The First Three - Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)

Produced by Netflix and BBC America, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency chronicles the strange investigations of the title character (Samuel Barnett), and his unwilling assistant Todd (Elijah Wood).  The disarmingly friendly Dirk Gently differs from most detectives in that he uses a 'holistic' method of investigations.  In practice, this means that he doesn't interview witnesses or look for clues.  He simply goes about his business until he inevitably stumbles onto whatever clue unlocks the entire mystery.  He meets Todd under some very bizarre circumstances, and decides Todd will be his new assistant; the Watson to his Holmes, as it were.  Todd wants nothing to do with Dirk initially, but circumstances keep causing the two to cross paths, so Todd eventually resigns to his sidekick role.  At the same time, another pair of real detectives, Zimmerfield and Estevez (Richard Schiff and Neil Brown Jr.) are trailing Dirk and Todd, since the pair seem to be connected to some very bizarre cold cases.   Meanwhile, across the country, electrician/part time hacker Ken (Mpho Koaho) is abducted by 'holistic' killer Bart Curlish (Fiona Dourif).  Her life's mission is to kill Dirk Gently, even though the two have never crossed paths.  Dirk and Todd spend their time solving bizarre mysteries and avoiding death/capture, while the rest follow the trail they've left, in an exciting and strangely funny series.
For a series this unusual, the writing has to be spot on to keep the tone consistent, and it doesn't disappoint.  The writers have a clear appreciation for the original Douglas Adams novels.  The dialogue and plotting has all the earmarks of Adams's work, from silly arguments over semantics to odd speech patterns and out-of-the-blue weirdness.  The mysteries themselves are densely layered, but manage to have surprisingly coherent solutions in spite of their outlandish nature.  The production design goes a long way to helping the audience accept the strangeness of Dirk Gently's world.  Everything feels just a bit off-centre from regular life, and eventually, we're drawn into the strangeness and we begin to think like Dirk Gently would.  For instance, the idea of a shark attack on dry land becomes more of a brain teaser than a flat-out impossibility.
The pure strangeness of this show is brought to life by Samuel Barnett's portrayal of Dirk Gently.  While the show is set in America, Dirk is English through and through, which is a nice nod to the original books.  As mentioned above, Dirk is almost always cheerful and friendly to everyone, even in the middle of a grisly crime scene.  It's amusing to see other characters trying to decide how to respond to his friendliness.  Elijah Wood's character is very similar to the one he played in Wilfred: Todd is constantly frustrated with Dirk's actions, yet consistently winds up advancing the action whatever decision he makes.  The rest of the cast are excellent as well and provide good contrast with the main players.  Detectives Zimmerfield and Estevez don't have as much screen time, but they share some of the most amusing moments in the series with their hard-boiled dialogue and deadpan reactions to all the weirdness around them.  For me, the standout performances belong to Mpho Koaho and Fiona Dourif as Ken and Bart.  Ken seems to be a nice guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  His fear of Bart feels very real, and it's very interesting to watch that fear fade away as the two become uneasy friends, of a sort.  Despite first appearances, Bart is a fascinatingly complex character.  Fiona Dourif manages to make Bart scary, yet shows a certain sensitive side at times.  Even though Bart is ostensibly the villain of this story, she becomes likeable in the strangest way.
If you like a good mystery, but are tired of the same old predictable stories, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is the right show for you.  Dirk Gently combines sci-fi elements with solid mystery structure and comedic punctuation to create a very entertaining show that defies expectations.  If you haven't seen it yet, it's worth a look!

Mascots (2016)

Christopher Guest's Mascots premiered at TIFF earlier this year, but is now available to stream exclusively on Netflix.  This time around, Guest takes takes aim at the subculture of mascot performers, with the action focused around the annual 'Golden Fluffy' competition for excellence in the mascot field.  For those unfamiliar with the Christopher Guest style, the film takes the form of satirical documentary (or 'mockumentary', as it's commonly known), following the various characters through their journey in the competition.  If the film can be said to have a main character, it would be Owen Golly, Jr. (Tom Bennet), a British soccer mascot who is desperately trying to get out of the shadow of his father, who used to perform the same character.  In addition, we are introduced to people like Cindi Babineaux (Parker Posey), a woman who takes what can only be described as a unique approach to being a mascot.  Various others round out the cast, but the story, such as it is, focuses mainly on these two.
As mentioned above, this film is more a series of amusing, semi-improvised events than a true story of any kind.  In a purely comedy driven sense, this works well, but those expecting more in the way of story may be disappointed.  That being said, the cast works well with what they're given.  Past Christopher Guest veterans Euguene Levy and Hank Azaria are sadly not included in this outing, although many others (Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Chris O'Dowd) are present, mixing with newcomers such as Zach Woods (formerly Gabe on The Office) and Sarah Baker.  For me, these two provided many of the laughs as a dysfunctional couple who both work as mascots, resulting in a disastrous performance at the competition.  Strangely, some of the most amusing things about this film are purely incidental, throw-away moments.  Things like fully dressed mascots working out the logistics of using the bathroom, or outlandish looking characters playing cards to pass the time.
Not every joke or character in Mascots is perfect, but it's a very enjoyable, funny movie.  I don't feel it quite reaches the heights of Best In Show or This Is Spinal Tap, but it's certainly worth a watch, especially for Christopher Guest fans.

The First Three - Luke Cage (2016)

Statistics have shown that it takes a few episodes for a viewer to get hooked on any given series.  On average, the number of episodes is three. (thus my title) With this in mind, I welcome you to the first in a series in which I will review shows based on the first three episodes.  In this first edition, I'll be looking at the new Netflix original, Luke Cage.
To those unfamiliar with the character, Luke Cage (sometimes known as Power Man) is a Marvel Comics character who has been around since the 1970s.  The new Netflix series, produced by Marvel and ABC Studios, brings Luke Cage into the here and now, sharing the TV universe of other heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones.  Although Luke Cage's powers include super-strength and unbreakable skin, he tends to keep a low profile in the first episodes of this series.  This is in large part to the fact that Cage (Mike Colter) is a man who is running from his troubled past.  Luke does his best to live a quiet, trouble free life in Harlem while people like the gangster 'Cottonmouth' Stokes (Mahershala Ali) and his cousin Mariah (Alfre Woodard), a misguided, if not crooked politician, cause problems that end up affecting the whole neighbourhood.  When a violent tragedy strikes Pop's barber shop, the local social hub, (and one of Cage's workplaces) Luke realizes the impact crime is having on Harlem, and sets out to use his powers to make a lasting change for the city.
One of the most striking elements of Luke Cage is just how steeped in black culture the show truly is.  From background jazz or rap music to discussions of basketball and even black poets and writers, the show covers just about everything.  There were several references that I didn't understand, but this is one of the things that excites me about the show.  It gives me the feeling that the writers know what they're talking about, and that there is true authenticity in the dialogue.
Much of the black community has voiced their support of the show and its cast, though there is some divisiveness over the show's more political elements, such as the use of certain racial language, or Luke Cage's hoodie, a possible reminder of the Trayvon Martin case.  While these things may be uncomfortable for some, I feel that it's all done in the name of authenticity, and the shows writers and producers should be applauded for it.  The show acknowledges the daily issues I'm certain many black people face, while at the same time, not going the route of stereotyping.  From a writing standpoint, this is a difficult balancing act, but it has been done to perfection here, and the show deserves recognition for that alone.  
Another reason the show is so successful is the performance of Mike Colter in the iconic title role.  Colter's Luke Cage is soft spoken, yet powerful.  He will defend himself physically, but doesn't go out looking for trouble.  Throughout the series, we also get glimpses of Cage as a man conflicted by his past, and dealing with feelings of guilt.  Mike Colter brings great depth and seriousness to the character, and he's helped by an outstanding supporting cast.  The women of the series are especially compelling characters for me.  Simone Missick plays the street-smart detective Misty Knight with just the right balance of sharp wit and sex appeal.  Alfre Woodard's portrayal of Mariah is wonderfully complex.  It's clear from Woodard's performance that Mariah believes she is doing the right thing, even though she is doing it in the most unethical of ways.  In my opinion, she may be the most interesting character on the show after Luke Cage himself.
To sum up, Luke Cage is a show that will appeal to not only long time comic fans, but to people who are entirely new to the character.  It contains fantastic action sequences, as well as real human drama.  Luke Cage is great not only for its entertainment value, but is equally valuable for its social commentary.  If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you try watching at least the pilot episode.  Even if it's not to your taste, it will certainly leave you with a few things to think about.

Stranger Things (2016)

Set in the mid-1980s, Stranger Things follows the mystery of Will Byers, a boy who mysteriously goes missing, leaving his friends and family to deal with grief, strange supernatural happenings, a monster, and the lingering question of if Will is truly still alive.  I would explain more, but to do this would be a disservice to this fantastically made show.  If you're not at least a little interested by the end of this review, chances are it isn't for you.
The newest sensation on Netflix is a curiously familiar beast of a show, yet is completely original.  In large part, this familiarity is due to the setting of the show itself.  For people in my age bracket (I refuse to be labelled as a 'millenial'), it evokes feelings of the pre-internet age in a way that no show has done before.  Some cynics might say that this is simply a cash-in for the VHS-hipster crowd, but I am firmly on the opposite side of that argument.  While the show makes references liberally, nothing about it ever feels artificial.  Series creators the Duffer Brothers have paid very close attention to the details of production design on Stranger Things, and it proves that they have the same feelings of nostalgia we do as viewers.  In an increasingly digital world, Stranger Things helps to recall comforts we'd long forgotten.  Even the title sequence is packed full of details that instantly trigger buried memories of the past.  The intermittent fuzz of VHS grain reminds us of a time of video stores and recording shows from television.  The title font itself carries its own presence, perhaps reminding us of old Dungeons and Dragons manuals, or the teen horror novels of Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine.
The casting is phenomenal, and has some of the best kid actors (played by Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matazarro, and Caleb McLaughlin) I've seen since J.J Abrams' Super 8.  They play well against each other, and, more importantly, they look and act as you'd expect real 12 year olds to.  It's a very refreshing thing to see when many other programs have token kid actors who simply seem to read a script and look good on screen.  Stranger Things isn't afraid to have kids who don't look like they've stepped straight out of the Sears catalogue, and this is a huge part of the show's success.  These kids reminds me of kids I grew up with, and it makes me care for each one of them as if I knew them personally.
The adult cast is equally talented.  David Harbour is very good as the down-and out police chief Jim Hopper, but I was especially impressed with the performance of Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Will's grieving mother.  I normally don't care much for Winona Ryder, but I found her completely believable playing the slowly unravelling mother of a missing child.
The tone of the show varies by episode, but there is a current of nostalgia running throughout.  The show uses hints of various iconic TV shows and movies, all the while keeping an original and engaging story.  There are heavy references to John Carpenter's The Thing, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and E.T., among others.  This mix of elements ensures that there's an even balance of nostalgia and terror.  This deliberate design for the show carries over to effects as well.  Where possible, the producers have used high quality physical creature effects over CGI, which lends a chillingly visceral feel to the horror elements of the show.  As well, in the tradition of the best horror films, these effects are used minimally.  You only ever get brief glimpses of things, leaving your imagination to craft the most horrific parts.
I'm hesitant to give away any details of the storyline, but suffice to say it contains realistic family drama, surprises upon surprises, and a deep reaching conspiracy.  As of this writing, I am roughly halfway through the eight episode run of the first season.  I have a few theories about what's truly going on, and I am looking forward to discovering what I got right and what I didn't know.
The beauty of Stranger Things is that it's made up of so many different parts, many people can watch and like it for completely different reasons, all of which are valid.  It also reminds us of a simpler time, and this enhances the horror when we're shocked out of our own nostalgia.  It's a fantastic show, and I hope it continues for years to come.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my blanket fort watching the late-night monster movie marathon.