the current set of parents, Melanie Vallejo and Jared Turner—both great—the jealous former boss, Tania Nolan, and the rival nanny, Sinead Fitzgerald. Some of the episode’s success in casting these supporting parts well. All of them are good, and most have a character arc playing out through their various reveals.

But then having Fisher at the school lets the episode bring in Tatum Warren-Ngata as her fake nanny, while Vagulans can concentrate on computer hacking and that unexpected character development arc. Of course, because that arc doesn’t go anywhere with Lawless, Vagulans gets stalled out too, but it’s a lovely way of integrating the sidekicks.

Playing up the ensemble aspect is Lawless, Fisher, and Fisher’s dad, Martin Henderson, having their family thing going on too.

It’s just a supremely well-balanced episode with exceedingly solid direction from Mike Smith. I’ve been hopeful for at least another season just in general, but I wasn’t expecting to want it for the procedurals. The show’s stalled out on Lawless’s character development; while this episode acknowledges matters unresolved, it still doesn’t do anything about them. They can probably get away with it for one more ten episode season.

Otherwise, they’ll have to address some things. Like what happened with Lawless and Jobe’s season two, “are they or aren’t they” becoming a season three “did they ever?”

But they can easily get through another season with just these excellent mysteries and delightful ensemble. And Lawless, of course.

Clerks III (2022, Kevin Smith)

Clerks III starts as a series of vignettes reintroducing the characters. It’s been fifteen years since the previous entry; since then, spoiler alert, one of them has become a widower, and neither has done anything with their lives. For the first time, Jeff Anderson gets a little more to do than Brian O’Halloran, though only in the third act.

Until then, the movie’s a quick setup—Anderson has a heart attack and decides to make a movie about his life at the Quick Stop—with the actors doing their familiar banter routines, just updated a little more the times. Trevor Fehrman, also returning from II, now has his own sidekick, Austin Zajur. Director Smith reprises as Silent Bob, Jason Mewes is Jay. Everyone’s back, including ex-girlfriends Rosario Dawson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, and Jennifer Schwalbach Smith.

Many of the actors—besides Dawson, obviously, whose performance is visibly effortless compared to her costars—haven’t been in a movie since a Clerks and it shows. Schwalbach Smith is so bad I was able to identify her as the director’s wife just by her performance. No other way she’d have gotten the gig. Ghigliotti gets back into the groove quickly, though.

The funniest section of the film is while they’re making the movie. In addition to Anderson and O’Halloran, Mewes and Fehrman are around to cause hijinks, and III brings back all the actors from the first movie to play their “scenes.” It’s kind of lovely, actually, getting the same bit players back, thirty years on. The film doesn’t get sentimental about it, which is good because it goes off the rails with sentiment. The third act’s sincere, almost successful—successful to the point it saves the movie—ultimately a fail. Smith doesn’t just fumble the ending; he intentionally smashes it.

Besides that section, the second act is almost entirely scenes or montages set to modern folk rock. The first act is all nineties soundalikes (or nineties songs, I guess, I didn’t Shazam), which makes sense since the whole movie starts as an homage to that era. That soundtrack at least fits; the folk-rock? They should’ve just done a musical. Especially since there are great cameos from Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood auditioning for the movie-in-the-movie, and they both want to do it musical theater.

The other cameos are hot and cold. Amy Sedaris has a lengthy cameo where Anderson can’t shut up about “The Mandalorian,” a show she stars in, but the bits aren’t funny because Anderson’s not a nineties Star Wars nerd anymore; he’s just a regular white guy fifty-year-old. And Sedaris is bad. Justin Long’s also bad. Luckily they’re only in it for a bit.

Anderson’s good until he’s got to “come to Buddy Christ,” and then it’s not his fault. Smith can’t figure out how to write it, so it’s another montage, not even a sensical one. O’Halloran seems nervous, disinterested, and miserable to be making another Clerks for two-thirds of the movie, then has a breakout scene, but then the movie’s over.

Clerks III is, of course, a very long shot, but even as a miss, it showcases why it could’ve been a hit.

Maybe Smith’ll figure it out by IV.

Superman & Lois (2021) s01e11 – A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events

So, A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events confirms a question I didn’t realize I had—who’s the perfect director for a Superman movie? Small Soldier turned “Everwood” star turned TV director Gregory Smith. This episode’s chock full of Superman: The Movie references, most of which fail earnestly, and then some genuinely excellent Lois and Clark stuff for Elizabeth Tulloch and Tyler Hoechlin. I’m sure it wasn’t the intent of the flashback episode, but it really does show how they could’ve made a damn good “Superman” show.

Flashbacks also mean there are weird dodges to preserve some sense of continuity between “Superman and Lois” and the Arrowverse, like Jimmy Olsen getting a mention but not appearing because Mehcad Brooks? Then there’s a scene where young Adam Rayner, played by Ben Cockell (who’s impressively terrible but just doing a pissy evil British white kid, so it’s fine), asks hologram dad A.C. Peterson about other Kryptonians sent to Earth. Peterson starts his torture training immediately, skipping having to say there’s just Hoechlin, but also maybe “Supergirl” Melissa Benoist or her evil Kryptonian counterpart Odette Annable. Rayner’s Fortress of Evil Solitude is in a desert, too, just like Annable’s. Strangely, they don’t seem to be recycling the CGI models—the Fortresses are jank compared to “Supergirl”—it’s just part of the “Superman Family” show bible. A little bit of The Movie, a little bit Man of Steel, a little bit “Supergirl.”

Peterson’s also terrible, but he’s like doing a lousy Ian McDiarmid impression, so it’s kind of funny.

Rayner’s actually better as the all-out megalomaniac Kryptonian villain than I was expecting. It’s not particularly good or special, but he’s pretty dang effective.

The episode’s split into extended flashback, then resolution to last episode’s cliffhanger, then some Smallville stuff, finally another cliffhanger. A terrific cliffhanger. “Superman and Lois” probably binges well.

The flashback also reveals, unfortunately, Michele Scarabelli isn’t very good opposite Hoechlin and Tulloch. Scarabelli was good in her last flashback episode, but it was a younger version of Hoechlin. The problem’s mostly she and Hoechlin lack chemistry.

There are some good moments for Jordan Elsass and Inde Navarrette too. Not great moments, mainly because it’s rushed. The episode races through the resolution to Smallville’s brainwashed supervillains to get to the next cliffhanger; there’s some good character development for Erik Valdez, as he’s one of the recovering. Not the best acting Valdez has ever done (and needs to be), and the script—credited to Brent Fletcher—doesn’t go far enough, but it’s narratively responsible.

But, yeah, give Gregory Smith a Superman movie.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s02e04 – Look Don’t Touch

It may just be the museum setting or Lucy Lawless making fun of a woman with a dog in a stroller at the beginning of the episode, but I’m really on board with this season of “My Life is Murder.” The actual big difference—besides giving Lawless some backstory to drive her character and the move to New Zealand—is turning Lawless and sidekick Ebony Vagulans into roomies. They can’t avoid one another (more precisely, Lawless can’t avoid Vagulans), and so there’s a lot more banter.

Including Lawless dropping backstory bombs. She had to pick mom over dad and Australia over New Zealand—Vagulans doesn’t seem surprised to hear Lawless has a brother, even though it was new information for the audience last episode, so maybe she already knew. There’s a nice bit of implied gravitas to the relationship, though Lawless is still a jerk whenever Vagulans talks about her own family. Or to hottie restauranteur Joe Naufahu about almost everything. Though whenever Lawless and copper Rawiri Jobe meet up—including a chemistry-filled stakeout sequence—she’s nicely softer.

There’s no question of whether or not the case is foul play this episode—museum curator Josh McKenzie ends up dead in a river with blunt force trauma to the head—Jobe just can’t figure out motive or opportunity. Lawless and Vagulans head to the museum, where Lawless spent lots of time as a tween and has lots of memories, and start interrogating the staff. There’s working partner and ex-girlfriend Manon Blackman, helpful and flirtatious security guard Matariki Whatarau, and then head curator (or something akin to it) Anna Hutchison.

The mystery solution is relatively obvious (does Jobe even do his job) once all the facts come to light, but Lawless has to find them all. There are some missing security tapes, a mysterious symbol, and a lover’s quarrel or three.

Once again, the show leverages Lawless’s widow backstory to help her bond with Blackman, which becomes a slight character development arc for both of them. Blackman’s not in the episode very much—she’s the obvious prime suspect, and she bungles a North by Northwest alibi—so instead, flirty Whatarau and grieving mentor Hutchison get the most material. Both of them are good; this episode’s acting, down to bit player Wesley Dowdell, is quite good.

Plus the museum. Director Mike Smith really captures the grandeur of the open interiors while Lawless does an excellent job of being nostalgically touched.

It’s early, but I’m already hoping “My Life is Murder” gets another season. Especially if they stay in New Zealand.

My Life Is Murder (2019) s02e03 – All That Glitters

“My Life is Murder” has seven more episodes this season, and it’s entirely unclear how much more they can reveal about Lucy Lawless’s character by the end. In this episode, we find out not only does she have a brother (Martin Henderson), he’s a con man (a professional one like their dad), he’s in prison, and she moved from Australia to New Zealand to be some kind of a support system for him. All that information comes in one scene. Despite this episode going over all the mystery details twice like they’re trying to catch up with anyone coming into the episode late (seriously, was this practice a thing before streaming, and did I forget), the set-up on the brother stuff is phenomenally efficient.

Lawless isn’t much friendlier to Henderson than anyone else, and she’s just as cagey about what she’s filling her time in Auckland besides bringing him the occasional care package. “Murder” is usually a light, breezy, pretty mystery procedural, but Lawless is developing a rather interesting character this season. Though having a major backstory bombshell every episode helps.

The mystery this time is a dead drag queen (played by real-life drag queen Kita Mean), who may or may not have been murdered. It’s an unlikely electrocution situation, and copper Rawiri Jobe wants Lawless to figure it out, which means Lawless and Ebony Vagulans get to go clubbing. While Vagulans bonds with bartender Amanduh La (who’s delightful throughout), Lawless pisses off Mean’s widow, Elektra Shock, and her now promoted protege, Drew Blood, with all sorts of annoying questions.

The episode takes a really, really long time to answer the cause of death question, and a lot of it is just Lawless or Vagulans hounding someone with questions. Usually, the queens’ manager, Michelle Ang, who alternates prime suspect with Blood. See, Ang wanted Blood to replace Mean the whole time, but it’s Mean and Shock’s show.

Blood’s acting isn’t great, but Shock’s pretty good (the episode avoids having too many scenes with Shock to delay important mystery components), and Ang’s kind of great. Though only as a foil for Lawless. Ang tries being hostile to her; Lawless brings it back tenfold, always smirking through.

Not a lot of material for Jobe, other than an excellent flirtation scene.

It’s a rather good episode for “My Life is Murder;” Lawless getting character development is doing wonders for the season.

Superman & Lois (2021) s01e03 – The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower

I feel like they’ve got to know the muscle suit is unimpressive because they’re going out of their way not to dwell on it or to cut straight from long shot to close-up. And this episode’s director, Gregory Smith, definitely seems to have the Superman imagery in mind, as the episode opens with a nod to the flapping red cape of Superman: The Movie. It’ll be the majority of the Super-action in the episode until Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) needs to call for help in a riff on that Dawn of Justice trailer action beat. This time, Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) saves the day by demolishing a small town motel.

Otherwise, the episode’s mostly about Superboy-in-training Alex Garfin joining the football team so he can beat up his bullies and lying to Hoechlin about it. It’s okay, though, because Hoechlin’s been lying to him too, right? Once again, however, “Superman learns to be a better dad” works out. Especially after years of Pa Kents telling Clarks he can’t play sports, it’s kind of nice to see someone actually hash it out. Here’s where it helps to approach “Superman & Lois” like Hoechlin’s still somehow a work-in-progress, because wouldn’t it be cooler if Superman were just a super-dad.

Garfin’s brother, Jordan Elsass, isn’t entirely thrilled with the prospect of his brother taking his football thunder. Still, the script manages to find the lesson of good old-fashioned sportspersonship and how it can build character. It’s basic, but it’s also “Superman” (not to mention the CW). And Elsass can sell it. He’s got less to do than Garfin—who’s also still pursuing a romantically tinged friendship with Inde Navarrette–but his scenes come with a lot fewer caveats. They keep talking about Garfin being short, but he’s the same height as Elsass unless they’re doing a forced perspective shot.

Navarrette’s got her own subplot with mom Emmanuelle Chriqui, which ends up nicely passing Bechdel. It’s still a little unclear what Chriqui’s going to have to do on the show, other than being Navarrette’s mom, local fireman redneck Erik Valdez’s suffering wife, and Hoechlin’s high school girlfriend, but hopefully, they don’t screw it up.

Rounding it out, Tulloch’s started at the local newspaper and is already giving new boss Sofia Hasmik grief about wanting to do the big stories. Hasmik tries to get her to see reason and interview the guy about the feed shop or whatever, but then Jill Teed comes in and tells them her son is missing on a secret project for the corporate bad guy. Somehow it’s immediately obvious the corporate bad guy is making his own Super-people. Even before ex-Colossus Daniel Cudmore shows up and has superpowers. Also, apparently, superpowers are a thing for other people because no one’s too surprised. When Cudmore’s handing Hoechlin his ass, you wonder if maybe they should call in Melissa Benoist to take care of it.

The show’s consistently got problems with false endings, and the epilogue here is a little too obvious (and poorly acted), but the episode’s definitely got stronger moments.

Overnight (2003, Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana)

Overnight is occasionally amusing, often mortifying, never contextualized enough to be interesting, and always compelling. But it’s compelling only if you’re somewhat familiar with the subject of the film, Troy Duffy. Specifically, Duffy’s directorial debut, The Boondock Saints. In 1997, Harvey Weinstein bought the script for Duffy to direct at Miramax and less than a year later put the project in turnaround. Why? It’s unclear. But apparently Duffy pissed off Miramax exec Meryl Poster so much, Weinstein dropped it. How did Duffy pissed off Poster? Unclear. There’s no interviews with anyone like Poster in the film, much less Weinstein. The one person besides Duffy who badmouths him does so with a pixelated face and the producer who actually worked for Miramax on the project has voice distortion.

The documentary, made by Duffy’s band’s co-managers—oh, yeah, Duffy also had a band, which is apparently shitty. There’s none of their music in Overnight (and no clips from Boondock). So if you haven’t heard the music, if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re not going to get the full effect of the documentary because directors Smith and Montona just don’t have the right material to tell the story. It’s also not compelling unless you want to see jackass Duffy show the full shallowness of his humanity. It’s like a puddle with some old dog poop in it.

And Overnight is eighty minutes of it.

The first people Duffy turns on—so his band and ostensibly the documentary makers are all part of his crew. They’re going to take Hollywood by storm. There are multiple scenes where Duffy talks about leading the greatest group of creatives in history because he’s got his younger brother and the two guys in the band and the documentary makers slash band managers. Only once the band signs a deal, they fire the managers. There’s a long scene of Duffy and his brother berating the band mangers (you know, the guys who made Overnight) and telling them they will never get paid. Ever.

Then the movie keeps going. The movie they’re making. So even though there was this falling out, they didn’t fall out. There’s maybe less footage going forward but there’s also less story, just Duffy self-destructing more and their album sucking. Eventually Duffy will fall out with everyone and the movie ends on an upbeat note about how he didn’t get any money from the movie’s eventual video success because his agency screwed up his contracted.

Duffy’s got this conspiracy theory about how Harvey Weinstein is influencing his agency to give him bad deals when really it seems like the agency (William Morris) put an absolute tool (Jim Crabbe) in charge of Duffy’s account. Like, no one comes out of Overnight looking good. At best you’re just a dope. Even co-director Montana, who eventually contributes a lot of onscreen interviews, looks bad. Smith, the other one, he’s somewhat sympathetic still. But the guys in the band are dicks. Jake Busey is a pig. But it really does seem like, from the movie, Crabbe screwed everything up somehow.

Except what really happened was Duffy went out drinking with obviously Miramax would’ve used it as an Ewan McGregor vehicle Ewan McGregor and got in a fight about how Duffy supported the death penalty and people who don’t suck. Like McGregor. Not in the movie. At all. But apparently it’s directly responsible for Miramax dumping the project.

Anyway.

Overnight is adequately executed rubbernecking and nothing else. Kind of good music though—from Jack Livesey and Peter Nashel. It’s better than it needs to be.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016) s05e01 – Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Five

Given how much work these Arrowverse crossover events make for the show’s creative teams—just imagine if they had to bother with good writing, better direction (though this episode isn’t too bad), and good guest stars—you’d think they wouldn’t have wasted twenty-percent of Crisis on Infinite Earths with this utterly superfluous episode. Outside the big bad guy not being gone for real and coming back so the heroes have to team up, again, to take him down (though with a lot less heroes than in previous episodes)… not much gets done. Except everyone’s on the same Earth so crossovers could be easier but probably won’t be? Because the characters existing in alternate dimensions isn’t the problem.

The episode opens with Supergirl Melissa Benoist discovering everything is back to normal but has changed. Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer in way too short of a cameo) is now a good guy and Benoist is now buddies again with (not seen) Katie McGrath—tune into “Supergirl” to see how this move saved their butts dramatically but don’t because it’s too late for “Supergirl.” Benoist soon runs into Grant Gustin, who also is realizing their Earths have combined, but there’s no “Flash” supporting cast so we don’t even know what’s up with Gustin and wife Candice Patton. Tune into “The Flash” for that reunion? Or don’t.

There’s a Marv Wolfman cameo where everyone pretends he cared a lot about Supergirl and the Flash? I mean, he killed them off in Crisis on Infinite Earths the comic book and there’s a moment where it seems like Benoist is toast but… nope. Because this episode’s narratively pointless. Yes, it provides the first ever live action Sargon the Sorcerer (a DC Comics character since 1941 who did have something to do with the Crisis comic but not this crappy crossover event) and (sort of) a coda for Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns but eh. There’s a Beebo cameo for people who actually watch “Legends of Tomorrow,” which is at this point the only Arrowverse show worth watching (though I’m seasons behind on “Black Lightning,” which is now an Arrowverse show). Pointless fights, badly directed ones (okay, maybe the direction isn’t okay), bad writing. There’s a new President in the Arrowverse and, no spoilers, but they didn’t get anyone famous for it.

There’s a “Super Friends” ending, which they’re way too excited about doing, especially since it’s in an empty warehouse. It’s lifeless stuff.

There are two lengthy sequences dedicated to Stephen Amell, with various people providing eulogies, and you have to wonder if Amell made them put those scenes in because they’re poorly written, performed, directed, and everything else. No one who liked “Arrow” so much they needed emotional closure on the series ending cares if Benoist and Gustin moon over Amell.

I forced myself to make it to Crisis on Infinite Earths this season to give myself a good jumping off point for the shows (not “Legends”) but I really wished I’d jumped before these last two episodes. The universes combining without any of the regular cast members from the shows taking part? Who cares. It’s got the dramatic resonance of… well, a bad Arrowverse show. A really bad one.

The Flash (2014) s06e01 – Into the Void

After a brief revision to last season’s finale, this episode skips ahead four months, missing the summer where everyone recovered or reacted to last season’s upheaval. So instead of seeing Barry (Grant Gustin) moping all summer, instead he’s just faking enthusiasm to mask the mope. He and Iris (Candice Patton) are still mourning the loss of adult daughter from the future Nora, who got wiped out when she changed the timeline. Only they’re not talking to anyone about it so it’s festering. It’s the only subplot in the episode with any… maturity. Even though it’s very soapy, it’s big, serious, and potentially searching… but “Flash” isn’t a show to do too serious or potentially searching. Especially not this “Flash.”

The episode plays like a “Star Trek: TOS” Season 3 episode where everyone is playing caricatures of themselves. Joe (Jesse L. Martin, who’s very active, which is good) blathering about how it’s his city too as he confronts a black hole appearing over the city. Carlos Valdes is a lot more fun as Cisco without the superpowers. Danielle Panabaker meets the season’s potential big bad (the handsome and charming Sendhil Ramamurthy) and finds out he’s a creep before dating him the whole season, so at least she’s not getting that plot again. For the third or fourth time. Gustin’s aging nicely, giving him a weathered, tired look for the character, though everyone’s chemistry is at an all-time low. Other than Hartley Sawyer, who’s got enthusiasm and bad jokes.

And, for whatever reason, it’s nice to have Danielle Nicolet hanging around the team. They need a mom.

That chemistry thing is a problem with Gustin and Patton, who—once again—seem like strangers. The show’s always done a bad job dealing with their transition from step-siblings only he had a crush on her for years to dating and then married only it’s preordained in the future—they’re way too chaste and at this point, it’s yet another liability.

The big problem, if it’s a problem, is the show plays like a live action Saturday morning cartoon of the early eighties Cary Bates comics. Only without much emphasis on the special effects spectacular. There is one really cool, albeit absurd, song accompaniment, but the action sequence itself is lackluster. Maybe it’s Gregory Smith’s direction. Maybe it’s just the show running out of steam.

It’s like the show wants to avoid anything actually difficult—like Gustin taking over leading the team, especially with the team all out of juice.

The ending tease of the upcoming Crisis crossover is a fail. If LaMonica Garrett was the best audition for the role of the Monitor, doomsayer of the multiverse, I’m curious to see who didn’t get the part. Though at least “Legends” last season had the tiniest bit of fun with him. Otherwise there’s no fun.

It’s going to be a long slog to the crossover.