The Mandalorian started out OK, but ended up as some half-baked, lazily written show that exist merely to lure parents to justify a Disney+ subscription. Kids get the usual Disney contents, moms get Baby Yoda, dads get Star Wars nerdy reference. The show almost feels like being made by a bunch of fanfiction writers with familiarity of the setting but zero sense of screen writing.
Nothing wrong with liking it, it's just the show appears to be all style and no substance.
Storyline shows no complexity at all. In fact, most of them are fillers. You can skip 4 of 8 episodes and you'll still understand the story just fine. Characters are completely uninteresting. None of them are developed. None of them had nuances: protagonists are morally good heroes; antagonists are one dimensional evils. The show relies only on a cute muppet and flashy action, but has zero substance. Had a potential great world-building with some details, but they chose to abandon it for rule of cool (and cute).
The "it's Star Wars, so it'll be simple" excuse commonly said by the series' defenders doesn't hold up if you actually consider other Star Wars titles such as Knights of the Old Republic, Republic Commando, Jedi Academy, Thrawn trilogy, the original and Tartakovsky's Clone Wars, and so on. Those titles are known for having remarkable storytelling; something that The Mandalorian doesn't have for its poverty of creative vision.
this show gives you a whole new outlook on what our future could hold. I saw 1x03 before google glass was announced and then hearing about glass got me scared as to our potential possible future going down a similar route.
Every episode brings up another topic for thought into our future and morals as a society. S1 is for sure the most memorable but each individual episode is worthy of attention. It really makes you take a deep hard look at what our society is becoming at the cost of technology, to keep advancing and the problems we could face as a society because of this thirst we have for comfort.
the only downside i found watching this series is you have to concentrate to watch it, or you will miss something, and the early parts of the episodes can seem boring at first watch, but watching them over after you have seen the whole episode you will have that "AHHH" moment.
if you are after a series to make your head-spin and bring about plenty of debate between friends and family then this is the show for you.
It is a brilliant thought provoking series and i really hope they make more!
Currently halfway through and I just want to tell everybody already: Go check this out!!!
Edit: Just finished it. It's truly a remarkable series!
Beautiful CGI images, although the keen eye might occasionally spot some glitches and errors, it was truly eye candy most of the time. The story ending feels like the show might be going for some kind of super/genius heroes team, but in a way that really makes you enthusiastic to see what more they are gonna do, after this epic first season story. Looking at the detective arc of the story, I incidentally saw Sherlock-genius schemes forming and was delighted to see this - although I missed much more than I could have thought - all came together in a marvelous way!
Also for the lovers of a good love story there is more than enough to enjoy. Containing numerous twists, brought in throughout the whole storyline. Giving you plenty enough of satisfaction, excitement and anticipation on this area...
There is plenty of more to find out than the above teasers, but then I would be actually spoiling a lot. Those are just some of the many reasons why you should watch it! ;-)
All concluded: A great new sci-fi hero story, with much more up its sleeve than you would expect!
So, is it overly feministic? No, it isn't. I'd say Wonder Woman is more so than this film. It holds it's character strongly and does not diverge the audience's views when watching. The undertones are there sure, but it isn't in your face. Just thought I'd get that out of the way because some around me were wondering that themselves.
Carol Danvers is a great addition to the MCU. Not only has the studio thought long and hard about her placement, but also on how they can make her a defining character for our day and age. No doubt that in the future she will grow and see stronger days herself. But for now, we are left with a very fast paced story with Carol herself, not seeming quite right. There is something off about Brie Larson's performance, and I think it's because of the quick cutting of emotional stages she goes through. I know they are making an amnesia story (with a slim amount of tropes I might add!), but for some reason, she can't seem coherent enough in emotional performing to make this character fully likeable. Then again. it's an origin story. The way she is blunt with others is a plus though.
The villain is complicated here. While I'd say one of the better in the MCU. There are some drawbacks to how they interact with Carol. Not much I can say about them. But having a movie set in the past with a big threat like in the 3rd act was kind of stupid in my opinion. No stakes at all.
For the technical side of things, shots were nice. Too much cutting than I would have liked in fight scenes in hand to hand. The final fight was greatly done though. The music didn't stand out much and was unneeded in some scenes that would have benefitted from silence or a more subtle tone rather than an orchestral track. CGI was fairly good. But, Captain Marvel's powers make her look really fake when flying.
Young Nick Fury and Captain Marvel are, of course, the main highlight to take away. Like a buddy cop movie, but with more superpowers and cats. The chemistry between the two was funny and well put together. The final line said by Carol in the mid-credits scene is a nice callback earlier in the film to cement the two.
So yes duh, there is a mid-credits scene and an end-credits scene. But you could leave after the mid-credits. As the final scene is just a cutesy one. But if you want absolutely no spoilers at all and are the type to even avoid trailers for the new Avengers. It may not be the best play to watch the mid-credits.
Captain Marvel is a good introduction to the strong female lead Carol Danvers. A fun journey with a duo I'd love to see more of. As well as more of Carol's flaws in a visual medium, not vocal. It's no Iron Man, but I see a bit of that Tony Stark spark in this promising character.
Second Viewing Update
So after another look because of uncertainty. I can say now that I was frustrated with the lack of actual character build. Before I remarked the amnesia story being an excuse for the lacking of visual storytelling. But now it was getting to me. Carol Danvers deserves better. And I hope in Endgame she gets it. I have faith in the Russos to give her better development. If not, other instalments will hear our cries for giving this amazing promise, flaws. Downgrading my rating a bit as for a movie about this character, it focuses more on her abilities than her as a person.
7.2/10
6.8/10
Check here for my MCU rankings.
https://trakt.tv/users/corruptednoobie/lists/my-mcu-rankings?sort=rank,asc
Preliminary review, my final review for Season 1 is in another comment (I didn't want to just edit over this, especially with the likes on it). Very light spoilers for the first few episodes ahead.
I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and give a genuine review of the series as far as I've watched so far (I'll review it properly when I'm done with the season).
So, let's start with the Baphomet in the room (haha), and note that there is some very overt feminism in this series. As I hear, it tapers off as the series goes on, and I look forward to that, because while it is absolutely not pervasive to every corner of the series, it's a cringey part of the early episodes. I wholly support progressive movements, I am happy to see a non-binary character on the show, and Sabrina's attempts to defend said character. I wholly support Sabrina being a sassy, empowered female character who 'sticks it to the man'.
That said, constantly pointing to a plot element and going: 'This is women standing up to the patriarchy!' is unnecessary. As I said before, it's cringey. Let the work speak for itself.
That said, the series, while not a masterpiece, is interesting so far. I appreciate its willingness to broach Satanism (with all its LaVeyan trappings) and all the horror, gore, and sexuality that comes with it. When it just moves forward with the plot, and doesn't spend its time pointing out its progressiveness, it's a solid supernatural drama.
I do find Roz to be tedious. I think Harvey and Sabrina's relationship is unearned (they are way too lovey for 16 year olds with so many secrets between them, and Sabrina, so far, has been rather self-centered, while Harvey plays the devoted and doting boyfriend; feels very much like the criticisms feminists often have about the roles women play in their relationships with men in other stories). I hope that this gets approached with some maturity, instead of devolving into a mess of drama, but sadly, I feel it could easily go either way.
Ambrose is a great addition to the cast, fulfilling the morally ambiguous role that Salem played in the original (but also being properly morally ambiguous, in keeping with the dramatic tone, rather than comically so).
I'll make a proper review when I've finished with the season, but I just felt like this comment section could use a genuine review rather than the 'feminism is ruining everything!' reviews that it has mostly seen so far.
Thrilling, creative and well acted. There was a lot of doubts about Edge of Tomorrow, but for me it seemed very cool and since I first saw the trailer that I was excited to see it. Today I finally had the chance to catch it and I really enjoyed!
The concept of the story is so cool! Something between Source Code and a mix of many war films. The action sequences of war are absolutely amazing and the special effects so well done! With a fantastic and super original Sci-Fi story you will be intrigued until the very last minute and you can't even predict what is coming next.
What I wasn't expecting was the amount of humour the film has. Those comical parts go very well with the story and are very well delivered. I let go an amount of spontaneous laughs throughout the story and that was great.
Tom Cruise was really great that his role! We already know that through the last few years he is a guy that likes to do this kind of physically difficult roles full of action and he certainly is in shape for that. I confess that I prefer the 80's and 90's Tom Cruise but he was pretty good in this and that is the Tom Cruise that I wanna continue to see! (although last year I also liked to see him in Oblivion which I think is not as bad as many say). Emily Blunt is a good actress, seeing her in this badass role was awesome! The chemistry between Cruise and Blunt was fantastic! I really liked Bill Paxton's character too.
I heard somewhere that this film was "the best video game film that was not based in a video game" and while I was watching it I really felt that! It was so cool to almost feel that I was actually playing a video game something like "Oh sh*t GAME OVER, start all over again!" haha
First was X-Men: Days of Future Past and now Edge of Tomorrow. Two great Blockbusters! Will this Summer continue to be great? I hope so!
When I wrote my thoughts on Spotlight, I speculated about how knowing the end of the story going in, knowing the extent of the scandal the team in Spotlight was uncovering, may have robbed the plot of some of its punch. And yet, The Big Short is, in many ways, the perfect counter to that.
Almost everyone old enough to watch this film lived through The Great Recession. They know that the disaster all the main characters in the film are predicting comes true, in all its horrible, self-destructive glory. But rather than taking away from the film, it adds to it. There's this sense of foreboding, of doom that hangs over everything.
A film about the financial crisis, especially involving traders and analysts and people crunching numbers in a fund, could easily be too dry. And yet, the fact that the individuals the film focuses on are slowly but surely investigating an economic massacre waiting to happen, and how each step they take reveals another way that disaster might have been diverted, or people who are supposedly in the know digging the whole deeper, means that the entire film is just an exercise in creating that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. It's not a prestige picture; it's a horror film.
It's also a very weird film. It's not so bold in its presentation that it feels unprecedented, but it feels stitched together, disjointed, and unusual, but in a good way. Adam McKay, of Anchorman fame, is the right man for the job. There is a darkly funny absurdity to the topic The Big Short covers, and with his fourth-wall breaking asides, his cuts to celebrity explanations of complex financial consequences in ridiculous situations, and his jumping between various characters acting wild or nutty lends the perfect tone to the movie, one of simultaneous horror at what hell hath been wrought and unavoidable bemusement at the clowns who steered us all into this ditch.
The direction and rhythm of the film is frenetic. It's closest comparison point is Requiem For a Dream with the same frenetic hodgepodge of images and sounds, bleeding and blending into one another, disorienting the viewer and conveying the sense in which the financial world the film depicts is intoxicating, dizzying, and unsettled all at the same time.
Another aspect of the film that makes it hard to compare to other works in this space is the fact that it doesn't really have a protagonist or a plot. Sure, it has a story, and it has characters who take up the most oxygen over the course of the movie, but more than anything it feels like a documentary. It's far too stylized and irreverent to really deserve that label, but it's far more interested in trying to describe what happened, to explain just what mistakes and lies and blindspots led to the global economic crisis, than it is in rising action and resolution, or showing people growing or changing.
That's not to say there isn't an emotional element to the film. Steve Carell stands out by playing essentially a smarter, angrier Michael Scott who grabs your attention every time he's on screen. The parallels between his character's sense that a catastrophe is looming in economic terms that he could do something to prevent, and his guilt over not doing more to prevent his brother's suicide was--while perhaps a little easy--also affecting.
The rest of the cast do their jobs well, but blend together a bit because again, while they're a vital part of the film, the film isn't really about them. The characters in The Big Short are conduits to detail, in amusing and human terms, just what the hell went wrong. Christian Bale is a collection of actorly tics, but he acquits himself well enough. Ryan Gosling does his best dudebro douchebag type, and is sufficiently entertaining in that guise. And Brad Pitt seems pretty reserved, short of his moment where he chastises his young wards for being too happy about what they're making their money from.
But again, the fact that there's not really a narrative means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The film is not really a story; it's an autopsy, cutting up the corpse of our financial system and exposing the bloody innards, the rotten organs at the core that led the USA, and the world, to the dire economic state it was in by late 2008. In that sense, the film succeeds wildly, and McKay manages to tackle something of real significance without losing the absurd madcap attitude he brings to his comedic works, and somehow, doing justice to the insanity of the lead up to The Great Recession in the process. It's a hell of an achievement to make a film this funny, this disturbing, and this great.
At least this one is entertaining. Despite the fact that it mainly warns us about the dangers of adolescent popstar live.
It's also very long to start. Its 1h10 could easily be packed into 45 minutes. The whole Rachel awkard teen's story and how she can so easily be influenced by a toy telling her to believe in herself is way too long. First as usual with this type of character, I have a very hard type believing that a girl that looks like her would be in this situation at school. And it's not like she's even useful in anything as a character. She's just a plot device. She wants the Ashley Too, and she wants to do what she says. That's it. She's such a huge fan and that's her whole character. OK, the fact that she says that when face to face with Ashley that is tied to her bed and just woke up from a coma a few seconds ago, that's funny. But she doesn't do a single thing. She's in a back fangirling while Jack drives. She does nothing while Ashley Too unplugs the real one and Jack is handling the bodyguard. She does nothing at the end while Jack is actually playing with her idol. Such a loooong exposition for a character that has nothing to do after. I mean it goes through all the cliches and then deliver nothing...
I'm not really in the Miley Cyrus demographic, never seen her, maybe heard one song, I mostly have seen her in tabloids stories. But wow, I found her very good. As the cheery popstar, as the depressed ex child star (but maybe they're not such composition roles) and very much as the robot voice. Through the whole beginning the only interesting parts were hers, and the real story starts at Ashley Too's awakening.
This second part was fun, though it looked more part of a teen show than a BM episode.
As for the tech part, it's a lot less dark than usual. There's basically no downside. Previous season had a way harsher treatment on the duplicating consciousness thing. That was a constant theme in last season, with very dramatic to horrific consequences, but here it's like they wanted to show, look, it can be fun too. Very not Black Mirrory.
However it's not like we're talking about every day technology as it is usually the case. Even in this world, the tech used seems to be revolutionary. And that makes no sense in the story. So the aunt, or her company, or people who work for her anyway, manages to map an entire mind, industrial scale, and they use it for... a pop star doll ? Also it was cheaper to have a miniature doll with the capacity of containing and running the whole thing and put a limiter on it, than to just map and put the tiny part you want to use ?
Then their holographic tech, that seems pretty good too. Though weird moment when Catherine is in front of the (probably mostly teenage fangirls) audience and does her Apple keynote, being happy to be back into the most lucrative part of the business. She actually says that. Not at a tech investor meeting, in front of the live audience. Also fully customizable (even her clothes!) and scalable, like that's not the easiest part of an hologram.
And then there's this machine that allows to decipher songs from the brain of a coma patient ! That's fucking amazing. The applications just for medecine, are unimaginable. And the other ways it could be exploited...
I can think of a thousand ways to make a shitload of money with that without needing to drug your niece into a coma ! They litterally invent technology worth hundreds of billions of dollars just to make a few millions out of a teenage pop star ! Pretty weird when the aunt's character is just presented as being driven by money.
And what's with the dad's machine ? It shows a brain, so I thought he was working on rat's brains, but he just has a small rat chasing robot ? And, without knowing anything (it's repeated enough), you can plug a toy, see it's brain and edit the limiter on it ? That was worse than any hacking scene in movie history, but maybe it was a joke on that ? Didn't feel like it.
Anyway, by far the best episode of the season, but that's not saying much. And still not a Black Mirror episode. I rate it 7 because it was entertaning, but if I was to rate it as if it was a BM episode, that would be lower.
A real BM episode would have gone over the spying part of the Ashley Too technology. A lot to do with that alone. And like I already said, all the brain mapping thing, there was a lot of ways to exploit that, though it was kinda alredy done in last season, there were still lots of possibilities.
Kinda liked the suggestion that if you're not kept under hallucinogenics drugs you would real music instead of pop :)
I spent the entire episode grinning like a fool. It's so good to have Doctor Who back! And beyond amazing to finally properly meet Jodie's Doctor!
Oh, Jodie. When she first took off that hood in the reveal video back in July 2017, I immediately started crying. The thing is, I hadn't even allowed myself to hope for a female Doctor - I thought there was no way BBC would take such a risk. And I had never been happier to be proven wrong. I spent the last 15 months devouring every interview, every panel, every talk show, anything I could find, and making my way through Jodie's filmography (because of that, I can now understand her accent pretty much perfectly, which, as a non-native speaker of English, I'm really proud of). I knew she was a phenomenal actress, and in this episode it became obvious that she was born to play this role. Her Doctor is just the right amount of quirky, she's funny, brilliant and a delight to watch. One thing that stood out to me right away was the sharp contrast between her and Twelve's bedside manner - or, in his case, lack thereof. Thirteen is wonderfully empathetic, she seems to understand human emotions way better than her predecessor did. And it makes sense, too - after a darker, more troubled Doctor we get one who's bubbly, joyful and full of childlike wonder. Someone a little softer, which I love.
The episode itself was very enjoyable. I thought the storyline was quite clever and Tim Shaw (yes, I know that's not how it's spelled) was a pretty good villain. There were moments that definitely reminded me of Broadchurch - you can already clearly feel the difference between Moffat's style and Chibnall's. The whole thing also looked really good. Very cinematic. I already like the new companions - or friends, as they're now called. I wasn't a fan of Graham at first, but his speech at the funeral was very sweet. The Doctor explaining what regeneration feels like was excellent and moving, it also served as good exposition for potential new viewers. And I adore Thirteen's outfit.
It's times like these that I wish Doctor Who was a Netflix show. I want more!
UPDATE: This episode was watched by 8.2 million people in the UK upon its debut, which is the highest overnight viewership since The Day of The Doctor. Guys, I'm trying to be a good person here, I really am. But when I remember all the assholes on YouTube going "RIP Doctor Who" when Jodie was first revealed, I can't help but cackle. I'd say the show is doing just fine.
So I finished Part One and had a few hours to think about it. The show is definitely interesting. It’s not perfect but I see it setting-up to something bigger in Part Two. The first few episode are a bit off, not horrible or unwatchable but, does have some questionable pacing, lack of music, and some of the more direct jokes aren’t as funny as I would like them. A lot of the “good” jokes seem to be sprinkled in the background or hidden inside of other dialog, I wouldn’t be surprised picking-up on new jokes on a second re-watch. That said episodes 1-5 would be a 5-6/10. Normally a weaker opening to a series would lean me more towards dropping, however...
The reason I say the show is interesting is that the trailer and promo material advertises the show as a comedy first with some adventure on the side, however, it’s very much a slice of life series with hints of adventure down the line in Part Two. I wasn’t expecting this and I actually like this angle more. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if Part Two was exclusively adventure focused. Most of the episodes in Part One are about the daily life of the disobedient princess and falling into situations, all the while adding a LOT of world building. Part One seems very focused on familiarizing you with the world, people, concepts, etc... While this is taking place we get short cutaways to an unknown group of wizards/sorceress monitoring the situation in Dreamland, the main location in Part One, suggesting something bigger going on.
I wont spoil anything at the end of Part One but the world building and hints towards a grandeur story definitely make this series interesting and I want to learn more. Obviously these are just promises for the moment but the care put into the world and the slower pace at the start to familiarize the characters gives me hope that this series will offer more. For now it’s a 6/10, good but until we see the rest I wouldn’t put much into the rating.
Also the 2D animation is very good. CGI blending is better than most shows and a surprising amount of the scenes have a lot of animation in areas you wouldn't expect it. Casual walks in the city treat you to scenes with plenty of bystanders moving and interacting with each others in 2D (some are 3D). Lots of other shows would offer stills & pans so this gives this show's world a lot of life.
History became legend. Legend became myth.
And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece "The Lord of the Rings", Peter Jackson took up the challenge, that for the longest time was told about Tolkien's book: "Too complicated to bring a true version onto film, it cannot be done."
Describing "The Lord of the Rings" to the uninitiated may perhaps be best compared trying to describe the taste of wine: Sweet, a little bitter, and intoxicating. Yet to those, who have never tasted wine, the meaning behind this description will forever elude them.
What makes this trilogy stand out amongst other equally brilliant movies, is each individual aspect of this movie is an astonishing work of art and ties "The Lord of the Rings" to something larger than the sum of its parts. The cinematography is breathtaking, in the most literal sense of the word. At times you will hold your breath being consumed by the sheer beauty of Middle Earth. You will quickly forget your surroundings and be plunged into this world. The original score composed by Howard Shore can be considered a masterpiece and Shore's magnum opus, his most brilliant work to date. Inspired by Richard Wagner, he composed the soundtrack around 80 different Leitmotifs, each focusing on an individual character/area/scene with recurring melodies throughout the trilogy. At the time of production, the most popular composers were James Horner and Hans Zimmer, and the music scene was quite astounded at Jackson's choice for the relatively unknown Shore. Jackson said his decision heavily depended on Shore's very unique style (as seen in 'The Cell') and his ability to bring something unique to each of his work.
The (special) effects are equally amazing and more importantly, believable. You will never feel like "Ah, special effects!", but be mesmerized by their authenticity. It almost seems nonsensical to talk about the performance by leading and supporting roles. They were real. I did not see them in their previous roles or as actors, they completely filled out their roles and added their own personality.
"The Lord of the Rings" is certainly not perfect, but if you came to expect perfection, you will forever be feeling disappointed.
It is however the closest thing to perfection as one might get without feeling pretentious.
If you watch this movie for the first time and have very high expectations from all the positive reviews, forget the reviews and watch it with an open mind, but also don't watch it thinking it could never live up to your high expectations, as you might miss out.
I, for one, will be watching this movie for many many years to come, and it has become quite the tradition to watch it at least once a year.
10/10 - You will witness the events unfold through the eyes of the Fellowship and come across joy, sorrow and even great despair. A true work of art that should not be missed.
"The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. " Galadriel
The setting is contemporary, judging by the automobiles, but the ambience is decidedly 1950's era spy film noir. As for genre, I'm forced to call Counterpart science fiction, in that it involves parallel universes, but it's really like nothing else within that genre.
The general scenario is this: 30 years ago, for reasons unknown, reality split into two bifurcating, independent time lines. Until that point, all was unified, meaning that every character alive at that point shared identical histories. Now, things have begun to diverge. But there is a doorway between the universes in a building in Berlin.
Again, for reasons unknown, the two sides have been both communicating with, and spying on, one another through this doorway, and this is where our protagonist Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons) comes in. "Our" Howard is a low level functionary in this spy agency who hasn't a clue as to what is really going on until, one day, his counterpart arrives with news that a woman from "their" side has been sent over to assassinate people on "our" side, including Howard's comatose wife. No one knows why, which is the prevailing state of awareness in this decidedly curious story. "Other" Howard decides that "our" Howard is critical to his investigation and, thus, the strange alliance begins.
J.K. Simmons is a phenomenal actor, despite often being cast in secondary roles, and Counterpart is truly his opportunity to shine. He plays a single character, but one with two separate backgrounds despite shared childhoods, a role requiring some subtlety and nuance. He plays both characters to perfection as the similarities and differences between the two create something of a broader character that calls into question our notions of identity.
In a way, Counterpart is an examination of the concept of self, or soul, but it is also an engaging mystery/thriller. Like its main character, the sum is both greater than, and equal to, its parts.
So, I saw Hardcore at Toronto Film Fest and it was pretty fucking hardcore! Now, there's a pretty good way to describe this movie that I think you'll all agree with when you see it, and it's that this movie is Crank meets Mirror's Edge. This film is very much inspired by video games and it's very much inspired by Neveldine & Taylor. It lives on the principles of sex, drugs and rock and roll, and it's filled with great excuses for the film to be the way that it is. However, its benefits don't stop there. For one, the character's ability to speak is damaged from the beginning of the film. So, seeing the entire film from the eyes of a silent protagonist not only adds to the humor, but it's one more layer to add to the homage of video games that this film is going for. There are plenty of films shot in first person that have cuts that might bother me, but this film often disguises those cuts as glitches in the main character's vision, and when cuts are made in the film, I never really feel cheated by their existence. The cuts were often used to help keep the pace of the film going. So, when the character's chasing someone over a long distance, there's no real point in showing the entirety of the chase anyway. This film is filled with incredibly impressive parkour and stunt choreography, with many of the stunts putting the actors in very real danger. Now, much like a Neveldine & Taylor film, this movie does not really take itself too seriously. The film has a constant sense of goofiness and humor, so that combined with the ridiculous and well choreographed action, made for a film that I had an absolute blast watching. This film and Mad Max are probably tied for the most fun I've had in a film all year. This is a great example of a "fun" out of 10 movie. Is it as good of a film overall as Mad Max? Ah, no. I mean, for one this film is a lot more stupid, but on the plus side this film knows that it's stupid and is proud of it. Like any Neveldine & Taylor film, it's not trying to be an Oscar winner, it's just trying to be entertaining. So when the plot gets so stupid that it's a little difficult to understand exactly why any of this is happening, at least it's a movie that doesn't really beg for you to care.This movie doesn't pretend it's anything other than what it is, and that makes it all the more enjoyable.
Well, I never knew that the sound of a pen clicking could be so satisfying. I feel like that last scene was an important moment for Serena and June - for the first time there was a genuine connection between them, without any secret agenda or manipulation. They have a common goal and they're working together to achieve it, breaking the rules and risking everything in the process. I love it. I know these two have a fucked up relationship and that Serena is directly responsible for what June's life looks now, but I can't help but be fascinated by their dynamic. And maybe I want them to be friends. A tiny bit. They'd be unstoppable if they teamed up.
I have the memory of a goldfish, so I don't even know if we've ever seen Odette before, but I was devastated when Moira saw her photo. Absolutely crushed. Also, baby Gavin!!! What a cute little pumpkin. And $250,000 for a baby? Holy shit. I knew healthy children were rare in this show's reality, but I didn't realize they were that scarce. Any woman with working ovaries and uterus could become a freaking millionaire.
That scene with the Handmaids introducing themselves to each other was so moving and powerful. The music in the background nearly made me cry. This is how the revolution starts. And I'm so happy Emily and Janine are back.
This has probably been the best episode in the Capaldi era so far. Been waiting a long time for the show to return to its best moments.
Watching this I couldn't stop thinking about the original Pilot.
1) Susan, whose photo we got to see so many times <3, was the one that named the Tardis
2) The ones that happen to find de Tardis, and The Doctor, in the junkyard were Susan's teachers (Ian and Barbara) whereas in this case was a student (Bill)
3) Susan is the one that has that thirst of knowledge. Though she loved Earth she was very curious, just as Bill.
Also, there were what to me felt like hints to the other Pilot this show had: Rose. The idea that Bill was almost not to travel with the Doctor, but he decided to look for her and remind her that his machine also travels in Time (which is part of my favorite headcanon about Nine and I'm glad to see it protrayed here: the idea that between invitations, Nine travelled alone and decided that he needed a companion and went back to look for her).
And, last but not least, the chips. Remember how much fun Rose and Nine had eating chips? And how Rose also worked in a school cafeteria serving chips? And how she, like Bill, had a regular job, came from a working class and was, by The Doctor's standards, sometimes a bit slow at first?
Finally, I never thought we'd see the time when we were reminded that the habit of erasing someone's mind without their consent was absolutely not right. I already love Bill and her determination.
I also love the bit with Clara's song, which I also thought we wouldn't hear again.
Overall, sooooo good. I just hope the season continues in this line.
I'm very pleased to say that I really loved this! As much as I enjoyed the premiere, it didn't fully feel like a Doctor Who episode to me. This one, however, absolutely did. I think it captured the essence of the show perfectly.
Something that Chibnall does very skillfully is create an engaging mystery that really draws you in. I was on the edge of my seat for a big part of the episode, waiting to find out what happened to the population of the planet. And what do you know, it looks like the Stenza are going to be a recurring theme this season! I'm curious to see how that will play out. And what - or who - could the timeless child be?
One of the strongest points of this season is the cinematography. Some of the wide shots that we got in this episode looked like they belonged in a Star Wars movie. And the music is excellent as well. It's kind of subtler than what I've gotten used to with Doctor Who, but it's lovely. The new composer is doing a great job.
Another strong point is obviously the acting. While I do think that Jodie, just like every Doctor, will need a few episodes to fully come into her own, I love everything she's given us so far. The quick wit, the quirks, the boundless energy, the enthusiasm and the charm that she brings to the role - it's all exactly right. And I'll be honest, the emotional moments in this episode really got me. Her face when she saw the hologram of the Ghost Monument and realized it was the TARDIS! And the reunion was so soft and gentle and wonderful! I actually cried happy tears when she said "You've done yourself up! Very nice". I adore Thirteen. And the companions are growing on me too. I like the interactions between the three of them and the Doctor. I can't wait to see these individual dynamics develop over the course of the season.
The opening credits are awesome. I've never seen the classic series, but the theme has a very retro vibe to it and I like the color scheme. It looks like a kaleidoscope. I dig it.
And finally, the TARDIS! She's redecorated all right! The interior looks more organic, kind of like Nine's and Ten's were. I liked the sleek, mechanical designs of the Moffat era, but this one is so appropriately alien. The biscuit dispenser is a cute little touch, especially considering that they put it there as a gift to Jodie and packed it with her favorite custard creams.
Overall, I thought this was a really great episode. Now that we have the TARDIS back, I'm excited to see what adventures await us.
That this movie, at the time of writing this, holds an 8.8 rating at IMDb is simply beyond my understanding. Needless to say I did not really like this movie. The story is not very good, the science is ludicrous and the visuals not all that impressive. Maybe the latter would be better in a big theater (I watched this on my home cinema system which has a relatively large screen by European standards) but I am not really sure about that either.
Be warned that the rest of this review might contain a spoiler or two.
The movie starts of with the usual “I told you so” wet dream of the green fanatics on a dying Earth so it is off to a depressing start right away. That is an overused concept today as far as I am concerned. Then they pour it on with a school official claiming that he Apollo missions and moon landings never happened. What the f…? If they wanted to depress the audience right from the start they succeeded, at least with this audience.
The story proceeds with our heroes finding these gravity waves in the sand and by a huge stretch of imagination decrypts them to mean coordinates which leads them to the secret NASA base. Once there Cooper is told that he is their best choice of pilot for a “save the human race” mission through a wormhole. Yeah, right! This guy was former NASA. His whereabouts could hardly been unknown to them. If he was their best choice why would they entrust a mission to save the human race to someone else until he stumbled onto their door? Typical Hollywood nonsense!
The movie is full of this kind of rubbish. Romilly wastes 23 years of his life doing pretty much nothing except deciding not to go into the sleep capsule. The supposedly highly trained and vetted professor that they do find turns out to be a psychopath as well as and idiot almost blowing up the ship when trying to proceed with a docking that all the systems tells him have not succeeded. Then they proceed to dock with the main ship and stop its spin as well as bring it out of orbit around a planet with the shuttles engines. That is one hell of a powerful shuttle not to mention the strength of the docking mechanism! This just goes on. When someone is not doing something illogical or stupid (or both) they sit around talking, philosophizing and dragging the movie forward at snails pace. 169 minutes is way too much for this movie.
The movie ends up in one big time travel mess (okay they do not travel in time, just sends messages through time but still…) during a bunch of psychedelic scenes while traveling through the back hole. Science? Not so much. And what about this totally ludicrous massively illogical and inefficient robot design?
The one good thing I can say about this movie is that the performance of most of the actors, especially Matthew McConaughey, are quite good. For the rest, not my cup of tea.
Feels exactly like Stargate formula with similar issues (no surprise, with Jo Mallozzi and Paul Mullie). Not a bad thing as is being a huge Stargate fan. Quite the opposite actually, it feels kinda like "home", familiar so to say, although the cast is completely different and there's no Stargate anywhere whatsoever.
Now, this is not SG by a long shot BUT it shares some of the longest writers/exec producers of SG which is a good thing.
Personally, I couldn't be happier about Jo making a new SciFi show in space. It may or may not work out but so far, and we're just 3 eps in now, I genuinely enjoyed it. It doesn't reinvent the wheel and I see issues (clichés) but is by far not the worst effort of a new show I've seen the past seasons (DIG/American Odysee) and has room for a lot of exploration and I do trust Jo to be at least able to make this a greatly enjoyable show given time. Question is, if he is given the time he needs.
Considering the low acceptance of "SciFi" these days I won't hold my breath no matter the journey in S1 but we'll see.
You know, I'm not really into animated shows or movies.
I play many games but League of Legends isn't something I'm interested in.
When I saw this on Netflix, I thought "well not for me".
Boy, was I wrong.
After reading many articles, I decided I should give it a try and launched the first episode.
And the second, and the third and so on and on.
I was blown away. I am still blown away.
The story is great, and far reaching. I know nothing of league of legends, didn't need to.
The setting, this steampunk/victorian/magical world is so unique.
The characters are full of life, full of emotions, doubts. They are not empty shells but full on humans/humanoids. More so than many live-action characters.
The graphics and animation are the most amazing I've had the pleasure to witness. I mean, every scene is grandiose. Like moving paintings. What a feast for the eyes.
And last (but not least), the music is perfect. The main title by imagine dragons is on point, and the score complements the story so well. Case in point, many scenes don't have any dialogue, the animation and the score being sufficient.
Emotions are high at the end, I can't wait for what's in store next year.
Please, please, please, do watch it. Even if games are not your things, even if League of Legends isn't. Even if animated video aren't.
Watch it.
They always say “read the book first” but sometimes it is fascinating watching a film version without any knowledge of the text it is based on. Book fans can get quite agitated at seeing their vision or interpretation of the book trampled on in some way but at the same time if the film doesn’t capture the essence of the book in some way, then what’s the point ? Looking at this purely as a film, it is enjoyable to watch, but what is a little disappointing is Luhrmann seems to be trying to recapture much of what made Moulin Rouge so great and repeating himself, sometimes successfully and sometimes less so. The fast paced editing, visual style, music and direction captures the decadence, glamour and excess of Gatsby’s world in much the same way, though equally this heightened anachronistic interpretation of the 1920s will no doubt delight or irritate in much the same way too. Both DiCaprio and Maguire are excellent as Gatsby and Carroway and the strongest moments of the film are their scenes together. Indeed, the exploration of the character of Gatsby himself, his motivations, hopes and backstory and importantly Carroway’s interpretation of him form much of what works well within the film and it was no surprise to learn that these two were cast well before others. Luhrmann evokes a great sense of mystery and intrigue over Gatsby's character initially, gradually revealing elements over the course of the film and DiCaprio's presence and charisma serve the character well. The overarching narration that served Moulin Rouge so well is also present, however here it feels heavy handed and ultimately unnecessary (despite some clever visual trickery with words from the book), with Luhrmann seemingly unwilling to let the audience take their own interpretation of the story from what is presented. Furthermore, whilst Mulligan is fine as the central female character, it is difficult to care about her other than through Gatsby’s motivation and Edgerton’s performance veers towards pantomime on occasion, another stylistic conceit seemingly lifted from Moulin Rouge. These two characters may well serve to underline one of the film’s themes at the end but it makes it very difficult to accept Gatsby’s motivation other than through DiCaprio’s admittedly great performance. A partial return to form then for Luhrmann after Australia, but not wholly successful either.
I thought this was a bit of a letdown. It's retreading the plot and structure of the first one with some minor twists added and a different ending, so its not seen as the blatant copy it actually is. By having the same structure as the first movie did, most scenes before the 1 hour mark feel like filler and most after feels like a copy of the first movie, slightly amped up. To me it felt too much like the first one, a feeling I last had watching Transformers 2 - and that is not a good thing, as I avoided the sequels. Though, to be fair, it was mostly because Transformers 2 was very annoying.
The movie felt long. Really long. I think it could have been 40 minutes shorter and it wouldn't lose any important things while actually giving it a better pacing, as the movie feels just stretched out just so it runs over two and a half hours. And because of that stretching, the ending feels like it came really quick and was over before I realized it. The ending also leaves you hanging, desperately wanting you to want to see both parts of the final movie, both being released in a November (2014 and 2015), taking the route of unnecessarily stretching out the lifespan of the movies like it's usual now.
I don't understand why they think they need to do this. The Harry Potter movies, a franchise with a similar target audience, had the two parter finale released in a span of 6 months. Even the Matrix sequels came out in the span of 6 months. Both were very successful and at least the former was beloved by most who saw them. Maybe it's because of Twilight, as its two part finale was also released in a November (2011 and 2012).
But for now, until both sequels come out on DVD/BR, I don't have any interest in seeing (or even reading) The Hunger Games in the foreseeable future.
8.5/10. I have to admit, I'm a sucker for the Banana Guards, and they brought a lot of laughs here. The "infiltration" by Finn and Jake during the changing of the guard (replete with Banana cream pies!) was a Three Stooges-esque delight, and their affable, loving stupidity tickles my funny bone every time.
But what I really loved about this episode was how it played on the way different people see Princess Bubblegum. Finn sees her as "cool," and can't shake that image of her, which is why he's kind of upset when he originally sees the graffiti. Jake sees her as just a part of the continuum, which is why he appreciates the art and is able to look past who it's representing. The Banana Guards in general look at her as an object of worship, as a benevolent if frightening persona whom, as PB herself points out, they both love and fear. Banana Guard 16 in particular sees her as a cold and unknowable deity, with the way she destroyed candy people and tampers with their minds and their very beings. And Princess Bubblegum sees herself as "just a person." The leader of Ooo has had a lot of shades added to her over the years, and her acceptance, or at least attempt to vindicate the idea that she's no longer a god on high, but a part of the community, on the same level as her creations, is a nice grace note to the opening of the season where we see her bitter and disappointed at having been ousted by the candy people.
Because at the end of the day, she accepts and loves them. She's not the same PB who would mess with Banana Guard 16's brain; she's the one who recognizes that these big yellow dopes she's been frustrated by and indifferent to have special talents that she may never have imagined (and which, in a kind of weird sequence, drive Jake crazy). The idea that Finn and Bubblegum see that in them, that but for a few genetic bumps in the road, they can be different and unique and just as valid, thinking and feeling being as anyone else in Ooo, is a nice little breakthrough for the show. It's wonderful to see Adventure Time still adding wrinkles to its characters and its world as it closes out the show's seventh season.
(Also, Banana Guard 16 was giving me mild flashbacks to "Princess Cookie.")
Something very interesting happened between the time I did stream this pilot from Amazon Prime for the first time, and eight months later, that I'm checking it out again. In the weeks following the premiere, writer Agness Kaku complained about that many of the japanese signs in the show were utter non-sense, like the word "Respect" written all over the place, an ad for "Viper Pharmacy" hanging in a place of honor in the Aikido dojo, the fact that naming San Francisco's International Airport as "Hiroito" and the bus station as "Imperial" violates Japanese naming customs and Joel de la Fuente delivering a line that was apparently written using Google Translate ("Yes, let us go then, you and I, when the evening is spread out against the sky. Ta, my good suspect!"). Well, the producers made a different cut, that's the one available for streaming now: the scene with the badly translated line was cut entirely, and several signs on the street (and the one in the dojo) were digitally changed for something more realistic. The Hiroito International Airport and bus station stayed, oddly. Also the Blade Runner homage in the Sunrise Cafe was cut short, and the pilot now has a different narrative, adding more bits here and there, and a whole different ending, with more scenes mashed up to add exposition and increase the story's relationship with the I Ching (as in the source material). Isn't a bad cut at all, and it feels different, probably better than the original.
Next Gen is a 2018 “Netflix” film with funding from Alibaba’s Movie division and produced by Baozou Manhua, an animation studio I haven’t heard of. When I say the film is from “Netflix”, what I’m actually saying is that Netflix paid 30 million for the world wide streaming rights, an insane amount. It’s apparently based on Wang Nima’s original webcoimic “7723”, with “7723” being the name of the main robot. I have not read “7723” but it has it’s own stories with recent issues with the Chinese government claiming it’s too vulgar and the site being taken down for a bit.
I’ll admit that movie’s semi-“Cassette Futurism” aesthetic is what got me curious. I love the retro design of 7723 & Mai the main protagonist. However, Netflix throwing down 30 Million for a movie from an “unknown” animation studio, based on a webcomic which seems to be in trouble with China’s government added to my interest in the film. The real questions, is it any good?
Next Gen isn’t a flawless movie and the plot is fairly simple, almost laid out from the beginning. The world has become obsessed with robots with everyone having Q-Bots, personal assistants. Pin, the guy that sells these robots is actually evil and has an evil plan that’s over the top. Mai & 7723 need to save the day and defeat evil guy. Straight forward. The story isn’t going to leave you questioning life or viewing the world in a new perspective. That being said it’s a really enjoyable movie with some nice emotional moments and actions scenes. Mai’s back-story and rebellious nature will probably resonate with those from broken homes, loss parents, not fitting in, etc… As well, the way they explained her hatred for robots and the reason her dad left was done nicely. I also like the way they ended her emotional journey, finally admitting her dad was kind of a piece of shit for leaving, and how she was ok with it. She’s still a little mad but ready to move on. It was just… nicely done.
Along with decent character building, the world is well developed and it seems the writers took a moment to think how this world would work if robots did everything, to a point that it’s ridiculous. Hell the ramen bowls are robots that compliment you when you eat them, weird but I loved it. In addition the the city which the story takes place in seems to be a future New York/Beijing. It looks like the team pulled inspiration from Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, & WALL-E. You get a cutesy world with fun little robots on the surface, yet in the background a Blade Runner-esc skyline with a dingy lower level with hints of cyberpunk (not overwhelming). I wanted to explore the city more and seeing as Netflix dropped 30 million for distribution of the film I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to push for a series. Not sure where they would go with the story.
I also want to take a moment to talk about the directors, Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander, who in my opinion did a great job. Multiple scenes had good shot composition and clever transitions, and the camera work in general was lively and kept the movie interesting. Despite the fact so many big budget animated movies are CGI, most of them seem boring and flat. I would also say the movie had good lighting which gave a few of the scenes a great atmosphere. Overall Next Gen was a tight, and a well put together film. I’m not sure if I’m over selling their work. Maybe because I was expecting this to be a generic Disney/Dreamworks/Illumination “safe” PG movie so I had lower exceptions, but I was actually pleasantly surprised. Speaking of PG…
One of the most surprising bits of this movie was the TV-PG rating in the US, which shows the freedoms you get when distrusting with Netflix. I’m no saint but this movie caught me off guard with it’s swearing, or its lack of swearing, honestly the way it was handled was something I haven’t seen in a PG movie before. You have characters like the Dog & Mom screaming shit, fuck, motherfucker, etc.. except that it's all bleeped out, with hard bleeps. Not your usual convenient truck passing-by drowning out the language. Hard bleeps, like “the [bleep] you say to me?”. Not that I disagree with reasoning behind the swearing. At the end of the movie when the villian is attacking Mai, the mom attacks the him screaming “get the fuck away from my daughter”, which is honestly the most mom/parent thing to do in a situation like that. I would be interested in watching the film uncensored.
Net Gen has some great moments, likable characters, interesting world, good enough story, a good English voice cast, and was a well put together film that feels like it came out of nowhere. I hope to see more of Wang Nima work and Baozou Manhua, if they can produce similar quality films. If you have Netflix and like animation, watch it. If you don't have Netflix I would still recommend you watch, get a one month subscription and binge a bunch of stuff including this movie.
[7.6/10] Ahhh, the 80s guy! This is such a quotable episode, that works as a nice send-up of the Wall Street set in the outsized Futurama environment. All the efforts to inject eighties-isms into the future make for good laughs, and there’s a solid vein of “Planet Express is generally incompetent” humor there too.
In keeping with the Wall Street parody, there’s a nice story of Fry losing sight of his friends and who he is in following his slick new mentor, only to turn around and try to make things right when he realizes that it’s disrupting the closest thing to a family he has in the future. But I appreciate the cynical Futurama twist that in the end, his co-workers don’t want him to thwart the takeover because it’ll make them rich, and everyone ends up grumpy when his heartfelt speech tanks the stock price. It’s an amusing twist on the stock lose-and-regain-your-soul narrative.
It’s also just a lot of fun. The stock market/earnings report based humor is great. The 80s guy is a tremendous guest character whose every line is a laugh. And there’s some superb Mom material here too.
Overall, the jabs at the eighties here are broad in places, but on the whole, this is a breezy episode that leaves you smiling throughout and quoting long after.
