wesley-j-lucas

Just finished bingeing the show with my family and I'm happy to say that Human Resources lives up to the hype and expectations set in place by its direct predecessor! Shifting the focus away from the school-aged shenanigans of Big Mouth, Human Resources instead takes us behind the scenes of some new adult characters and into the daily professional and personal lives of the monsters that make their lives possible. If you're up to date on Big Mouth, you'll quickly recognize some of this series'returning and regular characters, like Maury, Connie, Mona, Gavin, Tyler, and yes, Rick (the hormone monsters), Walter, Sonya, and Rochelle the love bugs, the Shame Wizard, Depression Kitty, and Tito the anxiety mosquito...and you'll be just as pleased to meet some of the new creatures like Emmy the love bug, Petra the ambition gremlin, Dante the addiction angel (flipping a common phrase on its head to humorous effect and voiced by the always-up-for-something-fun, Hugh Jackman), and Pete the logic rock, among many others including 2 new shame wizards voiced by the formidable academy award winners, Dame Helen Mirren and Lupita Nyongo. We are introduced to all of their quirks and responsibilities over the course of the freshman 10 episode season, with each episode following the familiar format of Big Mouth and showcasing the new roles, problems, and solutions that adult humans (as well as those of a few familiar returning teens) face with the aid of their individual teams of helpers.

Right away, we are faced with a crash and burn and a lingering mystery that isn't resolved until the back half of the season is coming into full view. It also sets the stage for some truly heartwarming and emotionally devastating, but satisfying, payoffs towards the end of the season and beyond. Episode 9 in particular, which follows the relationship between Walter and his elderly Lebanese client and the impact of her advanced age and deteriorating condition (as well as the effects of Alzheimer's on the afflicted and their family), was particularly poignant, smart, and incredibly moving. The show uses music to great effect for both serious and comedic moments and the song choice at the end of the aforementioned episode 9 is a perfect example. Human Resources really shines with the use of its celebrity cast, giving them lines you'd never hear them say in a live action film, and I have to imagine that *many* actors would jump at the chance to record such sex-positive and absolutely hilarious lines, especially the women who would likely never get a chance to be so filthy were this not an animated show. As always, the performances are brilliant and it's easy to forget that you're listening to certain actors because they become so engrossed in the characters that they're portraying.

At its conclusion, Human Resources has set the stage not just for more intriguing and heartfelt stories to come during its sophomore outing but for the next season of Big Mouth, as well. It will be very interesting to see how Kroll and Goldberg manage to weave together consistent and wide-ranging character arcs between 2 different shows within a constant universe but given that they've already done so with this season, and the fact that they've knocked each and every season of Big Mouth out of the park thus far, it would be foolish to bet against them doing so. These shows have a writing team that clearly has its finger on the pulse of what is funny, what needs to be said, and what can be left unsaid.

This was a great first season, that hit the ground running and never faltered in its sprint to the finish line. There are clearly LOADS (*pun intended) of new and interesting stories the writers have in mind for the series and as long as they maintain the same great mix of humor, brutal honesty, unflinching looks at the more depressing and sad aspects of life, and the brilliant representation of people from different genders, sexual orientations, and cultures, those of us who count ourselves as fans will have many, many more seasons, characters, and storylines to love.

The Simpsons did it! It's a joke in a specific South Park episode but it's oh so true; The Simpsons have been pioneers in the animated comedy world for so very long and they continue to be today. People who say that it's gone downhill since season whatever arbitrary season they decide clearly haven't been watching the same show I have! The Treehouse of Horror episodes have gotten funnier and edgier each year, the characters (even random side characters) have continued to develop and grow resulting in some awesome new canon to a show which already has more to it than all 8000 years of Westerosi history, and the parodies of other TV shows/pop culture events and couch gags with guest animators have continued to amaze and showcase the amazing wit and talent that exists within the writer's room of The Simpsons.

It has grown with us over the years, evolving and adding more and more to its ever-expanding world. Since I've gotten Disney+ I must have watched every episode now at least 3 or 4 times but there are still new things that I find when I sit down to watch it with my son...and it's a blast being able to share something with him that brought me so much joy and comedy since I was a child myself.

Speaking of the comedy, I did not realize just how edgy and biting some of it was until I rewatched old episodes as an adult! Some of the things that Moe and Groundskeeper Willie vocalize are just completely insane, to say nothing of Homer or Marge's hilarious outbursts. And recent episodes have just gotten that delivery and joke format totally down pat. A particularly favorite line that illustrates the genius of The Simpsons was Homer saying to Marge regarding gaslighting, "yeah, you've always said that Marge. Remember? Remember?!" It can be satire at its absolute finest...and also as slapstick, sarcastic, dark, or silly as possible all in any given episode. The fact that after 30 years, this show is not only still going strong but still drawing in new generations of viewers who get to experience the evolution of the comedy is such an amazing accomplishment. I hope The Simpsons goes on forever; with such a rich, dense universe in which anything goes and the impossible is only improbable, it's no wonder it still attracts so many smart and famous guest stars and fans. Any show that gets Stephen Hawking rapping with Flight of the Conchords will win my loyalty and affection any day of the week!

Which leads me to the music of The Simpsons, an oft overlooked achievement of the show but one that delights and entertains in an ever evolving way, helping to keep the show feeling fresh and memorable. Whether it's classics like the Maison Derriere song or Lisa It's Your Birthday to the newer, aforementioned Flight of the Conchords/Stephen Hawking mashup, Weird Al's many appearances, or The Great Phatsby, this writers and guests collaborate to make tunes that are impossible to dislike and stay with you long after the episode has ended.

Truly, it is amazing what The Simpsons has accomplished in it's 32 seasons on the air; it still delivers fresh stories, beautiful animation and music, and absolutely hilarious jokes that you can watch with the whole family. There's so many shows that have followed in the footsteps laid down by The Simpsons and found success and it's no wonder when the source they've chosen to emulate has such brilliant writers that manage to keep the show from feeling stale even when some of episodes are definitely formulaic (and when the show goes meta and jokes about that very fact, it just makes things even funnier). It will be a sad day when The Simpsons finally hits its end but until then, my family will continue to be avid fans of America's #1 animated family and hope that it goes on for much, much longer!

And if you don't like it, well don't blame me, I voted for Kodos 😉

I had been looking forward to this movie ever since it was announced. I don't know why so many people are here giving it such a bad rating, this movie was absolutely hilarious and brought back practically EVERYONE from the first film, tied it to Trading Places, and added some new characters in the form of Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, and Wesley Snipes, who all added their own personal charm and hilarity to the film.

My husband and I waited til he got home last night and watched it while we were getting ready for bed; we were dying of loud, raucous laughter the entire movie! Between the throwback jokes and casting and the modern additions of new characters, new music (and some appearances from the likes of En Vogue, Salt & Pepa, & Gladys Knight), and new storylines, we were laughing from beginning to end.

For those who seem to have lost their sense of humor (especially when it comes to films with an almost all-black cast) might I suggest removing whatever stick is lodged inside your butt and try watching without prejudice.

This is a film that celebrates black culture, black royalty, and even through comedy, addresses some of the issues facing modern black folks. And whoever did the costumes in this movie really deserves the Academy Award this year because they were all absolutely stunning and beautiful. It is most definitely the funniest film I've seen in years and the fact that it was already building on such a classic comedy, and managed to do so respectfully while building the story outwards even more in such a highly comedic way, was truly awesome. So many sequels made decades after the fact can be awful; this movie is absolutely not among that group, I'm glad to say! It respected the original while evolving into something more modern and honestly, I hope we get to see a third film now!

For best results, be in a ready-to-laugh mode when you sit down to watch this and you, too, will find this to be a very funny, very meta, very modern film that absolutely celebrates and venerates its cast, its premise, and black culture.