lasher-michael-p Reviews

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part One (2024)

Just watch Crisis on Two Earths Instead

[3/10 · 14 January 2024]

I was/have been a fan of multiverse stories before it became hip. Crisis on Two Earths was a pretty good animated movie with a much more straightforward story. Between the chunky animation style and the meandering story, this didn't work for me.

Repeating to meet requirements.

I was/have been a fan of multiverse stories before it became hip. Crisis on Two Earths was a pretty good animated movie with a much more straightforward story. Between the chunky animation style and the meandering story, this didn't work for me.

....................and that's it, really .............................. ...

We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)

An interesting concept without a story

[3/10 · 30 July 2022]

As a film, it doesn't really work. I found myself wondering what the underlying message the filmmaker was trying to send, but ultimately it came across to me as a clip show of a few people playing in a VR world. Much like watching someone else play a videogame, I found my interest waning about halfway through, so maybe there was a grand conclusion I missed; it just wasn't compelling enough to grab my interest.

Credit where credit is due, though. It was a creative use of time during the height of the pandemic.

The Voyeurs (2021)

If "Rear Window" was made in 2021...

[7/10 · 10 September 2021]

An update to the old concept, with a bit more tension. Not a bad film, quite enjoyable as a rainy evening popcorn flick, but stepped outside of its lane with the final twist/reversal that ultimately took away from the larger story.

Forged in Fire: Cricket's Greatest Rivalry (2017)

Not THE Forged In Fire

[1/10 · 22 August 2021]

Could have been titled better. Very let down when I watched this without context. Seems fine if your a sports fan I suppose.

Tattoo Redo (2021)

I basically hate-watched this show

[3/10 · 30 July 2021]

Aside from the highly annoying production style, 18 surprise tattoos and no one was upset. They probably had some discussion off camera about it. Don't get me wrong, a lot of talent on this show, but by the end I was cheering for the clients to not like the tattoo.

Black Widow (2021)

Being too safe is the biggest problem in the movie

[5/10 · 10 July 2021]

In short, it was an okay movie. Not bad, but not good. Part of this is the timing of release- we know she will be dead in the near future, so the stakes do not seem very palpable. This could have been a much more compelling and flavorful movie, but instead we got another fast film that primarily serves to move to larger plot of the MCU along.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Temporal Edict (2020) Season 1, Episode 3

Rooted in Trek Culture, Still Not Funny

[5/10 · 22 August 2020]

This episode reminded me of "The Chain of Command," how Jellico tightened up the ship to everyone's maximum capabilities because he saw the Cardassians as an apex enemy. This captain... Was having a bad day? Half the characters don't seem to have motivation to their actions, as if the writers just said, "You know what would be funny... Lololololol!"

So we get to see 20 minutes of 99% of the crew being stressed and Mariner and Random trying to one up each other. Random is shaping up to be perhaps the worst character on the show; his lack of self-awareness is painful and doesn't make sense he would rise to an XO position.

The only redeeming factor was O'Brien being identified as the greatest example of Starfleet in history. If they said it Burnham or someone else on Discovery I would have been done with this show. Given everything O'Brien did from the Cardassian war up to teaching at the academy and all the suffering he was put through, he definitely deserves.a big honor like that.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–2024)

Could Have Potential For Season 2

[8/10 · 10 August 2020]

I remind myself that The Orville really found itself in season 2 as I think about this. A pilot or season opener should really set the tone; if that is the case here I'm concerned the tone is being set to be skittish and shallow.

Rick and Morty this is not. Ricky and Morty embraces a dark humor that just wouldn't work in Star Trek, like Rick's car creating clones of dead children to wage psychological warfare, or using less intelligent family members to sheild oneself from authorities. No shade on Mike McMahon but this show has more in common with Solar Opposites than Rick and Morty.

My biggest frustration with the pilot is how it was an all over the place introduction to the characters. Everything about Sam Rutherford's inclusion felt extraneous. Replace him going on a date with getting to know Tendi and the focus is on two plot lines: Mariner and Boilmer's relationship and the virus outbreak. So now I'm left not caring about his story; he's a cyborg, he's got Vulcan programming, who cares?

The most intriguing aspect of the story was that Mariner has some history of being demoted. That's about the only thing that makes me want to come back. That and Tendi; Tendi is the character everyone says Tilly is (and I can't stand Tilly's character).

If this was an unbranded sci-fi animated comedy, I probably wouldn't give it too much attention, but as a lifelong (since age 5) Trek fan I want this to be good.