entertainment
V.29 No.36 | 9/3/2020
Orion Pictures
Idiot Box
Party On, Dudes
Bill & Ted Face the Music on SVOD
Unlike the title characters’ mythical tune, Bill & Ted Face the Music isn’t going to change the world. In the end, though, this goofy exercise in fan service manages to land on a sweet note sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
V.29 No.35 | 8/27/2020
Idiot Box
Falling Apart
A brief glimpse at the new fall 2020 TV season
Given the current state of Hollywood is more or less identical to the current state of America (quarantined, wearing masks and trying its damnedest not to catch the ’Rona), it’s no surprise to see that the soon-to-debut fall TV season is looking a bit … curtailed. So what sort of new network entertainment awaits us in the last quarter of 2020? Let’s explore.
V.29 No.34 | 8/20/2020
Courtesy of HBO
Idiot Box
Monster Mash-Up
“Lovecraft Country” on HBO
With the mass of talent in front of and behind the camera, “Lovecraft Country” makes for smartly crafted, occasionally heart-pounding thrills—a monstrously entertaining genre reimagination underscored by horrors both real and imagined.
V.29 No.33 | 8/13/2020
DC Universe
Idiot Box
Super Friends
“Doom Patrol” vs. “The Umbrella Academy”
Both “Doom Patrol” and “The Umbrella Academy” serve up funny, weird, sometimes morose collections of broken heroes trying to save a world that doesn’t want them and struggling to find (occasional) solace in self-made families of larger-than-life misfits.
V.29 No.32 | 8/6/2020
Disney
Idiot Box
The Show Must Go On
“Muppets Now” on Disney+
Clearly shot in the puppeteers’ own homes and filled with a bit more improvisation than previous iterations, “Muppets Now” is mostly hit and miss. If the writers, producers and performers can find a way to break through the formulaic segments and embrace a bit more of the original show’s manic and anarchic spirit, “Muppets Now” will make for a joyful weekly treat.
V.29 No.31 | 7/30/2020
Idiot Box
Future Imperfect
“Brave New World” on Peacock
“Brave New World” feels less like a farsighted glimpse into a future world of wonder and more like an unoriginal, corporate groupthink-produced sci-fi soap that uses successful contemporaries like “Westworld” as a photocopied blueprint.
V.29 No.30 | 7/23/2020
Property of Netflix
Idiot Box
Arthur Who?
“Cursed” on Netflix
Netflix’s “Cursed” is an attractive but convoluted attempt to thread the extremely wide needle eye between “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” and “Game of Thrones.”
V.29 No.29 | 7/16/2020
Netflix
Idiot Box
A Mild Burning Sensation
“Floor Is Lava” on Netflix
“Floor Is Lava” challenges contestants to cross a room without touching the floor. But since this is a TV show in 2020, it’s amped up with plenty of hyperactive CG graphics and an over-the-top set that constitutes the sole reason for the show’s appeal.
