KJ

The Prom: The official touring stage production, not the Ryan Murphy movie based upon it. Having seen the musical on stage, I don't think I need to watch the movie -- it's a cute show with some fun and memorable moments, but it's not one that's particularly going to stick with me, and its messages get pretty muddled. I did love the actor who played Emma, though -- they did a wonderful job of making Emma into a real person, in all her awkwardness and sincerity. (The actor, Kaden Kearney, is trans nonbinary; I think this may be the first Playbill I've ever seen with pronouns included in almost every entry in the cast list.) I also really liked Emma's relationship with the principal, Mr. Hawkins, who is much of an ally to her than the Broadway actors who parachute in (although they get better by the end, and Emma's relationship with Barry grows to a place of genuine support). Probably the aspect I was most impressed by was the dancing -- excellent choreography, well-performed.

A Familiar Problem: Sprinkle's Incredible Journey: Speaking of things that are cute, I enjoyed this one in a much more straightforward way. This was a special episode of Critical Role, a new one-shot game GM'd by Marisha using a one-page system she co-created. ( Not major spoilers but cutting it anyway )

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: There were some things I really liked here, most of them having to do with Wong and America Chavez, but two overarching things really bugged me. ( Read more... )

Top Chef: We somehow missed that the 19th season premiered at the beginning of March, so we're still catching up. As of this writing, I've seen the first four episodes (including the related Last Chance Kitchens). Top Chef is the only competitive reality show I've watched religiously, starting with Season 3 (I went back and caught up on Season 1 later, but I heard Season 2 was a rough watch, so I skipped it). It took awhile to hit this balance, but I feel like it's really matured over the last few seasons. It seems like they've stopped trying to cast for conflict and drama -- I can't remember the last time I really disliked a cheftestant and couldn't wait for them to be eliminated. I don't love them all (Gabriel from Season 18 comes to mind), but it's more like "roll my eyes" irritation than "omg get this asshole out of here." It also feels like they're putting more effort into bringing in a diverse group, rather than just a couple of token chefs of color, as well as diverse culinary backgrounds -- there are more chefs who are open about their Asian, Latin, and especially African influences, and the judges are also paying more attention to how those influences show up in their dishes, rather than just expecting classical fine dining all the time. It's great, and I hope it continues.

Exandria Unlimited: Khymal: Let's do a poodle! ( spoilers )

As a Kickstarter backer, I was able to watch a preview stream of the first two episodes today. Early reaction: a good start, and I see them laying the groundwork for the magic that I know this team is capable of producing.

( Some spoilers, for both the original campaign and the show. )

I'm so glad this show will soon be a thing that's out in the world for everyone to see -- both for its own sake, and to provide a more accessible introduction to this troupe of creators than thousands of hours of unedited actual play VOD. Even if, ultimately, I suspect I will prefer the original, I'm so excited for this interpretation and to see how they'll make it work.

Wow, I haven't written about this show in awhile, have I? Anyway, I finished the marathon wrap-up episode today and have a few thoughts.

( Cutting for spoilers, of course. )

So, what's next? I suspect the cast may not even know. I seem to recall that they've said they won't make any announcements about Campaign 3 for awhile, so I hope that means they're going to take a real break (unlike the hiatus imposed by the early days of the pandemic, which wasn't an actual break for anyone). That said, I'm really curious about the State of the Role that's coming next week and can't wait to hear what they're going to spring on us.

Almost all of my favorite music that plays in the background on Critical Role is from the Pillars of Eternity soundtrack by Justin Bell.

This has been a public service announcement.