Taking a Quick Bite | My First Impression on Quibi

" Quick Bites, Big Stories"

On April 6th, a new streaming service debued aiming to not only etch its niche into the streaming world but to lead the vanguard into a bright future of short-form entertainment. While definitely a novel concept it has yet to be seen if this new form of content will be long-lasting and stand toe to toe with traditional media or if it will go down the same route as other technological innovators such as the Kinect or Segwei. As a courtesy to you, dear readers, I've spent some time checking out the service and here are my first impressions.

Part 1: The User Interface

Unlike some apps such as Youtube which make you go through several menus to select "Dark" mode. Quibi understands the plights of many modern netizens by making their app black with white text. Upon opening up the App I was brought to the "Today for You" tab which is similar to Netflix's Suggestion playlist. I was provided with a few series I was interested in such as "When The Streetlights Go On" and "Flipped" but was also given recommendations for News, Entertainment, and other variety programming. The only small complaint I have with the U.I is that it is a bit difficult to select the setting button for new shows making me often start a new show that I'n not quite sure I want to watch.

As of its official release Quibi has only included 50 out of its 175 show roster with many of the more obscure listings, (such as "Tomie" and "Ice Cream Man"), being non-apparent that being said I was able to find many of the advertised front-runners of the site such as "Survive" and "Most Dangerous Game".  Instead of dividing their shows by conventional genres, Quibi uses descriptions like "Laugh out Loud" and "Get Hooked" to describe what sort of viewing experience your looking for. The Explore Tab also includes a "Coming Soon" playlist which shows off the trailers and release dates of their new shows. Two that caught my eye was "Dummy", a comedy about a woman (Anna Kendrick) who has a imaginary friend in the form of a discarded Sex Doll and The Stranger which I've mentioned in my  previous article. 

The "Following" Tab is a equivalent to Netflix's Continue Watching playlist but with a lot more innovation. Quibi lists all of your "followed" shows one after another and allows for you to enable push notifications on your favorite shows. From there you can select the Info tab on a show or select the individual episode of a show you want to see.

The info tab for the shows is also very similar to other streaming services but includes an IMBD style listing of the Cast and Crew which is every reviewers dream come true. The main cast has links to their social media and IMBD pages along with short descriptions of the actors filmography.

Quibi has made a mobile-friendly user experience as one of their main selling points for the platform so it makes perfect sense that one of their advertised gimmicks is that all of their series can be viewed in  both portrait and landscape mode. From observation it appears that the series are filmed simultaneously in both perspectives rather then it being a process of cropping.  This technological innovation is actually quite impressive and its clear Quibi has put in a lot of effort for their new style of entertainment.

Part 2: First Glance at their Line-up

Giving my absolute apathy for reality television and my disregard for cable news, Many of Quibis replacements for our Mainstream Cable counterparts are lost on me. That being said there are a decent amount of Drama, Horror, and Thriller series that I can dig my teeth into. Listed below are my first impressions of the Quibi Lineup I've been waiting for along with some new series that I hope to enjoy more of in the future. NOTE: These reviews might contain mild spoilers.

50 States of Fright (Early Access Exclusive)

Pre-registering has its perks, mainly early access to Chrissy's Court, Punk'd and of course 50 States of Fright, (which won't be officially released until April 13th). Starting off I have high hopes for the show from the folklore-based premise (which seemed to fair well with Amazon's 2017 adaptation Lore), to its cast of up-and-coming actors such as Asa Butterfield(Sex Education) and Alex Fitzalan(The Society) to writers and producers such as Sam Raimi and Isa Mazzei (CAM).

Due to my early access I've had a chance to view the first two arcs of the series. "The Golden Arm" which is the tale from Michigan is a modern retelling of a tradition folk story. While "Ball of Twine" is a unique story about a mother and daughter visiting a strange town with a unique attraction. 50SOF plays a lot with are American tradition whether its discussing the recession or turning are obsession with oversized tourist attractions into something much more sinister. It has a strong style and an interesting premise and definitely scratches my Horror Folklore itch.  

When the Streetlights Go On

When the Streetlights Go On sets itself heavily in the 90's from the music to the fashion much in the same vein as the acclaimed Stranger Things and is told from the perspective of an intrepid school reporter who discovers the bodies. While I had some inkling of the premise the first episode drew me in and kept me watching. The show has an familiar cast of characters from the Narrator Chosen Jacobs (IT(2017)), as well as Sophie Thatcher(The Exorcist(2016)), Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and Queen Latifah who rocks the most 90s haircut ever as the Town's Sheriff. WTSGO is a well made drama surrounding the mysterious deaths of a student and high school teacher. Its similar to shows like Stranger Things or Hemlock Grove but grounded firmly in realism. 

Survive

While other genres of horror and thrillers focus on older generations, Survival horror tends to be biased towards the young. These 20-somethings, or even sometimes children, become beacons of vitality and perseverance, standing in as a symbol for the strength of the human spirit. That these protagonists will survive due to the strength of their will and their ingenuity. Survive doesn't take that for granted and in a way makes the will to survive one more hurdle for our main character. Jane(Sophie Turner) is ready to go home for the holidays leaving for the first time, Lifehouse, a therapy center for a variety of mental disorders.  Jane quickly labels herself in bold white print as suffering from "PTSD with Suicidal Ideation". These intrusive thoughts are presented viscerally and you come to learn that she plans to kill herself on the plane ride home. Before she can take her "Handful of Oblivion" the plane goes into freefall and she's suddenly faced with a much more succinct decision between living and dying. Suicide is always a touchy subject, (especially considered the well deserved backlash of the ending of 13 Reasons Why), so while I can't agree the razor scene is necessary, (or even benign), I do believe that Jane is a fascinating character study that helps provide contrast to a genre of life and depth. Besides the premise the show seems well enough made and is a decent thriller. 

Murder House Flip

Murder House Flip is a interesting take on the home renovation scene. It combines our morbid fascination with death while also created a decent renovation show. I enjoy the hosting of Joelle Uzyel and Mikel Welch as they add there own style and diversity to a scene which has been pervaded with metrosexuel siblings and affluent white ranchers. MHF provides technical detail and education about the house flipping while also provided the juicy details about the crimes. The only downside I see for the series is that with the short form they cannot go as deep into the details as I would prefer for a renovation show. That being said Murder House Flip has dynamic hosts, interesting locations and a unique directorial style that flows excellently. 

Most Dangerous Game

Quibi manages to snag themselves a Hemsworth brother in what is advertised as a high-octane thrill ride in what is depicted as a fairly run-of-the-mill Battle Royale. Pacing wise I found the set-up a bit slow and while 6 episodes in the show does promise the beginnings of the action packed game to the death of the trailer it mostly has featured Liam having money troubles and being good at running. The Most Dangerous Game has a decent set-up but We'll have to see if the payoff will be worth the wait.

Shape of Pasta

Shape of Pasta follows the same vein as other cooking travelogue shows such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations or Diners, Dive-ins, and Dives but with a more focused scope. L.A chef Evan Funke is on a journey to experience many of the rarer types of pasta that are created in the Italian countryside. Chef Funke comes across very earnest and respectful in his journeys filling the role of the perpetual student. As a cook, the show resonated with me and drew me in with a combination of stylistic travel footage, cultural history and just top notch food porn. 

The Daily Chill

The Daily Chill is unique in the world of streaming services being a professionally produced ASMR series. For the uninitiated, ASMR(Autonomous sensory meridian response) is a form of tingling brought on by listening to certain sounds such as popping, whispering, or crinkling. ASMR videos are known for their relaxing affect and the term has evolved to be a short hand for relaxation or satisfaction videos such as soap crushing. The Daily Chill falls into the more abstract ASMR territory with travelogue style footage and meditative voiceovers. The style is not particularly my cup of tea but it succeeds in being relaxing and meditative whether I'm standing in a ice cave in Iceland, or a beach in California. 

Flipped

Produced by masters of short form comedy Funny-or-Die, Flipped is a surprisingly fantastic deconstruction of the Home Improvement Genre. Flipped realises the true absurdity of the cookie cutter personalities of the affluent upper middle class when two aspiring artists with "Vision", Cricket (Kaitlin Olson) and Jann (Will Forte), get kidnapped by a Mexican Cartel and become interior designers for the rich and dangerous. Flipped plays strongly into the over-the-top personalities of the characters as the delve deep into the Minutia of paint chips and shiplap, (my favorite running gag is people obsessing over a built-in Wine Opener from Pottery Barn). I found Flipped to be hilarious, bitting, and a both a great comedy and satire of the genre. Also there's a surprising cameo of Jerry O'Connell

Part 3: The Conclusion

Quibi has put forth a hefty goal of being the new standard in how media is produced and consumed and for the most part I cannot say it completely lives up to the task. While many of their variety and news shows can work in this short episodic format many of the fictional work is too vapid on a episode by episode basis. Quibi is the unfortunate middleground between our conventional worlds of Cable and Streaming. Their episodes are two short and parceled to be enjoyable binged and are two miniscule to provide the satisfaction that you would get from your traditional 45 minute Big 3 drama or crime procedural. While Quibi has some well produced series with a nice sprinkling of familiar faces most of its work ironically does not hold my attention. Ultimately I am ambivalent when it comes to Quibi as a whole there are some shows I wouldn't mind watching again but much of the programming tends to fall a bit flat. However I will leave in your hands to decide whether or not Quibi is worth the ten minutes of your time. 6/10

 Let me know what your thoughts are about this new platform? Any shows you enjoyed or disliked?