It’s too hot to be pithy.
Here’s what we’ve been watching in the not-nearly-cold-enough underbelly of the bunker.
The Out-Laws (Netflix)
Owen and Parker are all set to be married, but Owen still has yet to meet Parker’s parents, who surprise the pair by showing up during their wedding week. When Owen’s bank is robbed by masked assailants, he suspects his soon-to-be in-laws.
If you’re going to watch this, don’t watch the trailer, because it gives a few things away in its earnest attempt to sell you on the premise, including one of the best jokes. I’ll try something a little different: Adam DeVine stars as the last functional metrosexual, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin who can still manage to pull off looking cool as Parker’s mysterious parents. What follows is an engaging mash-up of a caper flick and a rom-com that succeeds more than it fails.
There’s still some atonal stuff in the comedy—a lot of modern comedies try to vacillate between wacky hi-jinks and deadly serious, and they never get it right, and that includes this movie, but thankfully the serious stuff is outweighed by the wacky hi-jinks. Also, the big reveal that they play up in the movie is wasted on us, who figured it out within thirty seconds of meeting the characters.
That being said, I laughed out loud more than in any recent comedy movie I’ve seen. The caper is fun, and the movie makes the most of its mash-up to keep things going, throw in a couple of good twists, and make is more entertaining than it should have been. Come for the James Bond quote, and stay for Michael Rooker.
Note: the above review only works if you like Adam DeVine, who can be very annoying and is not for everyone. This is his movie to carry, and he does that, but it puts him in just about every scene, so know your DeVine limit before you go in. The N.T.A.B. is not responsible for over-exposure to Adam DeVine.
Good Omens, Season 2 (Prime)
Mild-mannered angle Aziraphale and his unlikely friend, the hard rocking demon Crowley, are back at it again! When the archangel Gabriel shows up at Az’s bookshop, naked and with no memory of who he is or why he was told to come to the store, the word gets out that someone from upstairs has gone missing. Everyone is trying to find the missing angel and Az and Crowley are trying to find out exactly what’s coming.
Ordinarily, I would not review season 2 of an ongoing series, because you already know more or less if you are opting in or staying away. But in this case I want to make an exception because, as much as I didn’t care for season 1, I’m really enjoying season 2. I suspect it’s because this season is unencumbered with the burden of trying to adapt faithfully a beloved book that does not lend itself well to such a thing (I’d go so far as to call it nigh-unadaptable). I loved the book, and season 1 adaptation just felt flat and lifeless, like everyone was on rails. It felt forced.
Season 2, by comparison, feels free and a little dangerous—we don’t know where it’s going, now, do we. And the flashbacks aren’t helping, but it all seems connected in a very interesting way—interesting enough, at least, to keep me watching, along with a few genuine guffaws every episode, mostly courtesy of David Tenet, who was born to play Crowley and knows it, too. He’s the secret sauce.
If you liked season 1 of Good Omens, you’re going to like this one, too. If you were on the fence about it, give this season a try; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Metroplex Happenings!
Any of you folks nearby that have nothing going on this Wednesday? Come check us out here at Interabang, a great independent bookstore in Dallas, and let me and Josh entertain you. Josh’s book is fantastic, and that’s no blarney.
ArmadilloCon Schedule Here!
Mostly for the benefit of the Texas/Oklahoma contingent that makes the pilgrimage to Austin every year for Texas’ premiere Literary Science Fiction convention (and my “home con” even after so long an absence). I hope to see you there!
Friday, August 4
4pm Starship Smackdown Southpark A
5pm Why Is Writing So Hard? Ballroom E
8pm Bad Roll Models Podcast: Live Star Trek RPG Play Conference Center
Saturday, August 5
12pm You Call This Archaeology? 40+ Years of Indiana Jones Ballroom E
1pm Rick Klaw Interview Ballroom D
2:30 Reading – Finn Southpark B, 2:30pm - 3pm
4pm King Kong is 90 Years Old Ballroom D
5pm Fannish Feud Ballroom D
Sunday, August 6
1pm The Multiple Versions of the DC Cinematic Universe Southpark A