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Ahsoka: Part Three: Time to Fly (2023)
Anyone hating on this episode shouldn't watch Star Wars
The fact this episode is rated lower than the previous two is mind blowing. If you are a fan of Star Wars, then this episode should check nearly all the boxes of what you want to see in a 30-minute piece of SW content. There's Jedi training, discussions about the Force, space dogfighting, creative lightsaber moves, absolutely gorgeous visuals, bad politics, callbacks to other SW material and lore, and great music. If you want to watch mature, intellectually stimulating crime dramas, go to HBO (Andor might satisfy you too). News flash: Star Wars is supposed to appeal to both adults and kids. The title character is literally from a Cartoon Network show. Anyway, this episode shows excellent pacing compared to other Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian that have a bunch of episodes that feel meaningless from a plot progression perspective. This episode does its job in bringing our heroes from point A to point B where our villains are scheming, setting up momentous battles for only the fourth episode of the season. It didn't have to include all of the aspects I mentioned earlier, but it did. For that reason, I give it an 8.5/10, and am very much looking forward to the next episode which I anticipate being the best one yet.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Truth and Consequences (2023)
Filoni just keeps filling in the gaps
Won't get into spoilers, but this 2-part arc answers some of the biggest questions in the franchise that have been left open for years. Filoni continues to use these animated series to fill in gaps left by Lucas and others in sensible and engaging ways. He doesn't do it by bringing in random, unfamiliar characters either, he uses what's already been established and just keeps building. After a few filler episodes, I'm fully back to being bought into this show and can't wait to see what other questions will be answered as the season goes on. I just wish some of the other SW shows (and films) with triple the runtime had as compelling storytelling as this does. There's nothing like Star Wars when there's competent writing behind it.
Bullet Train (2022)
Brad Pitt carries
While I did think the movie was very fun with a unique premise, the movie folds in fully fleshing out its characters and makes some intentionally ridiculous and ironic twists that that just miss. By the end, I knew where it was going as the plot is straight forward but the superficial story telling did not have me bought in. The twists don't work well since we don't get enough background on the big ensemble to care much about them. HOWEVER. Brad Pitt is a phenomenal presence from start to finish. He takes a jokey script and plays it amazingly. I felt like the character was somewhat of a play off his awesome Once Upon a Time in Hollywood one since he was incredibly laid back and funny yet somehow super engaging. If not for Pitt, I would have rated this a 5. He makes up for a chaotic movie that does not have enough runtime or sharp writing to stick the landing. I would compare watching the movie to watching a random sports game on TV that has some ridiculous plays and a star talent. You're entertained but you couldn't care less about who wins.
Stranger Things: Chapter Nine: The Piggyback (2022)
Solid finale but lacked teeth
I really enjoyed this episode. I thought the story was well thought out and acting was superb. My only knock is that the stakes were lower than expected. This show has had a history of introducing impactful characters only to kill them (Enzo, Bob, Billy) at the end of the same season. I was hoping that this season would prove to be different and finally kill off at least one of the core characters. Instead, Eddie expectedly gets the axe and Max escapes certain death (somehow this was unsurprising). I just feel like in a show where the characters (mostly children) are constantly faced with unimaginable horrors and dangers, there should be greater consequences for facing such danger. The core characters are let off the hook too often. Love the ending, love where it's headed for the final season. Just wish that the price paid was a bit higher.