This Week: Swayze Always Gets a Pass

So what is everybody watching this week?

Our Doux Reviews Twentieth Anniversary countdown in January got me rewatching Person of Interest and I'm in season three and very much enjoying it. What a clever, well-written show. Unforgettable characters. Amazing dog.

The seventh season of Somebody Feed Phil dropped on Netflix at the beginning of March. If you haven't tried this show, I so recommend it. It's just this very nice, funny man experiencing new places and enjoying the food, but that description doesn't do it justice because it's so lovely and has so much heart. New places are really about the people, aren't they? The "Kyoto" episode this season might be my favorite of the entire series.

Morella: I've been slowly but surely getting through my classic Universal Monster boxed set. Just watched Creature from the Black Lagoon last night, so only four movies left. It's quite the mixed bag and can give me a lot to review in the future. I've got a couple of other reviews partially started (Curse of Frankenstein, It Conquered the World, and Attack of the Crab Monsters).

I still need to watch my animated Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowman, too!

Panda: The third season of Girls5eva is on Netflix now, so I’m rewatching the first two before I dive in. It’s criminally underrated. If you’re a Kimmy Schmidt/30 Rock fan, it’s worth a look. I adore the cast and the music writing is especially funny. I have my doubts about its future but I enjoy it too much to let that deter me from getting sucked in.

An Honest Fangirl: Physical 100 season two premiered on Netflix on Tuesday, which I am super excited about. There’s something just incredibly compelling about watching 100 people in peak physical conditioning battle it out in insane games and challenges to see who is the strongest. Only sad part is that they’re spreading it out over three weeks so I can’t watch it all at once.

Otherwise, I’ve slowly been working through The Gentlemen, also on Netflix. It’s a Guy Ritchie series somewhat related to the movie but the same name. (Very similar premise but not connected beyond that.) If you enjoy Ritchie's previous work, you'll absolutely love this. Sharp, hilarious, propulsive… it’s very easy to just get swept up in it all. I’ll probably get a review out when I’m done.

Finally, super excited for 3 Body Problem coming out on Thursday. (It’s currently Wednesday as I write this.) I really, really hope that it’s good. But even if it isn’t, I’m going to watch just for Eiza González. (Fangirl's review was just posted).

Shari: I literally just saw the trailer for The Gentlemen last night. I was curious then but now I may have to watch. Did you read the 3 Body Problem? I have but I haven't started it because everything I've heard about it intimidated me.

Speaking of books, I've been reading more than viewing these days. However, I just watched Wonka on Max because I found out the choreographer was someone I worked with many moons ago. It was very sweet (no pun intended). Hugh Grant and Olivia Colman were hysterical. And I'm still working my way through The Expanse. Though, at the rate I'm going it may take me all year. LOL

ChrisB: I watched Nolly from Masterpiece Theatre yesterday. It got raves from everyone on both sides of the Atlantic and for good reason. Although the story is not one that many people will remember, the whole idea of women of a certain age being pushed aside will resonate with some of us — yes, of a certain age.

Helena Bonham Carter is fabulous as is most of the rest of the cast. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I was going to.

Mikey Heinrich: I'm currently in season six of Billions, which hasn't been as good as the first five seasons since Damian Lewis left the show, but David Costabile is just such a freakin' delight that I'm still enjoying it. I didn't realize for ages that he was also Gale on Breaking Bad, the characters are so different.

I also started (late to the game) Death and other Details. I've really enjoyed the first couple episodes, but I keep hearing from people that they don't stick the landing. I'm hoping that isn't the case.

We've also, at home, been rewatching the John Wick movies, which I will never not enjoy (although I haven't seen four yet). And hey look, Asia Kate Dillon is both in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum AND is a regular character on Billions, so I've tied this whole thing together with pleasing non-binary representation.

(Seriously, I've kind of become obsessed with Asia Kate Dillon. I might have to re-watch Orange is the New Black/)

An Honest Fangirl: I have not read The Three Body Problem. I don’t think I ever will either. From what I’ve heard about it, it doesn’t necessarily seem like the kind of book that I would enjoy. I am debating watching the Tencent adaptation that came out recently, though, which is supposed to be very faithful to the book. I’ve also heard that it’s at least ten episodes too long, but we’ll see. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see the differences given how Netflix is taking pains to make the story more international as opposed to doing a full Chinese cast.

Victoria Grossack: Because I watched the Superb Owl to please my granddaughter with a Swift sighting, I subscribed to Paramount Plus for my two-and-a-half month stay in the US. So, I indulged in Strange New Worlds and am now enjoying the US version of Ghosts. When I get back to Europe, with a more settled schedule and location for a bit, I hope to resume reviewing.

Mark Greig: I've been diving into a lot of Asian cinema lately and watched three very different films this week. First up was Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro, the often overlooked follow up to Samurai classic Yojimbo. Next up was King Hu's Wuxia heist drama Raining in the Mountain, a companion piece to his epic ghost story Legend of the Mountain (both were shot back to back with the same cast at the same location), but more reminiscent of his early action films like Come Drink with Me and Dragon Inn. Finally, there was the utterly deranged superhero masterpiece that is The Heroic Trio. Just imagine Sam Raimi's Darkman if it had better fight choreography, a more bonkers plot, and three Hong Kong goddesses (Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, and the deeply missed Anita Mui) being relentlessly iconic every second they're on screen.

Getting in to Marvel mode now with X-Men '97 out today. Rewatched the entire original series a couple of weeks ago as a refresh and despite some iffy AKOM animation it held up rather well, until the last couple of episodes. By that point they were obviously just funding the show with whatever loose change they could find down the sofa while Marvel went bankrupt. Thought '97's first episode was good, but not great, there was some definite room for improvement. However, I didn't have to wait long for it because the second episode was fan-flaming-tastic!

Billie Doux: And while Mark was experiencing classy Asian cinema, I just watched the brand new remake of Road House, with Jake Gyllenhaal and his rather spectacular chest taking the Patrick Swayze role. The violence was so pervasive and over the top that it made me laugh a number of times while cringing, but the scenery was excellent, the stunts well executed, a number of innocent boats were destroyed and much of the plot from the original (which, coincidentally, I recently rewatched) was intact. One thing I missed, though – there wasn't a single mullet in the entire movie. Forget this one. Go stream the original.

Mark Greig: Hollywood just needs to give up remaking films that are quintessentially of their time. Sisyphus has more chance of getting that rock to the top of the hill than they have of recapturing the magic of cheesy 80s action flicks.

Billie Doux: Yes, I agree. The original Road House wasn't that good a movie, anyway. It was occasionally fun to watch because of Swayze, and Jake Gyllenhaal isn't Swayze. Swayze always gets a pass. :)

Mikey Heinrich: The MST3K Patrick Swayze Christmas song based on Road House:

Josie Kafka: Victoria, I'm not sure if Evil is the right choice for you, but it's worth trying while you have Paramount Plus to see if it is. I love it passionately.

I tried The Gentlemen, and I'm coming to the realization that Guy Ritchie might not be the guy for me. I couldn't quite find an entry point: none of the characters were very amusing to me.

I also watched, for reasons that I don't understand, Kong: Skull Island. It has a cast of people I like, which I didn't even know when I clicked on it. It was thoroughly not bad! I know we've got some fans of the MonsterVerse here. Should I watch more movies in that universe?

I started on 3 Body Problem, but I'm watching it with a suspicious brain. I just don't trust those Game of Thrones guys. I have read the book, but it wasn't the right fit for me. (It was a gift.) The SF elements were harder than I tend to like, and the many, many scenes within the video game turned me off a bit, because I a) don't play video games, and b) kept picturing terrible 1980s graphics even as the narration described it as completely immersive. Those are very much me-problems, not book-problems.

But I'll probably stick with 3 Body Problem just for the cast. Benedict Wong is amazing. John Bradley is amazing. Liam Cunningham is amazing. Eiza Gonzalez is amazing and has the most amazing hair and the most amazing clothes.

Samantha M. Quinn: Evil is such a strange show. I am caught up with it, but I'm not 100% sure I even like it because it is one of those properties that you're not sure what you're watching is real or imagined. Maybe with the end coming in season four I'll be able to settle my inner conflict over the show, but I get this sneaking suspicion that they will not wrap it up the way I hope they will.

I just finished watching Damsel (Netflix) last night, which is a riff on a fantasy movie where the hero is flipped to be the girl who is kidnapped/sacrificed. It got some very bad reviews, especially from IGN which gave it a 3 out of 10, but it was nowhere near that bad. Sure, some of the dialogue was not the greatest, and I guessed the ending pretty early on (that isn't a negative BTW, I loved the ending), but it was a solid film with a fun twist on the norm. Also it starred Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) and I thought she did a pretty good job with the role, and my beloved Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) as the main antagonist.

I'm finally tackling season four of Wynonna Earp after finding out that there is a 90 minute movie coming this year with the entire cast returning. I had to restart from season one, but I think this is one of those shows that's better when bingeing. What really keeps me going with the series is the complicated family dynamics and the relationship between the sisters, and their two main love interests. There is something compelling about Wynonna herself, played by Melanie Scrofano (Strange New Worlds) who creates a somewhat unique blend of broken, chaotic and competent all in one. Kind of like if Buffy was crossed with Faith and was a borderline alcoholic. Add to that a spectacular version of Doc Holliday played by Tom Rozon (Schitt's Creek), and you get a really good cast. The continuing characters are also a lot of fun, but I'm not sure the season three arc worked as well as seasons one and two.

My Discovery rewatch is almost complete, and I found it is also another show that is much better to watch back to back or bingeing. Early episodes of season one are still a slough, but it's tolerable when you go back with a love for the characters. I'm a little nervous going into the final season, but I thought season four stuck the landing pretty well, so we'll see.

I'm debating on starting 3 Body Problem, although I am a hard sci-fi nerd so I should be the perfect audience for it. I just hope it isn't too weird. I may have to try The Heroic Trio, it sounds like a lot of fun. Same with The Gentleman, I have somehow seen most of Guy Richie's projects over the years, and a lot of them I like/love. I might try Road House at some point, but I was never really a fan of the original.

That's all I have for this week. Until next time, everyone!

Victoria Grossack: Well, I just started Picard, and I'm here less than a month – and my Paramount Plus subscription ends sooner – but I'll take a look at Evil. Thanks for the suggestion!

An Honest Fangirl: Josie, Eiza Gonzalez has a (relatively small) role in Godzilla vs Kong, if that sways you. Also, I LOVED Godzilla as a small child so I am far too attached to the MonsterVerse. Is it good? No, of course not. But Godzilla: King of Monsters is fun and has big monsters fighting each other, and that’s really all I’m looking for in those movies.