So if you’re the Baudelaire orphan trio, you really don’t particularly care about the differences between worried and anxious, very likely feeling both as the odious Mr. Poe takes you to yet another guardians house. Like the rest, #667 Dark Avenue is a very different place for Violet, Klaus, and Sunny to end up, in these unfortunate events that keep happening to them.
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Enter Jerome and Esme Squalor, the cities 6th most important financial advisor, who lives in the penthouse of #667, and Esme at least is concerned with all things IN and OUT. We’re not talking inappropriate gas-passing, we’re talking light and dark, orphaned or not, pinstripe suits and cafes specializing in the repetitive use of a single ingredient in every single last dish including the water – that sort of what’s IN and what’s OUT.
Stairs are IN, apparently, so our orphans get to make the long climb to the penthouse on foot, but we’re treated to a very familiar symbol when our Baudelaires look down the stairwell to the bottom floor and see the V.F.D. eye. Orphans are now IN, thank goodness, so while our kids are genuinely welcomed by a cowed Jerome, Esme proceeds to remake them as IN as possible, in pinstripe suits and aqueous martinis. That also means subjecting the Baudelaires to the nasty attentions of the eternal Count Olaf, arriving this time as Gunther, foreign fashion consultant to the simpering Esme. But before the next grand acting scheme, Olaf informed us that he has possession of the Quagmires, very closely in fact, so nothing would do but for our beleaguered children to go looking for their friends!
Esme and Gunther have planned a high profile auction, with all the profits going to Esme herself of course, for the near future. But for right now, Esme’s going to take Klaus and Sunny on a tour of most of the seventy-one rooms of the penthouse, while Violet uses chalk marks to do some exploring of her own. Note that the sugar bowl is missing from Esme’s own tea set. Your easter egg for this episode is that all the portraits in the din
A Series of Unfortunate Events
ing rooms of the Squalors’ penthouse, are of Barry Sonnenfield, Executive Director/Producer for the television show ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’.
Chases and chalk marks and charisma, oh my, and we still haven’t found the Quagmires, nor really, anything else the Baudelaires might be looking for. Esme is insistent on taking the children to the INnest restaurant around, and while Gunther may think its Herring Houdini’s, the real bestest place to go is Café Salmonella. Where everything has salmon in it, including the water. But the Café is full of familiar faces, several of which are doing their level best to stall everyone, so V.F.D. operatives can go look for the Quagmires too!
It has to be said, and will likely continue to be said, that Jacques Snicket is so damn smooth and charismatic, no wonder he’s the go-to operative Jacqueline calls in when she needs missions of the utmost importance done. The way he schmoozes Olivia Caliban, and apparently genuinely seems to love books, librarians, curiosity and the things that make life worth living, is an adult peek into the Baudelaire world that we all love.
Not even a musical number, ‘Keep Chasing Your Schemes’ as performed by Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf, can keep the bad guys from hurrying back to #667 Dark Avenue to make sure they beat the Baudelaire children and their friends to whatever treasure there is to be had. But everyone underestimates the ingeniousness of the Baudelaire orphans, and the bottom of the ersatz elevator shaft may just hold a bunch of answers!
Return to Netflix’s Season 2 of ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ and the eternal chase of the Baudelaire children!
If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Crunnchyroll presents ‘BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt so I’ll max out my defense’: You’re not twinking!
‘Knock at the Cabin’: Puttin on your boogie shoes!
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Illinois’ financial crisis could bring the state to a halt
The final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
