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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)
Great fun every week, but just a surface-level return to classic Trek.
At first, I would have given this series a 10, but now that we are most of the way through the first season, I've had more of a chance to reflect on the show.
I look forward to seeing the newest episodes every single week, it's a fun return to the classic episodic Star Trek format of having a new sci-fi adventure in every episode. The modern production values are fantastic. Most of the acting is excellent. Visuals are stunning. The weekly adventures are usually prime Star Trek sci-fi concepts.
However, it's usually just Star Trek on the surface. The writing tends to lack the nuance that you'd find in TOS, TNG, or DS9. Occasionally, they do hit it out of the park, but more often, the great Trek themes that are introduced are not fully explored to nearly the extent that the old school writers would have tackled them.
A great example of this, without getting into spoiler territory, is the entire short-lived plot thread with M'Benga and his daughter, especially the way it ended so abruptly. Absolutely just poor writing, very poor.
On the other hand, they do nail certain things like Spock grappling with his half-human nature, and his relationship with T'Pring. That is very well-executed so far. So I feel like the skill of the writing is a mixed bag.
So yes, I'm enjoying this show every week, it finally gives me something to look forward to in Trek-world after the disasters of Discovery and Picard. I'm just not LOVING it. Not yet at least. This may end up being a watch-once series for me, but I at least do want to watch all of it. Just not sure it has the depth to merit rewatches a few years down the road.
That said, as I'm writing this, only 8 episodes of the first season have been released. First seasons are often the worst when it comes to Star Trek shows. I'll update this if my feelings change in the future.
TL;DR: Fun show, great concepts, return to classic Trek format, but kinda lacking nuance in the writing so far. Let me put it this way: I can't even remotely imagine this writing team coming up with an episode like "Measure of a Man" and exploring what the essence of humanity is with such depth and skill. Just as an example.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: The Elysian Kingdom (2022)
An unfortunate detour in an otherwise rather good series
I've been largely enjoying SNW so far, but this episode was very bad. Too early for this sort of thing, and it was poorly written and acted either way.
The biggest takeaway I got from this episode is that Babs Olusanmokun is kind of a bad actor. He has no range, all he can do is quiet and melancholic. It works fine for the M'Benga character, but give him a leading role in an episode that demands a larger range, and he fails miserably.
Please no more doctor-centric episodes. They've almost always been bad in the history of Trek anyway. Also, stop wasting time with filler like this. If you're only going to give us 10 eps per season, make each one count!
This is my first 1/10 rating for any SNW episode, the rest are at least 5 and usually higher so far.
Mortal Kombat (2021)
Good start, but devolves into a cheese-fest.
As I settled into this movie, it actually seemed like it was going to be good for a while. Alas, it turned into a cheese-fest before it was over.
Maybe not quite as cheesy as the original film from 1995, but I was 11 then and it holds a nostalgic place in my heart. It did some things better, some things worse. The CGI was decent, for one.
If you're a Mortal Kombat fan, it's certainly worth a watch.
BTW, Christopher Lambert is still the best Lord Raiden, by far. The new Raiden has no charisma.
Star Wars (1977)
A plot as deep as Super Mario Bros, but with pew pew lasers.
I never understood the love for this movie. It's boring, predictable, and overall just not that well-done. Poor dialog, poor acting, paper-thin story. C3PO is painfully annoying. There's really just nothing about this that I find enjoyable.
It's Super Mario Bros but with lasers and spaceships. Save in princess... IN SPACE! I want more from my movies, and especially from my sci-fi.
The China Syndrome (1979)
An intense drama that will keep your eyes glued to the screen.
The China Syndrome is an edge-of-your-seat thriller/drama that is entirely reality-based. The script and performances are so strong that it doesn't even need a score to keep your attention. There's not a single piece of music played other than during the title sequence.
I'm not going to make this review too long, but I highly recommend this movie to anybody who appreciates an intelligently written, directed and acted film.
Jane Fonda is cast as the star here, and she does a spectacular job, but the standout performance truly belongs to Jack Lemmon, who further cements his legacy as a highly versatile and capable actor. Truly a powerhouse performance.
Michael Douglas and Wilford Brimley also turn in excellent showings as part of the supporting cast. And why wouldn't they?
If you're looking for something to watch tonight, please give The China Syndrome a shot. One of the most underrated, or at least unsung, films around.
Total Recall (1990)
A Total Blast! A clever action flick that you don't have to completely turn off your brain to enjoy.
I have no idea why it took me until 2021 to watch this, but I stumbled on a Laserdisc (yes, Laserdisc) copy of this yesterday and thought I'd give it a spin.
What a fun movie! Sometimes you're just want to see a mindless, violent action flick... but it's more than that! It actually has an interesting plot, with several clever twists. It has humor, including plenty of hilarious one-liners that actually aren't cheesy.
Arnold even steps up his acting game here. To be clear, he's not Al Pacino, but I was at least impressed by the fact that he convincingly played two completely different personalities existing in the same person.
Despite having an ambitious plot versus what you'd expect from an ultraviolent action flick, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and everything just works. If it took itself seriously, it wouldn't have worked.
It's just a ton of fun. If I had to describe this movie in one word, that's it. Fun. I was on the edge of my seat until the credits rolled and enjoyed every second of it.
9/10 - Highly recommended, and Arnie's best movie after the original Terminator. Maybe even a tie, I loved it!
Proximity (2020)
Couldn't finish this.
The soundtrack is so grating that I couldn't finish the movie. If it were a good movie, I think a bad soundtrack wouldn't have stopped me from enjoying it. From what I saw, it's pretty cornball cliche stuff with mediocre to bad acting. Pass.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Star Trek as we knew it is dead. I guess times and audiences change. At least it's better than Discovery.
I was hoping that we would get a return to what made Star Trek, well, Star Trek. I thought maybe TPTB learned something from the backlash to Discovery.
It's better than Discovery, but this isn't a show about exploring the stars and the sense of wonder that brings with it. It's not even science fiction at all. It's a straight-up drama with a Star Trek theme. The only trick they have up their sleeve is bringing back an aging Patrick Stewart. Don't let that fool you into thinking it's a great show. He plays his role as written here well, don't get me wrong. In fact, he turns in an excellent performance, but that alone still doesn't make this Star Trek.
It's one of the reasons I didn't really care much for DS9. It was too much drama, not enough space exploration. Then they returned to form with Voyager and Enterprise.
The other problem is that every single scene is trying so hard to be as dramatic as possible. I've noticed this is a trend in recent years in many shows, I think they're trying to make sure you stay super-engaged so that you keep binge watching, but it's just kind of tiring when everything is full-throttle all the time.
This isn't Star Trek. I grew up on The Next Generation. Maybe I'm getting old and the times have passed me by. I'm only 35, but I mean, maybe.
I wrote off Discovery as a misstep that they would learn from, and was eagerly awaiting Picard, but now it's clear. Star Trek, as those of us who have been watching for decades knew it, is dead. RIP. I've come to accept that now.
I'll watch the next few episodes, and if I am just being too harsh on the pilot, I'll update my review.
Star Trek: Picard (2020)
Star Trek as we knew it is dead. I guess times and audiences change. At least it's better than Discovery.
I was hoping that we would get a return to what made Star Trek, well, Star Trek. I thought maybe TPTB learned something from the backlash to Discovery.
It's better than Discovery, but this isn't a show about exploring the stars and the sense of wonder that brings with it. It's not even science fiction at all. It's a straight-up drama with a Star Trek theme. The only trick they have up their sleeve is bringing back an aging Patrick Stewart. Don't let that fool you into thinking it's a great show. He plays his role as written here well, don't get me wrong. In fact, he turns in an excellent performance, but that alone still doesn't make this Star Trek.
It's one of the reasons I didn't really care much for DS9. It was too much drama, not enough space exploration. Then they returned to form with Voyager and Enterprise.
The other problem is that every single scene is trying so hard to be as dramatic as possible. I've noticed this is a trend in recent years in many shows, I think they're trying to make sure you stay super-engaged so that you keep binge watching, but it's just kind of tiring when everything is full-throttle all the time.
This isn't Star Trek. I grew up on The Next Generation. Maybe I'm getting old and the times have passed me by. I'm only 35, but I mean, maybe.
I wrote off Discovery as a misstep that they would learn from, and was eagerly awaiting Picard, but now it's clear. Star Trek, as those of us who have been watching for decades knew it, is dead. RIP. I've come to accept that now.
I'll watch the next few episodes, and if I am just being too harsh on the pilot, I'll update my review.
The Handmaid's Tale (2017)
Two seasons, two different shows.
Season one is not bad. A bit slow. The writing is a little underwhelming and often too on-the-nose, but still tells an intriguing story that takes place in the near-future.
Basically, religious fanatics overthrew the United States government. They call their new country Gilead. They've turned what was once the USA into an oppressive dystopian nightmare, where the few women who can still have children are turned into sex slaves to provide kids to married couples who cannot have their own, but are much higher up in social standing. They are treated brutally. In Gilead, any dissent (by anyone) is punished harshly. Sometimes by death. This is all done "for the greater good", of course.
Season two feels completely different. There are episodes where literally nothing happens. They are trying to drag this out too much now, and have turned it into a snooze-fest in the process. I stopped watching this season after about five episodes. I'm done. I've lost all interest.
Also, while still an interesting and frightening scenario is presented to us, I've got to say that Margaret Atwood and this show's writers clearly don't understand Christianity. Christians would never create something like Gilead. Maybe (?) the handful of extremist crazies from Westboro Baptist? Thinking they represent mainstream Christians is like thinking that jihadi suicide bomber terrorists represent mainstream Muslims.
But yeah, the first season is probably worth your time. I'd give 6 or 7 stars for that one. YMMV on the second.
The Orville (2017)
A refuge for disappointed Trekkies
In light of the absolute disaster that is Star Trek: Discovery, The Orville is here, and it is a refuge for disappointed Trekkies. This show is the true spiritual successor for Gene Roddenberry's vision.
I am not a Seth MacFarlane fan at all, and truth be told, a lot of the jokes in this show fall flat. However, this series is much more than a comedy. The spirit of Star Trek TOS and TNG is alive and well here. The hopeful optimism in humanity's future, and the true sense of exploration and discovery are on full display. Now and then it does make me laugh out loud as well, not all of the humor fails.
Likable characters, interesting plots, and creative sci-fi scenarios are the norm here. I stopped watching ST: Discovery after the third episode. The Orville is now how I scratch my Trek itch. I can't wait for the next episode.
9/10! I'm very glad that this show is a thing.
Star Trek: Discovery (2017)
This is not Star Trek.
This is not Star Trek. This is a generic wartime sci-fi series with the Star Trek logo slapped onto it. Where is the hopeful optimism? Where is the brilliant storytelling? Where is the, well, discovery? This sorry excuse for a series takes Gene Roddenberry's vision of a "wagon train to the stars" and craps all over it.
Why is Starfleet full of disobedient, humorless assholes now? Where is the friendship and camaraderie? It is apparently now just self-serving, backstabbing losers in the fleet. Michael Burnham (Michael? Really?), who we are supposed to believe has been great friends with her captain for seven years, suddenly incapacitates her to take over the ship and start a war with the Klingons? Wow. Not very logical for somebody who was supposedly raised on Vulcan.
Oh, and speaking of the Klingons... What can I say that hasn't already been said about them? It's like a completely new race in both physical design and how they act. Have the writers ever even watched Star Trek before? Yes, I know TNG changed them as well. They gave them forehead ridges. Big deal. They were still otherwise the same. The ridges were a positive change. It gave them more character and differentiation from humans.
I couldn't get past halfway through episode three, and even getting that far took some effort. This is an insult to any real Star Trek fan, and on top of that, they want me to pay for CBS All Access to watch it? I already pay for cable TV, internet and Netflix. I refuse to add another service to my monthly bills, especially for this streaming pile of garbage.
I used an "alternative" method to watch these episodes, and would have probably bought a CBS subscription if the show were worth it as Star Trek has been a big part of my life since I was a child. Unfortunately, what I saw was not actually Star Trek. It was a disappointment that only carries the name of a formerly great sci-fi franchise.
I may try to catch one episode per month to see if it improves at all, but I'm not very hopeful. Please CBS, listen to the feedback from the fans if you want this to succeed. Give us what we want. As of now, this is the worst Star Trek series to date by a mile.
Thankfully, The Orville has been doing a pretty decent job of giving me my Star Trek fix. It's not quite the same, but it has the same spirit that TOS and TNG did.
Jack Reacher (2012)
Entertaining enough, but pretty much a standard cliché action flick.
I watched this one tonight on Netflix. It was an enjoyable waste of time, but if you're looking for something deep or requiring a modicum of thought... go elsewhere. This was loaded was clichés like the obligatory car chase. Tom Cruise evades the police in a classic 70's muscle car. (Camaro SS... gotta admit it was pretty bad ass car, which he unfortunately ended up destroying; yet another action movie cliché)
Basically Tom Cruise is a bigger badass than everybody else, and is a way better investigator than any other cop on the case. Oh, don't forget the crooked-cop-who-is-really-working-with-the-bad-guys cliché. The whole movie is designed make Cruise look like the biggest badass on the planet, pretty much.
Despite of all of this, I have to admit I actually kind of enjoyed the movie. I didn't go in expecting a masterpiece, so it didn't disappoint. Definitely better than anything with Jason Statham or Bruce Willis, at least. If you want a film where you can just chow down on a bowl of popcorn, turn off your brain, slam a few shots of vodka and have a good time... well, then give Jack Reacher a chance.
Oblivion (2013)
Great sci-fi flick, but a bit derivative.
Are there some plot holes? Sure. Is much of the plot ripped from other movies? Sure, but whatever. They did a very good job with it. It's an enjoyable sci-fi film, one of the best I've seen in a while. There aren't a lot of good ones coming out these days.
I also wanted to point out one thing that particularly bugged me at the end. Cruise's character had a decent little speech he made to Sally before detonating the nuke, which I liked but then all of sudden right before pressing the button... he RUINED it with a seriously cheesy line...
"F*ck you, Sally." Really? And he was doing so well until that. Oh well. Overall, a great entertaining sci-fi with some fantastic cinematography.
Children of Men (2006)
Worst movie I have ever seen without question. Vote fraud?
I was having a glance through the top rated sci-fi (turns out this isn't sci-fi in any way actually) movies here on IMDb to find something good to spend a couple of hours on. This had a very high score, and the premise of global infertility intrigued me. I read a few reviews and it sounded solid.
After considering some of them again after actually seeing this abortion of a movie, I've concluded that the ONLY answer to such a high number of beaming reviews with 9 and 10 stars is vote fraud by the studio. I'm not the only one who thought the same after watching this one. Check some of the other "hated it" reviews. Many of them believe the same.
There have been times when I have suspected this in the past, but thought I was just being paranoid. Well, this one leaves me with no doubt that it happens. IMDb, please do something to fix this. This is the fourth movie in a row I've watched after seeing it in the top 250 that has turned out to be COMPLETE crap. What's going on?? This is easily the worst movie I've ever had the misfortune of viewing.
There is NO discernible plot, and I mean that. It's nothing but contrived dialog to take us from one dreary scene to the next. Literally nothing that is happening has any reason or explanation. The acting is high-school drama class level from nearly everyone. There is not one likable character. Hell, the first line spoken by the supposed savior of humanity (how is she that again?? never explained.) was "what the f*ck are you staring at?" Garbage from beginning to end.
What annoyed me the most is that the interesting premise of this global infertility is COMPLETELY unexplained. The ONLY way it is addressed in the film is establishing that it exists. Nobody has the slightly clue why, and figuring it out is never pursued by anybody. This is the result of nothing but lazy writing. They didn't even care about this supposed premise.
Avoid, avoid, AVOID!!! The IMDb score is mind-bendingly unbelievable.
Genesis: The Way We Walk - Live in Concert (1993)
Absolutely OUSTANDING concert footage!!
Overall, this is the best Genesis concert video available. Genesis has been my favorite band since I was a little kid back in the 1980's. Like a lot of people I liked their more popular tracks at the height of their fame, but it wasn't until I discovered their whole ridiculously awesome back catalog from the first years with Peter Gabriel fronting the band that I really understood what geniuses they were. The 80's material was mostly good stuff, but their earlier material from throughout the 70's just blew me away... and so began my life-long fandom.
Not every song on this video is one of their best. Hold on my Heart? Ugh, kill me now. I still rate this video 10 stars. The flawless performances of the best tracks on it more than make up for it in spades. The highlight for me is the ~20 minute long "Old Medley". It's a nod to their long-time fans, combining some of their best songs from the 70's in one very well-done medley... and I think anybody in attendance at the show who wasn't familiar with the older work probably went out to buy the whole back catalog the very next day after hearing this, judging by the deafening applause.
I know some of the other long-time fans consider this sacrilege, but I think many of Daryl Stuermer's takes on the guitar solos originally performed by Steve Hackett blew away what Steve did. Not every single one, but many. He ROCKS Firth of Fifth and The Musical Box like never before! Other highlights here are Driving the Last Spike, Domino, Jesus He Knows Me (CATCH DARYL'S SOLO IN THIS ONE!!), and Land of Confusion. This concert also features probably the greatest, most effective use of jumbotron screens and lighting that I've ever seen on any concert by any band.
I think the older concert video from 1981, Three Sides Live, has a better setlist overall (In The Cage medley!!!!!) but this one is far more polished. The video and audio quality is also rather poor on Three Sides Live, but it's still another video that every Genesis fan needs to own.
If you love Genesis, you owe it to yourself to get The Way We Walk if you haven't already. If you are a casual fan, pick it up and you might find that you have been converted into a rabid Genesis maniac. Stop reading this. Go get it!
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
A waste of time and money.
One of the worst movies I've ever seen. For the first 15 minutes or so, it seems like it'll be interesting enough to warrant a watch but as soon as the marines arrive to take on the aliens in the city, it just completely drops the ball. I literally can't even remember the name of any single character except Naantz. (did I even get that right?) There's no plot to speak of except firing weapons at uninteresting invaders. This is the stereotypical cliché war movie, except it has aliens. "But wait!" You might say, "I love alien invasion movies!" Yeah, I do too but somehow this pile of trash managed to make even aliens boring.
I couldn't get past the 45 minute mark. I didn't care one bit about any of the characters, and the shaking camera was starting to give me a headache. Please pass on this. Don't even wait for it to show up in DVD bargain bins. If somebody offers you a free disc, take it and set it on fire. Then don't associate with that person anymore, because anybody who would give you a copy of this clearly doesn't like you.