Chris went 3/3 on 5-star reviews this week!
Bel-Air (streaming on Peacock)
I gotta tell you, I’ve been super excited about this since I first heard the concept a year or two ago. I still love watching reruns of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and I’ve been a fan of Will Smith since the beginning. However, “Bel-Air” is not “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” This is a really, REALLY great dramatic take on it.
Set in modern-day America, “Bel-Air” gives us a new take on Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philly to the mansions of Bel-Air. As these worlds collide, Will has to reckon with the power of second chances while also figuring out the struggles and biases of a world very different from the only one he’s ever known.
I’m impressed with the young man who is playing Will, Jabari Banks. He is a 23-year-old actor, and “Bel-Air” is his first on-screen performance. I’ll include a great article there that will tell you all about the relatively unknown actor.
https://parade.com/1334304/
As of this posting, there are four episodes streaming on Peacock, with six more coming through the end of March which will make us season 1. To my knowledge, season 2 has now already been ordered.
Friends, I can’t stress enough how much I am loving this new show. It’s rough. It’s gritty. It’s dramatic for sure. But there’s also a lot of heart. In so many ways, I can see so much of a young Will Smith in this character played by young Jabari Banks. However, so far that’s the only character that I’m really seeing a mirror image of the original in. Maybe Aunt Viv too, but the characters are so much more complex in this new take on the Banks family.
Maybe none are more different than Will’s cousin, Carlton, who is played by Olly Sholotan (Run Hide Fight, All-American.) Carlton was completely loveable, yet annoying in the original sitcom. In “Bel-Air,” they went a different way with Carlton. The character is darker. He’s been through a lot in his young life. Like Alfonso Ribeiro’s Carlton, he has no real clue how the “real world” works as he’s been sheltered and protected by an uber-rich family. However, this new Carlton, is certainly not wearing the sweater vest and doing the Carlton dance. One episode in, and I hate the character. Now you start to understand him to a point as the series progresses, but he’s still not a show favorite. Hillary has many of the same attributes, but her character is much more complex. Uncle Phil is also a little more complex, but I think this character is going to be really great and nurturing to young Will.
I love how this new show is being referred to as an adaption, and not a remake. It’s the same basic story, but at the same time it’s not. It seems like everything about it is fresh. I like the fact that there is a lot more backstory on what all happened back in Philly.
Reviews on this one seem to be a mixed bag. I’m not seeing a lot of mediocre reviews. Most seem to be folks saying that either love it or they hate it. I honestly don’t see how you can hate it unless you just don’t want to accept the dark side of life. Not everything is laugh tracks and bit comedy. I’m highly recommending this one. To me, this is the most important series out there right now besides maybe “Maid” on Netflix- which I reviewed several months ago.
“Bel-Air” is rated TV-MA for adult language, drug use, and adult situations. I’m giving this one a 5/5.
Dog (in theaters)
This is one that we’ve been wanting to see ever since the first trailer was released some time back. My youngest daughter, Emma, is a HUGE animal lover, especially anything about dogs or kitties, so I had to take her. On Saturday, I took both my daughters, Emma’s friend, Jacee, my nephew, Taler, and his wife, Kara. There was an across-the-board consensus that “Dog” is excellent. Kara said she loved it and, “Channing Tatum wasn’t bad too.” That made me laugh.
So, here’s the deal: Two former Army Rangers are paired against their wishes on a 1,000+ road trip together. Briggs, played by Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois) race down the Pacific Coast to get to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. As they make this trip, as you can probably guess, they drive each other completely crazy, break numerous laws, have more than a couple “close calls,” and finally learn to let down their guards in order to eventually find happiness and a mutual understanding.
I love the tagline for this movie- “A filthy animal unfit for human company…and a DOG. There is a ton of heart in this movie. Tatum plays an Army Ranger who has been injured, but all he wants in the world is to get back in the fight. It’s one of those stories where service is really all he knows at this point in his life. As many laughs as this movie provided, I’d say the dramatic elements outweighed the comedic.
Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl, Unstoppable) played a really great, uncredited role in this movie. His character is heartwarming, sweet, and encouraging to a struggling Tatum. It’s also really incredible to see his weight loss/fitness journey also. The actor has long struggled with his weight, but he has recently lost more than 200 lbs., and is pretty dang ripped now! Great to see him doing so well.
“Dog” is rated PG-13 for language, thematic elements, drug content and some suggestive material. My entire family gives this one a 5/5! In fact, Emma is going to see it again with another friend.
Uncharted (in streaming)
What a great weekend for me in front of the big (and small) screen! I am literally 3/3 on good programming! “Uncharted” is an action/adventure movie based on a video game of the same name and is centered around main character, Nathan Drake, a treasure hunter who travels across the world to uncover various historical mysteries.
The movie is also about Nathan Drake, played by Tom Holland (Spider-Man, Onward). He is a street-smart thief who is recruited by seasoned treasure hunter, Sully, who is played by Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, Lone Survivor) to recover a fortune amassed by Magellan and lost over 500 years ago by the House of Moncada. The plan starts as a “simple” heist job, but it quickly turns into a globe-trotting, white-knuckle race to get to the prize before heir apparent, Santiago Moncada, played by Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, Desperado) can get to it. There are so many obstacles along the way; the biggest of all being Sully and Drake simple trusting each other and being able to work together.
I think the cast is fantastic in this movie. Tom Holland is, by far, my favorite “Spider-Man,” and he is cementing himself as a favorite A-list actor and action star. The supporting cast is really put together well also. The writing is good, and there is a lot of heart in the movie. There’s also a lot of action- some very over-the-top, but I love that stuff. There’s a scene that you’ve likely seen in the trailer where Holland’s character comes out of a C-130 and he’s hopping cargo boxes in mid-air trying to get back to the plane. Absolutely ridiculous, but I loved it!
As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I always read a lot of other reviews either before or after I write mine. I like to see what other people think of what I’m watching even if I disagree. Now I really never read “professional” reviewers because they tend to like really boring stuff. I’m a man of the people, and I just want to see what other people are saying. I read one review on this one that said, “…wholesome action/adventure that delivers and fast-paced adventure that will make the boy that never wants to grow up in us all more than happy.” Spot on! I had an absolute blast watching this one and so did Jaxon (my 13-year-old son) and Ella (my 10-year-old daughter.)
“Uncharted” is rated PG-13 for violence/action and language, and I give this one a 5/5.
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