Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Nobody (R):
This is a throwaway action flick starring Bob Odenkirk as a middle-aged nobody who gets pushed around one too many times. It uses ultraviolence for an almost comic effect, and is good, shallow fun. It was also nice to see Christopher Lloyd in a guest role.

Final Grade: B-

Mystery of Mister V by Von Smith:
Von Smith's second album is another collection of bombastic, musical theater-like songs that are lots of fun to listen too but a little too eclectic and genre-jumping to gain a wider audience. Nothing Like This is a good example of his style, which sometimes feels like the lovechild of Mika and Nate Ruess.

Final Grade: B

Happy Endings, Season One:
This sitcom from the post-Scrubs era feels comfortably traditional. It's a fun watch when you have an infant and cannot commit any brain cells to following a more complicated serialized plot. Free on Netflix.

Final Grade: B

Miss Saigon: The Definitive Live Recording:
This recording is fine. There are no glaringly bad or distracting singers, unlike the London and Broadway recordings, but there are also no standouts. Most of the lyrical changes feel like useless bikeshedding that are no better than what was there before. The big change in this production was the replacement of an entire song for the Ellen character -- the new song is completely forgettable.

Final Grade: C