JACKASS FOREVER | REACHER |MURDERVILLE | PAM & TOMMY
Pop Culture Weekly Round-Up 04/02/2022
Hello, everyone! This week’s newsletter has some thoughts on JACKASS FOREVER, the latest movie from the misfits that ruled MTV in the early 2000s. I also talk about the new Hulu miniseries PAM & TOMMY and how I have enjoyed it so far. There are also thoughts on the new Netflix improv comedy show, MURDERVILLE, and the very generic action series from Amazon Prime, REACHER. Plus, a playlist of five songs I listened to last week.
QUICK THOUGHTS
REACHER is Amazon’s new eight-episode TV show based on the beloved book series by Lee Child. Jack Reacher acts as if he is a hobo, but he's more of a ninja. He wanders the United States, by foot and public transit, and when he reaches a town, you can bet he'll run into some trouble. Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, is characterized as a giant at several moments in the show. But, while Ritchson looks the part (the dude is indeed massive) his delivery falls short. And so does the writing of the show. Like, what an incredible coincidence that this elite military police investigator with a long list of combat medals, unexpectedly arrives in a calm small city, and at the same time, a dead body is discovered. As the series progress, the number of deaths only gets higher and the conspiracy grows wilder. But in my opinion, the show has no nuance, the characters have no depth and nothing separates REACHER from any other generic action flick. Not for me at all. But, I bet that a lot of the super fans of the book series will love it.
MURDERVILLE is Netflix’s six-part improv comedy that revolves around Homicide Detective Terry Seattle (Will Arnett). Each episode of the series introduces a new case and a new special guest, who is partnered with the challenging detective Seattle by his department chief and estranged wife (Haneefah Wood). The dual is given a case, and the interesting part is observing celebrities such as Conan O’Brien, Sharon Stone, Marshawn Lynch, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani and Annie Murphy stumble their way through a narrative without a script. I thought the series was a hit and miss. I had some laughs but there are some very cringe moments as well. If you are an improv comedy fan, you will love this. But if you’re not, don’t waste your time.
PAM & TOMMY is about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's 1997 infamous sex tape. Which was probably the catalyst for the porn industry as it exists today on the internet. This may appear to be the most implausible pretext for an eight-part miniseries. However, I had fun watching the first 3 episodes. It has a Lifetime movie vibe at times but I think Lily James and Sebastian Stan are doing a great job playing their respective parts. They nailed Pam and Tommy's mannerisms and the hair and make-up are excellent too. I will keep watching the series and may write a full review after it ends its run.
JACKASS FOREVER
When I first heard that the Jackass gang were getting back together to make a new movie I was skeptical at best. I thought “those guys are way too old for that insanity and I don’t think people care about that anymore”. Well, I changed my mind as soon as I saw the movie teaser trailer. The theme song played and Johnny said "Hello, I'm Johnny Knoxville and welcome to Jackass" nostalgia kicked in and I was hooked. A year later and here I am, writing a review about a movie I didn’t know I wanted but I had fun watching it.
I’m not going to spoiler anything. This is a spoiler-free review. However, I will say that the opening scene of JACKASS FOREVER is iconic. It's so brilliantly idiotic that it'll stay with you for years to come. Knoxville and his original accomplices: Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Danger Ehren, Dave England, Preston Lacy, and Wee-Man are joined by a new gang of daredevils. Stuntman Zach Holmes who is famous on YouTube, comedian Rachel Wolfson, and pro surfer Sean McInerney are among them. There are also some guest stars such as Tyler the Creator, Eric Andre, and Machine Gun Kelly.
Over the length of the film's 96-minute runtime, Knoxville and his crew exhibit delightful enthusiasm to do very stupid things. You'll be astounded by the numerous techniques devised by the Jackass team to inflict pain on a man's genital area. They'll do anything for a laugh, and the viewers will gladly respond. The stunts are ingeniously dumb and super funny to watch. Some are nods to JACKASS's lower-budget past, while others make excellent use of their larger budget. Also, I liked how there are occasional pranks with the public, but they are never the victims. The “boys” are the ones who put themselves in danger and are willing to do practically anything. I respect that.
Overall, JACKASS FOREVER is not as good as previous JACKASS’ entries but, it's nevertheless a pleasant comeback. Knoxville and the gang may be far too old for this nonsense. However, getting older does not automatically imply being wiser. They proved that with this movie. If your inner child still gets excited over juvenile pranks and daredevils, like me, then this movie is for you!
Top 5 Songs
These were the 5 songs on heavy rotation in my house last week. You can listen to them on Spotify and YouTube.
Anything Knoxville is funtastic!