bsilbor Reviews

Halloween Ends (2022)

Better than Kills

[7/10 · 18 October 2022]

Halloween 2018 is still far and away my favorite of the new trilogy, but this comes second for me. I felt like it was smaller in scale and more personal than Kills. While I feel it had some clunkiness to it, the Corey subplot was a lesson in how evil doesn't just emerge from the darkness to kill you, it can also emerge from within yourself and kill others. It's a take on the idea of society creating its own evil, and I can appreciate that, given the United States' current social and political climate as of this writing. Kills also had a similar sublot, showing that evil thrives in chaos and vigilantism, but the script had to spell it out. One gripe I have was the lack of Michael Myers himself. He's mostly sitting back in the shadows (ironically) while Corey does most of his dirty work for him. I think it would have been more interesting to see Michael and Corey out killing in separate locations and confusing everyone, realizing there were now TWO killers on the loose but like I said, I can appreciate what we got. Overall, it was enjoyable, but could have done with some better structure.

Everybody Loves Raymond: The Finale (2005) Season 9, Episode 16

An ending that this show deserved...not one it "needed".

[8/10 · 4 August 2021]

Someone decided to take it upon themselves and pitch their own fanfiction about Marie and Ray moving in together at the end of the episode and spending the rest of their lives together as mother and son (much to Ray's misery) while Debra, the kids, Robert, Amy, and Frank basically disown both of them. This person basically painted Marie to be this irredeemably evil woman and Ray as this neglectful jerk, both of whom apparently don't love their families and deserve to be miserable.

I guess they completely missed ALLLL the previous nine seasons. Yes, most of the characters are not morally pure and are rather selfish, but the underlying theme of this show is that all the characters, above all else, love their family, despite its glaring flaws. This was a good finale, not because it was grand or shocking or game-changing as many people have said in their reviews...but because it didn't need to be those things. The overall idea that everybody really does love Raymond is put on display here more perfectly than in any other episode, with the characters having to briefly ponder the idea that they might have to continue on with life without him.

The episode ends in the most appropriate way for this show...with nothing having changed at all. They all sit at the table eating breakfast. These nine seasons have just been a 9-year-long slice of life for these characters and they will continue to go on as a family after the cameras stop rolling. This is a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, so they wrap it up with an episode that perfectly encompasses what the show has been from the start. That's an appropriate send off for Everybody Loves Raymond...not some arbitrary SHOCKING ending just for the sake of having a SHOCKING ending.

My favorite sitcom, my favorite work by Ray Romano, and a hidden gem in a world of TV that, in my opinion, has lost its soul.

Balto (1995)

Flawed...but fun and heartfelt

[27 April 2021]

I recently had the opportunity to watch this film for the first time all the way through. I had seen bits and pieces of it on cable before as a kid, but I had never actually seen it all the way through, so nostalgia does not factor into my experience with this film.

Historical inaccuracies aside, this film is fun and heartfelt and a good movie to curl up on the couch with your kids during a snowstorm, with the lights off. It sends a good message of accepting what others see as your flaws and accepting that they might not be flaws after all. By the end, Balto allows himself to be who he is, despite ridicule from others.

However, in my opinion, it does seem to hit too many of the beats and clichés that Disney follows (admittedly, I looked for this on Disney+ because I did think it was a Disney property). There's a scene where an animal character winds up in a chef's kitchen and is under threat of begin chopped up and cooked, like Sebastian in The Little Mermaid, the main protagonist is a charismatic, homeless stray that everyone makes fun of and who jumps across rooftops, like Aladdin, and there's a trio of the main antagonist's followers that provide comedy relief through their own character tropes, like the hyenas from The Lion King. These so-called Disney tropes were pretty glaring to me, but overall didn't detract from my enjoyment.

There are a couple other flaws I had with this film, one of which was the unremarkable voice acting, with Bob Hoskins as Boris and Jim Cummings as Steele being really the only two exceptions in my eyes. However, the major gripe I have is the lack of characterization for the humans. Granted, it is a movie about dogs, so I don't take it too much to heart, but one scene that made me do a bit of a double take was when the serum arrives in Nome. The musher is clearly in serious medical trouble and no one seems to really care when the team arrives in town. Everyone ignores the dying man next to them (and yes, I know the children are dying, but even the doctor didn't acknowledge the man in critical condition right next to him). The only acknowledgement we get regarding the injured musher are two throwaway lines: one nameless person asking how he was and an equally nameless person answering that he was gonna be okay. Both lines are said offscreen.

It's a children's movie about talking dogs and Alaskan wilderness and is, in my opinion, a great movie to watch to escape the bustlings of day-to-day life. The film sets out to entertain children and offer some things for accompanying adults as well, and it succeeds, but it only does just that. I would absolutely suggest this movie to someone looking for something that is family-friendly and reignites a child-like feeling in their gut.

The Walking Dead: The Calm Before (2019) Season 9, Episode 15

Screw that. It's time. Let's set Negan on these guys.

[9/10 · 25 March 2019]

This episode was good, but then the final few minutes hit the audience like a bus. The reveal of who got piked was heart-wrenching, especially Enid, Henry, and Tara (The latter of whom's death hit me the hardest. She had come a long way since the Governor, and her alliance with Glenn to find Maggie). It has been quite a while since this show has shocked me like this. I think the last time I was this shocked was when Negan killed Glenn and Abraham.

Speaking of the Devil...considering these massive deaths, I think it's time to unleash the group's greatest secret weapon...Negan himself. Let him call some shots, let him do what he does best. Screw it, it's game time.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2020)

An animated show that feels anything but, and exceeds any other

[10/10 · 20 July 2018]

As an eleven-year-old back in '08, I didn't have many opportunities to see any Star Wars movies in theaters. I was a huge fan of A New Hope, and I enjoyed the prequels, but they were all home video experiences (with the exception of Attack of the Clones, but I was too young to remember it or get excited over it.

So when I first saw trailers for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which was going to premiere as a feature film in theaters, I became excited. I enjoyed the movie at the time, but as I grew older, I began realizing that it was a three episode arc squashed together to form a movie, and it was more lackluster than I had remembered.

I fell in love with the character of Ahsoka Tano (maybe literally, with my eleven-year-old mind still in the early stages of maturing) since she was finally a character around my age, a character I could relate to.

The subsequent show started off okay, but as seasons 2, 3, and 4 came and went, I missed out on a lot of it as I focused on being an adolescent for a while. But still...The Clone Wars reinvigorated my dormant love for Star Wars.

When the promos for season 5 debuted, I became intrigued again, especially with the return of Darth Maul. So I binge-watched it. Since I was older, I began appreciating the show more, with its nods to other movies like Apocalypse Now and Seven Samurai. I began to appreciate the deep themes of betrayal, war, political upheaval, corruption, and war profiteering.

Then came the ending of season 5. Ahsoka rejected her reinstatement into the Jedi Order and walked off into the sunset, possibly never to be seen again. Shortly after that, the Disney acquisition resulted in its ultimate cancellation, but the company was gracious enough to put the series and "The Lost Missions" on Netflix. I appreciate it more than ever today.

Now it's coming back. Whether or not it's limited to just a few episodes, I don't know. But I hope that it'll come back for at least another two seasons to finish off everything that Dave Filoni and his magnificent cast and crew had lined up. It's a fantastic show that may seem to be made for children on the surface...but on the inside, it's so much more.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Solid summer blockbuster with a couple small things that could have been improved on.

[8/10 · 13 July 2018]

I enjoyed this movie as much, if not more than, its predecessor. It has a lot of plot points that are blatantly copied from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but they were presented in a way that felt new. And hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it I guess. It had great action, awesome set pieces, a frightening volcanic eruption, and the return of the classic cautionary tale aspect of the franchise. This movie did a very good job examining the potential and ungodly power of genetic technology and threw in the question of: "Do we let this abomination, this rape of the natural world die? Or do we keep it alive?"

The deepening of the parental connection between Owen and Blue, and the consequences of their companionship, is also a step up from the last one. Claire's character development was also a step up, having been a corporate workaholic in the first one. She is now a dinosaur rights activist who believes that these animals should be saved from the erupting volcano.

There are two things that felt lackluster to me, however. The first one being the Indoraptor. It felt like another Indominus Rex, but a bit smaller and with a different name. It also apparently responds to laser pointers and sonic attack signals...okay, fine, I don't care, I just want that Mills guy to die painfully for killing poor elderly Lockwood and auctioning off the dinosaurs for money. The second problem I had was with the weird twist that Maisie was a clone of Lockwood's daughter and not actually Lockwood's granddaughter. I get that the dino's were clones and it would make sense that they could do the same thing with humans, but it felt unnecessary, especially since there was no real payoff for the twist. Maybe they're trying to set something up for the next sequel, I don't know.

All in all it was a fun movie and Chris Pratt was as loveable as ever. Bryce Dallas Howard had some good character development from the last one, and the other characters were fun. Watching the computer analyst scream at everything was funny, too. The end leaves a lot open and it's going in an interesting direction. I wonder where they'll take the series now that the Isla Nublar is destroyed.

8/10

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Very good sequel.

[9/10 · 4 July 2018]

I remember watching The Incredibles back in '04 and was blown away by it. My 40-year-old father was even more excited than I was at the time. I won't fanboy over this sequel, but seeing these characters return as if there wasn't actually a fourteen year gap was a ton of fun and hilarious. I couldn't help but smile. The action scenes and the powers/technologies used in the scenes were so clever and fun and could really only be perfected in animation.

Speaking of which, the animation (and this goes without saying, again given the fourteen year gap) was ten steps up from what it was in the original. Frozone's ice powers, Violet's shields, even the hair was incredibly realistic (pun 100% intended).

There were a few slight things I felt could have been improved, though didn't hinder my enjoyment in any way. One is, as stated by many others, the villain. Syndrome was a personal villain going up against Mr. Incredible. A fan-turned-enemy. The Screenslaver was not personal, and their plan seemed a little convoluted and, because we only got a couple minutes of backstory, the motives felt lackluster. Their identity is also a bit predictable, as there are really only two suspects. But one other thing that was lacking, but not absent, was the depth of the characters. Bob Parr was so desparate to get back to heroics, that he totally dismissed his family. When he thought they had died, he realized what he was missing. A character arc like this was not present in this one. I will say, however, that the message the villain plays up is very topical.

Waiting for superheroes to save the day is impractical and dangerous. It's up to normal, everyday people, the "Joe Shmoes", to fix the world if it's broken. Because in reality, there won't be a Mr. Incredible, or a Superman, or a Captain America to save the day. We are our own superheroes. We can't wait for a superhero to fix our lives...WE need to fix it ourselves.

I've also noticed quite a few people claiming that the message of the film is that women are superior to men because Elastigirl got the superhero gig and Mr. Incredible was "stripped of his masculinity" by becoming a stay-at-home dad. No...it's just that Mr. Incredible had his time to shine in the first one, and now it's Elastigirl's turn. Disney didn't bring gender politics into the movie...you did.

This was a great, but not perfect movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully it won't take another fourteen years for a third one.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

A rather simple plot that was weirdly executed, but didn't detract from an otherwise fun and entertaining movie.

[9/10 · 27 May 2018]

I really enjoyed this movie. The production design was very reminiscent of the original movie back in 1977 where everything is dirty, grimey, and very used. Even though the Falcon was shinier than we remember it, it still felt used.

The acting was great, especially from Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, who nailed their performances as both Han Solo and Lando Calrissian. Chewbacca was great as usual, and the new actor they have for him has done a phenomenal job filling the very big shoes (literally) of Peter Mathew. Another fun character was L3-37. Say what you will about SJWs or whatever nonsense people complain about, but her character was funny, almost as charismatic as Lando himself, and beautifully sarcastic. Another rather minor character I found myself fond of, and a bit disappointed to see discarded halfway through he movie, was Rio, voiced by Jon Favreau. The other characters were fine, but the aforementioned ones really stood out to me.

There were a few plot twists, none as extravagant as Darth Vader's classic, "No...I am your father," line, but still relavent to the story and the character of Han Solo as a whole. The best surprise came very near to the end of the movie when it was revealed that the main villain of the movie was actually serving Darth Maul the whole time. The general plot wasn't awful, but I think that a change in directors halfway through the production chopped it up a bit. This didn't ruin the movie for me, however, as it's filled with funny humor, exciting scenes, and an Old-Western-feel.

What I think may be the film's strongest asset was the dynamic between characters. Han and Chewie's first encounter with each other was executed in a surprising and inventive way, and it worked to perfection. Their on-screen chemistry was as strong as it was in A New Hope, despite it being two completely different actors. The banter and love-hate relationship between Han and Lando was also a lot of fun. Qui'ra and Han's relationship, though left open-ended, was realistic and maybe even a bit tragic.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of fan service in this film. A lot of callbacks and explanations for things we've seen and/or heard before. The Kessel Run, check. Han's blaster origins, check. Winning the Falcon, check. Han shooting first, check. "I have a bad/good feeling about this", check. A lot of Star Wars constants we're, again, present in this film, though with a rather unnoticeable absence of a certain droid duo, but some of these callbacks felt more subtle and maybe even missable to the casual Star Wars fan.

All in all, a 9/10 for a movie that I wasn't really all that interested in after the first trailer. As the premier date approached, however, I began getting more excited and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the film. I understand that many didn't, and that's okay, but for me Star Wars is still alive and well, and I look forward to more in the future.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Very good, but not absolutely perfect like many seem to believe.

[9/10 · 25 May 2018]

When you combine a decade's worth of characters all in a two-and-a-half hour movie, obviously you're going to have to keep the character development to a minimum. It also won't help if you haven't seen all of the 20-ish movies leading up to this one, where the character development is pretty well utilized, especially for a studio now putting out three to four of these things a year. I knew this going in, which is why I didn't expect some deep character piece. Still, I felt certain scenarios and characters could have shown at least a bit more energy, instead of just seeming like some cardboard cut-outs, but again, it didn't detract from my experience, because I wasn't expecting much from individual characters.

I think it's also pretty clear that this isn't a movie that focuses on the heroes. This movie does something new, where the bad guy takes center stage, and is the one with the character development. Finally, we get a villain that we can understand. He isn't trying to destroy half the universe for absolutely no reason other than to be evil, which is one thing the MCU has been lacking.

The ending made me feel very different from any other ending I've seen. Seeing things transpire as they did was shocking, but not surprising...and what I felt is still just so indescribable because no movie ending has really done what Infinity War has done. Thankfully, certain lines from a certain character insinuate not all is as it seems.

Bottom line is, if you're expecting Tarantino, Hitchcock, or Kubrick filled with deep themes, emotional character studies, or groundbreaking cinematography, then you clearly don't understand the genre. If you're expecting an exciting movie filled with moments that make you want to punch the air, an ending that will leave you stunned and a bit confused, and a film that begins to wrap up over 20 movies, then you'll have a good time, like I did.

The Walking Dead: The Day Will Come When You Won't Be (2016) Season 7, Episode 1

Most brutal and shocking episode of the series, most gory episode on television.

[10/10 · 24 October 2016]

For months we waited. For months we prepared. For months we wondered, speculated, and theorized who got the bat. People were furious that they had to wait to know who died. Now the truth has come and gone, and while many predicted who and how, even though we were ready for at least one of the major characters to die, even though we knew it would be messy, scary, and sad, the first episode of Season 7 still shocked everyone who saw it. This is going to take this show in a whole new direction, one that we have yet to see.

This episode felt so quick and so short. So little happened, yet so much occurred in one forty-five minute episode, not including the commercials (which were irritating to say the least). I couldn't believe when I saw it was already a third over, and we still hadn't found out who died. I can't recall an episode when TWO major characters were just knocked off within minutes of each other, and I can't remember any other shocking death than Glenn's which came completely out of left field, figuratively speaking.

Like Hardwick said during Talking Dead, Abraham/Michael was the strength of the show, and Glenn/Steven was the heart. Glenn had been with us since the very first episode, though we only hear his voice from the radio inside the tank, and now he has met his end. I see Abraham's death as breaking the viewers' minds (I'm so sorry for that unintentional pun), while I view Glenn's death as breaking the viewers' hearts. These characters will be missed, and their deaths, as well as Negan's reign, will send vibrations across the show for seasons to come. RIP Glenn Rhee and Sgt. Abraham Ford.

Stranger Things (2016–2025)

Hooked from the very first minute.

[10/10 · 12 September 2016]

I had heard a lot of praise for this show, but I wasn't all that interested, at first. I knew it was, basically, a love letter to classic Spielberg and Stephen King, both of whom I am a very big fan, but I had seen J.J. Abrams' Super 8, and, while it was good, I felt it was a bit lacking in the magic that Spielberg and King had always perfected.

Not the case with this show.

One night I just decided to start it, because I was looking for a good 80s movie to watch. Very first shot, with the guy in the lab coat, running away, I was instantly engaged, wanting to know what was happening. In my opinion, the girl, named Eleven, steals the show, even from well-known actors like Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and Matthew Modine. The three main protagonists, the boys, are a close second. These four kids are just amazing and have really good acting chops.

Many plot points are taken from classic 80s movies, with a lot of throwbacks to Alien, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. and countless others. There are people disappearing in a small rural town in the 80s and there are some "strange things" happening. The suspense, the mystery, the horror, the emotion, are all spectacular and it's all set against a perfectly realized 1980s backdrop. I can't wait for season 2!

The Lion King (1994)

Not just king of the lions.

[8 September 2016]

Deep in Disney's renaissance period, and before computer animation stole the cartoon industry, The Lion King is one of the most mature animated movies out there, and, by extension, the best animated movie by Disney. This movie deals with a multitude of different harrowing, real-world struggles, like the death of a close family member, growing up, and accepting responsibility for your own actions. The animation is classical, the voice acting is terrific, the story is a great twist on Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and, above all, Hans Zimmer's score is sad, and gut-wrenching. In my humble opinion, this movie is the pinnacle of Disney's creations and deserves all the hype that it generates.

Zootopia (2016)

A surprisingly and refreshingly, mature movie, considering there are no humans.

[10/10 · 8 September 2016]

When someone describes a movie about a world and a city with only anthropomorphic animals to populate them, you probably think about a G-rated fun-fest for three-year-olds, like something on Sprout. What you don't expect are satirical, cleverly veiled references to racism, sexism, addiction to technology, and drugs. Then, this movie comes out of left field with mature concepts that aren't even veiled at all, like con artistry, government conspiracies, and organized crime. There's even one reference to Breaking Bad that made me laugh rather loudly, with one character's cronies being named Walter and Jessie. The chemistry (pun not intended) between the two main characters was perfect and reminds me a lot of the witty banter Han Solo and Leia Organa had in Star Wars (minus the romance, thankfully). There are some very depressing moments with very good payoffs, while there are a couple cutesy moments that are clearly there for the younger audience. Overall, this movie is one of the best since Disney's Renaissance.

The West Wing (1999–2006)

One of the best TV shows that isn't recognized enough.

[10/10 · 8 September 2016]

I'm nearly twenty years old while writing this review. I was roughly around three when the first episode was aired, yet this is one of my favorite shows, if not my favorite. With me being as young as I am, it's no surprise when I mention The West Wing and people my say, "Huh?" which is really too bad, because this show is absolutely amazing. Sorkin's fast, smart, quippy dialogue is brilliant and some of the jokes can get you to belly-laugh. When this show gets serious, though, it gets serious. The season 1 finale going into the season 2 premier is the highlight of the whole series. Arcs like (spoiler's) kidnapping at the end of season four, (spoiler's) Gaza trip at the end of season five, and, of course (spoiler's) health condition that had effects all throughout season three. Unfortunately, after Sorkin left the show, it lost some of its magic. The dialogue was slower and a bit more dumbed-down, the jokes weren't AS funny, and of course Joshua Malina's, Will Bailey, who is still a great character and actor, could never replace Rob Lowe's, Sam Seaborn. All in all, this show is fantastic, and I highly recommend it on Netflix, which is currently streaming all seven seasons.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Is there anything that hasn't been said about this movie?

[10/10 · 30 August 2016]

Being born 19 years after this movie was released, I never got a chance to see it in theaters. I was even too young to see the re- releases in 1997. My father first exposed me to these movies when I was about 5 years old, when I couldn't quite grasp just how big these movies were and how much of an impact they had on American, and even world culture. Back in 1977, the world was hurting. It couldn't tell the difference between tyrants and leaders in politics, and villains and heroes both on and off the screen. Star Wars changed that. Whether you think it's overrated or the best movie ever, it would be foolish to say that this movie didn't change anything, be it Hollywood, our perception of leaders, or even our perception of ourselves. This movie, and it's subsequent saga, is, likely, the single most talked about movie in history. If you don't like it, you've at least seen it. If you haven't seen it, you've no doubt at least heard about it. That being said, that means that just about everything has been said about Star Wars. It's great, it's bad, it's overrated, the acting isn't exactly on point, the effects are breathtaking, it's corny, it's nerdy, it's geeky, it's a phenomenon, it's just plain good, everything has been mentioned. So why am I writing this review? Because that means I get to contribute to the story. The story of Star Wars goes far beyond its own universe. We are part of it. The fans, the haters, George Lucas, me, you reading this, now, we're all part of the story of Star Wars. This review may get lost among the thousands and thousands of others, but I still get to contribute to the preservation of this story. The more we talk about it, the longer it'll stay in memory, and the longer it'll exist. When the movies are finished, possibly forever, the story will still live on for future generations to enjoy. Now I get to be part of that story.