Sunday, November 19, 2023

Trolls World Tour review

I wanted to do this post at some point in time and with all of my blogs behind right now, I figured that I might as well get this done. I’m also writing this for my CSI: Vegas blog in a way. I was not watching the Party Dance version, just the regular one. I just hope that this helps my other blog out.

 

We begin with the cloud guy reintroducing some characters and revealing that the troll world is much bigger than they knew. We then see a glimpse at another group of trolls. These people live underwater and are singing a song. (The Other Side/One More Time)

 

These are the techno trolls and the hard rock troll comes to take their string and music that she doesn’t like as it “isn’t real music” in her mind. Her team of rockers show up and attack them as part of her world tour. (Rock You Like a Hurricane)

 

We return to the troll world that we know and a used to with Poppy singing a song, a parody of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Interesting fact: the cover by Cyndi Lauper is way more famous than the original version by, a guy. (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) This leads to more songs as well. (Good Times) One of the male trolls somehow has a baby. (Tiny Diamond Rap) then (Groove is in the Heart) It ends with the main song. (Trolls Just Wanna Have Fun)

 

Branch wants to confess his love for Poppy. Will this not happened until the end or a dramatic point of the movie? Obviously, it didn’t happen now as he just called her a good queen and she calls him a friend when he obviously wants to be more. A strange bat like thing seems to attack people and then the queen of rock sends a message to bring a string which leads Poppy’s father to act incredibly strange. He reveals that there are other types of trolls that “aren’t like them” in ways they can’t even imagine. They are pop trolls who sing and dance differently. (Pop Muzik/U Can’t Touch This)

 

He decides to explain the origins of the six main strings. There are techno, pop, hard rock, classical, country, and funk (and every music in between). People started hating the other’s music. Each tribe separated with each different string. It lead to fighting instead of figuring out how to work together. Poppy wants to work together while everyone else wants to leave. Poppy sends out a notice accepting what she believes is an invitation. She leaves in a balloon and Branch joins her.

 

One of the trolls, Cooper, leaves on his own since he thinks that he is more like another one after having dropped eavs on Poppy. (It’s All Love History of Funk) In the meantime, we see the hard rock trolls going to their next place with the techno string and plans for world domination in sight. (Crazy Train)

 

We learn the villain’s plan. While on a world tour, she will pick up a string to unite the world once she has all the strings together. She talks to her old father about what’s going on. It is revealed that Biggy and Mr. Dinkles are on the airship. Poppy wants to see Barb, this rock troll. Branch is worry about what is out there. Poppy only wants to have her arms as weapons for hugs. Landing in a strange area, a flute comes out. Symphonyville was attacked by Barb with their music and everything being lost, their people taken too. (Rock N Roll Rules/Symphony No. 5 in C Minor/Symphony No. 9 in D Minor/Symphony No. 40 in G Minor/Symphony No. 9 in E Minor)

 

Learning the truth of Barb’s plan, Poppy makes a pinky promise to Biggy that reverberates throughout the world with people learning of this happening. Pinwhistle wants to stay behind and rebuild. Poppy brought the string with them and they want to go back to warn people about what happened. (Mi Gente/Russian Roulette/Hocus Pocus)

 

Barb gets the invitation that Poppy had sent and doesn’t want to be friends, thinking that her minions are already that. She wants to gather her bounty hunters together, such as Chaz, Reggaeton, Kpop, and Yodelers. Is it just me, or are these people not hard rockers? Hugh Heffner was probably a hard rocker if you know what I mean. They can keep their own music in a very small area. But the Yodelers are missing even as the other three groups or people go ahead. Meanwhile, the pop trolls arrive at the place where the country trolls gather. They notice the sad music with Poppy thinking that music is supposed to make people feel happy. (Born to Die)

 

Poppy wants them to do a medley of all of the upbeat songs. (Wannabe/Who Let the Dogs Out?/Good Vibrations by Marky Mark/Gangham Style/Hey Baby Drop it to the Floor/Party Rock Anthem) This leads all of the pop trolls to get thrown in jail as they were seen as strange people and their music was too different. The woman who did it knows about the world tour. A troll named Hickory rescues them since he thinks that this unfair to be jailed because of different tastes in music. This leads to a chase scene. (Perfect for me, Trolls World Tour version/Leaving Lonesome Flats)

 

The pop trolls escape into a river. Mr. Diggles almost died. Poppy offers gumdrops to thank Hickory. Branch wants to know why he is helping them. Hickory says that while they are into different music, they are still trolls. We also briefly see Cooper where he runs across the funk trolls.

 

Chaz arrives using jazz to try to hypnotize the others. But Hickory is able to put a stop to this since he has gumdrop earplugs. What should be noted is that you can hear things while wearing earplugs. Biggy gets upset at Poppy and leaves with Mr. Dinkles. Cooper couldn’t find anyone lie him and passes out, but then winds up abducted by something strange that soon also takes Hickory and the pop trolls. It turns out that Cooper is a funk troll and he was separated from his family as a kid. He is a prince. There is also a song that they do that provides exposition to what has happened so far in the past in a fun, freestyling way. (Bring it Here/I Fall to Pieces)

 

It turns out that it was the pop trolls that tried to steal the strings. The leaders each stole a string since the pop trolls tried to do it. I had to turn on the captions to figure out what was being said for sure. At least it makes a good song. Poppy wants to make things right. Barb arrives right at this moment and it has the power being plugged. (Move on up)

 

Poppy and Branch get ejected in a bubble, separated from Hickory and the rest of the people above them, such as the funk trolls and rock trolls. Branch thinks that Poppy isn’t listening to anyone. They walk away with each of them thinking that they are perfect for each other, even though they don’t know it just yet. (Atomic Dog)

 

Branch is abducted again by Kpop with Reggaeton also showing up trying to claim him. Branch tries to reason with them and wonders why all music can’t be saved. Poppy finds out that Hickory and another person were the missing yodelers when she reveals that she has the string. (Yodel Beat/Rainbow, Unicorns, Everything Nice) Barb shows up and reveals that pop village was attacked. This is when Biggy arrives at the village and realizes that he shouldn’t have left since she wouldn’t have left. They have to come up with a plan.

 

The remaining pop trolls pretend to be rock trolls and go to the concert. Not all of the plan is revealed, but it is seen that Barb has all of the strings now. Poppy is in a cage while Barb performs for others in the crowd before her. (Barracuda)

 

Branch arrives to save Poppy and winds up hit by the energy, being turned into a rocker. Everyone will be turned into a rock zombie. (Barb’s Power Chord) This is what Barb wants to do with everyone. This probably turns Poppy into who she really is: Anna Kendrix. But she was using gumdrops to be immune from the powers of this spell and seeks to turn the villain to her side. The strings wind up being destroyed somehow. It seems that all music is gone now. But Cooper starts music being played and others join in as well. This leads all of them singing a song together as the light and color that just went out is restored again. (Just Sing, Troll World Tour version)

 

Everyone is happy with Poppy’s father being glad that she didn’t listen to him. Her and Barb becomes friends with them looking to start a girl band. Meanwhile, Branch and Poppy finally are able to confess their love for each other with Poppy revealing the story of how them all became united together as one group of trolls. (Don’t Slack) The two burgeons were late for the party. And that’s the rest of the movie with me really hoping that the songs are in the accurate places and not out of order either. Dreamworks fandom was no help and neither was Wikipedia.

 

This is a good film in the end. I’d like to see the third Trolls at some point, but am unsure when I will or when I will review it here. I hope that my blogs will be more normal at some point if I can get caught up at some point. For now, this is Adam Decker, signing off.

Friday, November 3, 2023

Cast Update 11-3-2023

As this post and many in other blogs are posted rather late, I’m unsure if I’m past the point of no return on my blogs because I still care about them, just not nearly as much as I used to. I’m only including one new person in the update and want to get this done even though 11-3-2023 has long since passed. I hope to get caught up sooner rather than later, but am unsure if I can or even should.

 

Spin-off info: There is now another installment of the franchise involving this show set to air at some point in the future. That show is Elsbeth. She is perhaps the best character to do a spin-off of. While the show has an unknown release date at the moment, I will be doing updates of it starting now and as long as the show continues, even after I create a blog about it. ***

 

Julianna Margulies: I don’t see what else she is doing right now at the moment, but hopefully will in future posts. I didn’t find anything relating to her from this update so there’s nothing to include here in this update here in the end right now. She has a recurring role right now on The Morning Show, an Apple TV drama. It might be more of a major role, but I don’t know how much yet.

 

Josh Charles: He will be in something new called We Own This City. It is nice to see him doing something worth covering in this blog again as we tend to lose a lot of his updates as they just aren’t worth covering anymore. But this one is for now. He will also be in Mothers’ Instinct. He will be in The Power. He will be in How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings. He will be in The Veil. ***

 

We Own This City: This is about Freddie Gray. It is a planned miniseries on HBO. It is an interesting idea for something that we will hopefully see presented in the best way possible to learn more about it. It is currently out now. ***

 

Mothers’ Instinct: This is another one of those typical perfect seeming life falls apart cliché that we see from time to time. It has no release date yet. It also has no trailer at this point yet either. But I might look forward to it in the event that I can see it in the end, if it even gets made at all. ***

 

The Power: I have no idea how a whole TV show is being made out of this, but apparently in this show, teenage girls develop the power to electrocute people at will. This sounds like a dark twist on the magical girls genre. It is out now. I have no idea what network or streaming service this is on. ***

 

How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings: There is nothing revealed yet about the plot of this. It has no release date yet. There is also no trailer. I have no idea what this might be about. Maybe we won’t since this is now gone from imdb. ***

 

The Veil: This has an unknown release date at the moment. It seems that one woman has to reveal another’s secret in order to save lives? I can’t exactly make sense of what imdb is saying right now. Maybe I will in the future. ***

 

Graham Phillips: We’ll see if we see more of him there in the future or not. Hopefully, he will be doing more than just that in the future. He is set to be in Rumble Through the Dark. This is a project that he is set to co-direct. There are no acting projects of his right now. He is also set to appear in Blackwood and Do Not Go Gentle. He’s in a video game that I don’t feel like covering. ***

 

Rumble Through the Dark: This has no release date at the moment or trailer. It does sound like it could be interesting. It is about a fighter who wants to repay his debts to save his foster mother’s home. I guess we’ll see what it is like. ***

 

Blackwood: This has no release date or trailer yet. It seems to be about haunted woods that are causing disappearances of some sort or another. It could be interesting or it could be commonplace. I guess that we’ll have to wait and see to find out. ***

 

Do Not Go Gentle: Like the previous movie, this has no release date or trailer. It is about a hitman who has potential regret and finds himself at a crossroads. Could he make the right decision? The title would suggest otherwise. I guess we’ll see. ***

 

Archie Panjabi: This actress did a lot after leaving the show. She is doing Departure, mentioned more in the next part of this blog as usual. She is set to be in the third season of Snowpiercer. Another thing she will be in is Hijack. Another thing she’s doing now is Under the Bridge. ***

 

Departure: This has been released. It is a Canadian show about the search for victims of a plane crash. It will air on the Global network that I don’t think that I’ll be able to see any time soon. But I’ll keep track of this as much as I’m able to. This is on the Peacock streaming service for those in America available now. A review now follows. ***

 

Departure: Show Description- A plane goes missing and people have to figure out what went on. Behind the Scenes- Archie Panjabi from The Good Wife and Blindspot is a character on this show. I think that she is the lead. My Thoughts- It seemed pretty good, although I’m not sure how there will be enough material for the show to last. I also have no idea how much beyond the first episode is available for free. Long Term Prospects- I don’t think that this will last, although it can. It is worth noting that since this is a Canadian show, the ratings here don’t matter. Where to Find- Available to stream on Peacock

 

Snowpiercer: This is a TNT TV show. I don’t know when it airs. It is about people on a train in a dystopian future. There is a lot of drama and classism. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to see this series or not. But it will remain in the updates as long as Archie remains a part of this show in the future. ***

 

Hijack: It is out now. It is a TV series about a plane that gets hijacked and what all happens as a result with it. I can’t think of much else to say about it at the moment so that’s about all that I can say about this show since there isn’t much to say. ***

 

Under the Bridge: This is set for release sometime in 2023. The plot of it relates to a teen girl being killed with eight other teens accused of the murder. Did all of them do it? Did some of them do it? Did one of them do it? Did none of them do it? We’ll see. ***

 

Christine Baranski: She will be in is The Gilded Age. Yet another thing that she will be doing is Praise Petey. There are no other ones that I can see of hers right now since she must not have much going on or wanting to do or take care of at the moment. ***

 

The Gilded Age: This is a TV show. It is out now on HBO. You might have remembered me talk about this in my TV show blog where I put it with the cancelled shows since it was never made. Well, just like with Emerald City, this has found new life again and is set to air on HBO. It is airing there now. There is a teaser for this show now: ***

 

Teaser link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYBuU32B8PI

 

Thoughts on teaser: I wish that we could find out more about this, but I guess that we will have to wait until something else is known. It actually says more in the description of this video link than anything this teaser mentions. I hope that more can be known in the future with an official trailer and not just this one. If you don’t see one in the next post, then you might not see one at all. But this could be in the blog for a while regardless of if I’m able to see it.

 

Praise Petey: This is a TV series. This is out now. I have no idea where this airs. It does have a plot of a female from New York City who has her life come crashing down until a gift from her father changes things in some way. ***

 

Matt Czuchry: He’s not doing any known projects at the moment. It seems like he gets one big show and then is gone from the acting world awhile. I guess we’ll just have to wait until the next one happens. Who knows if the actor’s strike is affecting his job prospects.

 

Makenzie Vega: She has been working since The Good Wife ended. Sadly, she hasn’t been doing that much. I haven’t been able to find something that I could review just yet. I hope that she ends up doing something good soon. Otherwise, I guess this will be one less person to worry about. She will be in something called Growing up Gorman. ***

 

Growing up Gorman- The name of this movie is based on a character from the movie. It has no release date or trailer just yet. The person in this wants to win a battle of the bands competition. We’ll see if it avoids being cliché or not. ***

 

Alan Cumming: Here’s an actor who’s known for starring in Broadway plays and productions. Perhaps you have seen him on the Tony Awards that you always watch because you can’t afford to see Broadway any other way. It looks like he has a lot of future projects in the works. He is in Bright in a Hollow Sky. There’s also a new project called Run. He’s in Marlowe. He also hosts The Traitors. Other things that he is in are Drive Back Home, Robogobo, and Rhona Who Lives by the River. ***

 

Bright in a Hollow Sky: This is a movie about people trying to find what they have lost by going on a road trip to do so. It doesn’t have a release date or trailer just yet. Hopefully it can do better than other projects where nothing seems to come from it. ***

 

Run: This has no release date, but it does have a trailer. The plot is about a man who seems to have lost something important and will try to live life in a different way from this point forward. I’m guessing that running in some way will factor into the plot. It might be out, but I can’t find much information about it right now. I don’t think that it is yet. ***

 

Trailer Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8900306/videoplayer/vi3245521689?ref_=tt_ov_vi

 

Thoughts on trailer: This looks very good and interesting, although I’m not sure that I can make anything out of the plot just yet. I’ll have to see what becomes of it in the future. Whatever it is, I hope to see it and want to watch it, not just out of an obligation to doing this blog in the future.

 

Marlowe: This is named after the last name of the character in the movie that this is. This is out on DVD. It is about a PI tasked to find a woman’s ex lover and, as usual, there is a much bigger case that winds up going on as a result. ***

 

The Traitors: This is available to stream on Peacock. It is a reality show like Mafia that has people trying to identify the traitors living in a castle before being “killed” by them. I’ll forgo posting a trailer and post a review of it as soon as I see it. ***

 

Review: Show Description- Different players have to put money in the pot while figuring out who among them is one of the traitors to hopefully banish them while the traitors seek to avoid being banished while getting to kill others. Behind the Scenes- This is an adaptation of a foreign show featuring notable former reality show contestants and other people from other reality shows in addition to people who haven’t done reality TV before. My Thoughts- I liked what I saw of it and wished that I could see more of this for free. I do worry that it reveals too much by saying who the traitors are, but I have no idea if they could air much without that being part of it. I give it four out of five stars. Long Term Prospects- I have no idea if this is coming back or not. I’d say that it might, but we’ll see. Where to Find- This show is streaming on Peacock

 

Drive Back Home: Apparently in this movie, brothers are driving back home after one of them gets out of jail and hopefully that’s not all that the movie is about. It has no release date or trailer yet. We’ll have to see what becomes of this later. ***

 

Robogobo: Five pets without a home are adopted and given super powered robo suits in this TV show. I like the sound of this generic plot (for now). It is set for release in 2024. We’ll see what becomes of it in the future of this project.

 

Rhona Who Lives by the River: This is set for release in 2023. It is about a female who receives the ability to make her own wishes come true. I guess we’ll see what else is known about the show besides that in the future. It might be nice. ***

 

Zach Grenier: Well, he’s finally doing things, such as being in a movie called The Vizitant. We’ll see what else he does over the course of time while still working. There’s nothing else worth mentioning now that I can see in this blog. ***

 

The Vizitant: This has an unknown release date. Apparently, this movie is about a defeated politician who is given the power to change the world by a mysterious entity. Perhaps the Monitor is giving him the book of destiny. Whatever will happen, I hope to find out more when there is a trailer for this. I hope for a release date soon as well. ***

 

Matthew Goode: He has been doing a lot of projects since leaving The Good Wife. I might as well get to mentioning all of them. A thing he appears to be doing is Medieval. He will also be in The Offer. Another thing he will be in is Freud’s Last Session. ***

 

Medieval: This is out now. I don’t know if this is based on a true story or not. But it seems like it is about two people and how they seek to win against an army of people. They probably have people helping them with it. I’ll have to see. There is a trailer for this. ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjgi_Gn5Y_k

 

Thoughts on trailer: This looks like it could be interesting and hopefully I will be able to see it sooner rather than later. I can’t gather much from the plot, but it doesn’t look like I have to as I’m already wanting to see more of this.

 

The Offer: This is available now on Paramount+. It is about the making of The Godfather. I haven’t seen The Godfather yet. Maybe I will some day. I wonder if one could enjoy this while not having seen The Godfather. There is a trailer for this now: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Z9H9mG-SI

 

Thoughts on trailer: This seems far too vague a trailer for this to look any good at all. This might be good, but the trailer clearly isn’t. I won’t know what else to say about this except that I hope it can do justice to the iconic movie and actually be interesting. This show does not look that interesting based on the trailer. But while I think that the trailer is bad, I’m just not sure if the show would be.

 

Freud’s Last Session: This is about Freud and C. S. Lewis doing a debate over the existence of God. It is set for release on December 7, 2023. It could be good, but I’m already having my doubts as only Christian films tend to get Christianity right. ***

 

Cush Jumbo: She’s doing Balestra. She will also be appearing in Criminal Record. Is that really a good career choice? Choosing to do and have criminal record in your past? That’s a joke, of course. It might not be that good of one, but it’s the one that I’m sticking with for now. ***

 

Balestra: It is hard to understand some of the plot. It has an unknown release date. It has no trailer at the moment. From what I understand, a disgraced athlete tries to do some new thing that allows her to extend her training hours but causes reality to blur. ***

 

Criminal Record: This is set for release in 2023. It will be on Apple TV+. It relates to two people fighting over a murder conviction with different factors like race involved in the polarized nation of Britain, if that is still what the country is called. ***

 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: I wonder what else he might do over time. He’s currently in a project called The Walking Dead: Dead City. His newest project is Neponset Circle. There isn’t much else that I can find right now, but hope that I will later as needed. ***

 

Neponset Circle: This is about a police officer getting out of prison who goes right back to solving cases, this one on a missing girl. It has no release date at the moment and also doesn’t have a trailer yet either. I hope that it does since it might be interesting. ***

 

The Walking Dead: Dead City: This is a continuation of The Walking Dead focusing on the character of Negan. I’m going to include some overlap with my blogs on Madam Secretary and The Good Wife as they both have actors in this show. It is currently available. ***

 

Robert King: Here is where we switch to writing credits. He and his wife are helping with a TV show called Evil. He’s working on another TV show called Girls with Guns. And he’s doing Happy Face. While he is doing Elsbeth, I’m not covering that here at the moment. It is elsewhere in this post. ***

 

Evil: This looks like it could be interesting. People investigate the supernatural in this show in the typical one woman, two men set up. This is currently streaming its third season now. We’ll see how long it might last beyond its current known run. ***

 

Evil: Status- Currently streaming its third season. Why I’ve seen it- I watched this to review it for a blog. Description- A woman and others have to deal with the idea of what makes one evil and if there are supernatural abilities behind it or not. Notable People- This is created by Robert and Michelle King who also did The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and BrainDead. It stars Michael Emerson from Person of Interest, Lost, and Arrow. Pros- It has a lot to offer in terms of understanding the human mind. Cons- It might be too mysterious at some points in the long term. I just hope they decide whether or not to include supernatural elements for sure at some point. Note to Parents- This is probably not something that you want your kids watching. Recommendation- I’d say that this is pretty good to watch. My Viewing Habits- I had planned to see as much of this as I can and have watched since the first episode aired. With it now on streaming, I doubt that I’ll be able to watch any new episodes of this again. Prediction- I might last if the good streaming numbers keep up. Otherwise, it will be toast pretty soon after that. Reception: positive. Grade: B-.

 

Girls with Guns: Not much is known about this right now. I don’t even see a plot of this mentioned right now. What I do know is that it might air on Paramount+. It is unknown when this is coming out. I could not find out more information upon further research as I doubt google would be helpful with this. ***

 

Happy Face: This is a TV show. I have no idea what network this would air on. It has an unknown airdate right now. In this show, we learn that a child discovers that her father is a serial killer. This could be interesting, but it better avoid being anything like what Prodigal Son wound up being like. ***

 

Michelle King: Since she is married to the previous person, it would appear that she would probably have the same projects in the works as her husband. This section may be redundant since any similar projects that these people have would be the same thing and thus have the same information. She is working on Evil and Girls with Guns. Yet another thing she’s doing is Happy Face. While she is doing Elsbeth, I’m not covering that here at the moment. It is elsewhere in this post. ***

 

Evil: This looks like it could be interesting. People investigate the supernatural in this show in the typical one woman, two men set up. This is currently streaming its third season now. We’ll see how long it might last beyond its current known run. ***

 

Evil: Status- Currently streaming its third season. Why I’ve seen it- I watched this to review it for a blog. Description- A woman and others have to deal with the idea of what makes one evil and if there are supernatural abilities behind it or not. Notable People- This is created by Robert and Michelle King who also did The Good Wife, The Good Fight, and BrainDead. It stars Michael Emerson from Person of Interest, Lost, and Arrow. Pros- It has a lot to offer in terms of understanding the human mind. Cons- It might be too mysterious at some points in the long term. I just hope they decide whether or not to include supernatural elements for sure at some point. Note to Parents- This is probably not something that you want your kids watching. Recommendation- I’d say that this is pretty good to watch. My Viewing Habits- I had planned to see as much of this as I can and have watched since the first episode aired. With it now on streaming, I doubt that I’ll be able to watch any new episodes of this again. Prediction- I might last if the good streaming numbers keep up. Otherwise, it will be toast pretty soon after that. Reception: positive. Grade: B-.

 

Girls with Guns: Not much is known about this right now. I don’t even see a plot of this mentioned right now. What I do know is that it might air on Paramount+. It is unknown when this is coming out. This will likely be about girls with guns. But more of a plot beyond that is unknown. ***

 

Happy Face: This is a TV show. I have no idea what network this would air on. It has an unknown airdate right now. In this show, we learn that a child discovers that her father is a serial killer. This could be interesting, but it better avoid being anything like what Prodigal Son wound up being like. ***

 

Erica Tazel: This former Good Fight actress has projects in the works. I look forward to seeing what I can of her work in the future. She is in The Devil You Know. She is also in Big George Foreman. And she’s in Freedom Hair. That’s all for now. ***

 

The Devil You Know: In this movie, a man has to try to make things right for himself after spiraling one way and not going back to his dark ways of the past or something like that. It is on DVD now. There is a trailer for this now: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb_ZpN98pg8

 

Thoughts on trailer: I can’t really ever like trailers like this that are too vague while at the same time also trying to be grandiose. The movie might be good, but I can’t really make much of an original plot out of this and can only hope that the film is better.

 

Big George Foreman: It is on DVD now. It is about George Foreman. That is all that I really know about it at this moment. There’s nothing else really to say and talk about it for now. I just hope that I can see it at some point in time. ***

 

Freedom Hair: The plot of this sounds a bit dumb, but I guess I’ll see possibly whether or not it really is if and when I see this. It is about a woman’s struggle with the hair industry it seems. It has no release date or trailer. No idea why black hair is such a big deal to people. They can have whatever hair they want. And there are plenty of more important issues regarding acceptance than that. ***

 

Poppy Montgomery: I don’t know if she acts less now than she used to. We’ll see what she does. She does not have any projects in the works as of this post. Maybe this will change by a future post. For now, there is nothing else new for this part.

 

Jaimie Alexander: She is in The Minute You Wake up Dead. There is nothing else that she has done recently besides that. It, arguably, shouldn’t be in the updates, but I’m keeping it here for now since I haven’t seen or reviewed it yet. ***

 

The Minute You Wake up Dead: This is out now on Prime Video. This is about a person who gets involved in scams that lead to murders. There is a trailer for this, but I’m not going to cover that at the moment, if ever. ***

 

Enrique Murciano: He is doing The Night Agent. Maybe there will be more in the future. That’s about it for now at this point in time. We’ll see what else he will do in the future besides that. But that is all for now that he is in. ***

 

The Night Agent: This is a Netflix series. It is out now. It does have a plot: a person low on the FBI totem pole suddenly is thrust into a conspiracy that leads all the way to the White House. That’s a better way of phrasing it than the grammatically incorrect way it is currently described on imdb, which might be a sentence fragment in the end. There’s a trailer for this now: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDbnY9Obsfs

 

Thoughts on trailer: While this looks interesting, the trailer looks clichéd and obvious in parts. What’s with the sex in it? Does there have to be sex? The music seems familiar and I guess that it is just kind of hard to know for sure what could separate this from other shows or movies like it.

 

Hugh Bonneville: This actor from Downton Abbey will be the first of any people from that show to be covered in this blog here. Anyways, he has lots of things in the works right now. A thing that he’s doing is Bernie’s Gift. Something else he will be in is Banking on Mr. Toad. Another thing he’ll be in is The Gold. He’ll also be in Better than Fine and Paddington in Peru. ***

 

Bernie’s Gift: This has no release date or trailer right now. The plot sounds complicated from what I understand of it online. This relates to a man recruiting two people in order to go on an adventure of sorts relating to food and other things. ***

 

Banking on Mr. Toad: This doesn’t have a trailer yet. It is set to be out sometime in 2023. This seems like Finding Neverland, but with a different work of fiction: Wind in the Willows. We will learn how this book came to be while delving into the personal life of the writer of it and his family. This is gone from imdb at the moment. ***

 

The Gold: This is out now. In this, we learn about Britain’s investigations into criminal activity. Will this be like a documentary like Dateline or will it be a scripted series based on actual events? That is the one thing that I’d like to know right now regarding this show. Here’s a trailer for this show: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gShXixufXqY

 

Thoughts on trailer: This looks okay in some places, but disinteresting in others. I do like the fact that this is scripted and not a documentary. I can’t quite tell for sure if there is much of a plot to this other than find the gold before it is gone. Still, it could be good enough in the end.

 

Better than Fine: This has an unknown release date and even plot. The role that Hugh is playing in this is set to be the universe, whatever that means. I guess that we’ll have to see if this comes out and if I’m able to see it or not. ***

 

Paddington in Peru: This is another installment in the strangely popular Paddington movie series that I guess that I will have to see some of at some point. There is no trailer nor release date yet. The plot is about them visiting their aunt until a mystery sends them throughout the country at hand. ***

 

Sullivan Stapleton: He is set to do After the Verdict. That’s all that I can see of his for the moment. I do not know what else he might do over time. But I have to wait and see what all else he will do at the moment once and as it happens. ***

 

After the Verdict: This is out now. It is about four people and their lives relating to a high profile murder trial. I don’t yet know where this is airing or streaming, but I do plan to watch if I can as it could be interesting. There’s a trailer for this: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlpEJRGbW2E

 

Thoughts on trailer: There is far too much in this trailer for me to keep track of all that is going down. I don’t know if this is based off of a true story or not. I don’t think that it is. It could be a good thing, but I won’t know much because I probably won’t be able to see this at all. It could be good. It could be too drawn out and boring.

 

Hank Steinberg: While he is not set to create any shows in the near future, he is set to be the producer of the show Doc. There is nothing else that he is doing right now at the moment. There could be more in the future that he’ll do. ***

 

Doc: In this TV show, a doctor loses her memory in a car accident and has to rebuild her life as an intern. It has no release date at the moment. I’ll have to see what network or streaming service this might be on. I just hope that amnesia as a plot isn’t overused. ***

 

Jessica Brown Findlay: She’s in a lot of projects. One is called Whatever After. A second is Flatshare. A third is An Unsuitable Game. And that’s all for now. We’ll see what, if anything, becomes of all of them. There is not much else that I see of hers now. ***

 

Whatever After: This has no release date yet. It also has no plot. It is a miniseries of some sort. What else is there for me to say about it? I’m unsure. Hopefully more about this will be known over time. One can only hope that it will. ***

 

Flatshare: It is out now. It is on Paramount+ at least in the UK. It is about two people who share the same place, living together, but never at the same time or seeing each other. I can’t think of much else to say about that right now. There is a trailer for this: ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5KPF_Jtbs

 

Thoughts on trailer: Well, this looks weird and obvious at the same time. Too much of it seems focused on just how odd it is and the same things that it does focus on. I can’t tell if I would like this or not. And must the potential for sex be part of it?

 

An Unsuitable Game: This is about the origins of women’s soccer during World War I. It doesn’t have a release date or trailer just yet. I hope that I can see it, but I guess that we’ll see if I do or don’t. I just hope that it doesn’t take too long to update you about it. ***

 

Marianne Jean-Baptiste: She has acted a lot ever since Without a Trace ended. I’ll see through time what else she appears in. She will be in Rumble Through the Dark. She’ll also be in The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies. Another thing that she is in right now is Surface. And she’ll be in The Book of Clarence. That is all for now. ***

 

Rumble Through the Dark: I can’t make as much sense out of the plot even after reading it on imbd as it seems to relate to someone trying to save the home of his foster mother and perhaps his family too. It has no release date at this moment. ***

 

The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies: This is out now. It is about Trump’s claims regarding the 2020 election that still has yet to be proven. I’m sorry. It’s actually about a man who is trying to destroy two different women who are different from each other. That’s not the best way of phrasing it though, but it’s the best that I got so far. ***

 

Surface: This is a TV show about a woman’s suicide attempt and what lead up to that moment. It is out now on Apple TV+. There is a trailer for this that I will talk some about. There’s not much else to talk about besides that. ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH3yylTyB8M

 

Thoughts on trailer: While this does look like something that I’d want to see, it also looks kind of obvious in some places. At the risk of potentially spoiling this, I think that it is clear that the following things happened: 1- someone kidnapped this woman then tried to kill her making it seem like she is someone else and her whole life right now is a lie, 2- her “husband’ is clearly evil, 3- we have no idea who, if anyone, in her life, she can trust, 4- it will take a very long time to reveal all of this in the show so enjoy everything being very long and drawn out to get to the obvious point which I think I have and know already. But am I right?

 

The Book of Clarence: This is about a person who is inspired by the Messiah in some way. I hope to get more of a description than what I have once I’ve seen the trailer. It is set for release on January 12, 2024. There’s a trailer for this:

 

Trailer link: ***

 

Thoughts on trailer:

 

Ukweli Roach: I’m honestly not sure what he is currently in. Potential projects of his that might be on TV are The Midwich Cuckoos and Annika. But none of them are getting sections in this blog yet since I’m just not sure if he has a major or long term role in any of these right now anymore. While both might be worth covering, I don’t care about them at this point in time. But I will include one more thing. He will be in Big Mood. ***

 

Big Mood: This is a TV show about bipolar disorder and the tolls that it can take on a friendship if I’m getting the plot of this right. It has no release date yet. It doesn’t have a trailer yet either. But it might be a good show in the end. ***

 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead: She has two projects in the works right now. The first is Ahsoka. The second is Ursa Major. We’ll see what else this actress from BrainDead does in the future with her now in this blog. A third thing she is set to do is Rich Flu. A fourth thing is A Gentleman in Moscow. A fifth thing is Scott Pilgrim Takes off. ***

 

Ahsoka: This is yet another Star Wars TV show. Remember when these were movies? This is streaming on Disney+. It is about a character originally from The Clone Wars who later appeared in The Mandalorian and is now getting her own show.  ***

 

Ursa Major: I believe that this is a movie. It has no release date or trailer yet. It is about a mother and daughter who have to survive on an alien planet while also hiding from people who are hunting them. It sounds interesting in my mind. This is not on imdb anymore. ***

 

Rich Flu: I’m not entirely sure yet if I can make sense of the plot. But if I understand this correctly, after wealth goes around, a strange disease threatens to kill anyone with riches. It has no trailer yet and has a release year of 2023. ***

 

A Gentleman in Moscow: This has no release date or trailer yet. It is about a man on house arrest while the Bolshevik Revolution, whatever that is, happens. It could help inform me about something if it is done well and accurately. ***

 

Scott Pilgrim Takes off: This has a release date of November 17, 2023. It seems to be an animated adaptation of the movie in question, but hopefully has some differences. At least most of the movie cast is returning, making me wonder why they are remaking something so close to the original. ***

 

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLvRvqByxUI

 

Thoughts on trailer: This doesn’t seem bad at all. I hope that they are able to make it different. It could seem like a version that isn’t as good since live action affects can be more impressive in the end. I would say that the original cast returning seems a good part at least.

 

Laura Carmichael: There are no projects of her currently known by imdb that are known so I guess that I will have to wait until there are things before I include them here at some point in time. I hope that it does not take too long for something to happen with her.

 

Rob Brown: He is also in We Own This City, which is not getting its own separate part again here. It is already mentioned elsewhere. He is also in Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy. That’s it for now. Maybe he’ll do more in the future… ***

 

Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy: This has an unknown release date per usual. It is about a male slut that winds up murdered. What could have happened? Well, watch the show and find out. There is no trailer yet. There should be one later. ***

 

Danny Pino: He is doing Hotel Cocaine. I didn’t know that there was a version of cocaine called hotel. I’m glad that I’m not into the drug world and, thus, don’t know such things about life such as even what some call certain drugs.

 

Hotel Cocaine: I think that this might be based on a true story? It is about Roman Compte. I’ll have to look up more information, if I can, about him later since I have no idea who that even is. There is no release date or trailer for this yet.

 

Jim Carter: Not to be confused with former US president Jimmy Carter, this UK actor is in the movie Wonka. I wish that I knew a whole lot more about that sooner, even though I doubt that I would have seen it yet if I had.

 

Wonka: This is a prequel to the classic movie. I guess that I’ll have to buy the VHS copy of the original if it is still at my local thrift store. I hope to see this movie soon as well. It is in theaters now. I won’t cover the trailer and hope to get to it at some point.

 

Schedule ***

 

Currently on TV- Snowpiercer (on TNT), We Own This City, After the Verdict, The Gold (unknown time on unknown network), The Power (unknown time on unknown network), The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies (unknown time on unknown network)

 

Currently streaming- Departure (on Peacock), Evil (on Paramount+), The Gilded Age (on HBO Max), The Offer (on Paramount+), Surface (on Apple TV+), Praise Petey (on Hulu), The Traitors (on Peacock), Ahsoka (on Disney+)

 

Out now: The Devil You Know (on DVD), Medieval (on Amazon Prime video), The Minute You Wake up Dead (on Amazon Prime video), Marlowe (on DVD), Big George Foreman, Flatshare, Wonka (in theaters)

 

November 17, 2023- Scott Pilgrim Takes off ***

 

December 7, 2023- Freud’s Last Session

 

Unknown 2023- Isle of the Dead, Criminal Record, Banking on Mr. Toad, Rich Flu, Under the Bridge, Rhona Who Lives by the River

 

Unknown 2023/2024 TV season: Elsbeth

 

January 12, 2024- The Book of Clarence

 

Unknown 2024- Robogobo

 

Unknown year- Bright in a Hollow Sky, Girls with Guns, Run, The Summer People, Growing up Gorman, The Vizitant, Whatever After, Balestra, Rumble Through the Dark, Hijack, Mothers’ Instinct, Ursa Major, How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings, Neponset Circle, Freedom Hair, The Night Agent, Blackwood, Do Not Go Gentle, Better than Fine, Paddington in Peru, A Gentleman in Moscow, Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy, Doc, The Veil, Drive Back Home, An Unsuitable Game, Big Mood, Hotel Cocaine

 

Election calendar ***

 

November 7, 2023- general election

 

January 1, 2024- Daniel Cameron’s last day as attorney general

 

March 3, 2024 (Sunday)- North Dakota presidential primary

 

March 5, 2024- Texas primary

 

March 19, 2024- Illinois primary, Florida presidential primary, Arizona presidential primary

 

May 7, 2024- Indiana primary

 

June 11, 2024- North Dakota general primary

 

August 6, 2024- Missouri general primary, Arizona general primary

 

November 5, 2024- general election, Doug Burgum up for reelection

 

January 3, 2025 (Friday)- Mike Braun and Mitt Romney are no longer senators, Jim Banks and Alex Mooney are no longer Congressmen

 

January 13, 2025- Mike Parson’s last day in office

 

November 4, 2025- general election

 

January 17, 2026 (Saturday)- Glenn Youngkin’s last day in office

 

November 3, 2026- general election

 

January 5, 2027 (Tuesday)- Ronald DeSantis’s last day as governor

 

January 11, 2027- Brian Kemp’s and Kevin Stitt’s last day as governors

 

January 3, 2029 (Wednesday)- Tim Scott’s last day as senator

Friday, October 27, 2023

Bend it Like Beckham review

As you already know by now, some movies that I review in this blog have a link to The Good Wife in some way as in this case, an actress from it was in this movie. I plan to watch this movie and then give it a good recap of what it was like. I hope that you enjoy this.

 

We begin with what seems like an ordinary soccer game (or football for those in the UK, but I’m going to call it soccer). A woman named Jess make a goal and they start talking about her, but her mother is then getting interviewed and doesn’t like what her daughter is doing by playing on the field. It is revealed that Jess is just watching soccer and her mother tells her to come to her sister’s engagement party. She is sick of the wedding already despite it having not started.

 

The two sisters talk with their mother before going to a store. These are sisters of Indian decent. They are actually Indian and not Native American. Meanwhile, a white woman and her mother have issues as she goes out to play sports. The sisters then see a woman wanting her son to get married.

 

Jess is alone when she takes part in part of a field soccer game. Later, back in her room, she talks to her poster of Beckham when her father comes inside her room to talk for a bit. We then get to a largely attended engagement party. Jess goes back to play more field soccer with a bunch of men. We then see a woman, the white one from earlier, talk to Jess about playing for a team. This woman is named Jules. We then see the woman’s team gathered together.

 

Jess gathers for this game and is told by the male coach, Joe, that she can play. He isn’t quite sure that this is a good idea. Joe started a woman’s team after his knee was busted and Jules pestered her about why there was only a guy’s team. Joe ends up liking Jess play so he invites her back.

 

When given a uniform, she doesn’t want to put on her uniform shorts as the rest of the team welcomes her. She doesn’t want to show an injury around her leg. But it doesn’t affect her game. Joe convinces her to play. We see the women practice some including bending the ball.

 

Back at the field, the mother of Jess sees her in the park playing with men. She is scolded back at home. She says that she isn’t playing with men anymore, but will play with women. Her mother and father make it clear that she shouldn’t play at all. She talks with her male friend about this and he thinks that she should just play anyways and not tell her family.

 

Jess decides to defy her parents and play anyways. Jules knows about her parent’s disapproval saying that she shouldn’t take no as an answer. Her sister meanwhile isn’t being faithful to her fiancée. Or that is the impression that I’ve always gotten from that. Her sister knows that her job isn’t real so Jess then confesses the truth to her.

 

After shopping for shoes for playing the game, they wind up taken away from Jess. Jules decides to help out Jess by given her mother’s shoes to Jess for a moment. While at a bus stop talking about this, the parents of Jess’s sister’s fiancée (I don’t know names yet) think that she’s kissing an English guy and call off the engagement. That is when Jess’s secret of playing for the team is revealed by her sister. Her sister ends up breaking up her affair.

 

Jess stopped showing up for practice so Joe, learning that her parent’s disapproved of her playing, talks to them about this. Her father reveals that he had a past playing in a team, but things didn’t go well for him because of his Indian heritage. She decides to keep playing and joins the team on a trip to Germany. They don’t do well at one game with her failing to get a penalty shot. They actually had to redo that take over and over again as she kept making the shot when she wasn’t supposed to.

 

The father of Jess notices her being promoted in a newspaper that she somehow didn’t realize that she would be in. Did she not realize that a member of the press was taking their photo? Later at a club, the team is still dancing with Jess and Joe going out for a bit of a break. They almost kiss, but Jules sees this and gets upset, going away from them. Further worsening matters for Jess, her family is there to see her return from this trip.

 

Pinky, the sister of Jess (I think that’s her name), talks about being in love with Tig, the man that she was engaged to. Jess admits that she wants to date Joe, but Pinky doesn’t think that it would work since he isn’t Indian. Joe is Irish. But should she be dating her coach?

 

Jess and Joe talk about yesterday. They have different issues with their parents. His father was too hard on him which lead to him being injured. He doesn’t talk to his father just yet. He doesn’t want Jess to give up on things. Jess tries to make amends with Jules with the mother of Jules none the wiser about what is going on there. The mother of Jules hears only some of the conversation is becomes convinced that Jules is a lesbian and that Jess broke her heart. She gets emotional about this.

 

Later with her male friend, Jess claims that she wants an Indian boyfriend to cover for the fact that she is wanting to date Joe. He reveals that he is gay. His name is Tony. The still devious Jess pretends to be sick so she can return to playing soccer. Her father briefly returns to the house, not knowing where she is. At the game, he shows up to watch some of this. Despite some lingering animosity between Jess and Jules, they still work together pretty well in the game at times.

 

A confrontation happens at the game with Jess getting a red card for fighting back against a woman who first shoved her. She is scolded publically in front of the other players by Joe. She talks about this later privately with Joe. He thinks that the other player was out of order, but she overreacted. There was a slur used, but he understands. That is when her father reveals briefly that he is here.

 

The family of Tig returns to their house and the engagement is back on between him and Pinky. They decide to pick a new date for the wedding: the 25th. It seems too soon and conflicts with a game that Jess is going to play. But that’s the only date that will work for five months.

 

Jules is upset at Joe since she thinks that he is leaving the team and that there really isn’t an American scout coming to see them play. But he reveals that a scout is coming and was already there at the game in Germany. Jules goes to make amends with Jess, but is told that she won’t be able to play yet in the final game of the tournament.

 

The team prepares to do their final game without Jess while Jess and her family gets ready for Pinky’s wedding. Jess seems disinterested in everything. Joe stops by the house during the wedding party pre-celebration or whatever it is. Joe talks to Jess’s father. He doesn’t want her talents to go to waste. She notices that he is here and says that she will be starting at a university soon. Joe doesn’t want to give up on her. He thinks that it is lucky that her family cares a lot about her.

 

The day of both events arrive with both groups of people preparing for it. Tony arrives at the wedding and tries to get Jess to leave. Her father decides to let her leave for the second half of the game. He wants her to be happy on the video.

 

Jess gets her chance to play in the game, so she joins the team for the rest of the game. She gets a chance to do a penalty shot at one point, imagining it is her family that she has to bend the ball around. She is able to get the ball in and win the game. Her teammates then help her get redressed for the wedding. The scout is then introduced to both Jess and Jules.

 

The mother of Jules still seems to see things wrong, especially when Jules talks some about the game later. Jess has returned to the wedding in the meantime. The mother of Jules wants to go to the end of the wedding when Pinky is about to leave. Mrs. Paxton, the mother of Jules, causes a bit of a scene and confuses a lot of people by taking the “lesbian” shoes of hers back from Jess. Jules then has to explain that the fighting was about them both liking their coach Joe.

 

Back at their home, the women discuss the confusion that was going on as Jess decides that now is the time for her to be public about something. Tony lies about wanting to get engaged to Jess, but Jess stops this and tells the truth. She confesses that she both played in the game and that her father let her. She lets them know about the scout who gave her a scholarship to play in America. He explains his decision and why he shouldn’t have stopped playing earlier when people kicked him out.

 

Jess then talks to Joe about how she can play, but she can’t yet reveal her relationship with him yet as they wouldn’t yet survive. Later at the airport, Jess and Jules prepare to leave. Joe says that he had turned down coaching the men’s team so he can coach the woman’s team still. Joe and Jess finally kiss and leave for America until at least December. We briefly see some of the character’s futures going along in the world as we end the movie.

 

Now that we have gotten to the end, you have to wonder: what is the lesson of the movie? Is it teaching us the right lesson? On the surface, it may seem that the lesson is that you should ignore what your parents say until they cave in and do what you want. But I think that anyone who thinks that is the same type of idiot who thinks that the lesson of Shrek is that same must stay with same. I think that the movie’s message is more towards parents than their teen kids. It is a lesson in not holding someone back from their talents and what they are good at. The line “Parents don’t always know what’s best for you” is more or less the whole point of the movie. That’s why it takes first the father and then later the mother to understand what they should be letting their daughter do in the end.

 

I do like this movie or I wouldn’t keep watching it year after year. It does have confusing moments and some flaws, but it works for the most part. I recommend it at least once for those of you who haven’t seen it and want something to do with their time. For now, this is Adam Decker, signing off.