The Age of Reboots: Transformation Of Original Media

Published on TwoTwoOne

 

When “Bel-Air” hit streaming service Peacock as a gritty, dramatic new series, longtime fans of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” were both confused and intrigued. The original 1990s show was viewed as a good-natured sitcom with a mostly comedic element and mists of deep plotlines. As the famous theme song explains, Will Smith is a street-smart teenager, born and raised in West Philadelphia. While he’s playing basketball he gets into a fight with some nearby kids which upsets his mother, causing her to send her son to live with his aunt and uncle in the town of Bel-Air, Los Angeles. He flies from Philadelphia to Los Angeles with a one-way ticket in first class. Soon, Will is attending a new elite private school with rich family and friends, as he tries to navigate a life that is so different than what he grew up knowing. 

The 2022 “Bel-Air” takes the characters that we all know and love and adds a more modern spin on things. This new Uncle Phil is younger and cooler compared to the old and strict version that existed in the 90s. Geoffrey, who was originally a butler in “Fresh Prince,” calls himself more of a house manager. Carlton is now a much more serious character whose battling anxiety and drug addiction, acting as more of a villain in the newer series than an annoying nerd. Finally, Hillary is transformed into an influencer that’s much less self-involved and much more interested in fighting racism online. 

Overall, with the new look of the characters that were so dear to our hearts, the 2022 “Bel-Air” is able to play much more into the culturally significant journey that Will takes from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. There’s a huge tonal shift in the urgency of Will’s situation as he grapples with elitism, racism, and class conflict between wealthy Black people and their working-class counterparts.

With a re-imagining this expansive, the creators of “Bel-Air” had to balance being faithful to the source material and creating a new legacy of their own. This is a common standing for most reboots made in this day and age. Most viewers that turn to reboots long for simpler times or nostalgic childhood throwbacks, but many of those original shows and movies were made at a time when producers and top-billed actors were mostly straight, white, men. Because of that, those simpler times are mostly rooted in inequality for marginalized groups in front of and behind the camera. 

Successful reboots find the happy medium between sentimentality and existing within the social environment we live in now. The functionality involved in the need for showrunners to put a progressive foot forward had been debated by viewers and critics for years, but the truth is it’s more successful than ever. Just last year we've had reboots for Cruella, He's All That, Guilty, The Many Saints of Newark, And Just Like That..., Dune, West Side Story, Home Alone, Grease, Candyman“Gossip Girl,” “Will & Grace,” “Oliver Twist,” and “How I Met Your Mother.” According to International Institute for Management Development, To date, 41 of the 50 highest-grossing movies of all time are either a sequel, reboot, or remake. Of the 29 films that have grossed over $1 billion, 23 of them are sequels, remakes, or reboots. 

Reboots are an opportunity to remake an old story and tell it in a new way for a new audience. With this comes topics that original productions couldn’t fathom writing about, integration of newer technology, and incorporation of Gen Z slang. Obviously, this doesn’t always hit the mark with younger audiences that don’t agree with how producers portray societal issues and Gen Z representation in the digital age, but reboots persist nonetheless. When He’s All That came out in 2021, faithful fans of 1999 She’s All That were disappointed in the modernized changes to the film. It had a new and emphasized focus on influencer status instead of high school popularity, celebrity and influencer cameos instead of trained actors, and a fixation on technology and TikTok dances instead of the original plot. 

Despite all of He’s All That criticisms, Netflix explained that the film was watched by more than 55 million households in the first month of release and it reached #1 on the company's chart “in 78 countries, including Brazil, France, and Saudi Arabia.” The reason for the popularity of reboots like He’s All That and “Bel-Air” rely less on expecting something better (or even new!) and more on enjoying the ride as you watch how new producers and actors give their own shot at a show that means something different to everyone. 

So yeah, it’s totally acceptable to rip reboots to shreds when they take the spot of serious TV shows that probably are way better, but it’s important to note that no matter how bad the reboot is, a part of you was excited to sit down and give it a watch. There’s a place for bad media like this to exist in society. And who knows, maybe the next reboot will surprise you. Maybe the next reboot will be the best one of them all and it’ll inspire the next generation of filmmakers. Maybe the next reboot will be even better than the original. Or maybe not, but it’ll be fun watching anyways.

“Abbott Elementary”: Growing Pain Isn’t Just For Kids

Published on The Monitor

 

Elementary school can be awkward. We’ve all gone through the uncomfortable stage of getting older and trying to fit in, but the ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, proves that the teachers in elementary school are struggling just as much as the kids they teach. Created by and starring Quinta Brunson, formerly of A Black Lady Sketch Show, the series focuses on the faculty at an underfunded West Philadelphia public school where the teachers are going above and beyond to keep the attention of their students, gain funding for supplies, and work with their hilarious principal whose much more interested in TikTok trends that running a school. 

The show uses the mockumentary style popularized by The Office and Modern Family to tell the story of the administrators who work there while also capturing the chaos and inefficiencies of America’s public school system. The mockumentary style also drives the most important aspect of the show: comfort and familiarity. Because many of us have had our own unruly elementary school experiences, the school setting is very familiar territory that we all have a personal connection to. You can take one look at the characters in the show and attribute their characteristics (whether that’s good or bad) to real-life teachers and role models that you’d find in any public school.

Everyone’s character type gets made fun of in Abbott Elementary, no matter their experience as a teacher. They joke about the senior teachers, including South Philly native Melissa Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter) who has obvious ties to the mafia while their old-school religious teacher, Barbara Howard (Sheryl Lee Ralph) is well respected, reserved, and absolutely hilarious at the same time. Politically conscious teacher Jacob (Chris Perfetti), is a young faculty member who never stops talking but is sure to make the audience laugh every time he starts a story that his coworkers beg him to hurry up and finish. Greg (Tyler James Williams), is a substitute teacher who has much to learn about children while also fighting a constant battle involving his role at the school and if teaching is worth anything to him. Janine (Quinta Brunson) is the teacher with a can-do attitude for just about any situation, even when things are entirely unfixable. And they all report to Principal Ava Coleman (Janelle James) who spends most of her time disrupting classes with her personal agenda and organizing her student files by how sexy their dads are. Pared with some of the most uproarious comedians are featured child actors with line delivery just as great as the adults.

Despite the antics of many outrageous characters, most of their jokes are grounded in realistic situations. Janine struggles to make a good impression at her open house, the formation of a gifted children program causes a divide amongst students and teachers, and new online trends cause disruption to the school that feels very timely in 2022. Even further, they don’t ignore the struggles of being an underfunded public school in West Philadelphia. A majority of the students on-screen are Black and Latinx which is honest, not only to the location but also to underfunded schools in general. 

According to a study by The Century Foundation (TCF), The United States is underfunding its K-12 public schools by nearly $150 billion annually, robbing more than 30 million school children of the resources they need to succeed in the classroom. School districts with high concentrations of Latinx and Black students are nearly twice as likely to have a funding gap than districts with a minority enrollment of less than 50 percent. This causes an average deficit of more than $5,000 per student, the analysis finds.

Abbott Elementary is very honest with its portrayal of money deficit on screen, but their work doesn’t stop there. Since the start of the show, ABC has partnered with Scholastic to become the first entertainment brand to provide underfunded schools with free book fairs. Participating schools include Philadelphia’s Harrity Elementary –where Abbott Elementary is based on–- as well as Diehl Elementary, Bond Elementary, Dayton’s Bluff Elementary, Freeman Elementary, Cortada Elementary, and Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary. Additionally, ABC is relaunching its Traveling Teacher’s Lounge initiative, which provides teachers with books from Scholastic, classroom supplies, breakfast, and Abbott Elementary merchandise.

We can all agree that teachers are the driving force that prepares the younger generation to be the leaders of tomorrow. A child’s first teachers are the people who will set the bar for learning and inspire them to be creative and work hard. Abbott Elementary proves itself to be candid in its portrayal of some of our biggest role models, while also finding the fun in the hectic lives of the world’s least appreciated workers. Overall, Abbott Elementary truly is a love letter to all the teachers you’ve loved and even some of the ones you didn’t. So if you’re looking to reminisce on middle school antics without cringing on your part, this school of abnormal teachers is the one for you.

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: Tyler’s Most Masterful Album Yet

 

Tyler, The Creator officially returned to the spotlight with his newest album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST, the follow-up to 2019’s Grammy Award-winning album IGOR. While his previous albums have varied in violence, sensitivity, and peculiarity, this newest album is where Tyler sounds the most like himself. 

In the 2000s, mixtapes became the most effective and popular medium for aspiring rappers, today Tyler uses that same factor to create his essential rap record. The album is “hosted” by DJ Drama and acts as a love letter to the DJ Drama mixtapes of the 2000s. Throughout the record, Tyler boasts about his lucrative career and paints a unique portrait of his rich life. This mixtape-type album grants Tyler the freedom to play with tone, to write personally, and create a project that is not necessarily delicate or polished like you’d expect an album to be. 

The sixth full-length studio release for the rapper features guest appearances from Daisy World, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, Pharrell Williams, and more. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST devotes a healthy portion of its runtime to self-reflection. Through his sharp songwriting and lyricism, he creatively addressed the frustrations and passions of his personal life. 

Some notable mentions are “MASSA” which chronicles the development of his sound, lifestyle, and attitude since turning 23. “HOT WIND BLOWS” is unrivaled with its opening monologue about jet-setting and Tyler’s encore performance with Lil Wayne. And of course,  “JUGGERNAUT” is unmatched with its smooth instrumentals featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell Williams. Because of Lil Uzi Vert’s melodic emo approach to rap and Pharrell’s hip hop and R&B production, I never would have thought that this collaboration would work, but I’m infinitely pleased that this piece of work exists. 

“SIR BAUDELAIRE,” “MOMMA TALK,” and “BLESSED” are great examples of boastful songs that highlight all his businesses, his successful collaborations with companies, and his great skincare. While these songs and some others on the album weren’t exactly the most transcendent, they were still a lot of fun. That’s what makes the album so honest, it’s just Tyler, a beat, notable hidden samples, and a shameless swagger in his lyrics. Overall, the result is a detailed, well-made project which makes for an engaging and enjoyable listen.

The Kissing Booth and “Bad Films”

 

Wattpad was ridiculously popular in the early 2000s. It was the ultimate reading platform where users could read and write original stories. For me, Wattpad was my awakening of the fact that anyone can write a story. There really is an audience for everything… and sometimes an audience can be so powerful that a Wattpad romance written by a 15-year-old can get a Netflix deal with three movies. Hence, The Kissing Booth 3.

The first two films of The Kissing Booth Franchise are awfully repetitive in their conflict, but entertaining nonetheless. It follows the cliche “in love with my best friend’s brother” trope that was all too popular in the early 2010s. The plot goes as follows: Elle is in love with Lee’s (cooler and hotter) brother Noah, they get together and keep it a secret, Lee finds out, everyone gets into a fight, they kiss and make-up, and there’s a happily ever after each time. There’s nothing Oscar-worthy about their performances, but you’re still captured by the teen drama and the absurdity of it all. 

Unlike other popular teen dramas like Euphoria, there’s no seriousness involved with the plot of the first two movies. There’s no accurate representation of how high schoolers talk or what mean girls look like, but it’s slightly refreshing to watch a movie and have an empty head.

The Kissing Booth 3 ends the era of bad films when the three main characters, Elle, Lee, and Noah all spend the summer together at the Flynn Family beach house before they head off to college. The conflict of this movie feels a lot more mature than the conflict of the previous two. The third film revolves around Elle deciding where she wants to go to college: Berkeley with her BFF Lee or Harvard with her boyfriend Noah. Instead of facing her responsibilities and making a choice, she spends the summer completing a beach bucket list and trying to soak up as much fun with her two favorite people before reality comes crashing down on them all. 

I appreciated this storyline because it managed to be the only time in the history of The Kissing Booth franchise where Elle truly put herself first. When it came down to Elle picking a college, she came to the realization that she can’t please everyone and she shouldn’t make a decision this big based on how the men in her life feel about it. It felt like a real win for the film. It also managed to capture some real emotion about leaving for college and all of the fears that come with it.

Sadly, that one successful plotline is drowned out by the fact that the film looks like it’s coming apart at the seams. The green-screened background CGI looks phony as hell and the wigs that they put poor actress, Joey King in are despicable. Despite all of that, The Kissing Booth franchise still has a place in my heart. It’s not even the film itself that warms my heart, but it’s the nature of bad cheesy rom-coms in general. Sure, they can be so bad that it’s laughable, but the ability to compel an audience to watch not one, but three movies means that it’s a force to be reckoned with. And believe me when I say, even though I hate the movies, I’d watch the fourth one if they ever decided to release it.

The End Of An Era: The Final Season Of “Shameless”

 

I first watched Shameless in passing because my dad always had the TV up a little too loud and it was hard not to be captivated by the characters: Frank Gallagher, a single father of six who spends much of his free time at bars, the Gallagher children -- led by oldest daughter Fiona, who takes on much of the responsibility, and the flawed lives of a lower-class “white trash” family in Chicago. And despite how serious that all sounds, it’s absolutely hilarious.

I think that Shameless works the same way that the 2005 show, The Boondocks works. The old cartoon begins with a black family, the Freemans, settling into the fictional, peaceful, and mostly white suburb of Chicago. The mixture of cultures and stereotypes provided for much of the series' satire and conflict. I remember my dad watching The Boondocks and laughing at some of the most outlandish and offensive stereotypes that were made towards these Black characters. I thought “Why are you laughing? They’re making fun of you.”

Shameless works that same way. Frank Gallagher is a terrible father, an addict, and he makes way too many offensive jokes, but still, you can’t help but think, “I know someone like Frank Gallagher. People like him exist in the real world and are just are serious as he is.” That’s where the comedy comes from: portraying someone as this caricature of a ridiculous and idiotic person but also having some kind of reality and truth to it. 

In season 5, the Gallaghers face the ugly truth of gentrification when a Starbucks is built and some of their neighbors can no longer afford to live in even the poorest parts of Chicago. In season 9, When Frank fights to make his neighborhood “white again” it feels awfully similar to Trump’s 2016 political campaign. Overall, Shameless stays grounded in its portrayal of real-world problems, but adds comedy by creating characters that aren’t so far off from real-life idiots that we all know and hate.

In the final season, Shameless focuses on Chicago’s social climate and the integration of Covid-19 into the show. Many of the characters wore masks throughout the show, but the plot points typically stayed the same. I know that a lot of people hated that little addition, but I thought Shameless had plenty of room for a Covid-19 plot point. I mean, what’s more realistic than Frank Gallagher refusing to wear a mask and then wandering around town to find an open bar when the mayor of Chicago shut them all down. 

And while it pained me to see all of my favorite characters grow up and move on with their lives, the callback to the beginning of the series was the thing that sent me into tears. The opening minutes of Shameless season one began with Frank Gallagher’s voice-over as he dotes over his family, all of which have become wonderful despite Frank’s terrible parenting. Shameless’ series finale concludes in the same manner of reflection as the Gallaghers unite around a communal fire that only occurs when some rich white kid’s car explodes. That fire marked the end of Shameless, but I assure you the burning passion of the show is still there. Why else would I rewatch 11 seasons for the 3rd time around?

“Dash and Lily” Gets The Comfy Christmas Genre Right

Published on The Monitor

 

Holiday romantic movies tend to be formulaic and predictable every year. It’s common to see your average love story where the big city girl moves to a small town and falls in love with the barista. Maybe you’ve watched the Christmas movies where the best friend who helped the love interests get together was Santa Claus all along. It’s all so monotonous. The good thing is, Netflix’s new eight-episode limited series, Dash and Lily, is far from your average love story. 

Dash & Lily is a romantic comedy television series based on the young adult series Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. These authors are also the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. The story follows Dash (Austin Abrams), a teenager who hates Christmas, and Lily (Midori Francis), a 17-year-old girl, with lots of personality, who wants to find love. 

When Lily leaves a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, The Strand, she doesn’t expect someone so different from her to take on the challenges. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and accept her dares. Both Dash and Lily know nothing about what the other looks like, nor do they have any information besides what is written in the notebook and passed between the two of them. Even though they don’t know much about each other, while we are taken on the whirlwind romantic adventure that is Dash and Lily, they discover so much about their dreams and desires while also being thrown all across New York City as they continue their adventures.

The romance itself is already an attention grabber, but what works so well about Dash and Lily is their accurate representation of New York during the holidays. As both Dash and Lily embark on adventures all over the city, they are taken to less traditional areas of New York during the holidays. A great example of this is when Dash travels all the way to Dyker Heights from the Upper East Side to experience the residential light show or when Lily goes to an underground club to see a Jewish punk band called the Challah Back Boys. At no point in the show does the duo stop by Times Square, the Rockefeller Center, or any other major tourist attraction to make some cheesy romantic gesture. 

Diversity in Dash and Lily goes much further than the physical location. Dash & Lily consists of a diverse cast that resembles the different cultures seen in New York City. We have Lily, a half-Japanese girl in a multigenerational household, Lily’s brother being outwardly gay and proud, and classmates and side characters who are Latina, Black, Indian, and everything in between.

The real backbone of the story though is the relationship between Dash and Lily and the characters themselves. Dash and Lily consisting of such three-dimensional characters create a story that is far beyond refreshing this holiday season. Dash comes from divorced parents and carries the hardships of spending the holidays alone. Lily, being comfortable in her outgoing personality, still struggles with the trauma of being bullied in real time. Because of this, Lily works to challenge Dash into opening himself up to happiness and fun again while Dash is here to challenge Lily to have real experiences and to do it while not caring what other people think about her. 

Dash and Lily is a perfect holiday rom-com about two different people finding themselves through each other. It’s a show that puts a spin on the festivity of the holiday season while also giving the audience the chance to live vicariously through its characters. Dash and Lily is truly a treat and it’s definitely worth the binge. 

Dash and Lily is streaming now on Netflix.

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