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Sunday, July 19, 2020

The Owl House

So, somehow, I missed reviewing this alongside the first episodes of "Big City Greens" and "Amphibia". Which is weird, as I enjoy this show the most out of all of them.

It has a dark magic element with a fair amount of gruesome imagery. The art syle is really reminiscent of that of "Star vs." except with more lines in the backgrounds and more detail in the character models.

Of course, none of this is super detailed, but it's more so than "She-Ra" on Netflix. There is a large over arching plot that, in 12 episodes, has only been hinted at, and it's not even about the main character, Luz. Nothing about how she's the one to save The Boiling Isles or some chosen one nonsense (Which is actually deconstructed in about episode 3).

The hinted-at-history is about Eda the Owl Lady (Wendie Malick, and it kills me that more people were quick to recognize her from "Bojack Horseman" than from "Fillmore!"), and it's really interesting so far. It's such a slow burn that it seems rather meandering for now. As the show already has a second season planned, it will make more sense in hindsight.

Friday, July 10, 2020

#12: Hamilton

Another positive casualty of Covid-19 is pushing the
long awaited ... non bootlegged copy of the Broadway sensation that has people of color playing slave owners singing.

Let me be clear; Despite the talent involved - I have no problems with the performances - I was never a big fan of this in its heyday. It reeked of the thing white people do, when they overcompensate in liking something because it has people of color in it.

Doing it for a program where we're the slavers is...think about that.

People who are much more familiar with this production say that Lin-Manuel Miranda sounds terrible in this, as this particular filmed version was in the middle of the original cast's original run. I heard his voice in snatches in "Moana" and it's reedy and not super impressive there, but here it's what I expected. I didn't expect greatness.

Someone said that everyone else is basically, what we think of when we think of these characters except him.

You ask "Who plays Aaron Burr in Hamilton?" I'm saying "Leslie Odom, Jr." I would like to see this with a different actor for Hamilton himself.

This is one of those musicals where it is 100% musical. No talking. Which may make some things a little hard to understand, especially if subtitles are not available readily, but the gist is there.

In their proper context (and not diluted by wild Hamilton Stans on tumblr - Staniltons?), I found this really enjoyable and dynamic.

There are some things in this recording you will only see and hear in this recording. Watch and listen to "Satisfied" Renee Elise Goldsberry hits "To your union" in a way that isn't on the official recording and always has me #shook.

8 A Quiet Place Day One

    It's carried by Lupita, because the narrative doesn't have the strongest punch to really get across its themes.