Not going to lie, this was better than the previous episode. I still just want to make it through the end. And for a show I had high hopes for, that's a statement of disappointment.
The flashback with Obi-Wan and Anakin was really good but should have been in the movie in the first place. It would have explained more back than as it did today. Seeing Vader stomp through the hallways and holding of the transport was another great sequenz. Overall it's still nowhere near what could have been. Because of the writing...
When the Stormtroopers land and take position in front of the door, that's about as un-military as you can get. Line up for an enemy to maw you down. Is this overconfidence or stupidity ? If Reva could have just slice open the door with her Lightsaber than why not do so in the first place ? And when the door does open, Stormtroopers are dropping like flies and I counted three (!!!) "rebels" being killed, including Tala. And Reva stands just behind in the background. The revelation of her story was anything but a surprise, but it's another reminder that this show has the wrong title. And how many other force sensitive people did she kill or helped being killed to get back at Vader ? To avenge what he has done as Anakin ? Killing what was in your words your family for revenge ? Yeah, that totally makes her one of the good guys instantly. (Attention sarcasm)
But here is one thing I really have a beef with and it hasn't even directly to do with the story or show itself:
Why is Qui-Gon dead ?
He got punched in the gut by Maul's saber once. So did the Grand Inquisitor, and so did Reva. Apperently twice !!! And both are alive.
Right now, even another fight between Vader and Kenobi, which would at this point nake no sense, can't save this show.
I had kind of forgotten this show is still out there but I'm glad it's back. Can't explain why but I really like the way the characters are drawn.
The episode itself is ok, not special. What I really liked is that it shows, very early, the risks regarding holodeck use. That you could loose yourself between fiction and reality. In a way you can build a bridge into todays world and how people live in social media and/or the internet in general. I wonder what would really happen if we had holo-technology.
Starts out interesting with Bond going on a personal vendetta but it hits a wall the moment he meets the woman pilot. It becomes increasingly boring after that with bland and boring characters througout and that includes the women. The character of Sanchez seems to be written with Davi in mind but he is unfortunately as dull as the rest. The finale is explosive (literally) but it can't save the movie as a whole. Pretty generic and you could easily replace Bond with a Joe Smith. Giving "Q" a bit more to do than usual and a very young Benicio del Toro are some saving grace but that's ultimately not why I watch the movie.
James Frain always plays such likeable characters. And he does that with such ease that it is indeed frightening.
This episode feels like a remnant from season one. In fact it feels more like something from the sixties. A good looking swashbuckler type that has women melting through his fingers just because he smiles at them doesn't feel much like 24th century. Then again it is only natural that you have lighter themed episodes during the course of a seasons and ones that keep the budget in check.
What makes this episode watchable are Datas attempts at understanding humor. Something that adds very much to the depth of the character. And it displays Spiner's acting talents.
Little easter egg: althought only being referred to as "The Comic" keep your eye on the Display when Data looks ar the selection. If you own the HD version as you probably won't see it on the SD.
I guess I´m 30 years too old for this because all this gangsta behavior really annoyed me. Those brain-dead characters and all this crap talk destroyed the whole idea of the movie for me which is a shame because technically this was really good.
Furthermore I think that was Jackmann´s worst role and Weaver´s was rather insignificant. So I conclude they were casted to gain interest for the US market.
So I decided to start the Saga once more, this time in chronological order. For sure it isn't the best of them all but at the same time it's not completely awful and/or unwatchable. When I saw it initially at the movies I wasn't negativ about it at all. I was more thrilled about getting a new trilogy going. Yes, Jar Jar is annoying and little Anni is a smartass brat. I remember back in 1999 I had trouble believing that from this would come Darth Vader. To which I also attribute the fact that Jake Lloyd just couldn't pull it off. Most of the acting was rather pale and only Liam Neeson did stand out a bit. Would have liked to see more Qui-Gon.
Back to the movie. The story as a whole is not bad but the story telling is. There are important parts here that will impact the story moving forward but you don't feel they are important. In fact if you don't know what to look for you might miss it. There seems to be no urgency in all of this. In hindsight I'd say you could start with Ep.II and still get the meaning of it all. It get's a little better once they reach Coruscant and later go back to Naboo. And of course we get the epic battle between Maul, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan which is the reason it still get's a "7" from me.
A few words about the production side. In 1999 this was state of the art. It was actually ahead of it's time which is why some scenes still look great. When it comes to the Gungans f.e. you see the steps that have been made since then. And some of the green-screen work looks just like that. And it becomes more apparent in 4k. Overall the movie looks great in UHD, I saw many details I had missed before, and I am sure they smoothed some things out. And you would be surprised how many things aren't CG but actually model building.
It's not the best introduction to Star Wars if you've never have seen it. That would still be A New Hope. And it will always be. But as I said earlier, it's not unwatchable.
I enjoy those movies much more today because they focus on story and acting and not on CGI and SFX.
Yes, the conspiracy at the base of this movie feels rather small considering what is happening in the world now. But keep in mind when this was written.
Althought I must admit I was thinking about a certain President a lot while watching this now.
Pretty much another reset with a case probably spanning up to episode nine. There will then be thrown it bits about the murder of Bosch's mother along with one or two new leads or revelations.
Honestly, I don't know if I'm up for four more seasons of this.
A lot of Star Wars easter eggs but I still say it's the worst so far. And the ones before didn't lay the bar very high.
It's predictable from the get go, it wasn't very funny and yet again I sadly have to point out I can't connect with the character being a teen with teen problems. Which seems to be the thing this season.
From the preview picture I hope the next one will be much better.
I think that's the first time I saw a loss in any of those car shows.
"I'm a totally new person" - Comes home starts excessive drinking.
"I'm going to be there and I'm not going to be late" - you instantly know what will happen.
I'm sorry but this isn't working for me. This doesn't work as a comedy, not as a thriller, not at all. I was already fast forwarding and am already tired of Cassie making stupid decisions and then apollogizing afterwards again and again.
That was a convenient way to solve the Darksaber issue. A bit too convenient if you'd ask me. But those final scenes couldn't safe the episode from basically just being a constructed, unessessary and boring sub plot to provide guest roles for some well known names. And they were not even great characters. With only eight episodes per season they really should not waste time on those things.
The one question this episode raised for me is: could have been Mandalorians that freed Gideon after all if so many of them became mercenaries ?
This one I didn't like. It's the same story they have already done half a dozen times. Some lunatic who thinks he can play god and recreate the world takes control over Seaquest. Add the captains-ex coming back which, again, doesn't do much.
Cmdr. Ford should have blown up Seaquest. He refuses to do it by saying he can't risk the boat reaching critical mass. Instead he does nothing, thus asuring the site will blow. Yeah, that makes sense. And the hauler reached Seaquest pretty fast at the end.
The few positives are showing some of the impact from Brody's death and I think that Lucas is becoming more and more mature.
Considering where they left at the end of season two this isn't as bad as I feared. Although the explanation of what happened is rather weak and the selection of who survived and who didn't is simply based on which actor wanted to come back I guess.
The flaws this show always had are still there but I find the playing field is a bit more interesting now. In any case it's just a dozen episodes left.
Bridger sure has a thing for Doctor's, hasn't he ? And how many deLuise's can you pack in one episode ?
Sadly this episode isn't great. There is just too much going on, everything thrown together. It's somewhere between a soap and a bad comedy. Had some very few good moments. But all in all forgettable.
This episode gives me the impression that they weren't sure they get another season. Not good, not bad, just boring. Since most of the cast won't be back I think it doesn't matter much anyway.
This is neither good or bad - it's just boring. I don't even know how to rate it. It may be interesting if you've seen the movie, which finally got made in 2018. Otherwise you can skip this.
The first product placement in Star Trek History (maybe in TV History ?). Also the second appearance from Diana Muldaur as a leading guest actor.
The story isn't bad but it didn't really grip me. And I fail to see the described ugliness in the ambassador's appearance. But that could be on purpose because beauty indeed is subject to taste.
The constant changing from one period to another doesn't really help the pace. But I think the producers want to portray the similarities between the three Ladies despite them living in different times and under different circumstances.
If I look at the three pairs of actors I like Anderson and Sutherland the most, followed by Pfeiffer and Eckhart. It feels like Davis and Fagbenle are overacting a bit too much by displaying the Obama's traits to forcefully. Which I percieve as unnatural.
Much better than the first one. I can't point on single thing out that I like better. It's just that the whole movie felt like something carved from a solid billet instead of put together from several pieces. I am sure the experience from the first helped as much as the fact we didn't have to introduce every character. The additional runtime helps adding depth and detail and the climax really felt dramatic.
It's a lot of things all over that makes this a step up from X1.
This isn't a bad episode but as a season finale it's disappointing. Imdb says that four episodes where held back but doesn't corroborate as to why that was the case. Even if there was a reason of ending the season short, choosing this episode as the last had no upside.
As a stand alone episode this was good material. Actually adressing the problems that come with incorporating Marquis into a crew run by Starfleet regulations and not only talking about it. Having Tuvok being the one teaching them was also the right choice as he certainly is a stickler for regulation. Of course we reach the only possible conclusion that both sides have to take a step towards the other. Funny how Neelix, of all people, is the one who has to make that clear for Tuvok who does not see this logical conclusion himself. Especially since he hasn't bend rules before.
Of course we also need a threat against the ship but that b-story with Neelix's cheese infecting the gel packs.....let's just say that was an eyeroller.
"Take the cheese to sickbay" (insert Picard meme here)
Sooo......maybe Wanda isn't controlling all of this but just using it for her benefits?
That probably explains why that POW wanted to be killed and why the Skitters care for the children. They may suffer the same fate.
This movie is great on many levels. First it works as a really good sci-fi/action movie. But there is also a message, intentional or not, and it raises questions. But it's not being put on the foreground. Yet you clearly see the references. And it still works today.
The mix of documentary and cinematic style adds a certain level of realism, as much as this is possible with an alien story, but you are much more drawn into it because of that. The story itself is interesting. You don't have aliens coming to conquer or destroy mankind. They are pretty much a sorry bunch with little hope of existence. I like that angle.
Putting this not into the hollywood realm and not placing it in America also just adds to the positive attributes this whole movie has.
I am on the fence if I would want a sequel to be honest. If that would mean it gets the hollywood treatment I'd refuse. I mean - look at the Terminator franchise for a reference.
In any case, after re-watching this movie I raise my rating from "8" to "9" because I really think it is that good. Unfortunately, from where I stand, Blomkamp hasn't even come close to repeating with any of his other movies following District 9.
I wanted to give this a chance since I loved TCW and Rebels. So even after the first episode turned out to be awful I tried to be positive and open minded. I wasn't even deterred by the rather low rating of 65 %. But when I saw 4,9 on imdb with roughly 25 % giving this a 1 I gave up. I always tell people to form their own opinion but it is hard to believe this is from the same people that did the previous shows.
Maybe I watch some episodes on the side but in general I think I'm done with this.
Now, after I wrote this I read that Filoni created this but wasn't the show-runner and instead had other people run this. And suddenly all falls into place. This was the missing piece of information.
Let's not talk Ewoks or Special Editions. There's nothing that can be said or written that hasn't been done so before.
I loved Star Wars from the second I first watched it and that will never change. I made my peace with the prequels and can see what they brought to the whole despite the flaws they have.
This marked the first time I saw everything chronologically so far (incl. Clone Wars and Rebels) and some things just don't ad up.
F.e. how can Leia know anything about her mother ? Both children were taken away the minute they were born and Padme died right after giving birth. Bail Organa immediatly took Leia in. She should not be able to remember her birth mother.
And Obi-Wan was very reluctant to take on Anakin, let alone train him. He only did so because of a promise he made to the dying Qui-Gon.
You can find many more little discrepancies and this is not meant to be criticism of any kind. In any case in 1983 all this didn't apply. It just shows that it isn't easy to put a prequel story to an existing story without cutting some corners.
But like I said - I love Star Wars. I can easily live with all those things mentioned above.
Now, reluctantly I have to admit, I move on to the sequells.
I have a shitty memory when it comes to any show but is this even connected to where this started from ? I don't want to go back and watch everything again but I barely recognize it. It doens't feel like Westworld. Right now this has gone from "best show of that year" to "couldn't care less". And I guess the WWII thing is the new simulation this year ?
Well, maybe I'll wait for the whole thing to finish and start from scratch at the beginning. Or, not ?
I've been an Eastwood fan for basically my entire movie watching life. Ever since I've saw him in one of the Dollar western. If he's playing or directing - it's a reason for me to watch it. However his last directing credits were literally hit and miss the last youple of years.
Amerian Sniper (miss), Sully (hit), 15:17 to Paris (miss), The Mule (hit). And now Richard Jewell is somewhere in between but leaning more towards missing, again, for different reasons.
I knew nothing about the person or how he's been treated at the time. So I had really no idea what was going to happen in this movie. While I'm not surprised at how the story unfolds I have to say that Eastwood did not manage to invoke real sympathy for the man in me. The whole thing pretty much plays like you would expect it to. Jewell is the hero.
After I watched the movie I read about the controversy surrounding the portrayal of Kathy Scruggs. I know movies are taking artistic freedoms when it comes to the portrayal of characters but I think they went below the line here. Especially considering that she is dead. That made me read up a little more. I don't want to excuse what has been done to Jewell by the FBI and the media, and how terrible it must have been for him. But I found it interesting that the movie neglected to mention that the Attorney General formally apologized and that Jewell got a 500.000 $ settlement from NBC. Others settled, too, but I don't know for what.
I think it is really important to tell stories like this. But adding or leaving stuff out are intentional decisions on part of the writer and/or director and I really ask myself: why ? If you make a movie based on a real event, stick to the fact. Don't add or leave things out. Because if you do I really question your motive and your agenda.
