Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Prison Break, Season Five:
I had no expectations going into this "reboot" season, since the original four seasons ended in a way that needed no continuation. It's just "okay", full of uncharismatic side characters and an unnecessary new setting (Yemen). There was less ingenuity in the flow this time -- instead of watching complicated prison break plans come to life, it felt more like the characters were just running away from danger the whole time. The ending was a good wrap-up and fan service. If you were a Prison Break fan a decade ago, this is a fun jaunt that you can leave on in the background while you exercise.

Final Grade: C+

Moulin Rouge: The Musical:
I somehow missed that this movie from my grad school years ended up as a Broadway musical in 2018. I enjoyed the soundtrack on my first listen, with some of the medleys rewritten to incorporate new popular music. It's loud and flashy and exceedingly shallow -- once the cleverness of the mash-ups fades, the performances feel rote and weak. Fun background music, but not a musical I'd necessarily want to see.

Final Grade: C

Lupin, Part One:
This French show about a criminal that bases his plans around a pulp fiction series was great. What starts out as a basic heist setup turns into a deeper character study and revenge plot with plenty of humourous moments. Although Part One only has 8 episodes (ending in a cliffhanger), we're already looking forward to the next part coming this summer. Free on Netflix.

Final Grade: A

Vice Principals, Season Two:
The second and final season of this dark comedy takes everything that was pretty good from the first season and improves upon it. The tone is perfected and the actors feel right at home as their characters get deconstructed and face the consequences of last season. We missed the departure of one of the main cast, but it wouldn't have made sense to keep this character around after last season's finale.

Final Grade: B+