Most of the time 'Sausage Party' is exactly what you would expect. There's over-the-top vulgarity, endless food puns, ridiculous character names, potentially offensive stereotypes & definitively offensive sexuality. In a lot of ways it appears that writers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg & Jonah Hill wanted to be so sure that no one mistook this for a kid's movie that they went as hard as they could in the other direction. Some of it is chuckle-worthy, but the real meat (pun intended) of the film rests almost entirely in the third act. There are seeds planted that might make repeat viewings more rewarding, but any initial originality, surprise or cleverness is very disappointing the first time you see it.
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Netflix has done it again with 'The Get Down,' one of their riskiest and most ambitious shows yet. Their big Baz Luhrman ('Chicago,' 'The Great Gatsby') musical bet paid off handsomely with one of the most purely entertaining series of the year. An operatic tone applied to a modern historical story during the birth of hip-hop (remember, it's fictional) works perfectly, blending different genres of music, settings and characters spanning from mythical to well-rounded and back again to purposefully broad. It is balancing a whole lot on its shoulders, but feeling overstuffed was often a good thing for me as I just wanted to spend more time in this world. The show tackles cultural, sociopolitical, and religious themes that never feel like preaching and nicely underscore the entire story (if those elements weren't there it would be a weightless fantasy). An expected romantic story never gets in the way of anything else, mainly because of how strong the characters are, plus a lot of the classical stage show feeling would be lost without a forbidden romance. A great soundtrack of original music and well-known hits is organically integrated, bringing it all together to feel cohesive. The show's eager sense of discovery is infectious and kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. |
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