Episode 5 starts with Nevermore’s parent’s weekend, which means the rest of the family is back for a cameo. So there are some interacts between Addams family characters as well as between Enid’s and Bianca’s families which are stained and toxic. Though all these interactions are isolated from each other are more or less B-plots from now.
I haven’t watched any CW-type shows but on some cursory research I learned that a “prom” or some kind of dance episode is a standard for the demographic. For Wednesday’s prom episode there is a school dance is called “The Rave’n” because if there one thing this show loves it’s Poe. I suppose naming a character Lenore would have been too obvious.
At the start of this episode Wednesday learns that secret society, The Nightshades, are really just a social club who just like hang out and have mixers which is rather anticlimax which is the joke. The comedic aspects in this show are weak on average as it’s more snark than punchlines.
The second episode picks right after the first where Wednesday is nearly killed b yfellow class mate Rowan but saved by the CGI Burton monster. However all the grown-ups are gaslighting her into thinking that Rowan wasn’t murdered by the goofy-looking monster and instead Rowan ran away/ got expelled and that’s there is no monster except for the universal-style monsters who pay tuition.
Well, Well, Well, looks like Netflix is up to it again, they announced another Hunchback movie. For those of you who don’t know or don’t remember, this is the second time that Netflix has announced Hunchback adaptation, the first being in 2018 with Idris Elba as the lead with a modern setting.
This time we have Vincent Cassel taking the title role as Quasimodo. However instead of a by the book retelling they are according to Deadline they are doing a “retelling of the life of Quasimodo, the man said to have inspired Victor Hugo’s bell-ringer in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” and the log line is “Set in Paris on the eve of the July Revolution (1830), this film reimagines the life of the man said to have inspired Victor Hugo’s iconic character, Quasimodo. As the cholera epidemic spreads through the city, he’s caught between political turmoil and an impossible love.”
Back in 2010 it was reported that the inspiration for Quasimodo was a stone craver whose nickname was “le bossu.” So is Cassel going to play a dual role as the Quasimodo the bell-ringer of Hugo’s novel and the historical stone craver? We shall see.
Also another just nitpick is the presence of cholera. It’s true that cholera was pandemic of the time but they are rushing the timeline of it in Paris to coincide with Hugo working on the novel. It’s could be forgiven if there is a compelling reason. But what thematic basis is for the inclusion of a pandemic with the themes of novel? Again we shall see.
Then there is Cassel himself. While he is a competent actor, it’s disappointing to see cast him as Quasimodo. He has the right look and presence to play Frollo. While I do concede that traditionally 58 isn’t exactly “too old” to play the role Quasimodo as Quasimodo’s actors average age is 43, with the inclusion Steve Lemme from “Quasi!” which I’m loathed to include in the data points and 41 without, Cassel is defiantly at the older range of the actors who have played the role. Also I concede that it doesn’t really matter whether his looks matter since he will most likely be in prosthetics so moot point. Still it’s a little disappointing of casting choice since Quasimodo is seldom ever played by a younger performer. In the book he is around 20 years old. And if you want to get even more exact, he’s most likely 19 years old. During his trial (Book Six, Chapter One) Quasimodo says that believes he will be 20 on Saint Martins’ Day which is November 11th and the events of novel are roughly between January to July of 1482.
So it looks this version is going to take a lot of liberties with the story both figuratively and historically in effort to differentiate itself from the other versions. Even though it’s following the trend of naming the movie after Quasimodo much like two other odd takes that have come before it, 1999’s “Quasimodo d’El Paris” and 2023’s “Quasi!”
Since 2010 there have been eight Hunchback movie productions to get announced. Only one got made and released and that was only nominally a version and technically shouldn’t even count. This is the ninth Hunchback version to be announced so again we shall see if is THE version that gets released and is marginally good. So far my expectations are quite low. But on the plus side, Content!
Any thoughts or feeling on this news? Are you Happy with the casting of Vincent Cassel as Quasimodo?
The Wednesday’s premier episode has a lot of heavy lifting to do as it has to re-re-re introduce us to the characters and set up new rules for the world that Addams inhabit.
So this was another old request which was to review Netflix’s 2022 Wednesday series. However the reason I’ve decided to review season one now is because the second season is coming out early August (at least part one) so it seems like a very good time to rewatch the show.
I have a very bad habit of not rewatching shows prior to the release of a new season because I’m under a false impression that I remember the show well enough from my intentional only watch through and I don’t. Example of my false sense of a of great memory would be Arcane and Andor.
So anyway Wednesday Season One review is a go and I think I’m going to aim for an episode a week but we shall could change that. Also of course these posts will be on Wednesdays.
Now for background preamble. I wouldn’t exactly say I’m big fan of the Addams’ Family but I do enjoy their kooky macabre antics. I love the Addams Family Values movie, I quote that movie a lot, and I have seen a few episodes of the 60s show and enjoyed it. I also had a pet named after one of the characters, I shall remain mysterious on which one character. So I do enjoy The Addams Family and their spooky antics, just not a massive major super fan.
I will FULLY admit at first I did not have high expectations for a Wednesday lead show as part of Addams Family’s core identity is that they are a weird eccentric family playing off “normal” society and a satirical reflection of American values. Also they are that they are not some kind of supernatural/cryptid in origin. They could be but that’s not the overall point of the characters or the humor. Separating the family is antithesis of the origin concept and the plots of the 90s movies. So the concept for a Wednesday Addams centric show that had shades of Harry Potter didn’t sound appealing, so I was going to pass on it.
BUT when it came out the word of mouth was positive so I did watch it and enjoying it at the time. I did and still do have criticism of it but we’ll get to those later and I will try to have an open mind.
Will it be better than the first watch or will the mystique be gone?
This suggestion was given back in March 2024, I’m just a forgetful procrastinator.
Calahan Skogman’s name does pops up for Phoebus fan-casts, and does seems that people are spilt on him but then again Leo Tolstoy has two votes for Phoebus so I don’t think mycast is the best metric or maybe Tolstoy would have been a great Phoebus, we will never know.
Also this suggestion is more skewed towards the Disney version of Phoebus which is a blond romanesque aesthetic, owning to his name rather than the novel. The novel is rather vague on Phoebus’ looks other than he’s handsome and has Burgundian mustache (Book 2 Chapter 4.) However it’s worth pointing out that most, if not all, Phoebus actors prior to the Disney version had darker hair and Phoebus actors post Disney are blond even though there are all but two them (1997 and 1999). So Skogman’s fan-cast is Disney live action version minded which most of the fan-casts seem to be anyway.
So would Calahan Skogman make a good opinion for Phoebus – Disney version or otherwise? As of right now Skogman is only really known for his role of Matthias Helvar in Netflix’s Shadow and Bone. Oddly Skogman is one of the only actors in that cast who is American though he using a “Scandinavian-like” accent. Side note still salty about the show and the spin-off getting canceled. Also side note, the first time I watched Shadow and Bone, I loved Matthias and Nina’s (Danielle Gilligan) storyline.
Matthias is not at all like Phoebus, he starts off a by-the-book prudish guy who falls in love with the enemy. He also quite religious and is falsely imprisoned – seems a bit more like Esmeralda the Phoebus. However one shouldn’t judge an actor based on one role. Is Skogman convincing a Matthias? Yes. Does he seem like he can act? Yes, he has MFA in acting so I should hope he can. So he more than likely could play a version of Phoebus.
However as previously mentioned the suggestion for Skogman as Phoebus seems to be for a Disney version Phoebus which is quite different from the novel as Disney Phoebus is nobler/heroic and has moral compass. Given his role as Matthias and Skogman’s build and looks he defiantly has a good overall look for a “Disney-like” version of Phoebus. I hesitate to say the Disney live-action version since that version has been shelved but some versions of Phoebus are depicted more favorably than the novel so he could work well in the role and he deserve another high-profile role.
So yes, Calahan Skogman would be an great pick for Phoebus. But what do you think?
I did consider doing a post on fan-casting using the Shadow and Bone cast, much like the one I did for the Bridgerton cast. Still might but as was previously stated I’m a procrastinator.
Also you can leave suggestions for a fan-casting in the comments.
A while ago well I did a post on Vincent Cassel for Frollo, and someone suggested in the comments that Deva Cassel, his daughter, would make a good Esmeralda, though with a different person playing as Frollo obviously.
Flash forward till now, recently Netflix released a mini series version of The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) based on the 1958 novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The novel was made in a highly-acclaimed movie in 1963. Now I have never read the book or seen the movie but the costumes are lauded very highly so it’s been on my radar. So when I learned there was a new version on Netflix I watched it and Deva Cassel’s involvement was bonus for the purposes of a fan-cast.
Deva Cassel herself is the daughter of Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, so she defiantly luck out in the genetic pool department.
I’m starting to get a little hesitant with fan-casting Esmeralda because how depictions of her character and back-story have shifted over time and representation. If she is to be a member of a specific group of people than casting should be more reflective of that choice made by a production. If and it’s a BIG if a version were to go for more by-the-book approach to Esmeralda’s backstory OR if the production wanted to emulate Gina Lollobrigida’s Esmeralda in some kind of subterfuge then I could see Deva Cassel fitting the role. I think she works in a very narrow specific chaprarization of Esmeralda.
As far as acting goes, she is still rather inexperienced. Prior to The Leopard she has three other credits with one being released later this year and the other being the voice of Ennui in the Italian dub of Inside Out 2. So it’s hard to gauge how she would play Esmeralda. But given her role in The Leopard as a sultry ambitious young lady, Angelica Sedara she seems to have only one look which is sultry and alluring. She either needs more experience acting, more direction or more acting classes. It’s hard to judge since Angelica comes off as sexy yet cool and Esmeralda should be effortless and warm.
Though I guess she did fine voicing Ennui but again Ennui lacks warmth, that just the role.
Deva Cassel is no doubt very striking and beautiful and given the type of Esmeralda, she could be a good fit for the role. I just would hope she could pull off Esmeralda’s personality, or maybe the production would just curtail the role for her style.
Though if you do watch The Leopard, there is a love triangle that is similar, not exact, to the Esmeralda, Phoebus and Fleur de Lys dynamic. It’’s definitely a classic love triangle trope to be sure.
Let me start by saying that really I do not care about Snow White 2025. I have nothing but apathy for this movie at this point. It could be a critical box smash hit or tank I do not really care. However I still have thoughts on some the offering Disney has released so here is my tepid take.
First we have a song…
There is no denying that Rachel Zelger can sing. She sings very well. This song seems to be a replacement for “I’m Wishing” from the Original because wanting love is bad now and leadership good.
So it’s an “I Want song” as she wants to be different version of herself, like “her higher self” or “best version” BUT because there is that pesky wishing-well iconography that has to be in the song. So there are two things at play she is “waiting on a wish” so she can be herself or she can leave? I think it both sort of. It seems like the concepts go together because she is selling it well but the thesis is muddle if you paid any attention to lyrics. But it’s sung well so people seem to like it but in addition to be confusing on a central theme it’s banal and very similar to Encanto’s “Waiting on a Miracle.”
And then there is this clip
Why does it feel like these two feel like they’re different movies? I still maintain that I think the Queen’s costumes looks more like something in 1950s B Sci-fi movie but maybe it’s more the fabric choice and make-up than the actually design since the design lifted from the original movie. But hey at least we know how the apple iconography is going to worked in to this movie. It’s not just an apple it’s emblematic of Snow White’s charity and kindness. Because she made pies for the poor and this makes the Queen look even more evil because pies are traditional not a luxury food and she think pies are too much for their little minds.
I will also say that Gadot ‘s usual wooden acting actually kinda adds to the menace but we’ll see how the rest of the movie goes maybe it will be fine.
Weird thought, I know the “fairest’ line now refers to “justice” as in being fair and not being pretty but what Snow’s hair was intentional by the Queen to mar her beauty? Just a thought.
Also Disney is totally going to merch the heck out that necklace. You know it and I know!
I’m very likely will not going to go out my way to see this movie but I might watch it on a plane.
Side Note- I deleted the blog’s twitter account a while ago and migrated over to Bluesky. Also for now the blog’s Facebook page will remain up but will not be updated for the foreseeable future. It might be removed at some point just not now.
