Sweet Tooth (Season 1): A Promising Start

Written by Mike

Sweet Tooth’s story takes place in a world that has almost been destroyed by a terribly lethal disease commonly known as “The Sick”. It is about a boy named Gus who, like many other children born around the same time that The Sick appeared, is a hybrid. Hybrids are children that have taken on the aspects and abilities of different animals; Gus has deer antlers and heightened senses. He goes on a journey across the United States to find his missing mother whom he has never met. We follow Gus along his journey as he meets new allies and discovers the evils of this new world created by The Sick.

This is a coming-of-age story wrapped up in a post-apocalyptic adventure with a dash of mystery added in. Running parallel to Gus’ adventure is the story of Doctor Singh whose wife has The Sick, but due to apparently miraculous medical research, she has survived for years with the disease. This leaves us to wonder; what is the treatment for the sick? Is there a cure? What is the connection between The Sick and the hybrids? I must give an accolade to the creators of the show; they did a very good job of creating a narrative in which they do not answer all the questions to leave the show open for its inevitable second season, but they also do not make you feel like the first season is incomplete.

The show has 8 episodes, and it does a very good job with its storytelling. The smooth tone of the narrator (James Brolin) frames each episode with a type of warmth that pulls you in. Sweet Tooth strikes a perfect balance when it comes to pacing. Each episode takes its time to ensure that you enjoy yourself along the way, but at the same time feels like it packed in an hour and a half of story into a roughly forty-five-minute runtime. This tells me that the show writers know exactly what they want to say and exactly how to say it to both elicit the desired feeling from the audience and be efficient at the same time.

While post-apocalyptic settings tend to be great backdrops for violent conflict, the series so far has focused on world building, character development, and the dramatic aspects of the story. While there is a very apparent tension that continues to rise as each episode progresses the show has only dipped its toes into the real action that is sure to come. The suspense begins to build when Gus encounters and is target by The Last Men; a powerful faction made up of some of the remnants of the U.S. military that hunt hybrids due to the belief that they bring The Sick.

The characters of the show are all done well. One of the greatest parts of watching a series in my opinion is being able to watch characters develop and grow. This is one of the reasons that shows like Game of Thrones were so popular; people like seeing characters be changed by the many life altering events of their individual stories. In Sweet Tooth’s first season we are introduced to a few different characters, and each of them changes greatly over the season’s runtime. For now, only one season of character progression has taken place, but I am very interested in seeing how characters will change as the show goes on.

I will wrap this review up by saying that I rate season 1 of Sweet Tooth as Above Average on my five-tiered scale (Bad, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Excellent). While the show doesn’t change the way that we should look at how a series is made it has set itself up for future success by creating an interesting world, likeable characters that can be related to, and a captivating mystery just waiting to be unraveled.

Invincible (Season 1): The Gold Standard for Comic Book T.V. Series

Written by Mike

What if superheroes were real? Not like we see in the movies, but ACTUALLY real. What kinds of real-world problems would superheroes have, and what would their real-world solutions be? What kind of damage would a super-powered punch do to a “normal” human? And, of course, what kind of damage could superhumans do to our world. These questions are explored in the Amazon series Invincible; superheroes not only exist, but are relatively common. Secret government organizations partner with the various superhero groups to protect the world. Of the heroes on Earth, one stands above the rest; Omni-Man.

Invincible is the story of Omni-Man’s son Mark Grayson, a seventeen-year-old boy who begins developing his own superpowers. After all the years of looking up to his father, Mark is able to finally come into his own, step onto the superhero stage, and become the show’s title character Invincible. As Mark grows into his role as Invincible and the world of superheroes opens up to him, we begin to see that not everything is as it seems; not with the world, the superhero community as a whole, or even his father, Omni-Man.

Invincible has eight roughly forty-five-minute episodes, and the show developers do a great job of utilizing every second of screen-time. The show’s runtime is, for the most part, split between three plot strands; the development of Mark into a superhero, the formation of a superhero group known as the New Guardians of the Globe, and (the best part of the show) the mystery surrounding the extraterrestrial origins of Omni-Man. The show transitions effortlessly between character development, fast-paced superhero action, and gripping suspense as you try to piece together the puzzle that is always present in the background (and that’s all I can say without spoiling it for you).

The main characters of the show are Invincible, Omni-Man, Atom Eve, and Amber Bennet. Invincible (voiced by Steven Yeun of The Walking Dead) is the title character; he is exactly what you would imagine a person would be like if they were trying to balance a typical teenage lifestyle and being a somewhat weaker version of the strongest superhero on the face of the planet. You will see throughout the series that Mark has a lot of fun with his superpowers, but when things get serious, he is often overwhelmed. Omni-Man, or rather his voice actor J.K. Simmons, steals the show here. He is stoic, strong, and no-nonsense; he is the strongest of Earth’s defenders. The character will be a real treat for you if you ever wondered what J. Jonah Jameson would be like if he took a chill pill, put on tights, and gained superpowers. Atom Ever (voiced by Gillian Jacobs of Community) is a teenaged superhero like Invincible and dances on the line between being Mark’s friend and being a love interest. She helps Invincible with the adjustments to hero life and introduces him to the wider superhero community. The last character I want to highlight for you here is Mark’s girlfriend, Amber Bennet (voiced by Zazie Beetz of Deadpool 2). I mention this character because she is an important part of Mark’s arc and transition into being Invincible by highlighting the conflicts that can occur when duty and responsibility collide with personal relationships. Having said all of that, I want to say that this is the worst character in the show. Amber is not just unlikeable, that would be ok, but she is always presented as a down-to-earth, experienced, and wise counter to Marks inexperience and immaturity. In reality, she is self-righteous, arrogant, and self-centered, which is emphasized more and more as the show progresses.

Invincible was originally a comic book published by Image Comics, written by Robert Kirkman, and illustrated by Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. Amazon has done a great job of bringing the property to the silver screen; I didn’t read the comics, but my understanding is that the show is very faithful to its source material with the biggest changes being Amber’s conceited personality. If you do not mind the very realistically gory fight scenes, then this is one not to miss. For these reasons, I rate this show as excellent on my five-tiered scale (Bad, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Excellent)!

Pinocchio: A Rascal's Epic Journey Brought To Life

Written by Nena Morena

Who, as a kid, has not seen the Disney version of the story of Pinocchio? A pinewood puppet who desperately wants to become a real boy? Those who, like me, had the privilege to read the original tale by Italian writer Carlo Collodi might have had quite a shock when they found out how different the two stories actually are. Both tales try to teach kids important moral lessons and warn them about the consequences of bad behavior. However, the Disney adaptation changed many things from the original story. With its subtle metaphors about the human condition, the book is a much darker and crude version of life that shows the consequences of making the wrong choices. The movie “Pinocchio”, produced and directed by Matteo Garrone, chose to remain faithful to the original tale and takes the audience on a journey to the past to discover the deepest of human needs.

Tuscany, 1883. An impoverished Italian carpenter named Geppetto decides to carve himself a wooden puppet and use it as a marionette. His plan is to make a living by working as a puppeteer around the country. His friend Mastro Ciliegia, another carpenter, gives him an enchanted piece of wood as a gift. Geppetto, oblivious to the magical nature of the wood, begins to carve the puppet little by little. As soon as the puppet starts talking, Geppetto calls him Pinocchio and keeps him as his son. Geppetto is ecstatic to finally be a dad. Unfortunately, Pinocchio turns out to be a disobedient and selfish boy whose only desire is to enjoy himself without considering his father’s sacrifices. Soon, his troublesome behavior leads him on a dangerous odyssey in the company of dubious and odd characters who will try to impede his way back to Geppetto.

Contrary to the Disney version, the movie "Pinocchio" does not follow a traditional narrative but is rather a series of short adventures set in different places with the involvement of different characters. The complexity of Garrone's work is admirable. The number of fancy costumes used for all the characters, the constant changing of scenarios, and the faithfulness to the novel show how seriously the director took this story and how far he went to create Pinocchio's epic journey. Overall, the movie's pace did not suffer from the elaborate plot, although some scenes seemed a little slow; this is a feature of Italian film-making that resembles classic theatre.

The acting in the movie is done more in the style of classical theatre than that of modern movies, but I think that it made the movie authentic and more like the original tale. As a big fan of comedian and producer Roberto Benigni, I can’t not start with him. Despite his relatively short screen time, Roberto Benigni does an amazing job portraying the poor and good-hearted Geppetto. Through his facial expressions, he is able to convey all the different emotions that his character feels throughout the movie, emotions that, unfortunately, his voice cannot instill as effectively since it is dubbed in English. Federico Lelapi also does a good job interpreting the character of Pinocchio. This was not his first appearance on the big screen; however, this was his first movie as the main protagonist. His acting did not exceed expectations, but it was quite promising, especially for an 8-year-old boy with the task of being a marionette. I also must give him some credit for wearing prosthetic makeup for the entire movie, which took 3 hours each day to apply. Other minor but essential characters were Marine Vacth as the Fairy Lady, Massimo Ceccherini and Rocco Pappaleo as the Fox and the Cat, and Gigi Proietti as Mangiafuoco. Each of these actors gave a great and convincing performance. I was especially surprised by the Marine Vacth, who was able to create a mysterious and surreal atmosphere around her character. Just like in the books, all the other characters in the story were primarily animals. However, the director Matteo Garrone decided to rely mostly on prosthetic makeup on the actors and high-quality costumes instead of CGI. The results are surprisingly pleasant. My only disappointment is the Talking Cricket which I thought was too grotesque and weird looking, two adjectives very different from the character’s personality.

Written in 1883, the book “Pinocchio” is considered one of the greatest pieces of children’s literature and the second-most translated work after the Bible. Its original story is not what most people know from their childhood, and whoever compares it to the Disney version makes a great mistake, in my opinion. Most European stories written in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were often based on older folk tales passed down from generation to generation. Even when they were completely

new such as Pinocchio, these stories reflected the culture and lifestyle of the time, two elements that must be considered when judging a story. The darkness and complexity of these tales often came from their primary focus of telling different aspects of human existence, which is often complicated and dangerous. During an interview, Garrone said, “Collodi wanted to show kids how dangerous and cruel the world around them could be. It was a warning to them to be careful and follow the advice of people that love you. The dark side is connected to this aspect — the consequence of Pinocchio’s bad decisions.” In my opinion, the trailer does a great job of preparing the audience for the general atmosphere of the movie and showing what the real story of Pinocchio is about. Garrone’s adaptation blends realism and fantasy with an effort to bring back the grim atmosphere and satirical tone of the original novel. The realistic representations of some of the characters’ dark personalities and crimes can get under your skin, making this movie mainly for adults. The enchanting and surreal mood of each scene combined with the beautiful Italian scenery and great acting definitely captivate the spectators from the beginning to the end. I realize that The acting is much more theatrical compared to what most people here in the United States are used to, but I think this was done very well and brings levity to balance the movies darker themes. The music and the costumes were both very remarkable and essential in turning this classic into a cinematographic gem. I would rate this movie as Above Average on the Mike’s After Action Reviews five-tired scale (Bad, Below Average, Average, Above Average, Excellent), and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, the slow pace of some of the scenes and the lack of emotion that comes from the voice dubbing slightly penalizes the movies rating.