Posts from 12/2023
There are no major spoilers in these reviews.
Derry Girls, Complete Series:
This is a fun, 19-episode sitcom about growing up in Northern Ireland in the 90s. The show is consistently funny although the absurd elements are sometimes so absurd that they nullify the impact of the occasional dramatic section. The third season feels like it got a big infusion of cash, with higher production values and guest stars, but I actually prefer the low-key nature of the first two seasons better. On Netflix.
Final Grade: B
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (PG-13):
This movie kind of feels like UHF if that movie had a budget bigger than $5. It starts out promising but my interest declined steadily throughout. By the time Weird Al was in the jungle battling Pablo Escobar, I was ready for it to end. I also wish there had been more actual MUSIC in the movie, rather than just the same two or three songs over and over.
Final Grade: C+
Only Murders in the Building, Season Three:
The third season of this show is fine (and you can't go wrong with guest appearances from Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep), but some of the magic is gone. It doesn't help that the core conceit of the three main characters working together is delayed until midseason. On the positive side, the fake musical written for the characters to perform in the show is great. On Hulu.
Final Grade: B
Mario Kart 8: Booster Course Pass (Switch):
It took two full years for Nintendo to release all of the content from this DLC, but it was ultimately worth it. Buying this pass doubles the number of Grand Prix cups you can choose from, with memorable maps from earlier iterations of the game. Very worth it if you our your kid are still into Mario Kart -- much less so if you've already moved on.
Final Grade: B
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a selection of original cartoons from the business development Slack channel I maintain at work
Other posts in this series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII
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There are no major spoilers in these reviews.
Lincoln Lawyer, Season Two:
The second season of this show is so shallow that infants can swim in it unattended. The court case is marginally interesting but the characters are plot ciphers that constantly speak the clunkiest, cliche dialogue in every scene. May have been written by an AI. On Netflix.
Final Grade: C-
Barbie (PG-13):
We liked this more than expected. It had a great visual style and was much more subversive and tongue-in-cheek than one might expect from a Mattel-blessed movie. Good performances and a nice balance of absurd and dramatic.
Final Grade: B
Le Pop by Katzenjammer:
This Norwegian band has a fun, kitchsy sounds that mixed Gadjo, early Cardigans, and Dirt Poor Robins. I discovered it when Demon Kitty Rag started appearing on my Pandora stations -- unfortunately, the band broke up back in 2015 so I'm late to the party. Tea with Cinnamon is ony of my favourite tracks on this first album.
Final Grade: A
Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree:
A prequel to the "cozy fantasy" book, Legends and Lattes, this book is a short, pleasant exploration of the protagonist's earliest days as an adventuring orc. It doesn't cover a lot of new, interesting ground but manages to recreate most of the low-stakes warmth as the first book.
Final Grade: B-
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The maximum life span of these dumb Home Depot deer is 2 holiday seasons.
We attend a holiday open house at the home of a model train aficionado.
Maia goes to an Air Force Band concert in DC with my parents.
Cookie season!
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12 pictures of your day on the 12th of every month
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a recap of 12 of 12 posts from 2023
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"My monster is spooky because he loves to scare people."
Maia's first trezur hunt: "Where leaves fall, a box hides next to the tree."
A surprisingly accurate representation of our state.
"I think spiders are creepy. Especially big ones."
"Hey, come back here!"
We do!
Food, yum!
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There are no major spoilers in these reviews.
Cobra Kai, Season One:
This is a follow-on TV series to the seminal movie, Karate Kid, and can be enjoyed even if you've only seen the first movie in the trilogy. I liked that the show has more to say about the original characters -- it's not just a typical reboot with young actors playing the exact same types of roles as the original. There's a good balance of cheesiness throughout even though the setting and character depth has been modernized (no one's a villain but no one is perfect). On Netflix.
Final Grade: B+
Last of Us, Season One:
This HBO show is based on a video game I've never played, featuring a hardened mercenary type escorting a young teen across a dangerous post-apocalyptic US. The premise of a fungus that turns people into zombie-like infected ends up being a loose skeleton that allows the show to focus on smaller, character-driven stories. The show is warmly bleak, and occasionally too bleak.
Final Grade: B
Elemental (PG):
This Pixar movie is a gentle step back from the movies that were a little too abstract to succeed (Inside Out, Soul). It's pleasant ride but not one of Pixar's greatest movies -- it kind of covers similar ground as Turning Red.
Final Grade: B-
A Kiss Before You Go by Katzenjammer:
Katzenjammer's second album is slightly less rough-hewn and more polished than the first, with the overall sound moving more towards pop. There are lots of catchy tunes here, and it's definitely worth a listen. Rock Paper Scissors is a good representative track from this album.
Final Grade: B+
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Here are the experiences I gave the highest ratings to in 2023. I hope you discover something new!
Television Shows
Movies / Specials
Music
Books
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A smattering of events from 2023
January: B
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New photos have been added to the Life, 2023 album.
December's Final Grade: B, Happy New Year!
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