Better Call Saul: Season 5 (SPOILERS)

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Ashamed as I am to admit it, I still haven't gotten around to watching Breaking Bad, something I will hopefully remedy now given our current circumstances. That being said, I have been a consistent follower of its spinoff prequel, and if Breaking Bad is anything like this, I know I'm in for a good ride. Better Call Saul is a show that, like its titular character, has experienced a gradual evolution as a series. With the conclusion of its penultimate fifth season, it has truly become something special. Let me get into why that is the case:

UPS

1. Jimmy's continual descent. Now taking on the mantle of Saul Goodman, we are really starting to see the sleazy lawyer we all know and love come into fruition. Despite that, there still is a little piece of Jimmy left in him, and that makes for compelling viewing that the writing and the ever dependable Bob Odenkirk make great use of. Now that Jimmy is sinking deeper and deeper into the criminal underworld, it'll be interesting to see what finally pushes him over the edge...and how this factors in to the flash forwards involving "Gene." However, what makes this season so memorable is that even though we are finally seeing Saul in action, it actually wasn't the most shocking and interesting development to happen. Case in point...
2. KIM WEXLER! This...this was not what I expected! At all! Am I complaining? Hell no! Throughout the series, Kim has always been the heart and the moral compass that kept the series grounded in reality. We watched her grow, struggle, and persevere. She was the shining light that brightened the day when things weren't going so well otherwise. Throughout this season, we really see that put to the test as her relationship with Jimmy is pushed to its breaking point. And still, we root for her, pray for her, wish that things will be okay for her...and then this happens. Yes, it seems like Kim is now one of the many characters in this franchise to, pardon the pun, break bad, and even more disturbing is that, if her plans for Howard are anything to go by, her schemes seem to be more vindictive and damaging to her soon-to-be victims. Really, when Jimmy becomes worried, you know we're gonna be in for a hell of a ride come the final season. 
3. How everything is starting to come together. Now that we are reaching the end, we are starting to see how this series will gradually lead Jimmy to where he ends up in Breaking Bad, and the results have been pretty exciting. Not only did the aforementioned, earth-shattering development occur, but we now have Lalo on a warpath after having just survived Gus' latest assassination attempt. And with everything he has seen and knows, I expect a lot of characters being in danger as we reach the final go-around. I don't know what to expect, given I actually expected Lalo to bite it in the finale, but man oh man, I am biting my nails in anticipation!

DOWNS

None of particular note.

OVERALL

Better Call Saul: Season 5 was a perfect penultimate season. It set the stage for the conclusion in a grand and exciting way. I can't wait to see what happens, and hopefully I'll be all caught up with Breaking Bad and El Camino beforehand. For now, though, I am so impressed with how far this show has come, and while I am sad to see it go, I just hope that when the final season does come along, it goes out on a high. 

RATING: 10/10 - A+

And that's it for this post, guys! Tune for more coming your way and till then, take care :)

In The Mind Of: BoJack Horseman (SPOILERS)

It's never too late to be the person you want to be...

Life can be hard and just downright suck at times. Still, it's always imperative to take it slow and never lose sight of what makes it all worth while. No one has to learn that more than this horseman hybrid right here. To say BoJack is complicated is putting it ever so mildly. Growing up with two incredibly abusive parents, BoJack knew nothing but toxicity for most of his life and, in going through the trials and tribulations of life, let that fester into something truly ugly. While he had shown signs of being genuinely loving and trustworthy, especially before he got a real taste of the Hollywoo(d) lifestyle, BoJack gradually devolved into a bitter, selfish, backstabbing, self-destructive, narcissistic asshole who only valued people as objects that would fill his constant need for validation and the empty void he feels he has, never caring once about their feelings or how his actions would lead them to suffer. To put it simply, it's hard not to paint BoJack as a utter piece of shit, but really there is so much more to him than that. So. Much. More.

Deep down, he is a truly broken individual, plagued by years of trauma and self-loathing. What makes it so painful is that there really is a good person buried within that jerkass exterior, but for every thing that he does to better himself, all it takes for BoJack to relapse is to fall under the pressure that comes with real, genuine change. By the end of the series, he hits a rock bottom that sees him pay a hefty sum, but instead of letting it bury him, he now believes he can use the experience to truly change his life for the better. Only time will tell if that really can happen.

BoJack Horseman is quite possibly my favorite fictional character of all time. I don't think I've ever found myself connecting to a character the way I do with BoJack. I'm sure we all can relate to him in some way. Throughout the whole series, I really hoped, even prayed, for him to be the person I know he could be. While the answer to that wasn't so clear cut, I have a very (if slightly cautious) optimistic feeling that he can now finally find the peace he deserves. After all,

Sometimes life is a bitch, then you keep living...

And that's it for this post, guys! I hope you're all staying happy, healthy, and safe during these tumultuous and uncertain times we are currently living in. Just remember to always keep your head up. You guys will get through this. And as always, tune in for more posts coming your way :)

Retro-Reviews: Birds of Prey (SPOILERS)

It's oh so quiet...

It's been an interesting time for DC. After a series of mishaps in their plans for the DCEU, the execs have taken a step back and done a bit of course correction. To put it simply, they are now letting directors do their own thing and tell their own stories. The best thing about that is that some have chosen to take what was great about the DCEU beforehand and run with it. In this case, Harley Quinn. Easily one of, the not the very best, thing about Suicide Squad, it's nice that Margot Robbie can continue to shine in the role of this iconic character, and even better that it's in a self-contained story that allows us to enjoy the vision of what a look into Harley's world would look like. Still, as fun and cool as Birds of Prey is, there are some flaws that bring it down quite a bit for me. Let's get into all of that right now:

UPS

1. Margot Robbie. I loved her take on this character, and she shines just as bright here as she did in Suicide Squad. Her fun, quirky, infectious personality is matched perfectly with a sheer unhinged ferocity that compliments this character well. Having her break off from the Joker also allows the character to take new directions which make her come into her own and make her be one we can appreciate following. What I think I like most is that even though she's our protagonist, that still didn't make her a hero, and it's nice to see that they didn't try to force that change when it really wasn't necessary. Really, having films that follow these morally ambiguous characters with infinite shades of grey make for interesting stories, especially when it comes to comic book films, where most of the conflicts are black and white. Of course, we still needed a villain to compliment our "hero," and we've thankfully got a great one with...
2. Ewan McGregor's Black Mask. The DCEU has had some dud villains (take your pick between Steppenwolf and Enchatress) but it's also not without its exceptions. Thankfully, Black Mask falls within the latter. It's nice to see this villain come into the spotlight after being relatively obscure from the mainstream, with McGregor making this take wildly fun, creative, and unique. Some have their issues with how different he is from usual interpretations, but I think it makes him more compelling, because while he is wacky, eccentric, and over the top, he also proves to be brutal, vicious, and menacing. Alas, since he's killed off at the end, we'll never see more of him :(
3. Cathy Yan. In order for this movie to work, it needed to be fun, unique, and energetic. While the story doesn't do much in service of that, Yan's direction manages to pull it forward. This film is vibrantly filmed, with every detail and choice being used to the fullest extent possible. Yan took a simple story and made it her own. Because of her direction, this film is able to stand on its own despite its familiarity.

DOWNS

1. The overall story, or at least how its structured. While Yan manages to still inject this film with a vibrant life, I don't think the plot is that well put together. For one, this film relies heavily on flashbacks, all with Harley's narration. After a while, it gets tedious and overplayed, which even writer Christina Hodson seems to acknowledge since she decides to rush through one flashback towards the end. The downside? It's the backstory of one of our central characters! Which brings me to my next point...
2. All the other characters aside from Harley feel sidelined. Of course, they are all played well by their actors, but a good performance can only go so far when the script doesn't utilize them to their full potential. I've already covered Black Mask, but I find that even though I enjoyed watching these characters unfold, I felt like I needed more time with them. The most egregious example of this has to be Huntress, whose aforementioned backstory is the one they decided to rush through. It's such a shame, because I could imagine her being one of my favorite characters in the film if we just gotten more screentime from her. 
3. As fun as all the action was, I felt this film didn't take full advantage of its R-Rating. Sure, it doesn't need to be an all out splatter fest, but it all just felt rather tame for a movie that could've really put the petal to the metal with the freedom that they had. There were some standout moments, like Bruce the Hyena munching on that poor sap's leg, but these moments are few and far in between. 

OVERALL

Birds of Prey (or whichever title you choose to call it) is another win for DC, even if it isn't as strong as other recent offerings. I hope we see more of these characters and look forward to seeing Harley return in James Gunn's Suicide Squad. 

And that's it for this post, guys! Tune in for more coming your way and take care till then :)