Tag: Hulu

‘Boston Strangler’ Review

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By: Amanda Guarragi

There are many negative ways that the general public perceives journalists because our current media climate no longer separates what makes a journalist. Many think breaking any news makes a good journalist, but it’s more than that. Being a journalist means being truthful to the source and searching for facts in any story. In Boston Strangler, two female journalists take on the story of a lifetime that changes the media landscape in Boston. Lifestyle reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) was the reporter who first connected the murders and broke the story of the Boston Strangler. She and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) challenged the sexism of the early 1960s to report on the city’s most notorious serial killer, as per the synopsis on IMDB. 

Writer-director Matt Ruskin took the story of the Boston Strangler and put the focus on the female reporters. The 60s allowed women to work under certain guidelines to show they were progressive. However, McLaughlin and Cole were two women who kept pushing those boundaries by not following the guidelines. Ruskin only showed parts of what the Boston Strangler did, which was effective because the explanations from McLaughlin painted the brutal attacks differently. This story is layered because of the constant fear and worries that women have to live with. Whether in the workplace, out on the streets at night or even in their own home, women have the right to be worried about men. It was important for Ruskin to create that relatability between women when telling this story. 

Knightley and Coon worked very well together in this. They played two women from different backgrounds in journalism and helped each other write this story. McLaughlin fought hard to get this story out there while putting a strain on her family life by being consumed with finding this man. Not only did she put herself at risk, but she also realized that law enforcement in Boston was not doing enough because women were involved. The more McLaughlin wrote about the cops not doing anything to help this case, the more they were under fire, and rightfully so. It felt like everything was working against McLaughlin and Cole, which is always the case when women are outspoken in a male-dominated environment. The story is engaging because Knightley performs well and is probably one of her best in this. 

Boston Strangler is an important piece of history that shows how far women will go to protect other women. By doing so, they uncover the truth about the Boston Strangler, which is even more unsettling because of what was involved. It’s a haunting look at how deranged the Boston Strangler was and how many copycats followed. There are ways to assess the psychology of it all, but it comes down to the blatant misogyny and hatred that men felt towards women in the 60s because they wanted to start working for themselves. Those women who broke the mould of not being housewives were tested every single day. Women like McLaughlin and Cole were part of the new wave paving the way for other female journalists to write stories from their perspective because it matters. 

‘Koala Man’ Review

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By: Amanda Guarragi

In the age of superheroes, everyone seems to want to be recognized for doing some good. Even if it’s a backwards way of being helpful. We have become so used to the formulas being recycled. So when something fresh like Koala Man is released, there’s an appreciation for the change, which makes it unique to the character. The series follows a family father with a not-so-secret identity as the ritual hero with a burning passion for petty crime. The creator Michael Cusack also stars in the show alongside Sarah Snook, Demi Lardner and Hugh Jackman. Apart from this being a family superhero show, it also takes place in Australia, so the humour is entirely different. The episodes are compact and have an obstacle each family member must face. Each episode adds another layer to the family and Koala Man creating a nice balance between the two.

The family unit is quite similar to other adult-animated shows, but they have unique personalities that make them stand out. The actors who voice the characters all add a little piece of themselves. Michael Cusack brings out his full Aussie as the father figure and everyone’s least-favourite hero in his local city. His wife Vicky (Sarah Snook), has an alter-ego as she plays the line between motherhood and her individuality as a woman. His daughter Alison, voiced by Demi Lardner, adds some spunk and a young girl trying to find her way in high school. And lastly, his son Liam, also voiced by Michael Cusack is a bit lost and needs a bit of a push to find himself. They’re all different from each other, but the little anecdotes they share and the obstacles they go through bring them closer together in the finale of this season.

No adult-animated series is complete without a strong voice cast to make you feel close to the characters. That’s why having an actor like Hugh Jackman as Big Greg was a lovely surprise. The animation style for Koala Man is a bit softer than Rick and Morty. It is nice to see them expand their skills into another show. Australian humour is a bit different because of the slang, but once you stick with these characters long enough, you’ll find them hilarious. You get a slice of daily Australian life while being served a brand new hero who will grow on you. Each episode has something wild and unexplainable that happens. But of course, there is a life lesson that comes with it. The series explores individuality and family quite well. These characters all have room to grow, and there’s a natural progression to their changes. 

Koala Man is a very refreshing adult-animated series for Hulu that will put a smile on your face. The episodes are short but deliver action and humour. Each character does something wrong in each episode, but they learn and grow from it. The Aussie humour and love for the community are shown effectively, which makes viewers feel included. All it takes is one episode to hook the audience because it’s a show that knows exactly what it is. It’s engaging, witty, vulgar, and incredibly fun to watch. It takes superhero programming to another level with what Koala Man goes through as a man in his local community. Michael Cusack has created a balanced series about parenthood and being the best version of yourself that you can be. The series premieres on Hulu, on January 9th!

‘Welcome To Chippendales’ Review

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By: Amanda Guarragi

During the 70s, women began to feel a bit more sexually liberated with the surge of the adult film industry. It was no longer a time for only men to express their sexual impulses, but women too. Of course, at that time, strip clubs were reserved for men to watch women take their clothes off for money. After breaking ground, sex workers are finally taken seriously in an industry that has been shamed for years. It’s a profession like any other, so when Steve Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani) created the male version, ‘The Chippendales’ became a phenomenon. What should have been a safe space for queer men and women to feel liberated from societal marginalization became a prison of greed, notoriety and status for Banerjee. Sometimes power can consume someone and they spiral down a bad path to keep their dream afloat. Ambition is always a good thing to have, but not when there is no morality or making tough decisions. Welcome to Chippendale’s is a sprawling true-crime saga, that tells the outrageous story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant founder who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire – and let nothing stand in his way in the process.

Banerjee worked at a gas station for seven years and saved enough money to start a business of his own. He wanted to open a Backgammon Club in Los Angeles. At the beginning of this journey, Banerjee was a simple man who just wanted a nice place for people to feel like they were living a posh lifestyle. Little did he know, that his obsession with fame and money would ultimately consume him and make him a terrible boss. He trusted a stranger who called himself a club promoter to turn his dud of a club into a “happening” place on a Friday night. After heading to a gay club with two strangers and seeing male dancers with straight women cheering them on, Banerjee put two and two together and came up with a male strip club for women. The series is created by Robert Siegel, who completely captured the essence of the late 70s. Everything came together nicely, from the costuming to the music to the make-up and hairstyling, to make it feel authentic to the era. Each episode added something more to the club itself, until it became too much to control.

The cast works together extremely well, but the standouts were Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett, who plays Nick De Noia, an Emmy-winning choreographer. As the club received more attention, Banerjee needed to polish off his show for it to grow even bigger. One night, De Noia walked in and left him his card; perhaps it was fate that brought them together, but as the series goes on, it seems like their meeting did more harm than good. This series pits ego against ego and a businessman against a choreographer with status. There is plenty of flashy dancing and fun moments in the club, but the intense business negotiations and backstabbing are what made this compelling. No one ever fully understands what it means to build a business, and Robert Siegel made sure to show every inch of the mayhem. Nanjiani gives one of the best performances of his career as he descends into the madness of becoming the best in the world. He loses himself in this role, and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen him do. 

Welcome to Chippendales is an entertaining, vibrant, and dark look at the entertainment industry. It shows how cutthroat people can be and how important a creative idea can be when it comes to the bottom line of business decisions. Nanjiani and Bartlett have incredible chemistry and work together well to make this story even more convincing. Watching De Noia and Banjeree’s relationship grow over the episodes was interesting because they have different perspectives on the business and which aspects to focus on for the Chippendales to grow. The first half of this series sets up Banerjee’s life and his constant need for the next best thing, while De Noia focuses on what’s in front of them with the dancers in the show. We see two different focuses that ultimately alter the Chippendales and their impact. The series will begin streaming on Hulu on November 22nd, and it is worth a watch if you want to know more about the creation of the Chippendales.

‘Prey’ Movie

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By: Amanda Guarragi

The Predator franchise has been going strong for years, and not all of the films in the franchise have been winners. Many were apprehensive about Prey being a prequel, but it worked. Director Dan Trachtenberg went back to the roots of the meaning of predator and reworked it to fit the natural way of life on Indigenous lands. In the Comanche Nation in 1719, a fierce and highly skilled warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder) learns the prey she is stalking is a highly evolved alien with a technologically advanced arsenal. Fans of the original franchise have seen what the alien is capable of, but this prequel showcases its skills differently. Even though they went back to basics, Trachtenberg added another layer to the franchise by using basic animal instincts and survival in the wild. 

The reason why Prey works as a prequel is because of how simple the story was. It wasn’t overstuffed with political jargon that is linked to the government. It felt like an open world with survival mode on high for these characters. Also, it bodes well that the highly skilled warrior is a woman and Midthunder did a great job carrying the film alongside her brother and the rest of the tribe. It just felt like the most natural form of storytelling for a predator film. Naru is highly skilled in tracking and they utilized that when going out into the wild trying to find their friends. The tension that was built throughout, just by them walking through the forest was really strong. The score and sound design also helped amplify those moments of nervousness from Naru. It was so well-paced because of the instincts and pathway to tracking the alien. 

The action scenes were impressive because of how the VFX artists played into the character design for the alien. The invisibility and thermal vision were both effectively used throughout. The invisibility is what impressed me the most because of the way the kills were executed. It almost shielded the viewer from witnessing the brutality against the animals. It added so much tension to the scenes with Naru’s dog because he could have been next. From the action set pieces to the quiet, more intimate moments in the forest, Trachtenberg immersed the viewer into Naru’s world for the entire runtime of the film. This prequel does the Predator franchise justice and if anything, made it more intriguing to a new generation of fans. 

Prey is one of the biggest surprises of the summer and, unfortunately, it won’t be getting a theatrical release. If you’re a fan of the Predator franchise then you will love what Trachtenberg did with this prequel. It gives roots to a franchise that had so much success over the years, only to validate its place in sci-fi action history as one of the strongest out there. Midthunder was the standout all the way through and carried the film on her shoulders. Without her compelling performance, especially her tracking the alien and adapting to its movements, it could have been a different movie. She draws you in with her eyes and then locks you in with her subtle movements. As someone who has never been a fan of the franchise, this prequel has made me want to go back and watch them all. 

Prey will be released on Hulu and Disney Star on Friday, August 5th.

‘The Dropout’ Review

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By: Amanda Guarragi

When we study history and look at the idealists that bring forth something new, they genuinely believe in their idea at first. And many of them lose themselves in greed instead of their original idea. What was so interesting about Elizabeth Holmes’ story is the fact that she just kept pushing to prove everyone wrong and that is what cost her, her credibility as a scientist. This series shows the tale of ambition and fame gone terribly wrong. Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) developed a healthcare technology that put millions of patients at risk and she managed to lose everything in the blink of an eye.

The one thing that impressed me the most about this series was the pacing of each episode. There are only seven episodes and it feels like each hour is packed with so much information and drama. The series begins with the deposition as they asked Holmes important questions about her time at Stanford, prior to dropping out. Then there’s a flashback showing how eager of a student she was and how meeting one person, Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews) changed her perspective on how to move in this business. The editing for the deposition and the flashbacks became inconsistent, as they got lost in the actual story, but that’s just a minor issue.

While watching the series, I also gained a new appreciation for Amanda Seyfried as an actor because she completely lost herself in this role. As each episode went on, Seyfried fully formed into Holmes and it was interesting to watch. There are moments when Seyfried is speaking to herself in the mirror and dropping her voice to seem more authoritative, which would be empowered on a surface level, but it was just questionable because of what Holmes was doing. If you don’t know her story, then this will be an eye-opening experience to see how poorly the healthcare system works in America. Greed in pharmaceuticals will be the death of so many and it’s so clear to see why people dropout of college with a simple idea.

The Dropout is a slow burn series with steady pacing that will keep you glued to the screen. Seyfried is incredible in this role and she will constantly surprise you with how deep she goes to embody Holmes. The supporting cast is strong and towards the second half of the series, there are many moving parts that take spiralling out of control to a new level. What starts out as a simple, helpful idea, turns into a million-dollar idea, with no concrete project that works. You can pour money into anything and have it fabricated it; thus presenting that money doesn’t truly exist and it’s just based on how well you manage it.